Burn Notice 4.10

Prison. Very clever, and very exciting. Breaks formula. And, for once, the story arc stuff is equally superb. I think Garret Dillahunt just raises the bar somehow by being involved. But the regular cast were on top form, also. Sharon Gless has one very, very funny scene. 10/10

Burn Notice 4.9

Jon Seda, Robert Wisdom. A break from formula, typically clever, with nice character writing for main guest character. 8/10

Burn Notice 3.16

(Garret Dillahunt, John Mahoney) Departure from formula, lots of action, good guest star, witty dialogue. Fun. 7/10

Community, The Vampire Diaries, Castle, Burn Notice

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

07.00 Community
07.30 The Vampire Diaries
08.30 Castle
09.30 Burn Notice

Community. Episode 14. "Interpretive Dance"

The Vampire Diaries. Episode 11. "Bloodlines"

Castle. Season 2, Episode 12. "A Rose for Everafter"

Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 10. "A Dark Road"

Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Michael And Michael Have Issues, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice

Friday, August 21st, 2009

06.30 Michael And Michael Have Issues
07.00 In Plain Sight
08.00 Burn Notice

Michael And Michael Have Issues. Episode 2. "Biederman's Birthday" Buying drugs.

A much stronger plot than episode 1, and a much funnier episode. Michael Ian Black's attempt to buy drugs in the park leads to his arrest and sets up the comedy highlights for later in the episode: Black shows up at the home of Michael Showalter at 4am (Michael Showalter ran out on him during the arrest) for a 'friendly chat', and - even funnier - Black then forces Showalter to attempt a middle-of-the-night drug buy. The buy goes great, but there are other unexpected results...

In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 14. "Once a Ponzi Time" A rich guy joins Witsec and gives all his money away. For this, Mary calls him a 'dumb ass'.

Once again, here's a great story that could only be told on In Plain Sight. James Frain (who was great on 24) plays a formerly wealthy man who tries to live a simple life. His wife vows to stand by him. That, in itself, is the makings of an interesting story. But it doesn't quite work out and the story of how it all plays out instead has several twists, the last of which is a real doozy. Even though the 'clue' was there, I totally didn't predict it. Nice work Alexander Cary and John Mankiewicz.

As much fun as the story is, there is even more fun to be had from watching Mary deal with her partner and her boyfriend. Now that Rafael knows what her job is, it opens up a whole new set of problems. One of them being her partner's unhappiness that she told his secret too... The other one being Rafael's ability to stop anyone else from finding out.

The episode end with a great conversation between Mary and her partner. Everything is painful and vague. Something the show does really well. And something which contrasts really well with their great case-of-the-week stories.

One of the best shows on TV.

Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 9. "Long Way Back" There's a guy in town who wants to kill Fiona.

There are about twenty things in any given episode of BN that are great. And one of the best is the troubled Michael-Fiona relationship. Making her "the client" for an episode is just what the show needed right now (as she prepares to leave town, and walk out of Michael's life).

Two of this season's recurring characters meet their end in this episode (one of them dies by Michael's hand in a very satisfying scene) and it's pretty much one of the strongest episodes the show has delivered. In a season that has been, without doubt, the best one yet.

Episode highlights? Anytime the script (by Craig S. O'Neill) calls for Jeffrey Donovan and Gabrielle Anwar to gaze into one anther's eyes with love and passion and pain and confusion...

Highlight? Burn Notice (Michael and Fiona)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Michael And Michael Have Issues, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Community

Friday, August 14th, 2009

06.30 Michael And Michael Have Issues
07.00 In Plain Sight
08.00 Burn Notice
09.00 Community

Michael And Michael Have Issues. Episode 1. "Greg The Intern"

A mixture of The Larry Sanders Show and a straight-up sketch comedy. With characters as unsavory as the gangs on Seinfeld or It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

I love it.

Original and funny.

Michael & Michael are two huge TV stars with a comedy show who get completely obsessed with an interview from one of their office interns (who wants to interview them for his high school newspaper). Highlight? The 'physical' fight on the lawn outside Michael's house.



In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 13. "Let's Get it Ahn" Sherilyn Fenn and Kelly Hu as lovers. Best! Story! Idea! Ever!

Thank you, In Plain Sight, for giving me the mental image of Sherilyn Fenn and Kelly Hu as lovers. I will be forever grateful.

And thank you, also, for breaking my heart with this episode. For this is the one where Marshall finds out that Mary is engaged to Rafael. That scene alone would cause me to rate this episode as a total A+ all the way. And the whole business with the ring getting stuck on Marshall's finger? Inspired.

Story-wise, this was a strong case-of-the-week. Complex (maybe too complex) but fast-moving and fun to watch.

Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 8. "Friends Like These" Recurring character Barry needs help.

Too often, in an effort to create conflict in the (male) hero's life a show will turn his (female) partner into an unsympathetic bitch. Yes, it creates conflict and drama but it writes the female character into a indefensible position. How many medical shows have had the Doctor-Hero fighting with his wife because she wants him to spend more time with her and stop running off to save lives. Same thing for cops shows. "Your job is coming between us" or some such crap.

One of my very favourite things about Burn Notice is the way the writers have created genuine conflict between Fiona and Michael without turning her into a one-dimensional pain-in-the-ass. In this fight both sides of the argument are easy to understand and the constant fighting this season only demonstrates how much these two really love one another. Fiona wants him to stay because she wants him to be with her, AND she genuinely believes that he is making the wrong choices.

The absolute highlight of this episode came when Michael (while undercover) slapped Fiona on the face when she wasn't expecting it. That moment, and their exchanges afterwards, are a prime example of why Burn Notice is more than just a fun action-adventure show. It's got superb central characters and writers who know how to bring humanity and depth to these people.

Story-wise, this was a fun tale with a predictable twist (involving Callie Thorne's character).

Community. Episode 1. "Community" Fast-talker lies to hot girl that he is forming a study group in community college, but word spreads and... he forms a study group in community college.

A simple idea, perfect for a long-running situation comedy series, and a group of funny characters.

Joel McHale is a great lead and many of the others (particularly Chevy Chase and Danny Pudi) are worthy scene-stealer's.

I laughed and I liked. And I want to see more.

Highlight? In Plain Sight (Mary, Marshall & The Ring)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Raven, Party Down

Friday, August 8th, 2009

08.00 In Plain Sight
10.00 Burn Notice
11.00 Kolchak: The Night Stalker
12.00 Raven
01.00 Party Down

In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 12. "Training Video" Mary helps make a Training Video, and Marshall helps an old man find his family again.

A great episode. Very much a departure from formula.

Andy Comeau was also a great choice for his role. But Martin Landau stole the show (as usual, when has he ever given a less-than-superb performance in anything?). The scene where he returned home to his family had me in tears.

And it wasn't even the best scene in the episode. That honour fell to the very last scene, when Mary had a very serious conversation with her sister's boyfriend. Joshua Malina and Mary McCormack were absolutely superb in the scene and the dialogue (by Brynn Malone) was amazing. It was a great scene, in terms of character, and it was very thought-provoking in general terms also.

As for the main story (Marshall takes a man back to be at the funeral of his son), it was a story that could only work on In Plain Sight and - in general - these are the stories I prefer: the ones no other show could do.

But the strength of the show is the central character. Mary is fascinating and that final scene goes to the core of who she is. Great stuff.

Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 7. "Shot in the Dark" Michael targets an abusive dad.

Burn Notice is a hoot to watch! I love the fact that the show can pull off the hero-comes-to-the-rescue-of-little-kid storylines. In this way, the show taps into all that was great about shows like The A-Team and The Equalizer.

Plus, Michael and his team find clever/amusing ways to defeat the bad guys. Seldom has it been as funny as this one, however. This week, as with many of the stories, the sweet ending depends on the bad guy not falling for the plan earlier on. Burn Notice is a lot like House. Michael concocts a plan that will definitely work. A plan that is moderately clever. And, by the half-way stage of the episode, he has executed that plan and found that it has failed to work as intended. So, Michael adds to the plan. And the episode gets better as the plan gets more convoluted. This is one of those episodes. And, because of this clever story structure, we get to an ending that Michael could never have planned from the onset (a bad guy who is a babbling idiot). But the writer (Ben Watkins) obviously did.

Guest-Star wise, this episode is blessed. Nicholas Lea is underused but brilliant (sadly typical of this great actor, who had little more than recurring cameoes in Kyle XY), while Jay Harrington of Better Off Ted is a revelation as the sleazy, abusive dad who goes gradually off the rails. Or so it appears. Lovely stuff.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Episode 11. "Horror in the Heights" Some old people are dying, apparently devoured by rats.. What is going on?

Considered by many to be the single best episode of Kolchak. The usual elements are in place.

The Logic. There's a great, gradual evolution from normal murders to supernatural crimes in this one. Carl has every reason to be curious as to what is going on. He even contacts someone who can tell him how long it would take for rats to devour a human body. Carl is using critial thinking here: just trying to get to grips with the facts.

The Authority Figure/Conspiracy angle is missing from this episode. Instead of a cop, or single powerful person to fight with, this episode allows Carl to make observations on the attitudes of society. On more than one occasion the episode draws attention to the situation of the elderly in society. None of these moments/scenes are obvious or self-conscious, and some are funny. All are thought-provoking. A true example of how powerful the KTNS formula is.

The Regular Cast. Tony has more than one superb scene here. Genuinely laugh-out-loud funny stuff. Ron and Emily get great screentime, too. Ron's observations on 1066 are a series highlight. And Emily, of course, plays a pivotal roles in the episode's superb climax.

The Experts. Kolchak: The Night Stalker is a show that says: Don't trust anyone that works for The Status Quo (whatever that may be), instead find your own experts. There are two in this episode: an exterminator and an antiques dealer. The scene with the former takes a shot a the modern world's use of pesticides, etc.. while the scene with the latter is very funny (thanks to guest star Murray Matheson) and pivotal in driving the story.

Comedy. There is comedy all over the place in this one. All of Tony's scenes are laugh-out-loud funny (thanks to Simon Oakland), and Phil Silvers never fails to get a laugh, even in a drama. Even in the closing moments when Carl is face to face with the heroic old man, and being told about the nature of the evil creature that he must face, the show pauses to make a great joke ("Go home!" says the old man, to the scruffy reporter.)

Scare Factor. There's nothing especially scary in this outing, but the shooting of the creature is very, very clever and unnerving. Each victim sees a trusted friend walking towards them, but the camera angle switches for a second and we can see the strange creepy shame lumbering towards them. Then before we can see exactly what it is, the camera angel switches back again. Great stuff.

The Ally. This is one of the episodes where Carl has a partner in crime. Briefly. Harry enlists the reporter, and aids his investigation, before falling prey to the creature. One of the deaths in KTNS that really pains me. I liked Harry a lot.

The Epilogue. This the type of ending I like best. Carl sits alone in his office, his tape recorder is in hand, but he is looking into the camera and really addressing us directly as he issues his warning. And as Kolchak warnings go, this is truly one of the very best. On a dark, deserted, country lane if you suddenly meet a friend... be careful. Now, try and sleep after that one!!

Raven. Episode 4. "Prey" Raven and an assassin fight to the death on a deserted island.

Despite flaws, this is an example of Raven at it's best.

It starts off with Jonathon explaining to his friends the purpose for his upcoming retreat to a deserted island. They don't get it, and the scenes are light-hearted, but they are supportive and the show does a great job of capturing friendship in the face of diversity.

The story has aspirations towards depth. And, despite some clunky dialogue at the very end, it does a great job of making you think about the futility of revenge. The best example of this comes in the middle third, when there is no dialogue and the visuals cleverly allow us to see how similar the two men are.

The action scenes are among the best the show ever delivered. The climax is thrilling, and I also love the ambush at the deserted hut. Great camera angles and editing. Lots of split-screen images.

On the downside, the episode is saddled with an annoying, and unsympathetic, female character. Dana (well played by Rebecca Staab however) complains about everything and, in the final minutes, inexplicably starts to hit on Jonathon like a cat in heat. What a strange character. Hard to like. Rebecca Staab is good, though. But she deserves better material than this. And the story would have worked much better without her.

Party Down. Episode 10. "Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception" Gay wedding.

Not very funny, but probably the show's best episode. There are moments of great comedy, but the show has found a way to illustrate pain and suffering in palatable ways. And that is quite remarkable.

Henry, Casey and Ron take center-stage here, and all three of them are very sad and broken as the season comes to an end. Henry's story is fully of incredible irony, too. I love it.

Kristen Bell brought her A-game to the table in this outing. Her one-note character (a total bitch) takes a stunning 180 degree turn in the shows final minute. After being, pretty much, the episode highlight, as a fast-taking task-master, the character suddenly drops her guard completely and bares her softer side to Henry. Bell is stunning (of course) and the material given to her is superb. The scripts on this show are of the highest calibre. Line after line, in this episode, are true gems. Yet, it's truly not a laugh-fest. Yes, you will laugh watching it, but it's mostly about sad, lonely people clutching at the straws that are other sad, lonely people.

I can't wait for Season Two!

Highlight? In Plain Sight (final scene)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Arrested Development, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Party Down, Dark Skies, Harvey Birdman

Friday, July 31st, 2009

07.30 Arrested Development
08.00 In Plain Sight
09.00 Burn Notice
10.00 Party Down
11.00 Dark Skies
01.00 Harvey Birdman
01.15 Harvey Birdman

Arrested Development. Season 2, Episode 7. "Switch Hitter" Baseball game.

Lots to love here. Several guest stars whose work I am a huge fan of: Ed Begley Jr., J.K. Simmons and Andy Richter. What an amazing guest cast.

Begley's character is used to make fun of alopecia. Only on Arrested Development. To be fair, some of the jokes are at the expense of the Bluth family's understanding of alopecia (particularly Gob) but the rest are flat out alopecia-is-funny gags. I love it.

I also love the whole Maeby-becomes-a-studio-executive storyline (which starts here). For two reasons: it is flat out hilarious and it takes pot shots at the stupidity of studio executives. I love stuff like that.

In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 11. "Jailbait" Father and daughter fighting, where dad is a crook in Witsec.

Weak. There are two twists in the story. The first is predictable (the daughter has fallen in love with the son of the man who killed her mother) and the second is unexpected (the death of the mother was deliberate, not accidental) but the whole story is uninvolving. It's 'too TV' for IPS. Neither the father nor the daughter are particularly likable/interesting so it's hard to invest/care.

Mary, meanwhile, finally says 'Yes' to her boyfriend's marriage proposal. I wasn't expecting that. Back when he made the proposal I was shocked that she said 'No'. But now that I understand Mary a bit better, I really want her to be with Marshall instead. I presume that that is where the show is heading?

Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 6. "The Hunter" Kidnapped and hunted through the Everglades.

Another change-of-pace episode. In departure from formula Michael is tracked down by an old foe, abducted and - having made an escape - is chased through the Everglades by a team of mercenaries.

There's no client this week, but there is a character written in to fill the void: An arms dealer who has been kidnapped also and must run with Michael, though he and Michael have no sympathy for one another. It's an old dynamic, but it works well here.

As is always the case, the fun here is in watching Michael - a very smart good guy - outwit the bad guys using his brains not his brawn.

Party Down. Episode 9. "James Rolf High School Twentieth Reunion" Ron works his own high school reunion.

I prefer Jane Lynch, but if you are going to 'replace' her with someone, then Jennifer Coolidge is a good way to go. She gets a few good laughs, but this is Ron's episode. It's also another story-driven, and character-driven - episode. Ron's blind optimism, with regard to scoring with the hot lady from his high school, is dreadfully sad and incredibly hilarious in equal measure.

Kyle Bornheimer is underused in a brief cameo. Want to see more of this very funny guy!



Dark Skies. Episode 1. "The Awakening" John Loengard begins to discover that 20th century history as he knows it is a lie...

And aliens are behind it all. I was a huge fan of Dark Skies back in 1997 and was one of the people who campaigned to keep it alive for a second season. Watching it again, for the very first time in 12 years, I can see that it is fast moving and entertaining. I just can't decided - yet - if it's very good or not.

The story opens in the early 1960s with the arrival, in Washington D.C., of John Loengard and his girlfriend Kim Sayers as they each start out on their respective careers. Kim is sidelined for most of the movie as we follow John's investigations into Project Blue Book, the official government group that investigates UFO sightings.

John is threatened to back off. An action that makes no great sense but which, of course, only serves to make him dig all the harder. Luckily, one of the guys that ran him off the road and threatened him was the actual head of Majestic 12 - the Black Ops version of Project Blue Book. John tracks this man down... very easily. And is allowed entry into Majestic 12... very easily.

All of this is quite simplistic and conflict-free, but it does make for a fast pace. By the mid-way stage of the tale, John is working inside M12 as an agent and embroiled in all sorts of alien-related hijinks. As this wasn't enough, his girlfriend Kim now enters the story again and is promptly taken over by an alien.

In the final quarter of the movie, John has to risk all to save his lady, and - having done that - he and Kim go on the run. From Majestic 12, and the aliens.

Yes, things happen way too easily, but the pace is fast, Eric Close makes a great leading man and it's action-packed and very entertaining. The sixties-setting is nice and fresh, too. Plus the idea that the show will show us what really happened behind the news stories is a major hook for wanting to see more.

Harvey Birdman. Episode 6. "The Dabba Don" Fred Flintstone.

Fred, Barney and the gang appear... as mobsters. Only on Harvey Birdman...

This is a fast moving and very funny episode. It uses (a version of) The Sopranos theme to open the episode, showing Fred on his way to work. And things get even funnier from there. Harvey keeps missing the significance of threats, Thundarr appears as a leg-breaker and Judge Mightor meets a sad end. No great loss, I prefer Mentok.

Harvey Birdman. Episode 9. "X, The Exterminator" A hitman comes after Harvey.

With this episode, I feel, more than any other, the show emerges from under the gimmick of just being a show that uses old Hanna Barbera characters in an 'adult', irreverent way, and starts to flesh out it's own world and it's own characters. X is one of the best of these. A pathetic hitman who has never gotten over his decades-old vendetta.

Highlight? Burn Notice (another change-of-pace episode)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter

Burn Notice, Arrested Development, Warehouse 13

Friday, July 10th, 2009

05.00 Burn Notice
07.30 Arrested Development
08.00 Warehouse 13

Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 5. "Signals and Codes" Someone is killing spies. Michael gets a tip-off from a very unusual source and sets out to put a stop to it.

Almost a typical case-of-the-week, but not quite. For one thing the client is a nut-job and for another, the case neatly ties back to Michael's old life as a spy and offers him a chance to win some favour.

Michael Weston channels Dustin Hoffman, in Rainman, and while I really like Weston I find this to be a bit tiresome after a while.

Also, unlike your typical episode of Burn Notice, it takes forever for the story-of-the-week to get up and running. Partly because the client is written/played as a nut job and it takes Michael and his team a long time to see that he is telling the truth. The problem with this is: the audience at home knows he's telling the truth (otherwise there will be no story this week!) so the long-delay winning Michael over is boring and time consuming.

When the story does start, it's very good.

Just like last episode, we end with a superb scene between Michael and Fiona. Really well written and really well played, too. The show's third season is doing great things with their relationship.

Arrested Development. Episode 16. "Missing Kitty" Kitty returns. The yacht goes bye-bye.

More Judy Greer is always a good thing. This is the episode where she returns from 'sick leave' with very large boobs and a tendency to expose them by pulling up her top. This, in itself, is very funny but it becomes comedy gold everytime the camera cuts to Jason Bateman for his reaction shots. Seriously, this show would have been 50% less funny without him. His exasperation at everyone's antics makes every scene funnier.

More Gob magic shows is also always a good thing. And Gob is superb in this one. He does a magic show by the ocean, in this one, and sets about making the family yacht disappear on TV. There's also a wonderful scene between Gob and George Michael where the former sends the latter away which is the absolute best parody of scenes of this nature that I have ever seen.

Finally, there's Tobias. This is the episode where he puts an end to the reign of White Power Bill (I love that character!) and becomes the new godfather of the Prison. Much to the shock of his father-in-law. His underlings, it should be noted, refer to him as Dorothy. This makes them friends of Dorothy, a running-joke about Tobias' sexuality and it also serves a nice callback to the time George Michael watched Oz and was traumatised (referred to, in an earlier episode).

Arrested Development has found it's feet at this stage and now gets laughs with layers upon layers of references. All of them funny.



Warehouse 13. Episode 1. "Warehouse 13" Secret Service agents go after mysterious objects.

The first third of this is slow-moving. And kinda boring. There's two secret service agents. A man and a woman. He's likable enough, but they write her as an absolute bitch. She is crabby about everything with everyone. And she tends to be wrong about everything that happens. And I'm watching and I'm wondering: am I supposed to like this character? They lay it on pretty thick (with clues and hints) that she was responsible for the death of a loved one. But I didn't care.

After a hell of a lot of talky-talk we finally got to the case-of-the-week: a kid who has beaten the crap out of his girlfriend. All the talky-talky stuff bothers me. The show spends a heck of a long time explaining the premise. Yet, if you've ever seen The X-Files you should know what is going on. So why waste the time of a viewership that is way smarter than you give them credit for?

When we get to the nuts and bolts of the story, we again find that this thing is aimed at people way stupider than the actual viewers (I'm sure). There is a twist, of sorts, with regard to who is the actual baddie here. Yet, it's blatantly obvious who the real culprit will turn out to be. Sadly, the script behaves as if this will be a Big Pay-Off.

Critics seems to be loving this. I can't see why. It's average, at best.

Highlight? Arrested Development (Judy Greer)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Fri, Jun 26, 09 - Arrested Development, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice

07.00 Arrested Development
08.00 In Plain Sight
11.30 Burn Notice

Arrested Development. Episode 10. "Pier Pressure" Michael sets up an elaborate sting operation to keep his son off drugs.

Of course he does.

Wow. This is as good as it gets, baby. An prime example of Arrested Development firing on all cylinders. If you don't cry tears of laugher watching this one then there is no hope for you.

Strucure-wise, the story involves all the regulars in an organic way. No muscles are strained or pulled to get this story to work. Even better, it adds to, and advances, all ongoing storylines.

A perfect episode.



In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 9. "Who's Bugging Mary" Brandi is arrested.

No case-of-the-week. Instead, the show's simmering subplots take centre-stage. Mary is a fascinating central character. Flawed, but very human and likable. Her family are awful. Yet, they are believable and - just like Mary - very, very human. As dreadful families go, they might be the best on TV right now.

There's much to love here, but I'm particular impressed by Mary's hate/hate relationship with Eleanor.

And it's becoming more and more obvious that Marshall is in love with his partner. Poor schmuck. I don't blame him, however...

Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 4. "Fearless Leader" Michael goes after a bad guy, as a means towards getting the police off his back.

Another break with formula? Two weeks in a row? Wow. When Paxson was introduced I assumed the show would eventually bring her over to Michael's side and make her like him. I figured she's chase him for - say - six episodes, then get herself into some kind of trouble and have to turn to him for help. Wrong! Michael - because he's much smarter than me - immediately decides to do something proactive and get the good detective off him back. He finds out who else she wants behind bars and sets about making that happen.

There's also a wonderful twist where one of the bad guys does something unexpected and Michael does something unexpected in return.

It's a clever, fun story and an example of Burn Notice at it's best.

Highlight? Burn Notice (clever)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter

Fri, Jun 19, 09 - Arrested Development, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Party Down

07.00 Arrested Development
08.00 In Plain Sight
09.00 Burn Notice
10.00 Party Down

Arrested Development. Episode 3. "Bringing Up Buster" Buster comes to work with Michael. George Michael tries out for the school play.

Tony Hale takes center stage for the first time and Buster starts to emerge as a very funny character.

The show, meanwhile, finds two innovative ways to make comedy.

The first involves the bleeping out of swear words. Other shows have done this, but AD takes it to the next level, in terms of context and duration. Some of Buster's rants (concerning his mother, or a bicycle race, for example) are bleeped out for for several seconds before the camera pans to Jason Bateman for his (wonderful) reaction shots.

While this is happening, more than once, the show introduces another trick to it's repetoire. At the end of a scene the camera will suddenly pull back and reveal the presence of other people in the room. This delightful little trick (which pops up more than once) changes the context of everything that went before and is very, very funny.

As well as being supremely funny, this is a rather sweet episode. The core of it revolves around Michael's relationship with his son, and the ending contains dialogue that is genuinely sweet and moving. And a little cornball.

In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 8. "A Frond in Need" Mary's friend is stabbed. Did her new witness do it? Meanwhile, a sister none of them knew existed shows up.

The A-story is good. It's a whodunnit and - right up until the final moments - it is impossible to predict who the cultprit is. You don't need multiple suspects to tell a good whodunnit. This episode of In Plain Sight only has one suspect, really, and it manages to entertain by making us think (a) he did it, and (b) he did not do it. So, by the end, we really have no idea whether he did or didn't.

It's an unusual story for the show because, unlike every other tale else this season, it could be told on any cop show. The WitSec angle helps set up the story but it's really - at heart - a generic tale of a stabbing of a cop's friend and the cop's attempts to find out who did it.

As good as the A-story was, the B-story is much, much better. Laura Prepon guests as Mary's half-sister! She shows up, meets Jinx and Brandi, and drops the bombshell that James (who ran off on them when Mary was still a child) married again and had a new family. One of them is her.

I adore Prepon and this is a great role for her. Her two scenes with Mary McCormack are electric. The two actresses have a fantastic chemistry. And they look like sisters. When the characters meet, Mary isn't told that this is her sister but - thanks to a fantastic script by Brynn Malone - they instantly notice each other's similar traits. It's rivetting and heartbreaking in equal measure. The final scene, in particular, had me glued to the screen hoping Mary would figure it out, or Lauren would tell her.

This could be the start of the best story arc on In Plain Sight.



Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 3. "End Run" Brennen (Jay Karnes) returns, holds Michael's brother hostage and forces Michael to do some dirty work for him.

Jay Karnes returns and cements his status as the show's best-ever bad guy. Hands down, this is the cleverest villain Michael has ever crossed swords with.

And this might well be the cleverest, most enjoyable episode of Burn Notice to date. There's no case-of-the-week, Michael is being forced to work for Brennan and he has to use his wits to come up with something, against the clock, that will save him and his brother.

This is one of the things that makes Michael stand out from the crowd: he is smart, and he wins by being smarter than the bad guy.

Party Down. Episode 8. "Celebrate Ricky Sargulesh" The wonderful Steven Weber guests as an Eastern European Mobster who has just gotten out of prison.

Steven Weber is very funny and this episode turns the concept of the show upside down. This is a show about a bunch of unsuccessful actors/performers who make a living as caterers. In this story, every one of them is recognised and revered for their past roles. So much so that they can get no work done and end up basking in the glory of being surrounded by fans.

Clever stuff.

The b-plot (the gang think they know a murder is about to be committed, from clues they read in a script) is much more standard sit-com fare, but they still make it funny.

Highlights? Burn Notice (Jay Karnes) & In Plain Sight (Laura Prepon)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Fri, Jun 12, 09 - My Boys, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Party Down

06.30 My Boys
07.00 In Plain Sight
08.00 Burn Notice
09.30 Party Down

My Boys. Season 3, Episode 9. "Spring Training" Arizona.

Another of those complete-departure-from-formula episode that the show likes to do. This time out the whole gang (except Andy) head to Arizona for Cubs spring training.

Most of the episode is devoted to PJ trying to find suitable subject matter for her next column. She finds it by the end of the episode and learns a lesson. And - to be honest - it's a sweet enjoyable journey and it makes for a good episode.

The episode's cliff-hanger ending is wonderful. But frustrating. The show teased us with a potential romance between two of the regular characters in the last moments of Season Two. They ignored this development all season and, now, in the closing seconds of Season Three they unveil the next stage in the romance!!

Huh?

The show only gets 9 episodes a season. Why don't they hurry it up a bit, huh? Dragging something like this (which promises to be a lot of fun to watch) out for two years before showing it is very frustrating to the fans.

Just sayin'...

In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 7. "Duplicate Bridge" Bridge Engineer.

Last week they broke formula by devoting an episode to Mary's boss. This week they break formula by devoting an episode to Mary's partner. This is a much better episode. Partly because Marshall is a much more interesting character, partly because the story is better and partly because the ending brought me very, very close to tears.

Fred Weller is wonderful in the part of the witty, quirky sidekick. But, in this story, we get to see how Marshall deals with one of his own witnesses. And we see the bond he feels for Norman. A mutual bond.

The story is great. As is ever the case on IPS they tell a story that no other cop show could tell. Not just the mechanics of the tale (WitSec and all) but also the content of the story: a man haunted by a mistake that he may, or may not, have made...

And then there's the ending. This episode has a killer ending. As Mary and Marshall stood on the bridge, trying to talk Norman out of setting off the bomb I honestly had no idea which way the story was going to end. Not a clue. Because, much as I loved the episode up until that point, I had no idea what the story was going to be about. The story is in the ending, they say. So it is not until this episode is in it's final minute that you know what they are doing. Where they are going. When Marshall told Mary that he knew his witness, it went through me...

In the epilogue, Marshall spoke on the phone with Mary's sister and - at this point - I thought I was going to cry. Great, great storytelling.

Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 2. "Question and Answer" Kidnapped child.

The engine that drives this story is a sting operation run by Michael and Sam, in which Michael plays the part of prisoner being questioned by Sam and the bad-guy-of-the-week.

It's an elaborate little scam and it's great fun to watch it play out.

But what I love most about it is this: Michael and Sam never plan the details of it, nor do they discuss it. They just do it. Early in the episode Michael makes an obscure reference to Sam (implying that this is a standard operation of theirs from their full-on spy days) and Sam immediately leaves the room and sets it all up.

That kind of short-hand communication between the regulars is one of the reasons I love Burn Notice so much. It's a fast-moving show with oodles of pizazz. It picks you up and brings you along for the ride and the stuff that happens on it, happens really, really fast.

Also worth noting: the wonderful Moon Bloodgood joins the cast in this one, and she gets more to do here than she did in the first six episodes of (the also very wonderful) Journeyman.

Finally: Matt Winston, who I normally expect to be funny, gives a great performance here as the father of the kidnapped child.

Oh!

Nearly forgot! I have to add that I simply adore Gabrielle Anwar. Not because, thanks to her, Fiona is sexy and hot and stuff but because, thanks to her, Fiona is so cute and so sweet. Her pointed-remarks at Michael - with regard to them being a couple again, etc. - are both funny and genuinely charming.

The characters have great chemistry and, thanks to Matt Nix, have a logical reason for not getting together as a couple. Yet the evidently love one another very, very much.

Clever dynamic.

Party Down. Episode 7. "Brandix Corporate Retreat" Henry and Roman are jealous when Casey flirts with a celebrity.

Not the best episode, but still a funny enjoyable one. Roman's jealousy was a bit too sad and pathetic to be fully funny, and Henry's seemed OTT and out of character. As did the idea that Casey could be off sleeping with Rick Fox in his hotel room.

Highlight? In Plain Sight (great ending)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter

Fri, Jun 5, 09 - My Boys, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Party Down

06.30 My Boys
07.00 In Plain Sight
08.00 Burn Notice
09.00 Party Down

My Boys. Season 3, Episode 8. "Friends of Friends" PJ makes friends with a friend of Stephanie's. Mike and Kenny invite a friend to the gang. Brendan wants Bobby to speak to his friend (Brendan's boss) on his behalf.

The show effortlessly takes on a topic and makes it funny. Having Martin Mull as a guest helps.

It doesn't matter that it's predictable. It's funny and the cast shines.

In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 6. "One Night Stan" What happened in 1988?

Paul Ben-Victor is one of my favourite performers. He's superb in anything, but he's somewhat wasted in this show. They really don't use him, or exploit his talents. And there's isn't enough known about Stan to make him interesting.

This episode tries to fix that. It's a Stan episode. Which is one way it deviates from the status quo.

It's also an episode where most of the story takes place back in 1988. That's another departure for the show.

And, while it's a good episode, there is a feeling that you've 'missed' and episode, or something. Because we don't get to see Mary (the star) very much.

As for the story, it's okay. The ending, however, is great. Not just the way the story ended, but also the haunting final scene.

Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 1. "Friends and Family" Michael adjusts to being out in the open (his name is now appearing on databases everywhere) and tries to help an old 'friend' kidnap a bad guy.

Burn Notice is a machine. And I always marvel at it's efficiency. Three seasons in and the show has a wealth of backstory and story arc to deal with, and this episode opens up with a cliff-hanger and a (mild) change in the status quo to deal with. Yet, barely ten minutes into the episode they story has moved over to the case-of-the-week.

Wow. That's a show that knows how to deliver the goods. And they do this all the time. Every episode is adept at advancing the backstory/story arc while delivering an entertaining case-of-the-week that dominates the episode and entertains fully.

As for the change in the show's status quo, it might be one of the best that I have ever seen on an ongoing television series. Why? Well, for all the talk of Michael being out in the open and his old enemies being able to get to him now, etc., the show is - I predict - not actually going to change at all. It's still going to be Michael going up against a succession of clever, nasty bad guys and outwitting them in unexpected/delightful ways.

So, this big change isn't about change at all (why mess with a terrific formula?) it's all about the illusion of change. And I admire that, too. Because it has me psyched to see the new season. I want to see what new foes come into Michael's life, even though - deep down - I know the actual episodes coming up will the same as last year.

It's a clever show. Extremely well executed.

Party Down. Episode 6. "Taylor Stiltskin's Sweet Sixteen Party" A spoiled rich kid.

J.K. Simmons steals the episode. Pretty much. If anything outshines him in this episode it's the amazing, funny ending to the story (where the girl's horrible, pretty fake friends show up and she ditches the nerds to run off).

Talking of stealing the show, there's fantastic turns by Jane Lynch and Ken Marino.

I rate every episode as Grade: A, but the show is edging closer and closer to being in the A+ territory beside The Office, if it keeps this up.

Highlight? Burn Notice (a machine)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Fri, May 8, 09 - My Boys, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Party Down

05.30 My Boys
06.00 In Plain Sight
07.00 Burn Notice
08.00 Party Down



My Boys. Season 3, Episode 4. "Decathlon: Part Deux" The gang competes in a board game decathlon, while Stephanie wants to write about the guys for a Cosmo article and PJ tries to cope with criticism from Bobby.

A so-so episode. Many, many scenes are devoted to watching the gang goof off. Fans will find this amusing. New viewers? Not so much.

The show is doing a great job, I feel, of writing PJ and Bobby as a couple. Adjusting to one another as partners, instead of friends. By keeping these moments are b-plot stuff in the episodes it seems more natural somehow.

I liked the Stephanie storyline. The scene with Andy at home was hilarious and the ending (where she had something good to say about men) was unexpected and clever.

So, a so-so episode. With the season being so short, I kinda feel like this was a waste of an episode somehow.

In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 3. "A Stand-Up Triple" Mary tries to help a teenage boy who - like her - is dealing with a bad mother. Jinx, meanwhile, sends Brandi to an AA to pretend to be her, to help her avoid jailtime.

Another great episode. In Plain Sight seems to have perfected the art of "The Moment" this season. Last week, everything in the episode build towards one cool moment in the courtroom when the camera revealed the sticker on the microphone and we realised how Mary was going to get the guy to talk, and we realised how clever and wonderful she can be when she chooses. This week, the whole dilemma facing Mary is whether to break up the family of her witness. The woman in question is selfish and oblivious to the harm she is doing to her kids, so Mary wants to take them away. It's up to the eldest kid to decide what to do. And, in the last minute of the episode, when he and Mary are having yet another argument about his situation and his decision to stay the camera goes for a close up and he points out that his situation is better than hers because he has Mary to talk to...

And it works.

It packs exactly the sort of punch the writers wanted it to, and it makes a great ending to the story. Downbeat, yes, but great.

Lots of praise here for Lost's likable Cynthia Watros who is cast against type as a mean, selfish mother and does a fantastic charm. Because Watros is so likable and charming, we tend to almost believe all the lies that she tells Mary. Clever casting, great actress.

Finally, I loved the Brandi subplot. It was wonderful. Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure. I really hope the show allows her to make amends with the Joshua Malina character. I want to see him in the show again.



Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 16. "Lesser Evil" Michael teams with Victor and goes after Carla. Who comes after them, with all guns blazing.

A full hour of action. Car chases, explosions, gun battles, etc. Recurring bad guy Victor is given a backstory/origin and Michael opts to trust him, just as Carla's people arrive and chase them all over Miami.

Action highlights? The hand-to-hand combat between Michael and Victor was cool, the escape from the parking garage was clever and exciting, the street of exploding cars was stunning (I'm so in love with Fiona right now) and the shoot-out at the boat was a fitting conclusion.

But, all told, this was an action-packed episode from start to finish. Amid the action we got many superb character-driven moments for Michael, Sam and Michael's mother. Even Victor got his character fleshed out in this, his final episode.

Carla met her demise in this episode. It was, I felt, a bit too low-key. It was satisfying to see her brought down by a sniper shot from Fiona (I'm so in love with Fiona right now) but it was over a bit too soon. Shouldn't we get to see Carla suffer a bit, register her defeat for a while before the kill shot?

Anyway, that's a minor complaint. Loved the episode. Great season finale.

Party Down. Episode 2. "California College Conservatives Union Caucus" Ron burns the American Flag outside a political dinner.

Much better than Episode 1. There are more laughs to be had and Ken Marino is less of a Steve Carell-lite and more like himself. The script didn't push the idea of him being a bad boss, this time out, and was more about his fawning nature. Marino is very funny. This is not his best role, but he's certainly making me like watching the character.

With Alona Tal and Jason Dohring in the guest cast, this is another episode full of Veronica Mars goodness.

Bottom line, however, is that this is a very funny episode. The Ryan Hansen gay joke scene is worth watching over and over, as is the Jane Lynch outburst. "Since when is Toronto not part of the United States?!!"

Highlight? Burn Notice (full hour of action)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Twitter

Fri, Apr 24, 09 - My Boys, Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, The Listener

06.00 My Boys
06.30 Burn Notice
07.30 In Plain Sight
08.30 The Listener

My Boys. Season 3, Episode 2. "Private Eyes" The show deals with the PJ/Bobby romance by not writing about it, at all. Instead, we see how it will affect the group and - as a by-product - we get to see what a cool couple PJ and Bobby really are.

Not only is this a very funny show (and serious contender for funniest show on TV) it's also a major 'feel good' show. This is a good bunch of people, and they are cool to hang with.

Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 15. "Sins of Omission" Michael's ex-fiancée shows up needing help. Michael's ex-fiancée!?!?!

Let's just run down the cast of this episode: You have Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Sharon Gless and Bruce Campbell in the regular cast, you have Michael Shanks and Tricia Helfer as semi-regulars, and the episode throws in Dina Meyer and Jay Karnes as guest stars.

Frak!

I've been a huge Donovan fan since his turn as The Pretender's brother, Anwar was one of the best things about Press Gang, I've had a crush on Sharon Gless since her time on Switch (how I love that show!) and Bruce Campbell is awesome beyond belief. Don't believe me, then check out Brisco County, Jr. Shanks and Helfer were standout, scene-stealing cast members on ensemble shows. I've adored Meyer since her time on Beverly Hills, 90210 and the opening episodes of Michael Hayes. Not to mention that she is responsible for one of the best sex scenes ever filmed for mainstream cinema. Then there's Jay Karnes who almost stole The Shield out from under Michael Chiklis (if such a thing were possible).

And here they all are, appearing in the same episode of Burn Notice.

Who stole the show?

Jay Karnes blew everyone else off the screen as - quite simply - the smartest bad guy Michael has ever faced and - it must be said - one of the smarted bad guys any action show has ever delivered. The battle of wits between him and Michael really felt like a game of chess, and I hope we see this guy again. And again.

In other news: it was a great story, with lots of superb character moments. Michael's scenes with his ex-fiancée, his mother and Fiona (especially that lovely final scene with Fiona) were superb character sketches.

In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 1. "Gilted Lily" A family is torn apart by stolen coins (in an unexpected way).

Clever stuff. In Plain Sight returns with an episode that not only gives full focus to Mary (who is trying to cope with the aftermath of being kidnapped and almost killed last season) but also manages to deliver one of the best case-of-the-week stories they have every used on the show. Quite a feat.

To be honest, there is enough material here for two great episodes: a deep, dark character-study on Mary, and a twisty-turny case-of-the-week yarn. But the show combines them. And it works. While the case could certainly sustain a whole episode, the Mary stuff might get a tad boring after twenty minutes. The balance works and makes them both very enjoyable.



The Listener. Episode 7. "Iris" Faith healer.



This is a strong and enjoyable tale, but it's a very, very frustrating and unrewarding episode following last week's cliff-hanger.



At the end of Episode 6, Detective Marks (the utterly gorgeous Lisa Marcos) figured out that Toby could hear her thoughts. So in this episode... the writers barely feature her at all!!! And - worse than that - when she shows up to talk to Toby, the conversation that follows is... off-camera.

What the frak?!!

I mean, that's a guaranteed way to annoy and alienate your viewers. C'mon, the only thing that we are tuning in to see (after that cliff-hanger) is how Toby and Marks deal with one another, now that she knows his secret. And they don't show it??!!

That's just inept.



Aside from the lack of story/character development, I'm annoyed that Marks doesn't feature in the episode very much because Lisa Marcos is too sexy for words. (Hence the abundance of pictures!!)

Even without Detective Marks, this is pretty strong and enjoyable episode. Toby is pretty cool in this one (leaping a hotel reception desk, at one point, to get the information he needs) and the story has a nice twist to lift it from the norm: the girl he's helping has powers, too.

Michelle Adams gives a terrific performance as the girl with the powers. She brings a great sense of being 'above' everything to the role. Just like Craig Olejnik, really, who makes a fantastic lead.



But my favourite cast member is Lisa Marcos.

Highlight? Burn Notice (awesome cast)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Fri, Mar 13, 09 - Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, Castle, Mentalist, Rules Of Engagement, WKRP

08.30 Burn Notice
09.30 In Plain Sight
10.30 Castle
11.30 The Mentalist
12.30 Rules Of Engagement
01.00 WKRP In Cincinnati

Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 14. "Truth and Reconciliation" Michael must prove that James Black is a bad guy and get him deported back to Haiti.

Average. It's still enjoyable, but there's nothing special about this one. Yet another client trying to avenge the death of a loved one. Michael's elaborate plan... doesn't work. So, in the closing minutes, the team just kidnap the guy and ship him back to Haiti themselves. Cool, but makes you wonder why they didn't just try that in the first place...

In Plain Sight. Episode 12. "A Fine Meth" Mary fights with her family.

A superb season finale. It's definitely not the episode to introduce someone to the show but - for fans - this is an amazing episode.

In Plain Sight has many different types of episodes. Some are action-packed, and some are story-driven. But none has been like this: three talking heads. For a full hour. While we occasionally take a break from all the fighting, the entire episode pretty much takes place in Mary's house and shows up one long, bitter argument between Mary and his mother and sister.

The highpoint of the episode comes when Mary's reveals a hidden stash of letters, sent to her from the father that abandoned them when she was a child. She reads one of the letters out loud in an effort to cause as many wounds as possible. The actually content of the letter, however, states that she's is a wonderful person and must look after the other two.

Amazing stuff.

Castle. Episode 1. "Flowers for Your Grave" A writer teams with a detective to solve a series of murders based on events in his books.

Castle is fun because Nathan Fillion is fun. While this is not as cool as Drive, I hope if last long enough to make him a very, very big star. He sure deserves it. He's a hoot, here, annoying suspects and flirting with his 'partner'. Funniest bit? The sight of him, at the very end, charging down the alleyway with his boot held out in front of him sent me into fits of hysterical laughter. I'm not really sure why. But it was very funny. Much of what Castle did was mischievous and very funny. I watched this with a group and everyone thought it was a great show.

I knew I would like Fillion (I even liked him in god-awful Firefly) but I was surprised by how much I grew to like Stana Katic over the course of the hour. She's a perfect foil for Fillon and I liked the way the writers made her character a smart detective, too, spotting things that Castle didn't. So it's not just another show about one clever person in a team of duffers.

I also loved the relationship between Castle and his daughter. They are written/played as close friends and there's no sense of disapproval or any attempt at false comedy/conflict. They just like each other and it's fun to watch that kind of father-daughter relationship.

The Mentalist. Episode 3. "Red Tide" Dead girl at the beach.

Each episode is more fun than the one before it (and Patrick Jane is more fun to watch) but the ending to this one is a total cheat. It's clever and unpredictable but Jane never explains it. He just reveals that all four suspects carried out the murder together. But he never tells us why he deduces this and he really gives us no reason to believe his theory over any of the lies being told. Are we supposed to believe it because (a) he says it, (b) it's a big twist, (c) it's the last theory put forward before the episode ends.

Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 2. "Voluntary Commitment" Audrey reads to an old lady, and Russell gets a fantastic assistant with a very posh English accent.

Very funny. Great to see a top notch episode that doesn't rely on Jeff being dumb to create laughs. Patrick Warburton is pushed to the sidelines in this one, but he still manages to get some very big laughs.

I like this one because - like Seinfeld before it - it's not affraid to paint the characters are selfish and disinterested in the world around them. An old lady's death is used to great comedic effect here and I loved it.

Megyn Price carries the episode. She very funny and very hot. So I'm happy to see her taking the lead.

Guest star Adhir Kalyan is also very funny. Hope we see him again.

WKRP In Cincinnati. Episode 71. "An Explosive Affair, Part Two" Venus and Johnny are in danger, and Carlson contemplates and affair.

I don't buy the idea of Carlson contemplating an affair. The guy loves his wife too much and I'm not sure I like the idea of thinking an old friend would make these sort of advances. If we are to believe that they have been friends for a long time, and that she was the first 'Jennifer' then it just doesn't make sense for him to mis-read her signals so badly.

The stuff with Johnny and Venus is much better. Johnny rants about the 'Phone Police' and when the bomb goes off everyone back at the station mistakenly believes the guys have been killed. As is often the case, the biggest laughs go to Les who continues to do his news broadcast despite the fact that the station is off the air...

Highlight? In Plain Sight (one hour of very bitter arguing)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog

Fri, Feb 27, 09 - Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, Damages, WKRP In Cincinnati

06.00 Burn Notice
07.00 In Plain Sight
08.00 Damages
03.30 WKRP In Cincinnati

Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 13. "Bad Breaks" Michael gets taken hostage during a bank robbery.

Superb change-of-pace episode. It is nothing like a typical episode of the show, but it still manages to bring all the stuff to the table that Burn Notice manages to do. Even though he's just a hostage, Michael still manages to set up several tricks and cons. The ending (where Sam phones up the lead bad guy and fools him into thinking he has stumbled into the middle of something much bigger than himself) is extremely clever and satisfying.

Alex Carter, Rodney Rowland and Mark Sheppard are superb in their guest roles.

In Plain Sight. Episode 11. "Stan By Me" A change-of-pace episode finds Mary kidnapped and the ongoing Brandi sub-plot taking centre-stage.

After an odd start (with Mary's mother getting hysterical for no good reason) this settles down to be a very enjoyable episode. The story is well thought-out and takes a few nice twists and turns along the way. Nothing major, but enough to keep you guessing as to what might happen next.

Mary gets to go all bad ass by blowing away some bad guys at the very end, and Brandi is written as less sympathetic than of late. She's knows a lot more about Mary's kidnapping than she tells and selfish actions could have led to her sister's death. Hopefully, the next episode will deal with that.

Damages. Season 2, Episode 7. "New York Sucks" The FBI target Uncle Pete as a means towards getting info on Patti.

And he commits suicide. I've sometimes suspected that Pete ordered the hit on Ellen without Patti's knowledge, so it would sweet if she was to find this out long after he was gone and there was nothing she could do to get even with him.

This is a solid, if unremarkable, episode. Several scenes are devoted to fleshing out the character of Kendricks (the major Bad Guy this season) and they are successful. We also get to see more scenes of his minions doing their thing.



WKRP In Cincinnati. Episode 69. "The Union" The workers decide whether to form a union.

Another superb episode to open the fourth season. Once again, there aren't a lot of laughs to be had but - once again - this is a great story. Maybe WKRP would have worked better as a series shot on-film, like The Larry Sanders Show, since - at it's best - it has a lot more in common with shows like that, than it does with shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show or Taxi.

The case for, and against, the union is extremely well written, with the character being used perfectly to raise the issues. The episode has a terrific twist ending, too: Andy, the nice guy of the station, who has opted not to take sides, is shown to be working very much to his own agenda. Yes, he did it for all the right reasons, but - the fact remains - he manipulated everyone to things to work out the way he wanted.

Cool.

Highlight? Burn Notice (superb change-of-pace episode)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Fri, Feb 6, 09 - 10 Items Or Less, Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, Rising Damp, WKRP

06.30 10 Items Or Less
07.00 Burn Notice
10.00 In Plain Sight
11.00 Rising Damp
11.30 WKRP In Cincinnati

10 Items Or Less. Episode 2. "Miracle Worker" When a water stain starts to resemble Jesus, the store decides to cash in on it.

A big come down from the opening episode. The story has appeared on other sit-coms and this show does nothing with it. In fact, lots of what they do just isn't funny. And the bit at the very end (where Leslie thinks he is talking to his dad) is just plain stupid.

Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 12. "Seek and Destroy" Michael goes up against a nasty arms dealer.

Such a clever episode from this wonderful, fun show. Most episodes stick to a rigid formula: Michael meets his client, Michael poses as somebody and meets the bad guy, Michael runs a scam on the bad guy and wins. End of episode. This episode cleverly, and easily, flips the middle part and puts it first. Michael needs money so he poses as a security expert and gets himself a job. By the middle part of the episode he's found out what is really going on and meets his real client for the first time. From then on it is business as usual, until the happy conclusion.

It's a great, fun show and I very much admire the way they cleverly flip things around in the formula to give us a 'fresh' type of episode.

Also, there's some nice continuity with Michael and Fiona after the romance last week...

In Plain Sight. Episode 10. "To Serge with Love" Two protected witnesses start dating, which sends Mary and Marshall into a panic.

A story they could only tell on "In Plain Sight" and a great story, too. Not only is it exciting (because we want to know if Serge is trustworthy or not) but it manages to hit several beats on the concepts of love/romance which resonate brilliantly with the stuff going on in Mary's personal life.

Mark Sheppard guests, by the way. Which, let's face it, is pretty much the seal of excellent. The guy is awesome in whatever he does. And this is no exception. He appears in the Brandy ongoing subplot and - as it gains momentum - this is turning out to be a good story.

Best bit? Marshall checks out the info that Mary got, even after fighting with her. Aw...

Rising Damp. Season 3, Episode 2. "Stage Struck" The gang are preparing for a play.

Reaching out, in desperation (one would assume) to generate story ideas, Eric Chappell moves an actor into the boarding house and gets all the regulars involved in a play. Luckily for all concerned Peter Bowles is cast as the new lodger and the results are hilarious. He camps it up and is probably the only guest star in the series history to almost steal scenes from Leonard Rossiter. While their big 'love scene' is so funny it hurts, it's fair to say that most of the scenes in this episode are examples of the show at it's very best.

WKRP In Cincinnati. Episode 67. "Till Debt Do Us Part" Johnny's ex-wife is getting married.

The first half is painfully unfunny (due a very annoying performance from Hamilton Camp) but the second half is rather wonderful. Johnny and his ex are alone and they talk about their past, and - I suppose - their future. It's not very funny, but it successfully avoids every single cliché you can think of and it hits you right in the heart. Not in a schmaltzy way, either. Everything that's said by the two of them seems honest and low key. Very much like real life. And it works. You get a real sense of the strong affection these two people have for one another, despite all that Johnny put them through. And it's amazing to see that captured so well in a sit-com format.

Highlight? Rising Damp (Peter Bowles)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog

Fri, Jan 30, 09 - Burn Notice

08.00 Burn Notice

Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 11. "Hot Spot" Michael, Fiona and Sam try to run a gang of car thieves out of Miami.

I can't think of a show that is more fun to watch than Burn Notice. It's cool and I love it. This episode set some sort of ratings record by beating NBC and I could not be happier. Anyone who sampled the show last Thursday is definitely going to come back for more. It's a slick show, driven by great characters and - right now - there isn't a show on TV that is more fun to watch. You cannot have more fun in front of a TV.

Case in point: Michael, Fiona and Sam dress up as the coolest-looking gang of car thieves ever to grace a TV screen and proceed to unleash a barrage of bizarre stunts on the members of a rival gang in a effort to run out of town (to save the client-of-the-week). Scene after scene is delightful, as is the 'sting' at the very end when they finally provoke the gang into (what appears to be) an attack upon a much more powerful gangster. This is one of my favourite elements of Burn Notice: when Michael is able to make the Bad-Guy-of-the-week do something stupid that makes an even worse Bad Guy (who knows nothing about Michael) mad at them. In this way, Michael is able to walk away and let somebody else finish the job. Often it is implied that the bad-guy-of-the-week will be killed by their new enemy. Michael's hands are clean, the case is solved and the client-of-the-week is saved.

If all this episode had going for it was a fun case-of-the-week it would still be a great hour of TV. But this episode had a lot more: ongoing developments with Carla and ongoing developments with Michael & Fiona...

Carla is the recurring bad guy, with ties to the people that burned Michael in the show's pilot. She's had cameos in a few episodes so far this season, but she takes a larger part in this episode and - at this point in the story - she seems less in control of events that she previously was. It's apparent at this stage that other forces are at work... and Carla is scared. Showing this side to Michael (and to the viewers) makes her seems less scary, more vulnerable, more interesting...

Then there is the stuff with Fiona...

The final minutes of this episode are among the very best that the show has ever done.

About five minutes from the end of this episode, Fiona stumbles into a trap and when Michael arrives at the scene he panics and assumes that Fiona has been killed in a house fire. Distraught, he returns home to find... Fiona waiting on him: not thinking he knew anything about the fire and totally shocked to find Michael so upset.

The ongoing love story here: we all know Michael loves Fiona but he's not very good at expressing it, so they never make a go at having a relationship. Except now, overcome with emotion, he - for once - can't hold back, he can't repress his feelings: he takes her in his arms for one of the most romantic love scenes I've ever seen on TV.

I not only love the fact that happened, but I love the way that it happened. But in terms of how it happened for the characters, and in terms of how it happened in the closing minutes of Episode 11 when we had no reason to expect it. It really took me by surprise. And it was very romantic.

Gabrielle Anwar is very sexy as Fiona, but she's more than sexy. Because of Anwar Fiona is utterly lovely and her unrequited love for Michael makes her vulnerable and much more likable. Thanks to Jeffrey Donovan we can see that Michael adores Fiona but we can also believe that he cannot bring himself to express it. Until now. I'm not sure what direction their story will take from here on in, but I cannot wait to see the next chapter...

Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog