Not one but two episodes of ALIAS and CHARMED, and one of WEST WING. See below with spoilers abounding.
ALIAS: Ep 1: There’s a moment in “The Great Muppet Caper” wherein Diana Rigg unburdens her lifestory to Miss Piggy, who asks breathlessly, “Why are you telling me all this?” To which Rigg replies in a matter-of-fact manner, “It’s exposition. It has to go SOMEwhere.” In the case of “Alias,” it all went into the episode from a week and a half ago. ALL of it. Holy God. This had to be the single largest info dump in the history of television, so much so that I have trouble judging it as a dramatic episode because we were so busy just having every frickin’ thing explained. There was so much purging it was like having an eight course dinner with a bulemic. I just wish I’d recorded it, because I’m still not sure I’ve managed to assimilate everything we were told. And worst of all, I’ve practically forgotten it already because I was so stunned by the last-scene reveal that Lauren is, in fact, a bigger bìŧçh than we’d originally credited her. And after I FINALLY got her name down.
Ep 2: I love when they start off with Syd in deep trouble and then go back to show us how the heck she got there. I also love it when the viewer knows that somebody is a complete traitor or otherwise has some sort of noxious secret, and the characters don’t know it. It builds suspense beautifully, because you know that at SOME point they’re gonna find out, and it’s the anticipation of “when” that works so beautifully. A nifty episode that, for me, was only marred by the obvious fact that it was supposed to mark the return of Lena Olin’s character. So instead we get her sister. I don’t know about you, but I’m just mentally going to use her as a placemarker and pretend I’m watching Syd’s mom in there instead of Syd’s aunt.
CHARMED: Ep. 1…Time traveling go-go boots. Oooookay. Why not. The glimpses into the past were a hoot, and I continue to marvel at the show’s adherence to its own continuity. Fer instance: They save their grandfather’s life, but it’s noted that since he was fated to die that day, death is just gonna keep coming for him until he gets them…as established several seasons ago. Although I have to admit that this one episode combined the two aspects of the witches’ power levels that bother me the most. It annoys me that they’re powerful enough to travel through time with almost no difficulty, and it annoys me when they’re able to conjure up dead people as if heaven has a revolving door…if for no other reason than that it underscores their total disinterest in summoning Prue. I mean, yeah, we know dámņëd well why they’re not doing it, but then it undercuts the show’s integrity. So we’ve got my two personal bugaboos in one episode. On the other hand…witches in miniskirts and Leo with long hair hitting on Paige. What’s not to like.
Ep. 2…So the truth stands revealed about Chris as we get some insight into precisely why Wyatt went bad. I find myself wondering if Chris is so adamant about Piper not leaving love behind because he wants to make sure that he himself is conceived…that is, that the way they’re working HMC’s pregnancy into the show is that she’s going to give birth to Wyatt’s younger brother, who turns out to be Chris. I’m wondering how long they’re going to keep the entire concept of the witches living apart going. And I also keep having horrifying notions of what it would be like to be the parent of a child like Wyatt. The notion of bringing one year old Caroline upstairs for bedtime and I trot downstairs only to discover that she has orbed right back down because she doesn’t feel like going yet…sheesh.
WEST WING: A tape malfunction caused me to miss the first twenty minutes. I did like what I saw…indeed, I was able to SEE what I saw. And Bartlet’s agonizing over pardons was nicely evocative of the first season episode in which he had to decide whether to pardon a condemned man or not. After all this time, the struggle to balance political considerations with his fundamental morality continues to be a difficult one for him. Unfortunately, I saw the unpardoned prisoner killing himself coming a mile away. So they have to work a little harder at not telegraphing their punches. And speaking of punches…that woman SLAPPED Charlie? And when Bartlet came out, he simply said “I beg your pardon” as if apologetic for having wandered into a personal situation. Now on the one hand I could see him being sensitive to Charlie’s mortification and not wanting to prolong it. On the other hand, I could also easily see him saying icily to her, “Do you really believe that assaulting one of my most trusted staff members ten feet outside the Oval Office is remotelyappropriate behavior for a guest of the White House? If so, I have three Secret Service men right outside who may be able to convince you otherwise.” Nope. Didn’t like that sequence one little bit. Bartlet should never be taken aback; Bartlet should take charge.
PAD
• 
I just love the flow of Alias at the moment. It’s like a good stew cooking. You know the ingredients but somehow the sum of the contents just gets bigger given time…
I will NOT just use Isabella R as a placemarker. Although I do love Lena Olin as spy-mom I hope they’ll be able to develop auntie as a character. J.J. recently said that the original plan was to have BOTH spymom and auntie in this ep. He also said that he still was hoping to get Olin to return eventually… I the meantime I’ll not let Olin’s brilliant performance stand in the way of me appreciating Rosselini.
Btw, PAD, thanks for these TV-reviews. Always love to read your take!
It’s a dámņ shame you missed the first 20 minutes of The West Wing–this one is in the category of “Sorkin could have written this.” Multiple plotlines, Charlie and Donna get storylines, the show asks for something more than the traditional politicking that dominates the landscape, and (of course) Josh gets, as it were, screwed (and not, at the same time. *grin*)
Beautiful characterization, too, and Stockard Channing was great. Ditto the woman (I’m blanking on the name) who plays Angela Blake; I’m definitely warming up to her.
Naturally the regulars were fantastic, but extra applause to Janelle Moloney.
The main story was telegraphed, but that could be a function of something you missed–we knew something bad had happened, because the episode is in flashback. It starts with the preparations before the State of the Union, goes up to about the slap, then jumps backward three weeks to show what led up to that.
Bartlet should never be taken aback; Bartlet should take charge.
Not here. He’s done similar with Mallory when she was “dating” Sam, true, and certainly when Charlie was dating Zoey, but this is different. Here, he’s really the third wheel of the relationship.
Besides, Charlie deserved it for the way he broke off the relationship. I don’t think he didn’t have the best intentions, but the way he handled it, he deserved to be slapped. (It’s one thing to want the relationship to end, though I don’t know if that was truly necessary; it’s quite another to be angry over not being told sooner.) I think Bartlet knew that, and I’m glad he said nothing.
“Do you really believe that assaulting one of my most trusted staff members ten feet outside the Oval Office is remotelyappropriate behavior for a guest of the White House? If so, I have three Secret Service men right outside who may be able to convince you otherwise.”
Man… why aren’t YOU writing some West Wing? You captured Bartlett pretty well there.
Bartlet should never be taken aback; Bartlet should take charge.
Not here. He’s done similar with Mallory when she was “dating” Sam, true, and certainly when Charlie was dating Zoey, but this is different. Here, he’s really the third wheel of the relationship.
Yeah, well Mrs. Landingham wouldn’t have stood for it, and I’d like to think she influenced Bartlet in that regard.
PAD
Yeah, well Mrs. Landingham wouldn’t have stood for it, and I’d like to think she influenced Bartlet in that regard.
Only to a point. Think about it this way: Bartlet can be seen as Charlie’s father–that’s how I read “He’s more than just the President” –and Mrs. Landingham as his mother when she was alive.
So, Charlie gets slapped by his girlfriend–deservedly so, I reiterate–how would his “parents” react? His mother figure wouldn’t have stood for it. His father figure, on the other hand, would know to back off.
(This doesn’t apply for when Charlie dated Zoey, naturally, because Bartlet defaulted to being the girl’s father, and we all know how that goes…)
glimpses into the past were a hoot, and I continue to marvel at the show’s adherence to its own continuity.
Except for one MAJOR continuity error. Grams was shown to be in what her 20’s early 30’s in 1967. and while her daughter was mentioned, I think it was implied she was pretty young. Now I’d say Prue, Piper, and Phoebe, and maybe Paige as well was born in the 1970s so there’s some problem there (and from what I’ve read on-line that wasn’t the only error)
David
What was wrong with that Alias episode…
Mr David is getting old… I assimilated it all and well the first time.
I loved it… one of those episodes on TV where they just laid it all down for you. Besides, I had a great deal of fun with the flashback-within-a-flashback-within-a-flashback.
ahhhh. Excellent.
CJA
While you sometimes have to work through the sarcasm and figure out the character nicknames, http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com is a good place to get a pretty complete text recap of a given episode.
How cool was that hint that Irina has ANOTHER sister?!
Peter,
If you check out the Alias episode guide at http://abc.go.com/primetime/alias/missions/episode311a.html you will get a pretty thorough recap of the episode. It’s where I went when I had the same problem with my short term memory.
Major ALIAS nut here. Was blown away by the all-exposition episode; your mileage may vary. And, yes, though I await Olin’s return, I am amused by Auntie.
Re WEST WING: I did not have any particular problem with the Prez backing off from the slap; although he has his snarky side, he has also shown moments of restraint where it would have made perfect sense for him to have realized he was interrupting Charlie’s show, and to back off, allowing Charlie to handle the situation by himself.
No, what made NO sense, in any universe, was the behavior of the woman scorned.
I will buy her slapping Charlie. Even forgetting where she was to slap Charlie. That’s human. But seriously. Here’s a young woman who has just joined the White House Press Corps. Within one month of getting hired she gets mad at the Prez’s assistant, for persuasive personal reasons, and slaps him; the President walks in, witnesses the slap, says excuse me, and walks out. She shows NO CONCERN. She doesn’t even react to WHO JUST WALKED IN THE ROOM, WHO JUST SAW HER SLAP A GUY TEN FEET FROM THE OVAL OFFICE. She remains focused on her annoyance with Charlie. It seems to me that a *normal* woman, with normal respect for the office and normal concern for a career just starting, would be thinking ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod what have I just done. She doesn’t even seem to register that it was the President!
Does “Charmed” deserve the attention? I mean, if it was JUST the incredible cheesy dialogue (and if an accomplished pro like PAD, who clearly knows how to take cheese and have fun with it, isn’t groaning in shame after hearing the slog these actors have to sell, then I’ll eat my shoe) wasn’t bad enough, we are also treated to special effects that are redefining the word “low rent” for a modern day audience. This is a bad show and I’m not sure if it’s worth commenting on.
Well, I definitely disagree that Charlie deserved to be slapped. He was, at the very least, deceived from the very beginning of this relationship. She knew she’d be working in the White House with the press corps, and it doesn’t even cross her mind to tell Charlie that bit of information???? Sorry, I don’t buy that. He felt used, rightfully so in my opinion. Charlie did the right thing in dumping, but the wrong thing in still allowing her to remain working in the White House after she slapped him.
As for Bartlet’s reaction, it was appropriate. He knew it wasn’t his place to say anything, regardless of where the incident took place. But I think he should step forward and request that this “young lady” not be present within the White House under any circumstances. She obviously has no clue where she’s about to work and does not respect it.
I think Charmed deserves attention. It’s something that the whole family watches here at Casa David. It also has 3 darn fine actresses in the leads. What they can do with the dialogue is part of what makes the show interesting. Also what HMC can do with any eyebrow is amazing.
Kathleen
West Wing: Well I can see why people might think it Sorkin-esque
since they essentially took a
previous Sorkin episode as a template, and rewrote it. (Anyone
remember the episode where the VP
resigns? Hëll, it was just last season.)
I agree with Kevin T about the slap. Charlie had to walk away,
just like the Republican lawyer
did with Donna before the hearings
started. Of course, it turned out
he didn’t just walk away, but you
know what I mean.
As to West Wing, I’ll agree with those who don’t think that Charlie deserved to be slapped. If the slapper wants to be taken seriously as a journalist in the Press Corps, the first thing she needs to learn is that folks in Charlie’s line of work avoid a conflict of interest, something he did as soon as he was apprised of the true nature of the situation (I firmly believe that Charlie wouldn’t have let things go as far as he did had the woman been more forthcoming). Charlie was being a grown-up. She was being childish. Last I heard, assault was a crime.
As to Bartlet’s handling of the situation, I’ll admit that PAD’s take on it was a really good one. I can accept the way they handled it on the show by figuring that Barlet knows that Charlie doesn’t want or need the help dealing with this sort of thing. It was pretty obvious at a glance that she wasn’t going to continue duking it out with Charlie, so the moment had definitely passed. But yeah, thinking back on it, Barlet should have said something.
Ya know, I’d never watched Charmed before, but my new girlfriend (shout out to LadyRhapsody) likes it, so I checked it out. It’s very superheroish (is that a word?). And did I mention my NEW GIRLFRIEND???
WEST WING:
Best part: the reconciliation scene between Leo, Abby, and Jed. So many layers going on at once there, and all three actors pull them off so well. It was enough to make one think a certain writer was back on board, as well. It’s one of the most believable renditions of people who’ve been friends for decades and who’ve gone through recent disappointments and disagreements with each other I’ve ever seen. Note-perfect.
Worst part: the slap. What the hëll? What show is this? Am I supposed to believe that a woman who’s together enough to have been recently hired to the White House Press core would not only hide that possibility from a new suitor but would also so utterly forget herself that she’d hit in in the White House, steps from the Oval Office, in response to a cold remark from him? Please. That’s one of the most ludicrous things I’ve ever seen. Putting aside for the moment that Charlie did absolutely nothing to warrant that response, there’s simply no way someone of her education, background, and ambitions would have allowed herself to do that. Ugh. This has got “ER” written all over it: write an over-the-top, out-of-context-and-character scene precisely for the ads. (What we call the “Mother of God!” moments in our house, after a particularly egregious Noah Wylie delivery of that line a few years back…)
Yoiks. That’s Corps, of course.
Joe Goforth: First girlfriend? Oh, I’m just teasing. Wish I had one.
Scifantasy: I work with a guy who desperately needs to be slapped silly every day. In fact, I think he needs a severe beatdown about once a month. I haven’t done it and won’t do it in the future. Violence is not the answer to personal slights. People who suggest that violence is okay in this situation are wrong, even if they say “It’s just a television character.”
West Wing repeats are being shown in syndication. Watching those episodes shows me how much this show has declined. WW is in repeats for the next couple-three weeks, which is going to make it real easy for me to not return.
I don’t watch any of these shows regularly, so if you disagree with any of the below comments, blame it on that.
WEST WING: An okay episode, but I laughed at the way the promos built it up. They showed the slap in dramatic slow motion, with the announcement that something we never expected would happen. Yeah, right.
CHARMED: I’ve never been a fan of this show: disturbingly blatant t&a exploitation (that’s what pørņ is for, folks), a weird mix of seriousness and giggling (we have to save the world — and the cute driving instructor’s giving me my exam today!) done infinitely better on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, and yes, death is almost meaningless. If someone dies, don’t worry about never seeing them again — they’ll pop up all the time! (Unless they’re played by an actress who’s obnoxious enough never to return…) Incidentally, when the one character freezes time, does time stop in the whole world, or there an area of effect outside of which people can see everything frozen?
ALIAS: I only saw “Full Disclosure.” As always, the highlight was Marshall, whose responsibility hasn’t stopped him from being an ubergeek. As for Lauren, this strikes me as the “hero or evil” factor. Let’s face it: Vaughn mourned for Syd, he waited a long time before moving on, and he finally found someone else. But that person isn’t Sydney, so she has to be made evil and hated by the entire viewing audience. Why can’t she just be a nice person? Why can’t Syd have a part of her life that’s not entwined with this grand conspiracy (I’m glad the Rimbaldi artifact(s?) do more than send the message “be nice”) but just be part of normal life? A little too soap operatic for me.
Posted by George Grattan:
(This has got “ER” written all over it: write an over-the-top, out-of-context-and-character scene precisely for the ads. (What we call the “Mother of God!” moments in our house, after a particularly egregious Noah Wylie delivery of that line a few years back…)
Heh. That’s funny. My wife and I call them “Aw Sweet Jesus!” moments–after another particularly egregious Noah Wylie delivery of that line a few years back…
Haven’t wathced ER in a few years, but I guess it’s nice to know they stick to the formulae that work for ’em…
ATK
I’ll put in a vote to keep comments on Charmed. I enjoy the show despite the cheese factor. And I agree with Kathleen’s comments on the actresses. Great comic expressions. So there are problems with the show. So what? it’s fun.
BTW, Piper’s “freeze” slows down the molecules or some such, so doing the opposite blows things up, as it is explained in the show. And time only stops for the things she has frozen.
Maybe it’s just because I’m a journalist, but it wasn’t the slap that I found completely unbelievable. It was the fact that the slapper seems to think she can continue a relationship with Charlie after being assigned to the frickin’ White House press corps.
Yeah, maybe she didn’t want to mention it to him when it wasn’t a sure thing. But to blindly wander about saying, “Why can’t we be together?” after she’s assigned to the corps? You can’t date your sources, lady. They taught you that in J-school. Even if Charlie hadn’t backed off, she was ethically bound to do so.
As to the slap itself, my question again stems from journalism, not love: What the hëll are you doing having a personal conversation at the Oval Office minutes before the State of the Union? Get your ášš over to the Capitol, you idiot! You’ve got a job to do!
Once again, WW’s portrayal of journalists is the real sour note in a show that prides itself on realism. The press corps is the least realistic part, and it is a vital force in the real White House. Get a reporter on your posse of advisors, folks.
RE: The slap
You know what occurs to me? If CJ had been involved with a young man who she then discovers was assigned to the White House Press Corps (shades of Danny) and shuts the relationship down cold…
…and the guy slaps her ten feet away from the Oval office…or anywhere in the West Wing…
…there’d be no discussion. Anyone who witnessed it, from Bartlet on down, would put the guy threw the nearest window. They sure wouldn’t back off out of respect for CJ’s ability to handle herself and say, “I beg your pardon.”
I’m sorry, but if an action can’t survive a gender flip, then I think that pretty much answers the question right there of whether someone had it coming or if others acted appropriately to seeing it.
PAD
I am new to this amazing and fun little world that Mr. David has been so kind to provide for his fans. I have read just about everything I have been able to get my hands on, since he whacked the 2nd Jean in Marvel’s universe. I guess it’s only fitting that PAD happens to watch the same shows I do. Alias is a “never miss” in my house. Tru Calling, what can I say, Eliza is worth watching. I was late on the Charmed scene but like Mr. Sorkin’s West Wing episodes, I do watch them regularly in reruns. I am warming up to the new regime at WW, but I also hope for the return of Aaron.
In my humble opinion Alias, with it’s amazing ability to reinvent itself every 10 episodes or so, Is possibly the most addicting show Television has to offer.
Thanks Mr. D
Am I the only one who caught the extremely funny little bit of insult in the second episode of Alias?
When Lauren invited Sydney to dinner near the opening of the episode, Sydney said “okay, see you next Tuesday.”
Given the big reveal of Lauren as the traitor the episode before, I found it a most likely unintentional way of insulting Lauren without anyone knowing in the show knowing she was a traitor.
In case you are wondering what I mean, the old fashioned way of saying the slang term for a woman’s reproductive organ was
See = C
You = U
Next= N
Tuesday=T
Please don’t ban me or anything. I just found it hilarious that something like that got passed the censors at ABC.
PAD, excellent reminder of the virtues of gender-flipping a situation to assess one’s reactions to it. (I thought the slap was totally unwarranted anyway as is, but I suspect thinking of CJ as the recepient would get more folks to see that.)
As to Bartlett’s non-reaction, yeah, that bugged me, too, and your version works better. But I didn’t focus on it because I was so incensed at the overall stupidity of the scene.
You know, as I think about it, if I’d been Charlie, my response to that moment would have been “First you withheld information from me that’s crucial to both of our careers, and potentially to national security. Then you objected when I did the professional thing you wouldn’t and ended the relationship. Now you’ve assaulted me in the White House because you’re angry at the completely polite and professional way I adressed you in this public place which happens to also be my workplace. And you honestly think you’re keeping your new press credentials long enough for the shine to wear off the lamination? Get your resume out there again, ma’am, because I’m having your credentials yanked tomorrow. You just hit me. I’m a member of the President’s staff. You’re crazier than you are stupid if you think I’m letting you near this Administration if I can do anything legal to stop it–you’re clearly not fit for the job, and you’re extremely lucky I’m not going to press charges.”
Or somesuch. 🙂
Posted by George Grattan:
(What we call the “Mother of God!” moments in our house, after a particularly egregious Noah Wylie delivery of that line a few years back…)
Posted by Ali T. Kokmen
Heh. That’s funny. My wife and I call them “Aw Sweet Jesus!” moments–after another particularly egregious Noah Wylie delivery of that line a few years back…
After the episode that aired two weeks ago, I’m hereby calling them: “Oh Christ, who’s neck did Pratt snap THIS time?” moments. 🙂
SEAN
WEST WING:
You know, I don’t know if anyone’s mentioned it yet, but my big problem wasn’t necessarily the reporter/girlfriend slapping Charlie. I think Bartlet or any White House officials happening to be walking by could chalk that up to the fact that Charlie’s a young guy, and might have said something stupid. 🙂 I’m not saying that I think the scene was good. It was a very out of place and poor scene that really almost derailed the episode for me.
No, the real thing that annoyed me about that scene was Charlie’s reaction. “Excuse me, sir, can we have a second?” Wait a minute…I know Bartlet’s known to be less formal with his staff, but no way, NO WAY, NO freaking WAY would Charlie, the President’s AIDE, ask the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES for a moment in the West Wing. Nuh-uh. The fact that Bartlet just kinda shriveled back into the Oval Office was TERRIBLE writing, just as having Charlie ask for a moment of privacy was terrible. Charlie would’ve looked at the President, said something like “I’m sorry, sir, did you need anything?” and try to deflect from the situation, not call attention to it by asking the leader of the free world for a moment. That was so utterly annoying for me.
Aside from that, the rest of the episode had strong moments. The reconciliation between Abby, Bartlet, and Leo was fantastic. Charlie asking CJ for advice about reporters (something to that effect) was a nice touch, given the history with Danny. I liked the elements touching on the pardons, and Bartlet’s handling of that situation, gut-wrenching as it was. It was really powerful. It wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as the first season episode, “Take This Sabbath Day,” where Bartlet struggles over whether to stay the execution of a drug dealer/murderer in federal prison, but it was very good, nonetheless. It’s nice to see some interaction between Josh and Donna. I will say, though, that Joey Lucas was entirely wasted in this episode. She was there for like 3 scenes, and her role was minimal at best. I hope she’s back for more in the coming weeks, because otherwise, that was just a tease, and Joey Lucas is a great character. Heck, I’d make her a regular. Hey, Sorkin had Mandy as a PR person back in the first season…let’s hire on Joey Lucas in that capacity, and NOW. 🙂
ALIAS:
What can I say? It was nice to get closure on where’s she been and why, and the way they tied it all together was very nicely done. I loved the episode, personally, and seeing Agent Kendall again was great. I also thought this week’s episode, with Isabella Rossellini was fantastic, too. I really do miss Lena Olin, though, so let’s hope she can eventually be brought back to the show. Nice moments between Sloane and Jack, very evocative of the first two seasons. Great stuff.
I don’t think Charlie deserved to be slapped. As to Bartlet’s reaction, I was under the impression that he didn’t actually see it happen. He seemed to step out the second after it happened. I just thought he saw the look on Charlie’s face and sensed that something really awkward was going on.
Ok this is just my thoughts on what may be happening with the show. This isn’t spoiler, just my speculation, but still if you don’t want to know my thoughts, then just ignore the inviso text..if I can get it to work.
😉
Ok at the end of the big reveal episode, when sidney discovers the scar on her stomach, says they took my eggs, then they go and destroy the lab that was being used to merge her eggs with Rimbaldi’s DNA. Don’t you guys think that was a little easy? This has been the Covenant’s game plan all along, and they don’t even blink when their master plan is destroyed? I don’t think so. It was a ruse. At the end of the ep., before he was shot. Forgive my lack of memory, for I too suffer from the dreaded old age syndrome, the guy on the gurney asks Syd “What about the passenger?” right before he is shot.
So here’s my thoughts.
They didn’t take out Syd’s eggs, they put rimbaldi’s DNA in. In other words, she’s pregnant. With Rimbaldi’s clone no less.
That’s my thoughts. take it as you will.
Both Episodes of Alias combined opinion here.
Never have trusted Kendall and Lauren’s true(?) loyalities proves that and the fact that we don’t know diddly-squat about the Covenant beyond be the villian dujour.
But after everything I’ve seen so far, I still have to stick to the opinion that I have had since the first episode of this season:
That at some point this whole “lost two years” will turn out to be some kind of a scam and Sydney will wake up to discover herself either trapped next to or inside the Rimbaldi device itself.
Time (and probably the season finale) will tell.
**That at some point this whole “lost two years” will turn out to be some kind of a scam and Sydney will wake up to discover herself either trapped next to or inside the Rimbaldi device itself.
Time (and probably the season finale) will tell.**
“It was all a dream, a terrible dream.” Hasn’t this network already tried that one?
Chances are many of you are correct in your assumptions that we have been handed a few misleading clues. Two missing years, seems to me that might be enough time for Syd to have already had a child.
Aside from that, the Terry O’Quinn appearances in both Alias and West Wing just scare me. I like Terry as an actor, but it just seems to me that wherever he pops up, the show is soon on the chopping block. He tends to show up at the end of any series I am watching X-Files, Roswell, Homicide, Earth 2, ST:TNG, Harsh Realm, and Millennium….all dead soon after he appeared. I know he has been on a few shows that survived him, but I certainly hope Alias turns out to be strong enough to break his curse.
Don’t hold your breath on seeing Lena Olin again since she is asking for more money than they are willing to pay her.
One rumor floating around is that the so-called sister is actually Syd’s mom undergone doubling or at the very least platstic surgery. The kiss with Jack seems to fit with that in my view.
Hmm…Gender flip on the Charlie Slapped incident.
No, sir, I don’t believe that’s valid. It isn’t nice, but men get slapped all the time, and we’re just supposed to walk it off. We certainly can’t respond in kind (having been in that situation a number of times, I can personally attest to it). A man who slaps a woman is a brute, who, if there are witnesses, will be arrested.
Now, the slap happening in the White House is a whole other matter. The woman should, at the very least, have been escorted off the property. Not because Charlie is a man, but because he’s part of the White House staff, and assaults on them are frowned on. She certainly shouldn’t be part of the Press Corps any longer.
WW: Since you saw “The Slap” first and got the explanation later, I was expecting something like: Charlie had wigged out since he can’t seem to get Zoe and turned into a skirt chaser.
In other words, I was expecting something much worse then him dumping her because he realized he doesn’t want to dip his pen in the company ink…literally.
It was overdone and undeserved.
As far as Charmed, I’m late to it too, but I’m watching the new and I try to catch the reruns as much as I can on TNT. Yes, I like it, and dammit I miss Cole….
CBS did the dream excuse to cover the Bobby Ewing-less season of “Dallas”, then Saturday Night Live on NBC parodied that on a season openner to try and ‘explain’ the previously bad season they had.
ABC? We’ll wait and see.
Boy, I wished I’d tapped the West Wing Episode, so I could actually see these scenes where she lied to Charlie.
She gets a new job, tells him about it, and he freaks out and acts like a jerk. Did she call him right when she got it? No, but it’s very clear she learned about it, and then tells him soon after.
It also seems clear Charlie just dumps her. Doesn’t talk to her, doesn’t call her, just bang tosses her to the curve. And is then rather jerkish to her when she shows up.
Oh, by the way, there’s no diffence in the conflict of interest between her being part of the press corps or any other part of the press. Like any paper she’s working for wouldn’t buy a story from her based on Charlie, press corps or not.
To Scavenger: while it may not be a conflict of interest for the female reporter…it is for Charlie, and he had no choice but to call off the affair. Immediately. In no uncertain terms.
Could he have been nicer about it? Probably. Was there any room for discussion? No. The President’s personal assistant can’t have a romantic relationship with a reporter.
Scavenger, here’s what actually happens in the “West Wing” episode you didn’t tape and so haven’t seen:
1. Charlie meets a intern reporter for the Afro-American at a New Year’s Eve Party. They begin dating, and she knows who he is and what his job is.
2. At that time, she’s already applied for a job with the White House Press Corps of one of the networks. She doesn’t tell him that she’s applied for this job.
3. When she informs him that she’s gotten the job, he immediately breaks off the relationship, and is angry with her for not telling him she’d been in contention for the job while they were dating. She also seems not to fully understand why they can’t cointinue to date, nor why she should have told him. (Those are some of the many unbelievable aspects of the scenario, obviously, as any person as accomplished as she seems to be at that age wouldn’t need to be told these things.)
4. When she arrives at a White House funciton after Charlie’s broken things off, she goes to see him, he calls her (politely but coldly) “Ms.” So and So, and she slaps him, ten feet from the Oval Office.
So, to sum up: she’s an unprofessional, dishonest person with a violent streak. And the writers blew the scene altogether.