Heroes and Flash Forward Canceled; Chuck, V Renewed
May 14th, 2010
It’s that time again. The networks are canceling shows left and right while at the same time announcing new shows for the 2010-2011 season. The word going around at the moment is that NBC has canceled Heroes after four seasons but might air some sort of wrap-up for the once-popular show. Deadline.com reports that the network will announce what form the wrap-up will take after its upfront presentation this Monday, but it could be “a 2-hour or 4-hour special event in midseason.” The Live Feed has a similar story, but suggests that “tabling that verdict until after upfronts” can’t be “the best sign.”
Other rumors include ABC canceling Flash Forward after its first season but renewing V for a second year. Also, NBC has officially renewed Chuck for a fourth season. The CW previously announced that it was renewing Supernatural and The Vampire Dairies as well as Smallville. FOX announced earlier that Fringe would be returning for a third season.
CBS has yet to decide whether to renew Medium or Ghost Whisperer.
Fringe 2×22 “Over There, Part 1″ review
May 14th, 2010
The following contains spoilers through the episode “Over There, Part 1,” originally broadcast 5/13/10.
Wow, so this was definitely an escalation of the mythology. This marks our first real look at the alternate universe, after many glimpses, brief visits, and suggestions about what it’s like, well, over there. Mind-blowing would be a good way to put it.
LOST 6×14 – “The Candidate”
May 11th, 2010
We all knew it was coming. With LOST, you’d always had that fear inside that anyone could go at any time. From Boone’s untimely death in the first season and Shannon’s surprising death in the sixth episode, we knew that no one was safe on the Island. And with the shocking double murder of Ana-Lucia and Libby in season two, we discovered that the writers will do just about anything to move the story along. But with the end of the tunnel officially in sight, the writers decided to let it all go, and they made something perfectly clear.
They’re no longer playing around.
Fringe 2×21″Northwest Passage” review
May 9th, 2010
The following contains spoilers through the episode “Northwest Passage,” originally broadcast 5/6/10.
“Find the crack.” Maybe that phrase is another of those perfect metaphors ‘Fringe’ seems to find so easily, or maybe it’s just a private joke between some guest characters. Could be just a nice thing to find written on a pen. Anyway, this is another episode that could be mistaken, like last week’s, to be somewhat unessential, while at the same time be completely essential. If you really care for these characters, you’ve got to think the latter.
Fringe 2×20 “Brown Betty” review
April 30th, 2010
The following contains spoilers through the episode “Brown Betty,” originally broadcast 4/29/10.
Well, for those keeping score, the second season will officially be longer than the first season of ‘Fringe.’ This same episode count was the complete set last year, and as the preview for next week reminded everyone, there’s still three episodes to go. It’s too bad, too, because there’s such an incredible momentum, so much potential just in what’s been going on, that you might expect so much more of the season left to be told. But that’s the strength of this season, that it has successfully expanded the series to the point where it seems easy to have a third season at the very least. If the audience still hasn’t realized it, “Brown Betty” is here to explain everything once again, just how much depth is there.
Fringe 2×19 “The Man From the Other Side” review
April 24th, 2010
The following contains spoilers through the episode “The Man From the Other Side,” originally broadcast 4/22/10.
As important episodes go, this one was pretty inevitable, and is probably best considered for how it works with the rest of the season, the series, and the run of episodes since “Peter” at the beginning of the month. I wouldn’t say it’s as essential as that one, or even last week’s “White Tulip,” so much as something that needed to happen. Simply put, Peter finally finds out the truth.
LOST 6×13 – “The Last Recruit”
April 22nd, 2010
If you don’t know yet, Losties, this is it. “The Last Recruit” feels like the final calm before the storm, and with only three regular episodes to go, you have to know that things are about to kick into gear. Because the alternate universe is starting to come together, and all of the action in the main timeline seems to be headed to Hydra Island for a final confrontation. As Locke said…here we go.
Fringe 2×18 “White Tulip” review
April 16th, 2010
The following contains spoilers through the episode “White Tulip,” originally broadcast 4/15/10.
Here’s another big difference between ‘Fringe’ and other J.J. Abrams shows like ‘Alias’ and ‘Lost.’ Where the others eventually lost interest in continuing any particular character drama and suspense from episode to episode, favoring instead a greater arc that drove the whole story forward, ‘Fringe’ has maintained and seems destined to continue maintaining a real sense of its characters as people who experience and develop from their actions on a regular basis. That’s what makes it more serialized than episodic, more than the mystery that has been at the heart of the show from the start, what exactly lies behind the pattern of fringe science they’ve been investigating. We know, increasingly, that Walter Bishop is behind most or all of it, unfortunately. Now we’re exploring how personal it really is.
LOST 6×12 – “Everybody Loves Hugo”
April 16th, 2010
Hurley-centric episodes are supposed to be fun. For the most part, Hurley is on the show for comic relief, and that’s why it’s a pretty big treat whenever he gets to do anything meaningful. Because the title is correct – everyone does love Hugo. But in what is almost certainly the last Hurley-centric episode of the series, comic relief is on the backburner. There is a lot of emotion and story in this episode, and Hurley finally gets a top spot on the main stage.
Fringe 2×17 “Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver” review
April 9th, 2010
The following contains spoilers through the episode “Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver,” originally broadcast 4/8/10.
Before I get to this week’s episode, I remembered tonight what I forgot to include in last week’s review, namely the retro opening credit sequence that featured 1980s style music and graphics. That was pretty awesome, the kind of touch this series routinely does, the details that help make everything work so well. But that’s nothing compared to the work done this week, layering and layering established threads so that the whole episode feels like a symphony, or a waltz of season and series story arcs marching forward, working so well you can’t imagine ever wondering why you questioned the show. Okay, so maybe that’s just me talking. Then again, these are my reviews. Who else would be?
Loading ...