Alright, time for one more round of TV reviews ...
My big thing right now is all the negativity surrounding BIONIC WOMAN. Honestly, I just don't get where this is coming from. I understand that the show might not be for anyone, and I totally get some of the complaints regarding pacing, dialogue etc. But as far as I can see, the show is still really fun, features a pretty damn good cast loaded with charismatic actors, and has more than enough "cool factor" to rise to near the top of my list of the Fall's best new shows. Yet all I hear is bitching and moaning from the peanut gallery, and it really sucks because there's now this kind of domino effect where people seem to be jumping on the rag-on-Bionic Woman bandwagon just because. But really, for a show of this nature, can you really be that hard on it for some of its shortcomings? I mean, put Bionic's first two episodes side by side with the likes of Heroes, 24, Smallville (hello!), Prison Break, etc - is the dialogue and so forth really that much worse? I'm not trying to blindly defend Bionic - I'm just saying that the show had a pretty intriguing pilot, had a second episode that added some further twists and turns as the groundwork was laid for the season ... I mean, the show is off to an extremely solid start in my eyes, and all it needs is that one truly kickass episode to cross that that line. It needs a moment akin to Future Hiro popping up on Heroes, or Terry O'Quinn acting his ass off in the "Walkabout" episode of Lost. And it may have that soon - but right now the show is just finding its legs, and it's been pretty entertaining in the process.
So, BIONIC WOMAN, Episode #2:
As for last night's ep, I really enjoyed it. I agree that the plot was pretty jumpy and seemed more designed to simply get Jamie from Point A to Point B. But what this episode did and did well was to establish the supporting cast, which I am really liking thus far. I think the show is surrounding Jamie with a really cool group of characters, from her trainer who has a history with the evil, original Bionic Woman, to her hardass field-commander, to Miguel Ferrer as the world-weary head of the mysterious agency. Isaiah Washington did a nice job in this ep as well, and of course, Katee Sackhoff once again stole the show as Sarah Corvus, even with limited screen time.
Now, I do agree that there needs to be some sharpening-up in terms of the writing. The plotline of the town that had been mysteriously gassed seemed very glossed-over, and I don't think it was ever even mentioned who exactly the guilty party, some kind of ambiguously evil militia group, actually was. And we still don't really know what the deal is with the agency that Jamie works for, why they are experimenting in Bionics, who they report to, etc. I also think the timeline of Jamie going from having just received her bionic upgrades, to doing a cool but brief training montage, to going out in the field was a bit hard to follow, and could have been more tightly-edited. I think the producers of this show should definitely check out some DVD's of the excellent and underrated La Femme Nikita to see an example of how to show the progression of a woman from wrong-place-wrong-time recruit to full-on fighting machine.
But, take La Femme Nikita as a great example here, since it has so many similarities to Bionic Woman. That show was over-the-top, comic bookish, but was pure entertainment to watch from start to finish because it had great characters, a unique style, intense action, and a premise that made for a vast array of fun story possibilities. Bionic is in the same boat, potentially - there are some really fun characters, and a lot of threads being sewn that could make for some really cool storylines down the road. So, I'm not sure why, exactly, the first two eps have been utterly nitpicked to death by the legions of blood-sniffing critics out there, who jumped all over this week's ratings decline as a sign that what they saw as an overhyped remake was in fact a sinking ship. Well here's hoping, and this is only as a fan, that the show stay steady and rebounds, as to me it's a nice action-adventure show so far has only scratched the surface of its potential.
My Grade: B+
PUSHING DAISIES:
- Now, I have got to talk about PUSHING DAISIES, which to me just has an awesome, brilliant pilot. I am so happy, again, simply speaking as a fan, that this show did so well in the ratings last night, because like many, I figured it might be too quirky, too different to win mainstream acceptance. But on the other hand, something inside me was more optimistic than usual this year about the chances for more offbeat shows like Chuck, the returning 30 Rock, and this one, Pushing Daisies. The audiences, I think, are getting younger and more open-minded to shows that stray from the beaten path. But the great thing about Pushing Daisies is, it manages to be witty, stylistic, and fresh, but at the same time it has nearly universal appeal - it is, after all, essentially a classic fairy tale.
It's funny, the first time I saw this pilot, I was immediately reminded of a Tim Burton movie. As many have pointed out - the mix of whimsy with black humor, the slightly gothic, surrealistic sensibility, and the stylized visual flourishes, give Daisies the feel of movies like Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish. But as I re-watched the show last night, I realized something different. What I now saw was this: in many ways, Pushing Daisies is the new Gilmore Girls. And I mean that in the best possible way. I mean, it's so great to hear dialogue that snaps and pops like it does here, to hear people talk in a way that isn't trying to sound cool or real or authentic, but that instead EMBRACES language, where you can feel the care and imagination that obviously went into crafting each and every sentance. To me that is so utterly refreshing and a total joy to watch, and to listen to.
And to see a TV show that has such a bold, unique, imaginative visual style - again, extremely refreshing. You couldn't ask for a better change-of-pace from generic-looking sitcoms, uniformly washed-out cop shows, or boringly bland-seeming action-adventures. Pushing Daisies looks and feels like a storybook come to life, and there is an almost animation-like artistry to the visuals.
As far as the actors go, the cast here is pretty much perfect. The huge standout to me is Anna Friel is our hero's childhood love who he reanimates from the dead with his magic touch, only to realize that another touch from him would send her back to the grave. With Friel, it's easy to see why Ned, the lead character with the ability to bring back the dead, would fall in love with her all over again from the moment he sees her as an adult. Lee Pace does a nice job as Ned as well - he comes off both as innocent and as kind of dark and issue-laden. Everyone else, from Chi McBride to Kristen Chenowerth is also really great - and they all do a great job handling creator Bryan Fuller's literary dialogue.
And give a ton of credit to Bryan Fuller. He wrote an amazing episode of Heroes last year in "Company Man," and its clear that he is a huge talent with a unique voice and a gift for crafting compelling fantasy worlds. He will surely be sorely missed on Heroes, but I'm glad he has this opportunity to craft such a compelling new creation. If anything, my one reservation is that I wonder how the pilot, which almost felt like a mini-movie, will serve as the basis for an ongoing series that can provide fresh stories week in and week out. And can other writers not named Bryan Fuller, and other directors not named Barry Sonnenfeld, keep up the momentum, or will this be a more extreme example of Gilmore Girls, where the Palladino's vision was so unique and specific that it sometime suffered when others tried to emulate them.
As it is though, this is one of the very best pilots I've seen, and a show that makes me think that network television can, in fact, amount to something that resembles art.
My Grade: A
CHUCK, Episode #2:
So about my other favorite new show of the season ...
Here's another one, where, like Bionic Woman, I'm seeing a lot of negativity towards, and I can't figure out why. I didn't get to see this ep when it aired on Monday, and all I've heard this week was how the 2nd ep of Chuck was a letdown following the pilot. Um, what? This episode was great! I thought it was a great "setting-up-the-status-quo" type of episode, and did a nice job of establishing the type of threat posed to Chuck and his friends by all of the various forces out there trying to extract all of the secrets from his brain.
But more so than that, Adam Baldwin ruled it in this episode. Up until now, I have been a fan of Baldwin but haven't really understood why some people are such fanatical fans of his. But okay, now I'm on the bandwagon. This guy was alternatively badass and hilarious in this episode, and I liked the Ash-in-Evil Dead, "Shop Smart, Shop S-Mart" vibe he had going on while forced to pose as a mild-mannered Buy More store clerk. And Sarah Walker, Chucks' beautiful-yet-deadly CIA partner, working in a Wienerschitzel analog? Brilliant. If only the Wienerschnitzel across from me could have someone like her behind the counter ... let's just say I'd eat a lot more Wienerschnitzel.
Overall, I thought this ep was a fun blend of genuinely funny comedy with over-the-top action. Gotta love Adam Balwin vs. Yvonne Strzechowski in a hardcore fight in a fast-food joint. So, I know that I personally am very conflicted, since Prison Break is probably my favorite show right now and a must-see for me on Mondays at 8. But CHUCK is quickly becoming a must-watch, and I'm onboard. It's a show that's good enough to gou out of your way to watch (or download it on Amazon Unbox!!!).
My Grade: A -
Alright - that's it for now. Make sure to watch The Office tonight, as well as 30 ROCK, which features JERRY SEINFELD. It will be hilarious!
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