Weekend Rant - The Week in Review

The past week was not bad with some surprising episodes of Lost and Bones, while a few shows fumbled the ball (Smallville - again) and Project Runway Canada is really beginning to get on my nerves, but there were shows like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse that have really surprised and shocked me.

The Amazing Race is still as amazing as ever, and it was a shame to see Mike & Mel hit the road but you know that once one team gets way behind the others there is never that much of a chance to catch up. It's all about how you play the game and our 2 stunt men got perilously close to hitting the road after sabotaging the other teams. This game is really about fair play and you have to out perform to win -- not try to trip up the other teams. The teams are really pushing themselves and Tammy & Victor seem to be the leaders at this time.

Dancing with the Stars dumped Holly and the Woz (finally) and I hope that Steve-O gets his act together soon or he will be leaving soon.Lil' Kim was amazing and looks great, and you can really tell that Cheryl wants to win this year so she pulled out all the stops (and probably a roll of duct tape) to get her cleavage into that outfit and tangoed Gilles into a frenzy. Ty is still impressing me and Shawn is adorable.

Both Chuck and Heroes missed the boat this week with episodes that felt too repetitive (again) but I am looking forward to seeing the story arc with Chuck's dad. Heroes has completely lost it's way and feels like the same story done over and over.... I am just waiting for the next version of Ally/Niki/Traci to show up and get killed. My interest and hopes of a 3rd season are fading quickly, and I can't believe how the writers have dropped the ball on this series. What was once very promising has turned into an test of endurance.

Project Runway Canada has me waiting for Sunny to win and nothing more. This season was too dull for my taste and this crop of designers is too straight and bitchy. I can hardly wait until the US version returns (the legal issues are getting settled finally) and I will have to check out the new Bravo replacement The Fashion Show when it hits the airwaves. I need a Heidi and Tim fix.

The only thing that has been fabulous enough on TV recently was RuPaul's Drag Race (one of my favorite Guilty Pleasures this year) and I was like a little boy Christmas morning when I heard they have already booked a second season. The only thing as fun as that is this season of Make me a Supermodel, which has all the gorgeous people and the craziness of the Janice Dickinson Modelling Agency with out the psychopathic Janice and some astounding photo shoots. I think Jonathon has a great chance of winning and is really impressing me. The cast is less gay this time around, but as enthralling as ever.

Lost has my head spinning with possible temporal paradoxes and I absolutely love that Hurley asked the questions that we all had to know... and I was literally peeing myself laughing as he and Miles had their "nerd off" to see who had the right theories. I love how they are tying up some of the mysteries (what Sawyer whispered to Kate) while starting more and Ben being taken by Richard to be healed. Seeing our modern day Ben wake up to John Locke was a hell of an ending and I am literally on pins and needles waiting to see what happens next. One hour per week is not enough of this show.

Bones pulled off a surprisingly serious episode that was very Cam-centric, and was almost too different as it was not as humorous as the usual episodes. I was pretty sure that Cam's new adopted daughter is none other than Monica from Heroes, so I am glad to see her getting more work but wondering how this all fits into the series. I think I am just in shock because the episode was so different than the usual episodes of Bones and it was interesting to see one of the other characters in the spotlight. It was nice to see Tamara have the chance to show her acting chops.

Survivor: Tocantins is great and I love how we are getting up to the merge and the Hidden Immunity Idols are starting to come into play. I think that if anyone finds an Idol now they better be sceptical, because it seems that everyone who has found one of the Idols tries the Fake Idol fake out now (and it's a good idea) and it might keep people on their toes. Rule of thumb, they have to be played occasionally as well as it's great to have one but useless if never used. I would really like to see that tool Coach hit the road though, and hope that happens soon.

Smallville has me wondering why Clark is such a tool most of the time and why Chloe is still the poster girl for bad choices this season. I thought that after the previous episode she was being more proactive about things, but this Davis/Doomsday thing is getting out of hand. Tessmacher surprised me with blowing up Davis, and I saw an interesting twist on her personality that makes her psycho and dangerous, but nothing like Lex. Her idea of testing Clark is a good one and am waiting for the big fight at the end of the season. More adventure and less angst please.

Supernatural churned out another great episode and I loved the slant on the print version of Supernatural with our boys being all romance novel inspired. Angels, demons and prophets -- it seems the end of days is coming up and I expect an Apocalypse of a finale this year. I am glad that the show is coming back and feel better going into finale season knowing that there will be a follow up, but still wondering how they are going to try to tie up this major storyline in the next few episodes.The series has been even more thrilling this year and the writing has improved over last year.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles shocked me this week with the very unexpected death of Derek in a move that I really did not see coming. No one is safe on this show (except John) and it is really starting to tear him apart watching everyone die for him. There is some very interesting developments with the storyline and I am loving the tension. I just hope that next week is only the season finale and not the series finale. I expect a pretty big body count after the next episode and when the dust clears I hope to see Cameron still around. This show is not getting the credit or attention that it deserves.

Dollhouse is continuing to be another brilliant brainchild of Joss Whedon, and although I am having a bit of a problem getting past the whole "pet" angle of the Dolls (and am still not sure of the whole human traffic element of the show), the writing has been great and Eliza is as phenomenal as ever. I love seeing the Dolls bond, and the underlying story of our very hunky FBI agent Paul Ballard (loved our Canadian guy in Galactica) and the apparent chemistry between Echo and Ballard. Hot stuff... and the insights into what makes Echo, Victor, Sierra and November tick makes the show even more fascinating. Josh is all about writing great characters, and his work is shining here. I just hope that the ratings are enough to get another season, things are starting to get very interesting and this better not be another Firefly.

Top Ten of 2008 - Best in Show

#1 - Pushing Daisies -
Being chosen as my number one show is bittersweet and ironic as the show has not been renewed and it will soon join the realm of other Brilliant but Cancelled shows. This modern day fairy tale is simply so different and quirky than anything else out there, it had to be at the top of the list for it's sheer genius. Each episode looks and feels so magical and has such a quick and brilliant wit about it. The playful banter between the actors that is punctuated by different surprises such as music or magic that I am in complete awe each episode. It is a shame that there is not a network that is willing to broadcast the rest of the series, and I still feel cheated by having a stunted season last year due to the strike and then cancellation this year. In all, we get the equivalent of one season and I feel ripped off. Bryan Fuller has promised to continue and end the story, even if it means going into another medium such as comic books, so I feel content that I can say how things develop but feel cheated at the same time. Such is the fate of shows that are out of the box and willing to be more creative... I long for a time when something well written and well produced can be shown just for the pleasure of sharing it's creativity -- unfortunately this is TV and it's the almighty dollar that makes the choices.

#2 - Lost - Even with a short season last year, the writers' have created such an enthralling tale that I can't wait to see what might/has/will happens next. No other show has such a story filled with such complexities and managed to keep us all guessing with a combination of flashback and flash forward sequences. I am still completely hooked and want to see more of what happened with the Oceanic Six, the disappearance of the Island, the mysterious Ben and even stranger Jacob.This show doesn't get the credit it deserves and I can hardly wait to see how things will be this season. It's great that they like to run the season so that there are no interruptions, but I hate having to wait so long to know how the story is going to develop ... with only 34 episodes left there is a lot going on and I know that there will be more twists and turns along the trail, and I can hardly wait.

#3 - Supernatural - The chemistry between the Winchester boys is what makes the series and the combination of dark humor and gripping story lines has made every episode a must see event at home. The guys are just too funny and sexy even with everything going to Hell around them, and the current storyline with Dean being pulled back to Earth out of Hell by Angels and Sammy playing on the dark side with Ruby reads like a Shakespearean epic. The big story of battling Lilith who is trying to destroy the Seals that keep Satan in Hell is astounding and the big battle with Archangels and demons has been off the charts. They have even being throwing out special treats to the viewers this season with Dean's hilarious air guitar sequence to Eye of the Tiger. Solid writing, sexy guys and good acting make for a good series and this one has not been disappointing.

#4 - Doctor Who - This past season was fantastic with Catherine Tate joining the fold as the new companion and impressed me with her dramatic acting skills. I loved the Donna Noble character and her development and ultimate loss over the season. Russell T Davies wrote a hell of a season finale that crossed over into the whole Who universe ( The Children of Time) and it was astounding to see the Doctor with Rose, Martha, along with Captain Jack, Gwen and Ianto from Torchwood and Sarah Jane, K-9 and Luke. They managed to throw in tons of other characters from the past couple of years and have a huge universe shattering ending. Since BBC TV doesn't have to be written with a conventional happy ending, things ended with Donna losing her memories of her time as a companion (as well as her personal evolution) and she can never have the memories back with risking certain death. It was a hard lesson and harsh ending to a character, and I curious to see if the issue will ever be addressed again. The writing and stories were astounding and refreshing, and although this upcoming season will be short I will relish every moment.

#5 - Torchwood - The story lines this year were very adult and things started off with a huge Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and the introduction of James Marsters as Captain John Hart, Captain Jack's former colleague and lover. The stories delved more into Jack's life and his brother Gray, and we had the treat of seeing Martha Jones of Doctor Who fame make a guest appearance for a few episodes.The status quo changed around at Torchwood, and poor Owen was killed, but stayed on as a living corpse before being finally killed off (again?) in the season finale. Toshiko met her end in the final episode of the season, leaving only Jack, Ianto and Gwen at Torchwood. The new season will only be a 5 episode arc, but is better than no Torchwood at all. At least I got some more John Barrowman during this past springs How do you solve a problem like Maria? reality show that aired here in Canada but would love to see more. It will be a rough year with a reduced amount of Who Universe characters.

#6 - Battlestar Galactica -Things were put on hold since June and they will be airing the final episodes (finally) starting this January, and I am itching with excitement and very eager to see how things will be played out. The final Cylon model will be revealed (I just hope that it isn't the President -- that would be the biggest irony of all) and it will be interesting to see how things will change now that they have discovered Earth -- or is that really Earth or some other distraction? The acting and the writing has been phenomenal, the biggest complaint about the series has been the long wait time in between episodes and how Sci Fi seems to be milking it for all it's worth. It's still one of the best things on the tube and hopefully the spin off prequel series Caprica will be as interesting and engrossing as this one. It is still a definite not to be missed series and I can hardly wait to see how things finish off.

#7 - Bones - The show fumbled a bit this season with the separation of Hodgkins and Angela and the team was still reeling from the loss of Zack, but the show managed to hold on to it's core and even if things felt off a tad, they have churned out some great stuff so far this year. I don't think that breaking up our couple worked (I did like the tension when Angela's ex showed up) but I prefer it when the sexual tension is between Booth and Bones. Our reluctant lovers are still butting heads, but there are more and more moments that they seem to fit so well together that are unfortunately punctuated by Bone's lack of tact or just by her having no comprehension of the facts. I still find it humorous that a writer (Bones) who seems to not know much about popular culture is a popular author. It is just another endearing quality of Brennan. David has been killing this season with his very cocky Boothe strutting his stuff (I love the belt buckle) and his sly and subtle sense of humor has been creeping back in.I liked the idea of rotating interns (it reminds me of the good old days and the never ending stream of secretaries on Murphy Brown), but now that we are to the point of seeing some of the interns come back again, I am liking the idea less. The team is starting to feel like they are getting back in sync, but I am still convinced that Sweets is too good to be true and linked with the Gormogon. There are lots of unanswered questions and I am pretty sure that Sweets has the answers, it's just too convenient that he came into the picture at just the right time and has had some peripheral implication in pretty much all of the situations that involved the killer. I bet you he is the new Master and Daisy is going to be his new apprentice.

#8 - Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles - Even with Fox bumping this show on and off of the schedule, the stories have been solid and the acting is tremendous. I absolutely love Lena Heady as Sarah Connor, and she is totally believable as the character. It is rare to find an actress that can embody a well established character, and she has really taken the torch from Linda Hamilton and made Sarah her own. She certainly knows her mission, and I really like how they have been adding new depth to the character, now that they have changed time and managed to skip over that pesky death by cancer. The addition of Uncle Derek was another brilliant move that has added more of a human element and created a bigger sense of family, and Cameron is a great choice as the enhanced Terminator sent back to protect John. Shirley Manson has been disturbing as the T-1001 that is working against our heroes, and it has been a great storyline this season. Hopefully all the time shifts and schedule changes won't get this one cancelled, it's a great addition to the mythos.

#9 - Smallville - I have loved and hated this series since it started, but this year I can honestly say that I have been enjoying the stories and have been really liking the development of things between Lois and Clark. Erica Durance is becoming my favorite representation of Lois to date, having the right balance of toughness and sensitivity, and she has such a commanding presence that you can't help but notice her. If she wasn't calling Clark Smallville all the time I don't even think that they could keep the title of the show as all the action has been taking place at Metropolis and at the Daily Planet. I have been not entirely happy with the storyline with Chloe (the part of her no longer being a reporter), but I like her in Control Tower mode (reminding me more of the Oracle character from Birds of Prey) and find it a good balance for the character. The season started off great with an appearance of the Justice League and the regular appearances of Green Arrow and the Martian Manhunter have added a new dynamic to the show. The Brainiac/Doomsday storyline that is currently running has been playing out well and I am looking forward to seeing how things play out over the next few episodes. I think it is time to dish the no tights/no flights rule of the show and for Clark to start playing dress up like the rest of his hero friends.

#10 -The Big Bang Theory - This is the only comedy that made it all the way up the list, and every episode this season has had me laughing on my ass. Not only is this one of the best written comedies on the air, but it has some of the funniest characters created for a sitcom ever. The character of Sheldon is sheer brilliance on every level and his Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock variation was another example of the mindset of the character. It should be noted that the concept was not the writer's idea but an homage to Sam Kass who developed the concept in 2005. I really like how they have been developing the relationships between the characters as well as fleshing out our gang of geeks and getting to know more about what makes them tick. Brilliant minds make for great writing and this show is always worth the watch.

Almost made the List: Chuck, Samantha Who?, The Sarah Jane Adventures

Fallen from Grace: Burn Notice, Heroes

Biggest Flop: Knight Rider, Fringe, 90210

Weekend Rant - The Week in Review

Since this is the big start to the new TV season, there is a ton of ranting to do.. so start your engines and off we go...

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is continuing it's sophomore season with some interesting developments but some of the plot lines have me scratching my head and going hmmm a bit too much. This past episode has Cromartie kidnapping Charley's wife, Michelle (Penny from Lost) and setting up an elaborate Mousetrap to keep the gang busy while he goes after John. The stupid thing is that Michelle gets injured and Charley (the paramedic) can't do anything to save her. Bad paramedic.... I am not sure if it's to get him more involved with the team (and possible love interest once again for Sarah) or if it's another example of the sacrifices that she will have to make to protect John. I am not sure if I would want a semi competent paramedic on my team. Shirley Manson is still freaking me out as the ultra slick Catherine, who (apparently) is on a quest for Terminator bits and pieces (she says) and is recruiting poor Agent Ellison over to the dark side. All part of the bigger picture I imagine.

Cameron had a couple of great moments this week showing her robotic/naive side. Her assessment of the centre of the house was great, and her super strength manipulations at the computer store were so matter of fact to her but bad for her cover story/secret identity. I estimated that in the time she took chasing after John and finding him, her truck was probaby emptied out in no time and someone else got some nice shiny new computers. These are those moments that you wonder if stuff like that is intended or is it just more impressive characterisation by Summer. Stealing from a Terminator is probably not a smart thing to do and it will more than likely result in death. The chase scene with John at the Pier seemed strangely familiar, and I was glad to see the fact that these particular Terminators can't swim (or float) exploited. I wonder if future versions could be water adapted or specialised? That could be an interesting version to see. It was also a tad strange that Catherine was drinking water .... something about water and that one.

Bones continued it's season with a great episode and another one of those witty titles "The Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond" that brought some of the old energy back. It was great seeing Zack again and having some follow up to his story. It's nice to see that he is recovering from those nasty hand injuries and hasn't really lost his touch when it comes to figuring things out. It turns out that he didn't actually kill anyone ... but I still have this nagging feeling that Sweets is more involved in the whole Gargamel story line than we know and I will not be overly surprised when that fact is revealed. I am so loving the "intern of the week" dynamic that is happening with the gang (it reminds me of Murphy Brown and the never ending cycle of secretaries that she went through) and I wonder if it's a temp thing until they get Zack back. I loved seeing the old chemistry back.... now if we can Hodges and Angela back together again the world will be alright.

I love how they have been humanizing Bones more and trying to show different facets of her very complex personality. Last week with her interest and obvious affection for the dogs and the very touching memorial that she gave, and this week and her tender moments with Zack. Yes, she is terribly logical and literal but she has a good heart. It's time to take things up a whole 'nother level with Booth, you can see how much they like each other and they have such a perverse pleasure in toying with Sweets.

Knight Rider crashed and burned coming out of the gate this week and I knew it was going to be a dud. The writing is as bad as the made for TV movie (I still don't understand why they thought it was such a success that it deserved a regular series, but then again this is the same network that gave us the Bionic Woman fiasco.) The transforming car is just too much and I didn't understand how someone could go from the back of a pick up to driving the car with a few simple transformer moves with out being crushed ... but not much of this show is that logical. Unfortunately part of me still likes the pretty tech( ooh! science!) and the pretty new Michael Knight, I just don't know if I will try to follow it and consider me officially on the fence about this one. There is a lot of choices on the tube and I have the feeling that this is falling to the wayside.

Smallville started the season off not bad last week with some of the Justice League looking for Clark after he some how ended up in a Russian Work Camp. While I don't try to understand some of the story lines, I love that Green Arrow (Justin) is a regular this season, they tried to fix some of the costume issues with the Black Canary by giving her a Birds of Prey inspired one (good move) but they are still relying on her throwing a lot of knives. That still sits funny with me and would prefer if they could go all ninja with her and make her the kick ass martial artist that she should be... but improvements none the less. Aquadude was great... the shower scene certainly showed off his assets... something has to be said about those swimmers bodies... wow...

It's a shame that Lex has vanished (I am hoping for a guest appearance at some point), but I am shedding no tears over the departure of Lana. Our new CEO of Luthor, Tess whatsherface, is a cookie cutter version of some of the great ladies that have worked for Lex, and I think she will be an interesting counterpoint to the good guys. She obviously can't be on the side of Angels and it looks like she is trying to get her own Injustice League (or Suicide Squad?) together to battle the Justice League. Bette (aka Plastique) is an interesting addition to the others (I have to see more) and the show seems to be going into a different adventurous direction.

The developments with Chloe have me scratching my head a bit, all the sudden changes (and now she is no longer interested in being a reporter? what?), only reinforces that I think that part of Brainiac is inside Chloe's head. She can't heal, is smarter in weird ways, and there are a few things that just aren't adding up. I don't really want to get into the angst thing and new love triangle that seems to be developing with the ambulance guy and Jimmy. I could do with out all of that but it wouldn't be the CW if there wasn't some sort of teen like angst happening, they do realize that the kids are no longer in school right?

It looks like this year Lois and Clark will be getting closer and working together, and I really do like Erica as Lois. She does a great, strong take on the character and you can start to see more of the spark between them. Lois is certainly more street smart and damnm does she know how to dress a man. I won't be surprised if Clark starts flying soon. I think that rule can be tossed aside now that we are getting more out of Smallville and in to Metropolis... with all the changes you might as well change the name of this show to Metropolis, it looks like Smallville is just a nickname for our farm boy now. I am appreciating this show more this year and if it doesn't fall into severe emo/teen angst territory it should be a fun watch.

Supernatural found a way of bring Dean back from Hell (Plucked by an Angel it appears, and that almost sounds dirty), but I am having a problem believing that the Hunter culture can know so much about demons and the other ilk and know nothing about the good guys. You would think that you would know a bit more about Angels since Demons piss their pants if they see one... it's a skewed view of the universe that seems unbalanced... and for me is less a question of faith than one of logic, obviously if all this evil exists then there should be a counterpoint.

The whole Apocalypse storyline seems interesting (and face it, shows like this end up saving the world at least once per year) and I am glad that Lilith is still involved on some level. The humor has been lacking a tad this season, but we are only 2 episodes in and there had to be some explaining about Dean's miraculous return. The writing is good, the boys look great and I am looking forward to this season.

This week I am really excited by the return of The Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives, Dexter, Chuck and Pushing Daisies. I am so happy to be getting full seasons of some of my favorites and I can hardly wait to jump in to that delicious Pie Heaven that is Pushing Daisies. It's the most original thing on the tube.

On Canadian TV, we finally get around to some new This Hour has 22 Minutes, The Rick Mercer Report and Air Farce Live and So you think you can Dance? Canada starts back up with stage 2 and the selection of the Top 20. It's going to be another busy week....

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Automatic for the People

After a pretty good start last week, things got a bit muddled this week and I was very disappointed that John was getting all emo again (I really hoped that that butch hair cut would help with that) and I hate all the rebellious teenager crap.

I know the series is more about mom Sarah than John... but her life is all about John and the man that he is supposed to become. Her tough soldier formula is becoming a big challenge for him ( and yes, I can understand about wanting a life and having some normal time) but it will hopefully be time for him to man up and stop being so emo about the whole thing. No one likes a so called hero that whines continually.

I am not sure what they are trying to do with his new friend/girlfriend Riley. She seems a bit off... and the whole thing with him bringing her home and her avoiding some questions (like about family) and then creating the robot out of Lego "to watch over him while he sleeps" was pretty disturbing. I am thinking that this is another Terminator or some other connection from the future, there is just something that doesn't quite add up with this new girl. She also seems to be a hell of lot more developed and mature than John and the physical differences are a bit humorous. I am not sure is this some kind of a red herring or just a bunch of coincidences? If new girl is a Terminator why did she not kill John the first chance she had or is there more that than to this story? It does have some of my attention.

Cameron seems to be off still, and her fight with the bad Terminator was just silly. Lots of head banging and bouncing the bad guy off of walls doesn't make things that interesting, especially when there is some major nuclear meltdown happening and time is of the essence. Not only are her verbal and social skills impaired and seem worse than ever and I wonder if it's a sign of current or future malfunctions. None of the gang seems to trust her anymore and hopefully that will be turned around soon. The time paradoxes are building steam and something has to blow soon.

I didn't quite understand our new friend from the Resistance that arrived in a time bubble all hot, naked (was that the guy that played Titus's brother??) and injured. He seemed to be in a big hurry to give out some information about the Nuclear reactor before dying and his messages written in blood discovered at the end of the episode will probably give some impetus to upcoming events. I wasn't surprised to see new T1000 Marilyn Manson show up at the end and make the big announcement about the new tech that is there to save the day and prevent further mishaps. It looks like some things are changing in the future. Things might get very interesting over the next while if the storyline doesn't fall into teen angst territory. There will be no hope for the future unless John starts showing that he has a pair.... and gets his act together.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Reboot

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles returned last night for season 2, and nicely following up to last season's explosive ending (Cameron getting blown up in the end scene), we follow things up from that point with a pretty nifty opening montage full of music and some pretty kick ass scenes. I found it interesting that there was no dialogue for the first several minutes of the show as they preferred to let the music (conveniently vocalized by Shirley Manson of Garbage, the newest cast member) set the mood and it was very well put together.

Cameron (Summer Glau) is still my favorite Terminator, and it was freaky to see her limping around and using a staple gun to hold her skin together. This one tough Terminator ... and I didn't see the whole turning bad and malfunctioning chip thing that turned her from protector to killer coming.

It was pretty obvious that John was going to try to repair her (yes it was stupid but the kid is still learning) and it will be interesting to see if she is really on the mend or if it is part of some other plan. I don`t think things are all fixed and there may be some glitches along the way.

I am still not sold on the Shirley Manson character of Catherine Weaver.... I thought her dialogue at the beginning was terrible and have to say that I found it pretty disturbing (and downright disgusting) that she was disguised as a urinal (WTF??) before going all T1000 liquid metal and sticking a nice spike into that guy's head.... that's one sick writer....

Still... the regular crew were all great, I love how John (Thomas Dekker) is starting to have some balls and take charge and you can see how he is maturing (and it appears that he has some talent as a hair stylist as well, these soldiers are really well trained) and will be sporting more of a butch look than his emo style of last year. These are all good things and I am looking forward to seeing a kick ass fight between Cameron and Catherine. Will our new girl do well against one of these liquid metal models? Time will tell .. I am just happy that we will have a nice full season of episodes and have some time to see some better character development this year. Lena Headey is still an amazing Sarah Connor and it will be interesting to see how she reacts to John spreading his wings and trying to fly.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Queen’s Gambit

Oh, how this show is growing on me.

Not only did we get some interesting twists in the plot, there were a couple of loose threads that were picked at and some very interesting new ideas. Like I said last week, the new mythos being added do the original concepts justice, and Lena does such a great interpretation of Sarah that I am completely taken aback by her ability to channel the character. Just watching her do her pull ups on the swing set made me think of Sarah in T2. She has such a physical presence, and her narration and cadence with the character is so spot on I almost prefer her to the original, now that we have had the chance to see her in several episodes.

The underlying theme of Chess that floated through this episode brought things full circle in many ways. John learns about the art of war via Chess and it continues to fascinate and inspire him. Andy returns (from the Turk episode) with a new and improved Chess playing robot and the tie in with the Robot Chess Challenge was all outstanding. The contest and the winning team getting a military contract certainly raised a lot of eyebrows.... and was essentially the nail in the coffin for our cell phone salesman. I am not usually that interested in Chess, but the whole fake and sacrifice the Queen for our Japanese team worked very well and it goes to show the limits of an artificial intelligence. Machines still have problems working around the whole dishonesty thing and tend to play by the rules, which is probably the saving grace at this moment.

Seeing the evolution of Skynet is quite the trip.... watching Cameron and how she related to or "felt" a tie with her predecessors made the whole episode worthwhile. The juxtaposition of robots from old, clunky versions to our T3 was like seeing an evolutionary chart of some kind, it was such great imagery. I am still very impressed with Summer and her ability to play such a stiff/robotic character. Seeing her deal with the grief counsellor was sheer hysteria, and her way of turning the tables on the teacher was great characterisation once again. She is fitting into the role of sister very well, and it makes a great cover for both of them.

The big fight scene with our bad Terminator of the week was a great one, and Ellison finding the hand later on might bring his story more around, the whole chasing mysterious blood type thing was only going so far, and I am wondering how he will react to more definitive proof that "they are out there".

Of course the biggest treat was the appearance of Brian Austin Green as John Connor’s uncle, Derek Reece. It was a bold move to make family for the Connors... but a very interesting gamble none the less. Seeing how he survives should make for some interesting TV, and definitely makes all of them seem more human. The arrival of Sarah's ex fiancé (from what? 8 years ago?) adds more fuel to the fire..... and I can hardly wait until next week to see where they are going next.

Terminator:The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Heavy Metal

I am still so happy that they have skirted around the disaster that was T3 and that the storyline has gone off in a different direction. This was another great episode, and besides seeing how the characters are evolving I am really liking seeing more about the Terminators and how they are constructed/grown and seeing some of the technology involved.

Our Terminator from the future that has been reconstructing himself shows up again this episode, this time after a Plastic Surgeon who he forces to change his look (and I assume make him look more human). FBI guy Ellison gets in on the action once the dead surgeon is discovered (and more of that mystery blood). It appears that Ellison is losing some of his pull with the other law enforcement agencies and they are looking at him kinda funny. Since our Terminator has just had lots of work done, he looks like some guy named Lazlo who was in the surgeon's data base and they bring the guy in to interogate him and take a blood sample.

Of course none of this pans out for Ellison, and he looks like an idiot in front of the cops... but his story is far from over and he doesn't realize how much closer he is getting to the truth.

Not that the episode was all about Ellison, it was mostly about discovering that they were followed through time via the nasty Terminator who is rebuilding himself, and that there have been shipments of Coltan alloy that are disappearing. It seems this is an alloy used to create the T3s (or is it T4s?) because it has a high melting point.

We have some more butting of heads between John and Sarah, and John is evolving more and more into his role of mankind's savior. There were more fun scenes with Cameron ( who is pretty cool and I love how she plays the robotic part up) and Sarah pulls no punches when it is time to get information out of the bad guys. The scene where she leaves the guy in the minefield was hilarious, and I feel for her character. She is still walking that fine line between mom and protector and trying to save the world. It ain't an easy job. The episode ends well, the scene in the bunker and seeing how our Terminator of the week went into "sleep" mode once he completed his mission was interesting. Seeing our nasty Terminator from the future kill his human template and take his place and then meet with Ellison was even better.... and I can hardly wait to see how they will continue to develop this storyline.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - The Turk

Here we are at Episode 3 and things are progressing nicely in the storyline and the development of the characters. I absolutely LOVE Lena Heady as Sarah... and her dream sequences have been "most awesome" so far. The whole sequence with the creators of the atomic bomb (the Manhattan Project) and the questions of whether or not to kill the scientists to prevent the creation of the bomb was definitely hot topic... but unfortunately we all know that this will not turn out good as the Terminators are still around. The time travel/conundrum stuff is hard to keep track of and can be a complete mind frack if you try to figure things out too much...

I love the bad Terminator (red eyes = bad) and his kidnapping of the scientist and the chemical formula from the future to make artificial skin... weird but effective stuff and I can hardly wait until he looks like his original self (this is the one that came through time after our gang). I wonder if this formula will grow hair also or if our Terminators have wigs they wear... things always appear so organic with the Terminators and it's interesting to see some of the back story behind them.

Our good Terminator (blue eyes = good) Cameron is still confusing me a bit as she seemed very human in her first appearance in the pilot, but seems less adapted since that point. She still acts like a huge freak at times, but I was laughing my ass off at her exchange with the girls in the bathroom at school. I love the character and can hardly wait for her to get all bad ass again.

I love our side story of our FBI friend who is still after Sarah and John... and the whole finding the bodies of the other resistance fighters from the future (who were found dead last week) and discovering that one of them has the same finger prints as a 4 year old boy that is living right now is pretty nifty.... I wonder if dear Agent Ellsion will become a believer eventually once he sees all these impossible things happening.

Continuing with our storyline of trying to stop the future from happening, Sarah has a lead on someone from Cyberdyne courtesy of another appearance of Tarissa, Miles Dyson's widow. No sign of their kid (he would be an adult at this point) but it was fascinating to see the character again (a couple of decades added) and her non shock as to Sarah looking exactly the same as the last time they saw each other. Sarah tracks down the guy (Andy, an ex-intern) who is a poor excuse of Cellphone salesman and who ultimately ends up hitting on Sarah and asking her out. It turns out the Andy is not such a bad guy, he is just an uber-geek and has built a computer that he calls the Turk. The Turk plays Chess, and can learn from his mistakes it appears and Andy swears that Turk is even kind of moody.

Sarah has her huge quandry to deal with.... kill Andy to make sure he doesn't create anymore Artificial Intelligence or destroy what has been created and hope this stops some of the events that are leading to the end of mankind? John takes center stage for awhile, and you really see his future leader potential as he tries to get more information from Mom (who is completely technologically challenged it seems) and explains about the Singularity. The Singularity is the time when a computer becomes self aware and is able to build better versions of its self with out any human assistance. It's the big Terminator Judgement day scenario, where if that happens you better just kiss your ass good bye because there is nothing you can really do at that point. Sarah decides to torch Andy's house and destroy his work.

This makes me wonder why Sarah didn't kill Andy...? Was she following her instincts or did I miss something in the story? I know she was mulling around the destroy the creator or the creation since her dream, and it seems the Andy is not really involved with Cyberdyne so is it her humanity that she is trying to assert so they are not like the machines in the future that destroy what they can't control or understand? It certainly left some food for thought this episode.... and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - About time

In a world of re-runs and bad remakes, this series finally breaks out of that trap (thank the gods of Kobal) and we get a good series, with great stories and some pretty damn fine acting. Lena Headey channels the Sarah Connor character so well that she picks up and expands on the original version played by Linda Hamilton, and although it took me a few minutes to adjust to several "No, this isn't Heroes or Firefly " moments with having Thomas Dekker and Summer Glau in the cast, I really enjoyed the characters and their interaction. The new Terminatrix is not only young and hauntingly beautiful (like every character Summer plays) but a different model, with some new abilities that we are beginning to see and I am sure has tons of surprises up her robotic sleeve.

You have to love the Fox network and their big over the top 2 night events. I loved the pilot on Sunday night and the whole time travel sequence (very cool) and then we get treated with a brand new episode the next night. The new opening credits are just too fracking cool (and killer in HD) and I love the feel of the series and the convenient way they have bypassed the disaster of a 3rd movie. This is way better Terminator stories, and from the way things have started it will be an exciting ride. I look forward to riding this one as long as possible... let's hope its not one of those Fox shows that gets cancelled after a season or 2 or sometimes less ... like.... Dark Angel, Titus, Action, Wonderfalls, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Firefly, Harsh Realm, The Tick or Greg the Bunny.... but you never know these days.... only the future will tell. Quick! Someone send a robot back in time and make sure this show is a hit.