The fewer shows there are, the longer it’s taking me to get around to writing something up. ALIAS, WEST WING, TRU CALLING…here we go.
ALIAS: In terms of casting, it wasn’t quite up there with bringing in “Shaft” to break Syd out of prison. Nevertheless, David Cronenberg as an MD (Mad Doctor) who is out to help Syd recall what happened to her came across as so odd that I’m starting to believe he’d be the ideal person to play Reed Richards in an “FF” film. Lauren repeatedly gets bìŧçh slapped by Syd, which was nice, and we end with an “Alias” specialty: A major reveal that we hae to tune in next week to see what it is. I was positive that meant we were about to have five weeks of reruns, but such is not the case. Meanwhile the government guys get more and more evil, and now it seems Sloan has an “end game”…which we all knew, but I’m reaching the point where I’m actually disappointed if he *is* evil since he’s so compelling if he’s genuinely trying to be on the side of the angels.
WEST WING: We slowly seem to be clawing our way out of the pit that was this series for the first two months of this year. It still seems like they’re lighting the place with forty watt bulbs, and I’m dying to see some scenes of intelligent people debating intelligent issues with intelligence–the kind Sorkin seemed capable of dashing off during a beer run while the current combined writing staff can manage maybe one per episode, *maybe*. But speaking purely as a father, the entire episode was worth it to me for Bartlet’s recounting of their trip to the Sudan where he was introduced by their Arab guide as “Abu El Banat,” and everyone would laugh and then offer him a cup of tea for which they’d take no compensation. “Abu El Banat,” you see, means “Father of daughters,” and they all felt it was the least they could do for him. So from now on, at conventions, I am to be addresses as “Abu El Banat” and true fans are required to bring me beverages (not tea because I don’t like tea.) Bottled water is fine. So is Mountain Dew, which is hardly soothing, but I’ve got a one year old to keep up with so I need all the caffeine I can get.
TRU CALLING: It’s growing on me. I’m telling ya, guys, the show’s really growing on me. Funny thing was, I said to Kath at the beginning, “Why do I have this feeling that Tru’s boss knows more than he’s saying about her whole deal,” and at the end of the episode, he copped to exactly that. In between the beginning and end was a “Flatliners” riff that nevertheless had some nice twists and turns along the way. Not their strongest, but still watchable. And apparently next week we’ll find out if my guess that Tru’s mom was doing this “rerun day” bit also was on the money or not.
PAD
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I’m just patiently waiting for the return of anything Rimaldi.
We should start odds on just who will kill Lindsey: Sydney, Jack, Vaughn, Lauren, Sloane or Dixon.
BTW, according to episodes.com, tonight is the last new show until the new year, so expect a big cliffhanger.
West Wing is keeping my attention….barely. I read recently that CJ has become the conscience of the series and this episode was the first time where yes, she was, and doubly, it made sense. Any time they hint that something new is going to happen, I finish the night with a yawn. Is it better than walking the dog? Yes. Is is better than it used to be? Not in my wildest dreams, which coincidentally involve Halle Berry. Will I probably muddle though the season? I know of no better way to phrase it, but yes.
ALIAS: Having seen tonight’s ep, I was actually surprised that there WASN’T a cliffhanger. As for last week’s episode, ALIAS has my attention as usual. This is a spectacular show, and I’m really enjoying seeing these characters in new situations. I’m still not terribly thrilled with Lauren’s character, but aside from that, it’s a great show. Unfortunately, we have to wait another three or four weeks for a new episode.
WEST WING: Yeah, the show is definitely crawling back. It’s no Sorkin, but it’s getting gradually better. I liked the Bartlet family trying to come together, and that whole “daughters” theme was very entertaining. I could have done without the contrived “Bartlet walks his grandson to the Christmas tree and let’s him light it up” final scene, which just struck me as, well, contrived. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt that Bartlet’s a great grandpa, but…I digress. Josh and Donna had a few nice moments in this episode. CJ is still one of the best characters on television. Toby’s still gruff, and frankly, I’m glad to see Will’s moving. Will wants to work for the VP, great. But he’s not working for the Communications Office anymore, so see him off. I don’t like the whole “Will as preparing Bingo Bob for Presidency” subplot. I think Toby needs someone to bounce ideas off of, like Sam. Will filled that role in a different yet good way. I still believe Leo’s character needs work, along with Will. But the other characters are coming across better and better each week.
You can thank Reality TV for the lame Television seasons.
Abu El Banat! That is so awesome. I’ll have to remember that if I ever meet you. *Has a luv for Arabic* I’ll also bring you a nice cold Green River soda. 😀
TRU CALLING:
Sure, the boss has been easy to peg as in-the-know-of-something since Day One; it was either going to be that or sexual harassment on the job, after all, given all the Significant Glances and Silences (TM) he’s been hurling Tru’s way since she showed up.
I dunno. I love ED, and I think the high concept here is strong, but the supporting characters (especially the brother) annoy me more than they interest me. More fundamentally, though, I’m continually struck by just how unimaginative Tru is, and how much any given hour-long plot depends on her not saying or doing the exact things that anyone could be expected to say or do in that given situation. It’s PARTY OF FIVE syndrome, wherein the story only gets to unfold the way it does because the characters are written as plot devices themselves, not as characters. I just can’t groove on watching ED play someone who comes across as so unresourceful and, frankly, stupid.
WEST WING: Eh, humbug. With ANGEL in reruns, I dipped my toes back in this week to see if, as many had reported, things were really getting better. While there was some improvement (Bartlett dressing down the unctious AG; a few good Josh and Donna moments; the very presences of Tomlin and Channing), it’s not enough to put this back on my appointment viewing roster. Ah, well, at least it seems there’s the possibility that they’ll just get rid of Will rather than continuing to write the character so poorly, which would be a kind of relief, and at least the first season is now out on DVD as well as on BRAVO. 🙂
I think the problem that I am having with West Wing is that it compares favorably with most television dramas. It just pales in comparison with Sorkin’s vision. The frustration at losing something which I thought was special colors my current viewing.
Of course, if the series had been like this from the beginning, I would have dropped it after a few weeks and would not have a feeling of loss. Granted, it’s just a television show, but it was something pleasant to anticipate. Now it’s just something to try and remember.
Man, I was working on a project and typed straight through Alias last night. Can anyone fill me in what happened?
Alias spoilers:
The quick and dirty version: It turns out that the cliffhanger was Syd running into Will eating a box of St. Aidan Flakes. She tracks down Will (finally), who is in the witness protection program, hiding out as some kind of contractor in Wisconsin. She convinces him that she’s not an imposter (a la evil Francie or evil Will), and learns that St. Aidan was a codename for one of Will’s old CIA contacts. They set up a meeting, and lo and behold – St. Aidan is a very much alive (sans hand that turned up last ep) Lazarei (sp). He flips out a bit upon hearing Julia Thorne’s name, lets something about something in Gratz, but then Sark shows up (fresh from interrogating the Mad Doctor), and kidnaps his father. Will and Sydney head off to Gratz, and run into Sark and Evil Francie trying to recover the same item. Will kills evil Francie, Syd gets the item (it’s a box with Rimbaldi’s name on it, and a sample of still viable human tissue). They head back. All the while, Jack and Vaughan are trying to cover their áššëš, but Lindsey arrests them anyway. At the end of the episode, the “switch” arranged by Sloan is made, except that the sniper intended to shoot Syd kills Lindsey instead..
Ok, not so quick…Hope it helps.
Re: TRU CALLING: I thought this episode was almost as bad as the pilot, and I was SHOCKED that Buffy scribe Doug Petrie was the writer. I have two medical students staying with me for a month, and I was embarassed to be watching this since we all laughed in disbelief throughout the hour. Since a large part of this episode involved Tru finally taking the MCAT (more than a year after her fellow pre-med grads would have taken it), you’d think someone would have spent five minutes (literally) find out a little about the test:
1) It’s the MCAT (not MCATs)
2) There’s no “passing” or “failing”–the multiple choice sections are scored 1-15
3) It’s offered twice a year, in April and August
4) The test has four sections and is nearly 6 hours long, beginning in the morning and continuing after lunch; anyone showing up 3 hours late would have to wait six months
A little more investigating would have told Petrie that:
1) There is no roll call
2) Tru passing a tissue to the guy who sneezed would have gotten them both dismissed from the test
3) The test has DOZENS of versions with different questions, and the one you get depends on the order in which you check in–it’s therefore VERY unlikely Tru would have gotten the same version she had the first “time” and her noted photographic memory would have been useless
I was also concerned that the use of a near-death experience was “confirmed” to unlock repressed memories. Sure, I’m an adult and know better (heck, they can’t even get their facts correct about the MCAT), but what about kids who think that would be a cool way to remember stuff?
And let’s not even discuss the hokey abused child plot…
After watching the episode is quite clear in my opinion that Agent Weiss is working with Sloane. That’s the only way Sloane could have made the switch of the Rimbaldi device.
God, I love this show and I love the Rambaldi plot!!
Response to Juan Pablo, regarding last night’s ep:
Interesting thought, Juan Pablo. Don’t know if I buy it, but it’s certainly possible possible. While I enjoyed the episode, continuity was a bit sloppy – how could they explain away Will getting involved with anything, with Jack and Vaughan in jail, and Sydney supposedly a captive of the covenant. Seems like that would raise a few eyebrows somewhere, at the very least.
Wow, thanks for the spoilers! We got nailed all day Sunday and through today with the snowstorm Peter was talking about. Just before Alias came on, my dish went out. Missed the entire show. I wasn’t about to go out and try and brush it off either. That’s what I get for waiting until later in the evening to watch it. from a later time zone.
Adam, thanks for the rundown.
Hey, whomever runs the website? Yeah, the comment above this one is a spam comment created by a bot. We’ve been getting an onslaught of them at our website too. Just FYI.
Yeah, they know. It’s been going on for awhile now.
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