12 MONKEYS Not Too Many

Article first published as 12 MONKEYS Review on Seat42F.

SyFy’s newest series, 12 MONKEYS, is inspired by the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys. Those familiar with that movie know the basic story. Almost all of the world’s human population is wiped out by a deadly virus. Desperate scientists in the future send back one man to change the past and prevent such disaster. It’s mind-bendy, twisty stuff, full of action and time travel and paradox.

Aaron Stanford (Nikita) stars in 12 MONKEYS as James Cole, the Bruce Willis role from the film. In the pilot, circa 2013, Cole meets Dr. Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull, Suits) and enlists her help with his mission. When Cole returns to Railly in 2015, scant moments have passed for him, but her life has forever changed by the task he assigns her: find Leland Frost. With a little help, she does locate the man Cole believes is responsible for the epidemic (Zeljko Ivanek, Damages, Heroes, Madam Secretary). Of course, that’s only the beginning of the story.

One thing that struck me about the film Twelve Monkeys is that it is quite difficult to try to keep track of everything that is going on and when everything is supposed to have happened, especially once the time line begins to change – or does it? 12 MONKEYS begins with this same head-spinning issue, bringing in not just two distinct time periods, but several more. However, by being given many weeks to unfold the tale, I assume it will be much easier to follow as it goes along, the series being given the gift of more than two hours to tell its story.

12 MONKEYS is ripe for such exploration. The movie is great, a self-contained film that leaves one thinking. But the universe has plenty to unspool over multiple seasons. The time traveling hero who doesn’t have all the answers, nor does his boss, the mysterious Jones (Barbara Sukowa, Hannah Arendt), meets the girl who takes a chance on him. Toss in a secret terrorist organization, the 12 MONKEYS mentioned in the title, led by a female version of the Brad Pitt part, Jennifer Goines (Emily Hampshire, My Awkward Sexual Adventure), and there’s the makings of an epic battle of good versus evil fought over decades, with the lines not clearly drawn.

12 MONKEYS also has a supporting cast experienced in the genre. Standford’s Nikita co-star, Noah Bean, plays Aaron Marker, a former love interest of Railly’s, while Fringe’s Kirk Acevedo is Ramses, a contemporary of Cole’s. Along with those noted above, this makes for a pretty solid, if not well-known, core cast.

SyFy has been moving into more intelligent dramas as of late. Its cheesy movies and goofy shows, like Warehouse 13, still have a place there, but the network is also attempting some higher concept stuff, such as Helix and 12 MONKEYS. It’s a good sign, to see their fare turn to something more worthy to serious fans of science fiction, as nothing really has there since Battlestar Galactica and Caprica ended, and 12 MONKEYS certainly fits that label. It’s similar in makeup to the Canadian program Continuum, which also runs on SyFy, but adds several other layers to that concept. It’s not my favorite new series of the year by a long shot, but it’s interesting and complex, which is a step above what I expected.

The pilot eats through much of the movie’s most central plot, skipping some subplot items that won’t fit in a longer-running show and not really getting to the mental institution yet. While the latter does leave enough to fill another hour or so, that means that very early on in season one, 12 MONKEYS will be leaving its source material behind and starting to forge its own path. I look forward to seeing where that’s going.

12 MONKEYS premieres this Friday, January 16^th, at 9 p.m. ET on SyFy.

Resign Please, MADAM SECRETARY

Article first published as MADAM SECRETARY Review on Seat42F.

CBS has a lot of faith in their new non-procedural (!) drama series, MADAM SECRETARY. A fictional tale of a female secretary of state, tapped to help out the President (Keith Carradine, Fargo) because she has a different perspective than his other advisors and he trusts her, it will air twice on the Sunday it premieres to make sure that if football overruns the schedule, viewers can still find it. Of course, the simpler solution would be to just learn how to schedule around sports, since the network has plenty of experience screwing that up, but I digress…

MADAME SECRETARY stars Tea Leoni (The Naked Truth) in the lead role of Elizabeth McCord. Elizabeth is your typical network leading lady, tougher and smarter than anyone around her, bucking convention to save the day and do what’s right. She’s torn between work and family, of course, as every modern woman must be, and she is besought by doubters on all sides. Luckily, she has the skills and stamina to persevere, doing whatever she must to go around any obstacle in her path, a noble hero if ever there was one. Leoni plays her convincingly, if perhaps a bit too earnestly.

Her main obstacle seems to be the president’s Chief of Staff, Russell Jackson (Zeljko Ivanek). Russell is a very familiar archetype, too, putting his own interests and politics ahead of what is right, and thus, is easily dealt a setback. He won’t go away quickly, though, and will probably clash over and over again in the same ways with Elizabeth as the series wears on. Ivanek, a brilliant performer with many impressive credits, including Damages, True Blood, Suits, and Argo, is completely wasted in a part that is similar to what he’s known for, but could easily be filled by any number of actors, not nearly complex enough (at least in the pilot) to rate Ivanek’s level of talent.

One might assume that Elizabeth’s staff will get in her way, too, since they’ve mostly been retained from a predecessor who operated in a way that could be described as polar opposite to Elizabeth’s approach. Indeed, we see Elizabeth’s own Chief of Staff, Nadine Tolliver (Bebe Neuwirth, Cheers), flabbergasted at her boss’ behavior in the premiere hour. However, this is clearly a ‘team of rivals’ situation in which Elizabeth will win over the people under her command, which also includes speechwriter Matt Mahoney (Geoffrey Arend, Body of Proof), press coordinator Daisy Grant (Patina Miller, All My Children), and assistant Blake Moran (Erich Bergen, How Sweet It Is). It begins happening right away, far too easily.

Rounding out the cast are Tim Daly (Private Practice, Wings) as Elizabeth’s husband, Henry, a professor who catches many of his young female students’ eyes, Evan Roe as Elizabeth’s self-described anarchist son, Jason, and Katherine Herzer as good daughter Alison. There isn’t much remarkable about Elizabeth’s family situation, but the guys in her household will likely cause her problems, personally and professionally, as the story plays out. This is being telegraphed well in advance of any on-screen developments.

I really want to like MADAM SECRETARY based on its premise and players involved, but the pilot is predictable and boring. I applaud CBS for moving outside of the mold and trying to find an appropriate pairing for The Good Wife, which deserves it, surrounded by rote crime series, but this show is just too under-developed to fit the bill. As you may have surmised from the above paragraphs, it sounds a lot like many other dramas already out there, with shades of The Good Wife and Scandal, but packaged in an inferior product.

MADAME SECRETARY tries to be exciting by adding in a conspiracy in which people are being killed to cover something up. Elizabeth’s predecessor might very well have been one of the victims, meaning she could be next. But even that seems forced and hokey, rather than compelling, as it should be. The overall tone and style of the program are just not living up to expectation. It’s really a shame.

MADAM SECRETARY premieres Sunday, September 21^st at around 8:30 p.m. ET, depending on football overruns, on CBS.

SUITS "Out" for the Season

Article first published as TV Review: 'Suits' - 'No Way Out' on Blogcritics.

USA’s best series, Suits, wrapped up its third season last week with “No Way Out.” Mike (Patrick J. Adams) decides to stay with the firm, much to Rachel’s (Meghan Markle) dismay, since this leaving for a new career is Mike’s way out from under his fraud. But then Eric Woodall (Zeljko Ivanek, Damages, Argo) of the Justice Department hauls Mike in for questioning on illegal collusion, and the whole situation becomes unpredictable and tense.

Although unrelated to Mike’s lie about being a lawyer, this twist really makes Mike evaluate his current path. He’s a great lawyer and he loves working for Harvey (Gabriel Macht), his best friend, but does he really want the threat of hard time hanging over his head forever? Not only that, but Mike’s actions could get Harvey and others he cares about in trouble. Woodall seems to be a wake-up call, a chance for Mike to take stock of himself.

Rachel’s frustration with Mike for wanting to stay is justifiable, but taking his decision personally is not. She tries to paint it as Mike choosing Harvey over her, but that’s not it at all. Mike loves the family he’s finally got and doesn’t want to throw that away. These are natural feelings. He solicits Rachel’s advice because he really does take her seriously, but in the end, he has to do what is right for himself. I hope she can forgive him for it.

Had Mike gone through with leaving early in “No Way Out,” before the Justice Department gets to him, Harvey would feel betrayed. Harvey tells Mike he should leave the firm, but he doesn’t want Mike to go. Their relationship could have been severely damaged, Harvey feeling like Mike is ungrateful for everything Harvey has done for him. Because of the events of the season finale, though, Harvey understands why Mike has to go, and their bond is stronger than ever, both having demonstrated their unconditional loyalty. Very clever story structure, Suits staff.

Could Mike ever go back to Pearson Specter? It doesn’t seem likely. It’s a huge shame that one of the leads, arguably one of the two most important people on the series, has to be away from the main group. He still has connections, living with Rachel, palling around with Harvey, and his new company being a client of his old. But it won’t be the same. The problem is, if Mike gets his law degree now, he risks exposing his past wrongdoings. And once he gets away from the guillotine, it’s hard to imagine he’ll want to stick his head back in. So he’s probably gone for good, unless there’s a non-lawyer job opening.

Jessica (Gina Torres) has to be relived that Mike quits. She and Harvey have an engrossing conversation about how they are becoming the man they both hate. They don’t want their firm to be one of lies and corruption. Jessica goes along with Mike for Harvey and because it’s too late to avoid exposure herself once she finds out. But not being close with Mike, this will be seen as a win for her, a chance to take control again.

Unfortunately, Harvey won’t see it that way. Losing Mike and his girlfriend, Dana (Abigail Spencer), in the same day is rough, compounded when the woman he trusts most, Donna (Sarah Rafferty), clearly doesn’t trust Dana. Harvey likely will think Donna is glad that Dana is gone, which could cause serious tension in their working relationship. The scene between Donna and Harvey early in “No Way Out” in which Donna asserts she just wants Harvey to be happy is stressful, not reassuring, and they are not on the same page here.

There’s still the question of if Dana is trustworthy. She pulls away from Harvey just when Harvey is being a good man, finally, though he does lie to her about Mike for awhile. Still, coming clean about the secret to her may not be wise. Harvey trusts that Dana won’t tell, but I’m not so sure. Their relationships has been rocky as of late. If she continues to date Harvey after leaving the firm, I will consider them fixed and Mike safe. If she moves on, as appears to be where Suits is heading, Dana could easily grow angry and bitter and want to get even with Harvey later.

The way Suits brings things back around when viewers least expect it is part of what makes the show so great. This season finale finds Mike arrested for something he did some time ago, not anything recent events have brought up.  Mike gets away with it, yet again, but there’s always a plethora of other shoes just waiting to drop from the things the characters think they’ve left behind.

It’s gratifying to see Harold (Max Topplin) not only return, but stick by Mike as a friend. Harold may be wavering in his resolve, but he is reigned in, and his first instinct is to toe the line. Part of me holds out hope Harold can come back to Pearson Specter, since he is unemployed again now, but another part doesn’t think the show will go that way, choosing a more realistic approach to situations over serving fans’ desire. Yet, this little taste of Harold makes me miss him greatly.

Louis (Rick Hoffman) also shines in the small parts of the episode he’s in, as he always does for Suits. Harvey asking Louis for help with the Justice Department is a meaningful, and Louis terrorizing Harold again is even better. Louis is the most interesting personality in a show chock full of interesting personalities, and I love that Suits keeps giving Hoffman the material to chew through, as the performer does such a stellar job of it.

“No Way Out” is full of character moments in a tense situation. It serves the plot well, but more importantly, it gives the players all chances to not only shine, but grow. This is actually quite typical for Suits, just ratcheted up a little for a season finale. It’s why I can’t wait until it returns again.

Suits will be back on USA this coming June.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Argo Extended Edition’

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Argo Extended Edition’ on Blogcritics.

By now, most lovers of cinema have seen last year’s Academy Award Winner for Best Picture, Argo. Based on the true story of CIA specialist Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck, who also directed the film) and his plan to sneak American diplomats out of Iran during the hostage crisis of 1979 with the help of Hollywood players, it boasts an impressive cast and a compelling story. Now, just in time for the holidays, Warner Brothers has released the Argo Extended Edition.

For those who haven’t seen it, at the start, Iranians attack the American embassy and take a bunch of people captive. A small handful escape and hide with a friendly dignitary. With the noose closing in, and the American government unable to sanction an official rescue, Mendez comes up with the ingenious idea to fake a movie being shot in the area and get the sextet out of danger.

Now, Iran is keeping a close watch on visitors from the U.S., so with the help of Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin in an Oscar-nominated role) and John Chambers (John Goodman), filmmakers in L.A., Mendez sets up a Canadian production with an actual script and full cover identities for each of the people stranded. Then, he himself sneaks into Iran, makes it look like he’s actually scouting locations, and smuggles them back home.

It’s an unbelievable story of courage and ingenuity, one that is inspiring and inspired. Even with the outcome certain, viewers are sure to be kept on the edge of their seat as the tense situation plays out. Yes, some liberties are taken to build suspense, but in general, Argo is about real people, which definitely makes it easy for the movie to make viewers care about what’s happening.

Besides the aforementioned actors, the cast also includes Bryan Cranston, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Kyle Chandle, Chris Messina, Kerry Bishé, Zeljko Ivanek, Titus Wellivar, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Bob Gunton, Richard Kind, and more. It’s a very impressive call sheet, and together, they act the hell of of Argo, delivering some really authentic performances. Combined with an Oscar-winning script, it’s a heck of a movie.

The presentation is fantastic in Blu-ray high definition. The detail is excellent, especially in darker scenes, with rich layers. The soundtrack is great, too, with a full surround effect and a nice mix between background noise, dialogue, and score. It’s definitely on par with most recent releases of modern, big budget films, which are quite good.

As the set title implies, this cut of the movie is longer, about nine minutes more than the version released in theaters. Most of the fresh material concerns Mendez’s relationship with his family. This is nice, perhaps not completely necessary, but still welcome.

Better is the wealth of extras that are included with the Argo Extended Edition. There’s a hardcover book about the production with some neat photos, a CIA ID card for Mendez (as he looks on screen), a map of Tehran so you can better track the setting, and, my favorite, a poster for the movie-within-a-movie.

There are three features exclusive to this disc. One shows the real CIA honoring this operation as part of the agency’s fiftieth anniversary. Another looks into how Affleck brought the various elements of the piece together into this finished product. The third is a mashup of the catchphrase “Argo fuck yourself,” used over and over again in the movie. Besides all of this, a number of previously-released bonuses are present as well. There’s a picture-in-picture to compare what really happened with the film, an audio commentary for the theatrical cut, interviews with Jimmy Carter, Tony Mendez, and others, and a discussion with the cast. Affleck talks about why they shot Argo in Istanbul, documents used for the mission are examined, many of those actually involved in 1979 give their perspective, and more. Basically, it’s a really nice mix of stuff about the movie and insight into the real events.

All of this makes Argo Extended Edition a really nice set. What’s included is pretty much all useful and interesting, without the fluff some releases use to beef up their extras list. Not to mention, all of the additional physical material packaged with the discs, are pretty cool, too. For a fan of Argo, this seems to be the definitive edition to have.

Argo Extended Edition is available now.

"Love" REVOLUTION, Finally

Article first published as "Love" REVOLUTION, Finally on TheTVKing.

NBC's Revolution is finally finding its legs in the second season, which paused with the mid-season finale "Everyone Says I Love You" last night. In the installment, there are many people missing, and some doubting their sanity when they see things they don't expect to see. It's not much of an episode for closure, but it does further a number of arcs in a satisfying manner.

Aaron (Zak Orth) is front and center at present, suddenly having the power to heal even more wounds, and not just for himself, which he discovers when Cynthia's (Jessica Collins, Rubicon) knife wound disappears. But it's not actually Aaron doing any of this. The nanotech that saturates the world recognizes Aaron as the man who woke him up and is bending to his will, as well as appearing to him (and only him) in the form of a childhood friend.

Revolution has barely begun to scratch the surface of what the nanotech means for the characters or the planet. It definitely doesn't understand human emotions, letting Cynthia die again later in the episode, after Aaron has been screaming at it to go away. Yet, they understand preservation, killing Dr. Horn (Zeljko Ivanek, Damages) and the other Patriots who threaten Aaron. Have they already outgrown the human they've been helping now, and what drives them? These are interesting questions that the show will hopefully delve into down the line.

This series must strike a balance between character development and mythology, something the entire first season struggled with (not to mention plot holes and bad acting from the younger cast members, which seems to have mostly fixed itself over the summer break). There are plenty of viewers who are watching to unlock the mystery of this dystopian America and find out what political faction can seize control, but there are others who just want to see what will happen to the people they've become attached to.

"Everyone Says I Love You" mainly serves the characters, letting Miles (Billy Burke) fess up to long-hidden feelings for Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell) after a very revealing flashback, Rachel tells her daughter, Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos), just how much she is loved, and Rachel is worried about her MIA dad (Stephen Collins, 7th Heaven). Yet, this also ties into the larger arc. For instance, Miles is looking for Aaron to heal him from an infection. But will the nanos abandoning Aaron mean that Miles is out of luck?

I feel like this is a good way to handle things. Rather than keeping the elements separate, the series is starting to really weave an interconnected story and use all of its very talented adult cast appropriately, allowing them more layers and history. Thus, it's improved markedly.

Monroe (David Lyons) is one who has benefited from this shift. Once a pretty flat villain, he's now a broken man, having lost his nation, and is only getting by because of the hope that he might find his long-lost son. Miles is the key to the boy's location, tying Monroe and Miles together once more, and along the way Monroe has to do some things to protect our heroes, something we don't expect from him prior to this. Very interesting, and dynamic.

And, of course, Revolution is still going to try to shock fans with the Big Reveal from time to time. Among the many happenstances in "Everyone Says I Love You," the most surprising may be when Tom (Giancarlo Esposito) finds Julia (Kim Raver) alive and remarried. This not only throws Tom for a total loop, making his grief a waste of time, but also destroys the reason behind the mission he is on. There's no telling how he may proceed now, especially because it seems Julia isn't willing to just come home with Tom and their son, Jason (JD Pardo), but also asks that Tom abandon his quest.

Practically everything Revolution has done in its sophomore year has been a step up over the freshman run. If it continues this in the second half of the season, it just may crack into must-see, recommended TV. It's certainly got some great elements!

Revolution will return soon to NBC.

Fix up The Mob Doctor

Grade: 80%

FOX has a new drama called THE MOB DOCTOR. Starring Jordana Spiro (My Boys) as Grace Devlin, a promising young surgeon who agrees to do work for the mob to pay off her brother, Danny’s (Jesse Lee Soffer, As the World Turns), debt, the series finds the protagonist bouncing between two worlds. In one, she has a bright career ahead of her and a wonderful boyfriend, Dr. Brett Robinson (Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights, Off the Map). In the other, she pulls screwdrivers out of heads in the back room at a veterinary clinic.

As the “Pilot” begins, it almost looks like Grace enjoys the double life. She handles a thug with ease, not cruel, but not flappable, either. We learn that she grew up around criminals, and one of her earliest memories is finding a dead body. This sets the stage for a main character of questionable morals, something that does very well on cable, but is rarely seen successfully done on broadcast TV.

But as the hour plays out, it soon becomes apparent that Grace is not a common criminal. She is helping out her family, making her the kind of bright and shiny hero that populates many a series. This actually makes her a bit less interesting, as now we assume that she will always do the right thing. After all, her involvement in this mess of a situation is just stemming from loyal to her family, not out of a desire to do wrong or protect guys that should be behind bars. Should the writing stray from such a predictable formula, it would be neat and fresh. As it stands, Grace may quickly become rote and boring.

What gives me hope is Spiro herself. Her excellent work on her previous sitcom starring role over several years proved and honed her comedy chops. She dipped her toe into light drama with a recurring role on Harry’s Law more recently. Now, with THE MOB DOCTOR, she is given more to work with than ever, and the entire hour seems to hang on her, since she is in every scene. Spiro doesn’t flinch, and stays compelling through it all.

Another positive element is the writing. It’s hard to tell in which direction the series intends to go from just the “Pilot” because it is mostly setting things up. But there is no obvious patient of the week, with Grace treating several people throughout. And because the show is on FOX, not CBS, it may very well be allowed to explore large arcs, rather than being stuck in a formula. Or, if it does follow a weekly pattern, it may get to depart from that more than many other shows.

Spiro is surrounded by a talented, proven cast. Besides Gilford, there’s Zeljko Ivanek (The Event, Damages) as the hospital boss, William Forsythe (Boardwalk Empire, The Rock) playing the counterpart man in charge, James Carpinello (Rock of Ages), Floriana Lima (Poor Paul), Wendy Makkena (Sister Act, Listen Up), and Jaime Lee Kirchner (Mercy). This means that, if the writers decide not to make Spiro carry the show by herself, which they should, despite her talent, there is an already-built support system in place to sustain a quality series.

I don’t want to give away the ending of episode one, but suffice it to say, the balance of power is not established until the very last minutes of the episode. It makes it a little hard to talk about what to expect, going forward. A lot of the “Pilot” does a fine job establishing the characters and the setting, but it’s hard to say what kind of series THE MOB DOCTOR wants to be until we see how things play out past this first installment.

Another thing that happens very late is telling about Grace herself, painting some of her attitudes and actions in a different light. As a character, she does a handful of things that didn’t quite add up to me until that revelation. Had the twist been missing, it’s likely this would be a very different review.

THE MOB DOCTOR premieres Monday, September 17th on FOX.

The Event - "And Then There Were More; Inostranka"

     NBC's The Event returned last night with a special-two hour episode. The hours had different titles, but it felt like they were always intended to run together. I was worried about forgetting how the series left things when it disappeared months ago, but it was pretty easy to catch up. That is a sure sign we do not have another Lost on our hands, unfortunately. While I do not have a lot to say about the show, (this will be a pretty short review for two full hours of television), as the story can easily be broken into a mere three plots, it was pretty good. Not great.

     First, let's talk about the weakest story. Leila (Sarah Roemer) and Sean (Jason Ritter) quickly discover that Leila's father Michael (Scott Patterson) is an alien. Then they rescue Leila's sister, Samantha (Anna Clark), with very little effort. Michael is with Sophia (Laura Innes), who doesn't want to help him find hisdaughters. But Michael stands up to her, much to her chagrin, and before you know it, Michael is able to get a message to Sean, and they meet up.

     It is all far too easy. Sean and Leila have almost no trouble finding both Samantha and Michael. While Sophia seems majorly perturbed that Michael stands up to her, he gets what he wants, and then she exhibits no ill-will about it. Even the major decision Leila has to make when choosing between Sean and Michael is easily solved by Sean walking away while she sleeps. And, really, who didn't see that coming? This arc was predictable, and doesn't seem very realistic if you spend much time thinking about it.

     Far better is the standoff between Blake Sterling (the brilliant Zeljko Ivanek) and Thomas (Clifton Collins Jr.). Thomas takes over Inostranka prison in Alaska relatively easily, only to discover that Sterling is within the walls. While Thomas and his men have no problems dispatching the guards in the facility, Sterling proves quite the challenge, as one expect from a Ivanek character. As the two struggle for control within Inostranka, we are treated to a supreme battle of wills between two powerful leaders. From Blake changingthe door codes to Thomas torturing poor Blake, some of the finest moments of the episode were between these two.

     Special mention also goes to Maya (Clea DuVall), the shifty alien who kills her own husband to protect Sophia's secrets, but balks at following Thomas. She goes along with him when he takes over Inostranka to bide time, but soon learns her friends who did not want to follow the new leader have been executed. Maya makes a (stupid) heroic sacrifice running for Blake after he is shot, only to be gunned down herself by Thomas, and die. It's too bad, because she is pretty interesting, and I like the idea of Sophia having a mole within Thomas's group. Instead, she exposes herself without any benefit to anyone. Blake survives, not owing to anything she does, and she breathes her last breath.

     Also neat is the new Senator for Alaska, Catherine Lewis, played by the award winning actress Virginia Madsen. Lewis goes through her dead husband's office and discovers secrets about Inostranka. She takes what she finds to President Martinez (Blair Underwood), who not only lies to her face, but has her office ransacked. Talk about underestimation. Martinez's logic may be solid, not expecting a brand new Congresswoman with no experience or credentials to challenge him, but on the flip side, she has nothing to lose by doing so. Lewis proves herself a tough cookie right away, going on Hardball to force Martinez to spill his secrets.

     My only complaint here is that not only does Lewis back off once Martinez promises to talk, but she goes back on Hardball and makes herself look like a fool, burying the major cover up she previously promised to reveal. There is no good reason for Lewis to back down. Martinez doesn't actually tell her anything yet, only says he will in the future. Sure, Hardball is live and coming back from commercial, but I expect her to stand her ground until Martinez actually tells her what is going on. Perhaps she does the politically intelligent thing, but she doesn't display that same learned intelligence earlier in the episode. Plus, she may have just hurt her credibility, and considering she is trying to expose something big, she needs her credibility right now.

     Either way, Martinez looks to be developing a worthy foe in Lewis. Since Martinez is trying to sweep state secrets under the rug, no matter how good his intentions, I am pleased by this development. Martinez is not being open as he should, and needs to be confronted. I can even see Lewis being a possible second president, should the show continue, once she disgraces Martinez by exposing his lies. Of course, that is only one possible avenue the writers may pursue. More likely, Martinez will sadly defeat her.

     The Event airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Article first published as TV Review: The Event - "And Then There Were More"/"Inostranka" on Blogcritics.

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The Event Fall 2010

     NBC's The Event delivered an exciting pilot, though initially it seemed like the first half of what was intended to be a two hour episode. Having now viewed all 10 episodes from the fall run that no longer seems to be the case. Though the first episode was light on explanation, episode two, when combined with the first, doesn't make the story seem any more complete. Instead, it they are the beginning of several much larger arcs, some of which wrapped up in a few weeks, and some of which are still open. The biggest question still is: what is the Event that the title refers to? If network promos can be believed, it hasn't happened yet.

     Overall, this is a pretty cool show. It has elements of Lost, 24, and a little bit of V. Large parts of several episodes have been done in flashback, revealing different things in the main characters' pasts. It's a storytelling method that has not been implemented in every episode, and it has not been overused. Sometimes the backstories are there to inform us about present events, and sometimes they're just about revealing traits of the characters. Very few of those flashbacks are superfluous, the rest of the story has needed them to better illustrate some points. The one that does seem unnecessary, as far as the rest of the episode is concerned, is when Sean (Jason Ritter) met Leila (Sarah Roemer) for the first time. But it was incredibly sweet and completely welcome.

     The cast is excellent, and almost every character is layered nicely. This is best demonstrated by the three Washington D.C.-based main characters. First there is President Martinez (Blair Underwood), who seems so idealistic but has participated in covering up some of the recent events, opening himself up to being blackmailed by his slimy Vice President, Jarvis (Bill Smitrovich). Jarvis fancies himself a patriot despite his having been complicit in the attempted Presidential assassination.  Despite showing a political convention, the show dances around which party each character belongs to, but I think it's pretty clear that Jarvis is GOP and Martinez is Democrat. That does paint the series with a liberal lean, even though a lot of the action and anti-terrorism stuff traditionally appeals to a more conservative audience. An interesting choice.

     Director Sterling (the always perfect Zeljko Ivanek) at first seemed duplicitous, and he sometimes is. But he is the true patriot, willing to do anything reasonable for his country, and not willing to endanger its citizens. He may have disagreed with Martinez's decision in the pilot, but he would never have gone to evil lengths to stop it.

     However, finding out that Jarvis was the mole within the President's circle doesn't make sense. Jarvis all but accused Sterling of being the guilty party early in the season, in private. If he had wanted to remove suspicion from himself, surely that confrontation would have gone down in front of at least the President and some aides. In retrospect, it was only meant to fool the viewers, and doesn't make much sense for it to have happened. There have been a few other moments like that, but this is the most glaring example.

     Obviously, the main story is about the aliens who came to earth in 1944, lead by Sophia (Laura Innes).  Many of them have been in a prison in Alaska for the last 66 years. Their motivations, or even how they ended up here, is still unknown. What has been shown is that there are factions within the group, as there very likely would be in the real world, who don't agree with their leader. The biggest faction is lead by Sophia's son, Thomas (Clifton Collins Jr.), who ended the season deploying a communications satellite to send a message home. This is a twist I didn't see coming, and have no idea what he's really up to.

     Thomas has been the least consistently written character.  He spent a whole episode being berated by his mother for not being a capable enough leader, even though in the rest of the stories, he has shown independence and the ability to command others enough to be a serious threat. However, as he is also my least favorite actor of the group, and he is involved in some of the biggest, action-packed plots, I am focused enough on other things to not notice this issue most of the time. I think his character was certainly not really fleshed out when the series began, and we're seeing on screen the different writers' different approaches to figuring him out.

     One major problem with the show is that there are a lot more aliens in the meeting hall with Sophia than previously shown escaping their crash site in 1944, even taking into account limited camera angles. What's up with that? Do their children age quickly, and then stop? Is that how the population grew? I didn't see any kids among them. What about half-breeds? Surely, marrying and having kids would have raised suspicion, since they don't age, and would have had to leave their families at some point or risk exposure (that was dealt with to some extent, though not fully, when trying to explain the drastically different numbers of aliens).

     One of my favorite characters is Simon Lee (Ian Anthony Dale). One of Sophia's group who escaped imprisonment, Simon currently works for Sterling. A few episodes into the series, it seemed certain his cover was blown, but some pretty clever writing kept his job intact. Simon is loyal to Sophia, but also to the men with whom he serves. He seems to have the ideals of morality and the sacredness of human and alien life in hand more than any other character. While playing both sides, he wants the greatest good for both and is not motivated by selfishness. The episode where we saw him in love with a woman in the 1950s, and his later encounter with her in her old age, demonstrated as much. He is a truly good man (being?).

     While Simon is an example of great character development on the show, sadly, not every character is used to their full extent. However, given the changing amount of screen time Sean, Sophia, Martinez, and the others get, and depending on who is involved with the major plots moving the story forward, I would bet that won't stay true for long. I can't imagine right now how Christina (Lisa Vidal) could really be worked in more, but maybe with Vicky's (Taylor Cole) greatly reduced role in the last few episodes of the fall run it could be in the works. And why Martinez didn't do much important in the last few episodes, even though he was still a presence, is something I definitely wonder about.

     Most cheated at this point is Leila's father, Mike (Scott Patterson). As the pilot who almost flew a plane into Martinez and Sophia, as well as the father of another main character, Mike has spent most of this run locked up by the government and his screen time has been scarce. As a Gilmore Girls fan, I want more for Patterson, and the finale left me with hope that will be coming down the line. With a twist I saw coming from about hour three, I was nevertheless excited when Sean and Leila realized that Mike is an alien. I wonder if Sterling and Martinez know yet. They should with all the medical work done on Mike at the CDC and if not, there will be another huge plot hole for the writers to plug.

     The action during the run has been intense, and the story has kept me guessing--there are so many threads unraveling at once, it's impossible to be bored. But, the stories aren't so numerous as to be very confusing either. While it does not (yet) live up to Lost or 24's legendary status, there is enough here that, if handled right, it could be a great show with at least four or five seasons worth of interesting tales. The current stories will probably only take us though one or two as the series has chosen to keep the revelations coming fast, rather than dole them out slowly. I think that is the right decision in this case, and I, for one, am interested in finding out what happens next. So far though it's pretty good. We'll see what comes next, and whether that will push the series to greatness, or condemn it to mediocrity... if it doesn't get canceled first.

     The Event will return to NBC on Monday, February 28th. A little too long between episodes for my taste, and after Sweeps--which isn't a great sign--but here's hoping that it does well.



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Article first published as TV Review: The Event - Fall 2010 on Blogcritics.

The Event will be one to watch

    NBC has a new show this year that wants to become event television: The Event, which premiered last night. I don't really know what's going on, of course. This isn't the type of show where viewers are meant to, at least not at first. But peppered with a slew of likable and talented actors, and with some intriguing plot already laid out, The Event is certainly better than last year's similar offering, Flash Forward.

     As near as I can tell, there will be five main players in this series. President Elias Martinez (Blair Underwood, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Dirty Sexy Money, L.A. Law) found out about some event and secret group at an Alaskan hideaway about a year and a half before the series began. Sophia Maguire (Laura Innes, ER) has been locked away there, but has now arrived in Washington to announce something with the president. Sean Walker (Jason Ritter, Parenthood, Joan of Arcadia) is the everyman hero, whose girlfriend, Leila (played by Sarah Roemer), has been kidnapped by unknown people for unknown reasons. Michael Buchanan (Scott Patterson, Gilmore Girls) is Sean's girlfriend's father, and is clearly being blackmailed into doing bad things. And I'm not sure exactly who Simon Lee (Ian Anthony Dale, Day Break, Surface) is, but he's important enough to get close to the president, and smart enough to know that Michael is up to, and to try to stop him. Or maybe he was tracking Sean. That's unclear.

     If you haven't watched last night's premiere yet, stop reading here until you do.

     All five of these people have very interconnected stories, with Simon being the bridge between the two duos listed above. I don't particularly care about Simon, but the I already do about Martinez, Sean, and Michael. Martinez is shown to be a very principled president in the scenes before the action starts, in the vein of other great television presidents such as David Palmer and Jed Bartlet. The pilot was smart enough to give us plenty of Sean's background, and what his relationship with Michael is. There's a bond there appropriate for a soon-to-be-related couple of men, and it's touching. The fact that the woman they both love, in different ways of course, is in danger excuses their extreme behavior.

     The question is, why are Sean and Michael acting like they do in the framing story? My only complaint is that this should have been a two hour premiere. So much of the first hour had to take us back a week, or a year and a half, to set up the characters, that the framing story with all of the big stuff was not given time to be fleshed out. I presume we'll find out how Michael and Sean got to be on that airplane next week.

     The series is also clearly going to go into impossible territory. The plane disappearing into some energy-infused hole in the middle of the air seemed more appropriate for Fringe than The Event, which tells me that this isn't a cookie cutter series, and I might be interested in watching it. I assume Sophia will soon get the chance to explain to Martinez (and the viewer) what's happening.

     The other thing going for The Event is the supporting cast, which boasts such small screen heavyweights as Zeljko Ivanek (Heroes, Damages, True Blood, Big Love, 24, Oz) and Bill Smitrovich (The Practice, Life Goes On, Without a Trace). While neither did much more than stand around in this week's episode, I'm sure they will get to more than flex their acting muscles as the season unfolds.

     Only time will tell is this is the next Lost or a fizzling dud. But the signs in the premiere look promising. The Event airs Mondays nights at 9pm on NBC. 

Article first published as TV Review: The Event will be one to watch on Blogcritics.

Damages drowns in blood

    It began three years ago.  Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) stumbled down a dark street, blood on her hands and clothes.  It was quickly renewed for not one, but two more installments.  Now, after a trio of breathtaking seasons, the series may be at an end.  Currently, FX is in talks with DirecTV to split the cost of continuing Damages, but whether that will happen is still up in the air.  Why does such a critically acclaimed, award winning show have to struggle so hard in the ratings?  Perhaps it is the serial nature of it.  But it's well worth the time.


     This year's major case centered around the Tobin family.  True to form, twists kept coming left and right in the final hour and a half finale.  After the suicide of Louis (Len Cariou) in an earlier episode, it was a bit of a surprise to watch his wife, Marilyn (Lily Tomlin) jump to her death.  Beautifully filmed, I didn't even see it happening until she hit the water with a splash.  But will Carol (Ana Reeder) get away with murder?  It appears so.  For now anyway.

     Speaking of getting away with murder, it was wonderful to see Frobisher (Ted Danson) finally get arrested for paying someone to murder Ellen's fiance two years ago.  I'm sad that Wes (Timothy Olyphant, who now his own FX series, Justified) had to go down, too, but it proved the kind of man he is, and that he loved Ellen.  It would be fantastic if they could get back together at some point in the future.  Despite their dark deeds, the bad guys on Damages are frequently shades of gray, and I almost felt sorry for Frobisher, since he turned his new leaf and all.  Almost.

     Turns out, Joe Tobin (Campbell Scott) was really the villain, and the man who murdered beloved character Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan).  Because of that bastard, if the show gets a fourth season, long time third-star Donovan will not be able to return.  Or maybe he will.  Dead characters frequently prop up on Damages, among them, Zeljko Ivanek's Ray Fisk, for which he won an Emmy.  Ray popped up as recently as this week to haunt the people left behind.  But not in a cheesy way.

     I would be remiss if I did not praise Martin Short for the brilliant way he handled the serious drama, as opposed to the comedy that I am used to from him.  Also, Glenn Close is a true star, and proved once again how she can handle entire ranges of emotions in just her eyes, without speaking a word.  Her character may be one who deserves to be taken down more than any other, but you still root for her and care for her.  This season's plot concerning her son, Michael (Zachary Booth) allowed her to show yet more layers to Patty Hewes.

     Please, FX.  Find the money.  Give Damages another season.  To do otherwise would be criminal.