Undercovers 1x04 'Jailbreak'

I liked this show last week... what happened?

What's It About?

Steven and Samantha travel to Ireland and then England in their endeaver to find a very important CIA hard drive, which has gone missing.

Review

It's all gone a bit Pete Tong! (again). I genuinely enjoyed this show last week, it picked up the spy pace and injected some much needed life into the characters and their relationships. This week that's all been taken away again and replaced by another totally self contained story which really doesn't feel like it needs a full episode to be resolved.

One positive to note here: this episode neither begins nor ends with The Blooms in bed. That's a big tick because the way that previous episodes have been bookended has really grated on me, this week that has been drastically improved.

Now to the negatives: why does there have to be a character trait of the week on this show? Two weeks ago Steven was a technophobe; last week he was a technophile and this week he's a human lie detector. Let the guy be a real human being, he might be a spy but that doesn't automatically mean that he happens to have a character trait which is useful to the story of the week.

This doesn't help to make him believable to the audience and in a hyper reality setting there's not a lot of room for character flaws which help point out to you that this is a contrived narrative in a television show.

The writers don't seem to have the same problem with Samantha and as such she is a far more human character and the far more interesting lead in this show.

As always Leo manages to turn up from absolutely nowhere and four weeks on this really starting to bug me, apparently it's bugging Samantha as well as she actually pointed it out. If it isn't going to develop in to a point of the story then either stop doing it or... well... stop doing it! Having a character point it out makes a mockery of the it and just adds to the disconnection from audience to narrative.

There is some interesting dialogue between Leo and Samantha in this episode which alludes to further backstory which could interfere in the Bloom marriage, for a while I believed there was going to be a mystery added to the show which might drag on until such time as characters could not go on without revealing the truth. But by the end of the episode the secret has been displaced without ever being spoken in a sign of true love and strength of marriage.

Frustrating although it is I guess this does help to round out the marriage and show the belief that Steven and Samantha have in each other. Oh well, mystery unsolved... for now.

I want so much not to have to bitch about this show, particularly after the hints of potential brilliance from last week but we really have taken 5 steps back and its frustrating to see the problems this show is having eek themselves out on screen. Plus the theme tune... oh the theme tune!

There is some secondary character development this week and also some development towards some form of overall arc to the series, but I fear that judging by the dwindling ratings there won't be enough time for this to unfold the way it has been planned out.

There is some serious danger hanging over this show but I am still hoping that it can be turned around and have a chance at continuing the way it should but if the trouble I had even finding the below one-liner to describe next week is anything to go by then NBC is on the hunt for a midseason replacement as we speak. 

Next Week...

What should be an easy mission for Steven and Samantha becomes more complicated by the minute.

Overall

Story    2.5

Character    2.5

Spyness    3.0

Overall    3.0

The Event 1x04 'A Matter of Life and Death'

Even more epic twists and turns from the new NBC mystery show...

What's it about?

As the White House tries to deal with a biological threat, they realize the only hope of resolving the issue is to crack Sophia during an interrogation. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Collier discovers Victor's secret life while searching for Leila, a businessman with undisclosed intelligence about the White House appears out of nowhere, and Vicky and Carter continue to hold their hostages.

Review

There's a pleasant surprise amongst all the action taking place in 'The Event' this week... character development and buckets of it for all parties concerned.

After spending the first couple of weeks struggling to find its voice and then finding a great balance of action in episode 3 this week 'The Event' throws some heart in to the mix. There's the old bait-the-boyfriend trick going on this week but there's a lot tugging at the heartstrings going on as we watch Leila 'escape' from her captors.

The actors have all proven that they can pull off the screaming and the running and the crying and now it was time for them to show us that they're 'real' 3 dimensional people who have feelings and who we have to hate or feel sorry for depending on their situation which judging by this show can change rather rapidly from start to finish.

Maximum points go to the above mentioned Leila played by Sarah Roemer for her scenes in this episode and I hope that in the future she gets a lot more scenes with Jason Ritter and those scenes would preferably be in the present not the past... well one of the presents would be nice at least.

The flashback scenes in this episode help add weight to the family bond for the Buchanan family which was so tragically ripped apart in the pilot, there is going to be some serious retrospective sadness about the murder and mayhem which has been placed upon them. I can't help but ask why? Why was it this family who were so important.

But of course that is just one of a thousand questions which you could ask about this show.

The writers are still holding up their end of the bargain and answering questions on a week-by-week basis and it is really working for me. I'm not finding myself having to make notes one this show like 'Lost' and it's done in such a way that nobody could be justified in accusing them of pandering to the audience to try and hold on to the viewing figures. 

On that note the numbers are not looking good, another million viewers have been lost since last week and from week 1 to week 4 we are looking at a loss of 4.69 million. The fate of this show is not yet decided so I don't believe there is reason for huge panic yet but none the less I you should make it your mission to tell a friend to check out 'The Event'.

What about those aliens? No mention of the A word this week but they're definitely up to something. Some of the best character moments in the show this week come from Sophia's trip to the White House. The interplay between the President and his wife is touching and rounds out his character nicely and in line with how he has been portrayed from the pilot. In contrast the interplay with Sophia sharply changes the mood and brings some serious humanity to her plight.

By this point in the series we are even humanising our villains by giving Vicky both a mother and a son. I can only surmise at this point that she is some kind of assassin for hire but underneath it all she has a heart. Still doesn't make me like her though.

A special mention needs to go to the survivors of the plane crash, they've died and come back AND they're being looked after by the amazing guest turn of Chief O'Briens wife Keiko from DS9! Definitely not going to complain about a Star Trek themed guest star.

The scenes which allude to their interrogation are a little tough to watch, especially when children are involved, and although brief they help push the envelope on this show a little. Just when you think these poor people have been through it all they get nosebleeds and suddenly we bang in the middle of another big twist.

By the end of the episode I'm a nervous wreck and I really wished that Vicky wasn't prepared for getting shot because somebody really needs to kick her arse... maybe next week?

Next week...

While the CDC tries to deal with the captive's contagion, Martinez and Blake try to negotiate with Thomas. Meanwhile, Simon talks to Sophia about Thomas, and Collier closes in on Vicky and Carter.

Overall

Story    4.0

Character    4.0

Weirdness    3.5

Overall    3.5

How I Met Your Mother 6x04 'Subway Wars'

Ooooh... character devMarhsaelopment!

What's It About?

Robin vows to convince the gang she is a "real" New Yorker, despite their teasing to the contrary, since she hails from Canada. When Woody Allen is spotted in a downtown restaurant, Robin rushes to see the quintessential New Yorker.

Review

Of course by saying 'roll on next week' in my last review what I really meant was 'roll on the next review' because I saw these episodes back-to-back!

I have to say after having a little moan about the previous episode watching 'Subway Wars' was a pleasant experience, 'HIMYM' in recent years has been much more enjoyable to watch when it divides its time up equally between all the characters.

At some point the writers have clearly come to realise that although the audience appreciate the story of Ted and the search for his wife they respond most positively when there is a gang storyline taking place and this is a great example of such a story.

It's been a wee while since we poked fun at Robin's Canadian heritage so we returned to that material here to help her prove that she's now a true New Yorker. As with the previous episode some of the best character moments happen between Lilly and Robin just because their characters have the most chemistry on screen.

But there is also a lot of subtle plot twists to keep the characters moving on from where they were at the beginning of the season, particularly Lilly and Marshall's plans for having a baby. There's even another nod to Barney's softer side, albeit expressed through the medium of comedy.

Another welcome change in this weeks episode is the fact that it doesn't entirely take place on one of the sets which we have so regularly seen over the last few years. Taking the show out of the bar/Ted's apartment/Lilly's Apartment and on to the streets of New York makes for a nice change in atmosphere and also helps ground the show in reality. We don't often see these guys in real daylight so a chance to see them running the streets is welcomed with open arms.

Once again there's not a single iota of mommy in this episode but with everything else that is going on here it's a non-issue, this does however look like it is going to come back in to play next week with the introduction of a new female foil for Ted.

Next week...

Ted is confronted by a beautiful girl named Zoey Van Smoot who's upset about the landmark to be torn down to make way for the new GNB headquarters he's designing.

Overall

Storyline    3.5

Mommyness    0.0

Barney Moments    3.5

Overall    2.5

How I Met Your Mother 6x03 'Unfinished'

It's a crisis of career for Ted...

What's It About?

Goliath National Bank revives its headquarters project but Ted wants no part of it after what happened to him the last time. Barney tries to convince him of giving it a second chance by using all of his best womanizing tactics. Robin's post-breakup depression leads her to drunk-dial Don.

Review

I'm aware of how disturbingly slow I've been to review this but then I've only just managed to actually watch it! So it's back to back reviews for episodes 3 and 4.

This week we're dealing with Ted's confusion at taking up the offer from Goliath National Bank to design their headquarters, a job he's already been fired from once. Barney and Marshall spend the bulk of this episode trying to subvert Ted into taking up the job. Meanwhile Lilly and Robin are trying to deal with Robin's left over feelings for Don after she catches him on TV.

I'm realising that the more I write reviews for this show the harder it is to find the words to write about it, although the overall premise of the show is about the search for Mommy you really don't realise until you are writing at length about it that this doesn't really factor in to many of the episodes. In fact 3 episodes in to this season and we've only have 1 episodes which was vaguely related to the title.

What I'm trying to say is... I am having a mommy related crisis! I'm also going to need to change my review aggregator or this show is really going to start scoring low.

It's not that I don't love this show it's just that there are no week-by-week threads to discuss in review form. So from here on out we will just have to take each episode at face value and unfortunately this is a predominantly Ted-centre episode.

As I have mentioned before there is a general consensus that Ted is perhaps one of the most one dimensional characters in sitcom world. After over 5 years this guy has not developed much from where he was in the pilot so watching an episode which focuses on him but doesn't push his character any further forwards is not that fun to watch.

I found much more enjoyment in watching Robin finally get over Don and the hilarious scenes of Lilly trying to do martial arts than I did in watching Ted mull over taking the job for Goliath Bank. There's a spark between the two actresses (as there is with the boys sans Ted on occasion) which is very fun to watch on screen and as a 'Buffy' fan it's always intriguing to watch Alyson Hannigan playing comedy.

The problem maybe isn't so much the character of Ted himself but more that as he stands still in the search for his future wife all his friends have progressed along with the series and left him behind. There's far more mileage for the audience in characters who aren't stalled in one plays in their lives apart from perhaps the case of an extremely well written character like Sheldon on 'The Big Bang Theory'.

The story here isn't bad it just ends in the same place it begins... roll on next week.

Next week...

Robin vows to convince the gang she is a "real" New Yorker, despite their teasing to the contrary, since she hails from Canada. When Woody Allen is spotted in a downtown restaurant, Robin rushes to see the quintessential New Yorker.

Overall

Storyline    3.0

Mommyness    0.0

Barney Moments    3.0

Overall    2.0

Grey's Anatomy 7x03 'Superfreak'

Derek's little sister hops over from 'Private Practice' to stir up some trouble in Seattle...

What's it about?

When Derek receives an unexpected and unwelcome visit from his estranged sister, Amelia, issues between the siblings -- both past and present -- come to the surface; the Chief tries to help Alex when he notices that he's refusing to use the elevators after his near-fatal shooting; and Meredith and Derek continue their efforts to ease Cristina back into surgery after her post-traumatic stress.

Review

This week it's time for our first cross over with the guys and gals of 'Private Practice' and you could be forgiven for thinking it a nice subtle crossover until the final moments of the episode (see above image for a clue!).

Amelia's visit to Seattle is one of several plot lines that take place in this episode and although it takes up very little screen time it is clearly going to have an impact for the foreseeable future. Despite the heartbreaking ending this episode feels different to the others we've so far seen in this season, there's a little more hope and a little less despair at Seattle Grace.

The biggest complaint I've heard from fans over recent weeks has been the changes to the character of Yang. It's true that she is barely recogniseable to her character of the last six years but amongst all the complaints about her losing her bite the viewing public seem to have forgotten that even those who seem invincible are subject to human behavior. The writers have taken a big gamble in breaking down one of their strongest characters and hopefully it will be a compelling story to watch as she builds herself back up again. If this show has one aspect (outside of the medical world) that is does best it's knocking down and rebuilding characters as they learn and grow.

The affect of Yang's self-doubt continues to throw up interesting character moments which don't necessarily put a downer on events in the show, for instance her three-in-a-bed moments with Derek and Meredith are some of the more touching moments of the episode rather than a visual representation of her gloomy mood.

There's now a war for the most compelling will-they-won't-they couple between Callie/Arizona, Teddy/Andrew and Mark/Lexie. All three are great to watch but for the time being I think the writers are persuading us to pull for Mark and Lexie the most as they seem to be able to provide the most heartbreak on the road to happiness a la Mer and Der in past seasons.

It's always good to see Dr Bailey get some comedic moments, no matter what you throw at her she will be able to deal with it with amazing depth and feeling but when you get a Bailey laugh you know you're watching some classic 'Grey's Anatomy' and the really quite disturbing moment (for arachnophobes of the world) does also provide some good laughs.

We're taking baby steps on the road to recovery and although I've prefer strides to steps you can't fault this episode for it's character development.

Next week...

Things are hostile on all fronts when a visit to the obstetrician results in some disturbing news for Meredith and Derek, and Lexie loses it when she notices Meredith and April getting closer. Meanwhile a car crash brings in multiple traumas and Jackson tries using his physical attributes to get ahead in the operating room, while Cristina's self-doubt carries outside of the hospital and into her house hunting with Owen.

Overall

Story    4.0

Character    4.0

Medical content    4.0    

Overall    4.0

Supernatural 6x03 'The Third Man'

Short but sweet episode filled with Egyptian plagues...

What's it about?

While Heaven remains in a state of disarray, Sam, Dean, and Castiel come face-to-face with an old foe when they attempt to track down the thief who stole the Staff of Moses from an arsenal of God's weapons in order to kill several police officers with the plagues of Egypt.

Review

If the purpose of last weeks episode was to bring Sam and Dean back together then the purpose of this weeks episode was to throw Castiel back in to the mix and my default this means that next week it's Bobby's turn to rejoin the gang on an almost full time basis.

It's good to have the trio back together has Cas can always provide some comical relief in the heavier, darker episodes that this show can throw at us. This might not quite be one of those episodes but this week we do get a look into a myth that doesn't revolve around either God or the Devil.

This episode does also provide a reminder of what a demon-of-the-week episode can feel like when there isn't a very big war or apocalypse building the background. There's a lack of immediacy in these recent episodes is a refreshing change from constantly heading full throttle towards the finale even at episode three but clearly there are members of the audience who are not yet comfortable with this change in tone.

There's a brilliant guest appearance by current 'Fringe' villain Sebastian Roché this week as the potentially evil angel Raphael who seems to be a foil for Castiel and I hope that is role as Newton doesn't interfere with any possible reoccuring appearances in this show.

This episode is a great reminder that sometimes on 'Supernatural' the supporting characters can play the most interesting roles and that Sam and Dean can almost take a back seat to their antagonists. Despite their strong on screen chemistry and the wealth of back story both on and prior to the show there is still a lot of mileage to be had out of some of the other stars of this show as was the case in season one with some of the more outstanding horror pieces which this show has provided.

It's this feel which the revised creative team are trying to evoke here but for me it is not quite working the way it should yet, possibly because so much time has past and the show has grown so far beyond that original premise.

My biggest concern this week is that the episode was wrapped up and credits rolling before we had even hit the 40min mark. It was nice to have a teaser of upcoming episodes tacked on at the end but for the story to be over and the credits finished before we've reached the usual running time is perhaps a bad sign. What was cut out of this episode which ended up with it running so short?

We can't leave this episode without discussing the teaser, clearly over the course of the next few episodes we're going to get to the meat of the arc of this season but generally 'Supernatural' has only teased like this at times when it is going on a break, there's no such break at this point so why feel the need to tease?

I am personally glad of the tease as part way through this episode I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the direction this season is taking, I was aware going in that we were going to be discussing demons acting out of their normal behaviour but this is something we've really yet to experience. Also, this wedge between the bros which has existed in nearly every season from time-to-time is starting to feel contrived and over worked so hopefully after the upcoming truth telling episode we'll have some sense of the brotherly bond which is severely lacking at this point.

As is so often true with 'Supernatural' it will take Bobby to put this right!

Next week...

Bobby turns to Sam and Dean for help when the demon Crowley refuses to return his soul as agreed.

Overall

Story    3.5

Character    3.0

Scares    3.0    

Overall    3.0