Do No Harm: Pilot

“What happens at 8:25?”
“Company.”


In general, pilots are giant messes. They are an hour of television designed to set up the plot, tone, setting, and themes of the series, introduce the main characters, their pasts, and their relationships to one another in a clear but not overly repetitive manner, deliver some form of plot and not just mindless exposition, and make it sell. It’s the last one that usually bugs me the most. Lingerie-clad women stroll through scenes; there’s violence; there’s blood: everything networks think audiences love. Honestly, it’s a miracle when a pilot doesn’t suck. That said, this pilot sucked.

Supernatural: As Time Goes By

"You do that for blood."

So I'm going, noooo! not another out-of-time grandfather! Haven't they done this already?

The Americans: Pilot

Developed by Graham Yost (Justified) and Joe Weisberg (former CIA), the new FX show The Americans is about Russian sleeper agents in the early 1980s. They speak English, they buy cowboy boots, they worry their daughter is growing up too fast—and they’ve committed themselves to protecting the motherland and defeating America and its capitalist ideology. More or less.

NewsFlash: Nolan, Wormhole, Awesome

Totally awesome director Christopher Nolan is, according to The Hollywood Reporter, in talks to direct a new totally awesome science-fiction movie called Interstellar, written by the totally awesome Jonathan Nolan. "The story involves time travel and alternate dimensions," says the article, "and sees a group of explorers travel through a wormhole."

Lost Girl: Confaegion

"If I hadn't just had my nails done I'd rip your beating heart out myself."

Lost Girl is always so much more fun when the Morrigan is around, being delightfully evil and looking stunning in fabulous dresses. We definitely need to see more of her, but not too much, because an overused villain is never a good thing.

Downton Abbey: Season Three, Episode Five

Matthew: “We men are always helpless when a baby’s in the picture.”

Time continues to crawl along. We discovered that Sybil was pregnant at Christmas last year and the baby is born in this episode, so I place it about another month since Sybil and Tom came to Downton, or July 1920. While I contend that the show is still struggling to find its place a bit this season, this episode certainly changed the game for everyone, both upstairs and down. It was also an episode that centered very much on the women in this world and how they affect those around them.

Screen Actors Guild Awards 2013

Because there are not enough awards handed out this time of year, the actors feel the need to pat themselves on the back in the middle of it all. Tonight, they handed out the Screen Actors Guild Awards solely for acting. All the other aspects of making a movie or a television show are ignored. The thing I do like about these awards, however, is that some performances are nominated that the other awards tend to ignore.

Nikita: Aftermath

"Nikita, we're at war. Bad things happen when we're at war. No one knows that more than us."

Although I didn't love this hour, it contained some great character work for Michael which ultimately makes it a necessary step in the show's mythology this year.

Doux News: January 27, 2013

This week: Abrams feels the force -- Lots of Game of Thrones pictures -- Richie Cunningham visits Gaiman's Graveyard -- Vampire Diaries spin-off adds another Original -- Rick Castle gets a dad -- And River Song is Black Canary

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

I think I may be alone in the critic world. I loved it, but not because it was a good movie. This was a campy gore-fest a la Army of Darkness that reveled in the fact that it was what it was and made no bones about it. It falls into the category of a movie that most consider bad, but for some it is a lot of fun. In other words, the producers took the silly premise and ran with it.

Arrow: Trust But Verify

Dig: "I'm not going to let you William Tell an innocent man."

Happy 18 birthday Thea, welcome to prison. Vertigo huh, I can't say I'm upset with this turn of events, especially when the character has been asking for it since the beginning of the series.

Vampire Diaries: Catch Me If You Can

“It’s Mystic Falls. It’s actually one of the least ridiculous things I’ve heard.”

Okay. Let’s start with a recap, because there’s a lot going on, and I’m overwhelmed. The biggest goal, right now, is the cure. The “race for the cure” has three clear teams (Stefan/Rebekah, Klaus/Damon/Jeremy/Elena, Bonnie/Shane), a dark horse (Kol), and a mysterious entrant (unknown vampire who compelled that guy to bite out his tongue, possibly Elijah).

Newsflash: J.J. Abrams and Star... yes?

So the newest news about the upcoming Star Wars trilogy is that at Episode VII will be directed by none other than Star Trek director J.J. Abrams.  As a fan of both franchises I find this to be exciting news... yet I'm also a little conflicted about it as well.

Supernatural: LARP and the Real Girl

Dean: "You remember fun, don't you, Sam?"

I don't have anything profound to say about the deeper meaning of this episode. It was well-written, nerdy fun; the boys needed a break, and I think the fans needed to see them take one, too, especially after the state of funk they were in in the last episode. And Felicia Day's Charlie Bradbury fits into the Supernaturalverse as if it were written for her. No small thing, since this series can't hang on to a good female character to save its life.

Justified: Truth and Consequences

"How say you, flock?"

Snake in the face! Snake in the face! (I hope that wasn't a spoiler. I didn't say whose face, now, did I?)

The West Wing: Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc

“I’m not frightened. I’m gonna blow them off the face of the earth, with the fury of God’s own thunder.”

Rather than any major focus, this episode follows several mostly separate stories running alongside each other, establishing the relationships between some of our major Season 1 players.

The Following: Pilot

“‘Nevermore’! That’s Poe symbolizing the finality of death!”

For the first 55 minutes of The Following’s premiere episode, I wanted it to get meta. It had all the moving parts necessary for a wacky, bloody romp through nineteenth-century literature: both hero and villain are named after authors (Hardy and Carroll), bad guy is obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe, bad guy is a serial killer/literature professor who wrote a book finishing Poe’s unfinished final work, good guy wrote a book about that.

Lost Girl: SubterrFaenean

"Would you believe we took a wrong turn in Albuquerque?"

Wow, that's an episode title I don't want to type again.

Castle: Death Gone Crazy

“It’s hard, isn’t it, when the killer turns out to be a better person than the victim.”

In season four, we met Beau Randolph in an episode called “Head Case.” Tonight, the man was the victim and, because of what he does, there were suspects aplenty.

Haven: Thanks for the Memories

Agent Howard/The Barn: “Think of me as your ride.”

Very cool cliffhanger. I’ve had an on again/off again relationship with Haven this year. Some episodes annoyed me while others seemed to be up to the standards of the previous two seasons (they weren’t incredibly high standards, but they were standards). The season finale won me over and I’m ready and waiting for season 4.

Once Upon a Time: In the Name of the Brother

“Regina thought she was punishing us by erasing who we were, but I think she underestimated how much crap we wanted to forget.”

Mid-way through season one we learned that the Enchanted Forest wasn’t all there was to this story. There were other worlds, like Wonderland, that weren’t affected by the curse in the same way that Snow and Charming’s kingdom was. Back in October we were introduced to the show’s biggest stretch of its narrative boundaries; a black and white universe where we can find people like Frankenstein. ‘In the Name of the Brother’ was our first full taste of what that world was like, and even though it felt odd at first, there were certain parts of it that I liked.

Revenge: Collusion

"Say yes and I'll buy you a house."

I take back pretty much every negative thing I said about Revenge this year. Yes, the first half of the year could have been more compelling, but Mike Kelley was obviously just rearranging the chess pieces for a season that could potentially blow last year's stunning debut out of the water.

Haven: Reunion

Audrey: “But I’ve seen the troubles destroy so many lives...”

Audrey doesn’t want to leave and there are many people who don’t want her to--but then there are many people who think she must. Audrey is caught in the middle with a very difficult choice

Doctor Who: The Android Invasion

“Doctor Who gets more and more silly.”

That isn't actually a quote from this story. Rather it is how comedian Kenneth Williams described watching 'The Android Invasion' in his diaries. I rather think he was being too kind. 'The Android Invasion' is an absolute disaster of a story, the only low point in an otherwise exceptional season.

Downton Abbey: Season Three, Episode Four

Lady Violet: “No family is ever what it seems from the outside.”

We are not told precisely when this episode takes place, but for a season of Downton Abbey, time is moving glacially. Due to the number of letters Bates holds at the end and the fact that it seems as though Reggie’s money has just been added into the estate, I put this about a month after the last episode, or June 1920.

Doux News: January 20, 2013

This week: Walking Dead finds new showrunner -- Ron Moore has another show in the works -- The Killing returns from the dead (but not the one I love) -- Alphas is now omega -- And has the CW found its Wonder Woman?

Nikita: Intersection

"She has an explosive in her brain that I have on speed-dial. Who needs trust?"

Oh my lord! This was a jawdropping episode and one of the finest hours of TV I've seen all year.

Fringe: An Enemy of Fate

“Because it’s cool.”

I suppose there could be a group of people who found this finale unsatisfying. And I can’t fault them for that, since they likely take issue with it for the same reason I found Season Four troubling. But I hope that most—even all—people felt as I did: that this show ended well, ended with dignity, and it did so with more optimism than I expected, and more beauty than I’d hoped.

Fringe: Liberty

“Sacrifice is hard, son. But you’re no stranger to it.”

If we imagine a plot as the movement of individual scenes and chapters from A to Z, “Liberty” is entirely unnecessary in the larger scheme—a letter our alphabet doesn’t need, like “ll.” A brief tangent, brought about by Michael’s unexplained exit from the monorail: by the end of this episode, the situation has more or less returned to what it was at the end of the previous episode. More or less.

Scandal: A Criminal, a Whore, an Idiot, and a Liar

“This is my office. I’m the president. They can shoot me if they want to, but I’m not going anywhere.”

So, we had to come down at some point right? The episode was decent, but it definitely lacked the awesomesauce the writers had been pouring over the past four episodes.

Arrow: Burned

Laurel: "Our feelings, our fears, they control us. It's not the other way around."

I'm not entirely disappointed in this episode. Even though it was such a by the numbers plot, I think it was a necessary one.

Star Trek Voyager: Initiations

“There are worse things than being killed by your enemy.”

Chakotay is stuck playing babysitter to a sulky Kazon teenager who keeps trying to kill him.

Vampire Diaries: After School Special

“Clowns make you happy, Elena.”

David Mamet’s now-infamous memo to the writers of The Unit breaks scenes into their basic parts: characters have needs. They pursue those needs and encounter conflict from other characters. Success or failure, the result leads to the next scene. And that is plot.

Supernatural: Torn and Frayed

Castiel: "I need both of you, as you say, to 'stow your crap'. Can you do that?"

At least Dean and Sam are aware that something is not right with Cas. (Again.)

Justified: Where's Waldo?

Art: "Raylan, on a scale from one to a shitload, how much do you need to tell me right now?"

Great title. It made me laugh before I even saw the episode.

Lost Girl: Caged Fae

Bo: "Creepy prison nursery with observation deck, just when I think I've seen all things Fae."

I thought this was a solid opener. Nearly every plot point left dangling from last season was at least mentioned, and it was pretty much stated that everything is going to be addressed -- from Kenzi's rash caused by her experience with the Norn, to Dyson's regained love, and the biggest being Bo's blue-eyed dark side. I have to admit I was completely fooled for the first few minutes. I honestly thought that our Bo was gone, and the group would have to figure out how to bring her back. It looks like that process will be more of a season long arc.

Castle: Under The Influence

Joey: “You’re all right, for a cop.”
Esposito: “I know.”

A change of pace this week. Rather than spend the hour with Caskett’s new relationship or with one of them, we got a very Espo-centric episode. I liked it, but thought it could have been better.

Continuum: A Stitch in Time

Four words: I really liked it.

Okay, a few more words: stuff like this is precisely my cup of tea. A bit of RoboCop, a touch of Blade Runner in the future scenes, a lot of Terminator time travel, and even a bit of Alias (Rachel Nichols, who plays Kiera, was supposed to be spun off during the final season of Alias).

Once Upon a Time: The Outsider

“When you find something that’s worth fighting for, you never give up.”

When Belle was first introduced, I figured she’d remain this fundamental piece of Rumple’s journey, only a footnote in Once Upon a Time’s history, but once the second season started I saw how hard the writers were trying to paint her as a great character in her own right. 'The Crocodile' saw her step out on her own for the first time and find her identity in Storybrooke, but in 'The Outsider', we saw not only the great person she was becoming, but the altruistic woman she was once before, and ended up becoming again.

Revenge: Sabotage

"Every plan has a fatal flaw. Sometimes it's the heart."

And thus Revenge continues its splendid course correction of an arguably uneven sophomore season. There were times when I felt the show lost its way this year, but Mike Kelley is thankfully showing us that he was merely reorganizing the chess pieces for an ever wackier year of vengeance.

Life Of Pi

"Faith is a house with many rooms."

In 2006, I read an outstanding novel called Life Of Pi. Although many of the story's details and nuances faded from my memory over the years, I never forgot the book's central premise: a boy finds himself trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger after a vicious shipwreck. In the back of my mind, I've always wondered if the book could ever be brought to the big screen in a successful manner, and if Hollywood would ever attempt such a gargantuan task. Well done Ang Lee, you've accomplished the impossible.

Downton Abbey: Season Three, Episode Three

Edith: “Something happening in this house is actually about me.”

Unlike seasons past, this one seems to be taking place in a tight timeframe. While we are used to large leaps of time between episodes, so far this year it hasn’t happened. We know from the last episode that Edith wanted to be married within a month, so I am placing this episode in May, 1920.

Golden Globe Awards 2013

The Golden Globes were awarded tonight for achievement in both motion pictures and television. Typically viewed as the warm-up to the Oscars, it is a chance for the stars to wear new frocks and for the winners to practice their acceptance speeches. There were the usual no-brainer winners, but there were also a few surprises which spiced up the evening very nicely.

Doux News: January 13, 2013

This week: Hope for Community? -- The return of Sarah Michelle Gellar (again) -- Big Bang Bugs -- Nathan Fillion does a Billy Crystal -- Revenge goes Torchwood -- the return of Twin Peaks? -- And so much more.

Fringe: The Boy Must Live

“I’m optimistic.”

I’m not sure what to say about this, the antepenultimate episode of Fringe. (If I’m reading the Internet correctly, next week will be two episodes aired back-to-back rather than one long episode.) I am past the point of wanting to evaluate the show—to point out its strengths and weaknesses, to quibble or to praise. I’m a fan of Fringe, and I doubt that will change in the next seven days.

Wonder Woman: Pilot

"Trust me, if the law doesn't get you, I will."

Seeing as how I'm a huge fan of superhero projects (both in film and television), I decided that NBC's 2011 Wonder Woman pilot would be an interesting production to watch and review. The episode itself actually never saw the light of day (you can download an unfinished version online), and with good reason, it's pretty darn awful.

Scandal: One for the Dog

“What did you do?”

I do not know where to begin. I really do not. So much went on in this episode! We went from the horrors of watching a beloved main character be viciously tortured to rejoicing at the single word “Hi.”

Person of Interest: Prisoner's Dilemma

“Hey lover. Miss me?”


So. Much. Win. This episode was absolutely fantastic. Carter is forced to question Reese under the watchful eyes of Agent Donnelly and Finch, attempting to appear to try to break Reese without actually breaking him. Tricky stuff.

Justified: Hole in the Wall

"No one ever said running a criminal enterprise was gonna be this hard."

Why do I love Justified? Complex characters, outstanding storytelling, and subtle humor. Season four premiere? Check, check, and check.

Academy Award Nominations (2013)

I'm a little disappointed, since several of my favorites were basically snubbed entirely. This nomination list is kind of unsurprising. There were a few nice nods in the acting categories, but for the most part this list is standard fare.