GIRL MEETS WORLD, Too

Article originally written for Seat42F.

ABC’s popular Boy Meets World ended a seven season run just over fourteen years ago. Last night, Disney Channel continued the story with the premiere of GIRL MEETS WORLD. The series checks in with Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga Matthews (Danielle Fisher), who now have a girl of their own, Riley (Rowan Blanchard, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World), whose turn it is to come into her own. This sounds like a recipe for success.

A lot of the familiar elements are there. Riley is well-cast in terms of looks, resembling both of her parents a bit, and echoing some of Cory’s traits and goofy faces. She has a best friend, Maya Hart (Sabrina Carpenter, The Goodwin Games, who looks a lot like Britt Robertson), not the best influence, providing opportunity for Riley to step up and save Maya, as Cory did Shawn. The setting is still split between the classroom and the home, and the writers seek to impart heart-warming, family-friendly messages.

The pilot, “Girl Meets Boy,” is genuinely funny. Scenes of Riley and Maya on the subway, bumping into cute-boy Lucas (Peyton Meyer, Dog with a Blog), are bolstered by guest star Jackée Harry. I chuckled through the sadly-few bits Topango gets, including choosing her daughter over her husband. And Blanchard definitely has stage presence, her cheese actually very right for this role.

The best part of “Girl Meets Boy” is the ending, in which Cory glances across the tunnel and sees Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) telling him he’s done well. It doesn’t make sense for Feeny to be on a poster, even an education-themed one, all the way across the country from where he taught, and Cory hasn’t done as well as he should have yet. But the emotion of that moment and the torch passing quality is undeniably moving.

Unfortunately, “Girl Meets Boy” also gets a lot wrong. Unlike the original, it hits us over the head with the moral point. Boy Meets World was not subtle, but it also didn’t go to extremes. When Cory wants to give his daughter some freedom, he gathers the entire clan, along with friends, including a boy Riley has just met, in the subway. It doesn’t make sense for this to happen, and building upon Cory too vehemently arguing his points earlier, ruins some of the hokey charm the first series relied upon.

The characters surrounding the energetic Cory in Boy Meets World tended to be toned down, a grounding factor that balances out the kid and keeps the series somewhat realistic. Now, Riley is in a classroom with her father as the teacher, and Cory still wants to act like adolescent Cory, enabling the students to be out of control. Cory shows hints of maturity in talking to his daughter, but mostly hasn’t grown up nearly as much as he should have, making the dynamic unstable.

The worst element of GIRL MEETS WORLD so far may be the inclusion of Farkle (Corey Fogelmanis). IMDB lists his last name as Minkus and I would not be surprised to learn he is the offspring of Cory and Topanga’s former classmate Stuart Minkus. Which is all the more reason why GIRL MEETS WORLD should not have shifted from the quiet suburbs to bustling New York because, even if you accept Minkus somehow got married and had a kid as quickly as Cory did, a stretch to be sure, why would they both move to the same neighborhood far away? However, that logic leap is not nearly as awful as Farkle’s personality, which is much, much worse than Minkus ever was, taking those annoying elements of the nerd to a teeth-jarring extreme.

Some of these grating elements could be a product of the age. The 2010s is quite removed from the 1990s and sensibilities have shifted. As an adult, I don’t want to watch anything on the Disney Channel, not being their target audience, and not enjoying pretty much any of their fare. GIRL MEETS WORLD is trying to play to nostalgia, though, like TNT’s Dallas continuation, and bring old viewers in with the new. However, GIRLS MEETS WORLD isn’t matching the previous style well enough yet, so while it might work for the kids tuning it, it provides little for the grown-ups looking to relive fond childhood memories.

Now, reportedly this show takes a few episodes to find its stride, and having re-watched season one of Boy Meets World this past week, I admit GIRL MEETS WORLD isn’t that many notches below, as distasteful as I find a few key elements. Plus, most of the central cast members from Boy Meets World have signed on to show up later. So I will keep viewing, at least for the next month or so, to see if it can settle into a worthy successor. It’s not a great show, but neither was the original, so if this program can hit ‘pretty good,’ it will have done its namesake proud.

GIRL MEETS WORLD will rerun the pilot many times over the next couple weeks and begins fresh installments Friday, July 11^th at 8:30 p.m. ET.

DVD Review: ‘Grey’s Anatomy: Complete Ninth Season’

Article first published as DVD Review: ‘Grey’s Anatomy: Complete Ninth Season’ on Blogcritics.

The ninth season of Grey’s Anatomy‘s is a time of great transition. As it says on the cover of the Complete Ninth Season DVD, “Everything Changes.”
The entire season focuses on the effects of the plane crash in the season eight finale, as well as events that intercede to set the doctors’ lives on new paths, proving that a series can still maintain a freshness and extremely high quality almost a decade into its run.

The season premiere, “Going, Going, Gone,” picks up months after the plan crash. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) is grieving the death of her sister, Lexie (Chyler Leigh), Derek (Patrick Demsey) has traded being a surgeon for teaching, Cristina (Sandra Oh) has not returned to the hospital because she can’t bring herself to board a plane, Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) is cold towards her wife, Callie (Sara Ramirez), because Callie has amputated Arizona’s leg, and Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) seems to be recovering, only to take a turn for the worse and dies.

This is the starting point for a roller coaster of a year. We see how the doctors try to cope with their losses and move forward while dealing with the guilt plaguing those who may be responsible or should have been flying that day, too.

The hospital pays out a huge settlement, which threatens its very existence, and the desperate plan to save the facility has great personal cost both to those keeping the mission a secret and those on the outside wishing they didn’t have to look in. And a marriage crumbles as an interloper (White Collar‘s Hilarie Burton) somewhat inadvertently takes advantage of the strain.

There is also turmoil that has nothing to do with those events. Webber (James Pickens Jr.) faces a crumbling marriage as his wife, Adele’s (Loretta Devine), mental health decays. Jackson (Jesse Williams) wants to confess his feelings for April (Sarah Drew), who is rehired at Seattle Grace Mercy West, but she is moving on with a paramedic named Matthew (Justin Bruening, All My Children).

But there are happy times, too. Bailey (Chandra Wilson) gets to marry Ben (Jason George). Meredith discovers the joys of motherhood. Cristina finds true wisdom in working with Dr. Thomas (William Daniels, Boy Meets World). New ownership looks good for the hospital. Owen (Kevin McKidd) finally stops fighting with his wife. Alex (Justin Chambers) falls for a kindred spirit. Life is a mixed bag, and there is always happiness sprinkled in the sadness.

Best of all, the halls are now ringing with a new class of interns (Camilla Luddington, Gaius Charles, Tina Majorino, Tessa Ferrer, and Jerrika Hinton). These five are built to last, unlike previous batches, with four of the quintet signed on as main characters for the upcoming tenth year. (In-demand Majorino has a previous series commitment that prevents her full-time return at this time). They remind us of the youth and foolhardiness that once belonged to Meredith, Cristina, Alex, and their friends. They are a reflector to show the growth of the central cast. They reinvigorate the story, and give the series promise of many more years. In short, they are a fresh injection of welcome blood.

The original characters are still our most beloved, but as Grey‘s approaches a milestone decade on the air, it cannot remain stagnant. The writers deftly balance plots of both new faces and the beloved veterans, keeping things going, even as they reinvent themselves, and tying both together in a pleasing patchwork. This is a stellar season, full of terrific installments which I cannot praise enough.

The bonus features are light, unfortunately, though how much more can be said this far along? “Happy Trails with Jim Pickens, Jr.” revels in the real-life passion of horses and charity that our Dr. Webber has. “The Long Road Home” is also about fifteen minutes, and covers how Arizona’s storyline this season was approached, and the special effects behind the now-one-legged doc. Plus, there are a LOT of deleted scenes, and a couple of minutes of outtakes. Plus, the finale is an extended episode. The only thing really lacking here is the absence of a single audio commentary.

Grey’s Anatomy Complete Ninth Season is one of the best ones yet, and is available to relive on DVD now.

Grey's returns with a big gap

The events of the latest Grey's Anatomy season premiere, "Going Going Gone," pick up months after the plane crash. This does a couple of things. One, it allows them to jump ahead in the story without having to be bogged down in months of suffering. Two, it lets the writers dole out one character at a time, keeping fans guessing about the fates of some of their favorites until late in the hour. But rest assured, next week will return the action to last spring for at least one episode, so some of the missing pieces will be filled in.

Last year, many of the doctors were considering leaving Seattle Grace Mercy Death West. As they became attendings, they looked for other hospitals around the country from which to ply their trade. In "Going Going Gone," Cristina (Sandra Oh) is miserable in Minnesota, but she's the only one who transferred. And her inability to get on a plane after the trauma she suffered prevents visits back to Seattle. She isn't fitting in too well at her new digs, clashing with the doctors on staff (William Daniels, Boy Meets World, and Steven Culp, Desperate Housewives), so it's likely only a matter of time before she comes back.

The fact that Cristina's home hospital seemingly hasn't hired a new cardiac god yet should smooth the process. Is Owen (Kevin McKidd) reluctant to bring in a replacement because he misses Cristina and Teddy (Kim Raver, who left the series)? Or has he just not found the right person? Either way, this opens the door for Cristina's return, and that would be most welcome, as dividing the action between cities will grow awkward real quick.

Alex (Justin Chambers) has been trying to leave, but finds himself unable to do so, feeling guilty for not getting on the plane that crashed, and not wanting to abandon his friends. It's not a sign that he's stuck so much. He just feels a responsibility because he's a good guy. And no one really wants to see Alex leave, either, so when he decides to stay at the end of "Going Going Gone," it's a relief to viewers and the characters alike.

Tragedy affects different people in different ways. Last spring, the doctors consider moving on because of the bad things that have happened to them at Seattle Grace. But having one more event occur makes them remember just how much they care about each other. How can they look out for one another when they are spread across the country? They simply have to stay.

April (Sarah Drew) does something far more drastic than transfer: she goes back to work on a farm. Owen isn't going to let that be his protege's fate, so he goes and gets her. Is there a little bit or romance brewing between the pair? How might that affect Cristina's decision to come back, or the chemistry between them once she does? I learned to like April, but there is trouble here.

Others have suffered even worse fates. Derek (Patrick Dempsey) can't fully use his hand (haven't we seen this story before, back in season two-ish?), and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) is left with an amputated leg. This makes things difficult for their loved ones, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Callie (Sara Ramirez). But it also means there are lingering wounds that cannot heal just yet.

Derek and Callie have the added pain of watching Mark (Eric Dane) die. A fan favorite, Grey's regrettably decided that Mark should pass away, and "Going Going Gone" does it slowly and fittingly, with video tributes to him from throughout his life. Other characters may be killed off more quickly, but Mark gets perhaps the most touching, drawn out ending. I just wish we could take it back and keep him around, even if he is finally with Lexie (Chyler Leigh) in the afterlife.

Who I really feel sorry for, though, is Callie's daughter. Her father is dead, her second mother just lies angrily in bed, and Callie has to deal with grief and a young child. It's not fair to the kid. How can she avoid being scarred by everything that is going on around her?

Things aren't all mired down in hopelessness. There is a bit of lightness in "Going Going Gone," too. Bailey (Chandra Wilson) is happy to get a visit from Ben (Jason George, why is he not a series regular yet?), but romantic playtime with him has turned her from The Nazi into Booty-Call Bailey. It's funny that the character who began so grumpy and judgmental about sex in the workplace is now getting it on more often than anyone! I don't see the nickname standing, though, even with the warmer, fuzzier Bailey. Look for her to lay the smack down on the newbies (which include Gaius Charles, Friday Night Lights, Camilla Luddington, True Blood, Californication, and Tina Majorino, Veronica Mars, Napoleon Dynamite) soon.

Despite all of the dark drama going on, it's nice that the new interns are introduced in this episode, and we even get to see one do their first surgery. It provides a circle of life theme, that things move on, and new faces will soon fill the holes left by old ones. Having Meredith be the mean boss is also cool, a kind of "student has become the master" moment.

An interesting, sad, hopeful start for the new season. Watch new episodes of Grey's Anatomy Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

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

The Kent Chronicles now on DVD

Back in the 1970s, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Declaration on Independence, John Jake wrote a series of eight best selling novels. Collectively know as The Kent Family Chronicles, or The American Bicentennial Series, they tell the story of Phillipe Charboneau, a Frenchmen who travels through England and the New World in Revolutionary times, changing his name to Philip Kent, and interacting with a surprisingly large number of historical figures. The series continues with Philip's descendants, eventually ending in 1890.

Given the books' popularity, it should come as no surprise that they would be adapted for the screen. Or, the first three were, anyway, as television miniseries. Acorn Media has released a DVD set of these called The Kent Chronicles. This three disc edition contains the trio of films, broadcast in 1978 and 1979, and each over three hours long.

The first in the series is The Bastard. Here, Phillipe Charboneau (Andrew Stevens, Dallas, The Boondock Saints) is 17-years-old when he learns that he is the son of the Duke of Kent. The Duke is ill and won't claim his bastard child. Feuding with the legitimate family, and too poor to go home, Phillipe flees to London. There he meets Benjamin Franklin (Tom Bosley, Happy Days), who convinces Phillipe that America is the place to go.

Changing his name to Philip Kent, the protagonist is not in Boston very long before getting involved with the rebels and participating in the Boston Tea Party. Philip concurrently plays a role in the early dispute for the colonies, while haunted by the past he left in England, which follows him across the pond. The Bastard culminates in love and the Battle of Concord.

Picking up months later, The Rebels continues Philip's role in the war. This takes him away from home, leaving his wife, Anne Kent (Kim Cattrall, Sex and the City) to fend for herself, which, to make a long story short, does not go well.

The Rebels also follows Philip's friend, Judson Fletcher (Don Johnson, Miami Vice, Nash Bridges), a drunk and a womanizer. Judson's luck may even by worse than Philip's, as it's awfully hard to build a life for oneself when constantly offending others. If only Judson could give up the women and the booze, he might stand a chance.

In the third chapter, The Seekers, the Kent family has grown older. Philip's son, Abraham (Randolph Mantooth, Emergency!), is the new focus, and he's trying to build a life on the frontier. Family squabbling rears its ugly head again, resulting in some severe falling outs. Eventually the family is caught up in the War of 1812.

After watching The Kent Chronicles, it's really a shame more adaptations weren't made from the rest of the books. The Bastard and The Rebels tells Philip's tale pretty completely. But The Seekers mostly sets up his kids and grandkids for stories that never make it to screen. The books have the luxury of additional volumes. This DVD set does not, making the third installment, while still enjoyable, inferior to the first two.

On the whole though these are excellent specials, and a big draw is seeing all of the famous faces that pop up throughout the saga. William Shatner (Star Trek, Boston Legal) plays Paul Revere. Buddy Ebsen (The Beverly Hillbillies) is Benjamin Edes. Lorne Green (Bonanza) is Bishop Francis. Peter Graves (Mission: Impossible, Airplane!) plays George Washington. Harry Morgan (M*A*S*H), John de Lancie (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Jim Backus (Gilligan's Island), William Daniels (Boy Meets World), Robert Vaughn (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), Delta Burke (Designing Women), Robert Reed (The Brady Bunch), Ed Harris (The Hours), Olivia Hussey (Romeo & Juliet), and Eric Stoltz (Caprica) also appear, among others.

The Kent Chronicles is sort of like a Roots for white people. Yes, the suffering is often brought more upon themselves in this series than the historic African-American one. But it depicts several generations of a family, showing the story of how they got to America, and what happened after. It's also a little bit like Forrest Gump in that the fictional narrative is interwoven with many important real events. It might not be quite as entertaining or renowned as either of those, but it's still a very good story, well executed here.

The Kent Chronicles is most definitely a product of the era in which it was made. More soapy than political, the budget wasn't available to get too gritty or realistic. The story frequently sways into the cheesy and melodramatic. However, if you keep in mind not only the time period in which the action is set, but also when the miniseries were made, it's easy to just enjoy this escapist television, not worrying about plot holes or historical inconsistencies.

Visually, too, The Kent Chronicles is a bit lacking by today's standards, but perfectly acceptable for the time. The quality isn't bad for the late 1970s, though one wishes a little more work would have been put into restoring it. It's presented full screen. But given that this is the only release available for these shows, most fans will just be grateful for any edition.

Sadly, there is a severe lack of bonus features. All that is included is a two minute trailer and a biography of the books' author, John Jakes. Couldn't the actors have been interviewed? Historians consulted to give perspective? Ah, well. Maybe, if The Kent Chronicles sells well enough, we'll get extras and a better restoration when it comes out on Blu-ray.

The Kent Chronicles is available now wherever DVDs are sold.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com! Article first published as DVD Review: The Kent Chronicles on Blogcritics.