Fringe 2×7 “Of Human Action” review
November 13th, 2009
The following contains spoilers through the episode “Of Human Action,” originally broadcast 11/12/09.
One of those episodes that changes on a dime, “Of Human Action” spends the majority of its time acting like an amateur ‘Twilight Zone,’ featuring some stupid kind with mind control powers, redeemed only by its reminders about a few long-standing arcs. Then the final few minutes makes it pretty much completely essential, relevant, and easily the biggest surprise of the season.
Flash Forward 1×7 “The Gift”
November 12th, 2009
Just some inching forward on the investigation into the cause of the flash forwards, or at least into who wants to stop the investigation. Mostly character development this week, but wow, what an ending. Not one, but two twists. Read the rest of this entry »
Heroes 4×8 “Shadowboxing” review
November 11th, 2009
The following contains spoilers through the episode “Shadowboxing,” originally broadcast 11/9/09.
I’ve been saying this since I started finally reviewing ‘Heroes’ a mere three episodes ago, during a season that seems like it’s going to be the show’s final year, but I think things are really getting good. The creators will tell you that they started working on winning back the hearts of their fans last season, specifically during the “Fugitives” second half arc, but it’s been evident that they really started pushing the effort with the new season, with new characters, less cluttered storytelling, and more individual arcs for characters that were introduced in the first season, which has been referenced numerous times over the last eight episodes, from subtle references to revisiting a character more directly last episode. Some of this might be seen by regular viewers as an extension of the work the show has done from the start, and perhaps it might best be appreciated by them. No matter what it did, there’s little chance the show might have enjoyed a similar level of renewed enthusiasm that ‘Lost’ did when it made a similar effort at the same stage. Much has been made since ‘Lost’ premiered about the merits of a serialized drama’s chances for popular success, where more answers sooner are appreciated more than a long-term impact waiting to be unraveled (with ‘Lost’ the exception that proves the rule; even ‘Babylon Five,’ the series that arguably began the phenomenon, couldn’t sustain interest past the fourth year of a five-year run). ‘Flashforward,’ for example, a show that seems destined to run for a single season, has lately been on a roll, developing to a remarkable degree its intricate plot, and the critics, dutifully, have noticed. ‘Heroes’ got that kind of buzz first, but once it started spreading a story into multiple seasons and further complications, it lost that kind of support overnight. “Shadowboxing” is an episode that rewards those who continue to stick around.
HYGOTS No. 56
November 7th, 2009
One of my absolute favorite traditions that’s developed in recent years is Free Comic Book Day, an event that pops up every May. Just about every comics publisher you can think of prints up either special editions or entirely new issues meant to entice new readers (then again, this year DC kicked off ‘Blackest Night’ with its entry, thereby courting lapsed fans or maybe just juicing the initiate with ambition). Assuming your local shop isn’t stingy, you can walk away, as an old or new reader, with quite the selection, a usually adequate sampling of the work being done at the moment, of reading material, all for free. I like to think, however, that as great as FCBD is, there’s an even better way to lure readers, and that’s promotional comics, not the kind that you’d find in a comic book store as a preview, but those found packaged with action figures and special edition DVDs.
Fringe 2×6 “Earthling” review
November 7th, 2009
The following contains spoilers through the episode “Earthling,” originally broadcast 11/5/09.
I really can’t believe I haven’t mentioned it yet here at Lower Decks, but there’s another show that’s probably pretty relevant for our readers, one you’re probably even watching, and it’s something worth mentioning in this week’s ‘Fringe’ review, thanks to the connection between characters named Walter and Sheldon. It’s ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ of course, the only sitcom within light-years (not a term of distance!) that handles our kind of entertainment, steeped as it is in “geek culture.” Sheldon is the genius on that show, but whatever the context, he’d fit right in at the lab. Let’s just say that among other things, watching Walter figure out a formula was a highlight this episode.
Heroes 4×7 “Once Upon a Time in Texas” review
November 4th, 2009
The following contains spoilers through “Once Upon a Time in Texas,” originally broadcast 11/2/09.
If there’s a classic element to ‘Heroes’ that the show should never abandon, it’s the episode that flashes back to the relatively recent past (think “Six Months Ago” from the first season, “Four Months Ago” from the second, and “Villains” from the third), a side trip that advances the present by illuminating what’s come before. Like “Six Months Ago,” “Once Upon a Time in Texas” is possible because Hiro literally time-travels (which he often does, and why another tradition, one fans have complained about, is visiting the future), to reunite with a character that was only seen a few times, but remains an individual for whom Hiro holds great affection, Charlie Andrews, waitress at the Burnt Toast Diner.
V – 1×1 – “Pilot”
November 4th, 2009
In the interests of time, I’m going to go ahead and assume that most of the readers here at Lower Decks know enough about the history of V to get by in a conversation. That eliminates the need for me to get into all of the details of the original series. Which is a good thing, it seems, because that’s pretty much what the writers did in this updated version of the classic sci-fi story.
FlashForward – 1×6 – “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps”
November 4th, 2009
It’s Halloween on FlashForward. Did it deliver tricks or treats? Well, find two characters that were involved with causing the flash forwards? Check. Find more clues that Mark saw on his super duper cork board? Check. Sow the seeds for some of the other things seen in flash forwards? Check. Oh yeah, and Olivia finds out what Mark wasn’t telling her about his flash forward. I’ll say we got treats. Read the rest of this entry »
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