the blog: tag= television

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Dexter dos

Date
1/22/2008 09:18:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
Dexter the season-long sequel is faster, less dark, and less satisfying than the first. Events and action scenes are more frequent. Plenty of new characters and relationships develop to explore morality, ethics and the existence of good and evil (minus that God fellow).

For example, Dexter is torn between his "soulmate", the addiction sponsor who sees him for what he truly is, substituting his desire to murder w/ a selfish love and understanding, versus his straighter-edge girlfriend and her two darling children. It's a tug-o-war: easy comfort and empathy for his dark, condemned soul or the force of something righteous and good that offers opportunity to move forward from the dark that eats at his being.

Another explores the relationship btwn he and the obsessive cop who insistently tails him, digging for everything that Dexter desperately keeps hidden. The cop, Doakes, is a 'Nam veteran who has killed many as well, albeit behind a military uniform and police badge. So, who is more justified in the act of murder? The serial killer who mutilates criminals or the soldier who kills to protect the law and defend his / her country? Who knows. Notably, both characters exhibit no emotion when they kill. Nary a tear and it's frightening.

Towards the middle of the season, I became less sympathetic towards ol' Dex. His character is growing up and questions less about the ambiguity of right and wrong. He's losing his grounding and just reacting. To him now, there just is and in the season's latter episodes, it's just cover-ups for self-centered misdeeds.

According to m' confounded theory, if there is a third season, his journey will continue by exploring his new-found freedom from morality. And you know what can happen to any person w/ no moral boundaries, especially a mass murderer.

Maybe I feel less satisfied, because the protagonist, the serial butcher w/ a conscience, ain't good after all, his path not crossed by redemption ....

Overall, I love the series and all art that delves into the dark corners of the human psyche. It's much more interesting than, let's say, how pop music makes the individual bop his head =)

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Terminator television

Date
1/14/2008 10:10:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
I'm digging The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I watched the pilot a year ago and remembered how well it had been put together. The second half of the series premiere, which I hadn't seen, aired tonight. Awesome, putting more depth into the characters—mostly the gals—to complement yesterday's quick-dealing unraveling.

The casting team did a superb job finding Lena Headey (Sarah). She has consuming eyebrows, a blank, hard stare and her voiceover adds to the show's dark atmosphere. Gritty. And I'll always have a special place for Summer Glau who starred as River Tam in one of m' favorite TV series of all time, Firefly.

The story picks up in '07, four years before Armageddon (wouldn't you hate it if you knew when the world would be obliterated?). The action is fine and good and supplements the story arc, but doesn't overwhelm and take away from the real story: Sarah, the love for her son, the impending apocalypse, her own mortality (cancer) and those annoying cyborg gnats. So sometime between now and T3, Sarah will die. Wouldn't it be poetic that she die in the series finale whenever that may be (hopefully, waaaaay down the road)?

And how would you feel if you knew you were dying, the world was ending and you had to do everything in your power to save your bratty son so he can have a chance to save the world?

Yeah, sucks.

Crossing fingers and hoping the best that it won't get cancelled—it's on Fox dammit.

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Dollhouse, return of the Whedon

Date
11/01/2007 02:43:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/..../joss_whedon_returns....

Yes! Eliza Dushku (Faith of "Buffy" fame) stars in Joss's new TV series, 'Dollhouse.'
“It deals with our darkest impulses and our best ones,” Whedon says. “It deals with all the things I like to deal with—strength, weakness, power and corruption.”
And more,
The show follows Echo as she takes on a variety of assignments—some romantic, some adventurous, some uplifting, some illegal—and gains awareness of her role and confinement.
I can't wait! Start production if you haven't already!

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Oh noez! It's Heroes!

Date
10/29/2007 09:34:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
Yep, I'm a fan. I'm drawn to the show, week after week, even though it is just mediocre. It's not a super duper show and I'd never buy it on DVD; it doesn't have that repeat value.

Still, good fun =)

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Mars attacks.

Date
10/22/2007 10:16:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
Kristen Bell debuted on Heroes. I must say, it was really odd to hear Veronica Mars speak in that slow-mo-so-everyone-can-understand Heroes dialogue. No wit, no sexual innuendos, no snappy comebacks. Just "Either you are lying or all the guys at the dock are lying. Hmm ...."

Yeah, hmmm indeed. It'll take some getting used to.

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Topten Television

Date
10/17/2007 07:04:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
Television ain't all that bad.
  1. the Sopranos
  2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  3. Carnivale
  4. Firefly
  5. Battlestar Galactica
  6. Freaks and Geeks
  7. Arrested Development
  8. Veronica Mars
  9. Dark Angel
  10. Popular

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A long time ago, we used to be friends ....

Date
10/15/2007 10:06:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
Veronica Mars (aka Kristin Bell) is doing the Heroes thing. Schwing! V-Mars was such a fantastically intelligent, pun-driven, Buffy-esque comedy / mystery TV drama. Joss Whedon even took time to make a cameo on an episode (season II, methinks). I love smart women; Playmate wannabes go home!

And i'm basing that last one on a TV show character =D

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What I watch, Fall 2007

Date
10/10/2007 02:34:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
Peds and I talked about the Fall's new show. Here's what I'm watching, in order of what I find interesting — the tail end of the list might drop.
  • Heroes
  • The Office
  • Repear
  • Pushing Daisies
  • Weeds
  • Californication
  • Bionic Woman
  • Cane
  • Journeyman
  • Desperate Housewives
  • Life

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Popular? Does it matter?

Date
9/05/2007 11:31:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
One of my favorite shows is Popular, an early 21st century TV series that explores the nuances of social cliques, individuality, self-esteem, human relationships, etc. It's disguised by a cast of beautiful peeps and fun-luck pop-punk and indie rock tunes. The eye candy begins with Carly Pope and Leslie Bibb and .... well, that's all you need =)

It's campy, cheesy, silly. Plenty o' ridiculous music-video-esque skits made me laugh hysterically. It's your typical high-school TV sitcom: cliques, zits, homecoming dances, nerds, jocks, blah blah blah. If you like Freaks and Geeks, I bet you'll enjoy Popular.

On the flip side, the show does dive into the human psyche and social conflicts. Every single being on this planet wants to be accepted, to feel a belonging. Whether it's religious institutions, political parties or ethnic groups, we fight for that belonging because no one wants to feel alone. Sometimes we fight so hard, that when we're absolutely wrong, we still fight because we have to win. Of course, the hijinks ensue and then a cafeteria food fight breaks =)

High school sitcoms seem a cliche but they're the perfect backdrop to exploring group behaviour. Those years are probably the most awkward of anyone's life. Sprouting pubes, deepening voices, boobs and who's hot and who's not, bookend the daily ritual of attending classes and doing yer homework. It's the most ridiculous period of the American life, and so appropriate for comedic storytelling.

Hee hee, as you can tell, I didn't really like high school. And no, I wasn't popular. Mainly cause I looked like that (see left).

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What I'm watching.

Date
3/27/2007 11:52:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
Cause I'm bored =D- coming soon: Caprica

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Justin speaks.

Date
3/23/2007 10:44:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
From the Carnivale season uno finale. I'm rediscovering its brilliance ....

The clock is ticking, brothers and sisters, counting down to Armageddon. The worm reveals himself in many guises across this once great land; from the intellectual elite cruelly indoctrinating our children with the savage blasphemy of Darwin, to the craven Hollywood pagans, corrupting them in the darkness of the local bijou, from the false prophets cowering behind our nation's pulpits to the vile parasites in our banks and boardrooms and the godless politicians, growing fat on the misery of their constituents.

The signs of the end times are all around us, etched in blood and fire by the left hand of god. You have but to open your eyes, brothers and sisters. The truth is that the Devil is here. The Anti-Christ, the Child of Lies, the Son of Darkness walks among us cloaked in the flesh of a man. Does the Lord not weep at this degradation? Does He not tremble with righteous fury? And shall he not seek retribution?

I open my eyes and I see a black sky that tears apart and screams with a voice that is thunder, 'Rise up, rise up brothers and sisters and take your place at my side. For you shall be my scythe and your face shall shine like a thousand suns and the streets shall be sanctified by the steaming black blood of the heretics.' And together brothers and sisters, together we shall build a shining temple, a kingdom that will last for thousands and thousands of years.

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The Black Donnelleys: Let the party begin

Date
2/26/2007 11:11:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
It's so ironic that The Departed won Best Picture at the Oscars, one night before The Black Donnelleys, Paul Haggis's new TV series about the Irish and Italian mob would premiere.

Tonight also marked one of the best episodes of Heroes. The story's structure is similar to Lost, a continuing story arc, injected at intervals w/ supportive snippets of the past. Ultimately, Claire's father redeems himself by literally taking a bullet for his daughter. *sigh* Good scene =)

Anyways, the Black Donnelleys finally reared its ugly, dark head. After watching the pilot 20+ times and tonight's 'sode, I am a bit disappointed. The arc didn't change but the tone mellowed down. The music seemed drowned out and unexciting. The conclusion, which initially featured Rebellion (Lies) by the Arcade Fire, had been dubbed w/ a something less explosive. Ya gotta see the pilot.

Overall, I'm happy and can't wait for this epic to unfold ....

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Lost in Thailand

Date
2/21/2007 10:08:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
Today's episode just started. In his flashback, Jack is in Thailand flying a kite. A young boy repeatedly calls him, "Doctor Jack, Doctor Jack." Then Bai Ling, a Chinese model, appears. They share a moment.

Weird.

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Heroesloooooooow

Date
2/05/2007 10:42:00 PM [permalink]
Author
yahooza
Entry
Man, when it arrived, I really believed Heroes would be something good. It satisfied the super-hero, fantasy / sci-fi nerds with simple and straightforward dialogue. No Whedon-esque idioms =(

Now that the series has caught, NBC seems to be milking it much like Lost. It's all about the eyeballs and advertising.

Today's episode, Hiro's encounter w/ his father, Mister Sulu and Nicky's release seems to neither progress the story arc or develop their characters. What's the point? I hope more than just to pull the media dollars.

Epic story arcs are catching on much like reality shows. Cross yer fingers.

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