Stuff @ The Start
Super Tuesday? – I just realized that Tuesday is jam packed with TV shows that I dig. In fact there’s almost too much on. Observe.
8:30 – Scrubs repeat
9:00 – Scrubs new, The Unit, City of Men, Love Monkey
10:00 – Boston Legal, Thief
You see that? That’s like six hours of quality viewing, in a two and a half hour time span. When did Tuesday become such a prime spot?
What I Watched Last Week
Huff (Showtime) – Seeing Russell get caught with his coke was tough to watch. I keep thinking that he’s going to hit rock bottom, but it’s really yet to happen. I was frustrated by Byrd’s absence this week, but Teddy made up for it a bit.
It was cool to see Huff connect with someone outside of his fam. It was equally cool to see him fight back when he got rolled. This show is really well put together.
Weeds (Showtime) – Nancy is crazy. At first I though her alley shag was just a dream. But that it actually happened was nutty. She’s really close to the edge and I’m frankly worried about her.
Shane and Andy crack me up. They make such a great team. I think that my favorite part of the show was when Nancy actually learned some of the tricks of the game. It was a nice touch of reality. But this show really does rock.
Monkey Dust (Sundance) – Again this show is truly enjoyable in a sick and depraved sort of way. What other show can make internet predators funny? And Clive recounting the plot to Hotel California was pure comedy.
Prison Break (FOX) – Yay, I’m only a week behind. I saw the episode where Michael got Haywire to remember. I’m glad that T-Bag and Kellerman had some positive moments in that episode, as they’re my two favorite characters. The outside stuff is still pretty boring, but when Kellerman is on I actually find myself paying attention.
The inside stuff was cool. The beatdown was pretty accurate and the “bank of Africa” line was pretty funny. This show really is kind of a guilty pleasure.
Boston Legal (ABC) – Yay, I’m only a week behind. The episode with Shirley and her ex was kind of boring. Seeing “Hands” again was cool, as was seeing Alan circumvent the law. But the episode did suffer from a lack of Denny. The whole Brad/vagina thing was amusing at best. I still say it looks like Alan isn’t going to be back next season.
Smallville (WB) – Yeah, I’m a week behind in this too. The skim Saw was tolerable, apart from the money it would have required (just as Matt B. observed.) I do dig the whole Lex/Lionel/Clark triangle, almost as much as the Lex/Lana/Clark triangle.
Um, yeah. I guess I still wish that Pete would return, or at least write a letter. I think it’d be nice to hear from him.
Scrubs (NBC) – Wow, oddly intense episode. Sure it had classic material by The Todd (pure comedy) but the stuff with Cox taking everything upon himself was painful to watch. I’ve never craved “the next” episode of Scrubs like I am right now. It was such a powerful cliffhanger. Great show.
The Unit (CBS) – Who doesn’t love a show that deals with torture training? This show is so well written it’s not even funny. It’s to tightly packed with jargon that it’s a treat to watch. The SERE training was pretty harsh, but seeing the team get out of it fun.
The stuff at home was tolerable. I dug the questioning of faith and could even accept the relapse at the end of the episode. All in all it was solid.
Love Monkey (VH1) – I’m proud to say that I’ve caught every episode of this show. I dig it. And not just because I’m a bit of a music snob. And not just because I loved Ed. It’s a genuinely decent show. I’m happy that VH1 picked it up.
This week with the troublesome band was enjoyable. I liked how the subplots were also progressed. And the cameos last week by She Wants Revenge and Aimee Mann were super cool. And that’s what makes this show rock so hard.
Big Love (HBO) – Seriously I’m going to have to see if anyone has deciphered the title sequence. Clearly the ice is fractured and clearly everyone goes their own ways. It’s gotta be symbolic, right? Does that mean that Nikki is going to leave the show?
I like how the affair is progressing, it seems pretty natural, but I don’t really like now a conscience is building. The stuff with Roman is so menacing and creepy, yet I can’t take my eyes away. Roman is so clearly playing to win. It was nice to see the kids get some development this week. And what was up with Nikki’s brother and the hustler? That was just odd. Was that some type of aversion therapy or something? HBO finally has another great show on it’s hands.
Greatest Show Ever…this week – City of Men (Sundance)
Man was this show perfect this week. Joao Victor and Laranjinha/Uolace being so similar yet so distant was beautiful and tragic at the same time. Seeing how they had so much in common, yet because of their backgrounds they couldn’t connect bordered on frustrating. As I watched, knowing that both characters had the same troubles and fears, I really wanted to bridge the distance between them.
The parallel stories were perfectly crafted. I enjoyed the hurtling of slurs, which was pretty powerful. Hearing them provide the lyrics so the background music was equally poignant. This truly is a great show.
Recrap
What the hell is ABC doing? I dig Lost and Gray’s Anatomy but the network needs to stop with the recap episodes. Those things might be kosher for before the season debuts, but before the final few episodes of the season? That’s ridiculous.
I’m sure that ABC will justify it was trying to get viewers caught up, but from my perspective it seems like a way to gouge advertisers. I’m guessing that these recap episodes to decent numbers, so ABC can probably still charge a decent rate for ads.
However we loyal viewers are also subjected to getting teased with the prospect of a new show, only to find out that it’s a damn clip show. Now these are two shows that I really dig and look forward to, so these month long lapses in terms of new content are incredibly frustrating.
I might even possibly be able to forgive it in the case of Lost which is a serialized show that based on a complex concept. But Gray’s Anatomy? Really? Do we really need a recap of how Meredith whined? Or how George stammered? Or what about how McDreamy is wavering between “undecided” and “still pondering?”
C’mon ABC, it’s not fair and it needs to stop.
Car ‘Toons
Last week I posed the following scenario;
Good News; you’re getting a new car. Bad News; you can’t really afford “new.” Good News; you’ve got a friend who’s going to get you a deal. Bad News; it’s certainly been used. Maybe it was part of giant robot that fought in space. Perhaps it’s not so much a vehicle as it is a robot in disguise. Who knows, the point is you’ve going to have a unique vehicle.
So, would you rather buy a used Optimus Prime (Transformers) or a used Voltron Lion (Voltron)?
Colin offered this;
This one seemed hard at first, as I love both and own every episode of Transformers on DVD, but it was remarkably easy.
Everyone loves Optimus. It’s a given. But they love him because he was the best leader around, not because he was a truck. That said, I would pick the Voltron lion in a second. No one’s messing with you on the highway then; and that’s if you stoop so low as to actually use the highway. Fly, yo. Adjective and verb.
And the clincher? “We form like Voltron, and Genius just happens to be the
head.” That’s right, in a Voltron lion you just might be able to hang with the
Wu. I wonder which lion Ghost rides in?
Bren agreed;
I’d take the Voltron lion 100%. First off, if you’re driving Optimus, you really aren’t in charge, you’ll get sidetracked risking life and limb battling Decepticons every time you try and drive your date to the movies or something. Plus Optimus is too straight-arrow, he wouldn’t approve of you going out partying, or trying to put the moves on some chick in the cab (although he would be the designated driver if you wanted to get loaded). the Lion on the other hand can fly and there’s no doubt you’re the one in control.
Richard offered another vote against Prime;
I’ve got to go with the lion. Not only does it look cooler then an early 80’s big rig sans trailer, but it is not autonomous with a strong moral crusader conscience. Picture this: You just had a fight with your girl, you’re on the verge of being fired, your hemorrhoids are acting up and all you want out of this world is a pack of cigarettes and a calm, silent death. You hop in your giant red rig and “roll out” to the corner store to see about making at least one of your wishes a reality. At the intersection the car in front of you rear ends the car in front of him then pulls away and drives off as fast as he can. “Sucks to be him,” you think as you take a side street to avoid the victim of this incident. Just then, the most frightening and God-awful noise you’ve ever heard in your life deafens you. You noticed that you are now 20 ft off the ground trapped in the chest cavity of a giant robot that is running down the street after the miscreant driver, screaming, “Might makes right!” or something.
Kevin Wong is on the exact same page;
Well, the GoLion robots were maybe sentient before, but don’t seem to be now, so I’d have to go with one of the Voltron lions. Other bonuses – the Lions seem to have an unlimited energy source, they could crush Hummers, and pretend you’re part of a Sentai group. Well, maybe not the last part…
Talowolf agrees;
I’d go with a Lion. Not only did I wish I could drive one to school as a kid, but from an adult perspective Optimus Prime is a little too noble for me. Imagine getting the third degree from you car on the way home from a strip joint. Or if you try to put the moves on your date in the back seat, your actually doing it in a sentient being. That might be a turn on for some, but not me.
A Faceless Name goes with the flow;
As for a vehicle, just because optimus is a good too-shoes who wouldn’t let you speed, even 1mph, or let you slip with minor infractions, I really would have to go with the Lion, as much as Optimus was a father figure to me, the Lion wont annoy me, and it is all terrain too. besides, could you imagine pulling up to a stop light next to some idiot who wants to race, and revving a giant cat’s engine? How cool is that?
Thomasina makes it unanimous;
Based on the toys alone Transformers look like they’d get less attention as a car. Driving something with a lion on it I’d be asking to be stopped by the police. Then again, if I’m driving a dang Voltron couldn’t I just fly away from 5-0? In that case, I’d trick out the Lion. Could you imagine a Voltron with spinners and hydrolics? Hey Mathan, I thought you were never going to drive? I’ll loan you the Voltron. You gots to rep for the ladies!
As much as I’d love to take the road less traveled, I can. Y’see I can’t drive, thus it makes the Voltron Lion the obvious choice. I don’t really know the rules of the road, so getting OP is going to be pointless. However getting a Lion is going to offer way more options than ten o’clock and two o’clock. And that’s why I’m going with the Lion.
Naturally this brings us to…
Good News/Bad News/Question of the Week
Good News; you’re rich. Bad News; you’re moving. Good News; you get to take your family. Bad News; there will be a degree of adjustment involved. Maybe you’re a city person who’s moving to the country. Maybe you’re a country bumpkin who’s moving to the city. Who knows? The point is you’re in transition. Good News; your theme song will rock regardless. Bad News; there’s a chance a horrible movie will be based on your show.
So, would you rather be on The Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres?.
Links
Kevin’s got crazy pics!
Matt catches up on Smallville!
Josh give his thoughts on the TV Tourney. (His new column should be up right about…now!)
I don’t usually do this, but I reviewed the final season of Six Feet Under on DVD!
Dear Joe (Reid)
On his blog Joe gives us plenty of reasons why he (and we) should see M:I:3.
He also gets his journalist on at Project D.U.
Oh, I’ll call it a column now. Feel free to post your feedback on the offical Remote Destination thread. I’ll see you there.
