Tru Calling gets our “Best Last Episode of the Season” Award. Wow!
WEST WING: Bar none, best moment of
42 comments on “Cowboy Pete; Part 2: West Wing, Tru Calling, and Alias”
Best of all is (for all you Trancers fans out there) Jack Death
Tru Calling – I think when Jack created the events that led to her boyfriends death, it showed which side he was on. If I wanted to give Jack a more “shades of grey” type character I would have just had him witness someone else being shot by the crazed ex husband rather than creating the circumstances where he could hurt Drew.
I have heard that Fox has not renewed the show and that it is now dead. Which doesnt surprise me since Fox does not give any show I like a fair chance. I have seriously considered giving up on Fox since I dont want to get hooked on a show and then have it pulled, ie: Firefly, Undeclared, Andy Richtor, Tru Calling, Wonderfalls…
No decision has been made regarding the renewal/cancellation of Tru Calling. but there are encouraging signs!
Eliza Dushku’s dad has said it will be back, and Eliza herself hinted in a recent interview that it will be back. One site had said it wouldn’t be back, and has now changed that to “We don’t know yet.
Variety.Com said that Tru Calling deserves a second season, and in a recent poll Tru Calling came in second as the show most fans want to be saved.
If you would like more info, and/or if you would like to sign a petition to save “Tru Calling”, simply go to TruCalling.com (which also has a link to the SaveAngel.org website.
WEST WING: A few comments about recent episodes. I wasn’t crazy about the whole “documentary” style episode. First of all, the inclusion of the fact that it was “airing” after the Bartlet presidency bothered me, logistically. It’s a minor thing, but that whole “continuity jump” was off-putting for me. That, plus the reference to an event in Casey Creek Kentucky which happened early in the Bartlet presidency, but we’re just hearing about it now, and the effect of it on the staffers, given that in the interim we’ve had an attempted assassination of the President’s aide, and another “militia/commune” incident in the first season.
The “Lockdown” episode was very good, though. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yeah, it was a device, but it’s the kind of writing device that I love, where two characters who don’t often interact are stuck with one another, and characterization ensues. Seeing Donna interact with C.J. (when normally, she only interacts with people like Josh or Charlie), seeing Toby’s frustration with Will, seeing the tension between Abby and Leo, seeing Lily Tomlin’s Debbie Fitterer FINALLY given something meaningful to contribute, a la Mrs. Landingham, it was a nice episode. But, I worry about the season ender. I can’t help but wonder, given that Donna has started to have an epiphany about her relationship with Josh, and given that Donna’s about to fly off to the Middle East, I fear a hackneyed “Donna’s in danger” season finale. We’ll see. The show still has very nice moments, but the driving events are still a little unsatisfying.
ALIAS: I’ve loved ALIAS the past few weeks. The episode a few weeks ago, where Arvin Sloane was being lethally injected, and the bouncing back and forth between Arvin’s “death” and Sydney’s attempts to get the hourglass…that’s classic first season ALIAS. I like that Rimbaldi has once again taken center stage, but I do feel that it has the potential to completely swallow the show. What I will say is that I do like how the plots are being staged, with frequent call-backs, i.e. Arvin being resuscitated by Jack after his “death” because Arvin ingested a chemical compound in the wine, compared to Arvin’s faking of his wife’s death in the same manner; Vaughn becoming like unto Jack, with a traitorous wife driving him to cold mercilessness, etc.
I don’t know where they’re going with the show, and that’s always a great thing. But I feel like the show needs a “firm” status quo again, like it had in the first season and a half. I really miss the supporting characters the show once had, a la Will and Francie. I miss seeing Sydney in her normal everyday mundane life, as contrasted with her life as a spy. More than anything, I desperately miss Lena Olin. Yeah, Isabella Rossellini is a great substitute as Katya Derevko, but I desperately want to see Irina again, especially in light of the recent discovery of the “Passenger” and her affair with Sloane.
Christopher,
Do NOT give up hope, because Tru Calling has NOT been axed…yet. It was not on the list of EARLY renewals, so its fate is still up in the air. A final decision should be made by May 20.
The previous FBI-militiamen standoff is not one we’re “only hearing about now”; it was an episode in the first season.
Arvin Sloane is a genuinely complex villain. You got the idea that injecting his daughter with that green goo really did hurt him…that he was sickened by what he was doing…but that he was unable to connect that to just walking away from the whole Rambaldi thing.
The previous FBI-militiamen standoff is not one we’re “only hearing about now”; it was an episode in the first season.
Unfortunately not. That one took place in McClane, Idaho; this one was Kentucky. If the writers had any sense (or, to leave them an out, maybe they couldn’t use that one because they’d have to pay Sorkin a royalty) they’d have made it the same one.
For the record, my take: “The Supremes” was the best episode of “The West Wing” this season. I still crack up when I see Debbie shpritz Josh, the guest stars were brilliant, everyone was used correctly, no one was badly written.
The documentary was “enh,” I thought, but not awful; the lock down was fun (among other reasons, because it vaulted Lily Tomlin into Mrs. Landingham territory).
But yeah, it’s getting better. And brighter.
Yeah, “The Supremes” episode of the West Wing was also very good, and I’ll agree, one of the better episodes of the season, if not the best. It was genuinely well done.
My favorite episode of the season is probably the episode, “Shutdown,” where the President staged an incredible political strategy in walking to the Capitol from the White House to personally broker a deal to get the government up and running again, and as the Republican leaders of Congress duked it out behind closed doors, Bartlet gathers the press, stands up, and leaves. It was the first episode this season to really let Josh be Josh and let Bartlet be Bartlet.
The show still doesn’t “feel” right. It’s not bad, but it just seems to be ordinary. It’s a complaint I’ve expressed often this season…they’re fine stories, but under Sorkin, these stories would crackle. Instead, they’re often mediocre with occasional flashes of brilliance. But it is getting better.
Oh, and as to ALIAS: I don’t think the revelation of Sydney’s sister is meant to be a “cut and paste” of another character in a role meant to be served by Lena Olin’s Irina, at least as regards Nadia. The reason I say this is because, if you’ll recall back to those weird psychotherapy sessions Syd endured earlier this season to recover the two years of memories she’d lost, one of the “hallucinations” featured prominently the words “St. Aidan.” Nadia spelled backwards is Aidan. Santos (Nadia’s last name) refers to “Saint.” Thus, it seems to me that at least as far back as then, Syd was planned to have a sister, who was to be part of her destiny.
But, I do almost see the seams when it comes to Issabella Rossellini’s character, Katya Derevko. It seems to me the original plotting probably had Katya’s role filled by Irina, but when Lena Olin couldn’t be enticed back, they found a substitute, did some revisions, and boom…Irina’s sister, Sydney’s sister, boom. 🙂
The whole “this is disturbing how things were supposed to be by saving lives” thing is something that’s come up in SF lord knows how many times. It’s a good thing to think about if one is, say, using a time machine. But I’m not sure if it applies in this situation. If people are supposed to stay dead and not upset the natural order, then why does Tru’s “power” exist? All Death needs to do to win is to keep things status quo, without this rewind thing going on. The fact that someone is allowed to try to change things makes it seem to me that this is something encouraged by TPTB. Either that, or it’s a warring powers thing where one PTB set up one character and the opposite PTB set up the other to combat them, and neither PTB can stop the other from the creation of these characters.
Plot point: if Tru missed saving someone’s life on the first rewind of a day pre-Jack, she’d end up with the day rewound again and again until she succeeded. (Lending credence to my this-is-supposed-to-happen theory.) So why did Luc not get a rewind day this time- was Jack’s new existence enough to prevent the ability of rewinding more than once? And where the hëll has Jack been all this time? Shouldn’t the possibility of him doing something behind the scenes, even if we don’t see him doing it, have been around from the beginning? If he stops rewinds from happening more than once, how does this work, anyway?
Another possibility: Tru and Jack were both offered the same opportunity to save lives, and they just chose differently. Tru assumed that was what she was supposed to do. Did anyone come along to tell Jack NOT to save lives, or did he choose not to of his own free will?
If Tru/Mrs. Davies dies or stops saving lives, does that mean that the “Evil Leaper” stops rewinding days as well and loses their “power”? Is that why Daddy Davies had Mom Davies killed, so that he wouldn’t have to deal any more? How the hëll did they get married in the first place?
I have issues with this show’s writing at times, but thinking about the finale is intriguing.
An interesting thing pointed out to me by a friend is that, when comparing Tru and Jack to Babylon 5 races, Tru is acting more like the Shadows (the chaos of changing the past) whereas Jack is more like the Vorlons (the order of what is meant to be continuing to be).
As for Jack’s name, another interesting “what if” came up in our discussions: What if Jack the Ripper were another of these rewinders, who didn’t kill the prostitutes in London, but just made sure that the murders were committed as they were “supposed to”? The Inquisitor for the Vorlons was Jack the Ripper, as a side note.
davidh
I loved the ending of the Donna/CJ lockdown, where CJ explains the obvious fact that Donna has only stayed with Josh because of her personal involvement with him. And this was done without making Josh the bad guy, like most other dramas would do.
It’s the realization that Donna has accepted what has happened. Josh hasn’t changed and there’s no reason to be mad at him, but as Donna hushed CJ she realized that she needs to change.
I hope this leads to new things for Donna (as she is one of the best characters on the show), and hopefully she won’t get exiled to the VP’s office (ala Will Bailey).
The finale of Tru Calling knocked me for a serious loop. I will say that I’m still looking at the situation in a black-and-white perspective for a couple reasons.
First reason: Jack could have killed ANYONE other than Harrison, but he didn’t. He set things up specifially so that Luc, someone Tru loved, would die. Regardless of his statement that “he takes no pleasure in it,” he strikes me as Geoff John’s latest incarnation of Reverse Flash–I’m going to keep hurting you until you stop, and I’m doing this for your own good.
Second reason: We know that Tru’s father has Jack’s ability, and her mother passed her ability down to Tru. We also know that Tru’s father paid someone to kill Tru’s mother. Could it be that his, and perhaps Jack’s, modus operandi, is to kill all of Tru’s friends and family, and then Tru herself?
If it’s true, it strikes me as being good in the same way the Reign of Terror and the Inquisition were good– they’re out to save you, even if they have to kill you doing it.
Chris
Re: Alias’ series of SpyMoms. Don’t recall if we’ve ever heard anything about Vaughn’s mother. Would be a hoot to see Marshall’s parents, as well as either set of Sydney’s SpyGrandparents.
Try as I might, I just don’t like Tru Calling… and mainly for all the reasons Peter states he likes it. I agree that the new cast additions/story revelations have spiked my interest– but I fear that they will be treated in the same heavy handed manner as all previous major story/character points.
Now before anyone hands me my lunch, this doesn’t mean I wish “Tru Calling” any ill will. I hope Fox renews it. (After all, my girlfriend likes the show!)
In fact, I would be surprised if an actor of Jason Priestley’s TV stature would have even agreed to come on “Tru Calling” just for a 6 to 7 episode ride. Since he’s had his pick of pilots and series since his return to acting (after almost killing himself in Formula 1 racing) I don’t think he would have signed on for anything less than a minimum 6 ep + 1 additional season contract.
(Spoilers follow):
When I watch this show, I have far too many “dead man walking” moments like Peter described… I am at least always a commercial break ahead of the action.
For example: I figured out the ENTIRE PLOT of the show that fully introduced Tru’s Dad in the first 6 minutes… So much so, that my girlfriend (who had already seen the ep and was trying to get me interested in the show again) told me I needed to shut up. (And she’s nice… She hardly ever says things like that to me– no matter how much I deserve it!)
Now, like Peter, I didn’t know how far Tru’s Dad was involved with Jack– but it didn’t surprise me either.
The Jason Preistley addition (an underrated actor if there ever was one) was a much needed “shot in the arm” to the series but also seemed extremely calculated. It was if the Fox programmers told the producers to get off their butts and do something major or risk losing the show.
I don’t read spoiler sites but I will predict something right here and now. If this show is renewed, I can almost guarantee that Jack is:
TRU’S BROTHER or HALF-BROTHER!
What can I say? I’m having another one of those “dead man walking” moments.
P.S. For what it is worth: I want to major league retract my disdain for the actor playing Tru’s brother. Having watched the last 6 episodes of the year… I finally see the talent everyone else was seeing. Now that he’s comforatable playing Harrison– and the producers/writers have actually given him something to do– he’s quite enjoyable to watch.
First reason: Jack could have killed ANYONE other than Harrison, but he didn’t. He set things up specifially so that Luc, someone Tru loved, would die. Regardless of his statement that “he takes no pleasure in it,” he strikes me as Geoff John’s latest incarnation of Reverse Flash–I’m going to keep hurting you until you stop, and I’m doing this for your own good.
I must be the only person who thinks like I do then. But I still think Jack’s just “balancing the books”. That’s the only part of the “evil leaper” analogy that I have a problem with. Even the Evil Leaper wasn’t completely evil, although her “Al” was.
ALIAS:
Just so you know Peter– the introduction of Syd’s sister may very well have been a replacement for the missing Lena Olin… but it has NOTHING to do with the producers attempting to hedge their bets in case Jennifer Garner bolted the series.
Over a year ago, Jennifer signed a NEW contract that gave her a SUBSTANTIAL pay increase per episode– in return for her agreeing to stay with the series through the Sixth and Seventh seasons.
May the gods help us all if that means the Rimbaldi plotline will be dragged out that long!
Just a question .on Alias wouldnt it be easier to inject the green goo in Sydneys’sister thru an IV instead of the constant injection in the arm???Maybe i missed something ..just saying:)
Actually, JJ Abrams said that the plan all along was to have Katja AND Irina Derevko during the season. Why Katja is neccessary just became apparent at the end of the last episode – Jack is getting back at Irina for cheating on him with Sloan. 🙂
Has West Wing been renewed for another season? With its intermittent schedule and flagging ratings, I wonder how likely NBC is to renew it.
dean:
You did miss something. When Sloane was doing the limited injections, he used the hypodermic. When Lauren and Sark were insisting on speeding up the process, they used an IV drip.
Okay, no offense, but some of you guys are just reading impaired or, at the very least, have pronoun trouble.
I was talking about Lena Olin and the introduction of “her sister.” Obviously I was referring to Isabella Rosallini, who I felt (and still feel) was a cut-and-paste job of a character, dropped in to replace Olin who didn’t return. I didn’t say *Syd’s” sister was cut and paste, and see that instead as a logical plot development. So stop saying I said what I didn’t say.
PAD
“So stop saying I said what I didn’t say.”
Say what?
I’m so very, very sorry.
“Okay, no offense, but some of you guys are just reading impaired or, at the very least, have pronoun trouble.”
Upon rereading your review– I actually see that I did innocently jumble up the sentences/points you are referring to.
Syd’s sister is obviously NOT a replacement for Lena Olin… But she has not also been introduced to replace a possibly future bolting Jennifer Garner either.
Isabella Rossellini IS obviously Lena Olin’s replacement and I agree that her character does seem like a cut and paste job. Because of supposed high salary demands, most say Olin will never be invited to return to “Alias”.
Of course, that sentiment could change in an instant with the new ABC regime coming to power.
Even though I have never been accused of being thin-skinned, I’m still gonna have to take offense at your “reading impaired” remark.
It seems rather harsh– especially since my post was attempting to pass on knowledge and was in no way attempting to misquote or be critical of your “Alias” review.
PAD: Sorry about my misinterpretation of your post. That’s what I get for reading too fast.
So…we agree, then. 🙂
So many sisters being bandied about…it’s hard to keep track of who’s talking about who with the what now?
…and remember, Irina has yet ANOTHER sister we haven’t met! Funny, at the beginning of Alias Sydney had no mother, barely had a father, and was just about to lose a fiance…now look at that family tree!
TRU CALLING:
The episode I wanted to see (and still hope to see if there is a second season) is one where a close friend of Tru’s is critically injured (perhaps crippled or comatose), and the day turns out to be a repeat day, forcing her to choose between what she wants and what she believes is right.
This would really hit home for Tru that she isn’t just making life better for everyone but is essentially a god that decides the course of ‘fate.’
WEST WING:
I’m glad and not glad I’m the only one who sees the delegation (Fitz, Congresswoman Wyatt, and Donna) going into the Middle East and only 1 of them coming out.
“1 of your women is dead we are holding the other one hostage” fade to end of season. Reveal next year that Toby is a single father and that Josh will reveal his true feelings for Donna when she makes it back.
At least that’s what I’m seeing a mile away.
Guess they need to title every show somethingdown since the Shutdown and the Lockdown topics both worked.
Would have liked the conversation between CJ and Donna to have gone farther actually.. CJ is just treading water with Ranger Rick .. why b/c she is in love with A) Danny; B) Toby; C) her job
I would have been happy with CJ saying “For what it’s worth, I think he’s in love with you too you know, Donna”
Until later
John
TRU CALLING:
I vote for renewal too.
Since I’m unclear on whether or not “Daddy Dearest” hired the killer because he wanted out of his first marriage or becasue he knew about his wife’s abilities, would he want Tru killed if he found out she inherited her mother’s power?
ALIAS:
While I maybe off about my timing of thinking it would be by the end of this season, I’m still sticking to my opinion that at some point Sydney is going to wake up either next to or trapped inside the Rimbaldi device and discover that the whole ‘2 years later thing’ is a scam.
But whatever happens, I must ask: Just what the heck was this Rimbaldi guy up to anyway?
Granted, he’s a fictious cross between Leonardo DaVinci and Nostrodamus, but just what was this guy’s original game plan back in his own time? Would he have been able to accomplish it back then or did he do some serious ‘long term’ planning? A little more background would be appreciated.
The only people on the ‘side of the angels’ chasing after his stuff (the MacGruffins and deus ex machinas of the series) seem to be Sydney and company.
Not that I ain’t enjoying the series, but an inquiring mind would like to know.
John Wilson writes:
> CJ is just treading water with Ranger Rick ..
> why b/c she is in love with A) Danny; B) Toby;
> C) her job
C. J. in love with Toby?!? Excuse me?
Isn’t this a plot element from the Bizzaro World version of THE WEST WING?
It’s nic eto know that Tru Calling did not go as unnoticed as it seemed to be sometimes. Try as I might, I have failed to get any of my friends watching.
But my wife and I got hooked little by little over the season. We like the premise more now. We like the cast. We loved the addition of Priestly. And we are among those who hope it somehow manages to come back.
But if it does go away, at least it ended on a strong note. We’ve suffered so many lame endings for SF shows with one season only. Anyone else remember the odd ending to John Doe, or Nowehere Man, or the unnecessary cliffhanger at the end of Alien Nation (which was then shoved aside almost immediately when the made for TV films arrived)?
If nothing else, Tru can claim a spot in the Short Lived SF/Fantasy Hall of Fame alongside the above-mentioned shows, Firefly, and The Flash. (OK, it’s not Firefly by a longshot, but it’s still made me set aside the time on Thursdays.)
Heck, I still think there was some sparkage going on between CJ and Sam.
I was wondering how can someone contact you for asking permission on something that happens to be so great that you’ve created an entire world for it. I can’t seem to find anything around that would let me contact you at all. I would like to ask your permission to create something that you’ve made. (in a webisode type way that is.)
I was wondering how can someone contact you for asking permission on something that happens to be so great that you’ve created an entire world for it. I can’t seem to find anything around that would let me contact you at all. I would like to ask your permission to create something that you’ve made. (in a webisode type way that is.)
Just a thought, Have you tried clicking the little link in the gray column that says “E-mail PAD”? Just wondering. And I’m totalling just assuming that it wouldn’t be there if PAD didn’t want it there.
Heck, I still think there was some sparkage going on between CJ and Sam.
Did I miss something? Did Rob Lowe return for an episode?
Travis
Jack being a brother or half-brother to Tru wouldn’t come as a big surprise, especially because it would perfectly explain his powers and his connection to Tru’s dad.
More intriguing on the other hand is what this would mean for Harrison… since he’s very likely to follow into his fathers and/or (half-)brothers footsteps one day and become a “Called One” himself. This would give us an even more interesting situation.
Hope it will take some time, though, since I very much like Priestley as a villain.
ALL pretty good shows this week, I’d say. BUT…slightly off-topic, has anyone checked out HBO’s “Deadwood”? EXCELLENT show, well worth watching!
Here are some Nielson prime-time ratings information as published in the May 3, 2004 issue of Television Week. These ratings are published for the six over-the-air networks, and do not include cable/satellite stations.
The ratings are for the week of April 19-25….the week before the Tru Calling finale.
These are listed in Rating/share. The rating is the percent of all sets viewing the program…the share is the percent of sets in use that are viewing the program.
Programs are listed with ratings for each half hour.
Tru Calling (Fox) on Thursday 2.6/4 and 2.9/5
In its time period, 4 other shows had better ratings and one was worse. More importantly, that week Tru was the Fox networks lowest rated program.
Smallville on the WB on Wednesday:
2.7/5 and 2.9/5
The only program that Smallville beat was Enterprise on UPN which had 2.0/3 and 2.0/3. But, even with a 2.0 Enterprise is UPN’s highest rated -scripted- series.
Angel:
2.5/4 and 2.5/4
Angel was second to last, beating I’m Still Alive.
West Wing on NBC was 7.0/11 and 7.3/11
Charmed, the WB on Sunday:
1.9/3 and 2.1/3
Charmed was lowest ranked in its time period.
Meanwhile, in syndication, Tribune had announced renewals for fall for both MutantX and Andromeda. That renewal is in jeopardy as their production company in Canada has gone bankrupt.
Andromeda is scheduled to begin its 5th season next fall, with original episodes aired first on Sci-Fi net, then repeated over-the-air at least ten days later.
How crap like Andromeda and Mutant X survives, while fantastic series like Wonderfalls or John Doe are cancelled will forever be beyond me.
Well, Steve, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. “Andromeda” and “Mutant X” have both been cancelled.
Didn’t Tru also have an older sister? What happened to her???
Okay, here we go. Tru Calling is great. I really like the show, I’ve always liked the show even when people said it was crap I liked it. But after seeing the finale I must say I finally understand the many levels of the show.
Let’s start with Tru vs. Jack first. This has so many levels. First off the obvious good vs. evil and who exactly is the evil one is a great question to ask and always works if it’s done correctly (which it does in this instance). Tru’s actions can be considered good for the most part concerning the “body” she has to save but what about her actions involving her own life? She uses her abilities to make her life better by heading disasterous events in her friends and family’s lives off at the pass, this could be considered selfish and therefore not entirely honorable. Not befiting of a “hero”.
Jack on the other hand does not use his powers to help people in his life, but that could also be because he has no people that we can see to help. No reason to make anyone but his own life better. Never the less, he doesn’t make any selfish decisions that we’ve seen to make his life better. If he wasn’t making sure people stayed dead he could be considered a “good person” for being that selfless.
Now if we look deeper into the Tru vs. Jack concept we see that the show is also about connecting to people. Tru for all intents and purposes has to get into the lives of those she saves in order to keep them alive. She has to become at the very least the person’s friend to help them resolve whatever it is that causes their deaths.
However Jack doesn’t do that. Jack as far as we’ve seen has only gotten into Tru’s life in order to affect Tru’s work in saving people’s lives. He has not made a connection to any of the “victims” or gotten to know them at all. Perhaps to stop himself from seeing the person behind the “body” and therefore forcing him to help that person because of his ability.
Now, if we look deeper into Jack’s actions we see that in the beginning Jack has attempted to make Harrison’s life worse by affecting Harrison’s relationship with Lindsay, and Tru’s by subverting Luc’s ability to move in next door to Tru. Perhaps this was an attempt to make Tru’s life so hectic that she couldn’t save the people she has chosen to help? Just a though
And lastly, as far as we know all the “evil leapers” (Jack and Tru’s father) are guys, and all the “good leapers” we know of were women (Tru and Tru’s mother). This to me sorta suggests a battle of the sexes of sorts. Men vs. Women and all that.
Now if what I’ve just wrtten hasn’t convinced you what my position on Tru Calling’s renewal perhaps this will. Early on in the show (before Jack) I had an idea for an episode which I wasn’t sure I was gonna expand on, but if the show gets picked up, I’ll definitely be expanding that idea and possibly look for a way to get the attention of the writers about it (though I’m a writer myself so I may wanna write it myself).
But that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong and often am according to some people. 🙂
• 
Best of all is (for all you Trancers fans out there) Jack Death
Tru Calling – I think when Jack created the events that led to her boyfriends death, it showed which side he was on. If I wanted to give Jack a more “shades of grey” type character I would have just had him witness someone else being shot by the crazed ex husband rather than creating the circumstances where he could hurt Drew.
I have heard that Fox has not renewed the show and that it is now dead. Which doesnt surprise me since Fox does not give any show I like a fair chance. I have seriously considered giving up on Fox since I dont want to get hooked on a show and then have it pulled, ie: Firefly, Undeclared, Andy Richtor, Tru Calling, Wonderfalls…
No decision has been made regarding the renewal/cancellation of Tru Calling. but there are encouraging signs!
Eliza Dushku’s dad has said it will be back, and Eliza herself hinted in a recent interview that it will be back. One site had said it wouldn’t be back, and has now changed that to “We don’t know yet.
Variety.Com said that Tru Calling deserves a second season, and in a recent poll Tru Calling came in second as the show most fans want to be saved.
If you would like more info, and/or if you would like to sign a petition to save “Tru Calling”, simply go to TruCalling.com (which also has a link to the SaveAngel.org website.
WEST WING: A few comments about recent episodes. I wasn’t crazy about the whole “documentary” style episode. First of all, the inclusion of the fact that it was “airing” after the Bartlet presidency bothered me, logistically. It’s a minor thing, but that whole “continuity jump” was off-putting for me. That, plus the reference to an event in Casey Creek Kentucky which happened early in the Bartlet presidency, but we’re just hearing about it now, and the effect of it on the staffers, given that in the interim we’ve had an attempted assassination of the President’s aide, and another “militia/commune” incident in the first season.
The “Lockdown” episode was very good, though. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yeah, it was a device, but it’s the kind of writing device that I love, where two characters who don’t often interact are stuck with one another, and characterization ensues. Seeing Donna interact with C.J. (when normally, she only interacts with people like Josh or Charlie), seeing Toby’s frustration with Will, seeing the tension between Abby and Leo, seeing Lily Tomlin’s Debbie Fitterer FINALLY given something meaningful to contribute, a la Mrs. Landingham, it was a nice episode. But, I worry about the season ender. I can’t help but wonder, given that Donna has started to have an epiphany about her relationship with Josh, and given that Donna’s about to fly off to the Middle East, I fear a hackneyed “Donna’s in danger” season finale. We’ll see. The show still has very nice moments, but the driving events are still a little unsatisfying.
ALIAS: I’ve loved ALIAS the past few weeks. The episode a few weeks ago, where Arvin Sloane was being lethally injected, and the bouncing back and forth between Arvin’s “death” and Sydney’s attempts to get the hourglass…that’s classic first season ALIAS. I like that Rimbaldi has once again taken center stage, but I do feel that it has the potential to completely swallow the show. What I will say is that I do like how the plots are being staged, with frequent call-backs, i.e. Arvin being resuscitated by Jack after his “death” because Arvin ingested a chemical compound in the wine, compared to Arvin’s faking of his wife’s death in the same manner; Vaughn becoming like unto Jack, with a traitorous wife driving him to cold mercilessness, etc.
I don’t know where they’re going with the show, and that’s always a great thing. But I feel like the show needs a “firm” status quo again, like it had in the first season and a half. I really miss the supporting characters the show once had, a la Will and Francie. I miss seeing Sydney in her normal everyday mundane life, as contrasted with her life as a spy. More than anything, I desperately miss Lena Olin. Yeah, Isabella Rossellini is a great substitute as Katya Derevko, but I desperately want to see Irina again, especially in light of the recent discovery of the “Passenger” and her affair with Sloane.
Christopher,
Do NOT give up hope, because Tru Calling has NOT been axed…yet. It was not on the list of EARLY renewals, so its fate is still up in the air. A final decision should be made by May 20.
The previous FBI-militiamen standoff is not one we’re “only hearing about now”; it was an episode in the first season.
Arvin Sloane is a genuinely complex villain. You got the idea that injecting his daughter with that green goo really did hurt him…that he was sickened by what he was doing…but that he was unable to connect that to just walking away from the whole Rambaldi thing.
The previous FBI-militiamen standoff is not one we’re “only hearing about now”; it was an episode in the first season.
Unfortunately not. That one took place in McClane, Idaho; this one was Kentucky. If the writers had any sense (or, to leave them an out, maybe they couldn’t use that one because they’d have to pay Sorkin a royalty) they’d have made it the same one.
For the record, my take: “The Supremes” was the best episode of “The West Wing” this season. I still crack up when I see Debbie shpritz Josh, the guest stars were brilliant, everyone was used correctly, no one was badly written.
The documentary was “enh,” I thought, but not awful; the lock down was fun (among other reasons, because it vaulted Lily Tomlin into Mrs. Landingham territory).
But yeah, it’s getting better. And brighter.
Yeah, “The Supremes” episode of the West Wing was also very good, and I’ll agree, one of the better episodes of the season, if not the best. It was genuinely well done.
My favorite episode of the season is probably the episode, “Shutdown,” where the President staged an incredible political strategy in walking to the Capitol from the White House to personally broker a deal to get the government up and running again, and as the Republican leaders of Congress duked it out behind closed doors, Bartlet gathers the press, stands up, and leaves. It was the first episode this season to really let Josh be Josh and let Bartlet be Bartlet.
The show still doesn’t “feel” right. It’s not bad, but it just seems to be ordinary. It’s a complaint I’ve expressed often this season…they’re fine stories, but under Sorkin, these stories would crackle. Instead, they’re often mediocre with occasional flashes of brilliance. But it is getting better.
Oh, and as to ALIAS: I don’t think the revelation of Sydney’s sister is meant to be a “cut and paste” of another character in a role meant to be served by Lena Olin’s Irina, at least as regards Nadia. The reason I say this is because, if you’ll recall back to those weird psychotherapy sessions Syd endured earlier this season to recover the two years of memories she’d lost, one of the “hallucinations” featured prominently the words “St. Aidan.” Nadia spelled backwards is Aidan. Santos (Nadia’s last name) refers to “Saint.” Thus, it seems to me that at least as far back as then, Syd was planned to have a sister, who was to be part of her destiny.
But, I do almost see the seams when it comes to Issabella Rossellini’s character, Katya Derevko. It seems to me the original plotting probably had Katya’s role filled by Irina, but when Lena Olin couldn’t be enticed back, they found a substitute, did some revisions, and boom…Irina’s sister, Sydney’s sister, boom. 🙂
The whole “this is disturbing how things were supposed to be by saving lives” thing is something that’s come up in SF lord knows how many times. It’s a good thing to think about if one is, say, using a time machine. But I’m not sure if it applies in this situation. If people are supposed to stay dead and not upset the natural order, then why does Tru’s “power” exist? All Death needs to do to win is to keep things status quo, without this rewind thing going on. The fact that someone is allowed to try to change things makes it seem to me that this is something encouraged by TPTB. Either that, or it’s a warring powers thing where one PTB set up one character and the opposite PTB set up the other to combat them, and neither PTB can stop the other from the creation of these characters.
Plot point: if Tru missed saving someone’s life on the first rewind of a day pre-Jack, she’d end up with the day rewound again and again until she succeeded. (Lending credence to my this-is-supposed-to-happen theory.) So why did Luc not get a rewind day this time- was Jack’s new existence enough to prevent the ability of rewinding more than once? And where the hëll has Jack been all this time? Shouldn’t the possibility of him doing something behind the scenes, even if we don’t see him doing it, have been around from the beginning? If he stops rewinds from happening more than once, how does this work, anyway?
Another possibility: Tru and Jack were both offered the same opportunity to save lives, and they just chose differently. Tru assumed that was what she was supposed to do. Did anyone come along to tell Jack NOT to save lives, or did he choose not to of his own free will?
If Tru/Mrs. Davies dies or stops saving lives, does that mean that the “Evil Leaper” stops rewinding days as well and loses their “power”? Is that why Daddy Davies had Mom Davies killed, so that he wouldn’t have to deal any more? How the hëll did they get married in the first place?
I have issues with this show’s writing at times, but thinking about the finale is intriguing.
An interesting thing pointed out to me by a friend is that, when comparing Tru and Jack to Babylon 5 races, Tru is acting more like the Shadows (the chaos of changing the past) whereas Jack is more like the Vorlons (the order of what is meant to be continuing to be).
As for Jack’s name, another interesting “what if” came up in our discussions: What if Jack the Ripper were another of these rewinders, who didn’t kill the prostitutes in London, but just made sure that the murders were committed as they were “supposed to”? The Inquisitor for the Vorlons was Jack the Ripper, as a side note.
davidh
I loved the ending of the Donna/CJ lockdown, where CJ explains the obvious fact that Donna has only stayed with Josh because of her personal involvement with him. And this was done without making Josh the bad guy, like most other dramas would do.
It’s the realization that Donna has accepted what has happened. Josh hasn’t changed and there’s no reason to be mad at him, but as Donna hushed CJ she realized that she needs to change.
I hope this leads to new things for Donna (as she is one of the best characters on the show), and hopefully she won’t get exiled to the VP’s office (ala Will Bailey).
The finale of Tru Calling knocked me for a serious loop. I will say that I’m still looking at the situation in a black-and-white perspective for a couple reasons.
First reason: Jack could have killed ANYONE other than Harrison, but he didn’t. He set things up specifially so that Luc, someone Tru loved, would die. Regardless of his statement that “he takes no pleasure in it,” he strikes me as Geoff John’s latest incarnation of Reverse Flash–I’m going to keep hurting you until you stop, and I’m doing this for your own good.
Second reason: We know that Tru’s father has Jack’s ability, and her mother passed her ability down to Tru. We also know that Tru’s father paid someone to kill Tru’s mother. Could it be that his, and perhaps Jack’s, modus operandi, is to kill all of Tru’s friends and family, and then Tru herself?
If it’s true, it strikes me as being good in the same way the Reign of Terror and the Inquisition were good– they’re out to save you, even if they have to kill you doing it.
Chris
Re: Alias’ series of SpyMoms. Don’t recall if we’ve ever heard anything about Vaughn’s mother. Would be a hoot to see Marshall’s parents, as well as either set of Sydney’s SpyGrandparents.
Try as I might, I just don’t like Tru Calling… and mainly for all the reasons Peter states he likes it. I agree that the new cast additions/story revelations have spiked my interest– but I fear that they will be treated in the same heavy handed manner as all previous major story/character points.
Now before anyone hands me my lunch, this doesn’t mean I wish “Tru Calling” any ill will. I hope Fox renews it. (After all, my girlfriend likes the show!)
In fact, I would be surprised if an actor of Jason Priestley’s TV stature would have even agreed to come on “Tru Calling” just for a 6 to 7 episode ride. Since he’s had his pick of pilots and series since his return to acting (after almost killing himself in Formula 1 racing) I don’t think he would have signed on for anything less than a minimum 6 ep + 1 additional season contract.
(Spoilers follow):
When I watch this show, I have far too many “dead man walking” moments like Peter described… I am at least always a commercial break ahead of the action.
For example: I figured out the ENTIRE PLOT of the show that fully introduced Tru’s Dad in the first 6 minutes… So much so, that my girlfriend (who had already seen the ep and was trying to get me interested in the show again) told me I needed to shut up. (And she’s nice… She hardly ever says things like that to me– no matter how much I deserve it!)
Now, like Peter, I didn’t know how far Tru’s Dad was involved with Jack– but it didn’t surprise me either.
The Jason Preistley addition (an underrated actor if there ever was one) was a much needed “shot in the arm” to the series but also seemed extremely calculated. It was if the Fox programmers told the producers to get off their butts and do something major or risk losing the show.
I don’t read spoiler sites but I will predict something right here and now. If this show is renewed, I can almost guarantee that Jack is:
TRU’S BROTHER or HALF-BROTHER!
What can I say? I’m having another one of those “dead man walking” moments.
P.S. For what it is worth: I want to major league retract my disdain for the actor playing Tru’s brother. Having watched the last 6 episodes of the year… I finally see the talent everyone else was seeing. Now that he’s comforatable playing Harrison– and the producers/writers have actually given him something to do– he’s quite enjoyable to watch.
First reason: Jack could have killed ANYONE other than Harrison, but he didn’t. He set things up specifially so that Luc, someone Tru loved, would die. Regardless of his statement that “he takes no pleasure in it,” he strikes me as Geoff John’s latest incarnation of Reverse Flash–I’m going to keep hurting you until you stop, and I’m doing this for your own good.
I must be the only person who thinks like I do then. But I still think Jack’s just “balancing the books”. That’s the only part of the “evil leaper” analogy that I have a problem with. Even the Evil Leaper wasn’t completely evil, although her “Al” was.
ALIAS:
Just so you know Peter– the introduction of Syd’s sister may very well have been a replacement for the missing Lena Olin… but it has NOTHING to do with the producers attempting to hedge their bets in case Jennifer Garner bolted the series.
Over a year ago, Jennifer signed a NEW contract that gave her a SUBSTANTIAL pay increase per episode– in return for her agreeing to stay with the series through the Sixth and Seventh seasons.
May the gods help us all if that means the Rimbaldi plotline will be dragged out that long!
Just a question .on Alias wouldnt it be easier to inject the green goo in Sydneys’sister thru an IV instead of the constant injection in the arm???Maybe i missed something ..just saying:)
Actually, JJ Abrams said that the plan all along was to have Katja AND Irina Derevko during the season. Why Katja is neccessary just became apparent at the end of the last episode – Jack is getting back at Irina for cheating on him with Sloan. 🙂
Has West Wing been renewed for another season? With its intermittent schedule and flagging ratings, I wonder how likely NBC is to renew it.
dean:
You did miss something. When Sloane was doing the limited injections, he used the hypodermic. When Lauren and Sark were insisting on speeding up the process, they used an IV drip.
Okay, no offense, but some of you guys are just reading impaired or, at the very least, have pronoun trouble.
I was talking about Lena Olin and the introduction of “her sister.” Obviously I was referring to Isabella Rosallini, who I felt (and still feel) was a cut-and-paste job of a character, dropped in to replace Olin who didn’t return. I didn’t say *Syd’s” sister was cut and paste, and see that instead as a logical plot development. So stop saying I said what I didn’t say.
PAD
“So stop saying I said what I didn’t say.”
Say what?
I’m so very, very sorry.
“Okay, no offense, but some of you guys are just reading impaired or, at the very least, have pronoun trouble.”
Upon rereading your review– I actually see that I did innocently jumble up the sentences/points you are referring to.
Syd’s sister is obviously NOT a replacement for Lena Olin… But she has not also been introduced to replace a possibly future bolting Jennifer Garner either.
Isabella Rossellini IS obviously Lena Olin’s replacement and I agree that her character does seem like a cut and paste job. Because of supposed high salary demands, most say Olin will never be invited to return to “Alias”.
Of course, that sentiment could change in an instant with the new ABC regime coming to power.
Even though I have never been accused of being thin-skinned, I’m still gonna have to take offense at your “reading impaired” remark.
It seems rather harsh– especially since my post was attempting to pass on knowledge and was in no way attempting to misquote or be critical of your “Alias” review.
PAD: Sorry about my misinterpretation of your post. That’s what I get for reading too fast.
So…we agree, then. 🙂
So many sisters being bandied about…it’s hard to keep track of who’s talking about who with the what now?
…and remember, Irina has yet ANOTHER sister we haven’t met! Funny, at the beginning of Alias Sydney had no mother, barely had a father, and was just about to lose a fiance…now look at that family tree!
TRU CALLING:
The episode I wanted to see (and still hope to see if there is a second season) is one where a close friend of Tru’s is critically injured (perhaps crippled or comatose), and the day turns out to be a repeat day, forcing her to choose between what she wants and what she believes is right.
This would really hit home for Tru that she isn’t just making life better for everyone but is essentially a god that decides the course of ‘fate.’
WEST WING:
I’m glad and not glad I’m the only one who sees the delegation (Fitz, Congresswoman Wyatt, and Donna) going into the Middle East and only 1 of them coming out.
“1 of your women is dead we are holding the other one hostage” fade to end of season. Reveal next year that Toby is a single father and that Josh will reveal his true feelings for Donna when she makes it back.
At least that’s what I’m seeing a mile away.
Guess they need to title every show somethingdown since the Shutdown and the Lockdown topics both worked.
Would have liked the conversation between CJ and Donna to have gone farther actually.. CJ is just treading water with Ranger Rick .. why b/c she is in love with A) Danny; B) Toby; C) her job
I would have been happy with CJ saying “For what it’s worth, I think he’s in love with you too you know, Donna”
Until later
John
TRU CALLING:
I vote for renewal too.
Since I’m unclear on whether or not “Daddy Dearest” hired the killer because he wanted out of his first marriage or becasue he knew about his wife’s abilities, would he want Tru killed if he found out she inherited her mother’s power?
ALIAS:
While I maybe off about my timing of thinking it would be by the end of this season, I’m still sticking to my opinion that at some point Sydney is going to wake up either next to or trapped inside the Rimbaldi device and discover that the whole ‘2 years later thing’ is a scam.
But whatever happens, I must ask: Just what the heck was this Rimbaldi guy up to anyway?
Granted, he’s a fictious cross between Leonardo DaVinci and Nostrodamus, but just what was this guy’s original game plan back in his own time? Would he have been able to accomplish it back then or did he do some serious ‘long term’ planning? A little more background would be appreciated.
The only people on the ‘side of the angels’ chasing after his stuff (the MacGruffins and deus ex machinas of the series) seem to be Sydney and company.
Not that I ain’t enjoying the series, but an inquiring mind would like to know.
John Wilson writes:
> CJ is just treading water with Ranger Rick ..
> why b/c she is in love with A) Danny; B) Toby;
> C) her job
C. J. in love with Toby?!? Excuse me?
Isn’t this a plot element from the Bizzaro World version of THE WEST WING?
It’s nic eto know that Tru Calling did not go as unnoticed as it seemed to be sometimes. Try as I might, I have failed to get any of my friends watching.
But my wife and I got hooked little by little over the season. We like the premise more now. We like the cast. We loved the addition of Priestly. And we are among those who hope it somehow manages to come back.
But if it does go away, at least it ended on a strong note. We’ve suffered so many lame endings for SF shows with one season only. Anyone else remember the odd ending to John Doe, or Nowehere Man, or the unnecessary cliffhanger at the end of Alien Nation (which was then shoved aside almost immediately when the made for TV films arrived)?
If nothing else, Tru can claim a spot in the Short Lived SF/Fantasy Hall of Fame alongside the above-mentioned shows, Firefly, and The Flash. (OK, it’s not Firefly by a longshot, but it’s still made me set aside the time on Thursdays.)
Heck, I still think there was some sparkage going on between CJ and Sam.
I was wondering how can someone contact you for asking permission on something that happens to be so great that you’ve created an entire world for it. I can’t seem to find anything around that would let me contact you at all. I would like to ask your permission to create something that you’ve made. (in a webisode type way that is.)
I was wondering how can someone contact you for asking permission on something that happens to be so great that you’ve created an entire world for it. I can’t seem to find anything around that would let me contact you at all. I would like to ask your permission to create something that you’ve made. (in a webisode type way that is.)
Just a thought, Have you tried clicking the little link in the gray column that says “E-mail PAD”? Just wondering. And I’m totalling just assuming that it wouldn’t be there if PAD didn’t want it there.
Heck, I still think there was some sparkage going on between CJ and Sam.
Did I miss something? Did Rob Lowe return for an episode?
Travis
Jack being a brother or half-brother to Tru wouldn’t come as a big surprise, especially because it would perfectly explain his powers and his connection to Tru’s dad.
More intriguing on the other hand is what this would mean for Harrison… since he’s very likely to follow into his fathers and/or (half-)brothers footsteps one day and become a “Called One” himself. This would give us an even more interesting situation.
Hope it will take some time, though, since I very much like Priestley as a villain.
ALL pretty good shows this week, I’d say. BUT…slightly off-topic, has anyone checked out HBO’s “Deadwood”? EXCELLENT show, well worth watching!
Here are some Nielson prime-time ratings information as published in the May 3, 2004 issue of Television Week. These ratings are published for the six over-the-air networks, and do not include cable/satellite stations.
The ratings are for the week of April 19-25….the week before the Tru Calling finale.
These are listed in Rating/share. The rating is the percent of all sets viewing the program…the share is the percent of sets in use that are viewing the program.
Programs are listed with ratings for each half hour.
Tru Calling (Fox) on Thursday 2.6/4 and 2.9/5
In its time period, 4 other shows had better ratings and one was worse. More importantly, that week Tru was the Fox networks lowest rated program.
Smallville on the WB on Wednesday:
2.7/5 and 2.9/5
The only program that Smallville beat was Enterprise on UPN which had 2.0/3 and 2.0/3. But, even with a 2.0 Enterprise is UPN’s highest rated -scripted- series.
Angel:
2.5/4 and 2.5/4
Angel was second to last, beating I’m Still Alive.
West Wing on NBC was 7.0/11 and 7.3/11
Charmed, the WB on Sunday:
1.9/3 and 2.1/3
Charmed was lowest ranked in its time period.
Meanwhile, in syndication, Tribune had announced renewals for fall for both MutantX and Andromeda. That renewal is in jeopardy as their production company in Canada has gone bankrupt.
Andromeda is scheduled to begin its 5th season next fall, with original episodes aired first on Sci-Fi net, then repeated over-the-air at least ten days later.
How crap like Andromeda and Mutant X survives, while fantastic series like Wonderfalls or John Doe are cancelled will forever be beyond me.
Well, Steve, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. “Andromeda” and “Mutant X” have both been cancelled.
Didn’t Tru also have an older sister? What happened to her???
Okay, here we go. Tru Calling is great. I really like the show, I’ve always liked the show even when people said it was crap I liked it. But after seeing the finale I must say I finally understand the many levels of the show.
Let’s start with Tru vs. Jack first. This has so many levels. First off the obvious good vs. evil and who exactly is the evil one is a great question to ask and always works if it’s done correctly (which it does in this instance). Tru’s actions can be considered good for the most part concerning the “body” she has to save but what about her actions involving her own life? She uses her abilities to make her life better by heading disasterous events in her friends and family’s lives off at the pass, this could be considered selfish and therefore not entirely honorable. Not befiting of a “hero”.
Jack on the other hand does not use his powers to help people in his life, but that could also be because he has no people that we can see to help. No reason to make anyone but his own life better. Never the less, he doesn’t make any selfish decisions that we’ve seen to make his life better. If he wasn’t making sure people stayed dead he could be considered a “good person” for being that selfless.
Now if we look deeper into the Tru vs. Jack concept we see that the show is also about connecting to people. Tru for all intents and purposes has to get into the lives of those she saves in order to keep them alive. She has to become at the very least the person’s friend to help them resolve whatever it is that causes their deaths.
However Jack doesn’t do that. Jack as far as we’ve seen has only gotten into Tru’s life in order to affect Tru’s work in saving people’s lives. He has not made a connection to any of the “victims” or gotten to know them at all. Perhaps to stop himself from seeing the person behind the “body” and therefore forcing him to help that person because of his ability.
Now, if we look deeper into Jack’s actions we see that in the beginning Jack has attempted to make Harrison’s life worse by affecting Harrison’s relationship with Lindsay, and Tru’s by subverting Luc’s ability to move in next door to Tru. Perhaps this was an attempt to make Tru’s life so hectic that she couldn’t save the people she has chosen to help? Just a though
And lastly, as far as we know all the “evil leapers” (Jack and Tru’s father) are guys, and all the “good leapers” we know of were women (Tru and Tru’s mother). This to me sorta suggests a battle of the sexes of sorts. Men vs. Women and all that.
Now if what I’ve just wrtten hasn’t convinced you what my position on Tru Calling’s renewal perhaps this will. Early on in the show (before Jack) I had an idea for an episode which I wasn’t sure I was gonna expand on, but if the show gets picked up, I’ll definitely be expanding that idea and possibly look for a way to get the attention of the writers about it (though I’m a writer myself so I may wanna write it myself).
But that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong and often am according to some people. 🙂