TV Reviews

Eureka – The Story of O2

Colin Ferguson steps in this week as guest director and Eureka reverts to its tried and true formula that although entertaining feels a little too familiar and lacks the excitement of earlier episodes.

I’m not a great fan of the kind of job swapping that seems to go on a lot in the entertainment industry with rappers becoming actors and actors becoming pop stars. I think I’d make a great Quantum Physicist but the difference is, I’m not allowed to start pressing buttons at CERN. Needless to say, The Story of O2 is a real cookie cutter episode that with the exception of a few superficial interactions, could fit comfortably within any of the previous seasons.

Futurama – The Late Philip J Fry

Since Futurama has been back, the relationship between Fry and Leela has been the one oddity of the show. It is apparent that the writers do not know how to treat it. On one hand, we believe that Fry has earned it and we have waited for years; while on the other hand the “will they or wont they” back and forth, is one of the driving character elements of the show. In The Late Philip J. Fry we see the two as a couple but one taking it slow. The interactions between Fry and Leela may be the backbone of the narrative, but it is only half of the story.

Leverage – The Gone Fishin’ Job

It’s said that a hero is only as strong as his or her villain, and in that respect, the modern-day Robin Hoods of Leverage have always come up a bit short.  As clever as their cons have been, as intricate as their heists have seemed, and as amusing as their costumes have looked, they’ve generally been used to fool a series of hapless boobs and bullies.  Rich jerks whose nonsensical actions sometimes leave you wondering how they ever managed to get rich in the first place. 

Covert Affairs- South Bound Suarez

Three episodes into this new series and each one has been better than the last. The improvements, while small increments rather than leaps, have made the show enjoyable to watch, even after the ‘new show‘ grace period has ended.

Mad Men – Public Relations (Season Premiere)

“Who is Don Draper,” we hear a reporter ask, and just like that, in the opening moment of the show’s season premiere, the central question

True Blood – I Got a Right to Sing the Blues

Up to now, season 3 of True Blood has been somewhat disoriented in its plot direction. Multiple character stories meander between situations that have little context or relation to the events in previous seasons. However, last night signalled a return to the show’s story-driven roots with several key revelations that have finally begin to reveal the key player’s motivations and intentions.

Psych – Feet Don’t Fail Me Now

Even though I very much enjoyed it, last week’s season premiere of Psych left me concerned with how set in its ways the show has become.  That we’d continue to see slight variations of the same episode every week, with no evolution in characters or plotlines.  Well, it seems that the creative team behind the show had similar thoughts, and this week’s episode goes to great lengths to mix up the usual formula, with fantastic results. 

Eureka – All the Rage

A return to the more episodic formula, more familiar to Eureka. In an obvious tribute to the Zombie horror genre, Jack and team are up against the clock to reverse a chemical imbalance within G.D. staff’s brains that has caused them to become enraged and violent.

Covert Affairs – Walter’s Walk

Second episodes are hard to judge. The Pilot established the characters and set up the story, both present and future, all the while introducing us to the rules and tropes of the show. Walter’s Walk ran with the formula made last week, gave us better insight into the characters, and showed that they are willing to slow play the overall arc of the main story line.

Leverage – The Studio Job

For a reasonably successful show now in its third season, Leverage has never quite figured out exactly what tone it’s going for.  Is it a Mission: Impossible-esque show about a team of spies and thieves pulling off elaborate and perfectly executed heists?  Is it a campier show, more in the vein of Charlie’s Angels, full of ridiculous costumes and so-obviously-phony-as-to-be enjoyable accents?  Or is it a heart-felt drama about a group of Robin Hoods providing help to the helpless and bettering the lives of those around them?