V: "There is No Simple Anymore" & Bored to Death: "Take a Dive"

That's right! A dual entry! Because I've watched multiple things in the last 24 hours and don't have tons to say about EITHER OF THEM!!!


Spoilers!










I fell asleep.
This week's show handled a lot of the issues that they had to address for the plot to continue developing, but it was boring.

I'd say the most exciting parts were Tyler's continuing pursuits of Lisa (which is not very exciting) and the suspense of now knowing that anyone Erica talks to could be a Visitor in disguise.

Overall though, I don't have much to say. If you plan on watching any V, this episode cleans up some messes made in the pilot, but not in a very exciting way. Hopefully the action picks up again next week.

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But Bored to Death I did like this week.

It was an episode wrought with love and tragedy, fights and friendships, blackmails and affairs, and one comic artist with far too much interest in trying S&M.

Basically we see the lead up to the boxing matches that Jonathan and George were challenged to by Antrem last week. But as our 3 heroes (Ray agrees to fight a cartoonist from GQ so that the contest can be decided in a 2-out-of-three format) are preparing day and night for their matches, Priscilla (George's ex) visits his apartment out of the blue and asks him to throw the fight because Antrem has a heart condition and she's worried about him.
George is very pleased to learn that that heart condition also means that Antrem can't physically exert himself, exertion including intimacy......
Tune in to see what George decides to do about Priscilla's plea!

Also, we see some considerable development between Jonathan and a new love interest, Stella!
And he makes her body "vibrate like a tuning fork." (Oh, HBO.)













Overall, this week, Bored to Death beats V.

Finally, sad news for Dollhouse and Whedon fans today as we hear that the popular new series, which I was JUST getting into, has been flung into the ever-growing pile of excellent series cancelled by ignorant Fox Broadcasting Network executives.

How I Met Your Mother: "The Rough Patch"

Ahh... to try and review How I Met Your Mother. or even to explain its excellence.

I can't. But luckily this show is set up in the classic sitcom format, and therefore not overly serialized. So now that we're in Season 5, I can still mention some details about the show without ruining the entire plot line for someone who's not quite caught up.

And this week's installment is a great one. It doesn't have an especially memorable story line and despite a rather pivotal event in character dynamics, the episode doesn't carry a huge amount of weight.

Where they hit hard was the clever exchanges between characters and the delivery of excellent humor.

I must say my favorite moment of the episode was the referral to Lily as "The Kraken" by her very own fiance.
This comes about after Barney, now "happily" in a relationship with Robin, "voluntarily" gives Ted his big chest of porn. Once alone, Ted curiously tosses in a little indie film he finds in the chest titled ArchiSEXture, only to find that Barney has taped over it. But not with what one would expect Barney to be taping, this is a plea to GET HIM OUT of the relationship he'd undoubtedly have to be in if he was ever to give up his collection.







So once Ted and Marshall realize they need to extract Barney from the jail he's thrown himself into, Marshall recognizes the most efficient way to do so is to

Lily, known as "The Kraken" for having broken Ted up with SEVEN of his past girlfriends unbeknownst to him, simply because they didn't pass what she likes to call "The Porch Test", at first denies the guys' request. In an extremely awesome and perfectly acted scene, she declares herself "retired" and "out of the game"

But after Ted and Marshall make matters worse ("amateurs" that they are) and once she sees for herself what the relationship in question is doing to Barney and Robin








she pulls herself out of retirement for one last breakup.



And the plan is this:

To "reignite







the four biggest fights







they've ever been in







all at once."








I'll leave you to find out the results of the plan. But I will say that the episode goes on to contain a lot of classically excellent HIMYM moments.

And one big,







awesome,







AWESOME,







EVENT!

Dollhouse: What You're Missing!

Created and produced by the one and only Joss Whedon!!!, genius of television.

I've seen the first 10 episodes of this series, and every one of them is better than the last. Meaning, while the first couple episodes are definitely intriguing, they weren't enough to keep me desperate for more content when I first watched them.
However, having heard great things about the show as it was finishing its first season and going into a second, I decided it was time to start again. And it's awesome.

That being said, this entry will be more of a general overview of the show and its plotlines, hopefully sparking your interest rather than throwing spoilers at you.

The Dollhouse
















The Dollhouse is a facility completely unknown to the general public. The activities that go on within are highly controversial, even among those who work there. In short, their business is in "human programming."
The calm, peaceful facility is occupied by "dolls," people whose minds and memories have been entirely erased, leaving little more than a child-like shell of a human cognition. Wealthy clients of the Dollhouse can then arrange to have a doll "programmed" to be whoever they need, whether that be an assassin, a lover, a computer hacker, etc.
"What do you mean controversial issue?!" you ask. "That is REALLY MESSED UP."
And yeah, it kind of is. But the controversy comes in when considering the arguments of the higher-ups in the Dollhouse:
First, These dolls volunteered to do what they do. Most of them suffered traumatic experiences before finding their way to this place. Not to mention the extremely handsome sum of money they're offered for a 5-year contract as a doll.
Secondly, none of what the dolls are sent to do is against their will. Once they are programmed as a different person entirely, they then truly want to fulfill their goals; truly love the person they're programmed to love; or truly trained for their entire life to throw themselves in danger's way.
Of course it's still weird. But it is an argument.
---------------------------------------------------
So as far as characters go, here are a few of my favorites.

Echo
(Eliza Dushku)











The closest thing we have to a main character, Echo is a doll, and a favorite among those with authority in the Dollhouse. She performs efficiently when on a job and even adds her own flairs of adaptation now and again (which a programmed active shouldn't be able to do, but certainly interests her handlers). It's difficult to list many character traits seeing as she gets a whole list of new ones with each episode, but she's definitely a doll to keep an eye on.

Ballard
(Tahmoh Penikett)











Agent Paul Ballard is our second protagonist, and his is the opposite side of the story from that of the Dollhouse residents. He spends all of his energy and resources on a desperate hunt to uproot and take down the Dollhouse, which he is convinced exists. He's ostracized by his peers for believing in this assumed "myth" but he sticks to his guns and stays faithful to his instincts. By no means does Ballard play his investigation by the books, but how could he when the system is a detriment to his detective work? (Also, Tahmoh played 'Helo' on Battlestar Galactica and he was my favorite character, so I think quite highly of Ballard.)

Boyd
(Harry Lennix)











Boyd Langton, Echo's handler, is an all around good guy. He was a cop once upon a time, but now spends his time watching out for Echo, with whom he's formed a special bond. He treats her like a daughter and clearly pities the girl who once inhabited Echo's doll body. He's one of our more morally conflicted characters, sometimes seeming to stick around the Dollhouse just to make sure that things don't become too ethically out-of-hand. I like Boyd.

Also there are these two to watch for:
Sierra and Victor












Other actives like Echo with pretty rockin' storylines of their own, though the producers take their sweet time in letting those stories develop.

-----------------------------------------------

So the first 6 (or so) episodes provide a great deal of attachment to characters, background of people and organizations, and episode-by-episode storylines for the most part. The overlying, main plotlines of the series tend to be suggested as a second thought to each episode's main plot, which usually deals with Echo finding herself in a sticky situation.

But then about halfway through Season 1 shit gets real - each episode is given free reign as far as changing our opinions of characters and apparent truths. At this point, you realize why all of the mini-plots beforehand were necessary and you're glad you had them. The characters you now love and hate have to deal with changes and test their morals. Unexpected events begin to occur and all of the whispers of all-encompassing storylines suddenly become real and this series becomes one of those that keep you glued to the screen and begging for more.

Thanks Joss!

Epic Pam Shot

V: Pilot

Minor Spoilers










So, V is a show about an alien race coming to Earth and the diplomatic, theological and moral implications that ensue.
But the real draw for me when watching spots for the show on TV was Morena Baccarin's (Firefly's Inara) giant, flawless face displayed across the underside of a massive spacecraft that's hovering over NYC.













It's good to see the graceful companion back in a main role on TV, as I haven't noticed her in much since her Serenity days, aside from a single-episode role as a crazy-eyed girl on How I Met Your Mother and a recurring role as an evil/misguided (albeit smokin') Orici on Stargate SG-1 before the series ended.
And so far she's great for her role as the face and spokesperson of an alien species.

Before deciding to watch, I was further persuaded by glimpses of familiar faces, Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost's Juliet) and Scott Wolf (Everwood's Jake).












Love Juliet of course.
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So what made me decide to watch THIS alien show despite having seen countless other shows about visitors from space previously (Taken, Roswell, X-Files, etc.)? It was a combination of seeing the actors I respect and seeing the vibe they were trying to put across in the advertisements - that this wouldn't be a show about UFOs landing in a cornfield in Iowa and strange looking humanoids sneaking around to gather intel on the human race, but would instead be a show about the impact of a sudden visit from an extraterrestrial, super-advanced, willing-to-communicate race. Which I figured might be worth a try.

So I watched. And I will definitely continue to watch.
However, to be honest, 25 minutes into the pilot, I considered stopping. The show wasn't what I had expected:

The pilot episode begins, as it should, with the earth-shaking arrival of 29 massive, clearly alien ships hovering over 29 of Earth's largest cities. Chaos and panic break out and reporters scramble to the scenes to capture such eye-witness reports as "This IS Independence Day!" So already, we see what we'd expect











from such a television situation, humans scrambling, the army pushing mobs away from the shadows cast over the cities, and a side of humor from some less intelligent characters.

But personally, I wasn't worried, concerned or especially drawn in yet.
The same was true for the next half hour, which consisted of:
- Morena's character, Anna, popping up on the enormous screen and letting humanity know that their race, "The Visitors", come in peace and wish to share technology and knowledge in exchange for some of Earth's abundant resources.
-A jump forward in time to a few weeks later once things had calmed down slightly. (So we don't even get to see what it took for things to calm down!)
-A series of interactions between Scott Wolf's character and Anna as well as between another character, Tyler Evans, and a super-hot Visitor chick named Lisa.












-And the day-to-day life of Tyler's mother (Elizabeth Mitchell's character), who works as an FBI field agent, doing your usual FBI field agent things. The only redeeming feature of scenes featuring her work is her partner, played by Alan Tudyk (another Firefly veteran).









-------------------------------
The series puts some focus on the two opposing factions on issues of Visitor trust, which provides a semi-realistic representation of how the human race would actually react in such a scenario. But even taking those efforts into account, the show and the characters within take a mass alien arrival far too lightly.
Especially considering how the entire time I'm watching, every Visitor is giving these creepy smiles and seeming way too perfect.



---------------------------------
So okay. That's the part I wasn't super impressed with. But the last 15-20 minutes were pretty enthralling. Enthralling enough to make me glad I'd watched the first 30, and actually got me excited for the show. Something happens! But I won't spoil that, since if I did, it might make the first part of it even worse for you! or something.

All the above taken into account, despite not being quite what I'd expected, I'd so far give V a: WATCH

FlashForward: "No More Good Days" and "White to Play"

May Contain Minor Spoilers concerning the first 2 episodes of the series.








I started watching FlashForward yesterday, after having seen a good number of actors I liked in commercials, and once I was paying attention, started noticing what appeared to be a very solid cast. So I mentioned my interest in a couple places, and after hearing from someone that they'd seen and liked it, I decided that was good enough for me to try.

And the first two episodes have kept me on the edge of my seat. Not a dull moment yet.
-----------------------
The producers definitely made some of their stylistic decisions by watching the success of Lost and going

"HEY! Let's do THAT
----->











But more like this!!!!
----->











And we can make the storyline almost as confusing but not quite as bad!!" That's what they said.

And then they said, "Okay, main character...

Now, everyone loves the frak out of Jack Shephard











So we shall create Mark Benford!!! ----->






And he shallst be equally concerned looking and stubble-afflicted!"

Ok, now it sounds like I'm making fun of the series, but it really is great so far. I just find myself seeing a lot of parallels to Lost. And really, why not copy success?

Such as:

--Lost----------------------------------------------FlashForward--












Plus they grabbed Dominic Monaghan and Sonya Walger.

Alright, so as far as actual content and review goes:
The basic premise of the series is that for SOME reason in the first episode, at 11:00am on whatever day it is in the Fall of 2009, every single person on the entire planet loses consciousness for exactly 2 minutes and 17 seconds and has a vision or "flash forward" to their lives on April 29, 2010.

Okay, "that's very cool," you say, "but I'm not feeling super drawn in or concerned for anyone." Well, they draw you in with the above scene of catastrophe. Because when EVERYONE takes an involuntary nap at the same time, what happens on the highways? The swimmers? The helicopter and plane pilots? Bad things!
So essentially, the plot takes on two forms: The first of which is our main man Mark Benford, played by Joe Fiennes, attempting to track down who's responsible for the worldwide event. (He's leading the investigation because of leads he sees in his "flash forward" as they start to call the visions); The second plot line being the characters in the show dealing with the implications of having seen a glimpse into their own futures. Some see happy events while others see terrible futures that they're determined never to let happen, but still terrified of.


Having a large, diverse cast is great for this show, as the mystery can be solved piece by piece as more people come forward with their flashes. This also makes it easy for the producers to add more characters, because if someone comes forward with a critically important flash, they become a part of the "Mosaic" (as the characters refer to the piecemeal picture of the future that they're assembling).
The fact that the "flash forward" event happened to everyone in the world also gives the show those themes of widespread confusion and teamwork that everyone loves so much in Lost. Oh, and another thing about Lost. A veteran viewer of the vastly popular desert island tale of Jack and friends will feel quite comfortable with the format of these flashes, as they are used in a very similar fashion to the flashbacks used constantly throughout all 5 seasons of Lost: They're a source of secret information that the audience shares only with the characters seeing them, as well as a source of shocking information. How many times is the viewer left on the edge of their seat after seeing that pivotal event in a flashback to someone's previous life near the end of an episode of Lost? Well the same technique goes into use in FlashForward. Information gets revealed (via flash) very carefully and bit by bit, to keep the audience wanting more and watching more.


As far as characters go, I wouldn't say the group on FlashForward is terribly interesting so far. The hero is a well-off cop and recovering alcoholic with a doctor for a wife..... The creators were able to add a few redeeming quirks here and there though, so the characters don't come off as humdrum. Their storylines and dilemmas overshadow any need for alternative characteristics thus far, and if things go well, will create some more riveting character traits.


Overall, while watching this show so far, I'm noticing many parallels to other popular shows, but I don't at all feel like I'm watching an episode of Lost while mesmerized by the action and intrigue going on on FlashForward. The producers grabbed a lot of proven effective techniques and made it their own creation. Their own, so far worth watching, creation. Joe Fiennes is excellent, with or without the British accent from Shakespeare in Love. And these days I really respect John Cho as an actor. Maybe some day in the next couple years people can stop saying "Hey! It's that guy from Harold and Kumar!" when they see him in TV and movies.

So yeah, if you have a little extra time in the next few days, and ESPECIALLY if you're a fan of Lost, queue this show up on ABC.
I hope to watch the pilot of V tonight and maybe write something about that tomorrow.