TV Reviews

Chuck: Chuck vs. the Honeymooners

The first of the post-should-have-been-season-finale episodes have started. This installment of Chuck featured a great mix of romance, action, and comedy (as usual), as well as a certain “freedom” from the overwhelming UST and angst that has been steadily increasing until its culmination in the previous episode. It was with both anticipation and a little bit of apprehension that I sat down to enjoy my favorite geek hero (and his awesome entourage) this week; I really enjoyed the last episode and thought it worked well as a season (and possibly series) finale, so I worried that the last six “bonus” episodes would mess things up again.

Would they try to stuff the romance back in the box and bring back the UST?
Would they make either of the super-spies into simpering heroines in need of constant rescue (and yes, that means Chuck as well)?
Would they mess up the team dynamics that has worked so well this far?
The answer to all of the above, fortunately, was no.

South Park – 201

So here it is; the conclusion to the eerily familiar cliff-hanger of South Park’s 200th episode. Will we ever find out who Cartman’s Father really is, or is it just another cruel trick played by Trey Parker and Matt Stone?

To be blunt, yes we do. Even more surprising is, that of all the directions the mischievous writers could have chosen to take this irritating little mystery, the revelation turns out to be as unexpected as it is hilarious. I had braced myself for another terrible Terrance and Phillip fartathon or maybe just an unsatisfying ‘it’s chef’ scenario, but without spoiling it, the actual result left me grinning like a masturbating chimp and laughing like any woman who’s ever seen me naked. There’s a stroke of genius in the reveal and everything about it was groin-grippingly brilliant. If the whole episode had followed Cartman’s quest for the truth, it would have almost certainly gone down as one of my favourite of all time. Characters we haven’t seen for years return like long lost Uncles (the kind that don’t bounce you too gingerly on their knee) and it’s strange how happy I was to see their return.

The Geneticist Dr Mephisto and his strange pet/friend Kevin are back and they are still putting an unnaturally large number of asses onto lab animals. In fact, almost all the old faces are their, albeit in often fleeting glimpses and these references to the past make the viewer strangely nostalgic even amongst the increasingly ridiculous circus like extravaganza. The majority of the jokes have links to past episodes and long time fans are rewarded with a depth not usually present in the episodic world of South Park.

Stargate Universe – Faith

Destiny comes out of FTL unexpectedly because a star and a planet that shouldn’t be there are in the way.  The star is similar to the Sun and the planet is similar to Earth and is the only planet in the system.  Rush says that Destiny after correcting her course will not go back into FTL for about four weeks so a group of people go to the planet to explore.

Faith is an interesting name for this episode.  A few people had the faith that the planet was a sign that some higher power was looking out for the crew of the Destiny.  The question becomes is that a reasonable reaction to the story put before you?  A star that shouldn’t be there.  A planet that if it existed would be molten rock at its age.  Finally a spire sitting on the planet that is obviously made by a race that is quite advanced.  Did this race create this star and planet?  Was it created solely for the crew of Destiny?  All good questions, but really ones that could never be answered in the arch of a story like this.

Flashforward – Garden of Forking Paths

The episode begins with the sweaty brow of Demetri Noh. It’s March 15th, the date of his prophesied death and he’s tied to a chair with the gun that is supposed to kill him pointed at his heart. Simply put, things are not looking good for Demetri.

V – Pound of Flesh

The show hasn’t quite settled into its own skin yet (pun intended), but things are definitely looking up. On paper, the plot is ridiculous, but as District 9 proved, that doesn’t necessarily have to mean the story is perceived as unrealistic or impossible. However, it does still come across a little silly at times, with scenarios like army production via sex with muscular but boyish young lizard men. But plot lines are falling into place and most, if not all, are compelling.

V – Welcome to the War

Now that we are up to speed, the episode maintains pace by landing the viewer into an action sequence where the same V operative that attacked Father Jack, is now in Erica’s front room and he is not a happy lizard. As fun as the fight between them is, it does lead to one of the more puzzling scenarios in the series. I wont spoil anything, but something happens after the battle is concluded that had me shouting at my TV. There is a very straightforward way that the resistance team could reveal the V’s true identity but do not. It was a glaring inconsistency which was quite unnecessary.

FlashForward – Let No Man Put Asunder

FlashForward has been gaining pace in more recent weeks and the writers appear to be making a conscious effort to address certain unanswered questions which the first ten episodes provoked and failed to return to. An excellent example is the story of Mark’s sponsor, Aaron Stark, and his daughter’s presumed death, return to the US and then subsequent kidnapping. For nearly eight episodes we have heard almost nothing of, what to me, is one of the more intriguing plot lines.  This week’s episode acts as a welcome return to some of these unresolved questions and focuses largely on Agent Noh’s immanent death as foretold by the FlashForward.

Castle – Den of Thieves

The show has found it’s niche and is slowly perfecting the formula. Each episode contains a plot line that could be taken out of any mildly trashy crime novel which Castle can have fun with by parodying himself and the genre in general.

It is a simple but clever idea, in that the audience is treated to a light crime mystery, whilst enjoying genuinely funny dialogue and great characters. That being said, tonight’s episode is a little deeper and some of it’s usual charm and humor is sacrificed to make way for some character development.

Flashforward – Queen Sacrifice

An important episode that addressed the unanswered question of the mole which was really the cliff-hanger we were left with last year. This has remained largely untouched since the hiatus and personally I had all but forgotten about its significance.

V – John May

The writers and producers are clearly listening to feedback as the entire atmosphere of the show has changed and it is definitely for the better. After last weeks episode I expressed a wish for Anna to become more sinister, I felt the duality of her character was a little weird and I obviously wasn’t alone. Tonight’s episode gave a far more villainous portrayal of her role and she was able to provide tension even without dialogue. The entire episode felt darker and there was a definite sense of foreboding as the possibility of all out war teeters on the horizon.