A Brief Reprieve From The Hiatus
Sorry for the lack of a column, but I’ve had a difficult time as of late. I had family thing about a month ago, and more recently my computer crashed. I’ve also had to divert some of my writing energies toward something else.
Sadly, this column isn’t really a return to form; it’s more of an explanation, an update and a good-bye. But more on that later.
What I Watched Last Week Recently
Lost – Ok, so I’m somewhat disappointed in this show. First off they have the audacity to actually show reruns from the first season, which is completely asinine considering that one can purchase those episodes on DVD. Secondly, very little happens and its getting annoying.
But let’s get to the meat of what’s happened. A lot of people have been complaining about how the island has turned on Charlie. Well I’m going to defend it. Every culture, no matter how primitive is protective of children. Thus when Charlie, an admitted (hard) drug user starts behaving in a nutty fashion in regard to Aaron, it’s completely believable that the island would ostracize him.
The Charlie episode was notable mainly because we saw Locke lose his temper and give Charlie a quick beatdown. His flashback kept with the theme of “character”, but seemed contrived. It was disappointing.
Sawyer’s episode was even less believable. First off I buy Sawyer as a con man. He’s not convincing. He’s not suave, nor disarming. He’s not particularly charming. I can’t see how anyone would feel at ease around him. So his whole flashback was completely unbelievable.
(Oh and Joe, I kept trying to place Sawyer’s mark and completely skipped Deadwood remembering her from the short-lived Out of Order. And it took me ½ the episode.)
The reveal of the Sawyer/Charlie connection was acceptable as was the dual motivations (Charlie’s goal to make Locke the fool, and Sawyer to usurp Charlie as most dangerous/most hated.) But the problem I had was logistic in nature; I can’t believe that an armory could hidden anywhere on the island.
In the case of Locke you’ve got to factor in the limited distance one could travel from the hatch and the amount of cover needed to hide them. Given those parameters you’ve got limited options and a decent sized search party could find it. Even with Sawyer taking them its still just a matter of expanding a perimeter around where Locke hid them and searching. If the guns remain hidden for too long, I’m going to cry foul.
Oh by the way I’m glad that Michael’s MIA and I really hate Jack (whose flashback episode I loathed, though I did dig the meeting with The Others.) I’m also not fond of Sawyer, with the one exception; when he’s being a jerk to Jack. It’s moments like those when my approval of Sawyer goes from negative to infinitely positive.
Smallville – I’m completely lost when it comes to this show. Does Lionel know that Clark is an alien with powers? I’ve forgotten if he remembers or lost his memory. Whatever.
I was sad to see Jonathan die, but it was preferable to losing Lana (who could still possibly catch one.) Still it would have been nice to see Pete Ross come back, if only to die.
I’m also confused as to why there’s bad blood between Lex and Clark. Again, I’ve forgotten with all the twists and turns that relationship has taken. Many times Clark just seems like he’s a being a prick to Lex. But again, whatever.
The Shield – How dope is Tom Kavanaugh? He’s such a great character. Yeah it’s cool to see Vic manipulate Kavanaugh into suspecting Aceveda of duplicity. But let’s not forget that Vic is dirty. He did kill a cop.
Poor Ronnie, he’s had to take the wire into the bathroom. I think the writers should just give up trying to make Ronnie’s weekly exits organic and make them absurd. He should take leave because he’s taking the Bar Exam or his wife’s about to give birth.
Anyway Kavanaugh is a great character, and I find myself rooting for him on a weekly basis.
24 – Interesting season thus far. Sad to see Michelle and Prez Palmer leave, but happy to see Chloe get laid. I was dismayed to see CTU fall back on the Jack crutch, but I was happy to see that life did go on while Jack was gone (as evidenced by Jack using an outdated distress code during that whole hostage situation.)
It was nice to see Jack scream on Mike about selling him out. It’s equally cool to see that Palmer’s right hand guys, Aaron and Mike are still in the picture. And while I’m in the minority here, I say “Four More Years” when it comes to President Logan. He’s got all of the comedic flaws of G-Dub, only he’s fictional!
I didn’t care for Jack getting all sensitive and confessing his love for Audrey. It was unnecessary and too quick. And how bad must it be to be the chick that Jack was shacking up with, who got ditched in like two seconds?
I’ve also come to the conclusion that should I even be abducted because of my ability to perform a task, I’m going to be a real jerk about it. Face it; those guys always die. But for a brief span of time; abduction until the task is completed, when the abductors have to put up with whatever is dished out. And since that traditionally constitutes the end of their life, if in the situation, I’m going to live it up.
Hustle – Oh. My. God. I love this show. There’s a chance that I’m a bit of an anglophile, considering my viewing habits. But this show really is the tops. It’s well written, well shot, and well acted. And the ending isn’t always a happy one. It’s subversively fun to watch. And in comparison to what Lost considers a “con”, this show is full of masterpieces.
Grey’s Anatomy – I do love this show. I hate to admit it, because most of the time Meredith is unbearably annoying, but the show is great. The post Super Bowl episode ended up being amazing, but started way too slow. Way too slow.
It was nice to have Bailey back, even if she was giving birth. It was a great story. I really dug the whole storyline with Mr. Bailey, until my roommate reminded me that it was kind of bitten from Er at which point I proceeded to taunt her about Omar Epps’ (#2 on her list of unattainable Black Male Actors to lust after) suicide attempt. Still it was a tragic scenario nonetheless.
Izzy and Alex getting back together was acceptable, though her “without sex” tally was pitiful compared to some figures (2 ¼ years and counting). I find myself becoming more and more attracted to Addison. I can’t explain it, though it may have to do with her history of cheating on her husband, on his favorite sheets.
This show is great, and I’m so glad that I waited until Thursday before watching the episode, because three days for the conclusion is entirely bearable.
Boston Legal – Michael J. Fox’s performance it great, but his shakiness is distracting. Denny’s still funny. What happened to the Black female lawyer? Gee, you’d think that after the hiatus that I’ve had, I’d have more to say about the show, yet I don’t. Go figure.
Love Monkey – I found the first few episodes of this show to be a bit shaky. First off, the rapid-fire delivery of dialogue felt forced and completely unrealistic. I love Tom Cavanaugh (again?), but he seems too perfect. It’d be nice to see him with flaws. In many ways this is just Ed (which I loved) in a big city working at a music label, which isn’t as cool as it seems.
This show also has too many stars vying for screen time. Shooter is just the Black guy, and it about as undeveloped as any other Black guy on TV. Having Jake as a gay ex athlete could be compelling if it was addressed. In fact I’m in the dark; do the buddies know about his manlove?
I want to like the show, and it has it’s moments. But there’s never any threat that Tom’s not going to pull through. And if passion to something trumped everything else, I’d have a paying writing gig by now.
Scrubs – Every show should be this fun. Mandy Moore was hilarious! I completely believed that she was a klutz. This show may have the best ensemble cast around. I loved the Wizard of Oz episode. I really can’t articulate what I love so much about this show because there’s really nothing to contrast it off of. In most shows, there are a few stand out moments, but everything on this show is stellar. Therefore there’s nothing to contrast off of.
The Office – Essentially a “ditto” except replace Wizard of Oz with Warehouse and Mandy Moore with Patrice O’neil.
My Name is Earl – Great writing. This show makes excellent use of casting, but I’m really afraid that this show will venture into Will & Grace territory, in terms of guest stars. Let’s hope I’m wrong. I really find myself drawn to Randy. He’s so innocent and pure, like a three dimensional Ralph Wiggum. Wait, he’s exactly like an older Ralph Wiggum. If only there were some way to get him to say “smell you later.”
Greatest Show Ever…this week Ever – Homicide: Life on the Streets
Ordinarily I’d feel bad about bestowing such an honor on a show that I’ve been watching on DVD, but since it’s apparently begun running on some network called
Sleuth, I feel it’s fair game.
I love this show. It’s the reason I went to college in Baltimore. This is the greatest show ever to debut after the Super Bowl. I can’t say enough great things about this show.
I actually just got the first five seasons on DVD and I’m barely getting to the second disc of the third season. Still, one of the cool things about watching the show on DVD is that the shows are in the actual order that they were produced in. For some strange reason NBC showed them out of order. But now that has been rectified.
What’s really cool is to see all of the “names” who’ve appeared on the show. Bai Ling and Isaiah Washington made early appearances on Homicide. A very young Jake Gyllenhaal also appeared. Interesting note; Bop Gun, the episode that featured Jake, was originally written to focus on the guys who committed the crime, but when Robin Williams was cast as the victims husband the show was rewritten to center on him. (That’s a little tidbit that you won’t find on the DVD.)
Surrounded By Water or Bars?
Just under a month ago I posed the following scenario;
Good News; you’re surrounded by people. Bad News; some of them have guns. Good News; kid’s aren’t really allowed. Bad News; you don’t really have that many options in terms of food. Maybe you’re at a concert. Maybe you’re in strip club. Perhaps you’re in prison. Or maybe you’ve just survived a transatlantic plane crash. Who knows? The point is you’re alive.
So which wildly successful serialized TV drama would you rather be stuck on; Lost or Prison Break?
Colin wrote;
Ol’, consistent Colin here. I’ll answer your question.
And the only answer is Lost. I don’t want to get rodgered, buggered, or any other -ed by T-Bag. I don’t want to be shivved, shook down, or have to declare my allegiance to the blacks or whites.
Sure, Lost has killer polar bears, the creepy and dangerous “Others”;, living black smoke (and seriously Math, why does the killer smoke have to be black? Get on this.), a mysterious almost certainly dangerous bunker, but I’d rather be on a tropical South Pacific island with a few chicks than in a maximum security Illinois prison.
Luis offered up;
Well, when choosing between being in a prison with bad food and murderers versus a beautiful island with an underground food warehouse and some tourists, I’m going with the subjectively nicer environment of Lost. The danger in Lost is going in toward the center of the island and looking for trouble. Live on the shore, hang out with the beautiful passengers and enjoy some sun. Stay in a pack and keep an eye out for “others” with a badly smoking chimney and it beats living in a cell wondering when someone’s going to hurt you because of a misguided stare.
As for me, I’ve got to say that I’m going with Prison Break. First off let me explain why it’s not Lost. 1) The lack of food. Yeah, I dig sushi, but I don’t dine on swine. I also tire of eating the same old same old and that island offers very little variety. 2) I don’t like my odds as a Black guy. Michael and Walt are MIA and Rose hasn’t been seen in awhile (probably because her character has little purpose now). Eko is the last of them to have a major role, which leads to my conclusion that his time is nigh. 3) Way too many predators. You’ve got the smoke, you’ve got The Others and you’ve got polar bears. Nah, I’m good.
Prison Break would be a breeze. You’re guaranteed food, clothing and shelter. I’d also have plenty of down time to write, maybe a memoir or a novel. And honestly, being the avid fan of Oz that I am, Prison Break looks like Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. I can do that standing on my head. Hell, I could probably get Adebisi stature there.
Of course this naturally brings us to…
Good News/Bad News/Question of the Week
Good News; you’re not dead. Bad News; someone is. Good News; there’s very little evidence. Bad News; what circumstantial evidence there is implicates you. Maybe your girlfriend was cheating on you and you killed the two of them in a jealous rage. Maybe your business partner was stealing money from you. Maybe you were drunk driving and you hit someone. Regardless, someone is dead and you’re to blame. Good News; the police have no murder weapon. Bad News; they do have you in custody. Good News; as long as you don’t say anything you’re going to get away with the crime. Bad News; you’ve got to get through the interrogation.
So who do you want to interrogate you; Frank Pembleton (Homicide: Life on the Street), Vic Mackey (The Shield) or oh, let’s say Jack Bauer (24)?
The End of J.A.M.
Sadly this is the final linkage for the J.A.M. crew as Aaron Cameron has decided to retire his wildly successful Bootleg after a three year run.
I’ve got to say that it’s been an honor to be associated with both Aaron Cameron and Joe Reid, two writers whom I admire greatly and envy in terms of ability and audience. Aaron and Joe really delve deep into Music and Film, while I skim the surface of Television. I’m honestly flattered to have shared this steady linkage with them.
Wait a minute? Tenth?.
That’s it I take back everything.
Still since it’s the last time;
“J” is for Joe Reid who offers up a kickass simplistic analogy and features Bill O’reilly and Oscar©.
Over on his blog, Joe gloats about his near 90% accuracy rating for Oscar™ predictions, continues to hate Crash, speculates about a ruthless Reese Witherspoon, visits Space Camp and give me a reason to watch The Olympics®.
“A” is for Aaron Cameron who arrives early with his final edition. He also hands out a few final beatdowns and gets rid of tired worn out references. So does that mean I get to have Method and Red or can I not “own” things, being that I’m property and all?
Seriously Cam, it’s been a fun ride, enjoy the rest.
As for you, my loyal readers, I’ll be back in the future, possibly even next week!
