by Lee Padrick, November 8, 2013
The Blacklist S1E7
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
The beauty of The Blacklist is that it is a satire of other popular TV dramas.
As Andy Greenwald describes it, television is cannibalizing itself. In this new era of Walking Dead Miami and Better Call Saul, The Blacklist stands out as a big-budget over-the-top hour of wickedly nonsensical badassery, driven by the riveting performance of James Spader as Raymond Reddington. As I have mentioned previously, the best way to view the show is to suspend logic until after the credits roll.
by Lee Padrick, November 4, 2013
Homeland S3E6
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
I have no idea what this show is about anymore.
The first season of Homeland was great television. Suspense, thriller action, spies! That's the stuff folks love to watch.
But when spies turn mopey, hands are reaching for the remote control. Carrie is pregnant (likely with Brody's baby) and Saul's wife is stepping out on him. "We were on a break!" Only works on Friends.
by Lee Padrick, October 31, 2013
Homeland - S1E4
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
Here's a life lesson for folks. If you ever find yourself cornered, just think of where you would rather be. Then go there. If it works for Homeland, it will work for you.
This episode's twist is totally unexpected, at least for me. So Carrie has been working with Saul all along? And the plan was to get the Iranians to contact Carrie about providing them with sensitive information? Sure, that makes sense. Consider that Carrie has risked her life for her job and country multiple times in the past, so naturally she will jump ship and commit treason at the first opportunity that she gets to exact revenge on Saul's harsh treatment of her. Or not.
by Lee Padrick, October 24, 2013
Masters of Sex, S1E3
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
Bill Masters is interested in sex research because he does not understand it. The flashback with Masters and Scully gave us insight into how and why he is driven to research a taboo subject in the 1950's.
Lots of stuff happening, leading to a scattered episode. We see an idealistic Bill Masters in the flashbacks, excited about his work and future research opportunities, contrasted with the present-day Masters, who is cynical, burned-out, and frumpy. The opening scene where a young bride-to-be comes into the office for some discrete advice about birth control reminds us that the 1950's was a stuffy place. This young woman is embarrassed talking about sex with her betrothed, and the look on her face when Masters shows her to apply a condom is priceless. Masters explains her alternatives, including a cervical cap, and the young woman asks, "Where's my cervix?" That's good stuff.
by Lee Padrick, October 23, 2013
The Blacklist - S1E5
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
Ford F-150 versus Jeep Cherokee!
The strength of The Blacklist is size of the budget. Every week, the show continues to up the ante on its action scenes.
There is a new unknown international badass ghost that is known as the Courier. The Courier specializes in moving things, often across international borders, for his clients. His service is expensive, and if the buyer or seller does anything untoward, he executes them both. And, he happens to be on Reddington's (James Spader) blacklist.
by Lee Padrick, October 23, 2013
The Blacklist - S1E4
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
OK, by the fourth episode of a new network show, its fate has usually been sealed. Future episodes are ordered, or the ones already in the can will likely be burned off at 8 PM on fall Saturday nights.
The fourth episode of The Blacklist worked for me, as it moved back to the promise offered by the pilot. Not coincidentally, this episode (along with the pilot) was directed by Joe Carnahan, and it showed. Carnahan may not be able to do much about the writing, but he put the "creep" in "creepy" as our latest Villian of the Week was an odd bird indeed.
by Lee Padrick, October 21, 2013
Walking Dead, "Infected", S4E2
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
There will be no BLT's on The Walking Dead.
There's a prevailing theme on The Walking Dead. Everyone will die a horrible death, and no one gets out alive and happy. Sure, there are moments when the characters forget their plight, and smile, but that fleeting happiness is often interrupted by a scream, signalling the return of the threat of death.
by Lee Padrick, October 15, 2013
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
I apologize for my late, late review of the first few episodes of Homeland. I'll admit, I've been trying to watch "Tin Man Is Down" for a couple of weeks, and I keep falling asleep. So I'm not doing a good job of time management, or the writers aren't doing a good job of making me care.
by Lee Padrick, September 11, 2013
-This review contains spoilers-
Finally finished my summer project. Been watching the re-imagined 'Battlestar Galactica' (BG) off and on all summer, and finally got through all 75 episodes that aired on Syfy from 2004-2009.
For those of you not familiar with BG, your first thought when you hear the title is likely of the late 70's flop that aired on broadcast TV trying to capitalize on the success of the first Star Wars (or the 4th Star Wars, "A New Hope," as we know it now). I had read that Ron D. Moore's version of the campy cult classic was much darker and character-driven than the original, but I hesitated for months before I fired up the mini-series (a four hour pilot) for a peek. I was expecting a slightly less humorous version of "Firefly." What I got was an incredible roller coaster of despair, tragedy, and incredibly nuanced, flawed characters fighting for survival in an impossible situation. This ain't your parents' space opera.
Ron D. Moore teamed up with David Eick, and in 2002 they pitched the show to Syfy. Together, they wrote the mini-series and tied in enough backstory to provide a base for a potential weekly series. While they were working on the mini-series, HBO approached Moore about being the showrunner for Carnivale after Henry Bromell (of Homeland fame) stepped down after production started during the first season. Eick handled the day-to-day operations of BG's mini-series and after it pulled the highest viewing numbers of any show on Syfy, the network ordered a 13 episode first season. Moore left Carnivale after the end of the first season for an Executive Producer gig on BG and promptly wrote the first two episodes of the first season (including the masterful "33", the episode where I became emotionally invested in this show).
Alan Sepinwall, in his "The Revolution Was Televised" book, talks about how the Syfy execs called Moore in after a few episodes and asked him to consider making the show less dark, afraid the tone of the series would turn off viewers. So Moore gave them "Act of Contrition", where an experienced Viper pilot makes her 1,000th flight. While the crew is waiting in the hanger to celebrate her accomplishment, an accident occurs during landing, promptly killing 13. Moore says that after that episode, he never received any more advice on the tone or direction of the show.
The re-imagined show, much like Glen Larson's source material from 25 years ago, is the story of humanity on the run from machines that have risen up against their human masters. But that is where the similarities end. Did I mention this show is dark? Just when you think things can't possibly get any bleaker for humanity, something horrific happens. You start to get a foreboding sense that no one's getting out of this mess alive. Or intact. Or unbroken.
BG has some fine actors playing well-developed characters, from the beautiful Trisha Helfer, the lovely and talented Grace Park, the Emmy-worthy Mary McConnell, the great James Callis, tough and sassy Katee Sackoff, and the incredibly gifted Michael Hogan. But make no mistake, this show is the magnum opus of Edward James Olmos. He may be Martin Castillo when you start watching, but by the end of the series he will forever be remembered as William Adama. Old men rule!
An aspect of BG that is striking is the parallels made to contemporary issues, from the war on terror to limitations placed on civil liberties. This show doesn't do subtle, and there's nothing subtle about Moore's allegorical view of our world post-9/11. From sleeper cells, suicide bomber attacks, insurgency, occupation, and competing religions, this show will will leave you thinking long after the credits have rolled.
If you're looking for a great, character-driven drama about abject human misery and despair, BG is for you. Moore and company do a great job to keep you engrossed in this alternate world, with stunning special effects and awesome cinematography. Shame on the Academy for not handing out more Emmy nominations to a show done this well.
So if you find yourself staying up late because you have to watch one more episode, don't frakking blame me.
Best quotes of the series:
- "So say we all."
- "All this has happened before and will happen again."
- Bill and Saul's exchange: "They told me you were dead!" "For a while, I was."
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