BURN NOTICE Gets Its "Reckoning"

Article first published as BURN NOTICE Gets Its "Reckoning" on TheTVKing.

*WARNING: If you have not yet watched this episode, there are major spoilers within this review.

USA's Burn Notice came to an end after seven season this week with "Reckoning." The original premise, former spy Michael Weston (Jeffrey Donovan) looks for those who burned him so he can try to get his life back, is long gone. In the final year, Weston discovers the CIA a cold, unforgiving place, and emotionally messed up, considers leaving the agency on his own terms. This comes to a head in the series finale.

Because of the plot arcs going into the year, Burn Notice chooses to mainly end the recent tale told, rather than culminate the entire show's run. I guess the writers feel like they've already tied up most of that, and there's no sense in revisiting it. This is a bit of a let down, since Burn Notice has such larger swings in earlier years, and the ending just comes across as a little anti-climatic.

And, for some reason, the great Alan Ruck shows up in a small role in this episode, a guest part that comes out of nowhere and seems wasted.

A central theme of Burn Notice has always been relying on one's friends. Michael has never been alone, much as he frequently tries to be, with Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell), Fiona Glenanne (Gabrielle Anwar), his mother, Maddie (Sharon Gless), and, in later seasons, Jesse Porter (Coby Bell) helping him out. In the end, it's these people that save him and stand with him against the Big Bad, James Kendrick (John Pyper-Ferguson).

Early on, the story sets up a major turning point. Michael chooses to hang onto his love for Fiona, burning his bridge with Kendrick. Because Kendrick is now mad at Michael, Michael can't finish his mission to bring Kendick in, infuriating his CIA boss,  Andrew Strong (Jack Coleman), so everyone is against Michael and crew. Sort of just how it should be, since no organization has ever really embraced them, brave rebels on the frontier.

I was disappointed when Jesse splits off to protect Maddie and her orphaned grandson, Charlie (Wilson Pennell). After all, Maddie is frequently on the outside, but Jesse is not. We get some great Jesse / Sam moments early and late in the episode, but for awhile, it's just the original trio fighting the bad guys, which has a poetic justice, but doesn't quite serve Jesse's character, making him unjustly feel he has not earned him place with them.

Story-wise, Jesse must be with Charlie and Maddie because that leaves Maddie to sacrifice herself. It's a triumphant moment for Gless, even if it is a frustrating one for the viewers, not feeling right to lose Maddie. It would be much easier to accept one of the gang going down than the mostly-innocent mother of Michael. Jesse gets a touching moment with Maddie, Michael has a teary goodbye call, and Maddie herself gets to go down in a very cool way. Yet, one cant help but feel that there weren't that many soldiers nearby, and Maddie and Jesse could have dispatched them easily enough without having to kill off the beloved matriarch of the series.

Meanwhile, Michael, Sam, and Fiona have a confrontation with Kendrick. For some reason, Sam escapes, leaving Michael and Fiona alone. This is sets up the ending of the episode fine, but again, feels false and doesn't quite fit with the bond between the three. Why doesn't Sam stick by Michael the way Fiona does? It doesn't seem like he really has a vital purpose to get away to.

"Reckoning" seems to kill off Michael, Fiona, and Kendrick, but this triple death never felt real to me. Even as the story proceeded as if Michael and Fiona were dead, I knew it had to be a trick. In this, the show failed to build the appropriate tension and grief. Sure enough, a few minutes later, they are revealed to have escaped. Ick.

Months later, we first get Sam and Jesse's ending. I love that the two pals end up together, doing what they do. Sam gets a cheesy, fan-pleasing line, and they get to honor Michael's sacrifice. It's not clear if they know Mike and Fiona made it out alive, but they better have. Otherwise, Michael is a total douche. But for them, this finale is right.

Lastly, we glimpse Michael and Fiona, snug in a cabin with Charlie. Look, I know this is the emotional conclusion everyone wants, and the dialogue calls back the opening sequence in a satisfying way, but it just doesn't make sense. I can't imagine Michael and Fiona would ever settle down, under any circumstances, maybe being together comfortably, but not getting out of all dangerous games. And where does everyone think Charlie is? Surely, the CIA would have kept tabs and noticed the orphan, who was presumably in foster care, gone missing? Maybe it was a reward by the CIA to give them this set up, but then, why would they also honor Michael's "heroic death"? It doesn't gel.

At the end of the too-quick hour, one is left with a disappointing, hollow feeling. Burn Notice has never been high-quality entertainment, frequently falling short of its potential, too neatly resolving stories, stretching out others too long, forcing case-of-the-weeks for years, and introducing great characters, only to kill them off long before they should have been. The last couple of years have shown improvement, but apparently not enough. In a way, it is fitting the series finale should echo flaws of the previous years. But on the other hand, Burn Notice could have redeemed itself in this final hour, something I held out enough hope for to stick around all those times I considered giving up on it. It did not. It was somewhat entertaining popcorn action, but not much else, lacking the true depth and consistency many discerning viewers wish for. Burn Notice died how it lived.

At the beginning of Once Upon a Time

Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Recap Season 2 Episode 17 Welcome to Storybrooke on Seat42F.

Grade: 97%

ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME takes us back to the beginning this week with “Welcome to Storybrooke.” As Regina (Lana Parrilla) plots to force Henry (Jared Gilmore) to love her by magic, a spell that requires Regina to kill Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) in the process, we see the earliest days of Regina’s curse, when she first brings her world into ours, and the issues that arise when two strangers visit the town.

After last week, it’s easy to think that Regina’s path to redemption is closed, and she will be completely taken over by evil. But unlike her departed mother, Cora, Regina still has her heart in her chest, and as long as it’s there, there is always a chance that she can allow it to rule her again. Not a big chance, mind you, but a chance, and we see this in the parallel stories taking place in the past and the present.

In both time frames, Regina is desperate and angry. In the past, she is mad because even though those she hates aren’t happy, neither is she. They are oblivious to their situation, and so not suffering as she’d like them to be. Everything in town is boring and the same every day, and she isn’t hailed as the ruler she will assume she will be, even in the job as mayor. In the present, Regina’s problems stem from Snow’s murder of her mom, and the fact that she has lost her son to his birth mother.

Each time, a boy is the one who saves her. Henry convinces her not to kill Snow in the present after she finds him with dynamite at the well. Blowing up the well would harm him, not end magic, and she is willing to stop her curse if it keeps Henry from being injured, as she truly does love the boy she raised as her son. In the past, she stops short of forcing a lad named Owen (Benjamin Stockham, 1600 Penn) to stay with her when she sees the pain it will cause him, showing tenderness again.

But I’m getting slightly ahead of myself.

“Welcome to Storybrooke” starts with a father, Kurt (John Pyper-Ferguson, Caprica, Alphas), and his son, Owen, camping in the woods in 1983. Regina’s curse roils through the forest, and the pair are left in a destroyed campsite, their truck crushed. They wander into the town that has appeared out of thin air, and encounter Regina, who is taken with Owen when he offers her a bit of kindness. She decides this will fill the gap in her life, so she tries to force them to stay. She ends up letting Owen go when she sees he won’t love her, but she has Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan) arrest and keep Kurt.

Even in this kindness, letting Owen go instead of locking him up as a prisoner, she still lets the darkness creep in. Only someone evil would keep a kid’s father in jail for no reason, especially knowing Owen’s mother is dead. All of these years, presumably, she’s had Kurt stashed away somewhere, leaving Owen on his own. No amount of redemption in small acts will make up for what she has done in his eyes.

And now, Owen has returned in the present, grown up and going by the name Gregory Mendell, the mysterious stranger that has been in Storybrooke recently. He manages to re-enter the town, even though it appears hidden from the road, and while he doesn’t seem evil, he is certainly back for revenge and to find his dad, whom I hope is still alive.

It’s interesting how the real world and the magic world deal with their problems differently. Gregory is making videos of magic to take back to the public, one can assume, and expose the town. Regina and Snow’s family are prepared to kill one another. There is definitely a different level of danger presented, and one way is much more permanent and harsh than another.

Which just goes to reinforce ONCE UPON A TIME’s theme that magic has its cost. Only Henry sees this, of all the characters that recognize the differences between the two worlds, and begs the adults to get rid of magic, rather than resort to execution. Regina is unwilling to do so because she can’t stand to lose her power, which would leave her defenseless and unable to influence others. I’m not sure the good guys have the ability to take away magic altogether, but neither do they seem all that enthusiastic to try, since magic has been part of their way of life for so long.

Snow is suffering quite mightily over her recent use of magic to kill Cora. She sits and stares out the window, unable to live with what she has done. She even goes to Regina and asks that Regina kill her. Regina considers it, but after ripping out Snow’s heart, she sees the blackness growing within and decides it’s better to let Snow suffer, slowly ruining herself, and so Regina puts the heart back.

One wonders if Regina’s heart looks like the polar opposite of Snow’s, black with a hint of red trying to take hold, or the red ember struggling not to die out amid the black smoke. Is there any hope for Regina? Or is Regina right that once the black infects the organ, the situation is hopeless? Maybe Regina has to believe that, rather than face the truth that her soul is lost.

I don’t think that Snow will lose herself completely. The black is a small part of her, and while it’s horrible that she experiences this, she has no intention of acting in a similar manner again. She’s so desperate to be rid of her darkness that she approaches Rumple (Robert Carlyle), of all people, for help, asking him how he lives with his own misdeeds.

Rumple’s response, tell yourself that you did the right thing until you believe it, isn’t the right one for Snow. After all, following this advice has only led Rumple to make the same mistakes over and over again. Snow needs to remember this time and how this feels, so the next time she is not tempted to repeat the mistake again. By doing that, knowing that she isn’t a bad person and won’t do evil things, then she may be able to begin to live with herself.

Rumple’s anger and feelings that he does not need to help Snow and her family, only doing so out of reluctant obligation and in the hopes that it will settle their score, sucks. He has a family again now, being connected to them through Henry. Family is what can help Rumple save himself. He needs to stop fighting it or acting like he doesn’t know how to be part of the group. It’s the only way he will be able to keep his son and his love in his life.

I absolutely adore the part of “Welcome to Storybrooke” when Emma (Jennifer Morrison) scolds Neal (Michael Raymond-James) for not realizing that Henry takes his backpack with him to the bathroom. Her accusation of “He’s your son!” gives us a glimpse of what parts of Neal Henry has inherited, and the scene is sort of a callback to the Neal / Emma flashback episode, when we see them as con artists. Fantastic!

“Welcome to Storybrooke” is a terrific tale that fills in some important holes in the past, shows us Storybrooke at a time we’ve never seen it before, answers some major questions that have been posed this season, and provides a showcase for the immense talents of Lana Parrilla, which is always welcome. Plus, even though his role is small, it’s terrific to see Sheriff Graham again. It’s a great, memorable installment!

ONCE UPON A TIME airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Blu-ray Review: Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome on Blogcritics.

Now on Blu-ray and DVD, and downloadable, is Universal's Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome. Set 10 years into the First Cylon War, after the events of Caprica, and several decades before the reimagined Battlestar Galactica, Blood & Chrome follows young William Adama (Luke Pasqualino, The Borgias, Skins) on his very first mission, which goes horribly wrong.

For those BG fans who complain that Caprica isn't action-packed enough (I am definitely not one of them), Blood & Chrome swings to the opposite extreme, a high-octane thrill ride with simulated battles filling in the gaps where "not enough" is happening in the real world. It's a dark, at times scary, war story, taken to the front line and behind enemy lines.

Unfortunately, that means there isn't a lot of time for character development. BG works because of the actors, and the nuance with which they play their dealings with one another. It is as much about politics and religion as interpersonal relationships, and the fights with the Cylons come as secondary. Blood & Chrome moves the latter to center stage, making it fun when you're watching, but a bit hollow in retrospect. This works well for a web series, which one can tell Blood & Chrome is, edited together now into a not-quite-seamless television movie.

I'll be honest, I'm torn on Pasqualino as Adama. He is the fourth actor to tackle the role in the official franchise, and I see a bit of the Caprica take in some of his dialogue and mannerisms, when he isn't being way too cocky. I don't, however, see the grown up Adama at all. Perhaps that is intended to come later, in the unlikely event this project is pushed forward as a series, but it's missing here.

Blood & Chrome is sold to us as a potential pilot, but it's not clear what the series would feel like from this first episode. Rather than setting up the full cast or what the characters will be doing, it follows only three people for a large part of the movie: Adama, his co-pilot Coker (Ben Cotton, Hellcats), who is near the end of his tour of duty, and just wants a calm last few weeks, having lost the fighting spirit, and Dr. Becca Kelly (Lili Bordan, Cherry.), who has a secret mission for them, and claims she can turn the tide of the war. One of those three, I won't reveal which, wouldn't even get to continue if the story went on.

For the most part, I enjoy the hour and a half, even if it doesn't make me miss Battlestar Galactica less. But there are enough hokey missteps, like Adama hooking up with Becca, the creepy half-machine cave worms, and yet another new Cylon soldier, as well as a glimpse at an early attempt of a human-model Cylon (interestingly voiced by Six herself, Tricia Helfer), that prevent this from being quality entertainment. Adama is close enough to events in Caprica to understand what the Cylons actually are. Why doesn't that play a role here?

What really kills Blood & Chrome for me is the reuse of BG and Caprica alum as new characters. Cotton only has a bit part in BG: Razor, so that's not too bad, but most of the rest of the cast, including Adrian Holes, Leo Li Chiang, Mike Dopud, Carmen Moore, Allison Warnyca, Sebastian Spence, Zak Santiago, Colin Corrigan, Jill Teed, Ty Olsson, Brian Markinson, and John Pyper-Ferguson are already present in other stories as different characters, and still recognizable from their previous roles. This really destroys any believability, and is definitely the absolute worst thing about Blood & Chrome.

On the positive side of the chart, for those keeping score, are the special effects. One would swear previous BG sets have just been upgraded, but pretty much this entire movie is green screen, so they've actually been digitally re-created. It's OK that the hanger bay and control room are busier and fuller than in the previous series, because this is Galactica at the height of her service, fully manned and equipped. It all looks so real, if they hadn't included an intriguing twenty-two minute featurette as an extra, showing how they created the sets, I wouldn't believe it. I can't think of another series that has done effects this good.

Which means that Blood & Chrome looks and sounds spectacular in high definition. Much care goes into every detail of the design, and with all the computer work, they are able to make everything super sharp. The colors are mostly of a dark palate, but there is such a broad spectrum represented that one could easily forget that, seeing how rich it looks. The soundtrack is not as sweeping as its predecessors, but again, is flawless.

Blood & Chrome is made by design and programming nerds, and it shows. Story takes a back seat to effects, and the visuals are mind-blowing. It's an example of what a new BG could look like, and is definitely an argument to bring some incarnation of the show back. Just not this one, because we need the story part of it, too.

Besides the aforementioned featurette, there are about ten or so deleted scenes. That's it on the extras, sadly.

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome is available as a Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy / Ultraviolet combo pack now.

The Alphas go to "Alphaville"

SyFy's Alphas continues to get marginally better in season two. There are recurring characters and larger themes, rather than just a case of the week. While each episode still feels like its own story, the stories do impact each other, each one a piece in a larger puzzle. How it all comes together will be the deciding factor on whether the show has improved enough from its lackluster first season to earn continued patronage, and we are still quite a ways off from that point. But this week's installment, "Alphaville," does give us a few things to ponder.

Summer Glau returns as Skylar Adams! Glau is fantastic actress. Her first guest spot on Alphas, back in season one, was the type of role that she is known for in sci-fi series. But "Alphaville" exposes a whole other side of the actress, which is a credit to the show. Glau plays a mother now, more concerned with her daughter, Zoe (Skyler Wexler, a very talented child performer), than political battles or espionage. Faced with a project that could benefit many, she still puts her child first, and even though she is struggling with being a parent, she is sure trying hard. Very cool.

The problem is, if individuals just concentrate on making their own lives work, the bigger picture is ignored. As neat as it is to see Glau's Skylar domesticated, it ignores the larger threat posed by Stanton Parish (John Pyper-Ferguson). Dr. Rosen (David Strathairn) fails to recruit her to their cause, which is a huge blow for the good guys, especially when it appears that Stanton Parish may succeed where Rosen failed.

How much do charismatic leaders shape world events? We all know that Hitler would not have made it as far as he did without winning a lot of people over. Rosen seems to lack this ability to draw others to him. He has his supporters, individuals he has worked with and helped. But overall, most people don't like him, including the government agents he works with. His going public about people with powers sours even more Alphas on him, as we learn when the team visits Skylar in "Alphaville." By contrast, Parish seems to be gaining more and more followers, making him a very dangerous enemy, indeed.

I do feel sorry for poor Cameron (Warren Christie), who doesn't know how to pick the right gal. First, Nina (Laura Mennell) used her ability on him, and now it looks like Rosen's daughter,  Danielle (Kathleen Munroe), may be playing him for information on the team's activities. When is he going to catch a break? The show had better not screw over Rachel (Azita Ghanizada) in a similar manner in her own budding romance.

The issue I have with Alphas is that, many times, the characters are not that compelling. Dr. Rosen isn't the only one who lacks natural drawing power. And while this may be a conscious choice for the characters, I'm glad to see that it has been acknowledged as a plot point and begun to change a bit in season two. Obviously, I am a fan of Skylar, and wish she appeared more often. I also like Kat (Erin Way), though it's hard to believe she isn't working against the rest, even if unintentionally.

The one main character who delivers week after week is Gary (Ryan Cartwright). He's entertaining, interesting, shows growth, makes you care about him, despite an abrasive personality. His interactions with Bill (Malik Yoba), are some of my favorite moments.

Alphas airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on SyFy.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com! First posted on TheTVKing

Wake up, Alphas!

Grade: 77%

ALPHAS returns to SyFy for a second season with “Wake Up Call,” which opens eight months after the events of the season one finale. Dr. Rosen (David Strathairn) remains locked up in an institution, making friends with his captors, while the rest of the team has scattered. But soon, as Dr. Rosen predicts will happen, an emergency forces the government to call him out of lock up and reassemble his group to fight the good fight.

Dr. Rosen is an absolutely fantastic character. The way he has such knowledge about how the world works, and his utmost confidence in that knowledge, is impressive. Even when things are not looking good for him, he has a calm, knowing that things are always changing, and they will again soon. His morality may sway a little, but he always manages to right his course and fight for justice. It’s almost like an Alpha power, and makes him a very worthy leader for the group.

Outing the Alpha phenomenon to the public is a huge gamble. Rosen knows it is the right thing to do, but he pays a price for doing so. While Rosen does get his team back, with assurances that he will have even more control over their missions and their outcomes, that isn’t an all clear to preach to a mass audience. Perhaps he thinks he won’t need to if he maintains control. Surely he has learned his lesson about lack of oversight not being a good thing, under any circumstances.

One wonders, if ALPHAS did not take place in the television world, if Dr. Rosen would have been released quite so quickly. It might have been neat to explore the team leaderless a little longer, as well as the affects of an extended captivity on Rosen. Sadly, in a television show like this, a status quo must be maintained for the procedural elements to work. The end of “Wake Up Call” doesn’t ignore what has come before it, but by fixing the major elements, it sets itself up for a bunch of stand alone stories.

There is nothing inherently wrong with a procedural. However, ALPHAS has so much potential to move beyond that. And it is doing so, sort of. Season two will be about catching all of the bad guys that Stanton Parish (John Pyper-Ferguson, Brothers & Sisters, Caprica) has let out, as well as stopping a war between humans and Alphas. But there will definitely be cases of the weeks along the way, and entire hours that are mostly spent chasing a single suspect. These are the stories that aren’t quite as compelling as the ones that cater more to the larger arcs.

It’s very interesting to see how the rest of the team has moved on before Rosen brings them back together, and like in Rosen’s case, I wish they had spent a bit more time exploring those experiences. Each goes down their own path, some back to what they were before, and others making different choices.

Bill (Malik Yoba) has assumed de facto leadership, continuing to work with Clay (Mahershala Ali), though his decisions splinter the group. Only Hicks (Warren Christie) and Gary (Ryan Cartwright) continue to work with him, having no where else to go, and dreading a return to life with no purpose. And it isn’t long before Bill’s weak leadership gets Gary taken away by the NSA, and later locked up in prison. Bill may try, but he just doesn’t have that unique personality that Rosen has to keep these individuals together.

Nina (Laura Mennell) and Rachel (Anita Ghanizada) backslide, with Rachel hiding out in her parents’ house, and Nina going back to manipulating people to get what she wants. This does expose weaknesses within them, neither enjoying these lives, but not having the strength to change them without Rosen’s help, either. Not that the others aren’t weak, too, because they are, in different ways. And it’s not a sexist choice that sidelines the girls, but rather, the plot that best serves each layered, complex part in the way that it has been written up until now.

ALPHAS isn’t perfect, and “Wake Up Call” does disappoint a bit in the quick resolutions and easy answers. However, it is still a highly entertaining show, fully realizing a particular world, and exploring it in interesting ways. If the preview can be believed, it also looks like season two is going to be pretty darn good. Watch ALPHAS Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on SyFy.

Another sister leaves the nest (sort of)

     Last week I pretty much ranted on Rob Lowe (The West Wing) leaving Brothers & Sisters, and fans, hanging with his planned abrupt departure.  News broke today that only deepened the upcoming pain, although it shed a little more light onto Lowe's decision.  Don't get me wrong.  I am not forgiving Lowe, and am still extremely disappointed he is choosing to leave the ABC series, but now I kind of get it, and I'm kind of angry at a second cast member, though I promise not to get too angry in my writing this time.

     Lowe's TV wife, Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) is downgrading next season to a limited involvement.  Sources close to the network say she is staying on officially as a main character, but she won't be in every episode (13 of the 22, as one popular rumor goes).  Does that bode well for a possible run for office for Kitty Walker, her character?  It may, but apparently Lowe was worried about being cut out even more himself, which seems silly, considering he was still going to stay Kevin's (Matthew Rhys) boss, or so the story seemed to be unfolding.  Other comparisons, however, remind us of Sarah Jane Morris's (Felicity) Julia, who was axed completely when her husband, Tommy, (Balthazar Getty, Alias) was also kicked out.

     But Getty has negotiated a return this year that kept his name in the opening credits, even though he is only doing a limited number of episodes, and so may put him on par with Flockhart next year.  Or not.  If Getty has his way, he'll swap her and be back in the cast full time.  But is more Tommy and less Kitty really what the show needs?  The problem with expanding the cast at this stage in the game, though, is it would be hard for audiences to buy another secret sibling, so unless Sarah (Rachel Griffiths, Six Feet Under) gets married, the cast is likely to remain stagnant after the latest shakeup.

     A return of Tommy may end up being surprisingly good, but with Flockhart appearing in less episodes, and Lowe making the third Brothers & Sisters spouse to be gone from the cast (Sarah was married to Joe, played by Caprica's John Pyper-Ferguson, when the show started), it's appearing the nest is getting quite empty indeed.  Brothers & Sisters airs Sundays at 10pm on ABC.