Television

Game of Thrones – You Win or You Die

This episode of Game of Thrones was so good that I didn’t
even realize until it was nearly over that the best character didn’t appear at
all. The Eyrie still showed up in the opening credits, but none of the
characters in that area showed up, and we barely saw Winterfell either, with
yet another scene reminding us that Theon is the son of the lord of the Iron
Islands and being held in the North, in case we forgot the one from the last
episode and the one before that, and the one before that. But while that scene
dragged a bit, the stuff in King’s Landing and at the Wall and in the east was
really good, and the last ten minutes of the episode were pretty damn dramatic –
things are going very badly for some people, and even though I know what’s
going to happen, I can’t wait to watch the rest of it play out.

Summer 2011 – TV Roundup

It’s
not really a secret that the summer isn’t exactly known for being the
time of year to catch widely popular television shows. If you’re looking
for something with viewing figures in the tens of millions then you’re
in the wrong place. That being said, there has to be something on TV
over summer – I mean it doesn’t just close up shop and hope everyone has
enough to do in their lives to occupy them until the fall premieres of
the heavyweights, right? With that burning question in mind, I took it
upon myself to take a look around at what exactly is going to be on this
summer and what might be worth laying your eyes upon.

Battlestar Star Confirmed for Dexter!

After
weeks of speculation over who would join Showtime’s lovable serial
killer on-screen this fall, the list has finally been completed a couple
days ago. A few weeks ago Colin Hanks was confirmed as having joined
the cast coming fresh of the back of his short-lived stint on Fox’s The Good Guys. Last week, MC-turned-oddly-voiced-actor Mos Def (real name Dante Smith) joined the show, and today, the commander/admiral of Battlestar Galactica has thrown himself into the mix as well.

Smallville’s Top 10 Episodes

During the past seven years, I have wondered on several occasions why I was still watching Smallville.
Now that the show has ended, I have looked back, searching for those
episodes that kept me going. The list is based on my own emotional
reaction to — and on my overall assessment of — each episode within the context of the series. Our
various lists my not exactly match, but I hope some of the episodes
below will resonate with many of the series regular viewers.

Season 1, Episode 1
Pilot
Smallville‘s
pilot episode remarkably sets the tone for what is to come during the
first three seasons. Not only does it bring our favorite alien to
earth, but it also touches on themes that will stay with us for the
entire series. All major characters are appropriately introduced, and
the dynamics of the relationships between them are skillfully layed out
in a story in which no frame is wasted.
Memorable scene: Lex’s car falling off the bridge, and Clark amazing rotation alongside it all the way down.

The Borgias – Nessuno (Nobody)

While
not stunning in its excellence, the season finale of Showtime’s The
Borgias was entertaining. With
a little sex, a little violence, and plenty of political intrigue and
manipulation, the first season’s final episode epitomized everything
the series has been about so far. Though by no means the best
episode, “Nessuno (Nobody)” was still a fitting close to the first
chapter of this provocative period piece.

The Killing – Undertow

Day nine
saw another big mislead revealed, more bad dialogue, and little
progression in the case of Rosie Larsen’s murder. There hasn’t been
anything outstanding about this series since its pilot episode (and
there wasn’t much then), but as the same tired patterns repeat again
and again, The Killing seems
to slip further from ever being a remarkable series and closer to
being another standard police procedural with its only difference being
focused on one case a season instead of an episode. Though
“Undertow” had progression to part of the plot, it wasn’t in the
right direction, or written well enough for The Killing
to break out of its own current of mediocrity.

Game of Thrones – The Golden Crown

I think last night’s episode of Game of Thrones featured the series’
first real death of a significant character. I mean, the Starks were
pretty upset about Jory taking a knife in the eye from Jaime last week,
but as far as the story goes he mostly just did errands for Ned.  But
Viserys finally getting his golden crown from Khal Drogo, after becoming
more of a well-rounded character recently (he’s still a dirtbag, but we
understand why he’s a dirtbag better), gave viewers the first true
taste of how safe everyone is. Which is to say: not very. And things are
going to get a lot worse soon.