Monthly Archives: February 2007

February 23, 2007 · 3:11 pm

Cultural News Bytes – February 23rd

It’s been nearly a month since I’ve done one of these, but there are some smallish things that I want to cover before we head into the weekend.

Television – Thursday’s Ratings Battle

It was quite the night for television, as my rather epic edition of Thursday Night TV Club shows. As a result, let’s take a look at who was positively or negatively affected.

On the positive side, American Idol‘s one-hour results episode scored well, winning the 8pm (EST) hour quite easily. However, it wasn’t the highest rated episode of the night, as Grey’s Anatomy‘s cliffhanger regarding Meredith’s death scored big for ABC. I have to wonder whether or not people are tuning into results shows these days, knowing just how frustrating and dragged out they can be. Fox should really considering cutting them all down to a 1/2 hour, or else people might finally turn their back on the franchise. ABC also had themselves a winner at the 10pm hour, as Oprah Winfrey’s Oscar special held onto a decent chunk of its lead-in to win the lost.

While CSI and Shark performed well for CBS, Survivor did not fare quite so well. I think it’s really quite interesting that people seemed to turn away from it to Idol much more than from Earl/The Office (who performed only slightly lower than last week’s numbers). It’s not really surprising, the fanbase for Survivor is less rabid than that of the youth-oriented comedies, but it definitely does not bode well for Survivor’s future. The Apprentice has already lost every bit of success it once had, CBS has to be careful not to mess with its scheduling and ruin it all.

NBC may have had decent holds for Earl/Office, and similarly decent holds for Scrubs and 30 Rock, but E.R. took a fairly sizable hit at the 10pm hour against the steamroller that is Oprah Winfrey. ER has been holding out strongly in the timeslot, but it seems as if Shark is more capable of holding onto its CSI audience than ER is building one, especially when Oprah is involved. With another easy channel surf option, people don’t tend to turn to NBC at 10pm.

And, while it may have had its largest audience in a very long time, The O.C. died a quiet death in the ratings pool, dropping almost two thirds of its American Idol lead-in. The show never had a chance against CSI, let alone against both CSI and Grey’s Anatomy. The around seven million people who tuned were likely pleased by what they saw, but the fact remained that the show was never able to regain its cult status after its first season. Let’s just hope they don’t pull a 7th Heaven and decide to resurrect the show, which has proven to be a terrible experiment in futility.

The Ethics of Commercials featuring Robot Suicide

So, right after the Super Bowl I wrote about the GM commercial featuring a robot being fired and then, eventually, jumping off a bridge where he wakes up from his bad dream. I, personally, loved how strange and uncanny the commercial was; suicide prevention groups, however, felt differently. Since I had not been paying too much attention to this particular development, I had missed this important memo from February 11th, when it was announced that they would be editing the commercial. As a result, imagine my surprise when I saw the familiar commercial begin but then end without the bridge conclusion.

Now, while I see the point of the groups protesting the ad’s content, I don’t think that solution GM came up with really does then any good. As some have pointed out, the commercial isn’t really all that entertaining outside of the whole suicide stuff. A robot doing odd jobs isn’t that funny, robots getting fired is more depressing than it is hilarious…really, the only thing making the commercial even remotely stand out was the ending, which was just so bizarre that one couldn’t help but notice it.

By editing out the ending, the commercial is a bore. The message still doesn’t really get through, it doesn’t actually address the quality control issue, and doing odd jobs isn’t enough of a bad dream for the ending to have any resonance. I know they spent millions airing it during the Super Bowl, and a fair amount filming and conceiving it, but the fact of the matter is that without the suicide it isn’t worth the trouble. The commercial doesn’t do anything in its new state other than remind us of the old one; the band-aid solution only makes it boring, and that does not a good commercial make.

Cinema – Box Office Predictions

That’s right, time for some fearless box office predictions. Woot.

1. Ghost Rider – $23,500,000

2. The Number 23 – $23,232,323

3. Bridge to Teribithia – $15,500,000

4. Reno 911!: Miami– $12,000,000

5. Music and Lyrics – $10,500,000

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February 22, 2007 · 10:10 pm

Thursday Night TV Club – February 22nd, 2007

 

The Office

I gasped. When Pam told Roy that she had kissed Jim a month before their wedding date, I gasped. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the episode was one built almost entirely around drama, really quite simple drama at that. Much like Joss Whedon worked for last week’s action/vampire oriented episode, Abrams worked well for this episode that was all about the drama caused by two budding relationships (Jan/Michael, Pam/Roy). At episode’s end, Roy went batshit crazy (Which was a bit sudden considering his recent character change, but his sobering down at the end at least put his moment of anger into perspective), and Michael and Jan find themselves at a crossroads where their secret relationship doesn’t work so well going public. It was a good episode, though, even though it focused almost entirely on the dramatic aspects. 

Scrubs

Scrubs continues to settle in around the good but not great area. There is still some solid comedy here, but it just seems like it isn’t going anywhere. J.D. is lacking a purpose, Turk and Carla are lacking drama, Eliot is lacking any real spark with Keith, and even Dr. Cox has lost any sort of drive. It’s really not much more than any multi-camera sitcom at this point; heck, I’d say it has even less of an overarching plot than a show like How I Met My Mother. Still, it has some fairly good jokes here and there, and it’s certainly still enjoyable to see these characters interact. I like recurring patients on the show, and Brian works well, but it just isn’t giving us anything new. 

30 Rock

“I would like to be Michelle Pfeiffer to your angry black kid,” “I want to take this cornbread behind the middle school and get it pregnant,” and Kenneth and Tracy harmonizing to Annie: all in the cold open to tonight’s 30 Rock. The fact that the episode’s writer, Matt Hubbard, came from Joey of all places shocks me, because it was very sharply written. Kenneth as the awkward Entourage member who stirs up the shit, Liz and Jack v. Josh and Agent, Jenna and her unfortunate political knowledge (The ol’ Osama/Obama slip. If it can happen to CNN, it can happen to everyone)…it was all pretty much amazing. Oh so much drama, oh so many cultural references…the fact that this show is in danger of being cancelled hurts me. It hurts me deep. “Television on. PORNOGRAPHY!” The entire thing was an incredibly well orchestrated piece of comedy, right down to the Bodyguard moment to end the episode.

 

The O.C.

In a show that was often about relationships, about the connections between two people, it was somewhat refreshing to see a finale that was more about individual characters than it was about Seth/Summer, Ryan/Taylor or Julie/Frank or Bullit. It wasn’t about these pairings, but rather the individuals at their centre. In the end, Ryan is happy, Seth is happy, Summer is happy, Julie is happy. Sandy and Kirsten are happy, connected as a unit, with a new daughter in tow.

Flashing forward six months skips what would have been unnecessary drama. While I thought that they turned Taylor into a bit too much of a spazz compared to the past few weeks, the fact of the matter is that it all makes sense. In the wake of the Earthquake, everyone looked to settle for what seemed easiest. Taylor and Ryan abandoned their relationship, Seth and Summer gave up on their passions, Kirsten settled on Newport as their home, Sandy settled his dreams, Julie settled on Bullit.

The episode, more than about creating happy endings, was about creating happiness for each individual character. It was about fixing the problems that caused as the earth, and the characters, settled after the Earthquake, not about fixing all of their problems in one fell swoop. Sure, there were the occasional contrivances designed to make everything sugary, but they were plot-based only; the characters reached natural, relevant conclusions.

I didn’t say much in my obituary piece about how I really felt about the show’s quality. The fact is that I didn’t pay much attention to the 3rd season, I stopped watching during the whole Johnny saga. And yet, I tuned into Season Four, and continued watching. I liked the addition of Taylor, and the character of Kaitlin was a pleasant surprise. Bullit was grating at first, but he grew ever so charming in the end. Season Four saw Ryan become more emotional (and funnier), and gave Summer a purpose she hadn’t had before.

Whether it was perfect or not, I think Season Four did a great job of leading us to a conclusion that was satisfactory. It’s tough to really complain with any of the conclusions found within the episode; we see Ryan as a successful architect, Sandy as a professor, Seth and Summer marrying, Taylor and Ryan’s relationship remaining ambiguous but friendly, Julie graduating from college (Bullit/Frank & Son/Kaitlin on Team Julie was incredibly powerful for the character’s trip from trailer park to Newport), and Ryan offering assistance to yet another hoodie-wearing youth on the streets.

Schwartz kept the nostalgia for the end, spending the rest of the episode on personal revelations in the present. That nostalgia was all through Ryan, his trip through the Cohen household for the first time intercut with his last. However, perhaps most importantly, the use of Marissa’s character was incredibly well handled. The locket with her picture was subtle, not overbearing, and her appearance in Ryan’s memory was brief, poignant. While I believe that her death was positive for the show, her importance to its narrative can’t be ignored.

So, a toast to Josh Schwartz and company for a job well done. You’ve left these characters in an existence where they seem happy, fulfilled. Yeah, Seth didn’t really get a real purpose and some things came together all too easily, but it was fulfilling. Much like Alias, which may not have ended perfectly but left its characters in the right place, so too has Ryan and the Cohens and everyone else found their happy place in TV Heaven. Things will never be the same for hoodie-wearing young offenders of future generations.

American Idol – Top 24 Results

Did anyone else find this to be one of the most awkward results shows in the show’s history? The first person is standing alone at the end of the stage and is told, point blank, that he’s going home, even before Ryan reads the judges’ comments. The second person is picked at random out of the lower line and unceremoniously told she’s going home. There is no time to collect her thoughts, no time to truly deal with the reality that her dreams are over. The second set of eliminations weren’t nearly as frustrating, and we got a video package for all of them at the end, but it still came off as more awkward than it needed to be. (Although that was quite the incestual choice of Chris Daughtry’s “Home” as the song played for the eliminated contestants (Paul, Nicole, Amy, Rudy).

The actual selections aren’t really all that surprising, as boring always loses out to crappy at this stage of the competition. Antonella and Sundance, arguably some of the worst on either side, both had substantial coverage in the earlier auditions; they might have sucked, but they were people that could build fanbases and the like.

The episode itself moved almost too quickly, which is always surprising considering its length. With four eliminations, a special performance from The Colour Purple by Fantasia (She seems well suited to the material, I’d say), the return of the Group Sing (Which wasn’t half bad) and gratuitous recaps, things moved quite briskly. I have to wonder, however, whether or not something a bit slower paced and, dare I say, respectful might be perhaps more entertaining in the end.

Grey’s Anatomy – Some Kind of Miracle

Shonda Rhimes may not be the best writer working in television right now, but she is fantastic at scripting and organizing these event episodes. The same sensibilities which made the two-episode Super Bowl arc last season work so well were in place here; it made for television which changed its characters, had great relevance to the show’s overall themes, and extending the show’s mythology that much further. Continue reading →

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February 22, 2007 · 12:45 pm

Obituary: The O.C. (2003-2007)

Orange County or “The O.C.” – With great sorrow we announce the passing of Orange County, affectionately known as “The O.C.” on February 22nd. After living a long life of four television seasons, it will pass away in a flourish this evening at 9pm EST, 10pm CST. Check your local listings. Please. We need you to watch.

It was brought into the world on August 5th, 2003, and millions of bitches were welcomed to Orange County with juvenile delinquents, drug laced parties and alcohol infused fighting. We were introduced to the life of Ryan Atwood, a young offender brought into the home of Sandy and Kirsten Cohen. We met the Cohen’s son, Seth, and the Cohen family’s neighbour Marissa Cooper. There was Summer, Luke, Julie, and the whole O.C. crew.

Dubbed the next 90210, it grew in success over that summer and became a runaway hit. Fans yearned to see Ryan and Marissa come together, for Seth and Summer to come together, for Julie to sex up her daughter’s ex-boyfriend, for Sandy and Kirsten to find happiness amongst their own problems. Over its four seasons, there were many trials and tribulations, but through it all the drama reigned supreme. Continue reading →

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February 21, 2007 · 9:24 pm

Lost – “Stranger in a Strange Land”

“He walks amongst us, but he is not one of us.”

[Spoiler Warning: Plot Details will be discussed!]

Further expanding the world of the Others was something that the first arc of Season Three of Lost tried to do; some found it annoying, but I for one felt that it was important to the show’s existence past this season. Without expanding the Others, making them characters, it is impossible for the show to appear dynamic, and not just the same group of characters fighting unknown threats forever. Continue reading →

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February 21, 2007 · 12:16 pm

To Spin Off or Not to Spin Off? – Grey’s Anatomy

Well, this is some interesting news for ABC’s pilot lineup.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co.’s television network ABC has decided to pursue a spinoff of its popular medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy”, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

It will star Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, the sexy neonatal surgeon played by Kate Walsh, the paper said.

A two-hour pilot of the show, which could add millions in additional advertising revenue, is likely to air in May, the paper said.

So Addison wins the lucky draw, does she? There was technically also Sloane in a similar position, but it’s clear that Kate Walsh’s character is perhaps the best developed and best suited to jump to her own show next season. Now, let’s ignore how this affects Grey’s storylines for a second, and try to consider other ramifications. Continue reading →

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February 21, 2007 · 12:30 am

Tuesday Night TV Society – February 20th

Perhaps to help organize my TV blogging, I figure I should introduce another weekly feature to cover the breadth of TV on Tuesday evenings. This particular feature might be a bit slow-moving once one of the shows goes on Hiatus, but I can pick up another one or two if necessary to flesh things out. And yes, fancy writing denotes a society.

Gilmore Girls – “I am Kayak, Hear Me Roar!”

Not a show to let the happy train leave the station too soon, Gilmore Girls once again found itself a few problems to deal with as it heads into the end of what could be its last season. While the end result of things (Luke and Lorelai being together, Rory and Logan being together, etc.) is quite clear, it’s also clear that it’s going to take us awhile to get there.

On the Rory and Logan front, we’ve got Logan being screwed over on his patent deal, perhaps losing all of his trust fund. I think a Logan no longer tied to his father’s existence would be in the show’s best interest at this point; it’s clear that he struggles to remove himself from his father’s shadow, what better way to do so than to make Logan financially dependent on Rory? They’ll be remotely happier without Mitchum in their lives. It seems bad now, but this will end up a positive methinks.

The situation with the elder Gilmores, however, is quite foreboding. The drama at the Gilmore household was very well handled, ranging from Richard’s frustration with Emily’s helplessness. Emily relationship with Lorelai has always been tenuous, but her motherly advice while drunk was touching. By the same account, her anger in the morning was realistic. The characters were handled well, and things are back to the status quo.

This status quo allows us to head back to Stars Hollow for some Baby Showers, and likely some Luke and Lorelai drama, next week. With 7 episodes to go, time is running up for their relationship to come to fruition. Continue reading →

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February 20, 2007 · 7:54 pm

The Superpower Bauer Hour Showdown: Week Five

 

The lateness of this week’s edition of the SPBHS is really quite simple: Snow Football. Alas, due to this diversion, I missed Monday’s episode of Heroes, and due to my departure from university for spring break I was unable to watch it until early Tuesday evening. Will this period between watching the shows impair my judgment? Will knowing the ratings results before watching Heroes change my perception? Stay tuned to find out.

Round One: Overall Quality

24 comes to the table this week with a satisfactory end to last week’s episode. We got an increase in the Milo and Morris tension within the office, some Jack/Marilyn flirtage, and a little bit of good ol’ fashioned Jack being held hostage. On the whole, the episode had a good deal of action, some interesting character drama (Re: Morris’ alcoholism), and an ending that was well worth our time. I worry somewhat about the show’s dependence on bringing back old characters, especially after the mess that Season Four became because of it. While I like Charles Logan as a character, his relationship to this plotline had better be darned good. Still, I’m a fan of the recluse beard, and on the whole the episode delivered a healthy dose of 24 action.

Heroes is balancing a whole lot of storylines right now: Mohinder and Sylar’s Road Trip, Claire’s Memory Challenged Mother, Nathan’s Parentage of Claire, Isaac v. Peter, Peter and his Obi-Wan, Parkman the Jewel Thief, Hiro and Ando’s Las Vegas roadblock, etc. In this episode, it did what was perhaps its best job yet at balancing these issues. We saw Peter use his powers, we saw Obi-Wan pass things onto our Luke, and we even got to see Simone play an actual role in the storyline for the first time (And then die, which perhaps explains the prior as well). Hiro and Ando’s storyline did its purpose of bringing back Hiro’s powers and further developing their relationship, even if it meant the breaking of the Live Long and Prosper Fellowship. There is still some corny dialogue (“What’s that sound…in your heart?” “MURDER”), but the episode moved at a good clip.

Perhaps most importantly, factions are starting to develop, roles are starting to become clear. Radioactive Man and Wireless Girl trying to recruit Parkman, Simone trying to get Nathan to out himself and the others…all of this is actually setting things up for the future we know must be coming. Claire’s storyline is actually gaining some traction, we’re finally returning to figuring out what makes Sylar tick…and Stan Lee the Bus Driver! It’s delightful, really.

Round Two: Ratings

From TheFutonCritic.com…

“Heroes” (households: 8.2/12, #5; adults 18-49: 6.0, #1)

“24” (households: 7.9/12, #6; adults 18-49: 5.0, #4)

Heroes takes an all out ratings win this week, with strong performances in the key demos and overall households. 24, however, continues to perform well.

Round Three: Saturn Awards

This week saw the release of the nominees for the Saturn Awards, which honour the best in Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action, Horror, Thrillers, Animation…basically, everything but Drama and Comedy. In the case of Television, they offer up some key acting and series awards in which Heroes and 24 compete against one another. Let’s see how they stack up:

24

Best Network Series

Best Actor – Kiefer Sutherland

 

Heroes

Best Network Series

Best Supporting Actor – Masi Oka

Best Supporting Actor – Greg Grunberg

Best Supporting Actress – Hayden Panettiere

Best Supporting Actress – Ali Larter

Lost led with 6 nominations, but the battle between Heroes and 24 was clearly won by the Super Heroes. Mind you, I would say that both Supporting Actress nominations are less than deserved, and Grunberg hasn’t done enough to deserve awards, but one has to respect their job as being the big buzzworthy program of the past year.

While things might seem a little bit perfunctory, I’m going to leave everyone in suspense anyways. To find out the week’s winner, Continue reading →

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February 19, 2007 · 1:54 pm

There’s Something About Cylons

It’s happened in pretty much every season of this show, but it’s becoming more pronounced. As time moves forward, and as the show goes on without the Cylons one can’t help but miss their presence. Six’s laugh, Sharon’s steely gaze, Leoben’s frosted hair, even the boxed Threes for goodness sake. There’s something about Cylons, simple as that.

The show without them, you see, is lacking in drama. The interpersonal drama is something that they are capable of doing, but seem to have lost track of. We spend far too long on the Starbuck/Anders and Lee/Dualla drama (It was really quite uninteresting), and everything to do with Chief and Cally does little to warm my heart. We get Adama dealing with his personal problems, we get everyone turning amongst themselves, and it becomes a problem. Continue reading →

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February 15, 2007 · 12:35 am

Lost – “Flashes Before Your Eyes”

One of my favourite prefixes is meta. I don’t know why this is the case, but I simply find it fun. There’s something about something within something else that just makes me pleased to be existing. Perhaps this is why I quite enjoyed tonight’s episode of Lost. Because, focusing on Desmond, it was really a flashback within a flashback. 

The episode had no subplots, it was entirely designed to setup why it is that Desmond receives flashes of the future. We went back to the moment when Desmond turned the key, and saw as Desmond flashed back to his time in England with Penny (Who we saw at the end of last season as the recipient of the research station’s phone call). Aware of his time on the island, Desmond began to come to grips with the role of fate within his past.

Desmond ran into Charlie busking on the streets, predicted the future a bit, and met someone else who was able to shed some light on his situation. He was forced to leave Penny , and then after realizing his ability to change situations woke up, naked in the trees. It is thus that he woke up, and found that he had this power. 

Now, this answered a few little things, but mostly it just set up a whole lot of Desmond’s future. Here’s some of the things we don’t know:

Does Desmond only see future things which affect Charlie? 

There’s no question that Charlie’s imminent death is the most important of Desmond’s flashes, but is that all he sees? And why are they just flashes, as opposed to true recollections like in his flashback within a flashback? Remember back to when Desmond woke up, and he talked to Hurley about Locke’s speech which had yet to be given. If he remembered that, has he already lived this future before? Or is it just strange foresight? Continue reading →

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February 14, 2007 · 12:19 pm

Shipper’s Log: Valentine’s Day Trauma Centre

On this the day of greeting cards and flowers, one has to think of the ones they love…and I, not really finding one in my thoughts, instead settled on the TV couples to which I am incredibly emotionally attached. I guess this is just how my life works, I might as well get used to it.

However, I was most concerned to find that some of my favourite Shipping subjects were in grave medical condition on this beloved holiday. So, it’s time for the good doctor to head out on a special Valentine’s Day edition of the Shipper’s Log to prescribe the proper remedies for these relationships that are suffering during this season of cold and flu. As a result, I made sure that the Shipmobile picked up the three most critical couples and brought them to Shipper’s Log General Hospital.

More specifically, they brought them to the Trauma Centre. This is their story.

 

Case One

 

 

Everything was going so well for Henry and Betty. Walter, Betty’s annoying and childish boyfriend agrees to move away and never grace our screens again. Henry tries to go on a date with Betty to go see Wicked, which Betty fumbles but prepares to recover at the episode’s end. The whole Christmas scenario was dealt with recently, everything was lining up, and we know Christopher Gorham is likely coming back next season.

But, then the Ex shows up. Honestly, an ex-girlfriend? Please. This is a dire situation, although I think a little bit of surgery will clear things up. We need to immediately do an X-Ray to find out who’s playing this girlfriend, and then figure out what level of a threat they represent. We can only hope that it is a benign tumour, able to be excised with little effort on our parts here at the Trauma Centre.

There isn’t any other barriers now that Walter is gone, so we need to make sure Betty stays on track. The show has plenty of characters to ignore this drama for awhile, but Betty is now without a storyline, so she needs to remain committed to making this relationship work, and Henry needs to get his act together. This girlfriend better be worth it, Henry, your Trauma Centre bill will be substantial. Should have bought insurance, tsk tsk. Continue reading →

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