Tag Archives: Season Premiere

April 4, 2008 · 11:32 pm

Season Premiere – Battlestar Galactica Season Four – “He That Believeth In Me”

“He That Believeth In Me”

April 4th, 2008

I had said earlier this week that I was going to spend copious amounts of time analyzing the third season of Battlestar Galactica…and then proceeded to spend copious amounts of time watching it instead. As a result, I expected to enter into this episode ready to compare it to the season which preceded it.

Instead, I’m comparing it to Lost.

Like any good serialized show of this nature, Ronald D. Moore and Co. ended last season on a cliffhanger, something it has done in past seasons. However, something was different this time around: I don’t know if it is that the stakes are lower, or the action slower, but something has changed. My point of comparison is this season’s Lost premiere: we had the revelation in the previous Finale, so the premiere will pale by comparison.

I think, in this case, I had already watched this episode in my head: the new Cylons happening to stumble into scenarios where people question their humanity unknowingly, Starbuck struggling to return to the real world after her absence, and everything being very bizarre for Gaius Baltar. I think the problem was that the episode never went beyond that: it was great for what it was, but having already deduced much of this myself I was sort of behind.

I actually quite loved the episode: laughed out loud, gasped in horror, loved the acting, etc. It’s just that after such a huge revelation, what was put on the screen was everything we had already imagined as fans of the series dealing with a year-long hiatus. And, well, that’s kind of a let down. But, let’s discuss further.

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Tagged as Cylons, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Season Four, Season Premiere, Television

February 12, 2008 · 11:59 pm

Season Premiere: Jericho – “Reconstruction”

“Reconstruction”

February 12th, 2008

I have to ponder what it would have been like if Jericho had simply been renewed for another season, and I hadn’t been swept into an amazing fan initiative this past summer, what I would have thought of “Reconstruction,” Jericho’s triumphant return to television for the start of its seven episode second season. Many of the series’ problems remain present, with some of the new storyline’s potential left on the table, and yet I find myself being sucked in more than I expected. I don’t know if the episode was bad or good based on my normal standards simply because they kind of went out the window the second I returned to the small Kansas town.

Having had some time to figure things out, I think that “Reconstruction” is a solid hour of television that relies somewhat too heavily on fans’ nostalgia for the first season, but not so much as to render it unwatchable for new viewers. Those moments of reference to fan efforts, epitomized by the nuts in the show’s opening scene, largely disappear after the first episode, which allows the series’ governmental corruption storyline take center stage in the weeks ahead. Learn how that storyline is unfolding, and how the rest of the citizens of Jericho are faring, by reading the full review.

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Tagged as CBS, Reconstruction, Season Premiere, Season Two, Skeet Ulrich, Television

January 31, 2008 · 11:06 pm

Season Premiere: Lost – “The Beginning of the End”

“The Beginning of the End”

January 31st, 2008

It’s the event we’ve been waiting for since last May, when Lost ended its third season with a rattlesnake in the mailbox in the form of a new flash forward format. It was the episode that convinced many that Lost was back on track, and was a return to the buzz which met the show’s series premiere. But it raised a question for everyone: could the 48 episodes which will follow manage to live up to its potential?

“The Beginning of the End” can be taken literally, the first episode of the show’s final forty-eight. More importantly, it is the moment where the fate of our castaways is changed forever. With a glimpse to the future for one of the Oceanic Six, one wrought with psychological and personal trauma, Lost returns with an episode of what it does best: intriguing character studies and a plot that keeps you moving.

And if it all ends in just seven weeks, this beginning will be all the more sweet.

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Tagged as ABC, Season Premiere, Television, The Beginning of the End

November 4, 2007 · 10:39 pm

Season Premiere: The Amazing Race – Season 12, Episode 1

“Donkeys Have Souls Too”

November 4th, 2007

The first episode of every season of The Amazing Race features a great deal of bunching, necessary to keep the teams close together. However, for all of that effort, I can’t remember a single opening leg that is particularly memorable, mainly because they’re all the same: they drive, they fly, they task, they bunch, and then they arrange themselves as they wish. Really, there’s nothing that one can be surprised by in a premiere (As purely anecdotal evidence: not a single premiere made TWoP’s Top Nine Episodes List).

However, I consider this premiere to be one of the most memorable…or, if you will, least objectionable. The team who went home were rather annoying, the significant other-related drama was generally well-handled, and they managed to cover a wide territory of tasks in the span of only a single hour. Was it brilliant? No: all premieres lack the emotional connection we will eventually make with this teams. But, in short, this episode had soul, and that’s really what counts.

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Season Premiere: Friday Night Lights – “Last Days of Summer”

“Last Days of Summer”

October 5th, 2007

The world of Dillon, Texas is askew as Friday Night Lights starts its second season…well, actually, no its not. Dillon is taking a backseat, more or less removed from the series’ credits in favour of shiny pictures of its actors. The show operates as if its finale had established a laundry list of character problems, but the only real drama was for the Taylor Family and Panther Football.

And yet, Jason Katims has chosen to add drama for every single other character: Matt and Julie are drifting apart thanks to a Swede, Landry is trying to impress his father by trying out for football, Street feels left out by the new coach, Tyra is being stalked by last season’s attacker, Buddy is stalking his future ex-wife, Riggins has become a drunken lout (again), and only Lyla has found solace (Although not much) in Jesus.

I know that there needed to be an obvious problem to solve when Coach Taylor returned, but the show has been thrown into too much turmoil too quickly. This used to be a series about a town that, while football crazed, was at its heart full of decent people. Instead, it’s about scandalous teenagers and people in over their heads. My faith in the series can’t help but wane in this moment: have they forgotten what made the show what it was?

Well, the answer is no…they’re just taking a little while to get back to it. And, well, I’m okay with that. I think. Until the murder.

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Season Premiere: 30 Rock – “Seinfeld Vision”

“Seinfeld Vision”

October 4th, 2007

What is Seinfeld Vision, you ask? Well, it’s Jack’s plan to digitally capture Jerry Seinfeld and place him in all of their primetime shows in October. And Liz, freshly single and quilting, returns to Jack’s master scheme with a fresh outlook on life. Meanwhile, Tracy has marital problems while Jenna got fat starring in Mystic Pizza: The Musical on broadway. Welcome back, 30 Rock. I missed you ever so much, Seinfeld or no Seinfeld.

There’s a lot to like about the return of 30 Rock: Kenneth as Tracy’s Office Wife, Kenneth in an elevator with Jerry Seinfeld, Kenneth making Seinfeld sound effects, Kenneth in general…did I mention Kenneth?

To be serious, the show properly dealt with the show’s best elements: Jack’s big business schemes, Liz’s relationship insecurities, Tracy’s life problems, and Kenneth’s awesomeness. Adding Jerry Seinfeld to the equation doesn’t change the solid structure the series has established. The problem with the premiere is that it has to handle all of these elements, unlike other episodes which can focus on one or the other. Still, I’ll say it: the best comedy on television is back.

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The State of the Primetime Soap Opera: ‘Desperate’, ‘Sexy’ and ‘Sisters’

The primetime soap opera was heralded as the new and resurgent medium when Desperate Housewives arrived and brought steamy, sudsy television back to the forefront of popular culture. Now, three years later, ABC remains at the forefront of the movement but is not alone: CBS is introducing Cane and Swingtown, attempting to break through on what only ABC has managed to pull off in recent years.

Perhaps attempting to confirm themselves as the destination for primetime soaps without procedural elements or workplace settings, ABC is introducing ‘Dirty Sexy Money’ to the table while ‘Desperate Housewives’ bounces back from a weak couple of seasons and ‘Brothers & Sisters’ takes advantage of late-season momentum.

I am admittedly a sucker for these shows: I might view them with a more critical eye, but I have a penchant for some good family drama. But is it good family drama? And how are the show stacking up this season? Let’s take a gander.

Desperate Housewives – “Now You Know”

I will admit that I stopped watching Desperate Housewives last year, fairly early even. I simply didn’t find the second season interesting enough to justify sticking around during the rather slow start to its third. What has me watching the premiere, then? Mainly the arrival of new characters, new mysteries, and Nathan Fillion. So sue me, I became a Browncoat with Firefly over the summer.

My verdict: Dana Delaney has finally added some spice to the proceedings, the various women of Wysteria Lane are at their best when keeping secrets, and the mystery feels like just the right balance of intrigue and actually interesting material, as opposed to last year’s. It is a creepy dream for a brain-washed girl whose parents are hiding things in a locked room that hides not a chained up male but a hidden past.

It centers on not some secret murder plot or basement dungeon, but a mysterious new neighbour with a past and a future on Wisteria Lane. The drama amongst characters it as much of a retread as before, but it feels fresher as long as some level of change is being promised. And I feel like a new neighbour, and new neighbours to come, might be enough to bring the show back on track.

Brothers & Sisters – “Home Front”

At the end of last season’s finale, the Walker family cleansed themselves with a dip in the pool to signal a new beginning. However, this was really incredibly misleading, as this year’s season premiere showed: in reality, they’re still just as messed up as they were before. Kitty’s neutoric, Kevin’s narcissistic, Sarah’s marriage is a wreck, and the rest of the family are in a state of upheaval.

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Tagged as ABC, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Dirty Sexy Money, Primetime Soaps, Season Premiere

September 27, 2007 · 11:48 pm

Season Premiere: The Office – “Fun Run”

“Fun Run”

September 27th, 2007

I would like to make two observations about this highly anticipated fourth season premiere of The Office. First, I would argue that “fun” is not a proper descriptor for the episode’s events: while certainly with its funny moments, it felt overlong and tired compared to some of the show’s more engaging and classic episodes. The second is that despite this fact, millions of viewers are likely to be so satisfied by the “Jam” (Or PB&J as Kevin calls them) developments that none of that will matter.

I’m far too cynical to avoid pointing out the episode’s issues, but can we talk about how adorable Pam and Jim were in this episode? Whether it’s their secret glances, their secret rendezvous or their secret estate-sale browsing, their secret affair was the part of the episode that felt most fresh and, importantly, interesting. I care about these two people, as irrational as that may be, and I liked that the show used its documentary format to slowly reveal the relationship through the hour.

But there were other story threads I was interested in following following the show’s third season premiere. I wanted to see how newly unemployed and psychotic Jan changed Michael’s life, and how newly promoted Ryan would play a role in the affairs of The Office. I was also curious to see how Karen’s reaction to Jim’s post-New York singlehood would affect the show’s core relationships. However, this hour barely touched on these issues, focusing instead on hijinx and another key relationship.

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Tagged as Entertainment, NBC, Season Premiere, Television, The Office

September 25, 2007 · 10:22 pm

Season Premiere: House – “Alone”

“Alone”

September 25th, 2007

House is a series that is always good at two things: finales and premieres. As a procedural drama, the rest of the time is spent meandering through repetitive and predictable medical cases, but it is at these moments of ending and beginning that House becomes a well-written and engaging character drama. After a finale that left everything in upheaval, “Alone” fast-forwards only two weeks as House tries to set out on his lonesome to prove that he doesn’t need a team.

Mind you, the series hinges on House’s interactions with his “Cottages,” so we know that this isn’t going to last long. This particular episode, however, benefited from the lack of added weight: it was, for the first time in a long time, House being House. Whether it was interactions with Wilson, Cuddy or Dr. Buffer (A Janitor turned Fellow), House was at his Tuesday best tonight. And, even if it didn’t answer all of our questions, I’d say that you can call this case a success.

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Tagged as FOX, House, Season Premiere, Television

September 24, 2007 · 10:28 pm

Heroes – “…Four Months Later”

“…Four Months Later”

September 24th, 2007

Slate recently posted an article about overpopulation against television casts, referring to it as a “plague.” As if to prove their point, Heroes started its second season struggling to come to terms with its expanding cast, and ignoring several of its key characters in the process. A meandering and inconclusive hour, “…Four Months Later” felt like we were being shown what a better writer could have done through subtle hints, as opposed to anything of true consequence.

The episode’s main focus was establishing that, forced to live normal lives due to the threat of The Company, our heroes are miserable. Noah moved from Primatech to Copy Kingdom, Claire went from athletic cheerleader to quiet Badminton player, and Nathan went from politician to alcoholic. It is only Parkman who gets out lucky, able to use his ability to read minds discreetly, earning a job as an NYPD Detective. Everyone else is suffering, big time. And do you know what? That doesn’t make for very exciting television.

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Tagged as Heroes, NBC, Season Premiere, Television