GRIMM Finally Takes An "Iron" Out of the Fire

Article originally written for Seat42F.

As this season of GRIMM draws towards a close, the episodes are getting better, even as they fall far short of what the series once was. This week’s “Iron Hans” finds the detectives investigating a camp for teen Wesen and their fathers when bodies turn up nearby. At the same time, Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) continues to be self-destructive, and Adalind’s (Claire Coffee) secret gets out.

I don’t know how Kenneth (Nico Evers-Swindell) knows that Adalind’s unborn child was fathered by Nick (David Giuntoli), not Viktor as she claims, but I’m glad he does. It’s a plot hole that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it finally moves along an arc that has been dragging quite severely. Adalind remains a member of the main cast, but her story is told in very small pieces. This revelation should help kick it into gear and make her relevant again in a way she hasn’t been for awhile.

It’s interesting that the first thing Adalind does once this comes out is go tell Nick that the baby is his. Why does she do so and why does Kenneth allow it? What is their plan? For a better series, I would be engaged with trying to figure out motivation and twists. With GRIMM, I just worry these actions won’t be explained well enough. Still, the fact that she tells Nick keeps the pace moving and opens the door to all kinds of drama for our core cast.

I don’t think GRIMM would ever put Nick and Adalind together. There’s just too much hate there. But what would co-parenting look like? It certainly couldn’t be anything resembling normal, as the child of a Grimm and a Hexenbieste will have to be in constant danger. I don’t know what the baby will be like, but it’s unique enough in this strange world that people will want it. If some sort of co-parenting arrangement is worked out, this not only keeps Adalind around more, a good thing, but also provides story outside of the case-of-the-week junk the program has been stuck in.

I’m not worried that GRIMM will become all about the babies. Even though there are now two that matter to the story, this just doesn’t seem like the type of series that would pivot to put children at the center of it. They are plot devices, not characters. But something more should be done with them. Otherwise, the story is wasting a lot of time.

As this happens, Juliette also gets back out into the world, courtesy of Kenneth. She isn’t acting like herself at all any more, though, being unnecessarily rude to Rosalee (Bree Turner) and burning town Nick’s trailer. At this point, it’s clear that the Juliette viewers are familiar with is long gone. Can she be restored, or has her transformation made her a total villain, which could be an intriguing way for GRIMM to go, especially if it redeems Adalind even a little so she can stay near Nick?

I’ve been complaining a lot about GRIMM dissing the serial in favor of stand-alone crimes, and I think that’s with good reason. The show is far more interesting when it concentrates on what makes it different from other programs, not falling into the same repetitive structure others do. At times in the past, it has done the former, but lately, the latter rules. Anything that provides a sign it might swing back the other way is more than welcome.

That being said, the case in “Iron Hans” is quite interesting. Nick, Hank (Russell Hornsby), and Wu (Reggie Lee) recruit Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) to look into a camp for Wesen teens just coming of age. Monroe went to a similar camp as a child, and so has insight.

The villain ends up not being the head of the camp, Elder Bowden (Jeff Fahey, Lost, Machete), but his daughter, Maggie (Hillary Tuck, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show), who feels left out of the boys-only club.

There are lots of juicy options to further explore this part of the Wesen mythology, giving us insight into how the secret society functions in the regular world, as well as gender roles, but sadly “Iron Hans” doesn’t explore these. GRIMM keeps touching on really good stuff that should be delved deeper into, not mentioned and tossed aside.

GRIMM is kind of a chaotic mess right now. Parts of “Iron Hans” make it enjoyable enough to forget that from time to time, and that’s better than the boring stuff it was delivering mid-year. Still, I wonder if someone can’t come in and fix a show that used to be good. Is there still a chance for it to recover?

GRIMM airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

REWIND Rewound

Article first published as REWIND Rewound on TheTVKing.

SyFy recently aired Rewind, a two-hour pilot of a series that is not being produced. In the special, an unlikely terrorist (David Cronenberg, The Fly) destroys New York City, killing nine million people. Luckily, the government has a top-secret time travel project, and sends a trio of would-be heroes back in time to try to surgically stop the attack while not altering the rest of the time line.

On one hand, it's cool that SyFy is giving viewers a chance to see something they haven't gone forward with. There's always the chance it will get a ton of positive attention and the network will decide to pick up the show. Cartoon Network did a similar thing this week, and Amazon posted a bunch of pilots last spring, giving viewers the chance to pick the series ordered. So this could be the start of a new trend where programming is more viewer-controlled.

However, it's also kind of depressing to see two hours of something that there won't ever be any more of. When a pilot like Rewind is aired in this manner, it's mostly a burn off, getting a little bit of value out of something that would otherwise provide none. But it's also a tease, showing us a taste of something we can't ever have the next chapter of. There is little chance Rewind will be picked up, and without lots of attention and advertising being devoted to getting eyes to the broadcast, it's doomed to be a one-off.

The concept of the time travel machine presented in Rewind is a neat one, especially because those operating it have no control over the time or place they travel to. It's definitely an early-stage device that needs further study and fine-tuning. This makes sense, and is a departure from the typical machine shown in the genre, which usually works quite well.

However, in the case of Rewind, I think SyFy made the correct choice of not going further.

The characters are likeable enough, but mostly stock. Our hero, Henry Knox (Shane McRae, Four Kings), is strong, but intelligent; emotionally tough, yet caring. He immediately clashes with Doctor Lyndsay Bryce (Jennifer Ferrin, Hell On Wheels), who doesn't think the army should be involved in her scientific project, but he sort of wins her over by the end of the pilot. There's also a corrupt military officer who wants to use the machine for his own purposes. None of these are fresh or original.

As the pilot plays out, it appears that the main characters will be trapped in the 1920s, which is where I thought the show was going. Instead, a too-convenient solution pops up after all hope is, and should be, lost, and everyone gets home safe and sound. This not only feels like a cheat, but also dooms the concept into a case-of-the-week procedural, rather than an intriguing, complex serial tale. Perhaps the procedural is more sell-able for a network, but it makes for a far inferior show. There are none of the consequences for rushing into a project that isn't ready.

There's also a computer that can pretty much predict all of the effects of a given action in the past, as well as access old paper records for anything, which is not at all realistic. Granted, other shows have given computers more abilities than they typically have (looking at your 24), but Rewind's system may just be more over-the-top and omniscient than any I've seen on screen before, especially for a series set in the present day. It takes one out of the moment when it is invoked.

So basically, there are some really good ideas present, and some nice supporting cast members, including Jeff Fahey (Lost), but the thing falls apart late in the hour, and is not the recipe for an original show that can inspire and energize a fan strong fan base. Too bad.

CBS Going UNDER THE DOME

Article first published as UNDER THE DOME Review on Seat42F.

Grade: 86%

CBS, perhaps in an attempt to combat the lame, reality and re-run heavy summer fare on the basic networks, has a new offering premiering this week. Titled UNDER THE DOME, this thirteen episode series, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, follows the residents of Chester’s Mill Maine when a transparent, sound-proof, impenetrable dome suddenly crashes down over their town.

UNDER THE DOME feels a lot like other summer programs in the past that haven’t lasted, such as the one where a handful of people were trapped in a town and were watched on cameras, or other Stephen King TV dramatizations, or even a little bit like cult-favorite Jericho. It has the sort-of post-apocalyptic, yet still small-scale and personal, feeling of a drama about people on the edge.

The cast, whom we are mostly introduced to in the first eight minutes, before the dome appears, are a broad spectrum of individuals, almost as if there was a checklist that had to be satisfied when putting together the ensemble. None of them are particularly original characters, even though there are some very good actors playing them, as they are without exception archetypes that have been seen on a variety of other shows.

Among those featured are: Barbie (Mike Vogel, Bates Motel, Pan Am), an ex-Army officer who comes to town and kills someone, then is trapped before he can escape; Big Jim (Dean Norris, Breaking Bad), the crooked councilman who wants to use the disaster to manipulate the town into his own personal kingdom; Angie (Britt Robertson, Life Unexpected), a waitress who dates a too-clingy boy; Junior (Alexander Koch), Big Jim’s mentally unbalanced son who has designs on Angie; Julia (Rachelle Lefevre, What About Brian), a journalist with a missing husband; Dodee (Jolene Purdy, Gigantic), a mouthy radio engineer; Duke (Jeff Fahey, Lost), the ineffective patsy cop; and Linda (Natalia Martinez, Detroit 1-8-7), a deputy whose fireman boyfriend is outside the dome.

Believe it or not, that is not a complete roster of the characters featured in the “Pilot.” UNDER THE DOME presents a sprawling cast with few connections between one another thus far, but surely more will be revealed as things unfold, as we’ve been taught it common for small towns. Unlike a series like Lost, these people aren’t banding together, but instead following their own motivations and activities.

As such, there isn’t a clear, cohesive story in episode one. Everyone has their own implications of the occurrence to deal with, and as no one even really knows what’s going on yet, there has been no concentrated effort to solve the mystery or find a way out of the disaster. A couple people have sort of started down that road, but have barely begun to investigate.

Which isn’t to say there aren’t some intriguing set-ups. A couple of theories are put forth, at least one character reveals to viewers that he actually does know what is happening, one on the roster above is dead by the end of the first hour, there are some clues that indicate a larger conspiracy, strange seizures appear other-worldly, and various family connections pop when one is not expecting.

There are also a few missteps in UNDER THE DOME. I feel like the dome actually coming down is unnecessarily brutal. A cow is split in half and slides down the wall, leaving a bloody streak. A plane smashes into the dome, and among the debris raining down is a severed limb. A truck rams the barrier and becomes almost as flat as a pancake. None of these are executed in impressive fashion, given the low special effects budget and broadcast network restrictions, so they aren’t particularly amazing. Instead, they come off as cheap gags designed to entice the viewer, but failing to do so because of their cheesy execution. It would be better if we got more dialogue scenes and less of these “shockers.”

If the focus stays on the characters, rather than gross gimmicks, UNDER THE DOME should provide satisfying summer entertainment, probably the best of the Big Four networks’ programming. There is some real talent present that can be better utilized than we’ve seen so far. But it’s not regular season-quality, and it does feel like an amateur effort compared to other projects. King may be able to write fantastic novels, but they seldom translate into groundbreaking shows or movies, and this one is not on the level of The Shining or the few other notable exceptions to that rule.

UNDER THE DOME premieres Monday, June 24th at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

"Chuck Versus the Bearded Bandit" ponders what it means to be a hero

     In this week's Chuck episode, "Chuck Versus the Bearded Bandit," Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) suggests that Chuck (Zachary Levi) be Morgan's (Joshua Gomez) handler. This is easier said than done, as Morgan begins to feel unfairly sidelined. Morgan's behavior becomes more erratic when the team's latest client, Karl Sneijder (Jeff Fahey, Lost), is revealed to be a bad guy, intent on killing his brother, Wesley (Justin Hartley, Smallville), whom he asks the team to "rescue." With Chuck unable to control Morgan, Sarah calls a competitor, Gertrude Verbanski (Carrie-Anne Moss, The Matrix), to help.

     What makes a hero? This is a question that Chuck ponders quite a bit over the years. Chuck begins the series as a geeky tech nerd, and slowly grows into a super spy. He remains a hero even after losing the Intersect computer from his head. Morgan, on the other hand, is clearly not a hero, even though he tries to act as one, just because he now has the Intersect's physical skills. Since they can both do the same things, why is one a hero, and one is not? What sets Chuck above not only Morgan, but virtually everyone else in his world?

     The difference in temperament between the two guys is the most likely avenue to explore to understand the distinction. Chuck is a genuinely good guy, more concerned with others than himself, and cool headed enough to take advice from his friends. Morgan is much more impulsive. He isn't bad, but he is normal, in his compassion for others. He doesn't have the same selfless qualities, nor the wisdom to use his powers in the way that he needs to best benefit everyone. In short, Morgan is a perfectly decent man, but he doesn't have the extra "it" factor that elevates Chuck. It's too bad that Morgan can't see that, while Chuck's personality does resemble those of comic book superheros, his own does not.

     Of course, it is obvious that Morgan is suffering from more than just his own flaws. Throughout "Chuck Versus the Bearded Bandit," Morgan, a self-proclaimed geek, misses references to Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and shows a lack of appreciation for Die Hard. This is very unusual for Morgan, as all of these movies are right up his alley, and he has been known to worship them in the past. Plus, he isn't as willing to listen to Chuck as usual.  Are these signs of a larger change, or is he just suffering memory loss? Is there some damage to the Intersect? Might the design of the program be tailored to certain people, or just specifically Chuck? Any of that could potentially be very bad.

     Bottom line, no matter what is causing Morgan to act like this, whether it's his own fault or not, or more likely, somewhere in the middle, this means danger and risk for the team. When word gets out that Morgan has the Intersect, and it certainly will when he behaves so recklessly, all manner of bad guys will come after him. Even when Chuck is careful, he faces villains, and Morgan is not being nearly so cautious. To get to Morgan, they will come through his loved ones, endangering everyone around him. So the implications of his actions and what he is experiencing are great and not good.

     At the end of "Chuck Versus the Bearded Bandit," Morgan approaches Verbanski about a job opening with her security company. Can she handle him better than his friends? There will certainly be less emotion involved, allowing for more objective decision making. Also, Verbanski can afford to have a substantial team around Morgan, forcing him to behave, and reigning him in physically when necessary. Carmichael Industries just does not have those kinds of resources. Most likely, Verbanski will send Morgan out on easy assignments, making him believe he is valuable, while all the time milking his Intersect for precious information.

     The ultimate determining factor on how Morgan is treated, now that his secret is out to at least one woman besides the central characters, is what type of person Verbanski is. She is a love interest for Casey (Adam Baldwin), who previously had a sexual relationship with her. Their attraction could be an opposites thing, where Casey is turned on by having sex with evil, something he shouldn't do. Or she could be a genuinely good person, and Casey just doesn't want commitment or to be tied down.His attempts to gather courage to ask her out imply the latter, and that he is a chicken in these matters, meaning that Morgan might be perfectly safe in her hands. Safe, but probably still used.

     On a bigger scale, will Verbanski mean the end of Carmichael Industries, a larger competitor shutting out the small fry? Or could Verbanski absorb Chuck's motley crew, offering them real employment. If she isn't bad, what would be the harm in considering working for her, rather than trying to run their own crew? True, she would have power and decision making over Chuck, Sarah, and Casey. But again, if she isn't up to no good, why would that matter? She also has resources, which they need.

     The plan to use the Buy More to finance Carmichael Industries is not going well, at least as of "Chuck Versus the Bearded Bandit." Business is down. Chuck asks Big Mike (Mark Christopher Lawrence) for help, since he ran the store for so long. Big Mike, in turn, goes to Captain Awesome (Ryan McPartlin). Awesome makes a great spokesperson, attracting all sorts of clientele as the new face of the store. But will this save be temporary, or will the increased business sustain for a decent period of time?


Don't miss the final season of Chuck, Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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Article first published as TV Review: Chuck - "Chuck Versus the Bearded Bandit" on Blogcritics.

Lost wows, saddens, as things wrap up

    Last night's episode of ABC's Lost, "The Candidate", like most this season, blew my socks off.  Or it would have, had I been wearing socks.  The story is winding down with just two more installments before the series finale, which airs on a Sunday, mind you, instead of the usual Tuesday, so don't miss it.  Also, it was announced today that the finale will be TWO AND A HALF HOURS long!!!  Gone are the single-character stories, though a large part of the flash sideways this week was Jack (Matthew Fox) attempting to help Locke (Terry O'Quinn).  But on the island, everyone is gearing up for a big showdown, and more than couple of characters left the island for good.

     The biggest, most emotionally moving death scene that Lost has delivered in years concerned that Kwons, Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim, no relation).  Hours after being reunited, the two having been separated in the world and the time line for over three years, Jin refused to leave Sun to die.  And so he stayed in the sinking submarine with her, allowing them to pass from the world together.  It was incredibly sad, a fitting ending to two of the original cast.  Sure, moments later we saw sideways Jin alive and well walking down the hall of a hospital.  But in the story of the show as we know it, he's gone.

     Which begs the question.  Is the flash sideways our happy ending?  Most of the main characters of Lost have died over the years, but almost every single one has been revealed to be alive and well, usually happier, in the sideways universe.  With only nine main characters left on the island, perhaps this odd parallel is as close to satisfying closure as we are going to get for many.

     Speaking of the nine, Jack, Sawyer (Josh Holloway), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), and Hurley (Jorge Garcia) crawled out of the watery death trap and onto the beach.  These four, along with Locke, who has been recast as the big villain, have always been the core of the series.  They seem unlikely to die, at least not until the finale.  The other four did not star in all six seasons, although Desmond appeared in all six, and only one was in this week's episode.  Ben (Michael Emerson) and Richard (Nestor Carbonell) seem likely to simply pop up and get a little icing before disappearing.  Claire (Emilie de Ravin) could go either way, as she seems to be the henchwoman of Locke.  And Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), perhaps my favorite character, surely figures very prominently into the end, but even his use will probably be up an hour or two before the curtain.  It's sad to see these important, but not quite essential, characters in their swan songs, but in a show as sweeping as Lost, it's time to lose them so we can wind it all down.

     Original cast member Sayid (Naveen Andrews) also bowed out in heroic self-sacrifice, although not much was said about it afterwards.  My biggest regret was the quick, apparent death of Frank (Jeff Fahey), who had more to do in previous seasons, when he wasn't a main character, and then all we saw of his demise was a door slam into him.  He has to be dead, or he would have attempted to help our heroes, but it was a sad, dismissive way to go.  I wish he had gone out earlier, in some better fashion.

     The final season of Lost will continue for two more Tuesdays at 9pm, and then conclude on Sunday, May 23th on ABC.

Lost: it's time to be found

    ABC took a chance five years ago on a series called Lost.  Steeped in mystery, it was the ultimate serial.  The survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 find themselves on an island, where all sorts of unexplained things occur, from a paralyzed man who can walk, to a polar bear, to a smoke monster.  Not only that, each of these castaways had a story, and each week we got a piece of the puzzle.  It was extremely popular at first, then fans tapered.  Yet, except for arguably season two, the show has only continued to get better with age, as the flashbacks became flash forwards, the Oceanic Six got off the island and returned, many of the characters did a stint in the 70's, and time became completely unhinged.  Tonight, the final season of the show begins.


     When we last left Jack, (Matthew Fox, Party of Five) Kate, (Evangeline Lilly, The Hurt Locker) and Sawyer, (Josh Holloway) the love triangle had fought, but decided to detonate a nuclear device that could possibly stop the entire series from happening.  It appears that may have worked, as the show began on a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles, the characters kept talking about how they would awake on their plane on course if it worked, and the two part premiere tonight is called "LA X".  This is great news for Sayid (Naveen Andrews), who was bleeding to death, and to Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim, 24, Angel), a couple trapped more than three decades apart in time.  But what about the woman who actually set off the bomb and laid next to it as it went off, Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell, V)?  Is she dead?  She is not among the principal cast for this final season.

     Of course with Lost, nothing is certain.  Many dead characters are signed on to appear this year.  This has happened plenty of time before on the show, most notably with Jack's father, Christian (John Terry, Trauma), who despite having been dead when the flight left, appeared several times on the island.  But was it him, or the mysterious Man In Black (Titus Welliver, Deadwood), who possibly can appear as dead people, such as John Locke (Terry O'Quinn, Alias), who remains a main character despite his demise?  Other deceased characters slated to appear at least once this year, although in what form is unknown, include Charlie (Dominic Monaghan, FlashForward, Lord of the Rings), Michael (Harold Perrineau, Oz), Boone (Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries), Shannon (Maggie Grace, The Fog), Libby (Cynthia Watros, The Drew Carey Show), Charlotte (Rebecca Mader, Justice), Daniel (Jeremy Davies), Alex (Tania Raymonde, Cold Case), and even Arzt (Daniel Roebuck).  Also, rejoining the cast full time is Emilie de Ravin (Roswell), whose character, Claire, disappeared without explanation at the end of season four.

     I can't end this article without mentioning the other huge plot point left hanging from last season.  Locke, or perhaps the ghost of Locke, persuaded Ben (Michael Emerson) to kill Jacob (Mark Pellegrino, Dexter).  We also found out that Jacob visited many of the main characters in the past, although as to what purpose is unknown.

    The series also stars the wonderfully talented Jorge Garcia (Becker) as Hurley, my personal favorite character.  My other favorite character, Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) no longer stars, but will play an important role in the final season.  The show stars Ken Leung as Miles.  Joining the principal cast this season are longtime guest star Nestor Carbonell (Suddenly Susan, The Dark Knight), Jeff Fahey, and Zuleikha Robinson (The Lone Gunman).  Lost's sixth season will begin with a two hour premiere tonight at 9pm, and will air Tuesday nights through the spring.