Glee - "Never Been Kissed"

     FOX's Glee is finally back, after only one episode in the past three weeks. Last night's foray, "Never Been Kissed", gave us two plots that fit the title, allowing both Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Beiste (Dot Jones) some quality screen time. Two of my favorite characters, it was fantastic to see even more of then than normal.

     Of course, that's a relative claim. I've read the review whining about Kurt's emotional journey, saying that it's dragging the show down. I disagree completely. At a time when the bullying of gays is up, and celebrities are taking to YouTube with the "It Gets Better" slogan, I see absolutely nothing wrong with having a brave, fully fleshed out gay high schooler in a major network show. Especially when Colfer is such a capable actor. His tears of frustration do not get old.

     The moment Dot Jones showed up on screen this year, I fell in love with her character. The newest misfit at McKinley High, Coach Beiste is a straight, forty-year old woman who we find out has never been kissed. Sure, it's not hard to understand why that is, or why the students would use her as a cool-down when getting hot with their significant other, but allowing Beiste to show dimension made her incredibly sympathetic. I love how what started off as a joke that any teenager in America could relate to turned into something more. Glee delivers morality message frequently, but this is one that benefited from being heard. Although I cannot envision a future for Beiste and Will (Matthew Morrison), their tender kiss, done not out of pity, but out of compassion, was a highlight of the night.

     Sadly, this episode will not be remembered among the best for it's musical numbers. The girls' Bon Jovi mash-up was fun, but the only one that really stood out was the Warbler's "Teenage Dream". It may not have been realistic, as soon many of the show's musical numbers aren't, but it was well executed, and a fantastic version of a song I didn't think that much of.

     The same scene also introduced the audience to Blaine (Darren Criss), quite probably the long-rumored love interest that Kurt will be getting. The bond between the two was instant, and it's a light at the end of the tunnel for long-suffering Kurt. Criss impressed audiences and producers alike, and is already being wooed to upgrade to series regular, likely to kick-in at the start of season three next fall, which is already ordered.

     The third thread of the homosexual plot involved a school bully who has been picking on Kurt. To be honest, I couldn't tell if it was one of the same guys who has slammed Kurt into lockers before or not. It's always possible that he could be Kurt's love interest instead of Blaine, but I doubt it. There could have been an interesting story there, but with Glee's already huge ensemble, it's probably better that the guy just disappeared into the background.

     In other news, Puck (Mark Salling) made his not-so-triumphant return after spending the last two episode in juvie. Before the ending credits, he was already facing serious trouble, including a return to lockup. Seeing Puck the rebel was a departure from the tough guy who came off as almost sweet last year as he tried to step up and take responsibility as a father. It was an unfortunate backslide, and one I hope will be corrected. Unless they're just ready to dump someone from the cast, and he's the choice. I'd be OK with that, as it's got to happen no later than the end of the season, but I'd miss him.

     Speaking of the too-large group of players, will they ever reveal what grade the students are in? I'm guessing that since Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.) remains the only original club member not a series regular, he's a senior. Someone has to graduate. I find it semi-believable that everyone returned for season two (except one guy, who was said to move, not graduate), but surely they were not all freshmen? Puck, Artie (Kevin McHale), and Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) are the primary candidates in my mind. I'm not really ready to let go of anyone else. They cannot all possibly return for season three, unless the show follows them to college. Which would be awesome, but again, way too many people to share screen time already, and a new setting, with inevitable new characters, would just add to the mess.

     Oh, and the Artie and Brittany (Heather Morris) thing should just go away. I'm for Brittany and Santana (Naya Rivera) all the way! Or at least find a sweet girl for Brittany.

     One other complaint that I have about Glee is sort of minor, through it is a trap that many series fall into (Justified springs to mind), and that is how well the series writers know the area where the show is set. I grew up in the central Ohio area, and went to college and lived in Westerville for several years after. In last night's episode, Kurt visited a fictional private school in Westerville. Now Glee takes place in Lima, Ohio. The fact that McKinley High School is actually in Canton, Ohio is beside the point, as the television McKinley bears little similarity to the real one. However, Lima and Canton are about two and a half hours apart. Both Lima and Canton are each about one and a half to two hours away from Westerville (in different directions, naturally). Therefore, these quick little jaunts down to Westerville, a close suburb of Columbus, would be more than that. I love hearing names of familiar places in a show that I adore, but would it kill someone to spend a few minutes with Google to get the facts right?

     Glee is only fun to pick apart because it is such a great series, and I look forward to discussing it whenever I can. My criticisms are in no way meant to drive anyone away from the show. Please tune in Tuesday nights at 8pm on FOX.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Article first published as TV Review: Glee "Never Been Kissed" on Blogcritics.

Fringe "Amber 31422"

    Five episodes into the third season of FOX's Fringe, and it's already been spectacular. The major game changing play this year, alternating each week which universe the episode takes place in, has been wonderfully successful. While Fringe toyed with the alternate world in the first two seasons, seeing those other versions of our favorite characters in major arcs is incredibly rewarding. I love the red theme song for alternate weeks, and the cast of characters that appear over there, but not (yet) back here. Plus, seeing John Noble as Walternate is very satisfying.
     Last Thursday was an alternate week, however, aspects of it were a call back to previous episodes on our side of the universe. Olivia (Anna Torv) was once again drugged up and put in the sensory-deprivation tank, although this time it was Walternate's much more sophisticated version. Her powers have been dealt with on and off for years, and this episode confirmed that whatever Walter did to Olivia as a child plays a huge role in what she can do. It's sort of been a question of mine if Olivia is special because Walter did experiments on her, or if Walter's experiments were so interesting because she was special. This episode seemed to confirm that Walter was responsible for many of her gifts. Plus, now Olivia is not only realizing that she's in the wrong universe, but also that she can travel back and forth under the right circumstances. As Olivia continues to grow as a person, and gains knowledge and confidence of her abilities, this particular talent is sure to play a substantial role in the story.

     If you'll indulge, a quick side trip here. Unlike Walternate, whose alternate name has been widely accepted very quickly, there is much argument over what to call the alternate version of Olivia, currently carrying out some secret mission in our world. I firmly fall into the camp of Fauxlivia (sometimes seen with a dash, as Faux-livia), as it makes the most sense to me, and I will refer to her as such in my tweets and reviews. Other popular suggestions have been Alter-Olivia or Altlivia, which seem clumsy. Bolivia is how she is referred to in the script, because she was called B-Olivia (as opposed to A-Olivia, our Olivia). However, while I guess I understand how that would work on paper (though shouldn't it be Olivia-B, instead of B-Olivia?), Fauxlivia just sounds better.

     Whatever you call her, Torv is doing a bang up job capturing the subtle differences between the two characters, making Fauxlivia a bit dumber (she doesn't have the photographic memory or chemically-enhanced abilities). Fauxlivia is tough, but seems to value muscle more than science. Clearly both versions have potential, but without the same experiences shaping them, they became two different people.

     I have found it sort of odd that Peter (Joshua Jackson) keeps appearing to Olivia. Yeah, I get the explanation that he represents her true self, and that he is the part of her figuring our what's really happening after Walternate brainwashed her into believing she belong in the alternate universe. But honestly, to me it seems like a ploy to keep the third leading character, the one who doesn't have a living counterpart, in each episode week after week. I'm not exactly complaining, as I'm quite fond of Peter, and Olivia has to externalize the conflict somehow. However, let's just admit that it's been done to benefit the actor more than the story.

     This week's guest stars were also fantastic, as they played out a fascinating self-contained story. Aaron Ashmore (Smallville) and his real-life twin Shawn (the X-Men movies) played twins, one of whom was a bank robber and one was an accountant. The accountant was frozen in amber (that's how the alternate universe tries to contain disturbances in the fabric of their existence), but the authorities believed that the victim was his brother. Four years later, the criminal brother rescues his innocent brother, and the Fringe team try to contain the implications. If society at large found out their loved ones could be revived from the amber, they would want to rescue everyone. Ultimately, Olivia's true nature asserts itself, and after the bad brother is re-ambered, she allowed the good brother to live his life in peace.

     Walternate claims that rescuing people from amber threatens the stabilization of the effort. As the Secretary of Defense he is more concerned with security that innocent lives. He has been shaped by a tough existence, though, losing his son, and dealing with a series of disasters caused by Walter's original cross over. I don't excuse his callous nature, but he is more than a two-dimensional villain. What's unclear is if there is any science to support his hesitation to un-amber people, or if he just doesn't want to take any risk at all that might come back to bite him and the people he is trying to protect. It's obvious that he doesn't care about lives in our universe, but at least some of his motivation is to help the people in his world.

     I'm also loving the alternate universe Fringe team. It's so good to have Charlie (Kirk Acevedo) back on a regular basis. I don't think he will be promoted back to main character, as his part has been handled in a reduced role. But the third member of the team, Lee (Seth Gabel, Dirty Sexy Money, United States of Tara), has also been enjoyable. It would be great if our-universe Lee popped up, or if Olivia found him when she returned, and he could be added to the cast. My only hesitance in supporting this move is that Astrid (Jasika Nicole), who is one of my favorite characters, and already gets too little screen time in both universes, would likely lose her precious moments by the addition of other cast members. The screen time surely won't be cut for Jackson, Torv, or Noble.

     I'm content to wait for most of the plot to pay out this season, because although it's been a tad slow unfolding, the writing and acting has been incredibly strong, as is consistent with this great series. However, there are two burning questions that I don't know if the writers ever plan to address, and I'd really like to know the answers: Where is the alternate universe Nina Sharp (Blair Brown), the only main character we haven't seen a second version of? And what happened to F.B.I. Agent Jessup (Meghan Markle), who was sort of put up as Charlie's replacement in season two, but only appeared in two episodes last fall? I'm sure most fans don't care about my second question, if they even remember Jessup, but I liked her, and I'm curious. Even if I'd rather have Lee.

     Fringe airs Thursday nights at 9pm on FOX.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Article first published as TV Review: Fringe - "Amber 31422" on Blogcritics.

Conan - TBS Premiere

     Last night, after spending the better part of a year "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television" (as was the name of his comedy tour), Conan O'Brien returned to TV; still sporting his time-off beard. His new show — airing on TBS — is called Conan, which, according to the host, was to make it harder for him to be replaced. In fact, there were a number of jokes told last night about his brief run as host of The Tonight Show, and made at NBC's expense.

     Ironically — as Conan did not want to do The Tonight Show at midnight, hence his departure from NBC — Conan's 11pm timeslot means that TBS's other late night show, Lopez Tonight, was bumped from 11pm to midnight. However, George Lopez has been warm towards Conan since the announcement of the new show, and seems to harbor no ill feelings. In fact, having the more famous Conan as an opener will likely help Lopez's ratings.

     Everything that fans love about Conan has come back with him. NBC allowed him to take his characters, and so the Masturbating Bear made an appearance in last night's premiere. Andy Richter has returned as sidekick, and most of the show's creative team has moved over from NBC with the host. The glaring exception is the departure of long-time bandleader Max Weinberg, who has been replaced by Jimmy Vivino. Max has recently suffered health problems, and his family stayed in New Jersey when Conan's crew moved to California. The band is now known as The Basic Cable Band, or BCB on certain logos.

     Long-time fans of Conan should have few complaints. The new series sticks to the brand of humor viewers are familiar with; TBS even allows Conan to push the envelope a little further in terms of content than network television. It's a comfortable gig that will hopefully last a long time. It should be helped along by the flight of many television viewers from network into cable.

     Last night's premiere featured guests Seth Rogen and Lea Michele (Glee), as well as Jack White, whom Conan sang with. There were also cameos by Ricky Gervais and Don Draper (the Mad Men character portrayed by Jon Hamm).

     Conan airs Monday through Thursdays on TBS at 11pm.


For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Article first published as TV Review: Conan - TBS Premiere on Blogcritics.

SpongeBob SquarePants "Mystery With a Twistery"

     Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants is a beloved classic at this point. It has been on the air since 1999, and — though it doesn't run regular seasons — is into its eighth batch. This coming Thursday will see the eighth episode in this eighth season, entitled "Mystery With a Twistery." It is the first new episode in over a month, and should prove delightful.

     The main plot arc concerns Mr. Krabs (voiced by Clancy Brown), tired of fending off the scheming of arch-enemy, Plankton (Mr. Lawrence), sending his Krabby Patty recipe to a far-away safe deposit box for safekeeping. Of course, he needs a look at the ingredients almost as soon as it's gone, so he sends SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) to retrieve it. Plankton follows them, bent on stealing the key to the box, and the secret recipe.

     I wouldn't dream of spoiling the obvious ending, or most of the fun it takes getting there. I can, however, drop a few hints. The episode features two characters are aren't who they appear to be, a retirement home built strangely at the end of a train track, a not-so-fun way for Mr. Krabs to spend his life savings, and reveals that Patrick can repeatedly run faster than a locomotive speeding out of control.

     SpongeBob still teems with unexplainable going-ons, and I wonder how the rules of gravity and land physics can possibly apply under water. However, for a series whose ocean-dwelling sponge looks like the kitchen variety, the rest falls in as part of the charm. SpongeBob may be over a decade old, but he can still deliver the charm and humor of a much younger cleaning implement.

     Advertised as a very special mystery episode, "Mystery With a Twistery" premieres this Thursday at 8pm on Nickelodeon.


For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Article first published as TV Preview: SpongeBob SquarePants - "Mystery With a Twistery" on Blogcritics.

The Cleveland Show celebrates Halloween... a week late

    FOX made a bad move this year by airing The Cleveland Show's (along with the rest of the network's Animation Domination lineup) Halloween special, "It's the Great Pancake, Cleveland Brown", a week after Halloween.  Sure, if they had aired it a week early, that would have been ok.  People anticipate, and get in the mood for, holidays before they occur.  But I've never heard of a network running holiday specials so long after the day has passed before.  I realize that FOX has commitments to baseball, but if they were going to go ahead and make Halloween episodes of everyone's favorite animated series, they should have been put on the air before Halloween, even if it wasn't on their normal night.

     That being said, last night's The Cleveland Show was not a bad episode.  Funny, yes, at times bizarre, but not bad.  A couple of memorable gags were shown.  Upon returning home and finding his house toilet papered, a carved jack o'latern volunteers to Cleveland (voiced by series co-creator Mike Henry) what happened.  Roberta (Reagan Gomez-Preston) claimed not to know what she was (barely) dressed up as, and replied off handedly that she might be a ghost.  Later, in the same costume, she made ghost-like sounds for no apparent reason.  Kendra (Aseem Batra), clad far too skimpily, chased Lester (Kevin Michael Richardson) down the street, as Lester frantically tried to remember their safe word.  Cleveland attended David Carradine's funeral, laughed at seemingly dirty words, then cried when he found out that auto-erotic asphixiation could be fatal.  Sure, some those things were silly, and the latter was a bit wrong, but all elicited chuckles.

     The main plot focused on Cleveland Jr. (also Richardson), Cleveland's childish, dorky son from his first marriage.  Junior wanted to go trick-or-treating dressed up as a pancake, but Cleveland told him that fourteen was too old for such things, and ordered him to stay home and pass out candy.  Junior went out in a rare act of defiance, and was bullied for it.  After that, he agreed to listen to his father as Cleveland transformed him into someone cool, but was still picked on.  Finally, partially at the urging of Junior's step-mother, Donna (Sanaa Lathan), Cleveland realized that he had to let his son be who he was.  But he did not have to allow bullying.  Cleveland and his friends dressed up as other breakfast foods and accompanied Junior on a revenge mission to egg the bullies.  In a last toungue-in-cheek remark, Cleveland admitted he couldn't protect his son from what might happen to him at school the next day.

     The B plot involved Rallo (also Henry) loosing a tooth, he thinks from eating too muich candy, and hiding it under his pillow.  The youngster is shocked and terrified to discover that the tooth is replaced by a quarter, not knowing about the tooth fairy, or realizing that he hadn't managed to slip the gap in his smile past his mother's notice.

     And that pretty much sums up The Cleveland Show.  Cleveland is a loving father, who is a bit too self-obsessed, and thinks he's right far more often than he is.  He often doesn't consider consequences.  Yet, somehow there is a sweet family drama here.  More so than on Family Guy, Cleveland has to be a parent, ironic, considering the title.  It's found it's own niche.  The neighborhood is a little less refined than the show it spun off from, and there aren't as many off-topic side scenes, and Cleveland has proven itself more than a carbon copy.

     The Cleveland Show will never replace Family Guy, nor rise to it's popularity.  But it's worth a watch.  The Cleveland Show airs Sunday nights at 8:30pm.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Allow The Benson Interruption to interrupt your night

     Or morning, if you TiVo it like me.  It's on at midnight, after all!  But regardless of when you watch Comedy Central's newest show, The Benson Interruption, prepare to be amused.

     Doug Benson is that way-too-cheesy, unfunny comedian from VH1's canceled show, Best Week Ever.  However, turns out that when he's on stage and not doing a really stupid voice, he's pretty watchable.  Apparently Benson would sit in the front row while comedians performed and hilariously interrupted them (I assume this was planned and he didn't just show up at random people's sets), and Comedy Central through, why not put that on tv?  Instead of being in the front row, Doug gets more visible with a chair on stage, which he sits in and patiently holds up his microphone, waiting for the right moment to jump into the jokes being performed.  Which is often.  Really, it seems more like a duo on stage than one man butting into another one's time.  But no matter.  It works.

     This weekend, the first episode premiered with Nick Swardson (Nick Swardson's Pretend Time, Reno 9-1-1), Nick Kroll (The League) and G4's Chris Hardwick.  Each was pretty funny.  The comedy definitely leaned towards the raunchy, with masturbation, pee, AIDs nurse, and birthing jokes.  The best runs were when Doug and the current performer went back and forth at each other, with the performer improvising retorts to what Doug said, instead of just trying to carry on with their set
.
     I'm not sure how I feel about the 'Twitter-off' bits, which Doug did with Nick K. and Chris.  Basically, they each just read some of their own twitter posts, and then the other made a funny comment.  Sure, the one-liners were funny, but I felt the show was at it's best when it was a followable thread, rather than random jokes out of nowhere.

     The Benson Interruption airs Friday nights at 12am according to the Comedy Central website, although technically that is Saturday morning.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Private Practice "Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?"

     ABC's Private Practice has had its good runs, and its bad. Sometimes the show has been downright hard to watch, while at others it has shined like the intensely engaging drama that it can be. Last night, an episode aired that was one of the best they've ever done. It was called "Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?" It was disturbing, intense, tragic, and moving, all rolled into one.

     The episode centered around the immediate aftermath of the attack on Charlotte (KaDee Strickland), seen briefly in flashes at the end of last week. Peter (Tim Daly) sees Charlotte stumble down a hall, badly beaten up and covered in blood. Charlotte tells him that she was robbed, and manages to keep most of the hospital staff away, secluding herself in a room with Pete and one trusted nurse. As soon as Peter steps out to notify all of their fellow doctors at Oceanside Wellness, Charlotte calls Addison (Kate Walsh). Addison is the only one that actually finds out that Charlotte was raped, as Charlotte refuses a rape kit, won't tell the police, and swears Addison to secrecy, against Addison's protests. In Charlotte's vulnerable state, the other doctor cannot bring herself to deny the demand.

     It's incredibly frustrating, because the rapist, Lee (Nicholas Brendon), is sitting down at police headquarters, but can't be held because no one has brought charges against him. If only Charlotte would agree to the rape kit, the evidence to get Lee off the streets would be there, and justice might be served. Clearly, this story is far from over. Next week's preview showed Addison trying very hard to keep the dark secret, and Charlotte still suffering.

     The hour had plenty of gut-wrenching moments. From Charlotte receiving stitches with no pain killer (she is in Narcotics Anonymous and allergic to the local anesthetics), to her fiance, Cooper's (Paul Adelstein) first glimpse of her. He sits by her side, trying (and failing) to be brave, not even realizing just how deep Charlotte's trauma goes. Addison's reactions to her fellow doctors are telling, as clearly she is beyond frustrated with the situation, and just wants to help. Yet, she can't.

     The rape itself was handled delicately. Viewers got a bit more than the flashes they saw last week, but it was still just quick glimpses. What we did see was disturbing, violent, and scary. I'm not saying rape ever gets glamorized, but it was surprising to me just how brutal the attack was. What was shown was more than enough to convey what happened, so it's good it was left at that. Congratulations to the cast and crew who pulled off such a horrible event in a way that focused on the emotion, and did not show unnecessary brutality. It still conveyed the point, but it was done in such a way that was as classy as possible in the situation. Basically, no violence for violence's sake. Only what was needed for the medium to continue an incredibly moving, dare I say important, story.

     Spaced throughout the scenes of Charlotte in the hospital was a plot where Sheldon (Brian Benben) is called to the local police station to talk to a man who was picked up covered in blood that was not his own. The audience finds out that his name is Lee, and long before he confesses to raping a woman, it's not hard to figure out that it's Charlotte's attacker. However, those of us waiting for that inevitable full confession, or someone to connect the dots to who his victim was, never materializes. At least not yet. As I've said, I'm sure that this storyline will take up quite a lot of screen time over the coming weeks.

     Brendon, famous for playing geeky sidekick Xander on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was amazing. While he was beloved on Buffy, subsequent roles haven't shown a depth of range, and left my opinion of his acting talents on the shallow end. However, in this role, he was fantastic. It's such a dark, unexpected turn for him, and he greatly surpassed expectations. He didn't have a ton of dialogue, either. He managed to convey a lot of layers with just a few expressions, which is something I did not expect he was capable of. I apologize for ever thinking ill of Brendon, and hope this role will lead to more work for him soon.

     This season has already had a lot of adjustment, with the recent death of main character Dell (Chris Lowell), the debate over what would become of his daughter, Betsy (Hailey Sole), and the off-screen death of William White (James Morrison), owner of the downstairs clinic. It's still a little hard getting used to Peter and Violet's (Amy Brenneman) marriage, and Sam (Taye Diggs) and Addison's relationship. It seems to have made Sam more timid to be with such an outspoken woman. It has been nice to have Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) added to the lineup, though she has yet to find her niche. She was very helpful this week, and it finally started to feel like she belonged with the rest.

     Violet already went through another traumatic event that shaped more than a year of the series, and so is deeply affected by what happened. Her lack of passionate reaction demonstrates how much she has healed. While her attack, which involved a crazy woman cutting her baby out of her stomach, was equally well-written and performed, the dark place that Violet went to afterward drug down much of last season. It took a very, very long time for Violet to start to come around, and finally rejoin her cast mates with any story that did not center around her experience. I don't think they will follow the same route with Charlotte, as it's already been done, and it wasn't the most-liked arc for many fans.

     Naomi (Audra McDonald) has been off dealing with William's estate, and will soon return to run the new, combined offices of Oceanside Wellness and William's floor. This means that Naomi has not appeared in the last three episodes. One cannot help but wonder how the last few weeks would have gone differently if Naomi had been around. Surely, Naomi would have insisted on adopting Betsy herself, after no one else would. She likely would have been the one assisting Charlotte instead of Addison. Would Naomi have kept the secret? Would she have been able to convince Charlotte to get a rape exam? Naomi is not as forceful as Addison, so I doubt she would have been able to make Charlotte submit to the tests. However, she has a much greater compassion, so chances are she may have been able to talk her into it. I look forward to Naomi's return, and how the ongoing plot will be affected by her re-joining the foray.

     If your life has been impacted by rape, incest or other sexual abuse, reach out to RAINN online or by phone at 800-656-4673.

     Private Pratice airs Thursday nights at 10pm on ABC, following the show it spun off of, Grey's Anatomy.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.


Article first published as TV Review: Private Practice "Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?" on Blogcritics.

Chuck: the season so far

     In a season of great Chuck (but who are we kidding, every season since the first has been great), this week's episode, "Chuck Versus the First Fight", stands out as the best of the year, thus far.  Chuck (Zachary Levi) has been reunited with his mother, Mary (Linda Hamilton, The Terminator).  In a throwback to spy hit Alias, one of the first things she did was shoot him.  Hamilton plays the character with wonderful ambiguity.  Surely, there is still some care left in her for her children, but she also isn't strictly a good guy by any means.  She is known as Frost, and works for a pretty bad dude.

     In this week's episode, Chuck had to decide whether he could trust his mother, and what's more, Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) had to decide the same thing.  But Sarah's faith in Chuck was the real question.  The two butted heads, as Sarah captured Mary at the end of last week.  Chuck secretly spoke with his mother, who assured him that her handler could verify that she was a deep undercover agent.  The handle was played by James Bond himself, Timothy Dalton, who turned out to be meek and nerdy.  The character also referenced the similarities between Chuck and Alias, further cementing the comparison between the two best spy shows of the last decade.  The big twist, though, was that he wasn't at all, and was actually Mary's boss, head of some serious criminal happenings.

     Chuck's family has always been complicated.  When the series began, it seemed like both of his parents had abandoned him and his sister Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) long ago.  As the plot unfolded, we found out that the Bartowskis had alwasy been involved in espionage, and had left for reasons beyond their control.  Chuck was somehow destined to take on the family mantle, and though Ellie found out about some of what he has done, he has to keep his ongoing involvement a secret from her.  It's sad, because if the family had just been more honest with each other, so many misunderstandings could have been avoided.  Surely, Ellie and Chuck are heading for a big falling out when she re-discovers his secret life.

     Unlike most spies, Chuck started his career very green, through complicated happenstance, and slowly, many of his friends and family have been brought in on the cover.  Chuck's best friend Morgan (Joshua Gomez) has been an absolute delight whenever he gets on the missions, which is thankfully a lot more now that Casey (Adam Baldwin) has taken a shine to him.  Captain Awesome (Ryan McPartlin), Chuck's surgeon brother-in-law, ended up being surprisingly squeamish about the danger, which was unexpected and hilariously rewarding.  It can't be long before the rest of Chuck's co-workers at the Buy More find out, now that the electronics store is a full-fledged CIA base, only re-employing it's former dimwits to keep a believable cover.

     Chuck is as unpredictable as it is enjoyable.  The curves thrown at the audience already this season have been varied and frequent.  Although sometimes there is a 'typical' mission, the series plays a lot with the ongoing plot, a welcome serial aspect.  There is plenty of emotional baggage, too; the conversation between Mary and Ellie this week was genuine and sweet.  Mary's willingness to leave Chuck and Sarah an escape route as she destroyed her dead husband's base proves she isn't the ultimate evil.

     The guest stars have also been piling up this year like crazy.  For a little-rated show which has gotten great critical reviews, it seems everyone is willing to lend some gravitas by showing up.  Besides Timothy Dalton (who will hopefully return) and Linda Hamilton (who is already doing an arc), we've already seen Ana Gasteyer, Robert England, Morgan Fairchild, Eric Roberts, Stacy Keibler, Nicole Ritchie, Steve Austin (both reprising roles), Isaiah Mustafa (Mr. Old Spice himself), Olivia Munn, Bronson Pinchet, Lou Ferrigno, and Dolph Lundgren, with many more on the docket.  Chuck chooses it's guest stars carefully, selecting people who appeal to their fans.  And it works well, actually seeming like something more than stunt casting.

     Chuck's thirteen episode fourth season has already been extened to twenty-four episodes.  Be sure to tune in Monday nights at 8pm on NBC.


For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

The Walking Dead inspires

     AMC's newest series, The Walking Dead, is awesome. At least, the pilot is. Before I am jumped all over for expressing that opinion, I'd like to break down why I think it is such, and what the series has to offer.

     Zombie fans have had plenty of movies made over the years. Some of the more serious ones, like 28 Days Later, have been intensely scary. Lately, zombies have also been a fodder for comedy, with Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, which have actually increased the zombie fan base. Personally, I have never been a fan of the genre, but the comedy attempts introduced me to enjoyable zombies, and I can take the more horror-driven if there is a good plot. The Walking Dead goes for the serious route, creating creatures that are gross and hungry for flesh. They are very dangerous, and out to eat you.

     While zombies are traditionally slow, more current films have imbibed them with supernatural speed, making them that much more deadly, and much harder to escape. The Walking Dead goes for a middle ground. They can move sort of fast when they need to, and when excited into a feeding frenzy. Usually, they move slow, or lie around until something disturbs them. The real threat from Walking Dead zombies are being trapped by a pack, and not having an escape route. This happened to Deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln, Love Actually) at the end of the pilot, and he found refuge in a tank.

     Like speed, zombies' intelligence have been approached in different ways. Some are so dumb they can't even turn a door knob. Walking Dead zombies do not fall into that category. However, they don't seem smart enough to throw things through windows or use a sledgehammer to break down doors, either. They are not scared off by bullets, but I've never seen a zombie that was. Fire remains to be seen.

     What the scariest zombie movies do is build suspense, keeping a tight knot in your stomach for the duration. The Walking Dead certainly did that. Whether Grimes was walking down a dark staircase, or approaching a city known to be dangerous on a horse, my adrenaline never stopped pumping. The danger element was ever-present, and camera angles frequently kept the wide shot a mystery, making things seem even more precarious.

     The camera work was spectacular. AMC is known for making beautiful-looking shows. Blood, guts, and gore don't really count as aesthetically pleasing, but the landscapes were nice. And each shot was executed with care and precision. The pilot felt so well made, I couldn't help but be pulled in. Certainly, even if you are not a zombie fan, you can appreciate elements that fall into place with such care?

     The biggest question is, are zombies ripe for a series, and will fans keep tuning in week after week? I believe the audience for this type of show is limited. Plenty of people can't stand the genre, and few non-zombie fans (except, perhaps, myself) will be drawn into the premise. It will never reach a super-wide fanbase, but zombie lovers have bought enough tickets to sell many a movie, so perhaps they are abundant enough to sustain a weekly television show.

     I can't imagine The Walking Dead will not appeal to the zombie-philes. All of the traditional elements are there, in such rich detail. The pilot felt like an R-rated movie, with so much gore I couldn't believe I was watching basic cable. This is what they love, and so, as long as they can find it, there'll be some fans.

     A huge part of zombie stories, though, usually involves most of the main characters being picked off one by one. Here is where The Walking Dead has to be careful. Yes, characters have to die in order to keep interest and the sense of impending doom strecthed out for many installments. Yet, it would get old to keep finding new pockets of survivors. In this case, important deaths will need to be doled out slowly, not allowing the body county to rise swiftly. The longer the show goes on, the more attached viewers will become to their favorite characters, and each death will carry a risk of alienating fans of a certain actor. But if death is not a regular part of the show, more will tune out because the series will seem too tame for zombie fans.

     So far, everything looks great, and the people playing the survivors of the zombie plague are all decent enough performers. There is mystery, as the audience is still in the dark about where the pathogen came from or how it spread (I assume it's a pathogen; it often is). There seems to be a fairly large cast, which will support periodic killings, although very few had much screen time in the first episode.

     There is also human drama. Grimes is searching for his wife, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies, Prison Break), who is holed up with his former partner, Shane (Jon Bernthal, The Pacific, The Class). They believe that he is dead, so it's not really cheating, right? Although Grimes has not yet found them, previews and pictures released online reveal that it won't be long before he does. Also, one of the most moving moments from the pilot dealt with Morgan (Lennie James, Jericho) trying to bring himself to shoot his zombie-wife.

     Smart writers will pull a Resident Evil, giving tidbits at a time of the backstory, and be willing to extend the universe periodically, with new directions that fit with what's come before, but still feel fresh.

     The first episode of The Walking Dead will re-run several times this weekend, and new episodes air Sunday nights at 10pm on AMC.

 

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.


Article first published as TV Review: The Walking Dead on Blogcritics.

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Inspired

      I'd like to tell you what it felt like to be at the Rally to Restore Sanity and / or Fear, but it's difficult to convey in words. I'm sure by now many of you have seen the bad reviews. As I had a hard time seeing and hearing things at the rally, I watched my TiVo recording of the entire thing last night, and was disappointed by much of the content. Yep, it was boring, at times awkward, and mostly music. I could give you the rundown on everything that happened, but you can find that elsewhere. Suffice it to say, if you were judging on the event only on what went on onstage, you would be disappointed.

     But as usual, the truth is far more nuanced, and this was one of those occasions where you just had to be there. To be packed in with 215,000 other people was amazing. The excitement was thick. Everyone was smiling. No one was shoving. People were polite and reasonable, as the Jon Stewart asked them to be. Some people brought signs and stickers that they were passing out free to others. It was a big feeling of community. You really got the sense that the attendees were there because they believed in the Sanity message, not Fear, and certainly not some overly radical political agenda.

     Sure, that number of attendees has been debated. Estimates range for 200,000-250,000, though 215,000 seems to be the number most media outlets have gone with. I'm sure FOX puts it at much lower number. Their reviews talked about 'political radicals' and 'backlash against the tea party'. Sure, I only saw a small fraction of the crowd, but I can assure you, most signs were not politically motivated on either side. Most were just plain fun. Throughout this article, you'll see some of the pictures I took, and they are much more representative than what you may have heard from that famously-biased news network. Ok, let the negative commenting below begin.

     I can tell you, the spirit of hope was everywhere. It was like the best days of President Obama's campaign. Eating the provided continental breakfast at the full-booked hotel outside of D.C. (from which it took nearly an hour to get downtown), people all around me were talking about heading to the Rally, and what it meant to them. From first thing that morning, there was already something in the air, and it was coming from that far away.

     What was happening onstage wasn't all bad, though. Jon Stewart gave out medals for Sanity, and he made some really great choices from recent news stories. One went to the young man that took the Koran from the guy who wanted to burn it. Another went to the pitcher who lost a perfect game to a bad call from an umpire.
 

     As some have said, Stephen Colbert's place, and Fear itself, was for comic relief. While there have been complaints about the reduced, unbalanced role, it was definitely appropriate. Colbert's show, which I love, is one big joke. He is a satiric pundit, whose purpose is to make one side of the aisle look ridiculous, and play a character with a huge ego. He served that purpose just fine at the rally. Colbert certainly has his place, but if he had been given too much focus, and his character's opinions (Colbert's opinions are much more sane) allowed to be legitimized, it would have undermined what was going on there.

     Finally, Jon Stewart's speech was beyond mesmerizing. He really captured the spirit of not only the people gathering in D.C. to see him, but a whole lot of Americans out there fed up with what's happening. Below is part of the content of that speech, to give you an idea of what his message truly was. After you've read it, I'm sure there will be little doubt what Stewart is about, and why the Rally needed to be held at all:

     “I can’t control what people think this was. I can only tell you my intentions. This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith or people of activism or to look down our noses at the heartland or passionate argument or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus and not be enemies.

     But unfortunately one of our main tools in delineating the two broke. The country’s 24 hour political pundit perpetual panic conflictinator did not cause our problems but its existence makes solving them that much harder. The press can hold its magnifying up to our problems bringing them into focus, illuminating issues heretofore unseen or they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire and then perhaps host a week of shows on the sudden, unexpected dangerous flaming ant epidemic.

     If we amplify everything we hear nothing. There are terrorists and racists and Stalinists and theocrats but those are titles that must be earned. You must have the resume. Not being able to distinguish between real racists and Tea Partiers or real bigots and Juan Williams and Rick Sanchez is an insult, not only to those people but to the racists themselves who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate - just as the inability to distinguish terrorists from Muslims makes us less safe not more. The press is our immune system. If we overreact to everything we actually get sicker. And perhaps eczema.

     And yet, with that being said, I feel good—strangely, calmly good. Because the image of Americans that is reflected back to us by our political and media process is false. It is us through a fun house mirror, and not the good kind that makes you look slim in the waist and maybe taller, but the kind where you have a giant forehead and an a** shaped like a month old pumpkin and one eyeball.

     So, why would we work together? Why would you reach across the aisle to a pumpkin a**ed forehead eyeball monster? If the picture of us were true, of course, our inability to solve problems would actually be quite sane and reasonable. Why would you work with Marxists actively subverting our Constitution or racists and homophobes who see no one’s humanity but their own? We hear every damn day about how fragile our country is — on the brink of catastrophe — torn by polarizing hate and how it’s a shame that we can’t work together to get things done, but the truth is we do. We work together to get things done every damn day!

     The only place we don’t is here or on cable TV. But Americans don’t live here or on cable TV. Where we live our values and principles form the foundations that sustains us while we get things done, not the barriers that prevent us from getting things done. Most Americans don’t live their lives solely as Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives. Americans live their lives more as people that are just a little bit late for something they have to do — often something that they do not want to do — but they do it - impossible things every day that are only made possible by the little reasonable compromises that we all make...

     [People must get along when traffic merges.] ...And they do it. Concession by concession. You go. Then I’ll go. You go. Then I’ll go. You go then I’ll go.Oh my God, is that an NRA sticker on your car? Is that an Obama sticker on your car? Well, that’s okay—you go and then I’ll go...

     ...If you want to know why I’m here and want I want from you, I can only assure you this: you have already given it to me. Your presence was what I wanted.

     Sanity will always be and has always been in the eye of the beholder. To see you here today and the kind of people that you are has restored mine. Thank you."

     Hearing those words, it was impossible not to be moved. No matter what your political views, most of us are reasonable, and want to find ways to get along. Most of us are willing to work with the other side of the aisle, and most of us do not demonize the people who disagree with us? How can we? They are our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncle, cousins, siblings, friends. My family was almost perfectly split down the middle in 2008. I'm sure it wasn't the only one.

     No one can tell yet what effect the rally might have on today's mid-term elections. Likely, that effect will never be known. Will Stewart have mobilized millions of people to go out and vote, based on his audience, mostly young liberals? Will he have reached people on both sides to bring the candidate who they feel will most likely bring a real American spirit of compromise? I think the Rally definitely inspired many, although to what extent, I can't be sure.


For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.


Article first published as Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Inspired on Blogcritics.