Hot Guy Monday: Tahmoh Penikett

Since last Friday marked not only the end of Battlestar Galactica but also Dollhouse finally kicking into high gear, today's hot guy is Helo himself, Tahmoh Penikett.

Battlestar is one of the finest shows to have graced television in recent times. Buried on the Sci Fi Channel and dismissed by a lot of people, it transcended the genre with some impeccable writing, direction and performances (James Callis' performance as Baltar is quite possibly the most finely rendered and perfectly pitched piece of acting as to have ever been on television). The last ever episode was not perfect but it was absolutely astonishing all the same and I was moved to tears on more than one occasion (to come back to Callis again, his "I know about farming" line gutted me like a fish). Now that it's over, I want to watch it all again.

As for Dollhouse, five weeks of tonal uncertainty and poor plotting finally gave way to a multitude of twists and turns that was insanely exciting and ensured I'll watch the show to the end of the season. Plus, Tahmoh was shirtless a lot.

The 2009 disappointments continue

Though on a smaller scale than being denied my Canadian Visa. So far:

Friday 13th.

Yes, I know it seems unlikely that I would be disappointed over this remake. But I am. See, Marcus Nispel directed the Texas Chainsaw remake, which I loved and was terrified by. So I had high hopes that he would take the reins of this franchise reboot and deliver another nerve jangling treat. No such luck. I love love love the original so for me, alarm bells began to ring when a horribly edited opening credits sequence showed a Crystal Lake camp counsellor offing Mrs Vorhees right after she's given all the exposition required. Everybody knows the true joy of the original is Betsy Palmer's delicious turn as the batshit crazy mother of Jason when she's revealed as the killer. I can't believe they didn't get someone like Jessica Lange to ham it up as the deranged slasher this time around. For shame.

So anyway, it fast forwards to the present day and after a bunch of nobodys get offed by Jason, the action swings to another bunch of worthless cretins you will recognise from TV shows past and present as well as films with (for God's sake) Shia LaBoeuf. The great thing is, Nispel and the writers make the rookie mistake of having each of them be vastly irritating to the point where you're actively rooting for Jason to kill them, just so you don't have to listen to them anymore. Jared Padalecki is the hero of the piece, the loner outsider searching for his missing sister (she was one of the nobodys in the first bunch and because she looks a little bit like his mother, Jason has not killed her, he's keeping her in the basement. Whatthefuckever.) So when the people you don't care about have all been picked off in a variety of bloody ways (usually after they've had sex or been unnecessarily naked, of course), we're left with Padalecki and his sister to bring down Jason.

There is not one single good thing about this film. Not one. The writing is terrible, the acting embarrassing, the direction ham fisted. There's no sense of menace, there's no sense of horror or fear, it even fumbles the cheap shock, make you jump moments. It is, in a word, shit. And what is so frustrating is it could have been fantastic. In more capable hands, this could have been the horror franchise reboot the fans have been waiting for. But no, instead it's an unholy mess and I just hope the sequel baiting ending doesn't come to pass.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Yeah, make that The Tedious Case and you have a title closer to my opinion of the movie. Wow it was long and boring. I genuinely don't understand the hype and awards buzz around this one. It was pleasant enough to watch but it was kind of like a Chinese takeaway. I didn't really notice it at the time and I'd forgotten it about 20 minutes later. I wanted to love it as I love Cate Blanchett, I love Tilda Swinton and who doesn't love Brad? But it left me cold and it left me more than a little bored too. And I found the Katrina framing of the piece very heavy handed. Shame.

Heroes

It is becoming more and more apparent that the writers and creators of this show didn't expect to be a hit and therefore never thought beyond their first season. The second, strike interrupted, season was hated by pretty much everyone and the efforts to atone for that in the third season saw the show become increasingly fractured, misguided, overstuffed and underwhelming. The third season has two books, the first book, "Villains" failed on just about every level and if you want evidence, check out the two part episode "The Eclipse" which was trumpeted as a key and important episode but was instead everyone wandering around without powers for two episodes while absolutely nothing happened.

Book Four, "Fugitives", is only two episodes in and I already hate it. There are still too many characters splitting the focus and not enough of them are interesting enough for me to care about anymore (in fact, only the extended Petrelli family in the main storyline are worth bothering with). The ONLY thing worth watching the show for now is Sylar and his increasingly fascinating arc. It's like his scenes wandered in from a different show altogether, the level of writing and acting in them is so far removed from the dross of the rest of the show.

TV Remote (lack of) Control

I blogged before about how discovering the joy of downloading TV shows and being able to hook up my laptop to the huge TV in the lounge has freed me from the tyranny of the UK scheduling, where everything is on a Thursday at 9pm, or a Sunday at 10pm. Apparently no other time slots exist. Even so, I'm watching a whole hell of a lot of shows right now. From the earlier TV post, some shows have fallen by the wayside but I've picked up several others. The current schedule looks like this:

Sunday

United States Of Tara

Monday

24
Big Bang Theory
Chuck
The Closer
Heroes
Gossip Girl
Medium
Trust Me

Tuesday

The Mentalist
Nip/Tuck
Rescue Me (starting March 10th)
Reaper (starting March 17th)

Wednesday

Damages
Lie To Me
Lost

Thursday

Bones
Supernatural
Ugly Betty

Friday

Battlestar Galactica
Dollhouse (starting February 13th)

For those keeping count, by the time the three shows yet to start are running, I'll be juggling some 21 shows. Not sure I wholly agree with EW that TV's recent golden age is over just yet.

Important lessons I learned yesterday

1. Don't eat too much breakfast before going to the gym.

Every weekend, on one of the days I will get up at my usual weekday work time and head on out to the gym to be there for when it opens at 8am and consequently is empty so I can do my work out in peace. On those days, I will grab something tiny on my way out the door to tide me over until I get home for breakfast proper (usually it's a biscuit). However, yesterday I was not coming straight home, I was heading into town first to buy some new pillows for my bed as my old pillows are shite and I've been sleeping badly for a while now. So I figured, to stave off feeling hugely hungry before getting back home, I'd eat breakfast properly first thing, before heading out to the gym.

Big mistake. I thought an hour would be enough time to let the food digest (and it's not like I ate a HUGE breakfast or anything), but I was wrong. I had a huge stitch during most of my workout and it felt a lot more challenging than usual. I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone that I sweat a lot during my 45 minutes of cardio but yesterday it looked like I'd been briefly lit on fire before someone thoroughly extinguished me.

2. Pillows are heavy.

I don't know why but it simply didn't occur to me that buying four new pillows, plus their packaging, would be heavy and cumbersome to carry home. By the time I was half way I was beginning to wonder if I would ever regain the feeling in my left arm. Was totally worth it in the end as the pillows are fab and I slept like a dream.

3. There is such a thing as too much television.

I recently discovered the joys of downloading and am currently balancing a whole lot of tv shows.

Currently watching legally:

Eli Stone Season 1
Prison Break Season 4
Heroes Season 3
Medium Season 4
Bones Season 4
Grey's Anatomy Season 4
Fringe Season 1
Breaking Bad Season 1

Currently watching less than legally:

Supernatural Season 4
My Own Worst Enemy Season 1
Easy Money Season 1
The Big Bang Theory Season 2
Californication Season 2
Dexter Season 3
Pushing Daisies Season 2
The Closer Season 4
Chuck Season 2
Weeds Season 4
Dirty Sexy Money Season 2
The Ex List Season 1
Gossip Girl Season 2
Psych Season 3
Ugly Betty Season 3

When the new year rolls around (which will be in a frighteningly short amount of time) and the mid season replacements all start up, there's going to be no room for them! Thank God I don't really have a life so I can try and fit them all in anyway.

PCB's Television Round-Up 2008. Part 4

Better late than never....

Damages

Ok I know this is technically from last year as season 2 is soon to begin airing in the US and its run finished in the UK a while ago, but this is a show worthy of inclusion. If ever a show were to be defined as "classy", it's this one. An intelligent thriller with a complex, nay labyrinthine plot, each week's episode was a masterclass is acting, writing and direction. Glenn Close has started to resemble Mr Punch with the amount of work she's had done and this was occasionally a distraction but other than that I didn't have a single complaint about this show. Some people found the revelations in the finale a little hard to swallow, arguing that the sudden volte face to focus on Patty was just a way to drag the show out to more seasons. I do not agree, as Ellen was very clearly playing Patty at her own game and now will be playing both ends against the middle. If the writing stays as strong and focused, then the next season could be delicious.

Nip/Tuck

Why do I watch this show? Now in its fifth season, I actually gave up on this show a few episodes into season four. I swear the show was cancelled at the end of that season and so I think what drew me back in to the show was to find out exactly what was so brilliant that it had been brought back from the dead. Answer; NOTHING. Relocated to LA, the show spent season five moving ever further into Sunset Beach territory with unbelievably over the top story lines that broke the suspension of my disbelief far too many times. And yet for some reason, I watched the entire season (except for the one episode that was done in a reality show style, that episode I had to switch off it was so godfuckingawful). It was a frustrating experience as the writing constantly undermined what could have been a fun watch. The issues and themes of each episode are writ large with such a heavy hand that it all ends up feeling forced and desperate. And it's a shame because they had some fine guest spots this season, most notably Sharon Gless's batshit crazy turn as Sean's stalker.

Battlestar Galactica

Talk about coitus interruptus. I finally got round to catching up with all things Battlestar and mainlined the miniseries pilot right up to the end of season three in the space of a month, in time for the airing of episode 6 of this current season. As the show had not really been on my radar up to that point, I was not up to date with what was going on with it, production wise. So imagine my surprise to find out that season 4 had been split in half, with 10 episodes airing this year and 10 episodes in 2009. What the fuck? Stupid writer's strike.

Anyway, I personally think season 4 is very very strong. It is one of the best shows around full stop, pretty much. It doesn't try to be glamourous, it doesn't pull a single punch and it doesn't care about killing people off, which is nice as it means nobody is safe. Also, after season three's Cylon revealing finale, the elusive twelfth Cylon could be just about anybody. The show is getting darker and darker as it goes on (season 3 was so relentlessly downbeat that watching it all back to back was very trying) and the mid season cliffhanger of earth being discovered only to find it's in ruins would indicate that season 4 part 2 won't be a barrel of laughs either. And when everything about a show is a flawless as it is on Battlestar, then that is a VERY good thing.

Chuck

I loved this show. Loved it. It's geektastically ridiculous and in less committed hands a premise as shaky as this would be a disaster. But everyone in the show quite obviously believes in it 110% and it shows. Zachary Levi is both fantastic and super hot in the title role of the nerd who becomes an unwitting super computer and has to be guarded 24/7 by the CIA. The first season was so strong that when the writer's strike stopped this show like it did every other, a full second season was ordered. And I say brava.

Supernatural

I never expected this show to a) last as long as it has or b) be as good as it's become. Did anyone? I mean, McG (about to drive the final nail into the Terminator franchise) is the show's producer. But the easy chemistry between the two leads and the humour that the show never loses sight of are just two of the things that managed to elevate this into "must watch" territory. This season seemed to lose focus of its central premise (Dean's deal for his soul) and introduced an important character far too late, but once again I'm blaming the writer's strike for that. And I am hoping that the massively incoherent ending to the season finale will be explained in the beginning of the imminent 4th season. This season really wasn't afraid of going to some dark places with some seriously creepy storylines. And the final shot of the finale was truly the nastiest this show has ever been. Keep it up!

Gossip Girl

I know I know. I'm not the show's demographic, but do you forget I'm also reading the Twilight books? Anyway, in full disclosure, I only watched the show because I know someone who works on it. But that didn't stop me thoroughly and guiltily enjoying the show. Superficial, bitchy, glossy, tons of fun and packed with ridiculously pretty people, what's not to like? I did like that when the show called for it, it didn't shy away from adapting a more serious tone too. But for the most part, this was Dynasty in high school and I just loved every minute of it. I know that season 2 has just started airing in the US, it won't start here until 2009 I don't think.

That is currently that for 2008. Ugly Betty's second season finally picks back up in the UK this week, and season 4 of both Medium and Grey's Anatomy start up in a couple of weeks. Breaking Bad and Burn Notice make their UK debuts pretty soon too. Is there nothing I won't watch? Yes. Private Practice. What a pile of shit.

PCB's Television Round-Up 2008. Part 3

Lost

Now that is what I call a comeback. When it debuted in 2004, Lost was the shit. After its amazing first season it then spent a season and a half pissing on the audience's goodwill and losing itself that all important definite article. Midway through season 3, things began to change and the show picked up a momentum it had been sorely lacking, before delivering the best season finale of last year.

And now, the shows fourth season. Minimally affected by the strike that felled so many shows this year, Lost only lost three episodes from its season order. Starting as it meant to go on, within moments of the opening episode, we were told that only six people make it off the island. As well as being 90% flash forwards this season, which finally started to fill in the gaps that even the Lost devotees had begun to wonder whether the writers just didn't know how to fill them, it also didn't pull its punches this year either (raise your hand if you thought they wouldn't shoot Ben's daughter. Yeah, me neither). It was a thrilling and gripping season, must see television in a way it hasn't been since it rode the zeitgeist into our brains back in 2004. The double episode season finale may have suffered slightly from the fact it didn't really tell us anything we hadn't already been able to work out, but it did set up a clear arc for the show's final two seasons and answered the "who's funeral?" question from last year into the bargain. February has never seemed so far away.

Weeds

Yes yes, I know season 4 is about to start in the US and season 3 did actually finish here some weeks ago, but I somehow neglected to blog about it. While the show was airing in the US, a few friends who watched it were telling me how the first half of the season was just flat out terrible but it picked up towards the end. I don't agree. I thought the show's third season was fantastic from start to finish. Fantastic writing, stupendous performances, flawless direction and the best theme song ever, who could ask for anything more? Ok so some of the subplots were a little rushed (Andy's foray into porn for example) and some supporting characters weren't really given room to breathe properly (Maulik Pancholy) but these are fairly minor quibbles in the grand scheme of things. Now the show is moving out of Agrestic, it will be interesting to see where the 4th season goes and who it takes with it.

Pushing Daisies

I have already blogged about my discontent of ITV and their insane decision to excise an episode from the premiere showing of this show. Apparently it wasn't annoying enough that this was already strike shortened down to just 9 episodes. Whatever. Undeniably the most original show to come along in many a year, this quirky show could have gone very badly wrong. Instead it went very right indeed, striking the right balance of humour and drama, with just one problem: that fucking voiceover. I don't mind a narrator, but I don't need said narrator to ham fistedly point out the emotional subtlety going on, when the actors are doing a perfectly good job of telling it themselves. If the show's second season cuts that back and also brings focus back around to Charlotte's story, then I won't have any complaints at all.

Reaper

Another new show that has a premise which could have gone terribly, dreadfully wrong. And the very first few episodes were so uncertain in their tone that there was every possibility the show could spin of its axis into crapdom. Luckily for all concerned, the writers found their groove, the cast all settled in to their roles and everything worked out marvellously. Ray Wise as the Devil is utter genius in casting. Anyone who saw him as Leland Palmer has always been a little terrified of him anyway (or is that just me?) and so it was great to see him clearly having so much fun with this role. And any show that brings on two gay characters and has the three main straight male lead characters love hanging out with them and not have their sexuality be an issue is absolutely fine by me. Of course, they were also demons but they were good demons. Anyway, this was one show that was risking cancellation but has mercifully been renewed as a mid season replacement for 13 episodes. Here's hoping that season pulls it out of the hat and ups its viewing figures.

The Big Bang Theory

This show should not be funny. At best it should be mildly amusing, another take on a tired scenario (a guy has a crush on a girl miles out of his league). At worst this should have been flat out embarrassing to watch. Instead, it was the funniest sitcom I have seen in a long time. Jim Parsons can take an awful lot of that credit, his performance as Sheldon Cooper is comedy gold. The writing is so sharp and well observed but crucially it's never mean to the geeky quartet at its core. You're never really laughing AT them, you know? The high point of the show's debut season though simply has to be Laurie Metcalfe's appearance as Sheldon's no-nonsense mother. That episode alone provided me with more mirror quotes than most other shows can muster in a season. Bring on season 2.

Dirt

I mentioned mirror quotes up there. My crazy roommate was given crayons that write on anything and wipe clean with no fuss no mess for her birthday a couple of years ago. We use them to write quotes from tv shows on the bathroom mirror that we find particularly amusing for one reason or another. Currently, the mirror quote is "A black girlfriend trumps a Nazi father" from Dirt's second season. Everything that was wrong about the show's first season was put to rights here. The ridiculous schizophrenia was dropped from Ian Hart's character for one thing. Unfortunately, the second season ran to just 7 episodes thanks to the fucking strike. Even more annoyingly, it would seem I am in a minority in thinking the second season was leaps and bounds better than the first. Viewers switched off in droves and FX have pulled the plug on it so there will be no season 3. Frustrating.

Dirty Sexy Money

Another brand new show whose debut season was halved by the writers strike. Peter Krause's first show since the end of Six Feet Under, and it's a corker. Full of characters you should hate but don't (or do hate but in the way you're narratively supposed to), this show also pushed the envelope with the transsexual storyline they included. It seems they may have lost their bottle with it though as said transsexual has been "disappeared" but who knows what season 2 will bring. I did find it confusing that both Elle Fanning and Brooke Smith were replaced by different actresses when their characters reappeared though.

Sweet CHRIST I watch a lot of television. There are at least three shows still running too.

PCB's Television Round-Up 2008. Part 2

Prison Break

Oh dear. The show got off to a very bad start when Sarah Wayne Callies' decision not to return forced the writers to give Sarah Tancredi an offscreen death. It did not pick up from there. The show has never really been remotely interested in realism but the third season of Prison Break showed that this was a neat idea that had been stretched to breaking point and far far beyond. Factored into that are stupid things like Michael being banged up in Panama, a country where it's always 80 degrees with 90% humidity, but wearing a long sleeved shirt the whole time because the make up for his tattoos takes too long.

Strike shortened to just 13 episodes, it seemed to go on and on forever, as they tried to break out of another prison and I failed to care. I don't think the cast did either, as the acting was terrible, with Jodi Heap O'Crap giving the worst performance in a sea of bad performances. After the stakes uppingly great second season, this was a crashing disappointment. The announcement that there will be a fourth season and that Callies is back on the show (Tancredi's death will be revealed to have been staged) is an even worse decision than letting her leave in the fucking first place. I'll probably still watch it.

Heroes

Maybe because by the time I saw the second season, the backlash was in full effect to the degree that Tim Kring had publicly apologised to fans that the sophomore season wasn't up to scratch. Or maybe it's that I watched the whole season in one big chunk rather than week to week. Whatever it was, I did not think the show took a dip at all. Sure, the new characters in and of themselves aren't the most fascinating of creatures, but meshing their storyline into Sylar's made it all very tense. Some of the storylines seemed a little redundant at first, but they all were paid off, and paid off well.

The biggest problem I had with this season was the absolutely godfuckingawful Oirish family that found Peter Petrelli. Are there no actual Irish actors they could have employed? The accents and the acting (particularly from Katie Carr as Caitlin) were jarringly awful. Other than that, I had no issues with this season. Again strike shortened to 11 episodes, at least they gave the season an ending, and with Sylar regaining his powers, looks like the third season will be quality.

Bones

The season started out better than ever. With this show, it's not the storylines that really hold the interest, it's the characters. The chemistry they all have together is really lightning in a bottle. It's always fun to watch them, even if what they're doing isn't particularly great (and the storyline to find Angela's husband was somewhat irritating).

However, the uproar over the season finale can't be ignored. The opening episode of the season, "The Widow's Son In The Windshield" set out the overall villains for the season, a supremely intelligent and evil killer, known as the Gormagon, and his apprentice. First time the show has attempted such a storyline (the only other recurring plotline has been with Brennan's father) and my hopes were high that it would be done well.

It wasn't. The strike shortened the season by a full 10 episodes and so true justice could not really be done to the Gormagon's story. In the season finale, it was revealed that Zach Addy was the apprentice, while the Gormagon himself was just "a nobody" and was killed off about three seconds after he appeared on screen. For shame! Why didn't they extend the Gormagon into the 4th season and give it room to breathe? Why did they fire Eric Millegan and give him such an unceremonious send off? While the episode was nowhere near as bad as I had feared (the opening with the fake funeral was fucking dreadful though), the Gormagon denouement was rushed and unsatisfying.

PCB's Television Round-Up 2008. Part 1

Well the TV year is drawing to a close. Thanks to the writer's strike, the scheduling has gotten a little haphazard here in the UK so the 2008 summation may take longer and run to more parts than planned. To begin, I would like to talk about the two freshman shows that didn't make it.

Journeyman

First of all, Audrey Niffenegger should totally sue the creators for ripping the premise off from The Time Traveller's Wife. Second of all, there is no denying that the show took a little time to find its stride. But then all new shows do and once Journeyman settled in, established its characters and got down to telling its story, it was a really good show that had potential to become great. Sadly, NBC didn't agree and canned it. I guess it was a small mercy that all 13 episodes of the show's first and only had been completed prior to the strike. While the viewer is left hanging by the show's ambiguous finale, at least said ambiguity was planned.

The Bionic Woman

Which is more than can be said here. With just 8 scripts completed before the writers downed tools, this show never stood a chance. And that is a crying shame as the potential was huge. Michelle Ryan was very comfortable in the role, the supporting cast were all great (though I laughed when Isaiah Washington was killed off. I wonder who he called a faggot this time.) and there seemed to be multiple plot strands that would, come the season's end, be all tied together. What a pity that it never got that ending. The storyline with the other Bionic Woman now seems to serve absolutely no purpose at all. Frankly, NBC have a fucking cheek to put this out on DVD and label it as "Volume 1" when a) they are releasing all 8 episodes on that volume and we all know that b) they have no intention of there ever being a "Volume 2". Sigh.

I HATE ITV!

The UK's TV schedules have been all over the place for the 2007-2008 season. Usually, imported US drama begins here in January and as we don't have hiatuses, they finish airing only a couple of weeks or so after their US run has ended. But with "no delay" deals on some show and then the writers strike coming along, it's all been a little bit all over the place of late.

Pushing Daisies is one of the few hit US shows to have been snaffled up by ITV and shown on their flagship channel, ITV1. The two other US imports they have that I can think of (Bionic Woman and Supernatural, both air on their cable channel, ITV2). After a lengthy ad campaign for Pushing Daisies on TV and in the cinema, it finally began this past Saturday evening and scored very high ratings for its timeslot. So how does ITV reward all the people in the UK who didn't grow tired of waiting and illegally download the show? They skip episode 2, jumping straight from the pilot to episode 3.

Their reasoning? Having purchased all nine episodes of the strike shortened first season months and months ago, they then dicked around with the scheduling until, too late, realising there are but 8 weeks to go until Euro 2008 means there is nothing but football on the TV for weeks on end. Their solution is to dump the episode rather than show a double bill at any point in the 8 weeks, which is obviously the most sensible thing, isn't it? Right after its premiere last weekend, they showed American Pie. That couldn't have been bumped by an hour or not shown at all in favour of a double bill opening? Come on! And for ITV to blame the writers strike is really disingenuous too. Within days of the strike's resolution back in February, it was announced that start up costs of Pushing Daisies (along with Heroes, Dirty Sexy Money and Chuck) and it would return for a full second season. So for two months now they've known that nine episodes is all they're getting. Fuck you ITV. Fuck you right in the ear.

The TV Season begins to hot up

Although the writers strike may very well put paid to it all pretty soon, but that's another story. The TV season in the UK doesn't usually get going until January at the earliest due to the massive hiatuses US shows tend to take. However, a few shows have now brokered "no delay" deals with UK networks so the episodes air here only a week or so after the US. Of course, as you will see, in some stuff we are still very behind.

Already airing (as of this week):

Ugly Betty Season Two (which I have forgiven for the unnecessary character death)
Prison Break Season Three (which I have not)
Bones Season Three
Journeyman Season One
Without A Trace Season Five
The Tudors Season One (though I missed too many episodes so I'm investing in the DVDs)
Californication Season One
30 Rock Season One
Kyle XY Season Two

Coming in early 2008:

Supernatural Season Three
Heroes Season Two
Lost Season Four
Grey's Anatomy Season Four
Dexter Season Two
Pushing Daisies Season One
Chuck Season One
Reaper Season One
Weeds Season Three
Rescue Me Season Four
Nip/Tuck Season Five

That's a whole lot of TV going on! Thank god I've made the decision to live like a monk until my credit card debt is taken care of.

An Ugly start and a tough Break

Ok ok ok, I know it's a horribly punny title. But while I work on the multiple entries regarding my recent trip to NY, I wanted to pause and discuss the return of two of my favourite shows from last season.

In the UK, we don't usually start the US imports until January at the earliest as the crazed hiatuses American networks take means starting in the new year means we can run the season uninterrupted and finish only a little later than the US. But some channels here have brokered new "no delay" deals with networks in the US and we now get some of the shows very shortly after the US airdate. So two weeks before I left, Prison Break started here and the day I left, Ugly Betty returned.

Now, I awarded Betty my show of the year last year, but was furious at the unnecessarily grim season finale, especially the possible death of Santos. So you can imagine how much I fumed at the mean mean MEAN trick they pulled in the opening episode. So fucking cruel. They gave Santos such a great arc and made him so very sweet so WHY did they kill him off? While it was, in my opinion, entirely evil to do what they did in the opening episode, at least it gave Kevin Alejandro some closure (and I guess also left the door open for future appearances EVEN IF HE IS DEAD!).

The same cannot be said for poor Sarah Wayne Callies on Prison Break. Dr Sara Tancredi was easily my favourite character on the show (the other, Paul Kellerman met an expected death at the end of the last season). She was a much needed reality check in a totally ludicrous show and I just loved her. Well, apparently Ms Callies had herself something of a falling out with the producers of the show which led to her not returning for this season at all. A double in a wig was used for the few scenes Dr Tancredi was in before she was killed off, her head delivered in a box, which presumably has Andrew Kevin Walker talking to his lawyers.

Both shows have returned only to disappoint and depending on how they play out, I may not stick with them. What a shame.

PCB's Television Round Up, Part 5

It's been a while since the last round-up, so there's a few shows to be going on with here. I really do watch far too much television.

Heroes

It fought it out tooth and nail with Ugly Betty but ultimately this is the second best new show on television. I absolutely loved it from minute one and as the season progressed, it became quite clear that the writers had thought about every little nuance and detail (unlike the patchwork Lost). The arc of characters like Peter Petrelli and Mr Bennett proved that. Watching Peter go from floppy haired touchy feely girly boy to the coolest person on the planet was thrilling.

They also had the ultimate villain in Sylar. Zachary Quinto did a bang up job of the role too, completely nailing the "aw shucks, who me?" persona as well as the "I am supreme evil and will EAT YOUR BRAIN" persona. Of course, the break out star has been Masi Oka for his glorious Hiro. He's everybody's favourite character and he's totally adorable. All in all, this was a hugely ambitious show with a huge cast of characters and it aimed to weave a dense, rich and intricate tapestry with them. And it succeeded. I can't wait for the DVD.

Medium

I am as surprised as anyone that this show was a hit, enough of a hit to make it to four seasons. It sounds, on the surface at least, both hokey and tired. A variation on a well worn theme. But somehow the show is really involving and gripping.

A lot of that can be attributed to the performances of Patricia Arquette and Jake Weber. Individually, they're both great (Arquette has deservedly won awards for the role) but together they have some of the best chemistry I have ever ever seen. They're a joy to watch and the show manages to strike the right balance between their home life and Alison's work.

This most recent season, the show's third, was by far its strongest. It didn't start out that way, with the opening double episode being a bit fumbled. But it varied things up (Alison didn't always just dream stuff), it ramped up the dramatic factor (the episode "Joe Day Afternoon" was seriously edge of the seat stuff and it pulled no punches either) and it managed to pull off a very ambitious four part (FOUR PART!) season finale. Neve Campbell's guest appearance was not as annoying as I thought it would be and in fact her final scene with Jason Priestley, where it slowly dawns on her how out of her depth she is, was brilliantly played. All in all, this season saw an already good show start to be great. Bring on season four.

Kyle XY

I realise that I couldn't be further outside the show's demographic but I still watched this show and I really enjoyed it.

You could argue that it's cutesy, it's cloying, it's as subtle as a sledgehammer and tiresomely moral and wholesome. You'd probably be right. But the show has a jewel in its crown in the shape of Matt Dallas. His performance in the title role is just pitch perfect and he makes even the most clumsy of episodes watchable. And no, bitches, it's not because he's pretty. Well, not entirely.

Sex And The City headed for the big screen

That begs one very simple question: Why? Why is a show that was so of its time being given the big screen upgrade four years after its final season?

I was not a fan of the show. I tried on more than one occasion to watch it and after about ten minutes I wanted to poke my eyes out with a sharp stick and, figuring that a bit drastic, switched off the TV instead. Maybe my dislike stems from the fact this show has the entire world labouring under the impression that Sarah Jessica Parker is beautiful. Maybe I didn't watch any episodes that dealt with serious stuff in a heartfelt way, but lucked out with female ejaculation and funny tasting cum. The fact remains, I could not deal with watching this show.

There are some half hour comedies that I did love watching though. I don't want to see a big screen version of those either. Can you imagine a 90 minute movie of Will & Grace? Or Friends? It's a horrible idea, right? The thought of a flimsy little show writ large and stretched to almost four times its natural length made you feel a bit queasy didn't it? So WHAT THE HELL ARE HBO THINKING? Is it not enough that they randomly and indiscriminately cancel their best shows before their time, but they foist a show I am glad to finally see the back of on to the big screen for one last death gasp? Sigh.

I guess Isaiah Washington doesn't read my blog...

Grouchbutt and Limecrete have both got their wish. Stupid Dumb-Face Washington just will not shut up. In addition to the "I was fired because I'm black, and it was all TR Knight's fault anyway" nonsense he's been spouting, he's now started saying that he tried to resign in the wake of Faggotgate but Shonda Rimes wouldn't let him. Yes, mean old Shonda refused to let him resign JUST SO SHE COULD FIRE HIM.

And now, having blamed TR Knight, he's decided to also blame Patrick Dempsey. Apparently Mr Dempsey's constant on set tardiness pissed off Stupid Dumb-Face so much he just had to say something. And Patrick got really angry about it, causing Stupid Dumb-Face to get all up in his business and use many expletives and insults, including faggot, which wasn't meant as a gay slur, but to refer to someone who is weak. Oh well that's alright then.

Firstly, Dumb-Face, are you ten? It wasn't me it was him, he started it. Dear God. Second of all, who the fuck cares if people are late to set? It's not YOUR job to make sure everyone is punctual, is it? Rather than deciding to be all noble and take up the Tardy Cause yourself, you could have had a word with people higher up, who in turn could have spoken with Patrick about his shoddy timekeeping. I'm just saying. Seriously, drop the whole "I was trying to do a good thing and it went bad so everyone else is at fault except me" bullshit and shut the fuck up.

An open letter to Isaiah Washington

Shut the fuck up. Seriously. Stop your lame ass whining and move on. You were not fired because you're black. Have they fired Chandra Wilson? No. Have they fired James Pickens Jr? Again with the no. Have they fired your difficult and homophobic ass? Yup.

Since the announcement that Shonda Rimes would not be inviting you back for the fourth season of Grey's Anatomy, your public statements have done nothing but underline in red precisely why they let you go. Stating that you did everything asked of you but they still fired you and that's just mean was an eye opener. Everything THEY asked of you. Did you offer? Did you do it willingly? I'm going to guess no.

That was amusing enough, but even more hilarious was the "they should have fired TR Knight" statements that followed. Why should they? Because he stemmed the whispers and gossip about his sexuality that your argument with Patrick Dempsey caused by coming out? Because he went public after the Golden Globes to refute your "I did not call TR a faggot" statements? Because he's handled the whole situation with professionalism and a cool head while you have been a raging prick? I'm just asking.

And now, it's that old standby, that they're picking on you because you're black. This is really the last refuge of the desperate and if you really want to be given the second chance you seem to think only white people are given in Hollywood, then seriously, stop talking.

PCB's Television Round-Up, Part 4

Jesus Christ, I watch a lot of television. And with one show still running (Heroes) and several shows yet to start their UK runs (Brothers & Sisters, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, 30 Rock, Dexter, Rome, Without A Trace), the end is nowhere in sight. Hey, I could be addicted to worse things I guess. Anyway:

Grey's Anatomy

There has been something of a backlash against this show during its third season. I can only imagine this is because the show's second season was so fucking brilliant that it set the bar too high and its return would inevitably disappoint. Expectation is a bitch.

For the most part, I absolutely loved this season. It was intense and emotionally tough going with some absolutely sterling work from Katherine Heigl. I've loved her since Bride Of Chucky (shut up) so the current wave of Heigl love sweeping the US makes me happy. Anyway, while for the most part Meredith continued to irritate me, even she had a couple of episodes which made me like her. Those were when she was dealing with her mother being suddenly lucid. The big showdown she had with her was tip top.

I was very glad I had all the episodes to watch in one go as I really could not get enough of the show and waiting week to week would have pissed me off something fierce. But then, the last four episodes of the season got lazy and slapdash, forcing some square plot points into round holes, just to allow the Private Practice spin off. Far worse, it threw in some plot twists that made ABSOLUTELY NO LOGICAL SENSE (Miranda not becoming chief resident, George failing his intern exams) just so there could be something to carry over into next season. Sigh.

Prison Break

Before I start this, I want to make it perfectly clear that I am totally aware this show is the most ridiculous load of unbelievable nonsense. That being said, season 2 kicked ass.

The show's first season was too long and the break out plot felt wayyyyyyy toooooo streeeeeeeeeetched out. I tried watching it when it aired and after the third episode I was all "oh for heaven's sake" and stopped. But the show was a hit and something kept drawing me back so I ended up buying season 1 on DVD and watching it all before Season 2 aired.

And it was infinitely more exciting than season 1. One cliffhanger episode in fact got me so riled up I committed a PCB cardinal sin and READ AHEAD because I couldn't stand the wait. I think what did it for me this season was how, amid all the insanity, there has been a shining beacon of verisimilitude and her name is Sarah Wayne Callies. Her performance has been so real and so brilliant, her reactions to situations so genuine that she has kept me coming back for more. That and they killed off that ghastly old ham Peter Stormare very early on.

Sadly, once again the season finale was a let down. Something of a recurring theme here. I have absolutely no idea what was going on in the last five minutes. Oh well.

PCB's Television Round-Up, Part 3

24

What a crashing disappointment this season turned out to be. The opening four episodes were the best and most exciting the show has ever been. The stakes were high and with the detonation of a nuclear bomb at the end of episode 4, all bets were off. But, of its six seasons, 24 has managed only one that was, in my opinion, wholly satisfying (season 4). Other seasons have all suffered from either dragging out the storyline or, worse, dragging out the 24 episodes by tacking on other plots after the main arc finishes too early.

That's not to say I don't love it though and after that four hour amazing opener, I was ready for brilliance. It didn't quite arrive. The retconning decision to make Paul McCrane's character into Jack's brother (unless that was always the plan and I wasn't paying attention during his initial arc in season 5) was intriguing but having their father as the root of all evil was perhaps a scooch too much. Once the main plot was wrapped up, too early, the show meandered on and tested my patience as multiple plot strands were discarded without resolution. The season finale ending with Jack apparently contemplating suicide was hopeless. Shame.

Apparently next season the show is being completely reinvented and only its real time format will be carried over. We'll see if that means a complete cast cull (don't get rid of Chloe though!) and a re-location. Whatever it means, for the love of God, people, find a plot complex enough that it can actually run the course of the season.



Ugly Betty

The best new show on television. There was a moment when it looked like Heroes would win out (and as the UK is only up to episode 17 of that show and Ugly Betty finished its run already, it still might win out, who knows?), but with one scene in one epsiode, Ugly Betty claimed the crown.

The scene? Michael Urie's deliciously evil Mark's showdown with his mother in Betty's house. It was utterly brilliant, not to mention emotionally tough going. Michael Urie was top notch in the scene and I seriously hope he is showered with awards love for it soon. The fact that the writers had the balls to NOT have that scene end happily just made me love it all the more.

So that was what did it. The fact that a show as frivolous, bitchy, hilarious and downright silly as this was not afraid to put the brakes on for some drama was what made it my victor (so far) of the recently concluded season. However, I must note my dissatisfaction with the season finale. While I don't necessarily have a problem with the overcrowding of cliffhanger plot points, what I DO take issue with is the unnecessary and frankly mean killing of Santos. At least, given Hilda's reaction in the final scene, I assume he's dead, though it was never actually stated at any point. The scene where Hilda accepted his proposal, running out to find him only to discover he'd waited for her, made this girly boy cry. The Suarez family are going to have enough to deal with in the second season (adding in all the drama from the finale, there was also the revenge on her father in Mexico, mentioned in the penultimate episode that will presumably come back up at some point) without throwing in a wholly unnecessary amount of grief for Hilda and Justin.

PCB's Television Round-Up, Part 2

Supernatural

Not that the first season was bad, but this season has been a huge improvement. The first season’s overall arc didn’t seem to really kick in until the last few episodes and it all seemed a little, I don’t know, random. The second season occasionally suffered from the same problem (Certainly Sam’s powers came and went without any discernible reason), but as stand alone stories, the episodes this time around were much stronger.

The chemistry between Jared and Jensen is fantastic too. Despite looking not even remotely similar, you could really buy that they are brothers. The “Tall Tales” episode was an absolute riot and generally there was humour in every episode. They also know how to pile on the emotion and the last five minutes of “Heart” with both the brothers in tears was very moving. And the season finale was very clever in that it has given the upcoming third season an overall arc AND a deadline. Smart thinking.

Bones

I started watching this show primarily for David Boreanaz. I loved him as Angel and he’s easy on the eyes too. When the show began airing, I had never read a Kathy Reichs novel. This was apparently to my benefit as die hard Reichs lovers were none too happy with the changes made to Temperance Brennan and her team. I read a Reichs novel recently and found it to be over plotted and FAR too gruesomely detailed.

Anyhoo, the first season was amiable enough, the cast had good rapport and their banter and interplay made up for some less than inspired storylines. It was never less than watchable and to be honest, it was never more than that either. That all changed with episode nine of the second season, “Aliens in a Spaceship”. Holy mother of God. With that episode, Bones became must see TV. That episode was true edge of the seat, heart in my mouth television. The final moments of it, with a tearful Hodgins confiding in Angela that he couldn’t close his eyes without being back in the car, buried alive, brought a lump to my throat. The rest of the season couldn’t sustain that level of brilliance but it didn’t dip THAT far below it. Quality stuff. Mercifully renewed for a third season, I can’t wait for it to start airing already.


Lost

Hmmmmmmm. An odd scheduling idea (six episodes before a thirteen week hiatus, followed by non stop showing of the next sixteen episodes) didn’t really work. Mainly because the six episodes that aired before the break were deeply uninvolving. The cliffhanger, meant to make the viewer desperate for the thirteen weeks to be over, was hopeless. I couldn’t have cared less about anything at that point.

And then the hiatus was over and the show picked back up. I don’t know if they fired the writers in the hiatus and got new ones in but slowly the quality crept up and with the stand alone episode dealing with the demise of Nikki and Paolo, the show finally tipped over into being worth watching again.

And then they delivered the best season finale I think I have ever seen of any show, ever. The flash forward revelation answered some questions, but posed about a bazillion more (not least “if this is the future, how come Jack’s dad is still alive?”) and somewhat more crucially the potential for the final three seasons is H U G E. I am cautiously optimistic that now there’s a definite finish line, the show will stop dicking around and be drop dead brilliant. However, the middling second season is a big reminder that they can take a massive amount of potential and bugger it up completely. And they also pissed off all the LOTR fangirls by killing off Dominic Monaghan. I figured as soon as I read the interview with him complaining he was bored by how little he’d been given to do that his days were numbered though so I was not surprised when he left the show feet first.

PCB's Television Round-Up, Part 1.

As the television viewing year draws to a close, I thought I would post about what's been fab and what's been drab this past few months. As the shows in the UK all have different air dates, there will be more updates in the future. But for now....

Rescue Me

The third season of the show and it’s not showing any signs of wear and tear at all. I may have some issues with how some storylines were handled but I’m reserving judgement as said storylines are still not concluded and the rumour mill suggests that they will be in season 4 (which starts in the US next month but won’t be in the UK for bloody ever, annoyingly enough).

I discovered this show completely by accident, randomly channel hopping one night and stumbled across the season 1 episode where the guys all fix Tommy’s neighbour’s porch. I enjoyed the episode so I immediately added the first season to my Lovefilm queue. I watched it in the space of about a week and then couldn’t wait so I bought season 2 from the US. Ho. Lee. Shit. Season 2 was fricking incredible, ramping up all the elements that season 1 put in place. The final episode’s arc of the death of Tommy’s son in a drink drive hit and run, the disintegration of his marriage (again) and the retribution against the driver who killed his son was breathtaking. I didn’t think season 3 would be better. I was wrong.

As if killing his only son wasn’t enough, season 3 saw Tommy deal with the return of his crazy sister (a knockout turn from Tatum O’Neal, Paper Moon is but a distant memory) and the death of his brother, killed in the line of duty. The finale with him at the mercy of the screamingly bonkers Sheila as her house burned down around them was intense stuff. This season was a little guest star-tastic (Marisa Tomei, Kate Burton, Susan Sarandon) and some of those arcs didn’t really feel complete, though apparently Ms Sarandon is making an appearance in season 4. It will be interesting to see how the other unfinished arcs all pan out, particularly Mike’s sudden gayness which was somewhat fumbled. The only duff note though in an otherwise fantastic show.

Oh and some of the guys are HOT.

The Dresden Files

I really don’t know why I started watching this. I am not a fan of anybody in the cast nor have I ever read a Harry Dresden book. And yet I thought I would give it a whirl. So I did. And after a shaky start (though I never judge any brand new show on its opening episodes as I may have said before) I actually enjoyed it a lot. Paul Blackthorne is an agreeable enough presence as the titular wizard and he has a good chemistry with Valerie Cruz. Some of the effects are a scooch ropey and some of the resolutions in the occasional episode felt a little rushed. But other than that, a fun way to pass the time. I couldn’t seem to find a definite answer on if the show is coming back for a second season, but here’s hoping.

Lost: Slight return

Maybe it’s because it was away for so long. Maybe it’s because my expectations were low. Or maybe it’s because they finally have done something I’ve been waiting for them to do all season. Whatever the reason was, Lost’s first episode back after a 12 week hiatus represented a high point for the show.

The second season of the show was decidedly wobbly and the third season’s first six episodes prior to its hiatus were also irritating rather than enjoyable. That episode seven finally granted a flashback to a new character (Elizabeth Mitchell’s Juliet) was a step in the right direction. That the flashback was an absolute doozy was purely a bonus. Answering some questions while posing a whole bunch more, I found the show genuinely gripping in a way it hadn’t been for quite some episodes. Keep it up, people.

I am highly amused by the press conference held by the producers during the hiatus though. In that conference, they stated they were already looking into ways of wrapping up the show after its fifth season and it was never their intention to take the show much past 100 episodes. Interestingly, the cited Alias as one of the shows which suffered from studio intervention. Another JJ Abrams show, they do have a very valid point as the decline in the show’s quality can be pretty much directly traced back to the episode where the studio started meddling (Season 2, Episode 13, in case anyone cares). What amused me most though was clearly the producers of Lost have short term memory loss. When Lost debuted and was an international ratings phenomenon, they were only too quick to announce that they had eight seasons of material thought out. Eight multiplied by twenty two is one hundred and seventy six. That, and the fact the producers posted on Yahoo Answers asking viewers what they thought the monster on the island really was, leads me to believe they don’t actually know themselves. Shame.