Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

[This review contains many, many spoilers.]

"I figured God had made me with the disability of telepathy, and he could cut me a little slack on the sex thing."

Synopsis

Eric is cursed by witches with an inconvenient case of amnesia, and Sookie hides him in her house while the Fangtasia vamps search for the coven that did it. Amnesia has changed Eric's personality rather drastically, and he and Sookie get romantically involved and have a whole lot of sex.

Jason, who has been dating werepanther Crystal Norris from the tiny hamlet of Hotshot, disappears without a trace. Sookie thinks it is related to the witches, but with the help of Calvin Norris, the "packmaster" of Hotshot, she eventually discovers that Jason was held and repeatedly bitten by a romantic rival, werepanther Felton Norris, in hopes that it would turn Jason into a hybrid were.

Bill reveals to Alcide and the rest of his pack the extent of Debbie Pelt's evil deeds in the previous book (that she participated in Bill's torture and that she locked Sookie in the car trunk with Bill, hoping he would kill her). Alcide abjures Debbie, which is sort of like werewolf divorce. Debbie later shows up in Sookie's kitchen with a shotgun, Eric takes the bullet meant for Sookie, and Sookie kills Debbie.

The book culminates in a "witch war," with an alliance of the vampires, werewolves and wiccans of Bon Temps vanquishing the evil coven. Eric gets his memory back, but doesn't remember what happened while he was "out", including his love affair with Sookie or what happened to Debbie Pelt.

Review

Sookie's new year's resolution is to not get beat up any more, and staying away from supes appears to be a good first step. But she inadvertently gets even more deeply involved in the supernatural side of Bon Temps when Eric shows up by the side of the road with no memory.

Eric, the normal Eric, is tall, handsome, sexy, funny, charming, obsessed with Sookie... and cold, arrogant, and overbearing. Sookie would never get involved with the real Eric. But amnesiac Eric is tall, handsome, sexy, funny, charming, obsessed with Sookie... and sweet, thoughtful, and accessible. Is this the person Eric was when he was a human, centuries ago? (Doesn't seem Viking-like to me, but I loved it.)

I know I've said it before, but I find Eric to be a much stronger male lead than Bill or Alcide, and a much more intriguing love interest for Sookie. This is one of the best books in the series, and where is Bill? He spends most of the book in Peru.

Our supernatural 'verse expands to include witches and fairies. Claudine the fairy is very entertaining; the metaphor of fairy blood as chocolate for vampires is fun. There is more werewolf lore, too. Well, actually, more of a werewolf lodge. I will again say that werewolves do nothing for me. But the shape shifters in this series aren't just werewolves, and the strange werepanthers of the tiny hamlet of Hotshot are interesting as well as weirdly compelling. And Alcide would be pretty much perfect for Sookie if he weren't hung up on the (now late) Debbie Pelt.

The first time I read this book, I so wanted Sookie to fall for Eric, for his amnesia to bring down the barriers between them, but I didn't think it would happen. And I was delighted that it did. For several reasons, mostly Eric-related, this one is a favorite.

Bits and pieces:

-- The action in this installment begins in the same month as "Club Dead."

-- Bill reveals to Sookie that he couldn't resist Lorena because she was his maker.

-- Merlottes' waitresses Holly and Danielle are wiccans.

-- Tara is still dating vampire Franklin Mott.

-- We are introduced to Colonel Flood, Alcide's packmaster.

-- Sookie considers polite, principled Calvin Norris a marital possibility because supes are really her only romantic option. But his motivation confuses me. He says that Hotshot needs new genes, but I thought pure-bred shifters were important?

-- After taking werewolf Maria-Star Cooper to the hospital, Sookie falls asleep behind the wheel of her car. Claudine appears in Sookie's car and wakes her, and reveals that she's a fairy (pointed ears).

-- We learn that Bubba is brain damaged and therefore doesn't need an invitation to get into a human's home. That felt a lot like a retro fix of a major boo-boo in "Club Dead."

-- Sookie came out of this one with beautiful memories, $50,000, and a gorgeous cranberry red winter coat. All three from Eric.

Television series notes

Much of what happened in the book made it to the screen this time. I think the book fans would have had a cow and revolted en masse if the Sookie/Eric love affair had been changed. Although the ending was changed a bit, since series Eric did remember what happened, and his role in Debbie's death was eliminated. I rather liked that Eric remembered it all.

The Hotshot story is quite different. In the television series, Calvin Norris is a meth dealer and evil, to boot. And Jason is held in Hotshot for breeding purposes.

Quotes:

I don't usually include quotes, but I loved a few of them in this book so much that I wanted to share them.

-- "I turned in about midnight, leaving Eric absorbed in my tapes of the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (Though welcome, these were actually a gag gift from Tara.) Eric thought the show was a hoot, especially the way the vampires' foreheads bulged out when they got blood-lusty. From time to time, I could hear Eric laughing all the way back in my room."

-- "I had two whole days off, and at least one of them I got to spend alone in a house with a mentally ill vampire. Life just didn't get any better."

-- "I had two cups of coffee, put Eric's jeans in the washer, read a romance for awhile, and studied my brand new Word-of-the-Day calendar, a Christmas gift from Arlene. My first word for the new year was 'exsanguinate.' This was probably not a good omen."

-- "I'd rather be taking a complicated drink order from a table of drunken tree trimmers than be first in the line of battle."

In closing...

I loved this one. It's a complete series changer, and I think it deserves a solid four out of four stakes.

My next book review, Dead as a Doornail, will be posted in mid-January.

Important notice! After eleven books and four seasons of the series, I have no idea what kind of spoiler limitations to put on the comments section under these circumstances -- so I'm not going to put any. It's a spoiler free for all! If you're new to the books and haven't seen all of the television series True Blood, reading the comments may, and probably will, spoil you. Read on at your own risk!

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Justified: The Moonshine War

"So you want to transfer me?"
"Honestly, Raylan, I don't know who would take you."

Clean up and put away season one. Yank out a brand new story for season two. You'd think it would be disjointed, but this episode flowed beautifully from one major plotline to another.

Game Review: Star Wars: The Old Republic

(Video Game - PC)

Once in a while there is a franchise that is so massive, so pervasive that it literally transcends its original media. Star Wars broke that barrier decades ago. Movies, television, toys, books, comics, trading cards, a pen & paper role-playing game, and of course, video games.

There have been a lot of Star Wars video games, from the side-scrolling Super Star Wars trilogy to more modern fare like Star Wars The Force Unleashed. For the most part they stick to movie cannon, and are set within the confines of the movie timeline. In 2003, a company called Bioware released a game based on a comic series called Knights of the Old Republic (commonly abbreviated as KOTOR). This wildly divergent tale is set millennia before the adventures of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Against this backdrop of what is essentially a blank slate with a Star Wars setting, they crafted a game that was extremely ambitious and story driven. It was the first Star Wars game that attempted to bring RPG (role-playing game) aspects to the material. It was widely popular and spawned a successful, albeit slightly flawed, sequel a year later. Then there was nothing. Some rumors of a second sequel in the works, that was eventually cancelled. Then in October of 2008, nearly four years after KOTOR II was released, Bioware announced that they were working on something big. The announcement was for a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) called Star Wars: The Old Republic (commonly abbreviated to SWTOR or TOR). To really drive up the excitement, they coupled the announcement with this: SWTOR: Deceived Trailer. It promised to be a game so big that it could take a player a couple hundred hours to complete a single story line, and they were talking about having several story lines.

Three years since that announcement, and I can tell you this -- it was worth the wait! There are in fact eight (yes, eight) complete story lines, each easily totaling in the hundred and fifty hour time frame. That would be impressive enough, but it is also fully voiced and animated. I've been playing it now for a couple of weeks, and I have explored all of the starter content and several worlds in the greater galaxy. I couldn't possibly review all the aspects of this, since it would take months to have that good a picture of the whole. Still, there are some great things, some good things, some bad things, and some decidedly ugly things about this game that I can pass on to you.

It breaks down pretty simply. Set approximately 3,000 years before the first movie, it is a time where the Sith Empire has come out of hiding from the outer edge of the galaxy rim to devastate the Galactic Republic. This isn't Luke and Vader duking it out one on one. We're talking thousands of Jedi and Sith going lightsaber to lightsaber. This galactic war has hit a stalemate with the invasion of the Republic core world (Coruscant) as depicted in the trailer I've linked to above. This uneasy peace has left the galaxy at the edge of total destruction, as both Republic and Imperial forces are building up for a final confrontation. This elegant set-up allows players to pick sides, and to choose from one of four classes per side. There are two types of both Jedi and Sith: an Imperial Agent which plays like a space age James Bond, a Smuggler (like Han Solo), a Republic Trooper (Storm Trooper complete with white armor), and a Bounty Hunter (Boba Fett).

The Great:

For three years Bioware touted the so called "Forth Pillar" of the MMO experience, story. Well, they have delivered in excess. There are unique storylines for each of the eight classes. It is very engaging, since all the dialogue is voiced by talented actors and written by people who can actually write a story. Gone is the stilted conversations and clichéd writing of George Lucas. Instead, there are specific tributes to his good choices. There is so much in this game that all six movies could fit into one of the class stories. You feel important to this setting, as if you are really making a difference in a galaxy at the precipice of another massive war that threatens to destroy entire solar systems.

Everything feels like Star Wars, but different. There's all the races you've come to know from the movies, plus some stuff that you've never heard of. Then there are the planets. Getting to walk on Coruscant or Tatooine is a really pleasure. Playing a Smuggler and walking onto your own ship and walking side by side with your own Wookie sidekick is really fun. Playing a Sith and throwing lightning from your finger tips never gets old. Turning on your lightsaber and jumping into the fray as a Jedi feels just as exhilarating as it does in the movies. There are features in this game that truly make the experience cinematic and compelling. That Wookie sidekick is one of them. He is what is called a companion character. These companions fight with you, and co-exist with you as you progress through the game. They have fully fleshed out personalities, and you can even strike up a romantic relationship with them. (Which makes it sound like I'm hot for Wookies, but non-humanoid romances are not allowed quite yet. Neither are same sex relationships, although I hear that might change.)

The Good:

The graphics are interesting and subtle, but not top end. There are some low resolution textures and some lip syncing issues, but for the most part it is a lot of fun to watch your character interact with NPC's (non-player characters). Conversations are done with an interactive cut-scene. These can be extremely active and action packed, but are primarily used for exposition. Several camera angles are used to create some visual interest, and it is nice to see your character up close as they throw out some witty response. This is also how the story unfolds, and it gives weight to the missions you have to go out into the world to perform. There is also choice in these conversations, although it usually boils down to good, bad, and neutral.

Combat is really fun, and each class feels important to a group. There are four basic class structures, which are mirrored for Republic and Empire, and then two advanced classes per base class. Which means there are sixteen total possible avenues to chose from. Additionally, there are three talent trees per advance class, which make that advance class play fairly differently. This gives the player a lot of options, and enough variety that you feel pretty unique in some regards. However, once you pick an advanced class, you're locked into it. Much like your dialogue choices, there is no reset button. Given the malleability of most MMO's of late, this is an interesting choice by the designers. It forces the players to consider their choices instead of just clicking past content.

The Bad:

Although the graphics are good, they do detract a little from the experience. They are far and above the original KOTOR, and I really like some of the beautiful vistas and character/npc/beast designs. But there are only so many NPC faces, and after a while you do start to see some repetition. Also, there are only so many interior designs, and after a while you see these same spaces redressed and repositioned. It isn't really a detractor, but it can be a little distracting.

As much as I love the dialogue, and the choices you get to make in conversations, there is so much of it that it can get a little tiresome. But complaining about too much of a good thing isn't really a gripe. This brings me to the problem with world content. World content isn't required, and there are enough options that you could forgo doing this content. But each world has a set story and specific quests that aren't unique to the class. Although you still get your specific class story on each world, the rest is the same for everyone. This is really fun and engaging the first time through, but if you play any alternate characters, it can get a little repetitive.

The Ugly:

Mirrors, mirrors everywhere... and I do mean everywhere. The Republic and Empire are light and dark mirrors of each other. The four classes per side are the same only redressed, quests are frequently the same on both sides just redressed with different races, settings, and dialogue. This is recurring throughout the game, and although I completely understand the reasons behind this choice, it is one of the things that bothers me the most about the game. Budget and time constraints, balance between the two factions, and the desire to give the same level of experience are the contributing factors here. I have no real argument with those reasons, but I feel a little cheated.

Other than these few minor issues, I think this is a wonderful game, and I believe it is innovative in ways I can't fully express in a few pages. It has a truly engaging story experience and a really fun gameplay model. The action feels exciting, and it makes you feel like an action hero from level 1. I hope over the coming years this will continue to be a game I go back to again and again.

It is hard to rate something like this, because even with the dozens of hours of game time I've already put in, I've barely scratched the surface of the total content. Still, if I have to give a rating, I would give it 3.5 out of 4 double bladed lightsabers.

Eureka: I'll Be Seeing You

… in which Allison’s life is on the line while Grant and Carter go Back to the Future, Part 2.

Eureka: The Ex-Files

… in which Grant struggles with Global’s role as a Department of Defense facility, while several characters are visited by figures from their pasts.

Eureka: Stoned

… in which an archaeological resource is discovered at the construction site for Jo’s new home, and soon after people working at the site begin turning into stone.

Eureka: Momstrosity

… in which Carter, Kevin, Grant, and Fargo go camping, while the town’s Level 6 A.I.’s suddenly begin developing emotional attachments.

Eureka: Crossing Over

… in which Claudia Donovan arrives from Warehouse 13, just as objects from the past begin materializing all over town.

Josie’s Best of 2012 (Yep)

I’ve been wracking my brain for weeks now, trying to come up with an interesting Best of 2011 post. I can’t. 2011 wasn’t a good year for me, and whenever I glance over the lists of shows that aired, particularly in the first half of the year, I just remember how sad, stressed, and exhausted I was when I watched them. I couldn’t even do a real Best of 2011 book list, since (for the first time in a decade) I didn’t keep track of the book I read for most of the year.

Instead, I want to make a pre-emptive strike against the possible whimpery apocalypse of 2012. This is what I want to feel, 12 months from now, when I look back on 2012 and smile. This is what I want next year’s list to look like, FlashForward-style.


10. Hooray! I have a job that I’m actually qualified for, and that does not require numerous other part-time, low-paying, no-insurance jobs to raise my income above the poverty line. I’m having a great time doing good, important work—and I have plenty of free time, too! I am surrounded by interesting co-workers. I look forward to continuing to settle in to my new town, where houses are affordable and the traffic is never bad. What a wonderful life!

9. I never thought I would say this, or even that I could, but Doctor Who has gotten even better. After the sixth season’s epic tale of love and death in the time vortex, I didn’t think Moffat and Co. could possibly top the delightful convolutions that had come before—and I certainly didn’t expect a new set of villains even scarier than the Stone Angels! And wasn’t the Gamma Forest beautiful?

8. I was heartbroken when I heard that Fringe was going to be canceled (although I can’t say it was a surprise). But Fox’s decision to give the writers enough time to wrap up all the alternaverses and the love affairs (so glad Lincoln Lee is finally happy!) made the super-powered 2-hour season finale in May 2012 one of the best episodes of the year, if not the decade.

7. The epic moral ambiguity of >Game of Thrones has gotten even saucier, even zanier, and even bloodier than Season One. The drastic budget increase meant more battles, more blood, and more Dothraki sea—and I, for one—think the show is even more mindblowing than the books. After all, how often do you see dragons these days?

6. Person of Interest, meanwhile, has finally come into its own. Executive producer and creator Jonathan Nolan finally won a victory in the battle with CBS’s insistence on standalone procedurals, and JC’s and Ben Linus’s ongoing and epic struggle against crime lord Mark Sheppard has been appointment viewing for weeks now. At first, I was wary about the decision to set the second season in the midst of the zombie apocalypse, but the inclusion of the undead only emphasizes the political post-9/11 undertones of the show. We are all zombies now.

5. While there aren’t zombies on Once Upon a Time, the writers finally decided to let their imaginations run wild in establishing inventive and exciting mythology. After a delightful start and a slow, slow buildup of the actual plot of the show in the first half of season one, January 2012 brought complications, double-crosses, and nuanced villains into the foreground. Snow White’s death (if she is dead…on this show, who knows?) is probably the highlight of this game-changing fantasy show—at least so far!

4. Supernatural deserves a big shout-out for concluding after seven great seasons. I know the last episode hit Billie hard: she’d devoted quite a lot of energy to reviewing each of the 148 episodes, but even she agrees that the ending was perfect for both Dean and Sam; all the heartache of the past seven seasons has finally paid off. I’ll miss you, Winchester boys!

3. Who knew that Community would come back from a scary mid-season hiatus even stronger than before? It’s hard to believe now that we were all so worried, back in 2011, about the fate of the little program that brought us such perfect episodes as “Remedial Chaos Theory.” I must admit, I got a little nervous when I realized they were doing yet another paintball episode for the third-season finale, but their decision to do a vampires-in-zero-gravity theme proved their willingness to sacrifice all dignity for the cause of ironic punch-drunk laughs. Thanks for the three-more-seasons renewal, NBC!

2. Speaking of vampires: how is any list about the best of 2012 complete without mention of the Vampire Diaries? From the alternate-reality Alaric/Damon hook-up to the real Elena, Damon, and Stefan mass orgy to Caroline’s even better superpowers (not to mention Bonnie’s tragic but welcome death), VD in 2012 has had more OMG moments than a Bible Belt tent revival.

1. Best of the 2012 has to go to one show—you know you’ve been waiting for me to mention it! Insert Show Name Here has finally given us the complicated storytelling, great characters, and exciting genre-bending action that we’ve all been waiting for since we realized Lost was ending. So far, ISNH has lived entirely up to its promise of compelling and fascinating mysteries with real, relevant answers. Finally, all that clue-hunting is paying off! What a treat it is to take part in internet theorization while safe in the comfort of knowing that it’s worth my time and energy.

And that's all, folks! 2012 gets a four out of four billiedouxes from me. Here's hoping for a great 2013!

Merlin: The Sword in the Stone (Part 2)

“You have magic.”

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this finale. Overall I thought it was a good episode and a strong end to the season. But there was a lot about it that just didn't sit right with me.

Justified: Bulletville

Raylan: "You didn't happen to bring your rocket launcher, did you?"
Boyd: "I didn't think to pack one."

If they hadn't gotten another season (and I'm so glad they did), this episode would have worked beautifully as a series finale. The father/son conflict at the heart of the story was resolved, miraculously without Raylan or Boyd actually committing patricide, but with Arlo defanged and Bo dead. (Sons two, Dads zero.) Although there were a few semi-pointless non-arc criminal-of-the-week episodes, this first season was pretty strong. And it certainly ended with a whole lot of bang bang.

Justified: Fathers and Sons

"You are determined to be contrary, even if it gets you strung up from a tree."

The title of this episode could pretty much cover the entire season. Raylan versus Arlo, Boyd versus Bo. With Ava as a wild card stuck right in the middle.

Doctor Who: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe

Doctor: “Happy crying. Humany wumany.”

I’m starting to think Matt Smith was made for Christmas. He’s like James Bond, Superman and Father Christmas, all rolled into one. Tonight’s episode had it all: an action packed opening sequence, a cutesy fairy tale middle section, and an ending which could only have left the steeliest heart unmoved. In short, there was something for everybody. The denouement was nicely set up, the execution perfect, and the last fifteen minutes brimming with pathos, hope, and Christmas cheer. Throw in the Magna Carta, hammocks, a window disguised as a mirror, a mirror disguised as a window, and it pretty much had the lot. Even lemonade on tap. I know!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Greeted with an oil-drenched title sequence coupled with a heavily synthesized version of "Immigrant Song" by Trent Reznor, it's safe to say this movie starts out with a bang. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo follows that insane opening with a dense, tense, and adult thriller directed by the guy who did Fight Club and Se7en. It was riveting, and occasionally difficult to watch. The material was so raw that I sat in stunned silence or bemusement as the events screamed by. For a movie that's nearly three hours long, I didn't feel it dragged for a moment.

With that blistering pace in mind, I found it a little difficult to get into the mystery. What I mean by that is that it is really thickly plotted. The setup for the events and the suspects surrounding the mystery are revealed at a breakneck pace. A few words, a couple scenes of introduction, several names thrown out with a bit of exposition, and it is off to the investigation. Thankfully, the investigation does fill in those holes rather well, since we are shown who is important. Then through a nice use of flashbacks, we are shown how the day of the murder, set nearly forty years earlier, took place.

If that were all this movie had to offer, I would only be marginally impressed. But I was blown away by the performances. Everyone was excellent, down to the bit parts. Of course I have to single out Rooney Mara who played Lisbeth Salander. She took this role and ran with it, stealing every scene she was in. I haven't seen anyone inhabit a role so completely since Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. She was complex and compelling, and I'd be disappointed if she didn't get at least a nomination for Best Actress. But Daniel Craig (Mikael Blomkvist) was also really wonderful. He was quiet and thoughtful, and genuine in a way that wasn't forced. He was obviously a flawed man, but a good one. They were both so good and had engaged me so completely, that by the time something really horrible happened, I was literally at the edge of my seat, hoping for an outcome that might allow one or both of them to pull through.

The way it was filmed was really interesting and stark. The filmmakers used a lot of snowy scenery and empty landscapes to paint a picture of isolation and cold. It was a beautiful way to depict a place that was tainted with horror. You could almost feel the echoes of the past buried under the snow. They didn't change the book's backdrop of Sweden. It felt almost as if I were watching a foreign movie that had had their actors performing an English version. I understand that there were several locations that were practically identical to the original movie (made in Sweden in 2009).

Although I had no intention of including spoilers in this review, there is a scene I need to discuss. It has to do with content, and the more graphic elements.

Spoilers Below

Lisbeth Salander is a very disturbed, isolated, and extremely angry person because of her past, which she speaks about through quietly gritted teeth, never once admitting that it affected her. This bubbling hatred for the hand life has dealt to her is tempered by her massive intellect. She looks like an alien with multiple facial piercings and a stark, nearly monochromatic goth/punk style. All of this baggage means she doesn't really emote, and yet somehow she is so intriguing that it is hard not to be drawn in. She is trapped in a system that doesn't care about her, and subjected to a sleazy social worker with increasingly disgusting desires. Eventually this culminates in a rape scene. She is so slight, and the rapist is so powerful that although she fights, he brutalizes her. The physical trauma is shown afterwards, and you wonder how anyone could get past that kind of attack.

What was worse was realizing that this was only one event in her hard life. Watching her go through the same kind of the violence and humiliation she must've endured in her past was really difficult to sit through. In fact, it was so graphic that the woman sitting next to me had her mouth covered while looking away from the screen, and one man actually left the theater. Up until that point she was like a caged animal, obviously seething with barely controlled fury. The rapist's indiscretion sends her over the edge, and her vengeance is extremely satisfying, although equally as difficult to watch. These are the two most extreme depictions of violence, but are not the only ones. There is more violence, a few fairly graphic sex scenes (not including the rape), animal mutilation, and numerous pictures of women that were brutally tortured, raped, and torn apart.

Yet despite the content, I felt it was worth it when Lisbeth and Mikael finally connected in Act 2. At first she treated him like another potential rapist. But he had no interest in her sexually, since he wanted her for her talent and mind. He showed her respect and humanity, and it had a direct effect on her. When we do finally see her smile once, it was a revelation. Then there was a moment where she asked him for permission to commit murder, which struck me as fascinating. She connected to him to the point where she had transferred her moral compass to him, because she realized that she wasn't capable of thinking rationally about that kind of stuff anymore. This dynamic is truly the strength of this film, and I imagine the book as well.

End of Spoilers.

I went into this intentionally without any foreknowledge of the plot, and I haven't read the book yet. I'm not sure if the Swedish version of this was as good, and I have no idea if an American remake was necessary. But I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Four out of four tough as nails chicks with Mohawks.

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Breaking Bad: Gray Matter

"All I have left is how I choose to approach this."

This one was about the road not taken, and not just in the present.

Justified: Veterans

"Arlo, use your words."

So far, Dads one -- Sons zero.

If there was a common thread in this melange of drug war set-up, it was Raylan and Boyd both trying to be their own men while also trying to control their out-of-control criminal fathers. Raylan and Boyd are very much two sides of the same coin, both tough, smart and unlikely to give up. Ditto the dads. There was even a scene where Arlo and Bo sat at the kitchen table talking about how they were in control of their sons. Which they were not.

2012 Film Preview

2011 is almost no more. Long live 2012!

After a year of sequels, prequels, remakes and comic book movies, we can now look forward to, well, another year of sequels, prequels, remakes and comic book movies. And there just might even be a few original movies sandwiched in amongst all the sequels, prequels, remakes and comic book movies.

So, faithful readers, here for your reading pleasure is a kinda complete list of all the big sequels, prequels, remakes and comic book movies coming your way in 2012.

Underworld: Awakening - January 20

The Woman in Black – February 3

Be afraid, Harry Potter. Be very afraid.

John Carter – March 9

The Hunger Games – March 23

Wrath of the Titans – March 30

The Cabin in the Woods – April 13

The Avengers – May 4

Some superhero movie from some guy who made some show about a girl who fights vampires.

Dark Shadows – May 11

Battleship – May 18

Where there always aliens in Battleship?

Men in Black 3 – May 25

Might be worth seeing just for Josh Borlin's frighteningly accurate Tommy Lee Jones impersonation.

Snow White and the Huntsman – June 1

Prometheus – June 6

Ridley Scott's Alien prequel that isn't an Alien prequel but looks a lot like an Alien prequel.

Jack the Giant Killer – June 15

Brave – June 22

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – June 22

G.I. Joe: Retaliation – June 29

The Amazing Spider-Man – July 3

The Dark Knight Rises – July 20

The epic conclusion to the Dark Knight legend where Batman struggles to understand a single word that Bane is saying.

Total Recall - August 3

Skyfall – October 26

007 will return.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 – November 16

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – December 14

Peter Jackson returns to Middle Earth and tries to turn Dwarves into heartthrobs.

World War Z - December 21

Billie's Best of 2011

Happy new year!

I really had to think about my faves post for this year, because the new stuff this fall was somewhat disappointing. I really wanted to fall in love with something new, but at the most, I fell in "like." Once Upon a Time, Alphas, and Person of Interest have potential. Terra Nova was a disappointment; if they get a second season, they'll have to do some drastic upgrading in the story department to keep me watching. American Horror Story was the surprise break-out hit, but it goes just a bit too far into genuine gooey horror for me to handle.

Yes, I still love Supernatural and Dexter. Yes, both shows are getting long in the tooth and starting to wane a bit, but I'm in it with both of them until the end. Hey, I hung in there with Smallville until the end, although it was difficult to continue writing about it after my favorite characters left, and I don't put Supernatural and Dexter in the same category because they're still fun to write about. Yes, I am hung upon the completion thing. You got a problem with that? :)

So what did I love most on television in 2011?

The Vampire Diaries. Wow. How did this show get to be so good? The complexity of the stories, the constant surprises and exclamations of omigod, I can't believe they just did that, the way Stefan and Damon as characters keep refusing to stay firmly in their good/evil pegs, all make Thursday night must see TV. Damon and Elena are probably my favorite ship right now. I am so glad Josie is reviewing this show, because if she weren't, I'd have to do it.

The Walking Dead: Somehow, they managed to create a second season (or the first half of it) that featured the same edge of your seat, harrowing end of the world drama that they gave us in season one. This show never sits on my DVR, either. Let me repeat myself -- I'm so glad Doc is reviewing this show, because if she weren't, I'd have to do it.

True Blood: Season four got mixed reviews, but not from me. I loved every minute of it, and it was my favorite so far. True Blood tends to be something of a guilty pleasure for me because it's so sexy, bloody and over the top, but it's still a fave. And like Supernatural and Dexter, I'm in this one for the long haul. I'll review it until they stop making it. The end.

Breaking Bad: Every season, I reach the end of Breaking Bad and I'm just wowed. Walter White's descent into darkness is epic, disturbing, funny and deeply tragic, and the end of season four was exceptional. That's why I finally decided that I was jumping on board with reviews for its final season this coming summer. Hey, better late than never.

Justified: I liked season one. But I loved season two. Justified refuses to sit in a niche and play nice. It has exceptional actors playing complex characters, smart and often dryly funny dialogue, and stories that just don't conform to the typical television crime drama. I decided to take on Justified in the hope that season three (coming January 17) will be as terrific as season two. Fingers crossed.

There are some other shows I really enjoy, too. Fortunately, Doctor Who is still going strong. Community is a fave, although now I'm worried that it won't get the six seasons and a movie that it clearly deserves. Ditto Fringe, which is still innovative but doesn't have the ratings. Glee is still fun, although it might be losing its magic for me. I enjoy the geekfest that is Eureka, but it's only getting one more season. The failure of Miracle Day might have sunk any chances that Torchwood will get another season.

Fingers crossed that the winter premieres will give us at least one more terrific show to love. Will it be you, Alcatraz?

The beauty of retrospect and the future of American Horror Story

[This post contains spoilers for the entire first season, so beware] For those of you who don't already know, Ryan Murphy and FX president John Landgraf yesterday revealed their plans for season two of American Horror Story, which involve an entirely different story, an entirely different cast and new representations of the word 'horror'. It's a ballsy move, sacrificing season one titans like Jessica Lange, Connie Britton and Frances Conroy in favor of fresh incarnations of nutty carnage. But it's also a development that speaks volumes about the ambition of the series as well as cable TV's willingness to break new ground.

Season one left a ton of unanswered questions, but it also had something of a resolution to it. The Harmon family finally found common ground in the afterlife and took reign of Murder House, Violet ended things with bug-eyed sociopath Tate, Moira became truly part of something she loved, and Constance got the baby that she'd always wanted. Sure, he enjoyed some light homicide every once in a while, but what kid is perfect? There were still lingering plot threads, but I liked that life (in this case, afterlife) goes on.

I initially had some issues with the finale and the lack of apocalyptic insanity that I had been anticipating, but this new development changes up my opinion in a major way. Afterbirth wasn't just the end of the first season, but the end of that particular chapter of the Murder House story. Unlike this past summer's AMC remake of The Killing, an audience-wide coronary in TV form, American Horror Story never promised a book ended narrative, and just like the never-ending havoc of the thirty-plus years that the season previously documented, evil will always be in that house and characters will always try their best to extinguish it. In the case of the Harmon's, they're making the best of a bad situation. They banished some of the house's more overtly evil spirits (by telling them to, you know, "go away"), and could likely befriend some of the more relaxed ghosts in the house, like Constance's vacuous boy-toy Travis or the baby-hungry gay dudes.

Taking all of that into account, the ending was something of a quiet victory. What it lacked in demons and hellfire, it made up for with family-driven drama and the emotionally-charged reconnecting of a group of people that at one point couldn't stand each other. And do we need to see Constance raise her little hell-spawn? Isn't a toothy open ending just as gleefully satisfying?

When I read yesterday's news about the rapid change in direction for the show, it reminded me of that almighty NBC flop Heroes from a couple of years back. That was a show that had a killer central premise with a season-long mystery that unfolded at a steady pace, entertaining us each week as we saw a bunch of random people slowly converge and interact, eventually becoming an elaborate super-powered dream team. There were even rumors at the time that the show would abandon the cast at the end of the year, allowing a different group of superheroes to take over in season two. But, unfortunately, season one had been a huge hit, while several actors (nerd god Masi Oka, teen pin-up Hayden Panettiere... both now entirely absent from pop culture) had gained significant fanbases. So why on earth would NBC sacrifice the entire cast of it's one great ratings hit? Instead, we got three additional seasons with tired characters slowly circling the drain, bored actors phoning in their performances from a beach in Cabo, and horrible trips to feudal Japan. Gah. Bad memories.

Thankfully, American Horror Story is on FX, a station which has always pride itself on its boundary-pushing television. Series like Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me and The Shield were repeatedly throwing viewers off and sending its characters down polarizing avenues, and American Horror Story, regardless of how big a hit it has become, is following that same direction. It's something I'm enormously excited about, especially in light of a finale that I felt at the time only promised repetitive blah-ness for next year. And remember, this is called "American Horror Story", one of the vaguest titles around. Like Ryan Murphy states: “There are all kinds of different American horror stories to tell. There are serial killing stories, prison stories, true crime stories... each year of the show is designed to be a little miniseries unto itself. My excitement for this show's future decreased a little after the finale, but this news creates nothing but anticipation for what could be another stunningly original season.

To read more about the changes, check out Deadline. Murphy did say it's possible that some of the first season's cast could reappear at some point down the line, allaying fears that we'll never see Lange's cradle-robbing drag act ever again. Also of note, Murphy promises "the only thing we’re not open to doing is a season on vampires.” Well, thank God for that. This is a show that should be breaking new ground, not following old trends.

Justified: The Hammer

Ava: "Didn't the district attorney order you to stay the hell away from Boyd?"
Raylan: "Yeah. It was more of a suggestion."

Such serious topics. Why was this one so much fun?

American Horror Story: Afterbirth

"That's all very touching, but where the hell's the baby?"

This was a curious finale. Though I guess the episode title hinted that this was more about the calm after the storm than anything too apocalyptic. I understand that Afterbirth was thrown together under a tight schedule, the producers cutting a planned thirteenth episode and instead making this one a ninety-minute show, and it did sort of look like it. The script had an odd structure, bouncing from flashback sequences to the sudden demise of a major character, straight into Beetlejuice hijinks and a flash-forward to three years later. There were some wonderful moments, of course, but certain stories fell a little flat after a year of so much intense foreboding.

Marcy mentioned at one point that the death of the Harmon family was a "great romantic tragedy", and I'm inclined to agree. While I had various problems with the three of them over the course of the season, I found myself really affected by their respective demises, the idea of this very fractured family all being consumed and spat out by this cursed house. The opening scenes of this episode really pushed that, too, with the interweaving sequences of Ben convincing Vivien to move away, followed by scenes of bloody destruction.

In the end, though, the afterlife actually created a second chance for them. I guess the specter of an eternity together would convince you to drop old tensions, so it shouldn't have been surprising that the Harmon's seemed to find that happiness that had eluded them for so long. They were like a perfect family again, all happy and content, a feeling cemented by how weird it was to see Violet actually smile for once.

Moira, too, found herself accepted, gaining the family she'd always wanted. It seems like the house itself doesn't have as much power as it once seemed, since every ghost character appears to exhibit the same control they had in their actual lives. Vivien, Ben and Violet pitch a Christmas tree and celebrate like a real family, while Hayden and Tate are still kept in the shadows where they arguably belong.

Afterbirth, for me, was only a little disappointing because of my own expectations. And you have to ask yourself whether that's the fault of the show, or entirely my fault for expecting more rampant absurdity. Maybe I would have been more satisfied if they had cut out the whole thing with the Ramos family, something I felt really dragged the episode's mid-point downhill. I loved the voyeurism of Ben and Vivien watching what are essentially new versions of themselves, this new family completely unaware of their probable fate. But the elaborate haunting scenes that followed just weren't interesting.

Generally, however, I was entertained by what was served up. It still feels like the show has become progressively more restrained after opening with so much hokey nuttiness (which isn't at all in keeping with any of Ryan Murphy's other series), something that's just as much a blessing as it is a curse. Reaching that middle ground is tough, but the show should definitely keep trying.

So what now for American Horror Story? I felt like the strongest scene in the episode was that chilling coda sequence, Constance coming home to discover the surprisingly non-scaly demon child had indulged in a little housekeeper homicide while she was out getting her hair did. Constance's reaction (a mix of fear and... I don't know... excitement?) was interesting, and if any show can pull off the 'evil three year-old' trope, it's probably American Horror Story. What I really hope we don't see next year are more prospective buyers getting terrorized. As long as they avoid that, season two should be pretty absorbing.

Notables

- Loved Hayden's "aww shit" retort when she got her throat cut. Girl's sure one-note, but I've enjoyed watching her lazy shrewishness this season.

- So Nora fell apart. I like that, somebody whose given so much of their time to dreaming of having a child, only for the reality to not be as warm and cuddly as she had always thought it would have been.

- Can we assume that all of Billie Dean's end-of-the-world prophecies were melodramatic kabluey? Damn you, fraudulent psychic lady for getting me so amped for this finale!

- Morris Chestnut joins actors like Portia de Rossi and Molly Shannon in the long list of name guest stars who ended up being insanely underused on Ryan Murphy shows. Did Officer Luke serve any purpose at all? He could have been lifted straight out of this season with little consequence.

- There's a handy 'ghost roll-call' over at Vulture that should probably be checked out. Or you can try and guess the twenty-four (!) ghosts currently inhabiting Murder House, not including Ben, before you click the link.

- That's my first season wrapped up for Billie Doux. Thanks to everybody whose read and commented over the last couple of months.

Quotage

Miguel: Actually, my family's from Spain.
Marcy: All the better. I find European Hispanics vastly superior.

Moira: I would have been a good mother. If I hadn't been such a little tramp.

Gabriel: Who are you?
Violet: A ghost of my former self.

Previously posted at Unwelcome Commentary.

Misfits: Episode Eight (It Was Me)

Rudy: “Yeah, well, I love a happy ending.”

So do I, Rudy. Shame we didn’t get one. I was blown away by the last 15 minutes of tonight’s episode. To think, I’ve spent half the season worrying about something happening to Seth... only to find out Howard Overman had something even more traumatic in store for us. The clues were there all along. Iggy dying. Seth becoming a permanent member of the gang. Rachel coming back from the dead. All were precursors to an event so potentially show wrecking I can scarcely bring myself to believe it happened. After news earlier in the week that Misfits has been renewed for a fourth season, tonight’s episode kind of nipped my happy dance in the bud. What a dreadful ending for our heroes. Thanks for ruining Christmas, Overman!

The first forty minutes felt kind of lightweight for a finale. Not that it wasn’t enjoyable. Seeing Rachel, Sally and Tony back for one last hurrah was rip roaring stuff. I particularly enjoyed Rachel’s reaction to the non-existence of God. I’ve never seen anyone change so dramatically. Within half an hour she’d gone from ex-leader of the virtue virgins to being drunk, taking drugs, and having sex with Curtis. That’s quick going by anybody’s standards. I’ve grown so accustomed to seeing Jessica Brown-Findlay as Lady Sybil (Downton Abbey) that I was genuinely shocked by her debauched behaviour. (Whilst, of course, secretly loving every minute of it.) What would the Earl and Countess of Grantham say, I wonder? I'm pretty sure Maggie Smith would kick her arse.

Unfortunately for Rachel, a hedonistic lifestyle was as empty as a life of purity -- so, naturally, she turned to revenge. Did Alisha die simply because she was the closest? Obviously, it would have made more sense to go after Nathan; he was, after all, directly responsible for her death. But with Sheehan no longer part of the show, I guess Alisha was an unlucky second choice. Her story was more or less over, anyway. Her character hasn’t had a great deal to do this season. Her superpower has been woefully underused. She's been little more than a love interest for Simon. Which perhaps explains why Antonia chose to leave the show. Artistically, I can't imagine this season has been very rewarding for her.

I did enjoy seeing Nathan again. It seemed fitting he should be there for Simon and Alisha’s final farewell. I know it was just recycled footage from season one, but it still made me smile. It also made me feel a little guilty for not missing Nathan more. Robert Sheehan is a spectacular actor, and Nathan was head and shoulders the best thing about the first two seasons. But Rudy’s more than propped up his end this year. He's filled the Nathan shaped hole perfectly. (It took me a few attempts to word that sentence so it didn't sound obscene.) How young did everybody look in that footage? It’s hard to believe it was from just two years ago. Everyone looked so lean and fresh faced.

As soon as Sally said “I’ve always loved you” the alarm bells started ringing. Since when? All she ever did was use Simon. Which, is exactly what she tried to do again. Sally was right... Simon has matured. Just not enough to see past her scheming. I was a little disappointed that he kissed Sally; especially with Alisha dying so soon afterwards. Using Simon's guilt to manipulate him into cheating on Alisha was a cheap but effective way of exacting revenge. Thankfully, Tony was on hand to prevent Sally from sending Alisha to her death -- buying valuable time for her and Simon to reaffirm their love (via a quick bonk in the community centre). It's a shame Tony died so early on in the series. He actually seemed to care. Unlike the useless Shawn, who couldn't have given a shit. I loved how everyone kept trying to kill Tony. How he didn't die a second time, I'll never know. Fire extinguishers are heavy, and brains notoriously squishy.

Did Sally deserve a happy ending? She did try to kill Alisha. But she didn't deserve to die. So maybe the two things cancel each other out. I liked that Simon got a chance say sorry for killing her. Simon's journey has easily been the most fulfilling of the series. He's grown more than all of the other characters put together. Sally betraying him, followed by Alisha's death, were the final steps in that process. There was nothing left of the old Simon in those final scenes. It was as if he'd died with Alisha; leaving Superhoodie in his place. In the end, it wasn't Curtis' old power which took him back in time, it was an inferior power, with far less utility. The trip was strictly one way. Which explains why Simon refused medical aid after being shot in season two. Even if he'd lived, there was nothing to go back to. At least this way he gets to be with Alisha; forever trapped in an unending loop of saving her, and then watching her die. And Simon half kept his promise. He did go back in time -- but he never left her.

There’s never been much of a story arc to Misfits. Simon’s story has been the closest we've had to one for three seasons. It's hard to imagine what they'll do now it's over. But if this season has proved anything, it’s that Misfits is a resilient beast. It can survive changes in personnel. Rudy's proof of that. And a show with Kelly and Rudy is still a show worth sticking around for.

Bits and Pieces:

-- Some nice throwbacks to season one, with the kids sitting around in wheelchairs, and Tony chasing Kelly back to the community centre.

-- It was nice to see the two Rudys united in their grief. Alisha's death seemed to knock the stuffing out of them. Gold acting stars to both Gilgun and Rheon. Their characters' anguish was utterly palpable.

-- So, about that Vegas photo. When was it taken? I always thought it was a snapshot from a distant and happy future. Evidently not.

-- Loved Simon's community centre inspired hoodie. Did he put a white one in the wash with his overalls?

-- Could Simon have done anything about changing the future? What if he'd just walked away? What would have happened? Couldn't he have at least tried... just to sate my curiosity?

-- Lovely projectile vomiting from Rachel. That was a weighty jet worthy of Mr Creosote. I didn't buy Rudy turning down a slightly spewy kiss, though. I'm pretty sure he's had worse.

-- Great cameo from Mark Heap. I don't think I've seen a more cynical, matter-of-fact medium. Altogether now... A is for appendectomy, B is for barium, C is for cystitis, defibrillate's for D...

Quotes:

Jonas: “Does the name... Sally... mean anything to you? She has to know... why? She just has to know why you did it.”

Simon: “I think I’ve just seen a ghost.”
Rudy: “Why would there be a goat in the community centre?”
Simon: “I didn’t say a goat, I said a ghost, like the spirit of a dead person.”
Rudy: “That makes more sense. Who ever heard of a goat, just hanging out in a community centre?”

Seth: “I sold him the power to caffeinate beverages. It’s harmless.”
Kelly: “There was a guy who could control cheese and he was a fucking psycho!”

Rudy: “It’s toughened glass. How desperate do they think people are to get a Twix?”

Sally: “Is that Alisha? Are the two of you together?”
(Simon Nods)
Sally: “How the hell did that happen?”
Simon: “It’s a long story.”

Simon. “So what’s it like, being dead?”
Rachel: “Well the big news is, there is no God.”

Rudy: “I’m Rudy. I’m new.”

Alisha: “Why are you doing this?”
Sally: “You killed Tony. I want Simon to know how it feels to lose everything and I want him to know you died hating him.”

Rudy: “Great speech and all that. Very moving. But he definitely should have fucked that probation worker. That’s a wasted opportunity, innit?”

Rachel: “I did everything I thought I was supposed to do. Got drunk. I took drugs. I had sex, and I swore like a cunt. And I’m still here – I haven’t moved on. And now I just feel cheap and dirty.”

Curtis: “I can bring her back – if that’s what you want.”

Simon: “This is where I go back. It all has to happen exactly like it happened.”
Kelly: “What are you talking about?
Simon: “It was me. I was the guy in the mask.”

Simon: “I’m going to need to get some new powers.”

Nathan: “Try that on your driving test and you are definitely getting a fail. Or a pass, and some kind of internal injury.”

Simon: “I’m going to make a girl fall in love with me.”

Terra Nova Finale

I stopped reviewing Terra Nova with episode four. I'm a sci-fi geek and I really wanted to love this show, but in truth, I just sort of like it, which isn't enough to make me want to keep writing about it. Time travel, dinosaurs and Stephen Lang as Taylor kept me watching, though.

The show has gotten a bit stronger since they started doing more arc and less stand-alone, and the finale began with a lot of excitement and tension. The Eleventh Pilgrimage started arriving, a suicide bomber took out the portal, Josh's Kara was killed, an armed contingent arrived elsewhere and the bad guys took over Terra Nova with an evil anti-environmental 1% sort of agenda.

The thing is, that very plot line is what bothers me the most about this show. The manifest destiny-ness of the pilot, the assumption that we can go back and screw up the Earth eighty-five million years before we originally screwed up the Earth, is uncomfortable and disturbing. Instead of feeling good about our Terra Novans successfully defending their new home, it just made me feel again that humans shouldn't be there in the first place.

That said, I liked a lot of this finale. I liked the idea of the civilians, secretly led by a supposedly incapacitated Jim Shannon, carrying out a clever insurgency against Mira and Lucas, as Taylor and the rest of his soldiers were carving secret messages into bullets and bravely preventing the bad guys from strip-mining half the continent. The emotional and physical confrontation between Taylor and his horrible son Lucas was upsetting, and for a moment I thought Taylor was dead. (And that would have been enough to keep me from tuning in to a possible season two.) It was cool that Taylor got some near-instant karma for forgiving and trusting Sky.

Jim's trip back to Hope Plaza with the bomb was (again) disturbing (is it terrorism when you're defending your home?) but the dinosaur tromping around in 2149 and eating the bad guys made it almost worthwhile. It was probably the best dinosaur CGI they've done so far. I especially liked the dinosaur racing for the portal right behind Jim. I was rooting for it.

And I think they made some good decisions about set-up for future seasons, if they get them. The idea of cutting themselves off completely from the future, doing without supplies and more colonists, worked for me. They also left us with the wild cards of the horrible Lucas Taylor out there somewhere in the jungle, and the possibility of other uncontrolled time portals, because totally eliminating time travel as a plot device would be a mistake.

Killing off Wash was a bad decision, though. She was my second favorite character. I was sort of fantasizing about Taylor/Wash stories. Not any more. In truth, the Shannons only partially work for me. I like Maddy and her soldier boyfriend Reynolds, and I like little Zoe, who is incredibly adorable (when she hugged Taylor, I actually went "awww"). But Jim and Elisabeth are only okay. And I can't stand Josh, even though they've done a lot to redeem his character since his childish in the extreme behavior in the pilot.

Terra Nova has been doing okay in the ratings, but nowhere near what they were hoping for. I'm firmly convinced that if they'd started doing arc episodes sooner, chosen not to focus so much on teenage angst and had given Stephen Lang a lot more screen time, Terra Nova would have been a lot stronger. Maybe if they get a second season, that's what they'll do.

I'd love to hear your opinions. Does Terra Nova work for you? If not, why not? Does the lack of scientific veracity bother you? (It bothers me.) Do you think they'll get a second season?

Justified: Hatless

Gary: "This is what you do on your vacation?"
Raylan: "Apparently, Tahiti sucks."

What a perfectly constructed episode. It started out with a lot of dumb, and everyone was a lot smarter in the end.

Merlin: The Sword in the Stone (Part 1)

“I feel like such a fool. I put such trust in him. All this time, I was blind to his treachery as I was to Morgana's.”

'The Sword in the Stone' has a lot in common with season three's big finale, 'The Coming of Arthur'. Both featured Camelot falling to an enemy army, Morgana becoming queen, the king having a crisis of confidence after being betrayed by someone close to him, and Merlin and Arthur forced to go on the run. But this was bigger, better and, most surprisingly of all, funnier.

2012 Premiere Dates

The end is nigh! As you know, the world will end in 2012—science and the Mayans have told us so. In the meantime, however, we’ve got a better ending coming up: the end of the doldrums that are the winter hiatus.

Click on for a list of shows that we review, shows we don’t review but like to watch, and premieres that we plan to review…as long as we find enough time between stocking up on canned goods for the zombie apocalypse and attempting to placate our future overlords, the dolphins.

Sherlock: Sunday, January 1 (UK), May 6 (US)

Hawaii Five-0: Monday, January 2

Vampire Diaries: Thursday, January 5

The Secret Circle: Thursday, January 5

Merlin (US): Friday, January 6

Supernatural: Friday, January 6

Once Upon a Time: Sunday, January 8

Downton Abbey (US): Sunday, January 8

House of Lies: Sunday, January 8

Castle: Monday, January 9

30 Rock: Thursday, January 12

Parks and Recreation: Thursday, January 12

Person of Interest: Thursday, January 12

Fringe: Friday, January 13

Alcatraz: Monday, January 16

Gossip Girl: Monday, January 16

Being Human (US/Canadian version): Monday, January 16

Lost Girl: Monday, January 16

Glee: Tuesday, January 17

Justified: Tuesday, January 17

Ringer: Tuesday, January 31

The Walking Dead: Sunday, February 12

Which show are you looking forward to most, Mr. Dolphin?

Dexter: This is the Way the World Ends

Dexter: "One thing I'm sure I have faith in is the staying power of animal tranquilizers."

La di dah, no spoilers on the front page, la di dah, tra la la, click on "read full post"...

Trailer: The Dark Knight Rises

T'was the week before Christmas and all through the house, everyone was online downloading the first full trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, the final chapter in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.

Even the mouse.



Looks good, doesn't it?

Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

Bombastic, that's the word I used to describe the first Sherlock Holmes movie. This one was excessively bombastic, too, except this time there was a reason for the bombs. Still, the thing that truly works about this series is the wonderful chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. (Holmes) and Jude Law (Watson). Add to those performances a really excellent villain and a better plot, and you have a much better movie than the first.

Downey has again given us a really spectacular performance as Holmes, and that performance really drove the movie. Jude Law brought a lot of suffering wit as Holmes's reluctant partner. And there was Jared Harris as Professor James Moriarty. He brought the right level of menace and intelligence to feel like a true foil for Downey's Holmes. Painted as brutal and brilliant, he elevated every scene he was in. Especially the scenes he shared with Downey.

Unfortunately, Noomi Rapace, who played Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish version of The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, was basically wasted here. She was fun and a good plot device, but she could've easily been replaced or removed without a significant loss to the movie. To be fair, I don't think this was her fault, as much as it was a lack of writing and/or directing for her character.

I won't go into details to avoid spoilers, but this wasn't really a mystery this time. Sure, there were mystery elements involved, but it felt more like an elaborate game of chess played out on a world stage. Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, the characters got around a lot. There were a lot of trains, fighting on them or trying to catch them. It promoted the idea of motion, that the plot was really moving forward, even if it wasn't. The only real problem I had actually was that it never really slowed down, throwing details at us and hoping some would stick for the final few scenes. I was never lost, but I did have trouble remembering which elements that were shown to us at the beginning were actually relevant in the end.

There was some fantastic visual effects. Using a series of bombings as a plot device, the idea of greater explosions was used in a way that was both captivating and engaging. One sequence in particular used a type of extreme slow motion that was just breathtaking. It conjured the awe of the dodging bullet's scene in The Matrix, at least for me. The other stand-out for me was the fight scenes, especially the ones where Holmes predicted the motions of his opponents in a slow motion vision before the actual fight. At least they didn't use the effects as an excuse not to write, because the dialogue was really well crafted. Subtlety, nuance, double meaning, and evasion were used to great effect.

I wouldn't go so far as to say this is a great movie, but it was an improvement over the first one. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I almost feel I have to see it again to fully grasp all the details.

3 out of 4 shadowy chess pieces.

Jess's 2011 Favorites

For 2011, I once again bring you the list of shows least likely to stack up on my DVR. (Except for the show pictured at right, which I often couldn’t bear to delete after watching!)

Breaking Bad. Hands down, my number one show of the year. I'm sure that sounds like bandwagon jumping, given how many critics sing this show's praises, but throughout the year Breaking Bad has honestly been the show I most eagerly anticipated each week. I caught up with Seasons 2 and 3 when AMC was rerunning the series in winter/spring, and would often stay up insanely late on Wednesday nights to watch the episodes “live” because I lived in fear of a DVR malfunction. (Plus, I just couldn’t stand to wait until Thursday evening to watch.) Once Season 4 premiered this summer, I would wake up gleefully each Sunday morning thinking about getting to "break bad" come 10:00 p.m. that night. (And then I’d again stay up insanely late because I was so amped from the intensity of the episodes that I couldn’t get to sleep!)

Breaking Bad is one of the most gripping, viscerally thrilling, visually stunning, and utterly heartbreaking shows I’ve ever seen. And it’s frequently darkly comedic, to boot. It seems somehow insane to be so completely enamored of a dark, grisly show that’s centered around the transformation of a sympathetic man in a devastating situation into a horrendous monster making shockingly evil choices. And yet, it’s been undeniably compelling to watch Walter White destroy himself and everyone around him, all while convincing himself that he's doing these horrible, unforgivable things for noble reasons. At times, I actually find myself sympathizing with this awful man and rooting for him to outsmart his numerous enemies, even as I fervently wish for him to suffer horribly for the damage he’s done to those around him.

I cannot praise Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and the stellar supporting cast highly enough for their amazing work on this series. No matter how extreme or ghastly things become, the writers and actors have created compelling, complex characters, who make believable (if often unspeakable) choices, and that’s what keeps me coming back for more, week after week. I cannot wait to see what the final 16 episodes have in store for us!

Game of Thrones. I don’t have much more to say on this one beyond what I already said in my Season 1 “reviewer melee” comments, so I will merely note that this highly anticipated series managed to satisfy both myself (a fan of the book series) and my husband (a newbie to the story), and during its run quickly became the new show we discussed most each week.

Eureka. The back half of Season 4 wasn’t as strong as the previous half-season arc, but the character work remained strong, and all summer long I looked forward to settling in for my weekly hour with my favorite Eurekans. I particularly enjoyed the continued focus on Fargo, Jo, and Zane, and liked the addition of Felicia Day and the return of Wil Wheaton. Fun times!

Parks and Recreation. Much like Eureka, for me, Parks and Recreation is a near-perfect blend of quirk, sweetness, and genuine heart. It was a tremendous pleasure to spend the top half of the year catching up with the remainder of Season 2 and then diving into the simply stellar third season. The fourth season was a bit of a slow starter, but these last few weeks it has really returned to form, and I’m hopeful for more of that going forward.

The characters --- and the town of Pawnee, for that matter --- are often outlandish, but they nearly always have their hearts in the right place and they genuinely care for and support one another. Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson are real standouts, and any time an episode highlights the tremendous respect and fondness these two have for one another, it takes the series to another level. I’ve also rather enjoyed the April and Andy pairing, and think Ben has been a terrific addition to the series. His straight-man nerd is the perfect partner for Leslie, and the slow build and evolution of their relationship, as well as Ben’s relationship with Pawnee, has been a highlight throughout the third and fourth seasons.

Friday Night Lights. Was there any doubt that this show would make the list? As soon as it was released on DVD in April, I grabbed a box of tissues and mainlined the fifth and final season of my beloved FNL. Once again, the show strained credulity (or patience) a bit with several developments, but they never failed to make the fallout from those developments emotionally compelling and resonant. When I got to the final hours, and it came time to say goodbye to Coach, Tami, Matt, Julie, Landry, Riggs, Tyra, Billy, Mindy, Buddy, Vince, Jess, Becky, and Luke, I bawled my eyes out and loved every minute of it. I even rewatched the finale when it aired on NBC in July and sobbed uncontrollably all over again! Thanks for five wonderful seasons, Friday Night Lights. You led with your heart, you touched mine, and you will be deeply missed. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!

Stargate Universe. I had to include SGU, because not only was it a show I genuinely looked forward to each week, it was surprisingly hard to say goodbye. I didn’t cry through the whole finale, the way I did with FNL, but as SGU came to its closing moments and gave us a chance to say a proper goodbye to the Destiny and her crew, I found myself unexpectedly sobbing and strangely unable to stop. I partially blame the beautiful and gently hopeful music over the closing moments. But I also credit the slow, steady evolution of the characters from largely bland archetypes into more fully realized individuals, whom I came to truly care about, just as they learned to live with and care for one another. Part of me still misses this show, but I’m glad it came to a decent resting place before signing off.

Sons of Anarchy. Season 4 started out a little rough for me, and I started to wonder if I really wanted to keep watching the show. But as the season progressed and began to focus more on the internal conflicts in the club, and the fallout from numerous bad decisions, it really became engrossing, must-see-TV for me. I’m not quite sure how I feel about the way things resolved (or didn’t) in the finale, but the journey to that point was gripping, and I’m still curious to see where the story goes next.

In the “New to Me” Favorites for this year: The Pacific (harrowing, heartbreaking, and tremendously well done); Fringe (gross and engrossing --- I ended up devouring multiple seasons in a massive three-week Fringe Binge); and Terriers (I’ve only recently started streaming this one on Netflix, but the characters and the balance of comedy and true pathos have already completely sucked me in).

Up next: Justified (after an aborted attempt to catch up with this one last year, all the raves for Season 2 have convinced me to give it another go); and Louie (I watched three or four episodes of the most recent season, including ‘Duckling’ --- which still pops into my mind from time to time --- and I’d like to get caught up with the rest).

See you in 2012, folks. Happy holidays!

Star Trek: Day of the Dove

Kirk: "We've been under stress before. It's never set us at each other's throats."

"Day of the Dove" is rather like a starship-sized game of real life Risk, and something of a rehash of "Wolf in the Fold". So the anti-war propaganda was blindingly obvious, and the alien simply a mechanism to tell the story. I liked this episode a lot when I was a kid, and I still do.

Justified: Blowback

"I'm officially requisitioning this chicken."

Three confrontations in one episode, and no one got shot. How nice that for once, everybody lived.

Warehouse 13: The Greatest Gift

… in which the untidy Warehouse strikes again, as Pete inadvertently gets whammied by a falling artifact in the Aisle of Noel, causing him to be erased from history.

It’s tempting to think ‘The Greatest Gift’ is an ode to the importance of Pete. In a world without Pete, Artie’s rotting in prison, Claudia’s plotting revenge in the nuthouse, and Myka is spending her holidays alone and buying gifts for herself, having lost her dad years earlier. Without Pete, the Warehouse is ruled by an iron-fisted and ill-intentioned dictator, and protected by joyless minions who follow orders without question. In short, if Pete was never born, it’s not a wonderful life. All hail Pete!

Yes, it’s tempting to view the episode this way. But for me, this episode isn’t really about the individual; it’s about the importance and strength of the community --- of our Warehouse family. Pete is one element in that family, and, as we see, if you remove him from the equation, the family falls apart. But if you were to remove Artie, Claudia, or Myka, you’d likely get a similar result. “People’s lives are far more intertwined than we realize.” It takes all four of them, working as team, to bring out the best in each other and to accomplish great things. They ask a lot of questions, and they don’t always follow orders very well, but when they team up, they can be a brilliant, unstoppable force. Once Pete got them all working together in the alternate reality, they were able to bust Claudia out of the psych ward (“Shebangy!” “Shebangy two!”), then break into the Warehouse. Every single one of them contributed to the success of the mission --- Artie brought his knowledge of warehouse history; Myka, her vast trove of literary knowledge; Claudia, her hacker skills; and Pete, his vibes --- and they largely seemed to enjoy the thrill of victory (especially Myka).

But, as Pete tells Claudia, it isn’t just about snagging and bagging the artifacts. Saving the world isn’t what really brings happiness and meaning to their lives (although that helps). No, what really brings joy and contentment is the makeshift family they’ve formed. “The three of us, we’re your family, too. I’m like your big brother, and Myka’s like your big sister, and Artie’s so much like your dad it’s kind of annoying.” It’s the love and support they provide for each other, the recognition and appreciation of each other’s skills and accomplishments, the affectionate teasing, and the general pleasure in each other’s company that truly brings them happiness. That’s what Pete so desperately wanted to get back, and that’s what keeps us coming back for more. Because much as I enjoyed Pete’s efforts “to get the band back together,” it was the opening and closing scenes, with the team’s playful banter and their obvious delight in just spending time together, that made me the happiest.

Other Thoughts

For a stand-alone holiday episode, this one still did a pretty nice job of touching on some of the themes from Season 3. MacPherson’s distrust of the Regents was particularly interesting, given that our heroes spent much of Season 3 becoming increasingly at odds with their overlords. “I spent three years looking for a way to appreciate the work that you and the Regents do.” “And?” “I couldn’t find it.” I can’t help thinking that this reminder of the strength of our core team --- especially when flying in the face of authority --- may be setting the stage a little for things to come.

Claudia: “Artie, I am not going to allow you to go to Vegas with Dr. Vanessa wearing your usual symphony in brown.”
Artie: “Brown is slimming! I like brown. And, if I wear that in Vegas, they’ll think I’m a croupier.”

Loved, loved, loved Myka inviting Artie to spend the holidays with her, then casually pointing out that Hugo would have plenty of fun with Dr. Vanessa in Artie’s absence. It’s the squinty-eyed grumbles they exchange that really makes the moment!

I really enjoyed all the references to characters past. Not only did we get the return of MacPherson (and briefly Myka's mom), but we got lots of fun references to Hugo, Dr. Vanessa, Artie’s dad, Claudia’s brother, and H.G. Wells. Jinks even got a quick shout-out at the end, so we can safely assume this took place somewhere in the middle of Season 3, sometime after Myka returned, but before everything went to hell and Jinks got “fired.”

We also got several repeat artifacts and gizmos, including DeMille’s riding crop, the samurai sword of invisibility, the crystals that neutralized the Warehouse-activated poison, and mention of Shakespeare’s Lost Folio, the blood stone, and Poe's pen. And I’m sure some others I missed. “Have you noticed the smell of fudge, when there is no fudge?”

Pete’s holiday dance in the Aisle of Noel was classic! (Don’t tell anyone, but I do that, too.)

The leg lamp from A Christmas Story! Yes!

So, John McCain becomes President if Pete doesn’t exist? Now that’s a weird butterfly effect.

Pete: “Because the Myka I know, my Myka, she’s surrounded by people who love her.”
Myka: “People love me!”
Pete: “Who?”
Myka: “People! My secretary gave me this pen for Christmas. It’s Mont Blanc!”
Pete: “You bought that for yourself.”
Myka: “No I didn’t! … So what if I did? How do you know that?!”

Pete: “Okay, look, I know it sounds bad. Living in South Dakota, working at a warehouse with an emotionally stunted partner. But my Myka loves it!”
Myka: “And why is that?”
Pete: “Because she knows the world is full of endless wonder.”

Myka: “Let me be perfectly clear: I know places where people would never find your body.”
Pete: “Deal. I’ll even dig the hole.”

After Pete’s struggles to get Myka to help him, I absolutely loved how Artie immediately believed him and sussed out which artifact had whammied him.

Claudia: “What do you want me to do?”
Pete: “Break into a large depository filled with mystical artifacts located in the South Dakota badlands?”
Claudia: “Warehouse 13? I’ve been trying to hack into that place for years. One condition.”
Pete: “Name it.”
Claudia (indicating Artie): “When we’re done, I get him.”
Pete: “Deal.”
Artie: “Hey!”
Pete: “Relax! She shocks you all the time. It’s your thing.”

The fun of watching the Myka and Claudia discover the Warehouse’s world of endless wonder was really infectious. I found myself getting as giddy as Pete when Myka started to really have fun discovering the Warehouse and a happier place within herself.

Favorite bit of new Warehouse mythology: the reveal that the Warehouse has been using the Earth’s super-heated core to power its furnace since 1943.

One of the major drawbacks of alternate Artie and Claudia was that we didn’t get as much fun banter from them throughout the episode. We got great stuff at the beginning, but the distance in their relationship in Pete-less world kind of put a damper on their usual dynamic. Far too much bite, not enough affection. Although, we did get them clasping hands in the bronzer. Awww!

Leena: “It’s the worst blizzard in South Dakota history.”
Claudia: “Nobody’s getting out. Not even ---“ [Points at Mrs. Frederic.]
Mrs. Frederic: “It’s that bad.”

Oh no, he didn’t! I can’t decide which was the worst offense: MacPherson bronzing Mrs. Frederic or Pete hugging her at the end. Hmmm … “I kinda crossed the line there, didn’t I?” “And we won’t speak of it again.”

Of course, they were settling in to watch It’s a Wonderful Life. They had to be, right?

Final Analysis: Hilarious, a bit dark, and kind of depressing, but ultimately heartwarming. Good stuff, overall, and much more satisfying than last season’s holiday outing.