TV Reviews

Alphas – The Unusual Suspects

With “The Unusual Suspects,” Alphas
went back to the basics with a metronomic execution. The series dipped
into the potential that was very palpable from the early episodes, and
by handling all its characters with care, delivered the episode fans
knew it could.

In
the pilot episode, we were vividly introduced to each member of Dr.
Rosen’s team. We discovered how wildly different their Alpha abilities
as well as their personalities were, but because of pilot-episode
requirements, we did not delve too much into any one character. At
least, not enough for personal idiosyncrasies to affect our overall
perception and distract us from the story being told. The result was an
episode that quickly brushed on some personal issues, showcased all the
abilities, and after outlining the perceived villains (Red Flag), left
the viewer wanting  more.

Parks and Recreation – I’m Leslie Knope

It’s the premier of Parks and
Recreation’s fourth season, with which we return to Pawnee and
those low-level government employees we just can’t get enough of.
Essentially setting up the season’s longer running storylines, “I
Am Leslie Knope” came with big changes for a number of characters;
though some turned out to be more welcome than others. Though this
episode wouldn’t make it onto the list of funniest, it had all the
trademark heart that few other comedies can match.

The fast-paced cold open was the
perfect way to kick off the season, thanks to embodiment of manliness
that is Ron Swanson. In most cases fleeing from a woman would be a
sign of weakness, but the Parks Department Director does it with such
style that he comes off like a spy who’s making his getaway after his
cover’s been blown. The sureness and determination of his movements
while procuring his “bug-out bag” from its hiding spot in city
hall created an outrageous scene – not to mention the still charred
remains of his facial hair. Topping it off with the image of Ron
running -the single greatest contribution to physical comedy of the
modern era- ensured that even if the rest of the episode was dry,
there would still be one hilariously memorable moment.

Haven – Who, What, Where, Wendigo?

“Who,
What, Where, Wendigo?” was an episode full of surprises. They were at
times irritating, puzzling, and even touching. Some of the plot lines
missed the mark, but we never stooped to the lows of the previous week.

The
tone was set from the very first scene: a truck driver, flossing his
teeth, watched a waitress while listening to a radio report of a serial
killer whose last victim was a young woman working for a dentist.
Flossing, dentist and voyeurism naturally nudged our mind toward the
obvious conclusion, but the driver turned out to be the person
protecting a helpless teenager apparently running for his life.

Breaking Bad – Salud

We are ten episodes in and this season
of Breaking Bad is rising in intensity with each one. As
violence south of the border threatens the organization, back in the
states a much less intimidating enemy is looming every bit as
ominously. At first glance “Salud” may have seemed like a lot of
waiting for a little action, but with Breaking Bad, the
buildup can be as good as the payoff – sometimes anyway.  But neither Skyler’s scheming to avoid unwanted attention from the IRS
or Walt’s time spent with his newly sixteen-year-old son could compare
with the adrenaline-fueled final minutes of “Salud.”  Though the latter came close.

As Jesse jets off for Mexico with Mike and Gus, he leaves behind the
bruised and battered partner responsible for his own scuffed-up face.
Walt, as it turns out, is hurting from more than just the blows he
took, and the pain seems to have him turning the corner on his
self-centered path. Though booze was responsible for his ego rearing
it’s ugly head in the past, this time when Walt was under the
influence, it brought out the vulnerability he’s been working so hard
to keep hidden. Just as with the wine back in “Shotgun,” the
painkillers were only partially responsible for his breakdown in
front of Walt Jr. In this case, it is Walter realizing the full
weight of his actions, the consequences of his aforementioned ego,
that bring on his emotional outpouring. As with any scene where true
pain and regret is being expressed, it isn’t pretty. Cranston
doesn’t hold back in portraying the grief Walt feels at losing the
one ally he had left, and knowing it’s his fault that it happened.
Mitte does an equally impressive job as Jr., when he is taken aback
by his father finally showing him something he can believe, something
“real.”

It’s Always Sunny – Frank’s Pretty Woman

Sunny days are here again, as
everyone’s favorite gang of miscreants is back. Starting off
the seventh season with an episode as big as Mac himself is now, our
pals from Paddy’s Pub were moving into their “second acts” and
showing us that no one really changes, you just get older; or in some
cases, you die of a crack overdose, but such is life. “Frank’s
Pretty Woman” may not have been the hooker with a heart of gold,
but beyond one painfully unfunny moment, the episode itself was a
riot, and a solid return for It’s Always Sunny.

You’ve been waiting
with baited breath for months. Well Fat Mac is here, folks, and if
McDonald’s ever decides to stop pretending like they can promote
good health, they have a killer spokesperson standing by. The image
of the self-declared Sheriff of Paddy’s; now full bearded, fifty
pounds overweight, and toting a garbage bag full of chimichangas, was
one of the greatest things this series has ever given its fans.
Mac’s added “mass” pretty much drowned out anything else going on
for the first few minutes of the episode, but there were still a few
moments worth noting from before chubs made his entrance.

Alphas – Blind Spot

“Blind
Spot” showed many glimpses of the episode it could have been, and it
did something extremely well throughout the hour: It made us forget we
never left the confinement of our heroes’ small headquarters. The
episode showcased a multilayered story, which introduced fascinating new
Alpha abilities and put a fan-favorite character at the heart of the
events, resulting in a plot that kept the viewer interested in spite of
its shortcomings.

Haven – Lockdown

“Lockdown” was an ambitious episode of Haven. The writers decided to get rid of two recurring characters and lay out the case against a radical approach in handling the Troubled,
all in the same episode. Both recurring characters are now gone, that’s
for sure, but all three storylines were painfully lacking in their
execution.

A
character’s death — especially one that helps move the story forward
for the protagonist — is always a big deal and is a powerful tool in
storytelling. Despite what it represents, our reaction to death strongly
varies with the situation and our perception of it. News of casualties
in a natural disaster will invariably make us feel sorry, but watching
TV coverage of the event, with an emphasis on some particular survivors
and their plight, is very likely to stir many viewers into some action
or another aimed at helping. Whether or not the help is carried out is
irrelevant. My point is that viewers are more prone to react when the
event, through a smart coverage, involves them emotionally. The way to
achieve that in storytelling is to make the doomed character lovable or
at least make her redeem herself before her death, and if at all
possible, make her matter to the protagonist.

True Blood – And When I Die

After eleven episodes of some of the most confusing, ridiculous and stupid television ever committed to my memory, I had little hope for the close to the fourth season of True Blood. The season began having absolutely no idea what it wanted to do and took us, the viewer, down a path that could have lead anywhere for weeks on end. The season opener introduced us to a world charged with political fallout for the vampires following the events of season three, and although it seemed as if that would come largely into focus as the season progressed, it surprisingly fell by the wayside. Along with the undead remake of The West Wing came faeries, sort of good, sort of evil, but never really clarified. The first ten minutes of the premiere were completely focussed upon them, but they too fell off the screen. They seemed hell bent on getting Sookie to join them in their fake utopia for all of an hour and that was just about that. 

Slowly throughout the course of seven episodes we were introduced to witches, mediums and crazy evil babies that ultimately shaped up into what the season was about. Desperate, lonely witch Marnie begged for possession just to feel something other than the overwhelming sense of apathy for her own existence and was rewarded with a Spanish woman. To round things out nicely, said Spanish woman just so happened to be a witch herself – albeit 400 years ago – and had serious beef with vampires, something that Bon Temps has never been short of. War commenced (if copious amounts of angry talking with little to no actual fighting can be called war) and with it came the next four episodes of True Blood. With some idea of what it was doing, the show managed to get back on its feet somewhat, but still suffered largely from relying heavily on secondary stories that it was impossible to care about. Those that could be cared for did work for the most part (ignoring cringe worthy special effects) and it all came to a head last week in “Soul of Fire.”

Entourage – The End

After ninety-six episodes spanning eight seasons, HBO comedy-drama Entourage finally came to a close on Sunday. Over its eight years on screen, the show has certainly had its ups and downs, with the eighth season in particular displaying perhaps the biggest range in quantity and quality of content that the show has ever seen. After starting so strong, the show wavered – seemingly unsure of where it was going – changing the lives and relationships of its characters forever, with little to no explanation. It wasn’t difficult to pan the middle of the season for that lack of logical direction and even as recently as last week’s penultimate episode, things were set to end in a pile of shame on the floor. Enter the series’ finale. 

“The End,” apart from bearing the weight of being the end of a relatively long-running show, had an awful lot to do. Drama had a movie in the works, Turtle was a millionaire and Vince, Eric and Ari had relationship issues that would overflow any available cup to put them in. With only half an hour to get it all out of the way, prioritizing had to be done. Thankfully, despite near an entire season of poor choices on the part of the writing staff, they actually got it right for once. Ignoring the going nowhere business ideas of Turtle despite his tireless efforts, as well as all things Johnny Drama, “The End” focussed entirely on the relationships of what it wouldn’t be a stretch to say were the three main characters of the show. 

Breaking Bad – Bug

Whether you pictured a cricket or
correctly assumed a monitoring device when you heard the name “Bug”
you couldn’t be prepared for the massive impact that such a small
object would have. The latest episode of Breaking Bad was
perhaps the most compelling of the season with major developments on
nearly every front, all handled with the usual flare that comes with
one of television’s best dramas. As one war was being averted, a
much more personal one that has been brewing all season was reaching
its tipping point. Now the relationship that has weathered carnage,
destruction, and death may come to an end with one cheap GPS tracker.

Breaking Bad has never been
averse to puzzling cold opens, and while the series has been a little
light in that regard with this season, for the second week in a row
the audience was left wondering how the blood we were seeing on
screen would come to be spilled. At least this time we knew who it
was, thanks to Walt’s stylish suede shoes matching up to the shot of
him arriving to pick up Hank. And as it turned out, their trip back
to Los Pollos Hermanos to retrieve Hank’s tracker was engaging enough
to put thoughts of the cryptic claret on the back burner. It was
heartbreaking to see Hank so gung ho and optimistic when we already
know his efforts would be fruitless. Seeing him try to ease Walt’s
nerves with that Schrader charm only made it worse. Admittedly
though, the sympathy felt for Hank wasn’t enough to keep a smile from
cracking at his terrible rendition of “Eye of the Tiger”(you
think he would have picked up some tips on singing from Gale’s
karaoke video). He may not have lightened Walt’s mood, but Hank is
always able to provide a little comic relief for the audience. Which
is why it’s painful to know his investigation doesn’t have much
chance with one of his key targets “assisting” him, and that with
Walt warning Mike ahead of time, his inspection of the distribution
center isn’t going to turn up more than drumsticks and spotless
floors.