A few strange trends emerged with the network announcements of fall shows (vintage-y, fairy tales, comedies that seem hell-bent on convincing the world that men are complete morons), but none was more disconcerting than the midseason slate. For some unknown reason, the major networks seem to be holding all their most promising new shows until the dead of winter. Seriously, before I had sized up exactly what the schedules would look like for fall, and had only seen a pile of trailers, there were a number of shows I was rather intrigued by and, I daresay, excited about. Only then did I realize that the vast majority of them wouldn't have the luxury of a big, splashy, fall premiere, but would instead start filling the schedule whenever a spot opened up. On the one hand, I guess it makes sense to replace fall failures with something more promising, but more than anything, I think this sets these shows up for failure. Once in a while a midseason replacement makes a splash and hits big (Grey's Anatomy is the main one coming to mind), but in general, it's a rough go. After the winter break hiatus, even established shows tend to struggle a bit to get viewers back into the swing of things, let alone a brand new show.
Well, whatever the reason may be, I find myself a hell of a lot more excited about the midseason than the fall, which I'm pretty confident has never happened before. I guess it'll be nice to see some quality come mid winter rather than the second-tier cast-offs (as per usual), but call me crazy, I don't want to wait that long!
Alas, here are NBC's midseason dramas (well, most of them--there will be an adaptation of John Grisham's The Firm as well, but it has yet to even be cast, so there's not much to tell):
SMASH
Description: Stars Debra Messing (Will & Grace), Katharine McPhee (American Idol), Anjelica Huston (Medium), Jack Davenport (Captain Norrington), and others. Steven Spielberg is somehow behind this and Grammy and Tony winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray) will write original songs for the show.
First Impressions: You see what I mean about all the good stuff being held till midseason? Yeah, I'm extremely excited for this one. I've never gravitated toward Marilyn Monroe as a cultural icon the way many people do, but that's decidedly beside the point. I've seen this billed as a "grown up Glee" but I don't think that's it at all. To me, this looks like a tremendous story about putting on a Broadway show, which, I don't know if you've met me, but that pretty much is my wheelhouse. This isn't a show about a bunch of people singing for increasingly plot-irrelevant reasons. This is a concept about Broadway, and on Broadway, you get singing. Besides, after this season of Glee, putting anything in the same boat is kind of an insult. Moving on, the cast and creative team are pretty amazing. I'm not an American Idol fan, so my knowledge of Katharine McPhee is limited, but she seems to be holding her own in the trailer. I always have a bit of a problem with people choosing a Christina Aguilera song for their auditions though, because let's face it, good luck with that, but she pulled it off. To boot, I think she actually looks really good as the Norma Jean end of the Marilyn spectrum. The blond they have vying for the role as well doesn't look like Monroe at all, save for the hair. The fact that things like this are already on my mind means that I'm already invested in this show more than probably any other new pilot. Indeed, watching most of the trailers for these news shows a second time has seemed like a chore in most cases, but not here. I was as enthralled in the second go-round as the first. I love Jack Davenport (who looks really great as the director), Angelica Houston is a legend, and I have no positive or negative feelings toward Debra Messing in this role (and when it comes to Debra Messing, feeling neutral generally equals a win). In terms of concept, the only way this show could appeal to me more is if they were making a musical about a different person, but I realize that it kind of has to be Marilyn. In terms of old Hollywood screen legends, however, I'm more of a Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, Mae West kind of girl, but they don't have quite the same cultural zing that Marilyn does. The show appears to have just about everything I could ask for in a drama and more. Even the more familiar ground they'll be covering has me intrigued. The director-ingenue dynamic has been done and done and done, but McPhee and Davenport looked great together and I'm excited to see that explored (especially with her seemingly perfect boyfriend(?) in tow). Knowing how common it is to have to sleep with the director to get the part, I'm eager to see how they handle it. In case I've been far too subtle, I'm super-stoked for this one and kinda sorta pissed that I have to wait till midseason. Presumably, they're holding it till then so they can pair it with The Voice, but given the sinking ratings lately, I'm not sure that will be doing Smash any favors.
AWAKE
Description: Stars Jason Isaacs (Brotherhood), Laura Allen (Terriers), Cherry Jones (24), Steve Harris (The Practice), and Michaela McManus (The Vampire Diaries). The project comes from Kyle Killen, creator of Fox's short-lived Lone Star and 24's Howard Gordon.
First Impressions: I have to tip my hat to the big four for continuing to take chances with high-concept shows, even in spite of the rash of recent failures (The Event, FlashForward, The Nine, etc). I am not a casual TV viewer, so the extra effort needed for a show like this is most enjoyable to me, but often comes as a turnoff to other viewers. Networks seem to be searching for the next Lost, but so far have come up short. Awake isn't the same kind of "high concept" as those cited previously, however, so I think it has a better chance of surviving the network mill. At its core, it's a cop show (and likely a fair bit procedural--hopefully not entirely though), albeit with a sort of Inception-y vibe to it. Indeed, with him tackling different cases in each of his lives, I'm thinking NBC said to itself, "Two procedurals for the price of one?! I'll take it!" The concept raises some very interesting questions about identity and reality. At the end of the day, our entire existence is founded in our perceptions and our memories, so who's to say what is and is not reality? The show posits the theory that his mind has constructed an elaborate coping mechanism following a tragedy and asks the audience to consider what is and is not mental illness. This coping mechanism, by most accounts, means that he has officially gone insane, but by his personal measure, it's the only thing holding him together. Indeed, the stakes are so high in both of his realities that he can't really risk believing that one is real and the other isn't. What if he chooses wrong? What if both realities actually exist (from the trailer alone, it's hard to determine a supernatural element, but the overlaps in his two realities suggest that at least in his mind, some warping is occurring). It reminds me of that episode of Buffy where she's in a coma in one reality and is fighting monsters in the other. At one point, Buffy decides that she really is a woman in a coma and that all the fantastical things that have happened for the past few years were a dream and that all the dangers she and her friends are currently facing don't actually exist. She endeavors to ignore her dream reality, but on the chance that she's wrong, on the chance that it isn't all a dream, she engages and slays the demons like she has for the past few years. All in all, it simply isn't worth the risk of being wrong. I have a hopeful feeling that Awake will explore the mysteries of identity and reality in an intriguing way and that the more procedural elements will be kept to a minimum. The cast is excellent (seeing Laura Allen gives me pangs of grief for Terriers, but it's lovely to see her back on the air) and the creative team seems spot on (I loved what little I got to see of Lone Star and I'm excited to see Kyle Killen's talents in a project that will hopefully last). I'm a bit concerned that, like Lone Star, this concept may have been better suited to a movie or mini-series and I'm also afraid that the tone of the show may turn off network viewers. Where a somber exploration of grief, mental illness, and fabricated realities would work wonderfully on AMC, I'm not sure how sturdy a foothold it will find on NBC. Whatever the show's fate, I'm certainly intrigued and am looking forward to this midseason offering quite a bit more than most of the fall slate.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
NBC Pilots 2011: Volume 2 (comedies)
It's always tough for me to really evaluate the potential of new comedies. In general, their trailers are almost always pretty bad, even if the show itself isn't. There's just so much to a joke that is based on set-up, character profiles, and timing--none of which are easy to convey in a three minute collage of clips. More often than not, I'm underwhelmed, or downright cringing. But, comedy is more particular to individual tastes that other genres typically, so to each his/her own, I suppose. I have to give NBC credit for trying, but I don't know that adding another comedy block was the best plan of action. I think they're hoping for a breakout hit like ABC scored with Modern Family two years ago, but based on what I've seen so far, I have some serious doubts. Given the outright slaughter of all their new comedies from last year, expanding their slate is a bold move, but one that I'm doubting will pay off. That said, NBC's new comedic offerings don't look half as awful as ABC's or CBS's, so maybe they have a chance after all.
Here are the three new comedies premiering this fall on NBC.
UP ALL NIGHT
Description: Stars Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?), Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live), and Will Arnett (Arrested Development). Parks and Recreation writer Emily Spivey wrote the pilot and will executive-produce with Saturday Night Live's Lorne Michaels.
First Impressions: On paper, this looks like it has all the makings of a good show (in spite of the cast of showkillers), but at the end of the day, the "age old" question of "Can you really have it all?" is simply a little too age old. This is territory that has been explored entirely too many times to see fresh or interesting. To boot, it's territory that I've never been fond of. Being as happily childless as I am, I simply can't relate to the any of this. What's worse, shows like this make people's desires to have children even more confounding. I have never looked at a pile of tiny socks and turned to mush and I have never mortgaged my entire identity so that I can help overpopulate the earth, and the idea of watching nothing but that week-to-week doesn't really interest me. That said, Applegate and Arnett seem to work well together (maybe showkiller + showkiller = success?) and I can see where this show would appeal to most people. The trailer had its moments and did manage to imbue this most unfortunate of subjects with some charm. I can't say I'm chomping at the bit for this one, but it doesn't look like a total disaster either.
WHITNEY
Description: Stars Whitney Cummings (Comedy Central), Chris D'Elia (Glory Daze), and Beverly D'Angelo (Entourage).
First Impressions: Okay, on the other side of the spectrum, we have a comedy with a theme that I can certainly understand, but that looks pretty awful in the long-run. The notion that marriage is the quickest way to ruin a good relationship is one of the greatest truisms around, but when the annoying and unappealing Whitney Cummings is the one delivering this message, I can't bring myself to be interested. I'm honestly not too familiar with her work on Comedy Central, but I'm hoping this is a case of network restrictions stifling cable-style comedy. There were a couple of scenes in the trailer that elicited a bit of smile, but most of them were at the hands of the guy playing her husband, which, for a show called "Whitney" seemed a little odd. Whatever the case may be, the few brief moments of charm were greatly outweighed by the heaping bowlfuls of cliche and cringe-worthiness. Given that the trailer basically showed the entire pilot (seriously, never before have a seen a trailer that essentially laid out the entire first episode in near chronological order like that), I'm not too enthusiastic about the series as a whole. Were this not a Whitney Cummings' vehicle, I'd be more willing to give it a chance, but I find her completely unappealing and her humor seems painfully forced. All in all, I don't think this show is featuring anything new or innovative and isn't covering familiar ground in a way that sucks me in. As ever, I'll give it a shot, but I'll be truly surprised if this holds water.
FREE AGENTS
Description: Stars Hank Azaria (The Simpsons), Kathryn Hahn (Hung), Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Joe Lo Truglio (Reno 911!). From creator John Enbom (PARTY DOWN) and Emmy Award-winning director Todd Holland (MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE).
First Impressions: GILES!!! That was honestly the first impression, and pretty much the main good impression. Wow, this is another American reboot of a British series (which is a phenomenon that often yields diminishing returns) and while the cast and concept seem solid, the execution looks pretty bad. The people sitting around the table might have thought Hank Azaria's laundry list of sexual positions was hi-larious, but it just didn't quite have the right snap to it. I don't know, maybe this is a case where the trailer simply doesn't do the show any favors, but I found this pretty bland and hackneyed. I'm hoping the actual program has a lot more charm and a lot more laughs in store. It has Giles in it (even if he's playing the anti-Giles), so I'm immediately more invested than I would be otherwise, and the cast and creative team seem promising, so I have my fingers crossed that this one is better than it looks. From the trailer alone, it seems like a lot of stock characters dealing with a lot of things we've seen a million times before. If the show can set itself apart somehow, I think it could have some potential. Maybe I just watch entirely too much TV (blasphemy!), but these days, I need something unique or innovative to really invest. Otherwise, they'd better just hope that the chemistry between the leads is palpable because that appears to be central to the entire show. If that's a bust, the show likely will be as well.
Here are the three new comedies premiering this fall on NBC.
UP ALL NIGHT
Description: Stars Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?), Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live), and Will Arnett (Arrested Development). Parks and Recreation writer Emily Spivey wrote the pilot and will executive-produce with Saturday Night Live's Lorne Michaels.
First Impressions: On paper, this looks like it has all the makings of a good show (in spite of the cast of showkillers), but at the end of the day, the "age old" question of "Can you really have it all?" is simply a little too age old. This is territory that has been explored entirely too many times to see fresh or interesting. To boot, it's territory that I've never been fond of. Being as happily childless as I am, I simply can't relate to the any of this. What's worse, shows like this make people's desires to have children even more confounding. I have never looked at a pile of tiny socks and turned to mush and I have never mortgaged my entire identity so that I can help overpopulate the earth, and the idea of watching nothing but that week-to-week doesn't really interest me. That said, Applegate and Arnett seem to work well together (maybe showkiller + showkiller = success?) and I can see where this show would appeal to most people. The trailer had its moments and did manage to imbue this most unfortunate of subjects with some charm. I can't say I'm chomping at the bit for this one, but it doesn't look like a total disaster either.
WHITNEY
Description: Stars Whitney Cummings (Comedy Central), Chris D'Elia (Glory Daze), and Beverly D'Angelo (Entourage).
First Impressions: Okay, on the other side of the spectrum, we have a comedy with a theme that I can certainly understand, but that looks pretty awful in the long-run. The notion that marriage is the quickest way to ruin a good relationship is one of the greatest truisms around, but when the annoying and unappealing Whitney Cummings is the one delivering this message, I can't bring myself to be interested. I'm honestly not too familiar with her work on Comedy Central, but I'm hoping this is a case of network restrictions stifling cable-style comedy. There were a couple of scenes in the trailer that elicited a bit of smile, but most of them were at the hands of the guy playing her husband, which, for a show called "Whitney" seemed a little odd. Whatever the case may be, the few brief moments of charm were greatly outweighed by the heaping bowlfuls of cliche and cringe-worthiness. Given that the trailer basically showed the entire pilot (seriously, never before have a seen a trailer that essentially laid out the entire first episode in near chronological order like that), I'm not too enthusiastic about the series as a whole. Were this not a Whitney Cummings' vehicle, I'd be more willing to give it a chance, but I find her completely unappealing and her humor seems painfully forced. All in all, I don't think this show is featuring anything new or innovative and isn't covering familiar ground in a way that sucks me in. As ever, I'll give it a shot, but I'll be truly surprised if this holds water.
FREE AGENTS
Description: Stars Hank Azaria (The Simpsons), Kathryn Hahn (Hung), Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Joe Lo Truglio (Reno 911!). From creator John Enbom (PARTY DOWN) and Emmy Award-winning director Todd Holland (MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE).
First Impressions: GILES!!! That was honestly the first impression, and pretty much the main good impression. Wow, this is another American reboot of a British series (which is a phenomenon that often yields diminishing returns) and while the cast and concept seem solid, the execution looks pretty bad. The people sitting around the table might have thought Hank Azaria's laundry list of sexual positions was hi-larious, but it just didn't quite have the right snap to it. I don't know, maybe this is a case where the trailer simply doesn't do the show any favors, but I found this pretty bland and hackneyed. I'm hoping the actual program has a lot more charm and a lot more laughs in store. It has Giles in it (even if he's playing the anti-Giles), so I'm immediately more invested than I would be otherwise, and the cast and creative team seem promising, so I have my fingers crossed that this one is better than it looks. From the trailer alone, it seems like a lot of stock characters dealing with a lot of things we've seen a million times before. If the show can set itself apart somehow, I think it could have some potential. Maybe I just watch entirely too much TV (blasphemy!), but these days, I need something unique or innovative to really invest. Otherwise, they'd better just hope that the chemistry between the leads is palpable because that appears to be central to the entire show. If that's a bust, the show likely will be as well.
Monday, May 23, 2011
NBC Pilots 2011: Volume 1 (fall dramas)
It's that magical, yet ultimately disappointing time of year again. Don't get me wrong, May is probably the biggest, most important, busiest time of year for the TV biz, but with all the new pilots announced in the Spring comes all the apprehension that most of them will suck come Fall. This year's slate of new pilots looks to be more promising than last year (when I was honestly starting to think that network TV had just sorta given up altogether), but I'm not counting my chickens.
Here's what the schedule will look like for NBC this fall (please bear in mind that these times are Eastern Standard Time, even though that's not where I live (hey, a girl can dream, all right?)):
New pilots are in all-caps.
MONDAY
8 pm The Sing-Off
10 pm THE PLAYBOY CLUB
TUESDAY
8 pm The Biggest Loser
10 pm Parenthood
WEDNESDAY
8 pm UP ALL NIGHT
8:30 pm FREE AGENTS
9 pm Harry’s Law (new time slot)
10 pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
THURSDAY
8 pm Community
8:30 pm Parks and Recreation (new time slot)
9 pm The Office
9:30 pm WHITNEY
10 pm PRIME SUSPECT
FRIDAY
8 pm Chuck (new, rather sad time slot)
9 pm GRIMM
10 pm Dateline NBC
SUNDAY
7 pm Football Night in America
8:15 pm NBC Sunday Night Football
Geez, whoever noticed that NBC has absolutely nothing on Sundays? I sure didn't. Wow, this network is even more pathetic than I thought... and that's a high bar.
Anyway, the only scheduling notes are that Chuck has been moved to Friday, so that it has plenty of time to ponder sloughing off this mortal coil, and that Grimm will be premiering on Friday, which doesn't exactly scream confidence. Dear NBC, maybe you should put some actual scripted programming on Sundays, eh? Oh, who am I kidding. Football is about the only thing on this network that anyone watches. So sad.
Even sadder? NBC actually has some pilots that look promising, but they'll be held till midseason for some unfathomable reason (maybe they really like rhyming?). More on them in a future post, but for now, here are some of the new drama pilots for this fall:
THE PLAYBOY CLUB
Description: Stars Amber Heard (Zombieland), Eddie Cibrian (CSI: Miami), David Krumholtz (Numb3rs), Jenna Dewan-Tatum (Step Up), Laura Benanti (Eli Stone) and others. Brian Grazer (24, Parenthood and Friday Night Lights) executive-produces.
First Impressions: While I salute NBC for trying to tap into the Mad Men vibe and era, I have serious reservations about this kind of show on network TV, especially with the focus being on an establishment geared toward sex and drugs. I don't know if you've met network TV, but there's a reason edgier programs wind up on cable. For as solid as the production looks in the trailer, I have a feeling the show started off one way and ended up quite another way when it got picked up by NBC. As much as I hope it can find a foothold and an audience, the necessary watering-down of the content will likely water-down the quality as well. Plus, if there's one demographic that taps into period pieces, it's people who peaked during that period. As much as NBC would jump at the chance for anyone to watch their network again, I don't think the octogenarian set is exactly what they had in mind. This show is going to skew older, I have no doubt. It looks to be well-made and stylish and the decision to cast tabloid staple Eddie Cibrian as a lothario and playboy seeks pre-ordained, but I'm already a bit iffy on the initial story arc. You're telling me her heel broke through someone's skull and all the way into his brain before it broke off the shoe? Boy, they really don't make things like they used to... apparently for safety reasons. I'm cautiously hopeful for this one. Hey, it has David Krumholtz (aka Mr. Universe) in it (even if he wasn't in the trailer at all), so it already wins a few points in my book. If they can pull off the balance between cable themes and network restrictions the way The Good Wife does, it could be a winner, but I'm willing to wager it'll just turn into a low-substance, high-cheese soap opera that likes to think its high brow, but isn't. So I don't trust NBC. Sue me.
PRIME SUSPECT
Description: Stars Mario Bello (ER), Aidan Quinn (Canterbury's Law), and Kirk Acevedo (Fringe). Sarah Aubrey and Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) will executive-produce.
My Take: First off, this is an American remake of a British series, so I'm already pre-disposed to throw it on the scrap heap and simply seek out the original. Secondly, the British series starred Helen Mirren in the lead where she has been replaced with Maria Bello for American audiences, in case you were wondering just what tack they were aiming for. With that out of the way, I'd say my biggest concern is that it feels like I just watched a trailer for an edgy new cop series about gender roles from... Oh, I don't know, maybe 1991. I have to seriously question the show's approach here. Does anyone really think of policework at strictly a boys' club anymore? Whether it is or it isn't in real life, the television landscape moved past this ages ago. The whole concept seems a little dated and irrelevant. Maybe it's British vs. American sensibilities? Maybe policing really is still a stodgy old boys' club in Britain? In all honestly, when I watch my British shows, there really is a much more prominent and palpable sexism than I see in American shows, so perhaps therein lies the difference. It's always unexpected and I always find it extremely strange, but portrayals of women and interactions with female characters on my British shows are surprisingly sexist from time to time. With that, I can see where Prime Suspect genuinely would have seemed like a trailblazer, featuring a tough woman who can keep up with the guys. On American TV? Been there, done that, two decades ago. Anyway... aside from all that, it honestly doesn't look like a bad show, even if it's main theme seems outdated and perhaps a bit irrelevant. It looks to have more substance than your typical CBS procedural, but more hackneyed procedure than a cable cop drama would offer. It looks like it could strike a nice balance of the two. I can definitely see myself getting sick to death of the constant, "What?! A girl?!" of it all, so hopefully that goes by the wayside sooner than later. Bello looks surprisingly at home in the role and isn't at gussied up or "Hollywood" as I had feared when I heard about the casting, so I'm hopeful. This one will boil down to the level of yammering about the boys' club and the amount of procedure in the show. The less there is of both of those, the better. Yeah, man alive, in terms of gender roles, The Chicago Code managed to explore the treatment of women on the police force only by having the woman in question be top dog of them all, be younger than any other superintendent in history, and be biracial. You really think you're going to push the envelope with a white woman working as a regular old detective? Good luck with that.
GRIMM
Description: Stars David Giuntoli (Privileged), Sasha Roiz (Caprica), Silas Weir Mitchell (Prison Break), and Kate Burton (Grey's Anatomy). The pilot was written and executive-produced by Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel).
My Take: Wow, where to start... On paper, this sounds insanely awesome. In execution? I'm a little afraid. I think it was the little red riding zip hoodie that started the worries. Coming from a production team that had their hands in Buffy and Angel, it's hard not to get excited. Were Joss Whedon included on that list, you can bet I'd be over the moon. Without Joss, however, I have a feeling this show is going to fail to meet its potential. Where Buffy took the "high school is hell" notion and made it reality, this seems to be playing with the "murderers, rapists, and kidnappers are demons" concept in the same way, but without as much success. It's a lot easier to have fun with the concept of Buffy. The levity and snark make the more campy elements totally work. Trying to incorporate similar thematic elements into a crime procedural? I have my doubts. Aside from being one of my least favorite genres, the crime procedural tends to take itself too seriously a lot of the time and when you're dealing with the notion that a descendant of the Brothers Grimm is fighting big bad wolves (heh, well, they got the "big bad" part of the Whedonverse right) and saving little red riding sweatshirt, I have a sinking feeling it'll come across as lame, not inspired. The fact that Seymour from Burn Notice is ostensibly one of the scoobies warms my heart and gives me hope, but I fear viewers will tune in expecting the snap crackle wit of a Whedonverse production and be left wanting. The fact that it's airing on Fridays, after Chuck, doesn't exactly bolster confidence either. On the hopeful chance that this is as awesome as it could be, it likely doesn't stand much of a chance in that timeslot, with that lead-in. Don't get me wrong, they make for a logical pairing, but Chuck's numbers are already terrible, and will likely be abysmal come fall, which means it's not exactly the blockbuster lead-in a new pilot would hope for. This was far from a reassuring trailer, but I'm willing to wager a three minute snippet of Buffy probably looked pretty ridiculous as well. Fingers crossed on this one.
Here's what the schedule will look like for NBC this fall (please bear in mind that these times are Eastern Standard Time, even though that's not where I live (hey, a girl can dream, all right?)):
New pilots are in all-caps.
MONDAY
8 pm The Sing-Off
10 pm THE PLAYBOY CLUB
TUESDAY
8 pm The Biggest Loser
10 pm Parenthood
WEDNESDAY
8 pm UP ALL NIGHT
8:30 pm FREE AGENTS
9 pm Harry’s Law (new time slot)
10 pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
THURSDAY
8 pm Community
8:30 pm Parks and Recreation (new time slot)
9 pm The Office
9:30 pm WHITNEY
10 pm PRIME SUSPECT
FRIDAY
8 pm Chuck (new, rather sad time slot)
9 pm GRIMM
10 pm Dateline NBC
SUNDAY
7 pm Football Night in America
8:15 pm NBC Sunday Night Football
Geez, whoever noticed that NBC has absolutely nothing on Sundays? I sure didn't. Wow, this network is even more pathetic than I thought... and that's a high bar.
Anyway, the only scheduling notes are that Chuck has been moved to Friday, so that it has plenty of time to ponder sloughing off this mortal coil, and that Grimm will be premiering on Friday, which doesn't exactly scream confidence. Dear NBC, maybe you should put some actual scripted programming on Sundays, eh? Oh, who am I kidding. Football is about the only thing on this network that anyone watches. So sad.
Even sadder? NBC actually has some pilots that look promising, but they'll be held till midseason for some unfathomable reason (maybe they really like rhyming?). More on them in a future post, but for now, here are some of the new drama pilots for this fall:
THE PLAYBOY CLUB
Description: Stars Amber Heard (Zombieland), Eddie Cibrian (CSI: Miami), David Krumholtz (Numb3rs), Jenna Dewan-Tatum (Step Up), Laura Benanti (Eli Stone) and others. Brian Grazer (24, Parenthood and Friday Night Lights) executive-produces.
First Impressions: While I salute NBC for trying to tap into the Mad Men vibe and era, I have serious reservations about this kind of show on network TV, especially with the focus being on an establishment geared toward sex and drugs. I don't know if you've met network TV, but there's a reason edgier programs wind up on cable. For as solid as the production looks in the trailer, I have a feeling the show started off one way and ended up quite another way when it got picked up by NBC. As much as I hope it can find a foothold and an audience, the necessary watering-down of the content will likely water-down the quality as well. Plus, if there's one demographic that taps into period pieces, it's people who peaked during that period. As much as NBC would jump at the chance for anyone to watch their network again, I don't think the octogenarian set is exactly what they had in mind. This show is going to skew older, I have no doubt. It looks to be well-made and stylish and the decision to cast tabloid staple Eddie Cibrian as a lothario and playboy seeks pre-ordained, but I'm already a bit iffy on the initial story arc. You're telling me her heel broke through someone's skull and all the way into his brain before it broke off the shoe? Boy, they really don't make things like they used to... apparently for safety reasons. I'm cautiously hopeful for this one. Hey, it has David Krumholtz (aka Mr. Universe) in it (even if he wasn't in the trailer at all), so it already wins a few points in my book. If they can pull off the balance between cable themes and network restrictions the way The Good Wife does, it could be a winner, but I'm willing to wager it'll just turn into a low-substance, high-cheese soap opera that likes to think its high brow, but isn't. So I don't trust NBC. Sue me.
PRIME SUSPECT
Description: Stars Mario Bello (ER), Aidan Quinn (Canterbury's Law), and Kirk Acevedo (Fringe). Sarah Aubrey and Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) will executive-produce.
My Take: First off, this is an American remake of a British series, so I'm already pre-disposed to throw it on the scrap heap and simply seek out the original. Secondly, the British series starred Helen Mirren in the lead where she has been replaced with Maria Bello for American audiences, in case you were wondering just what tack they were aiming for. With that out of the way, I'd say my biggest concern is that it feels like I just watched a trailer for an edgy new cop series about gender roles from... Oh, I don't know, maybe 1991. I have to seriously question the show's approach here. Does anyone really think of policework at strictly a boys' club anymore? Whether it is or it isn't in real life, the television landscape moved past this ages ago. The whole concept seems a little dated and irrelevant. Maybe it's British vs. American sensibilities? Maybe policing really is still a stodgy old boys' club in Britain? In all honestly, when I watch my British shows, there really is a much more prominent and palpable sexism than I see in American shows, so perhaps therein lies the difference. It's always unexpected and I always find it extremely strange, but portrayals of women and interactions with female characters on my British shows are surprisingly sexist from time to time. With that, I can see where Prime Suspect genuinely would have seemed like a trailblazer, featuring a tough woman who can keep up with the guys. On American TV? Been there, done that, two decades ago. Anyway... aside from all that, it honestly doesn't look like a bad show, even if it's main theme seems outdated and perhaps a bit irrelevant. It looks to have more substance than your typical CBS procedural, but more hackneyed procedure than a cable cop drama would offer. It looks like it could strike a nice balance of the two. I can definitely see myself getting sick to death of the constant, "What?! A girl?!" of it all, so hopefully that goes by the wayside sooner than later. Bello looks surprisingly at home in the role and isn't at gussied up or "Hollywood" as I had feared when I heard about the casting, so I'm hopeful. This one will boil down to the level of yammering about the boys' club and the amount of procedure in the show. The less there is of both of those, the better. Yeah, man alive, in terms of gender roles, The Chicago Code managed to explore the treatment of women on the police force only by having the woman in question be top dog of them all, be younger than any other superintendent in history, and be biracial. You really think you're going to push the envelope with a white woman working as a regular old detective? Good luck with that.
GRIMM
Description: Stars David Giuntoli (Privileged), Sasha Roiz (Caprica), Silas Weir Mitchell (Prison Break), and Kate Burton (Grey's Anatomy). The pilot was written and executive-produced by Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel).
My Take: Wow, where to start... On paper, this sounds insanely awesome. In execution? I'm a little afraid. I think it was the little red riding zip hoodie that started the worries. Coming from a production team that had their hands in Buffy and Angel, it's hard not to get excited. Were Joss Whedon included on that list, you can bet I'd be over the moon. Without Joss, however, I have a feeling this show is going to fail to meet its potential. Where Buffy took the "high school is hell" notion and made it reality, this seems to be playing with the "murderers, rapists, and kidnappers are demons" concept in the same way, but without as much success. It's a lot easier to have fun with the concept of Buffy. The levity and snark make the more campy elements totally work. Trying to incorporate similar thematic elements into a crime procedural? I have my doubts. Aside from being one of my least favorite genres, the crime procedural tends to take itself too seriously a lot of the time and when you're dealing with the notion that a descendant of the Brothers Grimm is fighting big bad wolves (heh, well, they got the "big bad" part of the Whedonverse right) and saving little red riding sweatshirt, I have a sinking feeling it'll come across as lame, not inspired. The fact that Seymour from Burn Notice is ostensibly one of the scoobies warms my heart and gives me hope, but I fear viewers will tune in expecting the snap crackle wit of a Whedonverse production and be left wanting. The fact that it's airing on Fridays, after Chuck, doesn't exactly bolster confidence either. On the hopeful chance that this is as awesome as it could be, it likely doesn't stand much of a chance in that timeslot, with that lead-in. Don't get me wrong, they make for a logical pairing, but Chuck's numbers are already terrible, and will likely be abysmal come fall, which means it's not exactly the blockbuster lead-in a new pilot would hope for. This was far from a reassuring trailer, but I'm willing to wager a three minute snippet of Buffy probably looked pretty ridiculous as well. Fingers crossed on this one.
CW Upfronts: Last and Least (per yoozh)
Oh, don't worry, I just had a fairly absurd discussion with Annie about how on earth to spell "yoozh" (you know, as in "usual"... or not). Anyway, such a silly debate is actually a fairly apt preamble when it comes to the CW network...
It's not for lack of trying, but the CW just struggles. A lot. Seriously, the WB did all right, didn't it? Of course, the WB didn't have ABC Family breathing down its neck, but still. The CW's one, true saving grace is that it picked up Nikita for second season. Only on the CW
could a show with those kind of ratings see another year, so in a way, the abysmal status of the network worked to my advantage there. It's a surprisingly good show, the second best on the network, and it deserved another year to prove itself. The fact that it's been shuffled to Friday is less than encouraging, but it's not like the CW has anything with which to replace it either. I like to think that part of the reason it got a stay of execution was that Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson (aka the showrunners behind The Vampire Diaries and new pilot The Secret Circle) are such big fans of the show. If anyone has some sway at the network, I'd say it's them. Whatever the case may be, I will take it. Suffice it to say, if Smallville weren't coming to an end, I think Nikita would be.
Not a whole lot to report, given the size of the network and all, but here's how it breaks down.
SHOWS THAT HAVE BEEN CANCELED:
It's not for lack of trying, but the CW just struggles. A lot. Seriously, the WB did all right, didn't it? Of course, the WB didn't have ABC Family breathing down its neck, but still. The CW's one, true saving grace is that it picked up Nikita for second season. Only on the CW
could a show with those kind of ratings see another year, so in a way, the abysmal status of the network worked to my advantage there. It's a surprisingly good show, the second best on the network, and it deserved another year to prove itself. The fact that it's been shuffled to Friday is less than encouraging, but it's not like the CW has anything with which to replace it either. I like to think that part of the reason it got a stay of execution was that Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson (aka the showrunners behind The Vampire Diaries and new pilot The Secret Circle) are such big fans of the show. If anyone has some sway at the network, I'd say it's them. Whatever the case may be, I will take it. Suffice it to say, if Smallville weren't coming to an end, I think Nikita would be.Not a whole lot to report, given the size of the network and all, but here's how it breaks down.
SHOWS THAT HAVE BEEN CANCELED:
- Hellcats
I barely made it through the pilot and even the promise of Gale Harold couldn't lure me back after that. Don't get me wrong, between this or the 112th season of One Tree Hill, I'd have to pick this, but I can't say I'm sad to see it go. - Life Unexpected
This got canceled ages ago, but it looked stupid to only have Hellcats under this heading, so I branched out... Oh, don't you worry though, the beyond annoying girl who played Lux will be back on the network come fall in The Secret Circle. Based on that casting decision alone, I'm about 40% less excited about the show. - Smallville (final season)
I can't believe this show has been on for this long, but I have to give it props for ending at exactly the right time (you know, so that Nikita gets a reprieve). I guess Superman's last heroic act was to save an underappreciated spy series that's very close to my heart. Awh.
- 90210
Ugh. That is all. - Gossip Girl
I hear this show got awesome again, but I'm too far behind now to just casually start watching again. I gave up half-way through season 3 and haven't been able to get back in the game. Apparently Dan and Blair hooked up? Well, when all other combinations have been exhausted... I supposed it was them or Dan and Serena for the 87th time... Yikes. - Nikita
Yay! I already blathered on about this show in a previous post, so I'll just say I'm glad it survived. With this renewed, The Chicago Code was the only one of my shows to bite the bullet. - One Tree Hill
Oh, sweet Jesus, what will this be, season 9? Only on the CW. Wow, this is part of the reason you're not a real network, CW. - Supernatural
I don't watch this show, but judging by how rabid its fans are, I seem to be missing something pretty awesome. Maybe someday. - The Vampire Diaries
Two seasons in, and I'm still in love. Here's hoping it doesn't fizzle out in season 3 like Gossip Girl did... I'm a little afraid that Kevin Williamson will be stretched a little thin with The Secret Circle, but here's hoping Damon and friends will continue to kick ass and sacrifice things in the year to come.
ABC Upfronts: Eerily Peacockian
Boy, just when I thought NBC was the sole pathetic loser out there, after actually taking stock of ABC, it seems NBC is in good company. I honestly used to watch a whole hell of a lot of ABC, but now? It's pretty much Castle and... reruns of Castle. Granted, my slate of network shows is decreasing considerably across the board, but holy hell, I'm living in a world where I watch more shows on CBS than ABC. I never 
thought that would happen...
I don't think ABC did either. As a 28-year-old woman, I basically am their target demo, and if I've turned away, that's not a good sign. To their credit, they seem to have noticed the downturn and have cut a lot of the dead weight. I'll be posting about their new pilots later on, but seriously, ABC needs a win this fall if they're going to keep their heads in the game. They haven't had a breakout hit since Modern Family debuted. Based on what I've seen for their fall slate, I'm guessing they'll be waiting another year for a win. That, or midseason. In a rather annoying and confounding trend, most of the new pilots this year that actually look promising are being held till midseason, with no greater offender than ABC. Weird. Good luck with that, ABC.
Anyways, here's how the chips fell. In terms of freshman shows returning for a second season, ABC only fared marginally better than NBC. Not a statistic to be proud of...
SHOWS THAT HAVE BEEN CANCELED:
thought that would happen...I don't think ABC did either. As a 28-year-old woman, I basically am their target demo, and if I've turned away, that's not a good sign. To their credit, they seem to have noticed the downturn and have cut a lot of the dead weight. I'll be posting about their new pilots later on, but seriously, ABC needs a win this fall if they're going to keep their heads in the game. They haven't had a breakout hit since Modern Family debuted. Based on what I've seen for their fall slate, I'm guessing they'll be waiting another year for a win. That, or midseason. In a rather annoying and confounding trend, most of the new pilots this year that actually look promising are being held till midseason, with no greater offender than ABC. Weird. Good luck with that, ABC.
Anyways, here's how the chips fell. In terms of freshman shows returning for a second season, ABC only fared marginally better than NBC. Not a statistic to be proud of...
SHOWS THAT HAVE BEEN CANCELED:
- Better With You
I'm only mostly sure I know which of the lame-ass slew of relationship comedies this one is, but it won't be missed even if I'm thinking of the wrong one. - Brothers & Sisters
I only ever saw the pilot, and that was enough. Geez, this sucker has been around for ages, so even though I can't speak to its current quality, it has to be pretty long in the tooth at this point. - Detroit 1-8-7
I hear this one actually got pretty good. It's a shame it won't be back. Maybe TNT wants to flesh out its cop show rescue programming and pick it up. The Chicago Code as well. - Mr. Sunshine
Wow, won't be missed. Nice try, Matt. No ci-gar. - No Ordinary Family
Fun concept, horrible cast. If I could have gotten past the Julie Benz and Michael Chicklis of it all, it might have been watchable, but that's a whole lot to get past. - Off the Map
Lame concept, wonderful cast. It's a shame Shonda refused to step out of her box on this one. Of course, its cancellation frees up a lot of good actors for better projects, so kudos, ABC. - V
I gave up on this one after the first, uh... pod(?) of episodes. It had some real potential, but the scheduling situation was too annoying to bear.
- Body of Proof
Meh. It's a decent enough medical procedural, if you're into that sort of thing, but I ain't. - Castle
Oh, my darling Castle. Way to be the only show on this entire network worth watching. Okay, seriously, that finale!? Awesome! I had a feeling Montgomery wasn't going to survive the episode, but I didn't seem him as the pseudo-baddie at all! Unlike Bones, who picks villains out of a hat 10 minutes before writing the big reveal, Castle did a lovely job setting this up and paying it off. The fight between Ryan and Esposito was surprisingly jarring, the confrontation with Beckett was brutal, and the attempt at Beckett's life at the funeral? Unexpected and evocative. Plus, as a box full of cookies to shippers everywhere, Castle's confession of love to Beckett right before she passed out was just perfect. Well done, show. Well done. - Cougar Town
It's nice to see at least one of the Friends has broken the curse. Who'd have ever guessed it'd be Monica? Not Chandler, I tell you that much (see Mr. Sunshine, above). - Desperate Housewives
Wow, speaking of long in the tooth, I can't believe this show is still on. It'll now be opposite The Good Wife, which, if viewers have any savvy at all, means that DH devotees will be jumping ship for some real quality programming. - Grey's Anatomy
Uh, good for them? - Happy Endings
Along with Body of Proof, this is the only other Freshman series to be returning in the fall. Don't get me wrong, that means that last year was twice as successful as NBC, but again, not something to brag about. It's a catastrophically low bar. - The Middle
- Modern Family
Yeah, I'm just not feeling the love so much these days... This season has been uneven at best and downright dull at worst. It's still amusing on the whole, but not much of a laugh-out-loud event the way that Community is. - Private Practice
The last thing I remember was Violet getting a C-section performed by a psychopath... Wonder how that turned out. Wait, no, I don't.
NBC Upfronts: Let God Sort 'Em Out
Oh, NBC. It's just sad. Yeah, so last year, they basically axed 2/3rds of their network, picked up an obscene number of new, expensive pilots, and were confident they'd be able to rebuild the network to its former glory. How did that work out for you, NBC?
NBC was unavailable for comment, but I can tell you, it did not go as planned. In fact, when you look at the slate of new pilots from last year and then look at the schedule for this fall, you'll notice that there is a total of 1 show that survived. Ouch. The list below doesn't even really do the slaughter full justice because shows like Undercovers and The Whole Truth
got canceled so long ago that they weren't even in contention at this point.
Why has NBC fared so poorly, you ask? One word. Zucker. He is the network president who took NBC from first to worst and was the driving force behind the Leno/Conan debacle. What a peach. The good news? He's out, Bob Greenblatt is in. I'm not sure he'll be able to save the network in one season, but he's certainly a step in the right direction. Greenblatt was largely responsible for turning Showtime into the powerhouse that it has become. Before Greenblatt, Showtime had very little in the way of original programming. After Greenblatt, Showtime holds its own against HBO. As a huge fan of most of Showtime's slate, I'm very interested to see what Greenblatt can do. Having seen previews of the new pilots for this fall, however, I'm going to reserve judgment... (More of the new pilots in a later post.)
Aside from no longer having the cache or the clout the throw its weight around like it used to, NBC simply doesn't have many launchpads for new shows. A big part of a new show's success depends on its lead-in. When you put your new show directly after a returning hit, its numbers only benefit as a result. When you're on NBC, however, there's pretty much no such thing. Seriously, The Voice is the closest they have and it won't be back to midseason next year. Anyway, see below for the full shake-down of misery and embarrassment (which they at least tried to lessen by passing on the Wonder Woman reboot--god, I'd kill to see that pilot. If NBC is passing, it's gotta be good (you know, in a bad way)).
SHOWS NOT RETURNING THIS FALL:
NBC was unavailable for comment, but I can tell you, it did not go as planned. In fact, when you look at the slate of new pilots from last year and then look at the schedule for this fall, you'll notice that there is a total of 1 show that survived. Ouch. The list below doesn't even really do the slaughter full justice because shows like Undercovers and The Whole Truth
got canceled so long ago that they weren't even in contention at this point.Why has NBC fared so poorly, you ask? One word. Zucker. He is the network president who took NBC from first to worst and was the driving force behind the Leno/Conan debacle. What a peach. The good news? He's out, Bob Greenblatt is in. I'm not sure he'll be able to save the network in one season, but he's certainly a step in the right direction. Greenblatt was largely responsible for turning Showtime into the powerhouse that it has become. Before Greenblatt, Showtime had very little in the way of original programming. After Greenblatt, Showtime holds its own against HBO. As a huge fan of most of Showtime's slate, I'm very interested to see what Greenblatt can do. Having seen previews of the new pilots for this fall, however, I'm going to reserve judgment... (More of the new pilots in a later post.)
Aside from no longer having the cache or the clout the throw its weight around like it used to, NBC simply doesn't have many launchpads for new shows. A big part of a new show's success depends on its lead-in. When you put your new show directly after a returning hit, its numbers only benefit as a result. When you're on NBC, however, there's pretty much no such thing. Seriously, The Voice is the closest they have and it won't be back to midseason next year. Anyway, see below for the full shake-down of misery and embarrassment (which they at least tried to lessen by passing on the Wonder Woman reboot--god, I'd kill to see that pilot. If NBC is passing, it's gotta be good (you know, in a bad way)).
SHOWS NOT RETURNING THIS FALL:
- The Cape
I only struggled through an episode and a half of this sucker, but I'm glad it made it to air if for no other reason than for Community to make fun of it. - Chase
The only bad thing about this crap-fest being canceled is that it freed up the odious Kelli Giddish to appear on The Good Wife. That needs to stop. - The Event
As with FlashForward, The Nine, and V before or next to it, The Event started off strong then fell completely apart. The midseason hiatus certainly didn't help, but really, was there anything left to hurt? - Friday Night Lights
Great show. It wasn't canceled, it's simply ending. - Law & Order: Los Angeles
I never even watched the pilot, but I hear it was somehow even more boring than all the other Laws & Orders out there. - Outsourced
The 7 minutes of the pilot I could stomach were plenty for me and apparently just about everyone else. This show won't be missed. I'm a little surprised at NBC's good judgment here. Must be Greenblatt? As the guy responsible for getting a number of Showtime's best comedies on the air, I have to assume Outsourced was positively painful for him. - Perfect Couples
Man alive, this one was painful as well. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm sure there are some marriages out there that work, but most TV shows have me happily single and childless.
- 30 Rock
- The Office
I broke up with this show ages ago, so I don't even really care at this point, but yeah, it'll be back. Word is, Will Ferrell is pretty underwhelming, or as a friend at work said, "Hard to watch," so I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to give this show another chance. - Parks & Recreation I've only just started getting caught up on this show on Netflix, but already I'm regretting that I ever broke up with it. What can I say? I have a soft spot for gay penguins.
- Community
NBC doesn't do a whole lot of things right, but picking up Community, in spite of dismal ratings, is the smartest move they've made. It's far and away the best comedy on TV and it only got better as the second season wore on. Unlike Modern Family, which has gotten kind of boring, I'm sorry to say... - Chuck
Ugh. Groan. Grrr. Argh. I used to love this show, I really did, but this last season was unbearable. As any avid reader knows (and I'm sure there are simply scads of you out there), I broke up with this show quite a while back. I thought NBC would finally put it out of its misery, but instead they've relegated it to the Friday night death slot. You know, because it wasn't pitiful enough. Thankfully it'll only be back for 13 episodes, but those episodes will be on opposite Nikita, so they have to make me grimace a bit. I'm going to go out on limb and say that those two shows have similar audiences, and Nikita needs every eyeball it can get. You can go ahead and keep up with both, but watch Nikita live, please. - Harry's Law
Ding! Ding! Ding! For those of you playing the home game, this is the one and only new show that will be returning this fall. Yes, Harry's Law is the best of the best, apparently. I'll just let that sink in for minute while I ponder how very far NBC has fallen... - Law & Order: SVU
- Parenthood
You know, I've tried to love this show, and it really does have its moments, but overall, its kind of a mess. If I were trapped within a family that operated like the ones featured on this show, I'd be driving off a cliff by now. That said, when it's not being ridiculous, it does have its charms, so I keep up with it on an occasional basis. The fact that it's no longer opposite The Good Wife will help. Oh, and the fact that The Event got canceled ups the changes of Jason Ritter returning, so that could be fun. All in all, not my favorite show, but it's not one that makes me seriously question the nation's priorities either, so it's welcomed to stay.
Friday, May 20, 2011
CBS Upfronts: More of the Same
When it comes to CBS, there are generally very, very few surprises. They have a brand, and with a few rare exceptions, they stick to it. As sick to death as I am of crime procedurals and cop shows, it's hard to argue with their results. Network for network, they have the most consistently successful slate of scripted programming out there. Sure the network skews older in general, but when they end up canceling shows that get ratings other networks would salivate over (*cough* NBC *cough*), it's clear that their tactics are working. Seriously, they could have pretty much renewed their entire slate and it would have been a solid business decision. Not a sound creative decision, but alas, when was the last time anyone in network TV cared about quality anyways?
There were very few surprises overall. The only news that really caught my attention was the fact that The Good Wife is moving to Sunday nights (i.e. the night I've thought the show should air since day 1). I guess in this one sense, the network really did make a vote for quality over ratings. In terms of the key demo, The Good Wife has always been a little worrisome to me. Its overall numbers are great, but it certainly skews older. For this reason, there were some TV ratings watchers out there who put The Good Wife on the bubble. I guess if that's the only factor you're looking at, sure, that makes sense. In terms of every other factor, I was never very worried.
SHOWS NOT RETURNING NEXT SEASON:
There were very few surprises overall. The only news that really caught my attention was the fact that The Good Wife is moving to Sunday nights (i.e. the night I've thought the show should air since day 1). I guess in this one sense, the network really did make a vote for quality over ratings. In terms of the key demo, The Good Wife has always been a little worrisome to me. Its overall numbers are great, but it certainly skews older. For this reason, there were some TV ratings watchers out there who put The Good Wife on the bubble. I guess if that's the only factor you're looking at, sure, that makes sense. In terms of every other factor, I was never very worried.
SHOWS NOT RETURNING NEXT SEASON:
- Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
I realize that procedual spin-offs are CBS's bread and butter, but seriously, if there were ever a show that wasn't begging for a spin-off, it was Criminal Minds. The show has been on for 6 years now and has basically investigated every conceivable type of murder. That said, I'm still a casual viewer of the original, but could never even kind of care about the spin-off. Forest Whitaker may be an award-winning actor, but I couldn't stand him. To boot, the rest of the cast was nothing to write home about either. Geez, never would I have guessed that the original was so popular because of the great ensemble cast, but here we are. This spin-off never really worked and it won't be missed. - Mad Love
Uh, was I asleep when this was on? I don't even remember it. I'm pretty sure I never even watched the pilot... Well, whatever it was, it no longer is. - The Defenders
I only ever saw the first episode or two, but it was harmless enough. On another network, its ratings might have given it a shot, but at CBS, it didn't stand a chance. - $H*! My Dad Says
I think I speak for all television bloggers when I think the gods that I'll never again have to type that title. Or see the show.
- The Amazing Race
- The Big Bang Theory
- Blue Bloods
I have to admit, this was a bit of a surprise. With schedule real estate at a premium, this one could have gone either way. I think keeping it was a good call. The show itself started off strong, then got pretty lame and generic, but it holds its own in a very difficult timeslot (Fridays are no one's friend, not even Tom Selleck), so in spite of lackluster ratings, it was a good call to keep it. - Criminal Minds
It's long in the tooth, but I still enjoy it well enough. Even better? Our good friend JJ has officially returned (take that new blonde!) and odds are Prentiss will be back at some point as well. As far as I know, Paget Brewster's new pilot is a no-go, so she's available. It should be pretty bitchin' to see the other characters' reactions to her return from the dead. They could do a lot of interesting things with that. Still up in the air? Thomas Gibson is still in contract negotiations, so whether or not Hotch comes back next year is up for grabs. My guess is, he'll be back. - CSI, CSI: NY, and CSI: Miami
The unholy trinity will all be back, although CSI has been bumped from its cushy timeslot. Why, it's almost as though the brass at CBS have noticed that it and its ratings kinda suck. - The Good Wife
I've already sung this show's praises, but I can't tip my hat to CBS enough for this show. It's beyond shocking that a show of this quality exists on network TV at all, but the fact that it's on CBS of all networks is astounding. Who'd have guessed? And lest you're one of those people who think it's a show for old people or for Lifetime viewers who got lost, Todd VanDerWerff with AV Club wrote a wonderful piece on the show heralding it as a worthy successor to The Wire (aka the most critically acclaimed television show I've ever come across). He sums up the show's qualities far better than I ever could. Kudos, CBS. Nice job. Also, I'll probably never find the time to write up my thoughts on the finale, but I loved it. $7800? Worth. Every. Penny. - Hawaii Five-O
I gave up on this sucker, but apparently most people stuck with it. It's fate was never in doubt. Not that I follow this show or anything, but I hear that Masi Oka has been made a series regular for next year, in case anyone cares. - How I Met Your Mother
Oh, good god. This season actually started off very promisingly, but ultimately fell apart. By the time we wound down to the final few episodes, I was so annoyed and bored that I could barely keep going. I held on through the finale to see who was getting married (which they'd been teasing since the first episode, if I recall correctly) only to find it was Barney and... yeah, no, they didn't reveal who the bride was. Back in the day, these little teases and mysteries were fun. Now they just piss me off. I'm done, thanks. We're breaking up over the summer. - The Mentalist
I haven't watched this show in ages, but in light of the total lack of anything else new last night, I tuned in for the finale, having been promised that Jane would finally confront Red John. To my surprise, it was actually pretty entertaining. They seem to have realized that Jane was annoying as hell most of the time and have toned that down considerably. Most important though, Red John was played by Bradley Whitford, who is practically perfect in every way. The confrontation was quietly intense and the final moments were shocking, if not entirely surprising. Jane has been saying he'd kill Red John the minute he got the chance, so to see him follow through with that promise, killing a man in the middle of a mall, no less, was pretty dramatic. I'm actually pretty intrigued by how they're going to handle Jane's new status as murderer, so maybe I'll just swap out HIMYM for The Mentalist for a spell. See how that goes. - Mike & Molly
- NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles
- Rules of Engagement
- Two and a Half Men
Ugh. Even if Ashton somehow made this show 800% better, it would still be unwatchable. I still can't believe anyone watches this shit. I was very hopeful that Charlie's departure would signal the end, but instead, it simply put this crap factory in the media even more. Here's hoping it dies a swift death.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Belated Finale Reviews: The Vampire Diaries and Nikita
Blogger! Way to finally stop sucking!
It suddenly occurs to me that railing against a service that I use absolutely free of charge is kind of like criticizing the low thread-count of sheets at the Salvation Army... Rant over.
The crux of the matter is that the finales for two of my favorite shows were nearly a week ago. I'm at my best the following morning when I've had time to digest what happened, but not so much time that I've seen 19 other shows already. Henceforth, rather than the epically lengthy discussion of thematic tropes and narrative denouements, I'm going to keep it simple and just put random thoughts about the shows. Hey, if I'm still pondering the implications a week later, they must be at least kind of important.
On with the show! Er, shows!
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
...Geez, where to even begin? This show burns through so much story so fast that documenting my thoughts and feelings about something is kind of a moot point, what with that something probably getting its heart ripped out in the next episode. Remember Mason Lockwood? Uh, yeah, that was totally this season. Like, 12 episodes ago, rather than 12 years ago like it seems.
...Although this may seem like an odd finale for the show, I think it worked incredibly well. All conventional wisdom would suggest that the penultimate episode should have been the finale. The whole moonstone-soapdish-vampire-werewolf-kitchen sink-doppelganger-originals-jar of almonds-full moon storyline comes to a dramatic end and half the town gets killed in the process. Makes sense as the finale, especially for a show like this. That's actually the reason why I was so pleased to see the actual finale take a quieter, more character-based approach. At the end of the day, ritual sacrifices, deaths, and supernatural phenomenon are par for the course for these characters. Those are just the things that happen. When it all boils down, this is a show about people. It was lovely to see stirring character development as the big finish rather than just a whole lotta crazy going on. (Oh, don't get me wrong, it wouldn't be a TVD finale without the crazy, so there was plenty of that as well, but Damon, Elena, and Stefan were the real core here.
...As much as I hate to see Damon suffer (even if he looks damn good in the process--seriously, even all sick and sweaty and occasionally charred, um, yes please), having someone other than Elena at the center of all the peril was a refreshing change of pace. She's the damsel entirely too often and she isn't an interesting enough character for me to really care about her fate all that much. Damon, on the other hand, is someone whose fate I'm entirely invested in. Not that I thought for a second that he would really die or anything (I kinda sorta know how TV works, thanks), but with this show, all bets are off. Sure, he'll still be on the show, but in what capacity? I entertained notions of him being a ghost of some sort (which made it all the freakier when Anna and Vicki showed up later) or maybe some other kind of entity that Bonnie had somehow orchestrated.
...Speaking of Damon and his werewolf bite, I think this whole arc was established brilliantly and made for a rather satisfying pay-off in the end. So often with this kind of show, it seems like they're making stuff up as they go along. Here, viewers were made very well-aware of the horrifying ramifications of a werewolf bite with Rose, whose slow, agonizing death was as heartbreaking as it was unavoidable. It certainly raised the stakes for Damon, but again, I think we all knew they'd figure something out. With a show that has magic at its disposal, it's often way too easy and convenient to simply find a spell to fix whatever comes your way. This show isn't immune, but I think they manage it better than most. It actually made a hell of a lot of sense that Klaus' blood would be the key. It didn't feel lame or convenient. It genuinely made sense.
...Another story arc that paid off well was the Elena and Damon dynamic. This facet of the show has always been fun to watch in spite of the fact that Elena is about as interesting as the bowl of soaps that Damon genius-ly hid the moonstone in. Dear Damon, I realize you were going for a "purloined letter" kind of thing here, but it doesn't really work when it's in something that people will be touching. Constantly. Love, Viewers Who Still Can't Believe That
Was the Best You Could Come Up With. Anyway, Elena has always been pretty damn dull as far as I'm concerned (through no fault of Nina Dobrev--Katherine is awesome afterall), so in terms of my "shipper" allegiances, I'm not irrevocably invested one way or the other. Quite frankly, I think Damon can do a whole lot better. The only reason it makes me happy to see Damon and Elena together is that it makes Damon so happy (I guess there's no accounting for taste... Heh, get it? Taste? Sorry.) Anyway, I have a point! The final scene between Damon and Elena was actually pretty lovely. Rather than the music swelling in some big dramatic swoon-worthy climax, it was a decidedly small, quiet moment. I'm sure there are many out there who would disagree, but I didn't find it to be a romantic moment at all, really. More than anything, it felt more like watching two dear friends, at the very end of their ropes, coping with the harsh realities of life. I really liked that they both looked so completely wrecked by that point. He was all near-death and sweaty and she was crying and sniffling. That was not a romantic screen kiss, which as far as I'm concerned, made it work all the better. It may not have been all that romantic, but it really does up the stakes for next season in terms of their relationship. Well done.
...Also upping the stakes, the fact that Stefan is off gallivanting around with Klaus. I think that made for a nice twist, but hasn't Stefan been drinking Elena's blood for a good long while now? Shouldn't he be fairly inured to the affects of blood? Maybe Stefan is playing him? Maybe he isn't as used to it as I thought? Whatever the case may be, it seems he'll be out of the picture for a while, so what's a girl to do? What she should have done ages ago. Picked the other Salvatore.
...So, apparently Alaric is Elena and Jeremy's new parental figure? I guess
that makes as much sense as anything on this show. I really did like their scene together at the end though.
...Let me get this straight. With Jenna and Uncle John dead as a dead dead and Jeremy something supernatural now (finally!), the only humans left on the show are Alaric (more or less) and Sheriff Forbes? Oh, and Matt. Because you never know when you'll need someone to suck the fun out of a room. At some point humanity is really going to have to reconsider keeping Mystic Falls on their list of possible real estate.
...Ramblings aside, I can't possibly go on any further without mentioning the biggest twist of them all. Uh, Anna and Vicki?!?! AWESOME. Well, Anna's return is awesome. Vicki's? Meh. It's not so much the individuals that makes this stellar, of course, it's the
fact that apparently Jeremy sees dead people now? No, just dead vampires? Only dead girlfriends? I don't know what this all means and I can't wait to find out! Maybe he actually did ingest some of Caroline's blood, but was brought back before he could transition to a vampire, so he's back from the dead and the undead, which means that he only sees dead people who are also undead people!? Yeah, I'm the one who wrote that sentence and I still got lost before I got to the end.
...As cheesy and obligatory as the festival, carnival, fund-raiser, school dance, town meeting, founder's day fill in the blank is, I really enjoyed the Gone with the Wind motif if for no other reason than it made from some beautiful shots of the characters with the movie playing in the background. It also affected the plot in a way that made sense, so that's always appreciated as well.
...Final thoughts: I'm very stoked for next season which has been hailed as the "season of the originals". Yes, please! Elijah became more than a little badass toward the end of this season and Klaus makes for a hell of a big bad. I long ago stopped worrying that they'd run out of stories to tell, but I do have one nagging concern for next season that I can't seem to shake. Kevin Williamson (and Julie Plec?) is one of the showrunners and he'll be doing double-duty next year. His new pilot, The Secret Circle, got picked up by the CW and will be a companion show to TVD on Thursdays. In theory, "Yay! We get another show from a writer I love!" In actuality, this scenario usually plays out in disappointing ways. The original show almost always suffers and the new project almost never rises to the level of the original. Only time will tell, and I'll be posting clips and whatnot from The Secret Circle in a few weeks, but from what I've seen so far, I'm less than thrilled.
NIKITA
...First and foremost, our girl Nikita got picked up for a second season! I only had a small handful of shows I was genuinely worried about, and Nikita was near the top of that list. (The Chicago Code was the top, and we all know how
that turned out.) The bad-ish news? Nikita has been moved to Fridays. On any other network, that's where shows go to die, but on the CW, that designation can be applied just about anywhere...
...There's a lot that can be said about the finale, but I'm going to try to keep this quick (much quicker than TVD at any rate). At the top of my list, if you can believe it, I'm so happy that Birkoff survived the finale! (Not where you thought I was headed with that sentence, is it?) I had heard from reliable sources that Amanda would kill a series regular in the finale. After doing a little math and tapping into a little TV logic, the only viable candidates would be Percy or Birkhoff. In looking at the series as a whole, it didn't make a whole lot of sense for Percy to die (especially at the hands of Amanda), so I had a sinking feeling Birkoff would be biting the dust. I rather adore Birkhoff, so this was an unsettling conclusion to come to. Much to my delight, it was Alex who died. And only for 26 seconds. I should have known better than to take spoilers at face value.
...Speaking of Birkhoff (who, it just occurred to me, played Pyro in X-Men 2, which I had never realized before), it was unduly satisfying to see him working with Nikita and
Michael instead of against them. I knew instantly that Birkhoff was the one who let Michael go, even if Michael was too bitter to notice. I can't wait to see what kind of a dynamic is struck next season. Birkoff is kind of held hostage by Division, so it's unclear where he'll end up. Double agent? Inside man? Double-crosser?
...Bigger question, who's running Division? I love Melinda Clarke, so to see her take charge was extremely satisfying. Let's face it, she's always been a hell of a lot more terrifying than Percy anyways. It's as though Lady Heather decided to work for a secret branch of the government (which is instantly the most promising pilot pitch I've heard in ages).
...I was a little afraid when Nikita and Michael got together that all the sizzle and intensity would be lost, but I'm still as invested as ever. The dynamic is certainly different, but there's still a certain tension there. With them seemingly on the run for next year, they're going to have a whole lotta time together to work out their issues.
...Not sure what to make of Alex at this point. I'm sorry, was anyone surprised for even one second that Nikita was the agent who killed her family? Didn't we all already know that? Have I just
been assuming that was the case since day 1? How did it never occur to Alex? Regardless, I was glad to see that the writers opted for Alex to respond with a fair bit of logic rather than the usual narrative trope of, "You killed my family, you must die now!" Alex is pissed that Nikita didn't tell her. She understands that Nikita was doing a job, just as Nikita understands that Owen was doing a job when he killed Danny. I half expected this to be one of those ever-frequent TV set-ups for the character to become a basket case and completely forget about context. Thankfully, that's not the case. Alex may not want to work with Nikita, but she doesn't want her set on fire either.
...Character I never realized I adored until the finale? Agent Ryan. "You break me out of prison the minute you get the chance, okay?" Ha! So great. I quite appreciated that Nikita kissed him on the cheek. Aside from a truly dazzling display of badassery, it was a nice reminder of how fond she is of him. The viewers didn't forget about that and neither did the show.
...Finale thoughts: This show isn't perfect and this season wasn't perfect, but it made for a hell of a ride. I think the set up for next season opens a lot of doors for the story and I'm quite confident it'll be stronger than this season. There were a lot of narrative constraints on this show, based largely on the concept of the show, but now those barriers have largely been removed. That should make for more cohesive storylines with fewer repetitive elements. It'll be weird to not have it paired with TVD, but hey, I'll take a solid Friday viewing option any day. Oh, and it'll be on opposite Chuck, so you know, zero competition. ;) Seriously though, if you can only watch one show at 7 on Fridays, make it Nikita. Trust me.
It suddenly occurs to me that railing against a service that I use absolutely free of charge is kind of like criticizing the low thread-count of sheets at the Salvation Army... Rant over.
The crux of the matter is that the finales for two of my favorite shows were nearly a week ago. I'm at my best the following morning when I've had time to digest what happened, but not so much time that I've seen 19 other shows already. Henceforth, rather than the epically lengthy discussion of thematic tropes and narrative denouements, I'm going to keep it simple and just put random thoughts about the shows. Hey, if I'm still pondering the implications a week later, they must be at least kind of important.
On with the show! Er, shows!
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
...Geez, where to even begin? This show burns through so much story so fast that documenting my thoughts and feelings about something is kind of a moot point, what with that something probably getting its heart ripped out in the next episode. Remember Mason Lockwood? Uh, yeah, that was totally this season. Like, 12 episodes ago, rather than 12 years ago like it seems.
...Although this may seem like an odd finale for the show, I think it worked incredibly well. All conventional wisdom would suggest that the penultimate episode should have been the finale. The whole moonstone-soapdish-vampire-werewolf-kitchen sink-doppelganger-originals-jar of almonds-full moon storyline comes to a dramatic end and half the town gets killed in the process. Makes sense as the finale, especially for a show like this. That's actually the reason why I was so pleased to see the actual finale take a quieter, more character-based approach. At the end of the day, ritual sacrifices, deaths, and supernatural phenomenon are par for the course for these characters. Those are just the things that happen. When it all boils down, this is a show about people. It was lovely to see stirring character development as the big finish rather than just a whole lotta crazy going on. (Oh, don't get me wrong, it wouldn't be a TVD finale without the crazy, so there was plenty of that as well, but Damon, Elena, and Stefan were the real core here.
...As much as I hate to see Damon suffer (even if he looks damn good in the process--seriously, even all sick and sweaty and occasionally charred, um, yes please), having someone other than Elena at the center of all the peril was a refreshing change of pace. She's the damsel entirely too often and she isn't an interesting enough character for me to really care about her fate all that much. Damon, on the other hand, is someone whose fate I'm entirely invested in. Not that I thought for a second that he would really die or anything (I kinda sorta know how TV works, thanks), but with this show, all bets are off. Sure, he'll still be on the show, but in what capacity? I entertained notions of him being a ghost of some sort (which made it all the freakier when Anna and Vicki showed up later) or maybe some other kind of entity that Bonnie had somehow orchestrated.
...Speaking of Damon and his werewolf bite, I think this whole arc was established brilliantly and made for a rather satisfying pay-off in the end. So often with this kind of show, it seems like they're making stuff up as they go along. Here, viewers were made very well-aware of the horrifying ramifications of a werewolf bite with Rose, whose slow, agonizing death was as heartbreaking as it was unavoidable. It certainly raised the stakes for Damon, but again, I think we all knew they'd figure something out. With a show that has magic at its disposal, it's often way too easy and convenient to simply find a spell to fix whatever comes your way. This show isn't immune, but I think they manage it better than most. It actually made a hell of a lot of sense that Klaus' blood would be the key. It didn't feel lame or convenient. It genuinely made sense.
...Another story arc that paid off well was the Elena and Damon dynamic. This facet of the show has always been fun to watch in spite of the fact that Elena is about as interesting as the bowl of soaps that Damon genius-ly hid the moonstone in. Dear Damon, I realize you were going for a "purloined letter" kind of thing here, but it doesn't really work when it's in something that people will be touching. Constantly. Love, Viewers Who Still Can't Believe That
Was the Best You Could Come Up With. Anyway, Elena has always been pretty damn dull as far as I'm concerned (through no fault of Nina Dobrev--Katherine is awesome afterall), so in terms of my "shipper" allegiances, I'm not irrevocably invested one way or the other. Quite frankly, I think Damon can do a whole lot better. The only reason it makes me happy to see Damon and Elena together is that it makes Damon so happy (I guess there's no accounting for taste... Heh, get it? Taste? Sorry.) Anyway, I have a point! The final scene between Damon and Elena was actually pretty lovely. Rather than the music swelling in some big dramatic swoon-worthy climax, it was a decidedly small, quiet moment. I'm sure there are many out there who would disagree, but I didn't find it to be a romantic moment at all, really. More than anything, it felt more like watching two dear friends, at the very end of their ropes, coping with the harsh realities of life. I really liked that they both looked so completely wrecked by that point. He was all near-death and sweaty and she was crying and sniffling. That was not a romantic screen kiss, which as far as I'm concerned, made it work all the better. It may not have been all that romantic, but it really does up the stakes for next season in terms of their relationship. Well done....Also upping the stakes, the fact that Stefan is off gallivanting around with Klaus. I think that made for a nice twist, but hasn't Stefan been drinking Elena's blood for a good long while now? Shouldn't he be fairly inured to the affects of blood? Maybe Stefan is playing him? Maybe he isn't as used to it as I thought? Whatever the case may be, it seems he'll be out of the picture for a while, so what's a girl to do? What she should have done ages ago. Picked the other Salvatore.
...So, apparently Alaric is Elena and Jeremy's new parental figure? I guess
that makes as much sense as anything on this show. I really did like their scene together at the end though....Let me get this straight. With Jenna and Uncle John dead as a dead dead and Jeremy something supernatural now (finally!), the only humans left on the show are Alaric (more or less) and Sheriff Forbes? Oh, and Matt. Because you never know when you'll need someone to suck the fun out of a room. At some point humanity is really going to have to reconsider keeping Mystic Falls on their list of possible real estate.
...Ramblings aside, I can't possibly go on any further without mentioning the biggest twist of them all. Uh, Anna and Vicki?!?! AWESOME. Well, Anna's return is awesome. Vicki's? Meh. It's not so much the individuals that makes this stellar, of course, it's the
fact that apparently Jeremy sees dead people now? No, just dead vampires? Only dead girlfriends? I don't know what this all means and I can't wait to find out! Maybe he actually did ingest some of Caroline's blood, but was brought back before he could transition to a vampire, so he's back from the dead and the undead, which means that he only sees dead people who are also undead people!? Yeah, I'm the one who wrote that sentence and I still got lost before I got to the end....As cheesy and obligatory as the festival, carnival, fund-raiser, school dance, town meeting, founder's day fill in the blank is, I really enjoyed the Gone with the Wind motif if for no other reason than it made from some beautiful shots of the characters with the movie playing in the background. It also affected the plot in a way that made sense, so that's always appreciated as well.
...Final thoughts: I'm very stoked for next season which has been hailed as the "season of the originals". Yes, please! Elijah became more than a little badass toward the end of this season and Klaus makes for a hell of a big bad. I long ago stopped worrying that they'd run out of stories to tell, but I do have one nagging concern for next season that I can't seem to shake. Kevin Williamson (and Julie Plec?) is one of the showrunners and he'll be doing double-duty next year. His new pilot, The Secret Circle, got picked up by the CW and will be a companion show to TVD on Thursdays. In theory, "Yay! We get another show from a writer I love!" In actuality, this scenario usually plays out in disappointing ways. The original show almost always suffers and the new project almost never rises to the level of the original. Only time will tell, and I'll be posting clips and whatnot from The Secret Circle in a few weeks, but from what I've seen so far, I'm less than thrilled.
NIKITA
...First and foremost, our girl Nikita got picked up for a second season! I only had a small handful of shows I was genuinely worried about, and Nikita was near the top of that list. (The Chicago Code was the top, and we all know how
that turned out.) The bad-ish news? Nikita has been moved to Fridays. On any other network, that's where shows go to die, but on the CW, that designation can be applied just about anywhere......There's a lot that can be said about the finale, but I'm going to try to keep this quick (much quicker than TVD at any rate). At the top of my list, if you can believe it, I'm so happy that Birkoff survived the finale! (Not where you thought I was headed with that sentence, is it?) I had heard from reliable sources that Amanda would kill a series regular in the finale. After doing a little math and tapping into a little TV logic, the only viable candidates would be Percy or Birkhoff. In looking at the series as a whole, it didn't make a whole lot of sense for Percy to die (especially at the hands of Amanda), so I had a sinking feeling Birkoff would be biting the dust. I rather adore Birkhoff, so this was an unsettling conclusion to come to. Much to my delight, it was Alex who died. And only for 26 seconds. I should have known better than to take spoilers at face value.
...Speaking of Birkhoff (who, it just occurred to me, played Pyro in X-Men 2, which I had never realized before), it was unduly satisfying to see him working with Nikita and
Michael instead of against them. I knew instantly that Birkhoff was the one who let Michael go, even if Michael was too bitter to notice. I can't wait to see what kind of a dynamic is struck next season. Birkoff is kind of held hostage by Division, so it's unclear where he'll end up. Double agent? Inside man? Double-crosser?...Bigger question, who's running Division? I love Melinda Clarke, so to see her take charge was extremely satisfying. Let's face it, she's always been a hell of a lot more terrifying than Percy anyways. It's as though Lady Heather decided to work for a secret branch of the government (which is instantly the most promising pilot pitch I've heard in ages).
...I was a little afraid when Nikita and Michael got together that all the sizzle and intensity would be lost, but I'm still as invested as ever. The dynamic is certainly different, but there's still a certain tension there. With them seemingly on the run for next year, they're going to have a whole lotta time together to work out their issues.
...Not sure what to make of Alex at this point. I'm sorry, was anyone surprised for even one second that Nikita was the agent who killed her family? Didn't we all already know that? Have I just
been assuming that was the case since day 1? How did it never occur to Alex? Regardless, I was glad to see that the writers opted for Alex to respond with a fair bit of logic rather than the usual narrative trope of, "You killed my family, you must die now!" Alex is pissed that Nikita didn't tell her. She understands that Nikita was doing a job, just as Nikita understands that Owen was doing a job when he killed Danny. I half expected this to be one of those ever-frequent TV set-ups for the character to become a basket case and completely forget about context. Thankfully, that's not the case. Alex may not want to work with Nikita, but she doesn't want her set on fire either....Character I never realized I adored until the finale? Agent Ryan. "You break me out of prison the minute you get the chance, okay?" Ha! So great. I quite appreciated that Nikita kissed him on the cheek. Aside from a truly dazzling display of badassery, it was a nice reminder of how fond she is of him. The viewers didn't forget about that and neither did the show.
...Finale thoughts: This show isn't perfect and this season wasn't perfect, but it made for a hell of a ride. I think the set up for next season opens a lot of doors for the story and I'm quite confident it'll be stronger than this season. There were a lot of narrative constraints on this show, based largely on the concept of the show, but now those barriers have largely been removed. That should make for more cohesive storylines with fewer repetitive elements. It'll be weird to not have it paired with TVD, but hey, I'll take a solid Friday viewing option any day. Oh, and it'll be on opposite Chuck, so you know, zero competition. ;) Seriously though, if you can only watch one show at 7 on Fridays, make it Nikita. Trust me.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Fox Upfronts: The Good Die Young
NOTE: I'm sorry this is so late in coming. Blogger has been struggling hardcore for several days now. Yeah, just when finale season and Upfront season intersect, Blogger decides to have some sort of coronary problem. Anyway, I was poised and ready to discuss the finales of The Vampire Diaries (Vicki and Anna! Ahhh!), Nikita, and just about everything else, but couldn't. And now it just feels like it's kind of too late... Anyway, moving on with the Upfronts!
As any Whedonverse devotee will attest, you can't get too attached to programs on the Fox network because, well, no one likes heartbreak. Citing precedent, it really shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the only show on the network whose fate I actually cared
about is one of the first to get the axe. The Chicago Code was a surprisingly smart and engaging show for network TV, which I guess means it was doomed. And another one bites the dust. The list of network shows that I watch has been in precipitous decline for the past few years now, and it's gotten to the point were I can count them on one hand. The Chicago Code is a pretty painful loss. It wasn't a perfect show (the writers didn't seem to know what to do with Vonda and Isaac most of the time), but compared to the other network schlock it was up against, it was head and shoulders above most other shows. Shawn Ryan deserves better. He's a fine showrunner who always producing quality programming. So let's face it. He didn't stand a chance.
Fox is a tough nut to crack for a number of reasons and it has some network idiosyncrasies that make it more prone to slaughter than others. First and foremost, it doesn't have a third hour of primetime like the other big networks, so it immediately has 5 fewer hours per week to fill. On top of that, it has like, 17 hours of American Idol each week, which decreases the room for scripted programming even more. At the end of the day, they simply don't have the space to keep anything that isn't performing incredibly well. There have been some notable exceptions, of course, but by and large, they don't hang on to shows that are under-performing. Fringe got a notable pick-up this year in spite of poor performance, but that's because it airs on Friday, a night that Fox gave up on long ago. Plus, I think they're still a little gun-shy about pissing off the science fiction community.
Here's the full list of CASUALTIES:
As any Whedonverse devotee will attest, you can't get too attached to programs on the Fox network because, well, no one likes heartbreak. Citing precedent, it really shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the only show on the network whose fate I actually cared
about is one of the first to get the axe. The Chicago Code was a surprisingly smart and engaging show for network TV, which I guess means it was doomed. And another one bites the dust. The list of network shows that I watch has been in precipitous decline for the past few years now, and it's gotten to the point were I can count them on one hand. The Chicago Code is a pretty painful loss. It wasn't a perfect show (the writers didn't seem to know what to do with Vonda and Isaac most of the time), but compared to the other network schlock it was up against, it was head and shoulders above most other shows. Shawn Ryan deserves better. He's a fine showrunner who always producing quality programming. So let's face it. He didn't stand a chance.Fox is a tough nut to crack for a number of reasons and it has some network idiosyncrasies that make it more prone to slaughter than others. First and foremost, it doesn't have a third hour of primetime like the other big networks, so it immediately has 5 fewer hours per week to fill. On top of that, it has like, 17 hours of American Idol each week, which decreases the room for scripted programming even more. At the end of the day, they simply don't have the space to keep anything that isn't performing incredibly well. There have been some notable exceptions, of course, but by and large, they don't hang on to shows that are under-performing. Fringe got a notable pick-up this year in spite of poor performance, but that's because it airs on Friday, a night that Fox gave up on long ago. Plus, I think they're still a little gun-shy about pissing off the science fiction community.
Here's the full list of CASUALTIES:
- The Chicago Code
Again, this is the one that really hurts. I hear showrunner Shawn Ryan already has his sights set on a new project though, and from the brief concept idea that I ran across, it sounds like it's going to be excellent. Here's hoping it finds a network that will keep it going. - Lie to Me
This was a third tier show at best, but it made for a nice space filler on an empty viewing day. I kept up with this one well enough, but it was far too procedural to really keep me invested. I need more over-arching story to really care about a show and Lie to Me never really delivered. - Human Target
Won't be missed. I made it through a couple of episodes and that was plenty. - Traffic Light
I never even screened this sucker. It looked awful and I knew it didn't stand a chance anyway. Tootles! - Braking In
See above comments, copy and paste. Oh, Christian Slater. It's cute that you think you still have a career. [This just in, this show might just get a last minute stay of execution. Word is, Fox is considering bringing it back after all. I think it depends on whether or not they have a half-hour companion show on the docket or not... I never even screened the pilot, so I'm not invested one way or the other.] - The Good Guys
This one has been dead in the water for ages now. In case you're one of the two people who watch, it ain't comin' back. - Running Wilde
This one got pulled ages ago as well, in case you hadn't heard. But, showkiller Will Arnett has teamed up with showkiller Christina Applegate for a new comedy (to air on ABC, I think), so if you fear not, if you loved Running Wilde, you'll get another chance basically
- House
Against all reason, yes, House will be back again this fall for an EIGHTH and hopefully final season. Please just let it die already. It kills me that Fox would rather keep an aging, increasingly pitiful show around than give The Chicago Code a relaunch for fall. Oy. In related news, I hear that Lisa Edelstein has officially jumped ship and will not be reprising her role as Cuddy next year. Godspeed, my friend. Never look back. - Glee
I loved season 1, I could barely even finish season 2. If every episode were a Brad Falchuk episode, I think I would still love the show, but his episodes are too few and too long in between to sustain me. I still haven't decided if I'll be giving this one a chance in the fall. It depends on how my schedule looks. Want to see something truly shocking? Go back and watch the Glee pilot on Netflix Instant Play. Holy hell, you'll hardly even recognize the show. Wow. Did you know that it used to have a plot? And characters? And wasn't - Bones
Ugh. As though this show weren't mediocre enough, and as though it hasn't been around for about 3 seasons too long, now Bones is pregnant. Well, Emily Deschanel is pregnant, but that's just as bad. I don't even really watch this show anymore (unless there's absolutely nothing else on), but knowing that it's coming back and The Chicago Code isn't makes me bitter(erer). Geez, Fox, so far you're looking like a real winner come fall... - Fringe
I've been meaning to catch up on this one, so I'm pleased to see that it'll be back. Quite frankly, any vote of confidence for Sci Fi as a genre gets a thumbs-up from me. It always makes me smile that they put this kind of show on Fridays, you know, because it's not like geeks have dates to go on or anything. I sure don't. - Fox Animation Block: The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, American Dad, The Simpsons
- Raising Hope
It isn't appointment TV for me or anything, but it's a fun little show starring the incomparable Martha Plimpton, so I'm quite pleased to see it picked up for next season. Although, if it ever gets canceled, I suppose that frees Martha up for more time on The Good Wife, so I guess I'd be okay either way.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Bloody Harlan
A lot of crazy shit went down on last night's season finale of Justified, so I'm going to skip the recap and just jump right into my observations and theories. And there are a lot of them, so buckle up and stay hydrated. ***SPOILER ALERT***
As with The Good Wife, pretty much every episode of this show is finale-worthy, so when the actual finale comes along, it kind of just feels like every other stellar episode of the show. The only difference is that at the end of the finale, I'm left with a sad, empty feeling that only a promo for "next time on" can quell... It's always disheartening when that doesn't happen, but way more so with Justified because it's cable and only comes but once a year. NOOOO, come back!!! If precedent serves, we won't get to see our good friends and fabulous enemies in Harlan again until next
March. That's... entirely too long to wait. I was discussing this with Brett this morning though, in our usual Thursday morning episode discussion, and we decided that the long hiatus probably has a lot to do with the quality of the show, so it's well-worth the wait. There are a lot of reasons that cable shows are better than network shows (in general) and the volume is certainly part of that. When a show has to contend with 22 episodes in only 8 or 9 months, there's bound to be some decline in quality. That's just too much content to be produced in too little time. To boot, network shows only get a couple of months off (at the very most) between seasons before they have to go back into production, so it doesn't exactly leave much time for the writers to really craft the direction of the coming year ahead of time. Somehow The Good Wife manages to pull it off, but most network shows seem to be making it up as they go along. With Justified, I have no doubt that the writers had worked out exactly where this season was going from start to
finish before they ever started shooting. The consistency and superiority of the writing are testament to this theory.
It's been one hell of a year for Raylan and company and I daresay this season surpassed the first in a number of ways. The Black Pike/Bennett Feud over-arching narrative worked incredibly well on all levels, but none more so than with Margo Martindale. Seriously folks, her every scene seems destined for the Emmy clip reel. I can absolutely see her getting snubbed, but that would be a travesty. I really can't sing her praises enough. Especially nice is that on a show about good ol' boys and good guys chasing bad guys, she provided a female element that wasn't based around being a love interest. Female characters are generally pigeon-holed into a few generic categories: love interest/damsel, mother, frigid/angry/or power-hungry bitch, etc. I think we can all see that Ava and Winona fall into the "love interest" category almost exclusively. Now, Justified has a lot more dimensions than most shows out there, so they aren't simply cardboard cut-out our cliches, but I think it's pretty clear what role they played this season, with Ava in particular. Pretty much her entire story arc was warming up to Boyd and eventually falling in love with him (you know, so that Boyd has a powerful call to arms when she gets shot in the finale). That's one of the roles for female characters that annoys me the most. I call it the "impetus." So often, women aren't there to actually do anything so much as they're there to get hurt or killed or kidnapped as a means of spurring the male characters into action. This trope spans all genres and annoys me almost every time. Even in movies that I love and adore, this trope finds its way in. Sorry for the tangent here, but a quite note on Pixar's Up. Pixar movies are spectacular (with the possible exception of Cars, which, of all the Pixar movies out there, is the the one least deserving of a sequel), but when it comes to female characters, they're almost almost tangential love interests or act as the impetus. When Up began, and we met young, adventurous, clever Ellie, I was so excited to see a female character that I instantly connected with and who wasn't a damsel or a princess. Well, as I would find some 15 minutes later, she turned out to be the impetus instead, which is just as bad. That's right, this female character who takes charge and plays by her own rules dies early on and provides little more than the basic reason for all the male characters to go on an adventure. Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful movie that I absolutely adored, but that was disappointing on a number of levels. If it didn't so often that female characters are reduced as such, it wouldn't bother me case-to-case, but it's far too prolific to not get under my skin.
It's for this reason, and so many others, that Mags Bennett was such a welcome addition to the show and the television landscape at large. Yes, she's a mother, but she isn't just a mother. The fact that she's a mother is one facet to a well-rounded, developed, and fascinating character. As much as Ava
and Winona factor into the overall narrative of the show, they don't have the depth that Mags does. Same goes for Loretta, I suppose. (Caitlyn Dever, who played Loretta, would make for a hell of a Katniss, come to think of it.) Yet another wonderful female character who has a lot more going on than whatever man is in her life. Indeed, with Loretta, her father fills the role of "impetus," which is a trope on its own, but one that was handled in a unique and captivating way. In the penultimate episode, there was only one scene of Loretta at her foster home and I wasn't sure what that was pointing to for the finale. I had a feeling it was letting the audience know that she was still around and still a factor, but it was presented in such a way that it also could have passed as a bookend to her storyline, letting us know that she was okay and that she had moved on. I was very glad to see that the former was the case. After a season of watching Loretta bear the brunt of lies and brutality, it was quite satisfying to see her take charge and stand up to those who tell her "only so much as they see fit." Unlike most shows, I honestly didn't know how the scene between Loretta and Mags would play out and I was actually pretty surprised that she shot Mags. For her sake, I was glad Raylan talked her down, but with this show, I could absolutely see Loretta pulling the trigger for good. “Ask yourself what your daddy would want you to do.” “I want him to be here to tell me.” Wow.
Although Loretta didn't physically kill Mags, I do think she was one of the last nails in the coffin. Mags had adored that little girl and was ultimately held at gunpoint by her. That's gotta hurt. Add to that the fact that Doyle was dead and that Mags had just confessed to murdering Loretta's father and I wasn't surprised that Mags killed herself. My brother instantly assumed that she had poisoned Raylan, but I instantly assumed she's poisoned herself. The writers and actors played it off incredibly well, though. I assumed Mags, but then vacillated back and forth a couple of times before Mags finally went off to meet Doyle and Coover in that big Whoop-de-doo in the sky. It made for a chilling bookend to the season, bringing things full circle with a deadly glass of Apple Pie Moonshine. I love that Mags
has two cupboards of glasses on hand. Hehe, here is where she keeps the "guest" glasses and here is where she keeps the "guests who've overstayed their welcome" glasses. You never know when you're going to need to poison someone, you know? So awesome. I had to think long and hard as to whether suicide was what Mags really would have done. On the one hand, she's a tough old broad who I could see fighting to the bitter end, but ultimately, I think this season established her as a woman who lives by her own rules, so it makes sense that she'd die on her own terms. With her sons dead (well, except Dickie, but that's a whole other story), her empire collapsing, the town turned against her, Loretta ready to kill her, and a prison sentence for murder in her future, I think suicide was the only way for her to retain control. In a season that was stolen by Margo Martindale, it only makes sense that the show end on Mags' last breaths. “Put an end to my troubles. Get to see my boys again. Get to know the mystery.” A powerful end to a powerful performance. Bravo.
She was far from the only death, though. Bloody Harlan, indeed. I knew the parlay between Boyd and Mags wasn't going to be smooth (how much did you love it when the kindly pastor collected all the weapons?), but the multi-front bloodbath between the two clans was beyond even what I expected. While the major players this season have long pretended that they're about making deals and promises, at this point in the game, both sides know that all bets are off and have prepared
accordingly. It's a little shocking to me that Dickie, of all people, is the Bennett to have survived all this. Not only does he have a crippled leg, but he's done more to piss certain people off than even Mags had. Shooting Helen damn near got him executed in a forest, but he thought it was a good idea to shoot Ava for good measure? Uh, you mean Boyd Crowder's girlfriend, Ava? I'm sorry, does anyone think that's a good idea? Yeah, I didn't think so. Oh, Dickie. If you're back next season, and I hope to hell you are, you're in for a crazy ride, because you see, not only does law enforcement have it out for you, but Boyd Crowder was denied his revenge, so... yeah... that's gonna end well.
Okay, that scene where Dickie had Raylan strung up like a pinata was completely awesome. Again, not only does it tie into the mythology of these characters perfectly, but it fits into the overall narrative in a specific and important way. Under other circumstances, it might come across as incredibly convenient that Boyd just happened to show up to save the day, but the show set this situation up in such a way that it makes perfect sense. When Boyd wants you dead, you're gonna get dead. Unless Raylan steps in, of course. Hehe, I loved when Dickie was begging Raylan not to leave him alone with Boyd. Ha! You know Boyd is insane and scary as hell when Dickie would rather take his chances with Raylan, the man who
nearly executed him in a forest not three days ago, than go toe-to-toe with Boyd. It was also nice to see that Raylan, a bona fide lawman who's foiled Boyd's plans on any number of occasions was like, "You have fun with Boyd, Dickie. I'm out. Hope he kills you real good." Jeremy Davies does an amazing job as Dickie, as always, but the lightning-fast turn in his demeanor for high-and-mighty torturer to pathetic, whimpering coward begging for his life was truly a sight to see. It'll be interesting to see how things play out next season between Boyd and Raylan even if Dickie doesn't come back next year. Raylan kind of ruined Boyd's revenge plot, albeit with a good reason, and I don't think Boyd is the kind of guy to just let that slide. I'm guessing that next season will depend on whether or not Jeremy Davies can come back to the show. If he can't, I'm guessing Dickie will "go to prison" for the foreseeable future, but I'm hopeful that he'll at least be back for the third season premier to tie things up even if he can't be in the whole season.
The finale did a very nice job of tying up some major plotlines, but leaving other things up in the air. Knowing that it won't be back for forever and a day makes the loose ends a little more irksome to endure, but I think they struck a nice balance. We leave off with Ava bleeding to death on a couch, although with Boyd calling the shots, I think that doctor from the free clinic will perform a miracle whether he currently possesses such powers or not. "You fix her like your life depends on it, because it surely does." Awesome. I think it's safe to assume that Ava will live, as
will the chip on Boyd's shoulder. Her coming out of the cellar was consistent with her character and all, but it certainly elicited an, "Oh, for hell's sake," which is phrase usually reserved for Winona. I really loved the progression of Boyd's and Ava's relationship over the season. The fact that that's essentially the only thing Ava got to do would have been far more off-putting if it hadn't been done so well. Her growing affection for Boyd also signaled a change in her priorities and her stance on criminal activity. She has always been smack-dab in the middle of shady activity, but it was her love for Boyd that made her really accept it. Boyd has been super-protective of Ava since back to season one and to see that really manifest itself in this finale was really lovely to see. His sheer panic at her injury was a very un-Boydlike reaction and drove home the fact that she's everything to him. Even in the face of his own grisly death, Boyd is usually cool as a Kentucky creek, but when Ava's on the gurney, he freaks out and nearly shoots one of his guys. Very nicely played.
The other major loose end is Raylan's fate in Kentucky (both in terms of the marshal service and in terms of Winona). Oh, for hell's sake, Winona, you had to go and get pregnant, didn't you? I'm generally put-off by pregnancy storylines because I am rather firm in my opinion that babies ruin everything, but in terms of this show, I actually think the twist works, if for no other reason than the fact that the physiological affects of pregnancy might help to explain why Winona has been so off-balance and erratic this season. Along with that, it was actually pretty charming to see just how happy Raylan was with the pregnancy, which it's clear really is the "best news [he's] gotten in... ever." Once again, I fully believe that that writers knew about this pregnancy before they even started filming this season. They began setting this up as far back
as the second or third episode of the season with that pregnant prison inmate, and have laid the groundwork for it ever since. That's one of the reasons it doesn't bother me. It didn't come across as a ridiculous ploy to shake things up or like the writers just threw it in for a shock, it felt organic to the story. It also makes Winona's reaction to Raylan running off toward certain death (again) all the more understandable. The reason their marriage didn't work the first time was largely due to Raylan's work. I've never been married nor have I ever had a family member with a deadly job, but I imagine it's incredibly frightening and stressful to never know if your loved one will be coming home alive every day. It makes Winona's uncertainty as to whether or not she can do this again, especially with a baby on the way, all the more reasonable, which isn't a word I've been able to apply to her much this year. It also sets up a scenario for Raylan to have a reason to stay in Kentucky. He can't got to Glynco and teach firearms and have the series continue the way it has, so it only makes sense that he stays in Kentucky. Unless the writers have a fundamental game-change in the works, he'll be staying. A separation from Winona would facilitate that possibility.
Another factor which may influence Raylan's choice to stay in Kentucky is the fact that Art and the marshals saved the day. Winona hasn't done much right this season, bu
t going to Art and convincing him to haul the entire cavalry to Harlan to save Raylan wins her back quite a few points in my book. Art and Raylan have been at odds because of Winona, so it's make good narrative sense that she'd be the one to bring them back together. Art had no legal or personal obligation to go to Harlan, but at the end of the day, I think Art's paternalistic feelings toward Raylan won out. Again, it could have been seen as a bit convenient that the entire marshal service just happened to roll up the minute Raylan was about to be killed, but the writers established that this was a possibility, so it plays out nicely. They also established a red herring, however, that I totally fell for. By having Boyd make a deal with that policeman early on, it made it hard to be sure who had shot Doyle and whether or not Raylan was actually going to be safe or if this was just one more body for the heap. It took me a split-second to process, but in looking at the incredible precision of the shot through Doyle's forehead, I quickly switched from, "Was is that dirty cop from earlier?" to "Why, that looks like the work of one Deputy US Marshal Tim Gutterson!" Indeed, my only true laments for this finale (and the season as a whole) is that the marshal service didn't get more screen time. Hell, Rachel and Tim didn't even get speaking parts in the finale. If nothing else good comes 
of Winona's sticky fingers, it gave the show a reason to spend time at the marshals' office, when by all logic, they should otherwise have been in Harlan. Say what you will about the Winona money theft storyline, but it was the writers' way of keeping the marshals at the core of the show. Without that storyline, there really wouldn't have been much reason for them to have been in the show this year. You'll notice, after that storyline wrapped up, we saw a hell of a lot less of them, so in terms of my crush on Tim Gutterson, I have to give Winona's stupidity a few points in the plus column.
Overall, I have some mixed feelings about the finale. In general, a finale should up the show's game and go out in superior fashion, but with Justified, every single episode is stellar, so how do you really improve on that for the big finish? You can't really, so the finale feels a whole lot like every other episode. That said, they did tie up a lot of story and open the doors for more. It was an incredible end to a near-perfect season. I laughed, I cried (that's right, Raylan, your little speech about Helen when you were about to kill Dickie had me tearing up), and I couldn't possibly ask for anything more. Except for maybe more episodes... but that's ground we've already covered. Until next year, my darling kickass show.
Well done. Er...
Nice shootin'?
Yeah, that's better.
As with The Good Wife, pretty much every episode of this show is finale-worthy, so when the actual finale comes along, it kind of just feels like every other stellar episode of the show. The only difference is that at the end of the finale, I'm left with a sad, empty feeling that only a promo for "next time on" can quell... It's always disheartening when that doesn't happen, but way more so with Justified because it's cable and only comes but once a year. NOOOO, come back!!! If precedent serves, we won't get to see our good friends and fabulous enemies in Harlan again until next
March. That's... entirely too long to wait. I was discussing this with Brett this morning though, in our usual Thursday morning episode discussion, and we decided that the long hiatus probably has a lot to do with the quality of the show, so it's well-worth the wait. There are a lot of reasons that cable shows are better than network shows (in general) and the volume is certainly part of that. When a show has to contend with 22 episodes in only 8 or 9 months, there's bound to be some decline in quality. That's just too much content to be produced in too little time. To boot, network shows only get a couple of months off (at the very most) between seasons before they have to go back into production, so it doesn't exactly leave much time for the writers to really craft the direction of the coming year ahead of time. Somehow The Good Wife manages to pull it off, but most network shows seem to be making it up as they go along. With Justified, I have no doubt that the writers had worked out exactly where this season was going from start to
finish before they ever started shooting. The consistency and superiority of the writing are testament to this theory.It's been one hell of a year for Raylan and company and I daresay this season surpassed the first in a number of ways. The Black Pike/Bennett Feud over-arching narrative worked incredibly well on all levels, but none more so than with Margo Martindale. Seriously folks, her every scene seems destined for the Emmy clip reel. I can absolutely see her getting snubbed, but that would be a travesty. I really can't sing her praises enough. Especially nice is that on a show about good ol' boys and good guys chasing bad guys, she provided a female element that wasn't based around being a love interest. Female characters are generally pigeon-holed into a few generic categories: love interest/damsel, mother, frigid/angry/or power-hungry bitch, etc. I think we can all see that Ava and Winona fall into the "love interest" category almost exclusively. Now, Justified has a lot more dimensions than most shows out there, so they aren't simply cardboard cut-out our cliches, but I think it's pretty clear what role they played this season, with Ava in particular. Pretty much her entire story arc was warming up to Boyd and eventually falling in love with him (you know, so that Boyd has a powerful call to arms when she gets shot in the finale). That's one of the roles for female characters that annoys me the most. I call it the "impetus." So often, women aren't there to actually do anything so much as they're there to get hurt or killed or kidnapped as a means of spurring the male characters into action. This trope spans all genres and annoys me almost every time. Even in movies that I love and adore, this trope finds its way in. Sorry for the tangent here, but a quite note on Pixar's Up. Pixar movies are spectacular (with the possible exception of Cars, which, of all the Pixar movies out there, is the the one least deserving of a sequel), but when it comes to female characters, they're almost almost tangential love interests or act as the impetus. When Up began, and we met young, adventurous, clever Ellie, I was so excited to see a female character that I instantly connected with and who wasn't a damsel or a princess. Well, as I would find some 15 minutes later, she turned out to be the impetus instead, which is just as bad. That's right, this female character who takes charge and plays by her own rules dies early on and provides little more than the basic reason for all the male characters to go on an adventure. Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful movie that I absolutely adored, but that was disappointing on a number of levels. If it didn't so often that female characters are reduced as such, it wouldn't bother me case-to-case, but it's far too prolific to not get under my skin.
It's for this reason, and so many others, that Mags Bennett was such a welcome addition to the show and the television landscape at large. Yes, she's a mother, but she isn't just a mother. The fact that she's a mother is one facet to a well-rounded, developed, and fascinating character. As much as Ava
and Winona factor into the overall narrative of the show, they don't have the depth that Mags does. Same goes for Loretta, I suppose. (Caitlyn Dever, who played Loretta, would make for a hell of a Katniss, come to think of it.) Yet another wonderful female character who has a lot more going on than whatever man is in her life. Indeed, with Loretta, her father fills the role of "impetus," which is a trope on its own, but one that was handled in a unique and captivating way. In the penultimate episode, there was only one scene of Loretta at her foster home and I wasn't sure what that was pointing to for the finale. I had a feeling it was letting the audience know that she was still around and still a factor, but it was presented in such a way that it also could have passed as a bookend to her storyline, letting us know that she was okay and that she had moved on. I was very glad to see that the former was the case. After a season of watching Loretta bear the brunt of lies and brutality, it was quite satisfying to see her take charge and stand up to those who tell her "only so much as they see fit." Unlike most shows, I honestly didn't know how the scene between Loretta and Mags would play out and I was actually pretty surprised that she shot Mags. For her sake, I was glad Raylan talked her down, but with this show, I could absolutely see Loretta pulling the trigger for good. “Ask yourself what your daddy would want you to do.” “I want him to be here to tell me.” Wow.Although Loretta didn't physically kill Mags, I do think she was one of the last nails in the coffin. Mags had adored that little girl and was ultimately held at gunpoint by her. That's gotta hurt. Add to that the fact that Doyle was dead and that Mags had just confessed to murdering Loretta's father and I wasn't surprised that Mags killed herself. My brother instantly assumed that she had poisoned Raylan, but I instantly assumed she's poisoned herself. The writers and actors played it off incredibly well, though. I assumed Mags, but then vacillated back and forth a couple of times before Mags finally went off to meet Doyle and Coover in that big Whoop-de-doo in the sky. It made for a chilling bookend to the season, bringing things full circle with a deadly glass of Apple Pie Moonshine. I love that Mags
has two cupboards of glasses on hand. Hehe, here is where she keeps the "guest" glasses and here is where she keeps the "guests who've overstayed their welcome" glasses. You never know when you're going to need to poison someone, you know? So awesome. I had to think long and hard as to whether suicide was what Mags really would have done. On the one hand, she's a tough old broad who I could see fighting to the bitter end, but ultimately, I think this season established her as a woman who lives by her own rules, so it makes sense that she'd die on her own terms. With her sons dead (well, except Dickie, but that's a whole other story), her empire collapsing, the town turned against her, Loretta ready to kill her, and a prison sentence for murder in her future, I think suicide was the only way for her to retain control. In a season that was stolen by Margo Martindale, it only makes sense that the show end on Mags' last breaths. “Put an end to my troubles. Get to see my boys again. Get to know the mystery.” A powerful end to a powerful performance. Bravo.She was far from the only death, though. Bloody Harlan, indeed. I knew the parlay between Boyd and Mags wasn't going to be smooth (how much did you love it when the kindly pastor collected all the weapons?), but the multi-front bloodbath between the two clans was beyond even what I expected. While the major players this season have long pretended that they're about making deals and promises, at this point in the game, both sides know that all bets are off and have prepared
accordingly. It's a little shocking to me that Dickie, of all people, is the Bennett to have survived all this. Not only does he have a crippled leg, but he's done more to piss certain people off than even Mags had. Shooting Helen damn near got him executed in a forest, but he thought it was a good idea to shoot Ava for good measure? Uh, you mean Boyd Crowder's girlfriend, Ava? I'm sorry, does anyone think that's a good idea? Yeah, I didn't think so. Oh, Dickie. If you're back next season, and I hope to hell you are, you're in for a crazy ride, because you see, not only does law enforcement have it out for you, but Boyd Crowder was denied his revenge, so... yeah... that's gonna end well.Okay, that scene where Dickie had Raylan strung up like a pinata was completely awesome. Again, not only does it tie into the mythology of these characters perfectly, but it fits into the overall narrative in a specific and important way. Under other circumstances, it might come across as incredibly convenient that Boyd just happened to show up to save the day, but the show set this situation up in such a way that it makes perfect sense. When Boyd wants you dead, you're gonna get dead. Unless Raylan steps in, of course. Hehe, I loved when Dickie was begging Raylan not to leave him alone with Boyd. Ha! You know Boyd is insane and scary as hell when Dickie would rather take his chances with Raylan, the man who
nearly executed him in a forest not three days ago, than go toe-to-toe with Boyd. It was also nice to see that Raylan, a bona fide lawman who's foiled Boyd's plans on any number of occasions was like, "You have fun with Boyd, Dickie. I'm out. Hope he kills you real good." Jeremy Davies does an amazing job as Dickie, as always, but the lightning-fast turn in his demeanor for high-and-mighty torturer to pathetic, whimpering coward begging for his life was truly a sight to see. It'll be interesting to see how things play out next season between Boyd and Raylan even if Dickie doesn't come back next year. Raylan kind of ruined Boyd's revenge plot, albeit with a good reason, and I don't think Boyd is the kind of guy to just let that slide. I'm guessing that next season will depend on whether or not Jeremy Davies can come back to the show. If he can't, I'm guessing Dickie will "go to prison" for the foreseeable future, but I'm hopeful that he'll at least be back for the third season premier to tie things up even if he can't be in the whole season.The finale did a very nice job of tying up some major plotlines, but leaving other things up in the air. Knowing that it won't be back for forever and a day makes the loose ends a little more irksome to endure, but I think they struck a nice balance. We leave off with Ava bleeding to death on a couch, although with Boyd calling the shots, I think that doctor from the free clinic will perform a miracle whether he currently possesses such powers or not. "You fix her like your life depends on it, because it surely does." Awesome. I think it's safe to assume that Ava will live, as
will the chip on Boyd's shoulder. Her coming out of the cellar was consistent with her character and all, but it certainly elicited an, "Oh, for hell's sake," which is phrase usually reserved for Winona. I really loved the progression of Boyd's and Ava's relationship over the season. The fact that that's essentially the only thing Ava got to do would have been far more off-putting if it hadn't been done so well. Her growing affection for Boyd also signaled a change in her priorities and her stance on criminal activity. She has always been smack-dab in the middle of shady activity, but it was her love for Boyd that made her really accept it. Boyd has been super-protective of Ava since back to season one and to see that really manifest itself in this finale was really lovely to see. His sheer panic at her injury was a very un-Boydlike reaction and drove home the fact that she's everything to him. Even in the face of his own grisly death, Boyd is usually cool as a Kentucky creek, but when Ava's on the gurney, he freaks out and nearly shoots one of his guys. Very nicely played.The other major loose end is Raylan's fate in Kentucky (both in terms of the marshal service and in terms of Winona). Oh, for hell's sake, Winona, you had to go and get pregnant, didn't you? I'm generally put-off by pregnancy storylines because I am rather firm in my opinion that babies ruin everything, but in terms of this show, I actually think the twist works, if for no other reason than the fact that the physiological affects of pregnancy might help to explain why Winona has been so off-balance and erratic this season. Along with that, it was actually pretty charming to see just how happy Raylan was with the pregnancy, which it's clear really is the "best news [he's] gotten in... ever." Once again, I fully believe that that writers knew about this pregnancy before they even started filming this season. They began setting this up as far back
as the second or third episode of the season with that pregnant prison inmate, and have laid the groundwork for it ever since. That's one of the reasons it doesn't bother me. It didn't come across as a ridiculous ploy to shake things up or like the writers just threw it in for a shock, it felt organic to the story. It also makes Winona's reaction to Raylan running off toward certain death (again) all the more understandable. The reason their marriage didn't work the first time was largely due to Raylan's work. I've never been married nor have I ever had a family member with a deadly job, but I imagine it's incredibly frightening and stressful to never know if your loved one will be coming home alive every day. It makes Winona's uncertainty as to whether or not she can do this again, especially with a baby on the way, all the more reasonable, which isn't a word I've been able to apply to her much this year. It also sets up a scenario for Raylan to have a reason to stay in Kentucky. He can't got to Glynco and teach firearms and have the series continue the way it has, so it only makes sense that he stays in Kentucky. Unless the writers have a fundamental game-change in the works, he'll be staying. A separation from Winona would facilitate that possibility.Another factor which may influence Raylan's choice to stay in Kentucky is the fact that Art and the marshals saved the day. Winona hasn't done much right this season, bu
t going to Art and convincing him to haul the entire cavalry to Harlan to save Raylan wins her back quite a few points in my book. Art and Raylan have been at odds because of Winona, so it's make good narrative sense that she'd be the one to bring them back together. Art had no legal or personal obligation to go to Harlan, but at the end of the day, I think Art's paternalistic feelings toward Raylan won out. Again, it could have been seen as a bit convenient that the entire marshal service just happened to roll up the minute Raylan was about to be killed, but the writers established that this was a possibility, so it plays out nicely. They also established a red herring, however, that I totally fell for. By having Boyd make a deal with that policeman early on, it made it hard to be sure who had shot Doyle and whether or not Raylan was actually going to be safe or if this was just one more body for the heap. It took me a split-second to process, but in looking at the incredible precision of the shot through Doyle's forehead, I quickly switched from, "Was is that dirty cop from earlier?" to "Why, that looks like the work of one Deputy US Marshal Tim Gutterson!" Indeed, my only true laments for this finale (and the season as a whole) is that the marshal service didn't get more screen time. Hell, Rachel and Tim didn't even get speaking parts in the finale. If nothing else good comes 
of Winona's sticky fingers, it gave the show a reason to spend time at the marshals' office, when by all logic, they should otherwise have been in Harlan. Say what you will about the Winona money theft storyline, but it was the writers' way of keeping the marshals at the core of the show. Without that storyline, there really wouldn't have been much reason for them to have been in the show this year. You'll notice, after that storyline wrapped up, we saw a hell of a lot less of them, so in terms of my crush on Tim Gutterson, I have to give Winona's stupidity a few points in the plus column.Overall, I have some mixed feelings about the finale. In general, a finale should up the show's game and go out in superior fashion, but with Justified, every single episode is stellar, so how do you really improve on that for the big finish? You can't really, so the finale feels a whole lot like every other episode. That said, they did tie up a lot of story and open the doors for more. It was an incredible end to a near-perfect season. I laughed, I cried (that's right, Raylan, your little speech about Helen when you were about to kill Dickie had me tearing up), and I couldn't possibly ask for anything more. Except for maybe more episodes... but that's ground we've already covered. Until next year, my darling kickass show.
Well done. Er...
Nice shootin'?
Yeah, that's better.
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