My summer projects

May sweeps are over, and I'm taking a week off from writing. I'll be back the first week of June and starting my summer reviewing projects.

Since Veronica Mars is now gone, I can take on another currently running show. It probably won't surprise you to hear that I'm taking on Supernatural, since I'm sort of half reviewing it already.

Why Supernatural and not Prison Break? Because even though Wentworth is probably the hottest guy on television and I love the show, I don't feel compelled to write about it. I write reviews for fun, and it's hard to make myself write about something if I really don't wanna. Plus, I have to say that Supernatural's second season was better written, more complex, more exciting than its first. With Prison Break, the reverse is true, unfortunately.

Speaking of feeling compelled and how hard it is for me to force it, the sixth season of The Dead Zone will be running this summer. I loved the first two seasons, and haven't been as enchanted with the past three. Maybe they'll surprise me. Maybe they'll wind up the Stillson arc and make season six worthwhile. Honestly, if The Dead Zone were running any time but the summer, I wouldn't keep going with it. But since it is, I will.

I left Six Feet Under in the middle of season two, and I'm going back to it. Maybe I'll finish it this summer. And I'm going to keep doing the Buffy season eight comics. At least until I get tired of them.

And since I just can't handle another currently running show but I'm still a glutton for punishment, I'm going to start working on another one of my old favorites this summer. And it's going to be Highlander. Why Highlander? Because I've always wanted to write about Highlander. If I wrote fan fic, it would probably be Highlander fan fic. Even after all these years, I still have a real thing for Methos. I've been working on Highlander reviews on and off during breaks and it's time for them to see the light of day.

So here's my summer line-up. Sorry if I didn't pick up a fave of yours.

-- Supernatural
-- The Dead Zone
-- Six Feet Under
-- Highlander
-- Buffy the Vampire Slayer season eight

And now for my week off. That sound you hear is me collapsing into a pitiful heap.

Supernatural 2.22: All Hell breaks loose

Jake: "We're soldiers in a demon war to bring on the Apocalypse?"
Sam: "Well, when you put it like that..."

It's resurrection time. Although what else could they do? It's a two character show; we're not going to buy into them killing off one of them. Unless the series was ending, and it's not.

Unlike Sam, I was definitely expecting them to kill off Bobby and/or Ellen, and they didn't. I'm glad they didn't. I think Bobby in particular works better as a supporting character than Daddy Winchester did, although I did love Daddy coming up from Hell to save the day. Night. Anyway, the Dean/Bobby scene about Dean's Deal might have been the strongest in the season so far. Just excellent.

I'm glad the yellow-eyed demon plot is over, because it was time for it to be over. And it's going to be big with the repercussions; they just gave Dean and Sam fuel for an entire third season of emotional angst, as well as a couple of hundred more demons to fight. They even built in the third season finale, if it takes Sam that long to figure out how to untangle Dean from his deal with the Crossroads Demon. Which it probably will.

Season one was fairly light. Season two has been a good bit darker. Sounds like season three is going into the charcoal range. Can't wait.

Bits and pieces:

-- I haven't mentioned it before, but I love the "then" and "now" previously on's set to classic rock. They're special.

-- Ash of the world-class mullet is dead. I liked Ash. At least Ellen is still alive. I thought they were going to do her in. I kind of like her and Bobby as substitute parents for the boys. It works.

-- Where's Jo? She wasn't even mentioned.

-- Andy: "I just woke up in friggin' Frontier Land."

-- Dean: "Well, check that off the to-do list."

-- Sam: "Did you sell your soul for me, like Dad did for you?"

Supernatural has had an outstanding second season, and I can't wait for the third. Four out four silver bullets,

Billie

Spider-man 3: an embarrassment of riches

Peter: "Where do all these guys come from?"

This is one of those movies that I couldn't stop re-writing in my head in a vain attempt to fix it. Yes, it was visually stunning, a cinematic knock-out. There was an awful lot to like. So why couldn't I wait for it to be over?

Because it was just too much. There were too many elements to make up one coherent story, and too many story elements diminish the impact, no matter how good they are (and I'll admit they were very, very good). The Harry-centered was probably the strongest story element emotionally, and the climax should have brought me to tears. Why didn't it? Because it kept getting pushed aside.

Come on, guys. Give us Goblin II, or Venom, or Sandman, or Spider-man going dark. Maybe two, possibly three... but geez louise, not all four. Subplots about Mary Jane's failed Broadway career, or her jealousy of Gwen Stacy, or her re-involvement with Harry. Maybe two. Not all three. And so on.

Gwen Stacy, an important character in the comics, was introduced and pushed aside. James Cromwell was introduced and pushed aside. Uncle Ben's real murderer with his dying daughter, Harry's amnesia, Peter Parker going dark side (and we could tell because he was wearing eyeliner), office politics, multiple musical numbers, alien goop... for a moment, I thought they were even going to squeeze the Hunchback of Notre Dame in there. Why did the producers let this happen? Story, people. The story always has to come first.

Is this the best Spider-man movie, or the worst? Maybe both. Frankly, this was a fabulous Spider-man 3 and a fabulous Spider-Man 4, and I think they canceled each other out.

Two out of four stars,
Billie