« October 2006 | Main | December 2006 »

November 28, 2006

Sweet!

Ok, so "Veronica Mars" wrapped up its "Hearst rapist" storyline tonight, and it was pretty darn good. For the first time ever in the show's history, I sort of suspected who dunnit (well, not exactly -- but I came closer than usual). Yet it was still entertaining, from the poignant Veronica-Logan breakup ("Call if you need anything. But you never need anything -- do you?" Sigh) to the very end. And may I just say how happy I am that Veronica, for once, was rescued by another female? It was especially poignant that her savior was Parker, the girl Veronica failed to save from being raped.
Although how did she hear the rape whistle when no one else did? And, while we're on the subject of unanswered questions, why did Logan cover for Mercer? My theory -- Logan actually did go to Mexico, but it wasn't with Mercer. He went to find Duncan, whom he (rightly) suspects of having his dad killed. Maybe Mercer found out, and saw an opportunity. Or maybe Mercer and Logan did go to Mexico, and Mercer slipped away while Logan wasn't looking.
Well, I'm sure at least some of those questions will be answered. And the next story arc seems promising -- the murder of Dean O'Dell. Though, I must admit, I'll miss Ed Begley Jr., who added his customary panache to the show.
But overall, good job.

Posted by amanda on 11:25 PM | Comments (0)

November 22, 2006

Strikes and Gutters

Ok, so, the episode of "Veronica Mars" I've been touting for months finally aired -- the one in which Patty Hearst guest-starred as Selma Hearst Rose, a trustee of Veronica's college (called, of course, Hearst College), who is kidnapped on the night of a big vote.

The bad news is that Hearst isn't much of actress. Also, a subplot involving the attack on a frat boy (likely by feminists making a statement about the rapes plaguing Hearst's campus) was treated a bit too glibly.
However, the plot involving Hearst was a delicious take on the movie "The Big Lebowski," with Hearst's character, much like Tara Reid's in "Lebowski," possessing a shady husband who may be happy to have her out of the way. Also, like The Big Lebowski himself, hubby had a syncophantic manservant named Brant. It was also twisty and turny and hilarious, and the scene where Veronica and her dad broke into the Hearst's guest house was beyond amusing.
Now, I saw in a recent issue that Entertainment Weekly reviewed this particularly episode and gave it a "D" rating. Oof. Way out of line, EW. Yes, the episode maybe wasn't among the show's best, but it had plenty of good moments. Then again, this same review claimed Veronica has turned into a "moody, clingy, sourpuss."
Moody, yes. But the character has always been that way. You'd be moody too if half the people you cared about died or abandoned you. However, calling her "clingy" is completely off-base. Her whole character is based on her need to push people away. And sourpuss? Her "Six Million Dollar Man" and "National Lampoon's Vacation" bits while breaking into the Rose guest house showed she's no sourpuss. Our girl is still funny as heck.

Posted by amanda on 9:41 PM | Comments (0)

November 16, 2006

Notes for the week

Ok, my computers have been crazy, so I haven't been able to do my regular updates. Here are my observances on TV for the week.

Sunday -- "Desperate Housewives": Orson Hodge = crazy. His mom = crazier. Bree = Up creek, sans paddle.
Monday -- "Prison Break": Ok, please tell me they're not killing off Sarah. I just got over her supposed death in last season's finale. Leave her alone!
"Heroes": So, was the waitress killed because she had a photographic memory? Is that really a superpower? Or is it just an enviable skill? Also, I guess Eden has some sort of creepy power of persuasion. That's kind of cool. But does everyone have a freakin' power now? What is this thing, viral?
Tuesday -- "Gilmore Girls": So Lorelai and Christopher are married. I guess this means Luke and Lorelai are officially over. I'm depressed. I need chocolate.
"Veronica Mars": Ok, so I totally got all choked up when Logan lifted up the semi-conscious Veronica to find strands of her hair underneath her. And when she lifted her eyes to him and whispered "Take me home?" Heartbreaking.
"Nip/Tuck": Oh my God -- how horrible was this? Flash-forwards are always a bad idea because of the cheesy old-age makeup involved, but this was particularly bad. Remember when this show was cool and edgy? Of course you remember -- it was only last week. In one mere week, the show has gone completely off the rails. Although, it was so awful, I almost think it was bad on purpose. I mean, NO ONE could have thought this was a good episode. Just awful, awful, awful.
"Criminal Minds": Ok, no "Lost" this week, so let's discuss "Criminal Minds," the CBS show that's usually on against it, and actually beat "Lost" in the ratings the past few weeks.
Let's see, what is there to say about "Criminal Minds?" Hmmmm. Well, co-star Shemar Moore is pretty hot. And I've always liked Mandy Patinkin. And that blonde computer girl is pretty funny. And, um, well, that's about it.

Posted by amanda on 7:52 AM | Comments (0)

November 13, 2006

Day after day...after day...after day...after day

The actor Taye Diggs bursts with charisma. He's handsome, funny and smart. Thus, he'd seem a natural to take over the lead in a re-imagining of the sprightly Bill Murray comedy "Groundhog Day."
After all, Diggs is best known for musicals and romantic comedies. Why couldn't he handle a fun, romantic story about a man reliving the same day over and over, and trying to fix what's wrong with that moment in time?
Essentially, Diggs's new vehicle, the ABC series "Day Break," is a re-working of "Groundhog Day." But it isn't light. It's seldom funny. And, while there is romance, it's more of the tragic sort.

Diggs plays Brett Hopper, a cop with a decent job, a beautiful girlfriend, and a partner being investigated by internal affairs. His life is serious, but not overly dramatic. Then, Hopper is framed for murder. His alibi -- that beautiful girlfriend, Rita (Moon Bloodgood) -- can't be found. And lots of other bad stuff comes to light, like the fact that his sister's husband is abusing her.
To top it all off, while asleep in his jail cell the night of his arrest, he's rousted out of bed by thugs, and dragged to a rock quarry, where a surly, mysterious man asks him in a creepily polite way to take the fall for the murder.
He's then shown a video of Rita being murdered. Hopper screams in anguish and the creepy man shoots him with a sedative, causing him to fall into an anguished sleep.
The next day he wakes up ... next to Rita. Of course, it's the same day he's just lived, except he knows what's going to happen. Of course, since this is only the first episode. he's unable to fix things.
During the two-hour pilot, Hopper lives his day three and a half times (at least by my count -- I may have missed a day). Each time, he tries to prove himself innocent, save his girl and fix all the other broken elements of this crazy day.
Bill Murray never had such problems.
Now, it's not that "Day Break" is bad. The pilot is actually fairly good, with some genuinely exciting actions scenes and a typically winsome performance by Diggs. The show is scattered with other fine actors as well, including Mitch Pileggi ("The X-Files"), Adam Baldwin ("Firefly") and Jonathan Banks ("Wiseguy"), who plays that creepy guy in the rock quarry.
And, yes, it's an intriguing idea to transplant the "Groundhog Day" concept to the world of the action serial.
But overall, it doesn't quite click. At the end of the day, "Day Break" seems less like a story about believable characters than a pitch meeting. The show's been described as "Groundhog Day" meets "24," and that's essentially what's up on screen. Just those bones. No flesh. No depth. Just a concept. That's why, no matter how complicated Hopper's situation is, it isn't compelling. There's not much there to make us care.
Plus, throughout both the pilot and the follow-up episode sent to critics, I couldn't stop asking myself questions. How long can this go on? How many scenarios can there be? Are audiences, who are drifiting away from serial dramas, going to have the patience to watch Hopper carefully dissect the same day over and over?
Any show that leaves me this distracted and questioning has problems. "Day Break" is taking over the time recently vacated by "Lost," a serialized drama which has dropped in viewership this season. "Lost" isn't the only show to suffer from audiences' dissatisfaction with serials. The CBS serial "Smith" got axed after a few episodes and others, like ABC's "The Nine," are struggling.
Serialized dramas can still be successful. The NBC sci-fi drama "Heroes," and the ABC telenovela "Ugly Betty" have done well. But both those shows aren't just concepts. They're more than just a pitch line, with interesting characters and ideas.
That's what "Day Break" would need to survive. And so far, it's lacking.
The two-hour "DayBreak" pilot airs 9 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.

Posted by amanda on 10:12 PM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2006

Six Degrees of Nothing

So, I tuned into ABC at 10 p.m. last night, expecting to watch "Six Degrees," only to see a rerun of "Desperate Housewives" instead. WHAT?????
Well, apparently, "Six Degrees" is being replaced, starting next week, with the Anne Heche-in-Alaska dramedy "Men in Trees." Supposedly, "SD" will come back early next year afer being "re-tooled," but, for now, it's gone.
I am deeply, deeply annoyed.

Posted by amanda on 7:56 AM | Comments (0)