Okay, folks: You’ve been asking me what I thought of various debuts. Below (with spoilers) find my thoughts on the season debuts of “Alias,” “Smallville,” “Angel” and “West Wing.”
ALIAS: A masterstroke. The problem with a series like “Alias” that depends on shocking turns of events is that by the third season, the twists seem to be there purely to be twists without adding any actual drama. Not on “Alias.” By jumping the series ahead two years and leaving its protagonist (and by extension the audience) playing catch-up, “Alias” maintains it’s at-least-one-gasp-per-fifteen-minutes pace. The maneuver through which she got her dad out of jail was a bit pat for my taste (they sign a letter kicking him loose? Great. They then say they wrote it under duress and rip it up) but the end sequence with Syd watching the videotape of herself was breathtaking. Was it really her? Or was it a duplicate, since we know that capability exists (just ask her dead friend.) And has Sloane really joined the side of the angels? Did two years of chasing after the pieces of the Rimbaldi machine really only result in the punchline from the song “One Tin Soldier?” See? Even the lame stuff is open to second-guessing.
SMALLVILLE: Gotta tell ya, the story’s not making tons of sense to me, and events in the series take us even further from the concept that this could possibly be the story of young Clark Kent who goes on to become Superman (not only would Lex Luthor recognize him, but now major crime players in Metropolis would be able to say, “Oh, yeah, Superman…used to work for me.”) We’re moving from the notion of guilty teen to the concept that Clark’s either under the control of the voice of Zod–I’m sorry, Jor-El–or maybe the ring, or maybe he’s just gone bonkers. On the other hand, Tom Welling is thriving on evil Clark, it was a kick to see Lex Luthor go completely Fight Club, and I’m still waiting for Chloe to start writing articles under the name “Lois Lane.” And Rutger Hauer! My God, how can you not love a TV series that could give us *weekly* (or at least recurring) doses of Rutger Hauer?
ANGEL: Joss Whedon’s season-opening episodes are generally among his weakest, but this was a happy exception. Eminently quotable dialogue and fascinating gray-area scenarios that’s like taking “The Practice” and running it through the horror genre grinder. My personal jury is still out on Gunn’s transformation into a lawyer. On the other hand, it was fun to see the old Cordelia reincarnated as Harmony: Much of her dialogue and all of her attitude could have been first season Cordy, right down to the turn-on-a-dime, “Oh, my poor friend, woe is me…oh well. Where were we?” And we’re going to have to wait a week to see which leaked rumor is true: That Spike is now a human and the first male slayer to boot, or that Spike is non-corporeal, i.e., a ghost. Plot hole that bothered me: How did Wesley know Spike? They’ve never met. Plot hole that stopped bothering me: How the hëll did they get the amulet from the bottom of the Sunnydale pit so they could mail it back to Angel? I realized that Willow could probably just wave her hand in some retrieval spell and the amulet would be in her hand. And thank God Angel got rid of that personal SWAT team: Any tactical group conducting a gunfight with a vampire during broad daylight that doesn’t think to shoot out the windows so sunlight would come cascading in, severely handicapping Angel, deserves what they get.
WEST WING: The Republicans-Aren’t-Automatically-Evil angle continues as the more politically-savvy Leo knows the GOP won’t do anything stupid while the less-experienced staffers keep cooking up worst case scenarios garnered from Democratic paranoia (which doesn’t mean the GOP *isn’t* out to get them…) The rescue of Zoe Bartlett was almost anti-climactic. I mean, I didn’t expect Bartlett to come swinging down on a rope from a helicopter, or Abby to stomp into a terrorist hideout armored in a power loader announcing, “Get away from her, you BÍTÇH!” Instead it’s an off-camera rescue by the FBI having something to do with a domestic dispute and dialing 911. I couldn’t quite figure it out. Still, the show remains watchable, I’ll be interested to see where they go from here, and the final sequence with Abby pointedly standing with her back to her husband on the TV rendered a powerful mute statement that the state of their matrimonial union has taken a serious hit.
Whew.
PAD
• 
I think that Mercy is going to be a major theme this year- or the effect of not showing mercy is. Mainly because when Angel told the comando that survived that that was the last bit of mercy shown, above him was the words “Know it- Use it!”
What I like about Joss is his use of history and little things. The visit to the doctor’s office, which was used when they reattached what’s his name’s hand, the Be Quiet written on the chalk board, and Fred’s love of the Dixie Chicks were all great.
Angel: I hadn’t even really thought about those plot holes until you mentioned them. What am I coming to? Maybe it’s a different amulet? I was telling someone the other day that it’d be funny if Angel and Spike (whatever he turns out to be) for some reason are stuck with each other and can’t move more than, say, twenty feet away from each other. It’s a law firm, it’s a horror show, it’s a wacky buddy comedy. They are going to have to come up with something that makes Spike not just go “Hi, thanks for the favor, I’m off to shag your ex.” As for Wesley, I’m thinking his “Spike” was more of a “Ah, and this must be Spike.” As for Gunn, the best line of the episode was the “He had the most unused potential of all of you,” and not just because I’m down with Eve being around a *lot.* It’s nice to see them realize they can do *anything* with him, and not just “fighting” and “black” and “boyfriend.”
Smallville: I’m in total agreement with you on this. Superman, on top of everything else, is also super…normal. Like, a regular Joe, happy homelife, confident, all that jazz. How’s he going to get past this, and how much will plastic surgery cost to take the giant scar off his chest. Yes, they don’t need to, but still…I’m still hoping we see some of angry, evil, manipulated Chloe (or bringing her new friend Lois to Smallville for the weekend). It’s funny, but it seems they are going for the Byrne clinical/anticeptic Krypton which was recently disavowed in the DCU. Seeing as how they gutted YJ/Titans because of a cartoon, would they do the same for a major TV show? Regardless, I’m thinking we’ll be finding out that Smallville Red-K (as opposed to pre-crisis Red-K, or post-Crisis red-K or…) actually does have a long term negative effect, and that explains the episodes of pain and the like.
I don’t watch the other two shows, but it’s nice to know Alias is still clipping along. I was in, then I was out, then I was back in after the post-superbowl shake-up (one of the best promos *ever*), and then out again.
The anti-climactic feel of West Wing’s opener bothered me until I realized that I was waiting for melodrama, and in reality, I didn’t want melodrama from this show and I never have. The true climax was exactly where it should have been, with everyone wondering what the hëll they would do now. And even if I had been upset, that incredible shot of Abby staring out the window would have cured me. Beautiful.
Angel’s opener was so dead-on awesome. Dramatic, and I was still howling with laughter. Welcome back, Joss. I miss Lilah, though. Eve wants to be Lilah, and she isn’t nearly as cool. That’s really the only complaint I can come up with.
I thought SMALLVILLE was pretty good, though I was wondering why Clark wouldn’t be wearing a mask or something when going to rip off Luthor’s office. You wouldn’t think a pair of glasses would fool the cops after all that, but who knows? As long as Jeph Loeb is lending a helping hand to the show, I have faith that they know what they’re doing.
ANGEL was fantastic. It was just so funny, like when Angel wanted a cup of coffee (or blood) and hit the button for Ritual Sacrifices instead.
The Gunn thing was a bit odd. Reminded me of the first MATRIX when Neo was learning the kung fu. Gunn was jacked in and they were uploading data into his brain.
And I just assumed that it would be explained later how the amulet ended up in an envelope and sent to Angel. I mean, how would anyone in the Scooby Gang know to send it to Angel at his new law firm anyway?
Anyone watch the first episode of KAREN SISCO on ABC? I love the movie OUT OF SIGHT (one of Soderbergh and Clooney’s finest), so I was a little apprehensive about spinning off J-Lo (back when she had a promising acting career ahead of her)’s character into a weekly series. I was afraid the style and rhythm of Soderbergh’s film and Elmore Leonard’s characters would be lost in the translation to television. I’m glad to say my fears were laid to rest, at least for the first episode.
It felt like a Soderbergh piece. It sounded like a Leonard novel. The actors hit their marks with the right cadences, especially Robert Forster as Sisco’s dad. This was a great, great character in the movie, played by Dennis Farina, and Forster just seems to have channeled Farina’s performance perfectly.
All in all, it was a decent show, even though this first episode’s plot followed the original story’s pretty closely: pretty U.S. Marshall falls for a bank robber, ends up shooting him at the end. They even gave the bank robber (Patrick Dempsey) a black partner like Clooney’s Jack Foley had in the movie (played by the incredible Ving Rhames; no idea who the guy in the show was).
Wow…this was a long post and it wasn’t even about baseball this time. Red Sox up 4 to 3 in the bottom of the 9th with 1 out. 😉
Wesley knowing Spike really isn’t that big a surprise–he IS a former Watcher after all, who was assigned to Sunnydale for a time.
He did extensive research on Angel before he ever came to Sunnydale (which would logically include his former partner Spike) and probably researched Spike as well.
My thoughts…
ALIAS: While not losing a step in the action, suspense, and drama depts.; personally I’m not buying the whole lost 2 years bit to begin with. I feel that by the (mid?) season cliffhanger, Sydney is going to wake up and discover herself trapped next to or inside the assembled Rimbaldi.
SMALLVILLE: Willing to wait and see how things turn out, since TV continuity is far different than comic book ‘canon’. But while everyone is waiting for Lois Lane to somehow arrive on the scene, what happened to the young Bruce Wayne guest appearance that was supposed to be at the end of season one?
ANGEL: With only one series to concentrate on now, hopefully Whedon will give it his full attention. Sarah Michelle Gellar is supposed to be in negotionation for a visit as Buffy either during the February sweeps or the season finale in 2004. Personally, I’m still hoping for a guest appearance for Willow sometime during the season.
But isn’t Wolfram and Hart supposed to be bigger than just the Los Angeles branch? Can anyone smell a corporate takeover attempt looming in Angel’s future?
After seeing all the twists and turns in Alias if they revealed the character of Sydney Bristow was really a schizophrenic who had invented a secret agent life for herself I might like it more. But as a watchable drama it gets harder and harder to care. Really it feels like the writers enjoy screwing with the audience a little too much.
I go through periods where I like the show and then I give up. Another few weeks and I may give up again. That is until they have another sweeps period where everything we know is wrong and here are the real facts.
In some ways Alias is a reverse X-files. Chris Carter and crew tended to string things along. They seemed to want to stretch the story to the limit. By the time it broke no one cared. But Alias reveals a lot. Then messes around with it and alters the whole scenario. Which can be good. No sense being stuck in a rut. But too much and it feels like change for the sake of change.
As a final note I have to vote Alias as having the best music on tv right now. They always have a nice little evocative number going for the big moments. Great stuff.
Plot hole that bothered me: How did Wesley know Spike? They’ve never met.
Well, in “Dear Boy” (Episode 5 of Season 2) Angel did say he could scent that Wesley had had sex with a bleach blonde the previous night.
*coughs*
Well, in “Dear Boy” (Episode 5 of Season 2) Angel did say he could scent that Wesley had had sex with a bleach blonde the previous night.
Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
I thought Smallville continued to be a great show, with that unexpected jolt thrown at you which reminded me of the best years of Buffy. I’m talking about Lex’s “Friend” (won’t spoil it) scenario. Although Jonathan’s gift was a tad comic booky for such an intelligent show.
I enjoyed Angel a lot too, even though the upheaval in cast and direction did cause me concern. As was the fact we had “Hi Angel, vampire with a soul on a mission to do good” type character bios every second to catch up the new viewers I’m sure WB hopes Superman will give Angel.
Melody was a nice addition.
And the Wes recognizing Spike thing should be waited on: he said “Spike” after Angel did, so it could be like a blind date where you say “Amy” to a tall redhead because that is the description all your friends gave you.
The only thing that did irk me, and maybe this was discussed before but I haven’t seen much Angel news here in recent months, is the sudden disappearance of Laila (Wes’ beheaded gf). She was the “laison” last season and this season she’s just gone and replaced by Mysterious Blonde Babe #5 (TM) out of nowhere. And “Eve”–gack! Trot out a more overused gimmick name Joss.
All in all, Wednesday might be the best night of tv on tv though.
Later-Chris
But as a watchable drama it gets harder and harder to care. Really it feels like the writers enjoy screwing with the audience a little too much.
As a writer, I can assure you that it is impossible to enjoy screwing with the audience a little too much.
PAD
Mainly because when Angel told the comando that survived that that was the last bit of mercy shown, above him was the words “Know it- Use it!”
Actually, that sign in its entirety was “Respect – Learn it – Know it – Use it!” So, y’know, there you go.
Did anyone else find it odd that Corbin Fries was a monstrous creature who was willing to infect his own son with a virus capable of killing every living being in California…yet he knows enough not to let the kid read Punisher?
It’s funny, but it seems they are going for the Byrne clinical/anticeptic Krypton which was recently disavowed in the DCU.
No, the Antiseptic Krypton is still the real Krypton. The Phantom Zone Krypton turned out to be created by Erradicator during his bout with insanity after he was attacked by B13. With the Erradicator’s main memory core damaged it made the Phantom Zone Krypton with the next best thing… Jor’el’s dream recorder. The Phantom Zone Krypton shows no signs of blowing up anytime soon.
Angel: Two Words…Blondie Bear!
I don’t know if Spike is going to be a ghost, slayer or vampire but in the opening credits he did have the fangs and bumpy forehead.
Did anyone else find it odd that Corbin Fries was a monstrous creature who was willing to infect his own son with a virus capable of killing every living being in California…yet he knows enough not to let the kid read Punisher?
Being a criminal himself, he undoubted didn’t want the kid to get any ideas.
Melody was a nice addition.
I presume you mean Harmony. Honest mistake.
I think the amulet thing is going to be a mystery that permeates throughout the season. I personally don’t think any of the Scooby Gang retrieved it, I think it was someone or something else. All in all though, great season premiere.
RE: Smallville. I have to agree with PAD that the story doesn’t make much sense, which is disappointing given the show’s mostly-excellent 2nd season last year.
What exactly is the “voice of Jor-El” supposed to be? A pre-recorded A.I.? A spirit? And I thought Jor-El was accessed through the Kal-El’s ship…now Johnathan can reach him through a Kryptonian symbol on a cave wall?
Angel: Great dialogue! I’m with you on the “Why didn’t they shoot out the windows?” thing. I’m not so sure I like Harmony being there very much. She could get old pretty quick and she’s already been given a chance at redemption and failed.
As far as Spike: Check out wb.com and the next episode teaser. He’s a ghost. :/
Smallville:
Forget the superman mythos for once and admit that even though Smallville is branching off in a bizarre direction, it’s good stuff! I’m starting to think Jor’El isn’t the baddie we are expected to believe he is. He was “testing” Clark and I get the feeling that his son failed miserably.
Didn’t see ANGEL or SMALLEVILLE yet, but the tape’s in the VCR…
ALIAS was… mixed. Sure, it’ll be interesting to see what happened to Syd over the past two years. Then again, has so much time, effort, and blood been spent on the Rimbaldi artifacts simply for the word “Peace”? (Maybe there’s an advanced Rimbaldi Device that delivers the message “Be nice.”)
THE WEST WING was an interesting diversion, as we got a brief glimpse of what their ideal Republicans are like. That said, let’s see if the show can get away from the aerial zooming shots and back to the snappy patter. As for Zooey’s rescue, that felt very realistic: With the President’s daughter held hostage, there would be no way the various agencies (FBI, Secret Service) would allow the President, or any member of his family, in any sort of non-secure area. It makes sense that he’d be the last person on the scene (to make sure everything’s safe) instead of the first one there.
BTW, I am really getting sick of ENTERPRISE this season. While the early ratings may not have been great, they literally had a whole universe to use in the stories. Instead, they’ve turned it into a futuristic “24” where Archer and his crew have to stop the terrori– I’m sorry, the Xindi — from unleashing their devastating weapon in an unprovoked attack on the United Sta– I’, sorry, on Earth. Scott Bakula’s role has been reduced to acting pìššëd øff, and if it’s such an important mission why aren’t there any more ships with them? Plus even a pervert like myself feels like they’re using T’Pal for far too much gratituous t&a. (Apparently her new uniform diesn’t include a bra. And Vulcan sleep methods revolve around foreplay!) This show could be so much more…
Am I the only one hating Angels new hair? He looks like he’s going for a buffont for God’s sake.
On the flipside, they work for a law firm with evil demons as the senior partners. How do you know one of them didn’t just snap their fingers and have Spike’s amulet appear in that envelope on Angel’s desk?
They know SPike and Angel hate each other. What better way to screw angel up than throwing Buffy’s latest love under his nose?
SMALLVILLE:
OK, Lex will later recognize Superman in this universe. It’s not that big a deal — and it sort of makes Lex a tad brighter. Besides, this Lex is not like the Luthor of the movies or the cartoon or the ABC TV show. He might wind up evil, but I doubt he would harm Clark Kent’s family. It’s possible that he will even want his surrogate brother to join him in his quest for world domination and will be hurt when Superman refuses (this was hinted at in a previous episode).
The scar is a non-issue (it will heal). As is Clark in Metropolis. They have him going by the name “Kal,” after all. And so what if Morgan Edge thinks that Superman once worked him? How many times has Superman gotten amnesia and joined the mob? (Well, in the Silver Age, of course…)
Angel:
Spoilers:
What I really liked, though, was the continuing intrigue at the House of Luthor. Helen now apparently revealed as a black widow, leaves the Kents with some real proplems given what she knows about Clark. I saw the truth about “Louis” coming a mile away, from moment the word malaria was mentioned and the “LL” necklace was a dead give away. Lex’s descent into darkness contiues to be the best part of this entire series.
A few things that did bother me: 1) the Kents losing the farm. Didn’t Jonathan mention last season that the family had finally resolved their financial problems? I’m betting Jonathan will finally have to swallow his pride and allow Lex to help them buy it back. 2) Evil Clark’s carelessness. Smashing ATMs without gloves or a mask (they have cameras) was one thing. I found myself counting the number places in Lionel’s office Clark left his fingerprints. At least he wore a mask for the bankrobbery. 3) Tying in with #2, how is Clark going to deal with his crimes? Someone from Metropolis will definitely recognize “Kal” as either Clark or Superman.
Last night’s opening episode was the first-ever Angel episode I’ve seen. (I was a strict Buffy fan.)It was surprisingly enjoyable and I think I will continue to watch it throughout its season. Though it made me miss Buffy and the scooby gang even more, especially with “blondie bear”s apperance. 🙁
Angel – I’ve been assuming that the “Who mailed Spike to Angel” thing will either be a running mystery or resolved next episode. Had Willow done it, why would she have sent Spike to Angel and not just let him out? I think either The Powers That Be have sent Spike to him as a reminder of some sort (since he’s lost all of his other contacts with them, and he’s hanging out with mass evil) or something else is up with that, but I don’t think Joss is going to leave it hanging.
Oh and “step” thanks for the spoiler. I was looking forward to learning that in episode.
WEST WING: Bored now. Sorry, folks–but the show’s lost it’s layers. If I want to watch e.r.–or any of the other inumerable halfway decent hour long dramas on t.v.–I’ll do so. The old regime would have knocked those last 10 minutes out of the park, not through melodrama, but through carefully layered dialouge, inventive yet subtle visuals, and pure eloquence. The new regime gave us a resuce that no one I’ve spoken to was able to follow, and a “speech” that was as boilerplate as they come. (Thus proving again that someone’s stolen Will’s brain: last week he asked a question–“Why two speeches?”-that he absolutely would not have needed to ask, this week he worked up a speech that used not one, but two painfully cliched Biblical passages. That ain’t Will, folks.–and this ain’t West Wing anymore, either.
….which is good, because ANGEL just got interesting again, if only in the way that train wrecks can be interesting. Whereas WW now suffers from too few layers, ANGEL may well start to suffer from too many–I’m just not sure how long they can sustain the moral ambiguity, dark comedy, and adventure elements in this new mix. But it will be worth watching to see how it goes for a while. I’m increasingly annoyed by the idea of Spike-as-Spike on the show, and that’s only from the previews of next week. 🙂 I really wish they’d gone the route of having Marsters come on as a fully human William, sinceSpike’s already been given at least three good exits as a character. (Buffy Season 3, Buffy Season 4-Angel Season 1, and Buffy Season 7.)
James Lynch writes:
BTW, I am really getting sick of ENTERPRISE this season. While the early ratings may not have been great, they literally had a whole universe to use in the stories. Instead, they’ve turned it into a futuristic “24” where Archer and his crew have to stop the terrori– I’m sorry, the Xindi — from unleashing their devastating weapon in an unprovoked attack on the United Sta– I’, sorry, on Earth. Scott Bakula’s role has been reduced to acting pìššëd øff, and if it’s such an important mission why aren’t there any more ships with them?
Well, at this point in the history, isn’t Enterprise the only Warp-5 capable ship Earth’s got? I imagine, though, that a few more are getting built, so we’ll probably see a few more (if we’re watching…) before too too long.
I do agree that Enterprise is lacking some ineffable something: passion, direction, focus…something like that. And though I don’t hang around Star Trek/Star Wars fandom as much as perhaps I once did, I’m a little surprised not to hear more comparisons drawn between this Xindi plot and Star Wars. Something about these Xindi enclaves–live actors and CGI-characters interacting in dark cavernous halls discussing weapons to destroy a planet–reminds me very much of Dooku’s council in Episode II, where the Death Star plans were seen. Ah well, I’m sure the similarities are minor and coincidental.
(And did those scaly lizard-Xindi from last night remind anyone of General “You Don’t Have to Be a Good Actor to Recognize a Bad One” Sarris from Galaxy Quest?)
Angel: A very strong opener. Whedon clearly spent the summer thinking about where to take this new premise, although I’m not sure how long they can sustain this “we’re in business to undermine our own clients” angle before the firm starts to lose business.
The temptations of the firm were nicely balanced with the employees continued callous disregard for life. I loved Angel’s reaction to the motorpool and Loren’s picking out carpet swatches. It’s going to be really easy for them think about letting “just this one bad guy” go.
One question though: The Beast killed off the old firm, even, according to Lilah, “those that had called in sick” that day, so where did all of these new employees come from and why do they have memories of the firm’s history and “tradition?”
It was nice to see Fred discover that she has spine for once and I think Gunn’s transformation into “superlawyer” is an interesting twist. Did anyone else think that statement of him having the most untapped potential was an offhand admission of how grossly underutilized he was last year?
Eve needs work, though. She’s so much like Lilah right now that there’s no reason why her role shouldn’t have been Lilah’s. Harmony is perfect for comedy relief. I thought that Cordy’s departure would leave a serious void, but the new cast does work without her.
As for Spike, the opening credits showed him in vampire makeup, so it looks like he’s coming back the same as he was before, maybe still having a soul but without Angel’s curse, rumors of him becoming a male slayer or ghost notwithstanding.
My personal theory is that he’s being sent back as Angel’s new link to the Powers That Be, assuming that Whedon hasn’t abandoned that concept all together given how little mention the PTB received last season.
My other theory, which is fueled by Eve’s statement about things being more complicated than they seem, is that it’ll be revealed that the PTB and the Senior Partners are one and the same.
Angel Season One had Spike coming to LA after the Gem of Amara. Wesley never saw/met Spike during that, did he? Ðámņ, now I have to break out the DVDs and watch them all again.
Me, I’m just thrilled that Alias is back. It was a long wait since May. I thought it was an okay premiere, and I am anxious to see what twists lie in store. If its one thing this show has proven, its that it cannot always be predicted. And I dont believe for a minute that Sloan is suddenly on the side of the angels. He is way too sneaky a guy. I am sure he is up to something, its just a question of what.
And am I the only one who thinks that the thought of Marshall as a father is hysterical?
ANGEL, some speculation:
1. Eve, the overly friendly W&H liason? Anybody feeling really suspcious about how much she reminds you of the little girl/god in the White Room?
2. I was a little worried about the return of Harmony, but Mercedes McNabb just makes me giggle everytime she’s on screen. Really, she’s the much-needed lightener for the show.
3. Necro-treated glass? Wolfram & Hart – always thinking of the little details. I’m just wondering if all the cars have the same detail. Kudos to Joss for that touch.
4. Starting the count down to the first time Harmony annoys Spike out his mind….NOW.
Remy, Wesley was not on Angel at that point.
PAD: Re: Wesley knowing who Spike is. He is a former Watcher and I’m sure the exploits of Angelus & co. were required reading at the Watchers Academy (just like Kirk was required reading at Starfleet Academy).
Keep in mind that in the ep Dru sired Darla, the following ep Angel told Wes, Cordy, and Gunn who they were up against. While Wes never met Dru, he knew who she was.
Gunn as a lawyer has potential. When they cut btw. scenes, you know how you get flashes of scenes? Well, I saw a panther outline on Gunn (f/ the panther in the White Room f/ last season).
I agree that Joss is weak at opening eps and this one was no exception. I liked the opening act, but the acting seemed stilted in scenes.
Is it me or does Boreanaz seem to have put on some weight? And he also needs a haircut.
Other comments abt. Angel:
I am so NOT missing Connor. However, I’m wondering that if his friends don’t remember him, I’m they’re wondering who Jasmine’s dad is.
I am missing Cordy. I do hope she returns. Gosh, only Boreanaz is the last of the original cast. Charisma Carpenter’s gone and Glenn Quinn is deceased…
Wouldn’t it be kewl if the voice from Clark’s rocket DID turn out to be from ZOD, who tampered with it before it left Krypton? Why else would “Jor El” want his son to conquer Earth? A worthy future season ender: Zod appears pretending to be Jor-El and looking for Clark to see if his mind-f@%k on him worked.
-WoS
Angel Season One had Spike coming to LA after the Gem of Amara. Wesley never saw/met Spike during that, did he? Ðámņ, now I have to break out the DVDs and watch them all again.
Nope. That episode was way before Wesley showed up.
-Joe (who loved the Spike lines in that one)
Is it me or does Boreanaz seem to have put on some weight?
I think you’re right. His face does look a little heavier.
Regarding Angel, here’s one of those things that only car guys notice: When Angel goes down to the garage to select a ride from his new fleet (and I kinda hope we haven’t seen the last of his good old triple-black ’67 GTX ragtop), he passes up the first-generation Camaro SS, the early Mustang fastback, the black Viper and a couple of other sweet rides and selects the yellow ’70 Dodge Coronet with the funky black stripes that looks exactly like the one in the current Lee Jeans commercial with the action-cop-movie theme. I’m betting that’s the only car in the scene that the show actually owns, and we’ll never see him use any of the others.
And I figure the W&H folks have probably set Angel’s personal fleet up with black glass so he can drive in the daylight…
Paul
Regarding Alias. They never showed the word “Peace”. Sloan just said it was one word. Everyone just assumed it was “Peace”. What if it was actually “Piece”? As in, one more piece is needed for the Rambaldi machine to do its thing.
Just a thought.
Ok, loved the Angel opener, had some issues with Smallville, never watched Alias and I’m disapointed with Enterprise. Ok, now I’ve got a question for anyone who has some serious Angel info: In a Entertainment Weekly article earlier in the year, it was mentioned that Angel season 2’s storyline was thrown off track by Mutant Enemy’s inability to get a guest star, resulting in the “Pylia” storyline. I’m assuming this guest was meant to be one of the founding partners (that Angel summarily dispatched as he manifested on this plane). Anyone have any idea who the guest was supposed to be?
Ali T. Kokmen wrote: (And did those scaly lizard-Xindi from last night remind anyone of General “You Don’t Have to Be a Good Actor to Recognize a Bad One” Sarris from Galaxy Quest?)
Exactly. Maybe they should do a series based on Galaxy Quest. Or introduce a Boulder-Xindi race to Enterprise.
As to the Buffy-Angel-Spike amulet envelope…as soon as I saw the package, I cracked up imagining that somewhere way, way down in Hëll, the amulet bonked a demon on the head. After cursing for awhile, it checked the back, wrote down the address, and grumblingly went looking for the nearest post office.
Of course, if W&H had invested in a War Amps key chain address tag for the amulet, the envelope would have been optional.
Cheers, Jon
Let’s see… I gave up on Alias a while back. West Wing never appealed to me though most of my friends kep trying to convince me it’s worth it. Now Smallville, I was a big fan in the beginnning. Then we had season two and I started having issues. Now season three has hit and I am torn. The show is fine. I enjoy the hëll out of it until I think “This is going to be Superman and Lex Luthor” and thn the wholething falls apart for me. Kind of like the Birthright series out now. It works ok until you realize what the “end” is supposed to be.
But Angel? Angel was wonderful. Loved it! It’s the first ep of the season which usually are weak only because they need to cover whatever time has elapsed, resolve any cliffhangers, explain missing cast members, set up existing characters and situations so (hopefully) new viewers can know what’s going on and reminding old time viewers of the important stuff AND ahs to set up some of the themese for the season (for this type of show anyway). I think it did that and still had time for a fun story, great dialogue and exciting moments. Oh, and as for the “shoot out the windows bit”, I just figured they were smart enough to know that at that time of day, direct sunlight would not be coming thru the widnows and would just be a waste of time to bother. Especially someone they KNOW is as quick and deadly as Angel(us). And that kick on the shotgun was great…disturbing since the guy is a human.. but great. I am anxious about this season. My big gripe is not Wes knowing Spike (watcher) or the Gun transformation (waiting to see where they go with it) but it was with the fact that they have been advertising Spike joining the cast and have been showing a lot of Spike scenes in the promos and he shows up at the last moment!?!?! Of course, the Blondie Bear bit was too dámņ funny! And I DO like the changes to the flashes. Before it was only flashbacks to previous scenes in taht ep but now features stff you haven’ seen yet. The panther shape and Eve looking at the blood on th wall after Angel kills the wetworker. I need to watch it again just to see those in slomo.
Fun stuff!
Of course, as for Enterprise which someone else brought up… I can’t fault the emphasis on T’Pol’s physique nor the attempts to make it more exciting. I CAN fault it for adding rhythm to the theme song. I’ve been telling people to watch it just for that.
Have a good week!
While I’m not so sure Angel and his crew were required reading for Watchers (Giles didn’t seem to know much about Spike until he did research in “School Hard”), I think the idea that Wesley was told by Angel around the time Darla was back or mayve he read up on him when he branched out on his own is right. Wes has become quite knowledgable since his goofy beginnings. For the record, Wes says “Spike” first but it sounded to me more like, “Could that be Spike?”
Halcyon,
Thanks for setting me straight about Wesley. Of course, I’m still going to break out the DVDs and watch them all again. LOL
Smallville was thrilling but I also fear that TPTB are playing a little too fast and furious with the obvious plot hole problems, especially in light of “Kals” actions now and their future ramifications.
Way, way too many people can draw the conclusion of Clark and Superman now — so much for keeping his powers a secret.
Still, it will be interesting if TPTB will address these and other issues and the twist they will place on them — if at all.
Let’s just hope it’s original and not a “Bobby Ewinglike – Dream Sequence or worse yet – A Star Trek “Klingon Ridges now and Ridge-less before situation.”
In order:
ALIAS – Never been really a big fan of the show. Just couldn’t get into it but I’m trying to because some people whose opinions I respect (including PAD) seem to think highly of the show. But this season opener… I was disappointed on two levels. First, reminds me of one of my favorite reviews of “Batman Returns”, the one PAD wrote. He talked about the divergence the movie took into the subplot about the Penguin running for mayor which was then dropped so the story could return to the exact same spot in the first place. From my spotty history of watching the show, Sydney doesn’t seem to be in much of a different place than she was “two years” ago. She’s back to working at the same place with basically the same people. Her father was in prison but that was resolved by the end of the episode. Carl Lumbly’s character (sorry, don’t know his name) is now in charge but that seems largely cosmetic. So the only lasting changes are that Sloane is on the side of the angels (which takes us back, sorta, to the first season where he was sorta in the same place) and there’s a wall between Sydney and Vaughn. And that just seems a contrivance for some angsty relationship soap.
Second was Syd’s speech to Vaughn. What does she live in the Marvel Universe? They found a body, the DNA matched hers, she was gone for two years, and she says, “So, what, you just move on with your life?” Well, yeah, lady, unless you’re Kenny or Bobby Ewing, you’re corpse plus several years means you’re dead. I’m sorry but I don’t see the room for righteous indignation.
SMALLVILLE: Not bad. Tom Welling’s Bad Clark is no Angelus. I think I prefer him in smaller doses. As for the question of why Zor-El would want his son to take over the world, I still think that Clark is going to learn that it was a mistranslation and he’s supposed to be a leader *to* the people of earth (and inspiration) not a leader *of* the people of Earth.
ANGEL: Wesley knowing Spike. Any chance that Joss is setting up a flashback episode that would take place in Sunnydale and guest star the Scoobies? Too much to hope for I know, but, hey, when they did the spotlight on Anya they got Abraham Benrubi to reprise his role…
I thought there was some hilarious dialogue on the ep. (“I don’t mind spanking men.”
Angel’s reaction to the cars.
“Harmony… *You’re* my secretary.”
“Hey! Personal assistant!”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.”
“Secretary will be fine.”)
Was I the only one who noticed how much they sexed up Amy Ackerman? So I’m wondering, is she filling the sexy girl part that Charisma Carpenter used to occupy? Is it because they just didn’t want two (overtly) sexy girls on the show when CC was there? Or is Ackerman starting to get starlet syndrome and is no longer content not playing the glamour girl?
When is Lorne shooting his pilot for “Queer Eye of Newt for the Straight Vampyr”?
Am I the only one that won’t be bothered if “Smallville” (and “Enterprise,” for that matter, even tho I don’t watch it) doesn’t ‘end’ the way we think it should? I’m enjoying “Smallville” enough that if they end up going somewhere other than Clark eventually donning tights and a cape to fight crime, I’m cool with it.
The idea of ‘the voice’ really being Zod making good on his threat from the movie (“And one day, your heirs!”) is one I’ve toyed with, too. I like it.
Can we fix the “spoiler tag” font mistake?
Remember the Buffy ep where she’s being evaluated by the Watchers’ Council? And the relative newbie female Watcher who interviewed Spike telling him that she’d written her thesis on him? Given that Spike’s killed two Slayers and has been around for quite a while (and is one of the few vampires who has any tactical sense whatsoever), I’d sure include him in the basic Watcher Academy curriculea.
Favorite line from Angel: “Press 1 for goats or say ‘goats’!”.
One bit that no one’s mentioned that potentially affects the whole Buffyverse. The Wolfram & Hart lawyer mentions that the LA District Attorney’s office, not one necessarily known for greatness, has shamans. Who actively try to make juries tamperproof. Either a lot more people at lower levels in government (than knew about the Initiative) know about the supernatural, or there’s a whole Harry Potteresque shadow magical government. Note that cops ala Kate did not seem to know about this.
Spike, as Angel did, became more important as “Buffy” progressed. Giles didn’t recognize the name and had to do some digging to find out (despite Spike’s having killed two Slayers). The line from the Watcher about having written a thesis about Spike rang false because of that.
Am I the only one hating Angels new hair? He looks like he’s going for a buffont for God’s sake.
Give him a break; he doesn’t have a reflection.
Was I the only one who noticed how much they sexed up Amy Ackerman?
I suspect they are doing much what they did with Alyson Hannigan, to wit, Showing that geeky girls are sexy. I can’t complain.