Monthly Archives: August 2008

August 5, 2008 · 12:28 am

The Mole (2008): “Episode Nine”

“Episode Nine”

August 4th, 2008

The most memorable task to ever appear on The Mole took place in this equivalent week during the first season. Trapped in separate rooms in a hotel, Steven, Jim and Kathryn are forced to use what they have in their hotel rooms to escape, which involves a whole host of weird little clues. It was a ridiculous task that they failed miserably at, which made it an extremely easy con for The Mole.

Unfortunately, there isn’t quite as fantastic an event this time around. The tasks here are more about running around and luck than they are about really figuring out clues. This might be for the best, though, because this isn’t the sharpest bunch around: what really made this episode stand out was the mistakes people made, and the ways in which these tasks kept this show entertaining this season. The various human interactions that made the show almost unbearable earlier this season are better in small doses, as people struggle or succeed in isolation.

So while it isn’t quite the poetry I sometimes want, it still provides plenty of Mole-related entertainment to be had in the penultimate episode.

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August 4, 2008 · 4:44 pm

Generation Kill – “Combat Jack”

“Combat Jack”

August 3rd, 2008

We’re now over the halfway point with HBO’s miniseries, and things remain relatively the same in terms of my opinion: fantastic production values, strong writing and some great performances have stabilized, and as the show delves further into the war it is only allowing these elements to expand further. With a series that is so contained in itself, telling the same types of stories without grand character arcs, there isn’t the usual concerns over a show jumping the shark so to speak; with only seven episodes, there isn’t room for any of that type of manuevering, at least not to this point.

And so, “Combat Jack” is the closest we might get to a complete diversion, as Bravo is separated from Alpha, who go on a side mission that demonstrates further the lack of foresight behind the broader military command. It’s not an overly complicated lesson (“Liberation Army” being a buzzword for abject failure), but it’s one that does feel in tone with the series trajectory, and while it does mean spending a little bit less time with the core group it seems that chronology and the slavish attention paid to it by Simon and Burns (And Wright, for that matter) dictate that we take this little journey.

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August 4, 2008 · 1:14 am

Mad Men – “Flight 1”

“Flight 1”

August 3rd, 2008

If last week was about the dueling crises of Betty and Don Draper, the sophomore episode of Mad Men’s second season is all about how the show’s other two primary characters are dealing with crises of their own own. Pete and Peggy’s fates are no doubt intertwined in this series, from the premiere’s tryst to the finale’s birth, and while they share only a brief conversation and one long look during one of Pete’s lower moments, their connection is apparent throughout.

Mad Men is all about reactions: to the times, to the people, to tragedy, to triumph, and everything else in between. We don’t see Flight 1 crash into Jamaica Bay, but we see the reactions of the people at Sterling Cooper and through the impact it has on Pete’s family. Much like the second season from a conceptual level, the show isn’t about showing us every event, but rather slowly pulling back the curtain on the ways that those events change these characters. It’s a show where a plane crash is never just a plane crash not because of some sort of electromagnetic field, but rather due to the show’s ability to emphasize the widespread impact of events both big and small on the characters it knows so well.

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Tagged as AMC, American Airlines, Donald Draper, Entertainment, Episode Two, Flight 1, Jamaica Bay, Mad Men, Season Two, Television

August 2, 2008 · 4:17 pm

Burn Notice – “Comrades”

“Comrades”

July 31st, 2008

When I was a guest on the /Filmcast on Monday night, at least for a brief period, I gave Burn Notice a qualified compliment in my discussion of Mad Men’s season premiere with Devindra Hardawar: I said that it was a fun show, and one with a lot of potential, but that Mad Men is simply in a different league. I stand by this statement, no question, but I want to make sure that this isn’t seen as a slight to this great show.

I’ve been slow to watch Thursday’s episode, but I am glad I finally got to it. “Comrades” is an extremely strong episode of a show that has been playing to its strengths all season. It’s worth hammering home, even though I’ve mentioned it the last few weeks, how great this balance is: even in an episode that adds extra helpings of Michael’s family to the equation, the balance between the normal clients and the ongoing serialized Carla storyline is in perfect form.

And when all of the various elements are working together in this type of comradery, it’s hard to beat Burn Notice for a more escapist (but still “great”) show.

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August 1, 2008 · 7:14 pm

My Boys – “Jack and Bobby”

“Jack and Bobby”

July 31st, 2008

When you look up the TV Dictionary definition of “Jack and Bobby,” chances are you’ll find the short-lived WB Drama starring Christine Lahti (I watched the show for the first few episodes, but eventually got bored). However, there’s now a second definition: “See: Setup Episode of My Boys.”

Yes, this is a dreaded setup episode: one that provides little bits of comedy which stands on its own merits but, for the most part, chooses to simply lay the groundwork for the momentous summer finale that we’re getting in a week’s time (At 9:00pm EST, as TBS shuffles their schedule). And while I don’t want to come across as one of those impatient people who can’t stand setup episodes, this one just wasn’t any good: the major storylines seem to be heading in predictable and ho-hum directions, and some smaller things are being ignored in favour of the broad scheme of things.

And thus we have an episode where even a long-gestating development finally springing to life just doesn’t have the punch the writers think it does.

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