Monthly Archives: May 2008

May 12, 2008 · 10:15 pm

House – “House’s Head”

“House’s Head”

May 12th, 2008

When spoilers emerged regarding the setup for this season’s finale of House, I must admit to being somewhat skeptical – it sounded a lot like the House finale from two years previous, wherein we spent an entire episode unknowingly inside House’s head after he was shot. It was a mind-bending episode, to be certain, and was certainly an intriguing glimpse into how his mind works. Here, it seems a bit predictable: faced with a pending finale, we find ourselves delving back into his mind for an extra special House extravaganza.

This time, the subconscious is aware, so it’s a bit trippier, and that House is actively attempting to solve a mystery where the answers are in his own mind proves dramatically interesting. The problem is that the previous finale was a personal crisis for House, and eventually evoked ideas and concepts that would help to focus on his concerns with his leg. Here, we lack that personal connection: the episode tries to draw out feelings between House and Amber, which doesn’t seem as eventful for him as a character.

It’s also now far more detrimental to focus so heavily on only one character: with three new fellows, three old fellows, Wilson and Amber all floating around searching for a point of identity, to spend an episode so clearly wrapped up in House’s own mind. While it has some vague reflections on the other characters (And promises for further complications in the episode’s second part), his physical, emotional and psychological trial is really his own…and I don’t know if a show of this breadth is in a position to be so centered on its titular character at this point.

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May 12, 2008 · 2:53 pm

Cultural Learnings’ 2008-2009 Network Upfronts Analysis

Last year, Cultural Learnings produced a lot of hits (And perhaps a few new readers) during its coverage of the Network Upfronts, a process wherein each network reveals the shows that will make it onto their Fall or Winter schedules the following year. There were a lot of surprises last year: Jericho’s cancellation and subsequent campaign couldn’t have been predicted, and as a whole there were a lot of shows on the bubble that squeaked through.

This year, we can’t say the same thing: a network like ABC announced most of its pickups a while ago, and is leaving little room for new shows, while NBC announced a version of its schedule a month ago so we already know its lineup (Or what it looked like in April). For anyone following the trades, there’s few surprises to be found in these announcements, so now the real drama will be how your Fall viewing schedule will emerge. And whether Moonlight, the show that has been dominating at sites like Hey! Nielsen, will be able to avoid becoming another Jericho (And if it does, in all seriousness, has CBS not learned their lesson?).

So, at Cultural Learnings I plan to focus on analysis of how the schedules align, and how each network has adapted or not adapted post-strike to accommodate last year’s freshman offerings and this year’s foreign imports (A certain trend). Below, you’ll find a nice combination of helpful links and, eventually, links to our Upfronts coverage.

Cultural Learnings’ 2008-2009 Upfronts Analysis

NBC – Analysis from April (Open Letter, Office Spinoff, Timed-Friday Night Lights)

  • We can expect Jimmy Fallon to be confirmed to be taking over for Conan (Already confirmed, in fact), along with potentially more information on the elusive Office spinoff and on some of the neetwork’s new series.

ABC – Full Fall Schedule Analysis

  • New Shows: Life on Mars, various reality shows, Scrubs, The Goode Family
  • Returning Shows: Eli Stone, Boston Legal, Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money, Pushing Daisies, etc.
  • Canceled Shows: October Road, Men in Trees, Miss/Guided, Cavemen, Carpoolers

The CW – Full Fall Schedule Analysis

  • New Shows: 90210, Surviving the Filthy Rich, Stylista
  • Returning Shows: Reaper, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Supernatural, etc.
  • Canceled Shows: Girlfriends, Aliens in America, Life is Wild, WWE Smackdown, Beauty & the Geek

CBS – Coming Wednesday May 14th

  • Moonlight has officially been canceled (Read Full Story)
  • Moonlight is a huge cult favourite, but could be gone in favour of Les Moonves’ personal choices. This would result in another campaign, this time with more than peanuts to deal with.

FOX – Coming Thursday May 15th

  • FOX’s pickups are pretty clear, with most returning shows confirmed and big budget shows from Abrams and Whedon already announced. Scheduling is the only real drama.

Links to Other Coverage

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May 12, 2008 · 12:55 pm

Season Finale – Brothers & Sisters – “Prior Commitments”

“Prior Commitments”

May 11th, 2008

Based on spoilers, we’ve known for weeks that the truncated second season of ABC’s Brothers & Sisters would include a wedding between Kevin and Scotty. In the end, you knew that these two would have to have a happy ending – their journey, and Kevin’s journey, would be tarnished beyond repair if something went wrong at the last moment, so we knew that the drama was to be found less in their love and more in the circumstances surrounding the whole event.

Smartly, this drama was subtle as opposed to broad: Nora’s reaction to the news of Rebecca not being a Walker was understanding, Rebecca and Justin’s eventual spiral into love was slowly paced, and the end of episode revelation is naturally set up by a series of flashbacks with the return of William Walker. I still have issues with the whole Rebecca/Justin scenario, and I think that the added drama could drag down parts of this story, but the finale was well-paced enough that I am still on board.

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May 11, 2008 · 11:15 pm

And the Winner is…: Brief Thoughts on the Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites Finale

This will be quick, I’m about to collapse out of exhaustion from a long day of graduation festivities, but below the jump some quick thoughts on tonight’s Survivor Finale.

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May 10, 2008 · 1:40 am

Battlestar Galactica – “Faith”

“Faith”

May 8th, 2008

If there’s anything that Battlestar Galactica’s latest episode asks for, it is certainly the episode’s title: faith in its vision, faith in its journey, and faith in its slow as molasses pacing. If there was any hope in this changing, then “Faith” certainly set the record straight: with still a large number of episodes to go, Ronald D. Moore is going to take his sweet time getting to “the point.”

Of course, I am not one to criticize this decision – the nature of this final season is that it is having to tie together three seasons worth of action, suspense and drama into something even bordering on conclusiveness. It’s the same problem that any series faces towards the end of a season, or the show itself, but one that is particularly tough when you have two distinct societies, with multiple destinies intertwined within each one, to deal with. Human and Cylon are both on a collision course with something big, but how they get there needs to be choreographed.

I am kind of wary on “Faith,” if only because on a plot level it didn’t even live up to the low standards that I provided for it. It is one thing to spend a quarter of the episode with a very character/mythology driven story for Laura Roslin, that’s earned considering the show and Mary McDonnell’s respective pedigrees; the big problem is that the dramatic payoff to the Demetrius payoff was neither suspenseful nor dramatic on a broad plot level. We already knew what Kara Thrace learns from the Hybrid, we pretty well presumed what was going to be the end result of their journey, and outside of a random leg injury I never felt like anything was truly in jeopardy.

But, in the process, there was a few key scenes that elevated the material, and a sign that even though we’re not moving as fast as some would like we are definitely on the water in the river between the past and the future storylines.

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May 9, 2008 · 1:10 am

Lost – “Cabin Fever”

“Cabin Fever”

May 8th, 2008

Last week’s episode was a “Jackflash,” but I would contend that it really wasn’t a story about Jack. It was a story about the impact of the island, and the struggles of being haunted (Something that is apparent especially considering recent theories surrounding Claire). Similarly, the flashes in “Cabin Fever” are on the surface a story of John Locke, but in reality are much more a story of his relationship with the island, and its current gatekeepers.

What felt right about this episode was that it was a fantastic reference point both for the series as a whole and the future of our storyline. It wasn’t an episode that spent much time with plot, although there were certainly some intriguing developments on both sides of the Ben/Widmore battle; rather, it was an episode that reminded us of the narrative thus far. Our brief glimpses into the history of Locke’s missed connections with his destiny on the island is something that we need right now, a return to the power struggle that we were forced to abandon after we lose Nestor Carbonnell to CBS’ Cane.

It’s the perfect fit, however, for the action at hand: as Widmore makes his final stab at the island, Locke is called to action at a pivotal moment. His discovery of the cabin is not particularly action-packed, but its subtle humour combined with the meaningful flashbacks creates an episode that makes me extremely excited as we march onto the finale.

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May 8, 2008 · 10:31 pm

Season Finale – 30 Rock – “Cooter”

“Cooter”

May 8th, 2008

Last year, the season finale of 30 Rock was a disappointment: it was a slow half hour that dealt more with two outlandish storylines (Jack’s fiance Pheobe and Kenneth’s crazy cousin kidnapping Tracy) which never clicked outside of moments between Jack and Liz, and the fabulous appearance by Elaine Stritch as Jack’s mother. Storyline-wise, the first season just didn’t end on a creative high note.

And, to an extent, the same could be said for the second season if you ignore the circumstances. However, considering that there was so little time post-strike to get things moving, this episode did a great job at tying up some loose ends, providing something for almost every single members of the cast to do, using its characters right, and still centering the episode around the relationship between boss and employee.

It might have paled in comparison to the episode of The Office that preceded it, but I definitely think that “Cooter” trumps “Hiatus” as the superior finale for one of television’s best comedies.

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May 8, 2008 · 10:03 pm

The Office – “Job Fair”

“Job Fair”

May 8th, 2008

Earlier today, a feature I worked on with David Chen at Always Watching went live about how Michael Scott can often be a schizophrenic character, but that in many ways these many facets develop into an integral part of the series. When Michael is able to be a little bit of everything, who doesn’t fall into a single stereotype that overwhelms the episode.

Theere was no overwhelming The Office on this night, however – the show has been firing on all cylinders since returning from the strike, and it all came together for the second fantastic episode in a row. The show shows great touch in balancing three storylines, each with connections to recurring storylines but also with some solid forward momentum.

When you combine Ed Helms’ physical comedy, Rainn Wilson’s tattletale psychology, and Michael Scott in an environment where there are impressionable youths, the inevitable result is a great half hour of television, and perhaps the best of the show’s season.

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May 8, 2008 · 9:08 pm

“Season Finale” – Scrubs – “My Princess”

“My Princess”

May 8th, 2008

It is, perhaps, the most confusing finale in recent years: Scrubs is ending its seventh season tonight, and NBC has no plans on bringing it back. So, there is the thought of series finale in the air, but this is not true: although it won’t be confirmed until after the show concludes its run on the peacock, ABC has already ordered 18 episodes of the series that are filming now, and that will air next season. The result is an episode that exists purely in limbo, a false goodbye for a series we’ll be seeing more of.

As I’ve noted, I really am not that enamoured with the series as of late, but the last few episodes have showed potential – if anything, their only major flaw is their decision to continue the forced march towards J.D. and Elliot reconnecting romantically. I like the sendoff given to Ken Jenkins’ Dr. Kelso, I’ve enjoyed our time spent with the Janitor, but with a certain lack of faith in the show’s central romantic storyline I certainly need to be convinced that those 18 episodes next season will be worth my time.

If there is any way to do it, though, perhaps this is it: Zach Braff’s second epic take-off of a classic fairy tale, this time cult classic The Princess Bride, and if his work on the charming Wizard of Oz episode that signaled the show’s 100th episode was any indication this kind of thing is right up his alley. Scrubs is a show that often works well within event formats (The Musical episode was a highlight dramatically, if not perhaps musically, for the sixth season), but has Braff managed to do the inconceivable?

Has he actually created an episode of Scrubs that cuts through my jaded cynicism for the future?

Not so much.

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May 8, 2008 · 3:11 pm

Introducing “Cultural Conundrums” @ AlwaysWatching.org!

Greetings, Cultural Learnings readers! Things have been a lot busier on this front lately, with a lot of episodes to analyze/review for a lot of my favourite series, and perhaps you’ve noticed a recurrent stream through many of them: a lot of retrospective thoughts on the ways shows are shaping up in this strike-shortened season. While Cultural Learnings has been definitely relying mostly on episodic analysis, there’s a lot of broad ideas that I’ve wanted to investigate, and with the school year over I had a chance to do so.

I also had a chance, however, to work with some great folks over at Always Watching, a fantastic film/TV site which features some great, well, features on a regular basis. I’ve spent some time on their podcast in the past, and was honoured to be asked to contribute a series of articles to cover the television side of things. I certainly view these as complimentary to this blog experience, so don’t think that it will keep me from pontificating on television here at Cultural Learnings.

Cultural Conundrums is a good chance to have video retrospectives and definitive analysis of the season that was, or the shows that I watch. The first edition is The Many Faces of Michael Scott, an analysis of the ways in which Michael Scott’s character on “The Office” seems downright schizophrenic at points. The end result, of course, is a character that is all sorts of different things, and that diversity allows for the humour and genuine character development to be heightened at a moment’s notice.

The Many Faces of Michael Scott @ AlwaysWatching.org

Special thanks have to go out to Dave Chen, who went through the ludicrously exhaustive trouble of retrieving the Hulu videos – we Canadians can’t access them, so he really deserves a co-author credit on this one. (On a related note: sorry to my Canadian/International readers who won’t be able to view the videos – hilariously, I’m in the same boat, so know that even the author feels your pain!)

You can also Digg the article, to help get the word out about Dave, Devindra and Adam’s great site (And, perhaps this one too, if you want) by clicking the Digg Button conveniently located to my right. But, please, make sure you head over to Always Watching too, it’s a great read.

Will be back tonight with thoughts on tonight’s episode of The Office, the Season Finale of 30 Rock, AND the NBC Finale of Scrubs. I will probably hold off on Lost until tomorrow, just to give the requisite time to the finales.

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