TV Reviews

7.8

30 Rock – Alexis Goodlooking and the Case of the Missing Whiskey

Mar 3, 2012 | | TV Reviews

Much like 2009, 2010, and 2011 we should just forget that ‘Leap Day’ exists and pretend that 30 Rock is on a pretty solid comedy streak. This week’s outing was funny, poignant, and had A+ story lines that easily could have filled an entire episode by themselves. The most impressive one of them all was also the least funniest. Once in a while comedies stray from their paths and give characters some depth and diversity. For Jack Donaughy this was that week. I’m not sure if it’s the idea that we’re just pretending Avery is not somewhere in Korea fighting off crying Asians or the fact that we ignore that Jack is a terrible absentee father, but for all intents and purposes, Jack hasn’t had much stuff to deal with. Which is why I was all too surprised to find that he had more character development in one scene than most of the characters on a Chuck Lorre show have in a year.

9.3

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Spartacus: Vengeance – Libertus

Feb 27, 2012 | | TV Reviews

Before I begin my review about this week’s episode of Spartacus: Vengeance, give me a few seconds while I remove my foot from my mouth after the comments I made last week. After Spartacus’ plan to extract Naevia from the mines completely backfired, an even more ambitious plan to save Crixus & Oenomaus seemed like the dumbest thing to do… or so some of us thought. The writers made me eat my own words this week by not only giving us the BEST episode of the season (and possibly the series), but by also showing us that when Spartacus and his band of gladiators really apply themselves, the very foundation of Rome is at risk of crumbling beneath their feet. “Libertus” was an episode that had something for fans & critics alike —- universal agreement that this show is not messing around. Spartacus: Vengeance is an exotic masterpiece that stands in a league of its own, and “Libertus” was a prime example of why that is so. It isn’t often that we’re in a position to summarize an episode with a single word, but “Libertus” was EPIC.

9.5

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Fringe – The End of All Things

Feb 26, 2012 | Narcissus | TV Reviews

“The End of All Things” might have been the end for September the observer, but it was certainly the beginning of many things as far as the fourth season story arc and to some extent the overall series narrative are concerned. It managed that by tackling long standing questions with some revelations that raised new questions. Heavily steeped in the series mythology, the story somewhat left its options open on the subject of timelines by pushing Peter after what, to me at least, felt like a red herring. Abducted at the end of the previous episode, Olivia was at the center of the story designed to advance the overall narrative. Right at the beginning, she finds herself locked in a room with Nina Sharp who explains she has been held against her will for several weeks now. Enters David Robert Jones who would like to “activate” Olivia by forcing her to switch on a few lights simply with her mind: it would seem Mr. Jones, even across timelines, is predictable that way. While all this is happening, the Fringe division is holding another Nina Sharp captive, suspicious as they are that she is responsible for dosing Olivia with cortexiphan. They have nothing much to cling on until the wounded September appears in the lab.

5.6

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30 Rock – Leap Day

Feb 26, 2012 | | TV Reviews

It’s the most important day in four years: Leap Day is coming! And we celebrate it properly with wearing blue and yellow along with Leap Day William. I don’t know exactly what the point of this episode was, except to make us realize that we might be in need of better holidays and that Steve Buscemi is as irrelevant to this show behind the camera as he is in front of it. You belong to the 1920’s now, Steve. Though any national day of celebrations that forces you to cry for candy and has Kenneth walking around in a bald cap is a solid contender for my party list, but the episode was hardly as funny as it could have been.

9.1

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Justified – When The Guns Come Out

Feb 24, 2012 | | TV Reviews

Is too much of a good thing bad for your health? If that’s the case, Justified is the most dangerous show on the planet. Nothing gets the juices flowing like a good old fashioned showdown between two seasoned foes, and judging from the events that occurred on “When The Guns Come Out”, Boyd Crowder & Robert Quarles are one step away from an all-out war. The writers have sewed the seeds of awesomeness over the first five episodes of this season and now, the groundwork has finally paid off. Season three has officially entered into hostile territory, for characters on both sides of the law. To say that Raylan Givens is in the middle of a shitstorm of galactic proportions, would be an understatement.

7.0

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Alcatraz – Johnny McKee

Feb 23, 2012 | Narcissus | TV Reviews

“Johnny McKee” flowed at just the right pace, and as a result, felt much shorter than all previous episodes. The weakest part of the now established episode pattern — the story set in modern day San Francisco — was also better, all things that contributed to a slightly better than usual episode of Alcatraz. Before discussing “Johnny McKee,” let’s go over my grief with the series so far in more details. Whatever the author’s brand of dramatic structure, a story is typically broken into an introductory part, one or several parts where things are developed, and a closing part. In the introduction, we get a little background information and details about what the problem is, like let’s say the identity of the returning inmate and the fact that on top of being a wandering convict, he is killing people and needs to be stopped. In the middle part, things get ugly before they get better for the protagonists (heroes), as in they try to find the inmate, but they can’t do it in time before he kills other innocent people. They finally get whatever it is they need to be locate him, but they (and we) are not sure they’ll be able to fend off the current threat. In the closing part, the heroes save the day, as in they get to the inmate in time to stop him and then go back home to draw lessons from what has happened or read a book to a lady in a coma.

6.7

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Shameless – A Bottle of Jean Nate

Feb 21, 2012 | | TV Reviews

One of the more passive episodes of the season left room for character development and stories to grow. While Frank is trying to find a way to get his mother out of the house, Kevin tries to deal with Ethel’s departure. If anything, this episode was about getting things done. There were fights, there was sex and of course there was some shameless behavior, but most of all the episode flourished in showing the capability of people who have not much to work with.

The strength of the show comes from the sense that even when you have nothing, with the right people and the right attitude, you can survive anything. And that theme would have Frank teaming up with no other than Fiona herself. The much needed father/daughter time was a treat for long-time fans and proof that there is still some sense of bond left between the leads. Surprisingly, the wonderful William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum are as enjoyable as a team as when they are shouting at each other across the living room.

7.3

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Spartacus: Vengeance – Empty Hands

Feb 21, 2012 | | TV Reviews

I’m not entirely sure whether it’s a good sign for Spartacus: Vengeance if we seem to care more about the supporting cast than the main character. But in the latest episode “Empty Hands”, that’s exactly what happened. In an obviously unintentional move, the writers created a situation where I didn’t give a crap about what would happen to Spartacus or Naevia. There were more important developments happening in Capua, and Spartacus’ struggle to survive in the woods just didn’t seem to matter. A lot of plotting & backstabbing has transpired (or is about to transpire) between Spartacus’ foes and all this hostility is bound to rear its ugly head in a more ominous manner over the next few weeks.

9.5

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Fringe – A Better Human Being

Feb 20, 2012 | Narcissus | TV Reviews

After the closing scene kiss that took Peter and the viewers by surprise last week, Fringe picked up where it left off in Olivia’s apartment and delivered an episode so well crafted and so well written that it has to rank up there with the very best of the entire series.

8.0

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The Vampire Diaries – All My Children

Feb 19, 2012 | | TV Reviews

This episode was pretty crazy. Granted, all of this show’s episodes are crazy in one way or another, but ‘All My Children’ moved a lot of stories forward and opened up a lot of opportunities for the remainder of the season. In short it felt like another ‘The Reckoning’, cumulating all of the stories to their climax as if it’s season finale time. From the original vampire mother wanting to kill all her children, to another rescue mission of the female protagonist that actually hurts everyone around her.

30 Rock – Alexis Goodlooking and the Case of the Missing Whiskey

Spartacus: Vengeance – Libertus

Fringe – The End of All Things

30 Rock – Leap Day

Justified – When The Guns Come Out

Alcatraz – Johnny McKee

Shameless – A Bottle of Jean Nate

Spartacus: Vengeance – Empty Hands

Fringe – A Better Human Being

The Vampire Diaries – All My Children

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