West Wing 7.6: "The Al Smith Dinner"

Written by Eli Attie
Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter

In which an attack ad against Santos by an independent religious conservative group sends both campaigns into damage control, while the White House deals with fallout over Toby...


A funny thing happened this week. Despite the fact that the previous episode, in all its strong storytelling, reminded me of how much has changed and how bright and idealistic everyone used to be, I found myself really engrossed in the interplay between the Santos and Vinick campaigns. So it occurred to me: the series is taking the audience through the same process of any election where strong emotions rule the day.

I’m thinking back to the end of the Clinton administration. There were a ton of people who had been devoted to Clinton and his legacy, to the point of propping up his apparent victories and downplaying his defeats. Many of them saw Gore as a poor substitute and Bush as even less appealing. They wanted things to be the way they used to be. They didn’t want to move on, and they were angry and bitter over the fact that the administration and man they believed in had seen his second term gone to shambles.

OK, the metaphor isn’t perfect, but I think the point is clear. A lot of other people moved on to support Gore or Bush, and a lot of people turned their attention away from the Clinton administration towards the election drama. Granted, neither Gore nor Bush were remotely as charismatic and appealing as Santos and Vinick, but the same process is taking place.

Three plot threads run through this episode, and they reflect this ongoing process of change. I found the Santos and Vinick campaign threads and their interplay to be a lot more compelling than the sinking ship of the Bartlet administration. And I realized that this is the theme of the “introduction” phase of the season. It’s about getting the audience through that process, recognizing that Bartlet’s administration couldn’t possibly go out on top. It just doesn’t work that way.

I wouldn’t say that this episode is on par with the previous installment, if only because “Here Today” had the benefit of deeply-rooted history. The campaign plot threads are always chaotic, and people come in and out of the story from episode to episode. If something terrible were to go down with Louise, would it have the same impact as Toby’s dismissal? Of course not.

But it makes sense that the season hits an important point in the story, ending the first act of the season, with the live debate episode. The season thus far has been about a Santos campaign in stagnation. Something has to happen to shake things up, and the seeds are being planted in this episode. Where Vinick looked unbeatable coming into this episode, things are far less certain now. It should make for one hell of a fun episode.

As for the topic at hand in this episode, I liked the fact that the two candidates held personal positions that were in strong opposition to the platform stance of their respective parties. I found the intercession of interest groups and their money on the main campaigns to be intriguing, even if it was simplified for easy digestion. How these roadblocks are overcome, presumably on both sides, will be quite entertaining to see.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Night Stalker 1.5: "Malum"

Written by Kay Foster and Adam Armus
Directed by Deran Sarafian

In which Kolchak’s investigation of the bizarre death of an elementary school principal reveals possible signs of child abuse, but when more deaths follow, the truth is something far worse…


As a rule, I find holiday-themed episodes to be hazardous. Too often, they rely on the mystique of the holiday to generate the emotional response to the events at hand. For instance, the typical Halloween episode takes the spookiness and “evil” and runs with it. It takes a good writer, like Joss Whedon, to make a Halloween episode mean something in the long run. Otherwise, it’s often silly. (And don’t even get me started about Christmas episodes!)

What I like about this episode is how the Halloween connection is entirely incidental. It really has nothing to do with the story. Instead, it’s a disturbing tale of demonic possession that takes a long time to unfold. Framing it as an investigation, with Kolchak at the heart of it as a possible suspect, makes it even more interesting. I’ve been saying for a long time that Kolchak’s methods should be getting him into a lot more legal trouble, and in this case, that’s exactly where the story goes.

I was also pleased that Justin’s murderous activities weren’t directly shown. Seeing a kid standing there, making things happen, would have taken away some of the tension. The key in this episode was that the horror was in the clear communication of intention. Someone intended to kill, again and again, and it really didn’t matter how it was being done. It was all about the whys and the wherefores.

I really like how Justin’s plan and its ultimate goal, as well as the end of his reign of terror, are revealed over time through the slow consideration of its consequences. The Detective was trying to understand intentions, because he needed to know why people made decisions to make his case. And as “X-Files” demonstrated rather well, psychological horror is usually a lot more affecting than some random monster.

This episode also avoided one of the nitpicks I’ve had in the past. Kolchak does a lot of investigation and sometimes pushes his role a bit over the line he shouldn’t cross. That’s why the Detective can point fingers at him. But he doesn’t get so close to the source of the danger that he himself becomes an easy target. He’s always on the periphery of events, which is preferable in cases where there’s little or no personal impact.

I’m really not sure what else I can say about this one. I think this was the best episode of the season thus far. By the end, I wasn’t sure how the story would finally end. I was actually beginning to wonder if the demon inside Justin had jumped into the Detective somehow, since it looked like he was trying to eliminate anyone who knew the truth about Justin. But that’s not a sign of a sloppy ending, but rather, an example of how such a disturbing concept can get one thinking.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Invasion 1.6: "The Hunt"

Written by Shaun Cassidy and Becky Hartman Edwards
Directed by Lawrence Trilling

In which Derek realizes that he has a strong attraction to Mariel, which sets him against Underlay in a big way, while Russell goes on a fishing expedition and discovers something chilling…


I was under the impression that the previous episode would really take the series to the next level, because some of the motivations have been laid bare. In this case, the follow-up is all about how the “possessed” deal with their new obsession with how good water feels and how much their hormones are reacting. At least, that seems to be the case with the teenage pod-people.

Derek becomes quite the horn dog after his experience, and he thinks that Kira is a good mark. For her part, she has the same urges, but he’s looking for another pod-person, and Mariel certainly fits the bill. Sometimes I can’t tell if she’s as attractive as she’s clearly meant to be, but she was quite the hottie in this episode.

So the “possessed” can definitely breathe underwater, they feel a lot more comfortable in the waters anyway, and they apparently give off some kind of pheromones. Hence the reason why Mommy smells different now. That makes sense, given that their blood chemistry has also been altered significantly. This brings up an interesting point: what would happen if one of the “possessed” and a normal human were to have sexual relations? Just how violent is the chemical incompatibility?

This brings up another point I’ve been wondering about. Larkin is practically begging to get “possessed” at this rate, the way she runs around where angels fear to tread, and now it looks as if she’s in serious danger. So the question is: how would that possession and the subsequent changes to the blood chemistry and hormones affect a pregnant woman? Would the placental barrier keep the fetus from being changed? Or would the change be different, like a hybrid state?

Meanwhile, right on time, Russell discovers one big portion of the truth about the strange changes taking place in his family, among others, and how these glowing “fish” are connected. That bit with the tracking device was wonderfully foreshadowed in the teaser (good plot structure!) and really piled on the tension.

Despite the slow pacing, the writers really seem to be hitting their stride, now that the introductory phase is all but over and the meat of the tale has begun. The season pick-up, at least, gives the story time to evolve and tighten up a bit. The real question is whether or not the writers can develop a strong enough arc to justify more than one season.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Alias 5.5: "Out of the Box"

Written by Jesse Alexander
Directed by Jay Torres

In which Sydney discovers that Renee is hiding something, but when she discovers what is being hidden, the discovery reveals more about Prophet 5 than she expects…


Status Report

So much for the theory that the man in the box was Vaughn! The writers are tossing out some surprises along with the usual retreads, and that’s a good thing. In a season where plot twists and character returns are all over the press, taking away much of the suspense, it’s good to know that some mysteries endure.

This episode certainly complicates “Prophet 5”, and also gives that movement a little more history. So along with the 30+ year project, which happens to coincide with the whole Rambaldi plot without actually mentioning it at all, there’s something that happened 20 years earlier involving a rather disturbing version of the oft-used doubling technology. There’s a mad doctor running around using these prophetic genetic experiment guides to either transplant brains, or perhaps even worse, replace one person with another from the inside.

Beyond the obvious resonance with this season’s “Invasion”, there are some intriguing possibilities. The writers have already used doubling technology to physically change a person’s appearance and, even worse, convince someone that they were, in fact, Arvin Sloane. The logical progression is the complete takeover of one person by another from within.

Where does this impact the plot as it stands? Two possibilities come to mind. Both are related to the larger mythology, which of course means Rambaldi. The history of the Rambaldi endgame has always been tied to his immortality and eventual return, the “second coming” suggested in “Full Disclosure” during the third season. (If this is a five-season series, as it seems to be, consider how that episode sits squarely at the mid-point of the series arc.)

Dr. DeSantis’ technology, on the face of it, seems designed to take one person’s personality or intelligence and transfer it, through genetic re-engineering, to a new body. The connection to the Rambaldi endgame should be obvious. Everything that Sloane did within that context was designed to pacify the mass population. Presumably, some enlightened soul was supposed to come along and rule the sheep. Who better than Rambaldi himself, like a New Age immortal Pharaoh?

So, back to the two possibilities. The Rambaldi serum from the early third season, used by Alison Doran to survive being shot up and nearly killed, could have been used to restore Vaughn. He could then be the unwilling new test subject for DeSantis. Take the tissue sample of Rambaldi from the third season as well, mix it up with some of the other devices and plot elements over the years, and it’s not hard to imagine that Vaughn comes back as someone other than himself!

But therein lies the second possibility. Not every element of the original Rambaldi prophecy has come to pass, and it was already revealed in the third season that Sydney was supposed to be the genetic mother of a reborn Rambaldi. Could Sydney’s child become a target in this endgame as well, directly or indirectly?

This is all assuming that Rambaldi and his grand design will ever be referenced or advanced again, which is not necessarily the case. However, it’s hard not to believe that the writers are trying to dance around the network mandates and still tell the same story they intended. Even if the old plot elements are never referenced directly, there’s no reason to believe that this season’s arc isn’t connected to the past, especially given how important Sloane seems to be for Gordon Dean and his plans.

Speaking of Sloane, his actions in this episode were somewhat disappointing. Sloane is always fun when he’s stomping on every possible moral consideration with relish, but it’s far better when his manipulations and schemes are subtle. As much as the scenes in this episode were enjoyable, the old Sloane would have been reinstated using far more subtle means.

Rachel’s slow but steady introduction to field work takes another step in this episode. She seems a lot more confident playing support for Dixon than she would have been in the previous episode, and while it might have been better to take it slowly with Rachel, getting her into action quickly is probably a practical solution to Garner’s growing immobility. Besides, Rachel is a hottie, so they should take advantage of that!

Thomas Grace is still something of a cipher, so the writers should try to focus on him in the future. He has a past, obviously, and it’s shady at best. That ought to be explored, and if it means less “Sydney as Mommy” time in future episodes, all the better. There also seems to be something brewing with Dixon. Clearly, Sloane’s return to APO is going to be interesting, because Jack has been letting his guard down this season, and that’s never a good sign.

Renee isn’t quite the interesting character that the writers seem to think she is, but now that the new characters are getting fleshed out more, the effect isn’t so worrisome. Once upon a time, Sydney’s diminished presence felt like the kiss of death, but time is proving that to be partly incorrect. How well things progress will depend greatly upon the skill of the writing staff.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode maintains the quality of the previous episode, all while managing to incorporate the new characters into the overall plot structure more than ever. Sloane’s character thread should make things a bit more complex again, and the plot has an interesting possible connection to Rambaldi. Is it possible that “Alias” is back on track again?

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

(Season 5 Average: 6..4)

Medium 2.6: "Too Close to Call"

In which Allison has a dream about a shooting at the DA’s office, which is somehow related to a high profile case that the DA must win, while Joe learns something disturbing about his work…


I’m very happy with this season so far, even if it hasn’t paved much new ground. Most of the same stressors are in place, the same conflicts, but there’s a sense that the scope of the concept hasn’t been fully realized yet. For instance, we haven’t seen Allison put up against another psychic before, which involves a different level of anxiety. Nor has Joe’s job really been much of an issue.

The writers blend the two main aspects of Allison’s life together in a neatly complex tapestry on a weekly basis, and the surprise is that it continually feels fresh. We’ve heard Joe complain about the bills before, yet it doesn’t seem at all repetitive in this context. Perhaps that’s just me, but it felt very true to life, especially in the current economy.

So Joe’s boss, the Engineer of the Gods, who was also an evil Mayor bent on demonic dominion in a past genre life, doesn’t have a problem with their chips going into happy little missiles. This is all the man needs…another reason to go insane! I have to say, though, that he’s hardly the first engineer in the world to discover that his practical solutions were being used for military gain. In fact, given his job and the kind of work he does, he ought to have suspected it a long time ago.

Allison’s side of the story had its high points, especially when she was listening to the heckling spirit at the reading. And I loved the smackdown in the final act, when her boss got to play psychic and deliver the gut punch to Mr. Assistant Turncoat. I’m not sure about that FPS thing, but it was a gimmick used to introduce the story, and those typically add some unique commentary on Allison’s mental filters, so I give it the benefit of the doubt.

The one thing that was a little over the top for me was the prosecutor’s exaggerated style. Those lengthy pauses, designed to make Davalos look sloppy and weak, were a touch too theatrical. I’m not sure that a real judge would allow those antics, or that a real jury wouldn’t see right through it. But for the purposes of the story, it led to a wonderful final act that felt immensely satisfying!

I also felt the whole “false alarm” business was over the top, and combined with the antics in the courtroom, it seemed to take the whole question of Davalos’ credibility going into an election a bit too flippantly. Ultimately, Allison and Joe depend upon her work to keep them afloat and keep her relatively sane. Without the DA’s support, they wouldn’t have any of that. That could be an interesting subplot for the future.

For all that, this series is still delivering everything that I enjoyed in the first season, and this episode is a good example of a series becoming very comfortable in its own skin.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Supernatural 1.7: "Hook Man"

Written by John Shiban
Directed by David Jackson

In which Sam and Dean run across an apparent strike by the Hook Man, but when they begin researching the experiences of a young woman, they find an unexpected origin…


I’ll be honest. When I saw the promo for the Hook Man, I was a bit skeptical. I’ve never really taken to that legend, and it felt like an early grab for ratings, given how often it’s been used as a theme over the years. But it didn’t take long for the concept to win me over, because it wasn’t treated like something above and beyond the norm for the Winchester brothers. Instead of a stunt episode, this was a solidly dark tale.

Normally, the hot women on this show are little more than skinny eye candy. Even Amy Acker was tossed out for show, with very little character to work with (leaving aside commentary on her acting). Jane McGregor, on the other hand, blew me away. Her role still wasn’t overly complex, but since her psychology was at the center of the story, Lori and her interaction with Sam was critical to the episode’s success. I’ve never seen this actress before, but I was impressed at how quickly she could turn on the hotness.

Speaking of Sam, I wasn’t nearly as disappointed in his character as I have been in the past. I don’t know what the difference was, exactly, but I found him to be a bit more fleshed out in this episode. I think part of it was his interaction with Lori. He was clearly attracted, but also all too aware of his own personal history. It worked for me, even if it wasn’t the strongest character development in the world.

Oddly, Dean was probably less interesting in this episode than in any previous installment, which is probably due to the focus on Sam. In the previous episode, I noticed that Dean was carrying the episode, despite the focus on Sam and his past history. This time, Sam managed to carry the story forward, and Dean punctuated the story with his personality. Like I said before, I was a little surprised by that.

The Hook Man effects were fairly well done, especially for television, and I really liked how the legend was translated into the world of “Supernatural”. It’s that intersection of regional “history” with the accumulated legendarium that is so appealing. While some might feel that it demystifies the legend, it serves as a simple hook (no pun intended) into the central premise of the series’ mythology: all legends and stories have an origin.

This episode was also laced with lots of continuity nods: the constant references to Sam’s college experience, Dean’s lack thereof, the search for their father, etc. It gave an episode with plenty of stand-alone elements a certain serial mystique. While I usually go for serialized storytelling, this series is working its style well enough to overcome that. This episode is another good example of why.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Night Stalker 1.4: "Burning Man"

Written by Noah Baylin
Directed by Tony Wharmby

In which the apparent return of a serial killer who used a biological agent to burn victims alive pits Kolchak and Perri against a senior reporter, who doesn’t believe that the killer still lives…


I’m still not sure where I stand with this series. Every time I think I have a sense of where it’s going and how it’s going to progress, it comes along with an episode filled with predictability and precious little else. It also made me think about the central premise of the series and one of its more obvious flaws. That’s not something a struggling series should be doing.

Let me start with my thoughts on the premise. It occurred to me, during the final act, that Kolchak is an investigative crime reporter. That means that he’s good with the investigating, but in just about every other situation, he’s out of his element. This is not a particularly problematic character trait until he finds himself in the kind of situation that, say, law enforcement credentials (backup) and paraphernalia (a weapon or two) would facilitate.

As Kolchak is facing down the man with the instantly deadly biological agent, it struck me that Kolchak should be a dead man. He’s facing down a maniac with no reason to hold back. Instead of drawing his conclusions and tipping off the authorities after walking out the door with a false grin, he stands there and forces Mr. Psychotic to admit his complicity. That’s just not a good idea.

Now, I could buy it if Kolchak had some kind of established death wish. But that’s not where the character has been doing, exactly. He’s more in the “Mulder” mode, with a crusade that keeps him going and prevents him from having a death wish. Uncovering the truth is his mission, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into standing in the same room as the serial killer with no means of personal protection and forcing a confession.

My point is that Kolchak is a reporter, not an FBI agent, and the writers sometimes slip into the comfortable realm of “X-Files” plotting. This episode is filled with it. Substitute the co-workers at the Beacon with Skinner and some pompous agent, and suddenly this is a first season “X-Files” episode. And a fairly mediocre one, too, which is part of the problem. Perri even makes a passable “Scully” figure (and she’s hot!).

I’m also not impressed with Kolchak’s ability to work out psychology, which he really needs to understand in his line of work. I pegged Mr. Psychotic as the real killer about five seconds after Kolchak and Perri dropped off the file. The writers really telegraphed that one, and the structure didn’t suggest that such was the intent. It made Kolchak look very stupid, because Mr. Psychotic was practically handing him the truth for most of the episode.

So the end result is that Kolchak once again proves to his allies that there is more to the story than the consensual reality of the latest press release. And Kolchak recognizes something of Mr. Psychotic in himself. This happens every episode, so I think the point has been made. Kolchak could have fallen into darkness, we get that. Now show us why he didn’t, and in the process, don’t put him in the kind of position that a crime reporter shouldn’t survive.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/2

Final Rating: 6/10

Prison Break 1.8: "The Old Head"

In which Michael’s plan hits a snag when his blueprint turns out to be a but outdated, while the conspiracy takes things a step further by trying to kill or capture Lincoln’s family and allies…


After a short break for the evil that is Major League Baseball, the series returns with a big ol’ jump into the complication phase of the season arc. Actually, I consider this more of a transition between the end of the introduction and the meat of the story, because this really brings the full “escape team” together, if one counts our friend with the dead cat.

Michael is faced with a number of curve balls in this episode, and he’s forced to make concessions that he normally wouldn’t. Perhaps the most impressive thing is that he manages to deal with people a little bit better than his past activity would suggest. The only time he really stumbles is with Sara, which is understandable. Even Mr. Westmoreland doesn’t really throw him off.

The beginning of the episode presented the real issue: Michael is just over the halfway point in his very short window of time. At this point, I can’t see how he’ll make it. Sure, the plan is moving along quickly, but he’s still operating on luck. Just having T-Bag around is a huge liability. I still don’t understand how that big hole in the wall will remain undiscovered for days on end, and after the riot, things are back to status quo way too fast.

But this series is full of plot conveniences, because the story is only meant to hang together long enough for the momentum to remain constant. And this episode certainly keeps the story moving forward. Actually, one has to wonder if the network wanted to save money by cutting back on guest stars. Talk about cleaning house!

Captain Bellick is thankfully just as frustrated, because just as he seems to get all the power to abuse that he could possibly want, he ends up getting blamed for the fire in the break room. Never mind how crappy it must be to have a break room in the middle of a storage shed! But I can’t help but laugh every time the jerk finds himself under the 8-ball again.

Meanwhile, we have LJ running around with a picture of one of the Secret Service agents on his phone (leave it to a government employee to have no clue about technology), but no support system. Veronica is in the middle of the woods, “off the grid”, with someone who still doesn’t seem to be who he says he is. And there’s only 17 days until Lincoln’s execution. No pressure!

As usual, I see flaws here and there. Sara isn’t stupid, so why hasn’t she figured out how Michael knew about the crawlspace and the prison layout? In this case, her attraction to Michael might be getting in the way, but I still would hope that she would be smarter than that. Is she trying not to believe what she must suspect? I feel like this was an ill-conceived plot thread.

I’m also not sure how the Escape Squad is going to work fast enough to make that “on-ramp”. After all, they should be making some progress on the job they were assigned to do. I assume that will be covered in the next episode, but still, I was hoping that the plan would be a little more fleshed out by now. But then again, this is “Prison Break”, and as I already said, I have to shut down the higher brain functions and enjoy.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/2

Final Rating: 8/10

West Wing 7.5: "Here Today"

Written by Peter Noah
Directed by Alex Graves

In which Toby faces the consequences of his confession, which ultimately forces Bartlet to make a difficult decision, while Josh begins to realize that the campaign needs a change…


I’ve said a number of times that the leak investigation and Toby’s complicity make sense in terms of the character and the larger theme of the series itself. In essence, this is not just a matter of Bartlet’s slow but inevitable decline from power; it’s also the decline of anyone left to man the ship with him. These are the twilight days of the Bartlet administration, only months away from the end, and things are falling apart. Instead of leaving office with the world a better place and an heir apparent ready to win the election, Bartlet looks to end his second term with scandal and world war.

Some might find it a stretch, but I like to think that Ellie’s very small part in the episode is a symptom of the larger problem faced by the administration. Bartlet is losing his control over nearly everything in his life, not just his health and his legacy. Ellie has always been her own woman, but in earlier years, Bartlet would have had some words. Perhaps he was just being conciliatory, but a lot of the fire seems lost.

Of course, this episode is more about Toby and how his character’s defining traits more or less presaged such an end. Indeed, that’s what I’ve been saying for a few episodes now, and it was repeated more than once in this episode. Toby has always been an idealist with a healthy dose of arrogance, and eventually, it was going to come back to bite him. This is that time, and while it’s sad to see it happen so late in the game, when so much else is stagnating, it would have been too easy to let him go out quietly.

Frankly, anyone who thought that Bartlet should have treated Toby better is letting sentimentality overrule reason and character consistency. Bartlet has been more than patient with Toby over the years, even when Toby has crossed the line in a thousand ways. A less flawed man might have actually learned something about limits, but Toby never did. Bartlet is like the father who must, despite his fervent wishes otherwise, cut loose his son with harshness if there is to ever be a lesson learned.

What struck me last night, as I was watching the episode with typical enjoyment, was how mournful this season really is. I understand that some people were expecting the possibility of a continuance next season, but everything about the series says that this is the end. Every scene in the White House is drenched in darkness (it has been steadily getting worse, I think, or it just seems so). I’m left with such a sense of impending loss and a recognition that it has been coming for quite some time, and it adds a layer of emotional resonance to the story.

Turning for a moment to the campaign trail, things are looking more and more problematic for Josh. He really needs to sit down with Leo and look back at the Bartlet for America campaign and see where things have gone wrong. Josh has never seemed like the best campaign manager in the world, but he really has hit his limit and it shows. Vinick keeps handing him openings, and nothing gets done. I’m sure that Santos will bounce back in the big debate or soon thereafter, but it’s painful watching the campaign founder.

I won’t say I was quite as taken with this episode as the previous installment, but that was largely due to the treatment of the teaser and first act. I didn’t really get into the story until after that, which was probably just a subjective reaction. By the end, I was definitely hooked, and I felt the ending was very strong. The debate over old and new will no doubt wage on.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Threshold 1.7: "The Order"

Written by Anne McGrail
Directed by Norberto Barba

In which Caffrey must hunt down the source of a leak, which also brings trouble in the form of a meddling Senator, while the rest of the Red Team hunts down another source of the signal…


At this point, the series should be moving out of the introductory phase and into the complication phase, at least from the point of view of the typical season arc structure. That being the case, the question is whether or not this episode, in relation to the series to date, presents a compelling enough story to justify the faith of its audience.

I look at a series like “Invasion” and admit, despite my issue with the pacing, that the story is going somewhere. There’s a structure to the story and a few themes are actually emerging that could be fun to watch. While “Supernatural” is far more episodic, the characters are intriguing and there’s a sense of highly consistent style and approach. “Threshold” is still trying to find itself”: the characters are strong, but the storytelling is all over the map.

The past few episodes are a good example. In “Shock”, the Red Team and Threshold struggled to get the kind of broad-based support that they should be getting without much question. “Pulse”, the previous episode, turned right around and presented Threshold as an operation with vast discretionary powers and abundant resources. This episode jumps right back into the precarious waters of “Shock”, and it’s not a good thing.

In a way, however, this issue of funding and political support, however tiresome, pushes the characters into roles that are a bit more appropriate. It’s still not perfect, but it’s getting there. Caffrey should be the one behind the scenes, directing the activities and dealing with the larger issues. It should be a struggle for her to keep it all together, and people should be questioning her decisions to ensure that her personal issues don’t get in the way. I just didn’t like how it was tied to frustrating budget questions. (Sorry, but I get enough of that in the real world!)

This forced the other team members to take on more responsibility in the field and figure out their internal dynamic. I liked that a lot. In particular, it’s fun to see a bunch of science geeks with little or no field experience trying to work out the kinks. This episode’s central mystery was a nice bit of misdirection, and it even had some intriguing implications. If they had determined that the fish and other marine life were being infected, it really would have been the end of it all. As it is, it’s hard to imagine how marine life wasn’t infected, given how the rest of the episode progressed.

Beyond the cute intern, who got a swift and unfortunate lesson in sleeping around, there was that mutated cat. I must say, the first time it was on-screen, my wife and I just about laughed ourselves silly. That was some terrible effects work! But it begs the question: why wouldn’t marine life, even very tiny marine animals and plant life, become infected in the ocean below the original signal?

Anyhow, I really didn’t care about the team member that died, because quite frankly, I had no idea she was even part of the team. That’s not a good sign. This episode was supposed to have resonance with the audience, because we were clearly supposed to care. Instead, it just happened. Caffrey, who was supposed to be worried about Senate intervention, manages to order a Senator’s plane shot down with little or no consequence. It’s all a sign of inconsistent storytelling, and that’s not a great sign.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

Smallville 5.4: "Aqua"

Written by Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer
Directed by Paul Shapiro

In which Clark and Lois have an encounter with a super-powered man who derives his power from the water and has an anti-Lex agenda, as does one of Clark’s new professors…


I’m sure that a lot of DC fans were practically dripping with anticipation at the thought of Aquaman coming to “Smallville” for a visit, but since I knew very little about the character, I wasn’t all that thrilled. And the episode itself did nothing to draw in those with little interest in the fanboy aspect of the premise. The plot itself was a real stretch, as if the writers had no idea how to justify Aquaman’s visit beyond a completely contrived situation.

OK, so I’ll admit, seeing Lois and Lana in skimpy swimwear was a plus (why not for Chloe, damn it?), and they made Erika look about as hot as she ever has, but this was all about playing up the future hero. A hero which, in this case, was woefully miscast. I have little doubt that the female fans were able to appreciate the lunkhead, but the actor could barely deliver his lines.

Also annoying were all the needless puns about water, fish, and worst of all, the absolutely needless reference to the eventual JLA. It’s hard to enjoy an episode that is so desperately groan-worthy. Even the scenes with Lex were way over the top, with very little subtlety, which has always been one of the more interesting hallmarks of the character.

Far more interesting were the scenes with Professor Fine. James Marsters is practically a genre icon at this point, thanks to his portrayal of Spike on “Buffy” and “Angel”, so for a moment or two, it’s hard to get past that and pay attention to what he brings to this character. In that respect, this is probably the best episode for his introduction. It gave everyone, including Marsters, a chance to find the right dynamic for the character.

I like the fact that Fine begins as something of a sympathetic character, a mentor for Clark. I have no idea if that’s where the character began in the comics, but given where Lex is finally going, it helps Clark see the transition and a resource for uncovering the sins of LuthorCorp. Add Jor-El’s possession of Lionel to the mix, and Clark has plenty of potential to become Lex’s primary adversary.

Fine will eventually become a problem himself, of course, which ought to blend into the season arc rather well. The question will be where the series goes from here. Assuming that this episode was atypical of the season (and I hope it was), then the ratings should hold and the network should have every reason to bring the show back next season. I just hope Aquaman stays far away from Smallville if it does.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 4/10

Invasion 1.5: "Unnatural Selection"

Written by Shuan Cassidy and Michael Burns
Directed by Thomas Schlamme

In which an old friend of Russell’s is killed by Underlay in a suspicious incident, and when Russell begins conducting his own investigation, he discovers more than he bargained for…


This is another episode that doesn’t really go anywhere for most of its running time, but at least the final act or so brings the story a little further along. In terms of the overall narrative, the battle lines are being drawn between Underlay and Russell rather distinctly, which may or may not be the best thing for the story. In between stands Mariel, who has already shown signs of being on the fence between the two men.

That core triangle is where the key dramatic conflict lies, and that’s where this episode is largely centered. Underlay is firmly behind whatever process is taking place, because his own previous survival (and apparent “possession”) leads him to believe that it’s all for the benefit of those who become hosts. Russell, on the other hand, represents those who resist this process. Or at least, he’s being prepared for that role, since at the moment, he’s still not sure what it is he’s resisting.

I imagine that the purpose of this episode was to show how Russell is becoming more and more aware of the lines being drawn by Underlay. Underlay has been making his decisions based on the preservation and benefit of those “possessed”. Of course, Underlay refers to them as the “survivors”, which might be a reference to the fact that some encounters with the “aliens” don’t end well.

But Russell finally begins learning from the events since the pilot, which is something I was waiting (impatiently) for. He takes measures, even in ignorance, to keep Rose away from the water and to keep Jesse from being directly involved in his personal investigation. Slowly but surely, he’s pulling together the start of a resistance. If I have any sense of where this story is going, that proto-movement should really gel right around episode 6 or 7.

So I try and look at these first few episodes on the assumption that this is the introduction phase of the season arc: it’s all about getting to know the characters and the basic conflicts. I’m just not sure that the writers have framed the early stages of the story in the most interesting way. I get the premise, and I get the style used to provide it scope, but it’s not the most fascinating introduction in the world. Until the final act, I wasn’t feeling this episode.

One problem has been the inconsistent portrayal of Larkin. Not just in terms of the character herself, but rather, in terms of how others react to her. Clearly she should have a reputation for pushing the buttons of authority and getting into things she shouldn’t. But she’s dealing with a sheriff with a secret agenda and the military. She seems to get treated with kid gloves by both. Underlay, at least, had some hope that he could control Larkin, but I’m not at all impressed by the military security in this episode. (Yes, I realize Larkin was ultimately followed, but she never should have been able to see anything in the first place.)

The goal is apparently to have Larkin discover information useful to Russell, with the efforts to keep her quiet being another reason for Russell to pursue the truth. At least, that’s how I interpret it. Meanwhile, Mariel is the window into Underlay’s agenda, but this episode seems to suggest that he doesn’t quite know what’s happening either. I imagine that the extended family will become pawns in the battle between Underlay and Russell.

At least the network is giving the series a chance to make its case. The series gained a full season pickup this week, based on the fact that it’s performed better than any other series in the same hour for something like five years. Surely the “Lost” lead-in is a huge factor, but that wouldn’t matter if the series had completely tanked. Hopefully the hint of a growing momentum for the story will actually come to fruition.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Alias 5.4: "Mockingbird"

Written by Drew Goddard
Directed by Frederick E.O. Toye

In which the search for Dean forces APO to place Rachel back in the field, which also serves to place Sydney in jeopardy, while Sloane must face the consequences of his recent actions…


Status Report

While there’s plenty of reason to complain about the awkward transition from the Sydney/Vaughn-centric material of the fourth season to this season’s shift to new characters, this episode is probably the best episode of the series yet. It’s still not perfect, and the new characters aren’t quite coming together as well as one might like, but there’s a clear process taking place.

Rachel is a lot more naïve about the business and her current situation than Sydney was in the first season, and that can be a little annoying. She can get a little hysterical, and while the actress pulls it off, it’s not the most flattering introduction to a character in the world. When the writers are trying so hard to get the audience to care about Rachel, they could do some things to make her a bit more sympathetic.

That said, this episode is about gaining the first hint of confidence, as Sydney slips more and more into the Vaughn-esque role. Speaking of Sydney, this episode is a good example of why her time as an active agent is going to come to a rapid close. It was very hard to rationalize her presence on a field mission while so obviously pregnant (and therefore, to an extent, more vulnerable than ever). She needs to step back and push Tom and Rachel into the forefront.

The problem with that, of course, is Rachel’s lack of training. Tom, however, can help with that by working with her in the field, not unlike how Noah Hicks must have helped Sydney get her bearing. That would fit into the parallels with Sydney’s life, in many ways completing the cycle of her experience. And there’s a good support system in place with Jack as the director and Dixon also in the field. It could work, but the writers need to get the story there organically.

This episode does a good enough job of that, though it relies on a few gimmicks and conveniences to do so. Skipping over the whole rescue at the end was either required for time or a huge writing mistake. That was hardly the only example of one. Sydney takes a lot of time to advise Rachel to stay in character while rummaging through the crime scene, yet both of them act like anything but their alias while on the scene.

So what did work? Dean is becoming a very interesting villain, and while his goals are still murky at best, he fits the bill as a post-Yelena Rambaldi fanatic trying to get something out of the situation that still hasn’t been fully resolved after the fourth season finale. This is, of course, assuming that the whole “Prophet 5” document is an indirect reference to Rambaldi.

But why else would Dean want to spring Sloane and get him involved, if he didn’t have some goal related to Rambaldi and the prospect of a cure for Nadia? It’s doubtful that Sloane would stay away from something related to Rambaldi yet again, especially since he would have the chance to do things right this time. After all, he was following the Rambaldi blueprint for more than 30 years. Why would he be compelled to change now?

While he claims redemption, having infiltrated Yelena’s organization to disrupt her plans, it’s important to remember that Yelena was definitely not following the Rambaldi endgame. Yelena perverted Rambaldi’s plans to her own ends, which is why Sloane wanted to stop her in the first place. Under no circumstances can it be claimed that the Rambaldi endgame is over and done with.

Of course, part of the problem with this episode (like all the episodes since the premiere) is the obvious attempt to leave Rambaldi out of the equation. There were about a hundred reasons to bring Sloane’s obsession with Rambaldi into his hearing, and the writers were clearly jumping through massive hoops to remain Rambaldi-free. By now, the network should realize that the invocation of the Rambaldi name is hardly a factor in the series’ success, and there’s really no reason to water things down by not bringing up the central piece of the series’ mythology.

A couple of other things are notable for this episode, which despite some of the nitpicks, was at least on par with the quality of the third and fourth seasons (which remain underrated). The first is largely for the men of the audience (and those with similar taste): just how hot is Rachel Nichols? Sure, she was a model before getting into the acting thing, but she is one highly attractive young woman. And that camera angle in the trunk was giving the audience quite the bird’s eye view, considering how low cut that top was! Oh, for the moment she starts getting into Sydney’s old wardrobe!

The ratings are also a matter of concern. As anyone with half a brain could have predicted, the series is getting crushed by the competition. A lot of industry insiders are talking about the series as if it were already dead, and that’s a real shame. The network is largely to blame, especially since they gave the series an early renewal last season and then botched its return this fall in nearly every way.

This season’s episodes have been cursed with the scent of decay, because too many outside issues were dragging on its premiere, it probably came back too quickly, and it’s on the wrong night to fit well within the schedule. It was bad enough when the series moved into the post-“Lost” slot. This new slot is just plain evil. The only benefit of the current situation is that the writers have plenty of warning to plot out the season finale as an end to the series as a whole. Unless, of course, the network delivers the ultimate betrayal and cancels the series before it gets a chance to end.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is another step in the right direction, though there are still some pieces that need to come together. The writers are still stumbling over the mandate to not mention Rambaldi, perhaps more than ever before, but it’s clear where the story arc is going and why things need to take time to get there. It would be better if the new characters were a little more sympathetic, but that could come with time.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Ghost Hunters 2.13: "19 Oct 2005"

Case #1: Crescent Hotel
Case #2: Dr. Ellis’ House

I haven’t commented at all on the ratings this season, because that information hasn’t been easy to find. Also, it’s hard to correlate data when two seasons run for different periods at different times of the year. I also didn’t want to get depressed at the effect “Lost” would have, since even I TiVo “Ghost Hunters” under these circumstances.

Well, now the genie is out of the bottle, and the ratings are available. I have to say, I’m impressed! It’s impressive to think that “Ghost Hunters” is getting ratings, at least for the “season finale”, that approach “Battlestar: Galactica” numbers. This show deserves to be a success, and by gaining viewers against “Lost”, I think it clearly has succeeded.

So we’re getting a Halloween Special at the end of the month and 9 more episodes starting in January 2006. Excellent! That’s a grand total of 23 second season episodes, which is more than the typical one-hour drama gets these days. Another sign of success! Now would be the perfect time for SFC to take a good, long look at their approach to the series.

What would I like to see? Less of the goofy effects and more of the investigation. It wouldn’t kill them to focus on one investigation per episode, or in lieu of that, cover three investigations across two episodes of time, like the first season. Less of the manufactured drama, which was ramped up this season. Oh, and the more Paula Donovan, the better!

Since this was the apparent season finale, they clearly saved the best for last. And I mean “saved”, because these investigations clearly took place earlier in the season, just after Dave joined and Steve took over the technical department. I can only imagine that the post-production process revealed that the subsequent investigations weren’t producing much, so the apparent apparition was saved until the presumed end.

First case:

Well, obviously, this is all about the apparent apparition. I know that there will be a million naysayers picking that one apart, but based on what was demonstrated and revealed, I can’t see how that’s a fake. Not only that, but the apparent apparition actually moves as if turning to look into the camera. It’s rather impressive as a whole, especially since they took quite a bit of time to debunk it and couldn’t.

Here’s the thing. This really brings the whole “real or fake” question to a head. Now, I’m sure someone is going to claim that this was digitally manipulated and the whole thing is a hoax, but as usual, I have to ask the logical question: why would they go through so much trouble and risk exposing themselves just to capture something on camera? Naysayers never consider that it’s much more work to fake something like this than it is to do it right. After all, if it were easy, it would probably look and sound a lot like the obvious fakery on “Most Haunted”, and there’s a clear difference.

Second case:

Now, this I find a bit harder to swallow. It’s not that I completely dismiss psychic phenomena; I just don’t buy what happened in the episode. The “far too specific” reading was anything but, at least on film, and that temperature gradient could have been explained by the heating system in the house itself. I do accept that Jason and Grant would have checked into that, but since it wasn’t shown (in favor of the more unusual explanation), I can’t make assumptions. Even so, it was very interesting as a starting point to a different realm of experimentation.

Despite my doubts regarding the medium, I have to say that this is probably the best episode they’ve ever had. Not only did they highlight their own attempts at debunking at all the right moments, they also managed to do something that is rarely done: they caught an apparition on film. What else is there to say?

Chill Factor: 10/10

Lost 2.5: "...and Found"

Written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse
Directed by Stephen Williams

In which Sun realizes that she has lost her wedding ring, which prompts her to remember how she met Jin, while Jin leads a search for Michael when his friend runs off to find Walt…


Status Report

Much like the previous episode, this installment provides an example of why “Adrift” was one of the less impressive episodes of the season/series. While this episode focuses on one of the less prominent characters and doesn’t tell a story far beyond the information already available from the first season, there’s much more happening in the background. There’s not much forward momentum, but there’s also no sense of rehashing the same ground.

The Jin/Sun episodes of the first season weren’t necessarily the best episodes, because they do demand a bit more from the audience. In this case, a bit of time and perspective works wonders. Jin and Sun began their journey on the island with very different goals in mind. Sun, in particular, had been coming off plans to flee her marriage.

This episode sees Sun in a very different position. It’s not the most surprising character development in the world, but it does define a progression in her character arc. She had a lot of issues with Jin at the beginning, just after the crash, but now she’s focusing on all the reasons she fell for him in the first place. It makes sense in terms of Jin and his choices, and it’s an interesting follow-up to Sun’s actions in “Born to Run”.

On the other side of the island, Jin is demonstrating the depth of his loyalty. He could just let Michael go find Walt and be done with it. He would certainly have a better chance of survival with those who understand the threat posed by the Others, if only in terms of numbers, by leaving Michael to his own devices. But Jin decides instead to put his life on the line to help Michael. This is in stark contrast to Jin’s relationship with Michael in “..In Translation”.

One might quibble over the fact that this character progression was obvious, but this is where the comparison with “Adrift” comes in. As noted for that episode, the issue was the lack of character development for Michael. In essence, that episode didn’t take Michael any further down an arc than any previous episode. This episode is different because it moves the characters forward, even if it’s an incremental step.

This is rare example of a “double flashback”, because the scenes from the past are seen from two different points of view. Sun’s memories are focused on her search, however reluctant, for a man she can love and who might appreciate her for who she is. It does highlight Sun’s innate beauty and the very different cultural mandates that dominate Korean society, but the point is largely to explain why Jin’s arrival in her life happened at just the right moment.

Jin’s story, on the other hand, is a commentary on class struggles, which were alluded to in “…In Translation” and fleshed out over time. Still, this is the most straightforward exploration of the topic. Giving Jin such a complicated background is a good thing, because it gives his character motivation. The parallel between Jin’s past and his present decision is also a bit less obvious than it could be.

The fact that Jin doesn’t speak English is still a challenge for the writers, but it gives Daniel Dae Kim the chance to display his acting skills. Jin’s intentions are never a question, and he manages to communicate with Eko rather well under the circumstances. As mentioned earlier, Jin wasn’t the most sympathetic character in the beginning, but his loyalty to his own “people” in this episode is quite clear.

Jin and Sun really dominate the episode, which isn’t the ideal situation, but it does make sense in light of the situation. The downside is that there’s very little exploration of the overall mysteries as a result. This is primarily a character-driven series, and that’s where the effort is typically directed, so that’s not as bad as it might be for a series like “Invasion” or “Threshold”. Still, it plays into the hands of those complaining that the forward momentum is far from apparent, since only 4 days have passed since the first season finale.

There is a slight bit of information about the Others, but it mostly confirms what has already been revealed. They seem to have a lot of experience in moving around the island without much of a trace, they have Walt, and they’ve been killing off the AnaLucia Tribe since the crash. Speaking of which, the AnaLucia Tribe also mention the unusual abilities of the Others, which suggests some kind of inhuman changes to the Others themselves. But that’s all indirect information that’s been on the table for a while.

From a character perspective, this doesn’t really add much. There are some good character moments here and there, but they are present in a largely supportive capacity. Jack gets a scene where he reveals, indirectly, that his marriage has been over for some time. Kate, after an episode with a lot of flirtation with Jack, demonstrates her regret for leaving things with Sawyer on such shaky ground. Hurley gets a wonderful scene about a dog. As usual, the Locke scene simply underscored his overall philosophy.

With things being so slow for the JackLocke Tribe, it makes sense that more time was devoted to the AnaLucia Tribe. Ana continues to be very abrasive, but now it makes a little more sense. She’s been filling Jack’s role as the leader of her tribe, but she’s been fighting a losing war against the Others. It certainly seems as if “survival of the fittest” has been her primary concern. If/when she runs into Jack and Locke, her reaction to their decision-making process ought to be interesting!

Libby and Bernard are still enigmas, but they are certainly less Draconian than Ana. Libby in particular seems to be a lot more sympathetic. Frankly, it would be interesting to see Libby after she has a chance to clean up; that outfit is far from flattering. But Libby could become important over time in terms of working out motivations.

Minister Eko is a very interesting character, falling somewhat between Ana and Libby on the compassion scale. He has a rough way of dealing with the survival aspect, but he recognizes what kind of person Jin must be, and acts accordingly. There’s still a sense that Eko has yet to reveal his true nature, in terms of his own motivations, but for now, he seems similar to Sayid in his bearing.

If there is a weakness in this episode, it’s the justification for why Michael wasn’t captured or killed by the Others. Supposedly Michael manages to sneak by in front of the Others, thus escaping attention. However, Michael is supposedly running around, screaming for Walt at the top of his lungs, and basically doing things that ought to make him easy to find. Michael’s part in the story doesn’t make much sense.

For whatever reason, the network has decided to postpone the next episode. This is not the ideal situation. For one thing, the season has started off rather slowly, but the ratings have been steadily climbing. Having this break, without a strong episode going in, could have a negative effect for those still unsure about sticking with the show. Then again, there’s probably little chance of a huge drop in ratings during the sweeps. After all, unlike “Desperate Housewives”, the critics are still solidly behind the series and there’s a strong positive buzz. Still, it’s going to be a long wait to see how the season moves forward.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode doesn’t advance the overall story arc much, but it does represent an important stage in the character development for Jin and Sun. Much of the information in the episode is simply confirmation of what has been suggested in the past, which adds to the impression of a slow start to the season. This is not the most exciting episode, but it also avoids the retread problem that could have dragged it down.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

X-Files 5.14: "The Red and the Black"

Written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz
Directed by Chris Carter

In which Scully’s experience at Ruskin Dam forces her and Mulder to reconsider their personal beliefs, while the Syndicate debates the implication of the Rebels and their stolen vaccine…


Status Report

Much like the first half of this mythology two-part story, the effectiveness of the story is hampered by the need to extend an arc in its final days beyond its intended life span. In this case, the story revolves strongly around the nature of the Faceless Rebels, the true identity of Jeffrey Spender, and the truth about what happened at Ruskin Dam. None of these items are particularly meaningful in terms of the mythology as envisioned during the third season and developed for “Fight the Future”, however, and as it would turn out, there was little conception as to how they would be used during the rest of the series’ run.

As with most of the mythology episodes, previous interpretations regarding the goals and policies of the conspiracy and Cancer Man pertain directly to the interpretation of the current episode. Therefore, the speculation and interpretation outlined in previous reviews are assumed to be familiar to the reader. In particular, the summary of the mythology given in the review for “Herrenvolk”, as well as the review for “Patient X”, is critical to the analysis of this episode.

Cancer Man’s letter in the teaser is clearly meant to suggest that he wants something of his son. Equally clear is the implication that the audience should assume the son in question is Mulder. The fact that it is Spender places the experiences of Jeffrey and Cassandra in a very different light, because once that connection is recognized, it’s clear that Jeffrey and Cassandra are remembering real experiences of abductions and tests, filtered through erasure of memory and “insertion” of false memories.

So why does Cancer Man want to restore his relationship with Spender now? The answer is likely related to the reports he has heard regarding Mulder. Cancer Man had staged Mulder in the position to be his main operative, the advocate of his plans. Mulder refused to play along, and so Cancer Man has to work through other channels. Spender is something of a “safety valve”; Cancer Man needs to position Spender to implement the tasks, one way or another, that Mulder will not.

Of course, the situation is somewhat more complex. Mulder has a role to play, and as seen in “Fight the Future”, that role is manipulated by Cancer Man through indirect means. That being the case, one must wonder why Spender is so important at this stage of the game. It comes down to manipulation of the Syndicate. Cancer Man had convinced the Syndicate that Mulder was useful as a source of easy disinformation; now, that’s no longer the case.

Mulder is useful, so long as his beliefs are not revived. There was little reason to get in Mulder’s way once he was no longer trying to fight his crusade. He was a non-entity as far as the Syndicate was concerned. Now, of course, that is changing again. With the Syndicate feeling threatened by the appearance of the Rebels, they cannot afford interference from Mulder and his investigation of the X-Files. Therefore, Mulder is most useful to Cancer Man outside of the scope of the X-Files. Spender is more useful in Mulder’s old role than Mulder, in terms of Cancer Man’s plans.

All of this is completely outside of the scope of the episode itself, which is why this episode’s explanations sound good until one begins to consider how it’s all supposed to fit together. Motivations that are assigned to characters and groups in this episode are somewhat vague and unsatisfying. Like so many mythology episodes, this is a chronicle of a journey through pieces of a much larger, far more complicated whole. Information is revealed through revelation of assumption.

The aftermath of Ruskin Dam is one of the strongest moments of the fifth season. The use of one of the more powerful musical themes created for the “Fight the Future” score, previewed in this episode as a subtle connective thread, is a masterstroke. No matter what else might be happening between them, Mulder needs Scully and the possibility of her death is almost unthinkable, especially on the heels of “Redux II”.

As already noted in “Patient X”, the Syndicate’s version of the vaccine against Purity is seen as ineffective. One could question why Marita is left comatose while Dmitri was not, but Marita’s situation is actually closer to the established continuity. Purity in “Tunguska”, from the same source, was not strong enough to do anything more than leave its host in a comatose state.

It’s rather interesting to see Spender coming after Mulder for his mother’s latest abduction. Whatever Mulder’s reputation, he’s already made it clear that he’s not involved and that he wanted nothing to do with Cassandra’s case. Spender goes from someone with a legitimate concern in the previous episode to a complete jerk here. But that kind of whiplash character “development” is in step with what the writers did with Mulder, so perhaps it’s all part of the same problem.

The conversation between the Well-Manicured Man and Krycek is a great example of a dialogue rife with assumption and hidden agendas. Krycek didn’t infect Dmitri to ensure that others would be infected. He did it because Cancer Man wanted the Syndicate to know that the Russian vaccine was effective and that required a test subject. Marita was an unfortunate victim of her own personal agenda. Since it all placed the Syndicate in the same position, it was worth it for Krycek to let the Well-Manicured Man continue to believe in his own assumptions.

As with so many scenes with crashing UFOs, it doesn’t make much sense. What would cause the UFO to crash? One could assume that it’s a by-product of the “war in heaven”, but that may not be the case. What if the Rebels, coming from some point about 20 years in the future, have not perfected the technology allowing it? Loss of control of the UFO could simply be part of the process, which only an augmented human like the “shifters” could survive. As it is, it’s a deadly prospect, and as of this episode, the conspiracy has its hands on Rebel technology. (That’s important in terms of how the conspiracy advances its own UFO tech.)

Mulder is correct in believing that the control chip in Scully’s neck is central to the overall conspiracy. Not only was it key to the conspiracy’s plan to prepare the populace for migration to “lighthouses” in 2012, but it was also key to the completion of Phase II (direct biological reproduction of “shifter” drones). The control chip is just a nanotech analogue of the organ in the back of the neck of every “shifter”.

But Scully now has reason to believe that her memories are the only source of reliable information, even if those memories are suspect. Mulder is right to question his own memories, since his own inability to pinpoint the events of his sister’s abduction strongly suggests memory implantation. But Scully is right to believe that her own recollection, if it can be found past the barriers of her own filters and the control chip’s influence, could give them both a sense of direction.

Taking a step back to the “bad assumption” topic, there’s the Syndicate meeting, during which many viewers were probably under the impression that a ton of information was finally revealed. But that’s simply not the case; only the assumptions of the Syndicate were revealed. They assume that the “facial scarring” is self-protection, but they overlook the fact that “shifters” wouldn’t need to do something so primitive, and that Purity can get through a containment suit, never mind rough stitching.

The allusion to “the weapons and the magic” speaks to the connections between Navaho folklore and the overall mythology itself, but it brings up another interesting point. Cancer Man speaks of “twin brothers” who bring the “weapons and magic” to their father to “eliminate the monsters of the world”. He says this to Spender, in the hopes of reconciliation. But who are the “twin brothers”?

One is led to believe that it must be Mulder and Spender, but Krycek is the one who fulfills Cancer Man’s bidding more completely in this episode. Mulder also slips into his appointed role. As the series itself would seem to suggest on many occasions, the “twin brothers” could, in fact, be Mulder and Krycek. (This would fit within the theory that Krycek, like Mulder and Spender, are products of Cancer Man’s personal mission to sire humanity’s “future savior”.)

At any rate, the Syndicate betrays their own ignorance. Even the Well-Manicured Man doesn’t seem to recognize that the Rebels are far from the best ally. Part of that is the simple fact that the Rebels have been hidden from them until now, so the obvious connections between the “clones” used by the Colonists/Purity and the Rebel “shifters” aren’t in mind. But they don’t have a clue about how they have been used. In many respects, in the struggle for control over humanity’s evolution, the Syndicate is powerless.

The heart of this episode is Scully’s hypnosis session. Beyond being perhaps the most orgasmic experience for Scully on the series until “all things”, it’s also one of the most revealing moments. Mulder is forced to recognize that much of his newfound belief is ephemeral; a lot of his bluster was his own attempt to convince himself.

But her memories also provide a sense of how the war between Purity and the Rebels has been waged. Purity’s weapons seem designed to set the Rebels on fire, which is the same basic method used to kill those with control chips. This suggests a common weakness. Besides being very cheap relative to other more obvious effects, the lights suggest a very focused burst of some form of energy, probably microwave or magnetic in nature.

Mulder knows better than to think that this is all “typical abduction lore”, but he’s fighting his own realization that a military conspiracy can’t explain everything that he’s seen and experienced. It simply took Scully’s experience to get him to understand that.

Within the Syndicate, the decision to cut Cancer Man out of the game is finally leading to a lack of clear leadership. The Well-Manicured Man always wanted to do things his way, but his desire to resist Purity is not shared by those too concerned with their own survival to see the big picture. Regardless, this is another example of the weakness of the Syndicate.

The conversation between Krycek and Mulder is not unlike the conversation between Krycek and the Well-Manicured Man. It’s about managing beliefs. Cancer Man needs Mulder to believe again, just when the Syndicate can’t afford it, thus making Mulder a more dangerous and effective tool. Krycek therefore frames the truth within the lie that Cancer Man has propagated since the beginning.

That scene also helps to explain some of the dynamics in “Fight the Future”. The implication is that the Well-Manicured Man wanted help to prevent the loss of the captured Rebel, and so he turned to Mulder. That sets a precedent for the Well-Manicured Man to turn to Mulder when he has disagreement with the Syndicate. Cancer Man, of course, can use that, so it works out for everyone. (This assumes that Krycek is in contact with Cancer Man, but as “The End” would indicate, that was clearly the case.)

All of this comes together in a scene which threatens to unravel the intelligence of the episode as a whole. The writers had to leave some things open to interpretation, because they weren’t sure how the whole Rebel plot thread would unfold. Unfortunately, they decided to stage the scene so that not one person can possibly figure out what happened. It’s definitely an example of Carter choosing a “cool” moment over clear storytelling.

Here’s how it seems to be. The Syndicate sent their own “bounty hunter”, the “shifter” working for them in “Talitha Cumi” and “Herrenvolk”, to eliminate the Rebel. That suggests that the Syndicate was aware, to some extent, of the similarity between the “shifters” on both sides. Regardless, Mulder is there to stop this, or so one would assume.

Things get far more complicated (and needlessly so) when the Rebels arrive themselves to save their cohort. All well and good, except Mulder starts shooting for no apparent reason. Who he’s shooting at is a complete mystery, and no matter how one interprets it, it’s a stupid move. Yet Mulder gets away without a scratch (and certainly no effect from the “shifter” retrovirus) and there’s no sign as to what happened. The implication is that the bounty hunter was killed by the Rebels, but there’s no reason to believe it.

The point is that this ending takes all the wonderful intrigue and character work earlier in the episode and nearly derails it with a cheap and unnecessary ending. Sure, there’s the interesting information about Spender and his parentage, and all the implications thereof, but that resolution to the Rebel and his fate is horrible. It’s as if the writers had no idea how to make the scene work, so they just tossed things together.

More to the point, this problematic ending is linked to elements introduced to the mythology that add nothing to the intended resolution of the arc, which comes with “Fight the Future”. The Rebels are a complication that could and should have been avoided. The writers obviously had no idea what to do with them or how they fit into the big picture. Sticking with the vaccine question and the “lighthouses” would have been better, and while the Rebels were attached to those concepts in this two-part story, there could have been other ways to handle it.


Memorable Quotes

SPENDER: “I heard about this office. Really is in the basement…”

SCULLY: “I appreciate your opinion, Agent Spender, but I don’t have a mother feeding me abduction stories.”
SPENDER: “You’ve got Agent Mulder, don’t you?”

KRYCEK: “You must be losing it, Mulder. I could beat you with one hand.”
MULDER: “Isn’t that how you like to beat yourself?”


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is a satisfying enough resolution to the first half of the story, but the ending leaves much to be desired. Like the previous episode, the need to add to the mythology for the sake of future seasons got in the way of paving the way for the feature film, and much of the intrigue is hard to unveil without proper context. Even so, there are some great moments in the episode, and from a character perspective, this is an important step.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Medium 2.5: "Sweet Dreams"

Written by Moira Kirkland
Directed by Aaron Lipstadt

In which Allison has a dream about a childhood friend who moved to California, and in the course of trying to find out what happened, a case involving sexual deviance comes into play…


After a few strong episodes with effective use of a compelling hook, this episode was hard to classify. Overall, the mystery was intriguing, and it gave some interesting insight into Allison and her past history. But there were a number of scenes that were incredibly long and visually flat, and that took something away from the impact of the episode as a whole.

During the first season, a similar thing would happen. Whenever the topic turned towards sexual predation, a common enough element to violent crime, the writers would slow things down and linger over the resulting dialogue. The problem is not taking the situation and topic seriously; it’s taking it so seriously that the pacing suffers.

In a couple of scenes, I found myself becoming a bit bored, because the conversations were going on and on and there wasn’t even a score to keep it interesting. It was two people for several minutes, back and forth. Sometimes, that kind of thing will work, especially if it’s an animated discussion or critical to the characters. But when the conversations unfold at a slow and measured pace, it’s all about the investment in the characters.

For myself, I can only say that the characters weren’t compelling enough to maintain the intensity. I found it difficult to get into the story. While I appreciated how the whole package was put together, especially in terms of how Allison’s personal matters intersected with the case at hand, it just didn’t grab me the way the past few episodes have.

The difficulty, then, is figuring out whether or not it was the writing or my subjective mood. That’s a tough call. I think the decision to have more than one long stretch of dialogue wasn’t the smartest move, but I can understand what the writers were aiming for. And it’s hard to delve into uncomfortable sexual predation topics without taking a detached approach (like “CSI” or “Law and Order”). Allison, by the very nature of her ability, cannot detach herself from the direct impact of such crimes, and that makes striking a balance that much harder.

There were two things I felt were missing from the episode. One of them is probably a problem with the promotion of the episode: I was looking forward to seeing Allison as a young woman, especially since they went to the trouble of finding an actress who looked a lot like a young Patricia and also an older version of the girls. That side of the episode was a very small piece of the puzzle, which is unfortunate. (Oh, and the actress was hot, so I wanted to see more!)

The family life was also minimized because of the complexity of the case and the long stretches of dialogue. I’ve said it before: that aspect of the series is my personal favorite, and so I’m less likely to enjoy an episode if that element is not present. There were still many things to like, but in terms of my own preferences, this wasn’t the best.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

Supernatural 1.6: "Skin"

Written by John Shiban
Directed by Robert Duncan McNeill

In which Sam visits an old friend from college with a personal problem, but when the brothers look into the situation, he and Dean find themselves face to face with a shapeshifter…


In my comments on earlier episodes, I mentioned that Dean was becoming a far more compelling character than Sam. After this episode, I still feel that this is the case. What’s more, I think the writers are beginning to recognize it. This is ostensibly Sam’s episode, delving into his world and his emotions. Yet what I took away from it was a better sense of Dean’s issue with Sam and his previous life.

Sam was the one who escaped, and for that reason alone, Sam should have a lot of internal conflict with his current situation. He thought he had escaped his past, and it came back to bite him. Intersections with his old life are almost impossible, because he has to lie to them, and there’s an inevitable barrier of deception.

Jared plays the character as someone trying to contain his broiling emotions behind a flat affect, which can work if there’s sufficient acting ability. Think of Edward Olmos on “Battlestar: Galactica” and how clearly he can communicate with just a minimal shift of facial expression. Jared doesn’t have that, and so what is meant to seem like an extreme bit of conflict doesn’t necessarily shine through. Contrast that to Jensen’s ability to convey an entire story with one smirk, and there’s a huge difference.

It wouldn’t be so obvious if there were several lead characters, but this is a two-man show. Jared and Jensen need to carry the story forward on a roughly equal basis. Unless, of course, the writers play Dean as the lead character and Sam as the “straight man”, which is where I think the scripts are slowly but surely going.

This is an example of where the exception proves the rule. Take the focus off Dean and place it on Sam’s world, and it’s just not as much fun. That’s why it was far more interesting to hear all the things that Dean felt about Sam, and why it would have been better to hear a lot more. One can feel for Dean and get a sense of how wounded he really is. Sam, for all that his world has turned upside down, doesn’t connect as quickly or easily with the audience at large.

This is another episode with a lot of similarities to old “X-Files” episodes. In this case, it’s a much darker take on the concept in “Small Potatoes”, right down to the shedding of skin on a regular basis. I found that less interesting as a result, but I did find the darker side rather intriguing. I always go for the more psychological aspect of a story, and in this case, the brutality of the skinwalker betrayed a deep psychological deformity.

Also interesting is this ongoing hint that many aspects of the “supernatural” involve a component of telepathic ability, or more broadly, memory appropriation. Not only that but there seems to be a sharing of information, perhaps indicative of a common source of memory or, more disturbing, a hierarchy dictating how to react should the Winchesters came calling. It doesn’t just make this episode more interesting by allowing Dean’s hidden issues come to light; it also adds flavor to the overall mythology.

While the direction was strong and the intent of the story was quite clear, I’m not sure that they took the concept far enough. Also, no matter how hot Sam’s friends might have been (or unusually thin), they simply aren’t compelling. Jess was never all that interesting, even with that costume in the pilot, and Mandy is equally bland. Then again, the women are almost always eye candy, so perhaps that’s not so important in the end.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

Smallville 5.3: "Hidden"

Written by Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson
Directed by Whitney Ransick

In which Clark, trying to stop a madman bent on destroying Smallville, is shot to death, prompting his resurrection and restoration by Jor-El, but the price is higher than Clark expects…


This is the kind of episode that I both love and hate. I love many of the scenes in terms of their own content and presentation. A lot of moments hit home exactly as the writers intended. But I hate some of the choices that were made in terms of the overall story. This is especially the case when it comes to Clark’s resurrection and the overall reaction to it.

So Smallville had its share of nuclear missile silos; I suppose that’s easy enough to accept, though one has to wonder how the rain of meteor rocks didn’t set one or two of the warheads off, given the effect of kryptonite on nearly everything else. Whatever the case, I suppose it was just a matter of time before some maniac decided to use those weapons against the mutated populace. Having that person be obsessed over Chloe (a natural enough phenomenon) gives the premise a little more heft.

It is one of the basic tenets of the series that Clark is ga-ga over Lana despite the fact that he acts as though he cares just as much for Chloe. It’s just that the stars go in his eyes when Lana’s around, because she’s been the focus of his obsession for years. Even so, his actions with Lana are complicated by the fact that she’s in the dark about his true nature, and Clark thinks that he’s protecting himself and Lana by not telling the truth. Whatever his reasons in the beginning, it’s definitely an issue now, though the writers have to jump through silly hoops to maintain it.

Chloe, on the other hand, knows all about Clark and his unique nature, and she still doesn’t turn her back on him. I’m not saying that Chloe is more worthy than Lana; as much as I prefer Chloe myself, I don’t hold anything against Lana, as I know others do. It’s simply that Clark isn’t looking at the big picture. He definitely doesn’t want to see Chloe hurt, and he basically puts his life on the line for her in this episode, so there’s something there, even if it’s love for a close friend. Chloe has no issues with his true nature and supports him in his decisions to save the world, and she’s put her life in the line to protect that secret.

Of course, drama is built on complication, and in this case, there’s more complication with Lana. Chloe isn’t shocked by Clark’s survival; Lana ought to be nearly catatonic at the whole situation. Instead she pulls the ultimate Scully and insists that Clark is normal despite the fact that he died right in front of her eyes and showed up without a scratch hours later. And of course, as one might have predicted, Clark has to accept that he’s not human and never will be, and that there is a price for turning his back on his legacy.

Speaking of which, this is where the story didn’t work for me. For one thing, Clark’s reversion to his former state occurs far too quickly. For this plot element to work best, it needed more time to establish itself. Making it such a short-term plot element betrays its true purpose: allowing the Clark/Lana relationship to culminate just long enough to make Clark’s restoration a major issue.

There’s also this issue of the consequence of Clark’s decision not to return to the Fortress of Solitude at the appointed time, which is coming back to haunt him. I like the idea of Lionel Luthor being the temporary “familiar” for Jor-El, since it allows Jor-El to be a more direct presence in Clark’s life. It also adds another thing to Lex’s list of possible grievances against Clark. But the whole “life for life” thing is a bit contrived.

So who would be the likely victim? My money is on Jonathan or Chloe. Jonathan would be the continuity-conscious favorite, because he must die at some point. But that wouldn’t be very shocking, given the past troubles in that regard, so would the writers retread? If it’s a question of shock value, or stabbing at the heart of Clark’s support system, then Chloe is a more dramatically satisfying victim.

Whatever the case, this was an episode with plenty of strong scenes that were, in my opinion, tied together with a rather weak context.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Threshold 1.6: "Pulse"

Written by Mike Sussman
Directed by Bill Norton

In which Caffrey and the Red Team track down a DJ in Miami who mixed the bio-forming signal into dance music, but who might not be aware of what she’s doing or why…


I’ve been down on this series lately, largely because of my own impressions of where the concept would logically progress. Granted, that’s fairly arrogant, and it would be easy for me to say that it’s all a matter of preference and my own particular tastes. But then the writers dropped this episode into the schedule, and suddenly, they’re doing things the way I had hoped they would.

One thing I liked about the series from the beginning was the conflict between the needs of the Threshold Protocol and the individual rights of the team members and/or the general populace. In essence, I was under the impression that Threshold could pretty much do whatever they wanted, with impunity, to get the job done. Granted, there is a certain value in the inter-agency give and take that could happen instead, but the premise itself is geared towards abuse of power, not frustrations over lack of authority.

That’s why this episode is such a good example of what this series can and should accomplish, and why I think the writers are still trying to strike the right balance. In the previous episode, it was all they could do to get minimal support. In fact, in some instances, the back-up was woefully non-existent. This episode is in stark contrast: instead of having inter-agency issues, vast resources are at the fingertips of the Red Team, right down to a secret EMP bomb.

Using such an extreme measure against an entire city like Miami is the kind of thing that should be status quo for this series. The threat is that vast, after all, and they apparently have the authority to pose as agents of other government agencies without penalty. They can immediately and without penalty revoke individual civil rights. They can bring about public and private financial ruin at the drop of a dime, and they’ll get full support in doing so. That’s very different from the circumstances of the previous episode.

And logically, at least from my point of view, any agency with such responsibility would need that kind of authority to get the job done. Caffrey and the Red Team would take stock of a situation, determine the scope, and mobilize local, regional, and national resources to resolve the issue, and move on. In other words, as the contingency expert, Caffrey should be focusing on the big picture. She’s far too hands-on, and in this episode, at least, we get to see the consequences.

Karen wasn’t the most memorable or sympathetic character in the world, but it definitely put Caffrey in a particular bind. Caffrey wants to believe (and really needs to believe) that the alien bio-forming can be reversed. That’s important because if it’s not possible, the stakes are greatly magnified with every marginal success. If it’s all or nothing, then Threshold must take extreme measures early to prevent mass infection.

That’s the logic driving this episode, and that’s why I enjoyed it. The Red Team should be struggling, like Caffrey in this episode, with the knowledge that they need to do terrible and calamitous things in the name of saving humanity. Over time, it should weigh on them. Caffrey’s just the beginning, and over time, it should be interesting to see if she hardens her response to the point of being harsh with members of her team who haven’t gotten to that point.

I also like the idea of the alien signal being like a computer virus, to a certain extent, though it raises a rather interesting continuity question. If that’s the case, the signal probably should have been propagating before this point. Still, it could make sense that this is the first mass broadcast of the signal, which would explain why this is the first time the signal has imprinted itself everywhere.

We also now know that once the process of bio-forming begins in a biologically adult human, male or female, the process cannot be stopped. However, studying the process from inception to complete conversion is an important step in learning how to counter it. I see the Red Team coming to terms with the fact that the infected will be lab rats and little else, because they really don’t have a choice. If the writers stick with this kind of extreme circumstance, they could get into the character exploration more deeply, and that would be a good thing.

One last point. The reason why I think this “big picture” response is so critical is the nature of the series itself. The circumstances from episode to episode shift and change. Consequences seem to be left aside for the moment. For instance, the decision to drop the EMP bomb on Miami wasn’t the start of a long-term containment battle. It was done, the casualties were light, and the team moved on. If the series keeps that wide scope going, then the Red Team should also be dealing with a wide scope of authority and resources. Episodes like this are the perfect example.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

West Wing 7.4: "Mr. Frost"

Written by Alex Graves
Directed by Andrew Bernstein

In which the White House must face with an international crisis while also dealing with the investigation into the security leak, while Santos runs into a touchy subject on the campaign trail…


Before I even get into this episode, I wanted to say that this is the best episode of the season, from my point of view. As much as the action at the White House has become less and less interesting over the past season or so, there were a number of elements to this episode that brought back some wistful memories of days gone by. In short, this episode made it very clear that this is an administration, and very likely a series, in its waning months.

I’ll note that my conjecture about the leak was correct, but I take little pleasure in it. Toby used to be a character with a lot more to do, and his rapid decline in importance has been an interesting if saddening character arc. Toby was once defined by a strong desire to do the right thing, even when it’s foolhardy, and this feels like the last gasp of an idealist. This will not end well for Toby, and in a way, looking back, it’s hard to imagine how it could have been different. He’s just not someone who would slide into obscurity.

Unlike some of the recent episodes, this one was chock full of plot threads. There’s the breakdown of Bartlet’s Middle Eastern peace plan, which is another metaphor for his influence on the world. Bartlet was quite obviously searching for some place in the annals of history, beyond his censure and scandals, and he thought he had found it. Now, he’s up against an even larger force of history. Contrast this Bartlet to the man who strutted upon the stage in the first season, and the weariness and age are devastatingly apparent.

It’s an episode like this, similar and yet so very different from the early seasons, that makes me thankful that the series came this far. Sure, it would have been easy to end the series with the lighter, more energetic and idealistic administration that marked the Sorkin years. But the past few seasons have told the other side of the story. Even in the early seasons, there were darker times, moments when it was clear that the best days might never come again.

Inevitably there are those who would like to stay within the safe and comfortable confines of the first three or four seasons, when the heroes won the day with wit and endless energy and everything was full of promise. But like every administration, that cannot be forever, and there’s the need for a rightful heir.

I think Bartlet would, in other circumstances, find Santos’ answer about “intelligent design” to be a good and reasoned stance on a divisive topic. It also happens to fall squarely in line with my own stance on the subject. I happen to think that answers borne of belief in a given religion, whatever that religion might be, are best taught by the teachers of religion. Secular science is best taught within the secular realm. Overlap should be incidental. Santos framed it perfectly, and within that delicate structure of thought and reason was a reflection of the early Bartlet. Just a glimpse, but a reflection all the same.

Other moments added grace notes to the episode: Leo’s concerns about how being served might destroy the integrity of the Santos/McGarry campaign, the short bursts of a too-absent Charlie, the quirky “flirtation” from Annabeth, even the travails of CJ and her attempts to get some sleep. There wasn’t much dead space in this episode, which is a very good thing. More episodes like this would be much appreciated.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Night Stalker 1.3: "Three"

Written by Adam Sussman
Directed by Daniel Sackheim

In which Kolchak investigates a bizarre death with possible connections to a secret society at a nearby campus, but when more deaths occur, the truth turns out to be something very different…


As far as I’m concerned, this is the best episode of the series thus far, if only because the mystery at the heart of the episode got under my skin somewhat and the characters actually showed some signs of a sense of humor. Sure, the whole “secret society” thing didn’t work as well as I would have liked, but the haunting aspect was just plain unnerving.

Making Perri part of some unknown secret society does add an interesting level to her character, since it provides some assurance that she can keep things in confidence when they are important enough. That’s critical to her relationship to Kolchak. At the same time, Kolchak is never going to know if Perri is telling him everything he needs to know, because he’ll wonder if she’s playing to other loyalties. It’s a small character point, but one that could be fun to explore in the future.

The deaths in this episode were very well done, and they were definitely pushing towards the graphic side. I found it interesting that the victims died in ways that conventional forensics could never fully explain, yet there was no attempt to show anyone other than Kolchak and his allies looking for an answer. It continues to paint the picture that the writers made part of the premise: when these things happen, society at large finds a way to make them consistent with consensual reality.

I knew that something more than the secret society had to be at play, but I must admit, I didn’t see that violent flashback coming at all. That was the part I found very unnerving. Part of it is the fact that I have a young son who couldn’t have been much older than the boy who died from fear. As much as I hate it when writers use young children as an easy way to generate sympathy or emotional response, this time I fell for it. It didn’t matter that I knew it was happening!

As much as the incredibly dark and uncompromising tone of the series is a good thing, in terms of the storytelling, I think it’s making it very hard for the general audience to accept it. This series is up against “CSI”, so there’s a need to match the more shocking elements of that series (at least, a perceived need), but the graphic nature of the material could be more than most viewers can handle.

Right now, of course, the writers are trying to establish a certain hyper-reality with the series, right down to the fact that Kolchak is a “cool” character who can run against conventional wisdom with little or no trouble. In essence, Kolchak committed arson at the end of the episode, which is an odd thing for the writers to ask the viewers to accept. Once again, Kolchak does something that law enforcement would find questionable. Sooner or later, all of this should come back to haunt him, especially if the writers are hoping to establish any semblance of an overall plot arc. Then again, right now, I’m not sure that the series needs to go there just yet.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Alias 5.3: "The Shed"

Written by Breen Frazier
Directed by Tucker Gates

In which the search for Dean leads Sydney and Grace to a young woman with a remarkably familiar career history, while Sloane hunts down a possible cure for Nadia…


Status Report

Giving the audience a reason to care about a new character, especially one about to serve as a replacement for the lead character, is a tricky business. Quite often, the new character is seen as an intrusion, an interloper. Witness the hue and cry within the “X-Files”, “SG-1”, and even “West Wing” fandoms: when the old guard moves on, in whole or in part, the new guard is less popular than the plague.

Two characters are in the spotlight in this episode, each one effectively stepping into the vacuum created by the changes dropped in the producers’ lap by apparent outside contingencies. Thomas Grace steps into Vaughn’s role, and it’s practically impossible for him to live up to the expectations. For one thing, Balthazar Getty plays the role with a low energy stoicism that seems rather wooden in contrast to Vaughn, and his chemistry with Garner is questionable at best.

However, he’s not supposed to be Vaughn, and that’s what the audience will need to recognize. Clearly, Grace is a character that needs definition, and Getty is trying to portray the character with that vision in mind. It’s just not an easy character to embrace at the moment, because he’s still a cipher. He has a checkered past, apparently, but what that means is still unclear. And it’s his connection to Rachel that’s important, not his chemistry with Jennifer.

This episode is basically a huge introduction for Rachel and why she fits into the “Alias” mold. The writers take the easy way out, in a sense, by having Rachel play the part that Sydney was playing at the beginning of the series. One couldn’t send out a more obvious message: if the series is to continue, Rachel’s character is at the center of the reboot.

It’s almost certain that Rachel Nichols will be lambasted for not immediately communicating the depth and presence that Jennifer presented in the series pilot. That’s not entirely fair, because Rachel as a character doesn’t have the luxury of standing on her own. The audience already saw how the series began with Sydney, and Rachel is her successor. She’ll never be seen as Sydney’s equal, and in a way, the writers made sure that it’s part of the character’s make-up.

Rachel represents Sydney as she might have been, had the truth about SD-6 been revealed much earlier in her career. Rachel is going to have to deal with a learning curve that would get most people killed, and with Sydney rapidly losing her ability to work in the field, Rachel is perfectly positioned to step up to the plate. Tying Rachel to Dean was a smart plot device, because it gives Rachel as much reason to hunt down Dean as Sydney has, making it logical for Sydney to train and develop Rachel as an agent.

The writers also provide Grace with a tenuous reason for taking care of Rachel as a new potential partner by having him feel responsible for putting her in danger. One can see the dynamic already: Sydney wanting to push Rachel so she can get answers about Vaughn, Grace trying to keep Sydney from going too far, Rachel finding the strength to make up her own mind. If the fans give it a chance, it might actually work well, since Rachel Nichols ought to look damn good in Sydney’s old wardrobe, and she’s a capable actress.

As far as the Sloane plot is concerned, it’s about as good as it can be without any references to Rambaldi, the events at the end of the fourth season, or actually seeing Nadia and her condition. This subplot felt more forced than the rest of the episode, largely because it feels like the writers don’t know what to do with Sloane without the Rambaldi context. Sloane needs something to do, and it will probably come around once the new characters are more established.

So the season seems to be coming together as such: Dean’s organization, the one devoted to the whole Prophet Five/Vaughn situation, is like the new SD-6, right down to the pseudo-Rambaldi obsession. Sydney and Grace are like the new Weiss and Vaughn, with Rachel stepping into Sydney role. Sloane will no doubt eventually join Dean’s crusade, ostensibly because the genetic information in the Prophet Five document might help Nadia. In other words, things are falling into a very familiar pattern.

Amy Acker gets to play the bad girl, ala Sark, with full knowledge of the true purpose of Dean’s organization. Peyton is bad to the bone, right down to the cliché smoking habit, but Acker manages to play the role well. Her accent is more suited to the someone dorky Fred on “Angel”, but as her turn as Illyria on the same show demonstrated, she can do sexy and evil with the best of them.

One interesting question: are the producers trying to give Rachel some edge by suggesting that she’s not into men? Peyton seems to hint at that, saying that they don’t have the same taste. Sure, it’s just speculation, but it would be a quick and easy way to eliminate the cliché of the two new agents being interested in one another. It’s also a somewhat obvious ploy.

The question is whether or not the producers intend to continue the series past this season, should the network decide that the low ratings are still acceptable. If so, then the writers need to give Rachel a background with the depth and intrigue that came along with Sydney in the pilot. If they don’t do that, then the series won’t be able to survive Sydney’s absence, since the majority of the character conflict center on Sydney. Right now, the writers have time to do that, but the question is whether or not the network will make it worth the effort.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is an incremental improvement over the first two episodes of the season, even if the writers are using an overly familiar plot structure to make the new characters relevant. Rachel should prove to be interesting, but with the Sloane subplot going nowhere, the real question is whether or not the writers intend to tred new ground or use the new dynamic to bring the series to a close.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Ghost Hunters 2.12: "14 Oct 2005"

Case #1: Reformatory
Case #2: Lizzie Borden House


I think I finally realized why I don’t have a problem with Jason and Grant and the rest of the TAPS gang. It’s not just that we all live in the Northeast and share a similar regional frame of mind. It’s more an appreciation of a certain personality type. As an engineer, I use a lot of the same equipment, and quite often, I’m interacting with the hard-working, hands-on personnel in the trenches. So basically, I work with people like Jason and Grant all day long. What some perceive as a bad attitude is, simply, making sure that things get done.

I mention this only because I have read many comments over the past few months about Jason’s attitude in particular, and I simply wasn’t seeing the problem. I think I’m just used to that kind of thing. The way I see it, if Jason was really a jerk, why would people devote their time and energy to put up with that for free? It doesn’t make sense to think that he’s just some unhinged ass.

Anyway, another episode filled with contrasts. One case with some interesting evidence and an investigation finally covered in some relative depth. And then, another case where style seems to be winning out over substance. Coming on the heels of an episode where the client might have faked something to use for promotional purposes, I think it’s clear where the downside of the business lies. It has to be hard when a client wants TAPS to show up to validate a historical haunting, when there’s a stake in the answer and comments will be spun for marketing.

So, first case:

I really liked this one. And it wasn’t just because I thought Paula was really cute in the pink top! It was actually the amount of footage devoted to the investigation itself and how it all played out. I know the naysayers will claim that some things were a little too convenient, but I’m not playing their game this time. Jason and Grant both noted that the layout made it very easy to see shadows where none should exist, and there is something to be said regarding the power of suggestion when the team members hear the stories beforehand, but other things happened that are very suggestive of activity. I wasn’t spooked, but I was definitely intrigued…more than I was for Eastern State, to be honest.

Second case:

Well, I had a feeling this would be a wash, and sure enough, it was. Like Steve said, any place with a gift shop is probably not haunted! OK, it’s not so simple as that, but I think the investigation itself said quite a bit. There wasn’t even a hint of activity. Sure, the client was right in saying that activity isn’t always going to happen on cue, but even including this felt more like a contractual obligation than a substantial investigation worth covering.

Chill Factor: 7/10

Invasion 1.4: "Alpha Male"

Written by Juan Carlos Coto
Directed by Sergio Mimica-Guzzan

In which some of the hurricane survivors begin showing symptoms of a dangerous disease, which strikes at the heart of Russell’s effort to overturn Underlay’s regional lockdown…


It’s another week of incremental plot progression and inconsistent characterization, which makes me wonder if this series is going to make it past the end of the year. The story is interesting enough, but it really feels like nothing is happening. Add to that a bad habit of jumping characterizations around like a ping-pong ball, and this is a series on life support.

I don’t want to say that, but like “Threshold”, each episode seems designed around plopping bits of information about the main arc into a given episode and then trying to develop a story around it. In this case, it’s all about how being one of the “possessed” gives a person a powerful immunity response. That’s all well and good, but more needs to be built around it, and the disturbing relationship between step-siblings Kira and Jesse doesn’t cut it.

I’m getting a but concerned about the fact that the writers haven’t dropped any clues as to why some people are “possessed” while others are killed. One easy speculation would be genetics; perhaps those who are killed don’t have something that the “aliens” need to make the “possession” process work. For that matter, all these quotes around the words are an indication of how little we know.

But one thing is certain: Underlay knows exactly what the “aliens” want and he’s using every possible situation to ensure that it happens. He genuinely believes that this is the right thing for everyone. My guess is that the “aliens” need some kind of foothold on the human population and that the hurricane was a cover for their arrival. For all we know, the “aliens” know about something coming, and they are trying to ensure that those in the area survive it.

As interesting as that would be, we’re still a long way from getting any definitive answers, and that’s probably why the ratings are suffering. There’s also the question of characters that change on a dime. In the previous episode, Larkin seemed to understand the value of a secret, even if she wasn’t all that bright in terms of self-preservation. Now, she’s pissing off Underlay even more by forcing him to confide in her and then breaking his already fragile trust. She’s lucky she’s not “possessed” or alien junk food by now.

It’s also too easy for Russell and Underlay to be enemies at this point. I think it would be far more complicated and interesting if all of these people in this extended family had a more complex relationship, much like Russell and Mariel in the previous episode. This episode made it too easy for people to point accusatory fingers at Underlay; it’s better when his motives are more shaded in grey.

Perhaps the worst part is that I liked the pilot. I like the concept. I even think I could come to like the characters a lot more. It’s just that the pacing is so incredibly slow, and even if the story is meant to speed up over time, if the network decides to cancel the series, there will be little return on investment. I hope to be proven wrong on all counts, but right now, I feel like this series is teetering on the edge of the cancellation knife.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

Lost 2.4: "Everybody Hates Hugo"

Written by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis
Directed by Alan Taylor

In which Hurley is conflicted when he’s put in charge of the food in the hatch and keeping it from the other survivors, while Michael, Jin, and Sawyer learn more about their captors…


Status Report

With the season premiere now effectively over, the writers return to the format typically used for the majority of the first season: one character profile supported by several subplots impacting the majority of the cast. In fact, with the arrival of characters from the tail section of the plane, there are more characters than ever to explore. The writers may not slip into that mode as smoothly as one would hope, but a lot of the changes are going to take time to work through.

This is another big moment for Hurley, and it’s interesting to see a different perspective on the darkly comic back story that was revealed in “Numbers”. One could assume that part of Hurley’s “curse” was the isolating effect of being a sudden millionaire, but since the events of “Numbers” were so expansive, the personal element wasn’t fully explored. Johnny, Hurley’s friend, was a good vehicle for covering Hurley’s emotional state.

Basically, Hurley hates the way that things change when everyone discovers that you have the one thing that everybody wishes they had. It’s not subtle, but it doesn’t need to be. Hurley’s never been the most complicated character, and it’s his simplicity that makes him so easy to identify with. He is the “Everyman” on the island, helping the writers expound on the philosophies of the more prominent characters through his fairly “normal” point of view.

In this episode, he seems to highlight the negative side of Jack. Jack makes the decision to hide the contents of the hatch from as many people as possible, especially the foodstuffs and other consumables. He puts Hurley in charge of that job, which places Hurley in a very difficult position. Nearly everyone has felt that way before, and it’s never easy. Hurley doesn’t lie very well, and he hates being the bad guy. Jack puts him in that position.

Locke, however, is no better, even coming from a very different point of view than Jack. Locke is less concerned about keeping the hatch and its contents secret than making sure that the button is pushed on time and giving everyone responsibility to see it done. Everyone has a role, and Locke doesn’t want to make it voluntary. This is the side of Locke that fits well with Jack, at least when their dictatorial leanings are aligned to the same purpose.

When the producers mentioned that the mystery of the hatch would be an ongoing plot thread for the season, they weren’t kidding. For something that wasn’t at all apparent for roughly 40 days, the various structures built by the Dharma Initiative seem to be popping out of the woodwork. Not only is there Station 3 on this side of the island, but on the other side, the AnaLucia Tribe is holed up in some kind of Dharma structure. Is the transmitter building, still unseen, also part of the Dharma installation?

Speaking of the Dharma Institute, some interesting comments were made after the previous episode. Apparently, if one looks closely at the man who took away Walt in “Exodus: Part II”, he looks an awful lot like one of the people who started the Dharma Initiative. If the Others are people who used to be Dharma employees/followers, it lends credence to the theory that they were part of the experiment, whether as a “control group” or manipulators of the situation.

The hatch seems to be powered by geothermal energy, according to Sayid, and whatever is causing the magnetic anomalies on the island seems to be well-hidden. One wonders if getting to that secret will be the next stage of exploration. It’s also interesting to note that the food situation seemed designed to last Desmond for only a little while longer. What would have happened if Desmond ran out of food? Is someone from Dharma expected to arrive soon, or did something go wrong?

What if the experiment conducted by Dharma went wrong? What if what was the original intention of the island, perhaps some extreme behavioral study, turned into something very different, something less controlled? The Others could, in fact, be infected by something, just as Danielle seemed to indicate. This could be why the producers keep insisting that the island is not an experiment; perhaps it was in the past, and now things are far less controlled.

There’s also the open question of when the series is actually taking place. The producers tossed out that question in the press recently, which is an interesting point. While the history of Dharma seems clear enough (the film in “Orientation” was made in 1980), it’s not at all clear when the series itself must take place. Sure, some of the flashbacks suggest a very recent timeframe, but not necessarily. That would add another layer of confusion to the whole “16 years of transmission” question, leaving a lot of wiggle room for the writers.

There were a lot more character moments this time around. In particular, the attraction between Jack and Kate has restored itself after their artificial conflict in the season premiere (her motivations still don’t make sense), right down to that wonderful shower scene. Kate is exactly the type to talk her way around Jack’s restrictions!

Sayid and Jack had their little adventure under the hatch, but beyond that, it’s not clear where their dynamic is going. Sayid still has plenty of issues with Locke, so one would naturally assume that Sayid would side with Jack. But Sayid hasn’t always been content to follow Jack’s lead, and he could react badly when they finally have direct contact with the AnaLucia Tribe.

Charlie is not the best person in the world in this episode; in fact, he reacts a bit too selfishly under the circumstances. Then again, Charlie is trying very hard to be happy with his emerging relationship with Charlie and Aaron, and he needs that to resist the urge to relapse. So perhaps that plays into his attitude in this episode.

Claire finally gets her peanut butter (and the audience gets to revel in her reaction), and she also got to discover the bottle full of messages. Emilie is finally freed of that fake belly, and she looks so much better for it. Shannon also came back into the picture, but she’s obviously still grieving and this episode is only a minor salve for her wounds. Sun makes an interesting choice about the bottle, however, which is not unlike the decision by Jack and the rest to hide the hatch; sometimes it’s better not to know.

On the other side of the island, Sawyer still seems to be fighting the urge to drop dead from a blood infection. He’s definitely seen better days, but how much can this guy take? He’s been beaten, stabbed, tortured, and shot. Hopefully there’s a doctor on the AnaLucia Tribe. Michael and Jin don’t contribute much, beyond the very end, when they meet Rose’s husband. One thing is abundantly clear: the AnaLucia Tribe has been decimated over the past 40+ days, and it ought to be interesting to know what happened and how they react to the JackLocke Tribe, who has been far more fortunate. It’s also hard to tell whether Rose will become another prominent character.

Overall, the main plot thread advanced a little bit, and the writers seemed to struggle with the idea of returning to the wider scope with so many new characters and situations. Hurley was a good place to start, since his confusion and conflict is on par with the audience. One can only hope that the transition will be swift and the story will continue moving forward at a reasonable pace.

Final Analysis

Overall, this episode returns to the wide scope that dominated the first season, covering many plot threads and most of the characters, all while exploring Hurley’s fragile emotional state. The writers seem to be working out the best way to handle so many new plot and character elements, which keeps the episode grounded, but this is a good start to the meat of the second season.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Medium 2.4: "Light Sleeper"

In which Allison begins having “sleepwalking” visions, placing her family and herself in danger, which causes friction with Joe as he tries to help her determine the source and resolve it…


Once again, the writers manage to find an interesting hook into an otherwise predictable story. For me, the draw of this episode was the intense dynamic between Allison and Joe, and things got a lot more heated than I would have expected. This is definitely going to be one of those polarizing episodes where battle lines are drawn: was Allison being too flippant about the dangers posed by her situation, or was Joe taking his frustration way too far?

The truth, I suspect, is somewhere in the middle, which is where the episode eventually takes us, without coming right out and saying it. Frankly, like in most cases, I see Joe’s point of view far more clearly than Allison’s. Allison does a lot of questionable things while “sleepwalking”, and even though she clearly has no idea what she’s doing or how she’s staying alive in the process, she doesn’t seem to take Joe’s concerns seriously.

Joe, on the other hand, is once again in the position of trying to keep the family intact without casualties, and this is probably the biggest threat to that safety since the series began. I can’t say how I’d deal with the same situation (I probably would have lost my mind much earlier), but his anxiety seems rather appropriate. It’s not like Allison is just chasing down a vision as usual; the vision is basically taking her over without her conscious awareness.

Joe’s attitude does betray a deep-seated bitterness and anger, and he doesn’t exactly communicate well when his temper finally snaps. But he’s also trying to overcome Allison’s lack of concern, and I can’t see how else he could have done it. He’s not the type to drug his wife without her knowledge, and she wasn’t seeing the problem very clearly. What else was he supposed to do?

In terms of the actual investigation, I’m not certain why it took so long for Allison and Joe to wonder if there was a connection between the case she was supposed to be working and her extreme condition. Granted, there’s no reason for her visions to be connected in that fashion, but without any other trigger event to speak of, why not make the assumption?

At any rate, the case itself was fairly obvious, and even without the damning details, it was clear who the perpetrator was. But as usual, it’s not the case itself that is the best part of the story; it’s the character exploration. One exception to that was the subplot with Ariel. While it looked like it was going in the “Ariel begins abusing her abilities” direction, it became something closer to a standard family drama subplot. Frankly, I wasn’t all that interested, as the children are still not clicking with me, as realistic as they often are.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Supernatural 1.5: "Bloody Mary"

Written by Eric Kripke, Terri Hughes Burton, and Ron Milbauer
Directed by Peter Ellis

In which Sam and Dean investigate a death which seems to have been the product of an urban legend, but as the case unfolds, Sam must also deal with his guilt over Jess’ death…


Another week, another good episode. I recently caught up with my review schedule (between “Serenity”, work, and RL issues, it wasn’t easy), and as it happens, I reviewed the second episode of “Night Stalker” just before this, so it was fresh in my mind. There’s a reason I think this series is superior, and it has much to do with the style bright to the table. Both series have strong “X-Files” pedigrees, but where “Night Stalker” goes for the ultra-serious scares, “Supernatural” goes for the mixture of wit and cultural relevance.

One aspect I really liked about this episode was the strong connection between the urban legend and the development of a “real world” history. The brothers are chasing down legends in this underbelly of the “real world”, this unseen side of society, and so the overlap between the “real world” and their lives should be distinct. That’s where I thought the previous episode slipped a bit; this one came together a lot better.

I also liked the snippets of folklore that were connected to the legend, such as the idea that ghosts or spirits can be trapped within a mirror and bound to it. It’s that mish-mash of accumulated lore that gives the series’ mythos so rich and unusual. It’s not like every episode is based on a single version of a single legend; the brothers routinely accept that different aspects of various legends might intersect in a specific situation. It makes the characters look like experts, which they should be.

What didn’t work for me entirely was the connection to Sam and the whole Jess situation. Sam is still the weak link of the story, and while this is clearly meant to be character development for him (why else bring up the pre-cog question?), Jared just doesn’t have the same depth that Jensen brings to the table.

But the whole idea of Sam’s pre-cog ability, if it’s real, could tie in nicely with the idea that there’s a family history with the entity responsible for killing their mother and Jess. It would similarly explain why this family has been “hunting” in the first place. If there is a connection between the family and the paranormal, going back generations, then it would make sense that multiple connections exist.

That could be an early indication of the season/series arc structure. Why does Sam see Jess? Has she become some kind of guardian presence, some symbol of his desire for redemption? Or has she become something else, subsumed by the entity that killed her? It seemed like more than just a case of Sam seeing things for psychological reasons.

This series is working (to the point of getting a quick full season pickup) because unlike many of the new shows, this one has found itself very quickly. It really had its pieces in place from the pilot, and while there’s still room for improvement, it’s not as though the series has fundamental issues. Sure, this episode retreads a couple of ideas from “The Ring”, but it works within the story and the style of the series itself.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Night Stalker 1.2: "The Five People You Meet in Hell"

Written by Thomas Schnauz
Directed by Rob Bowman

In which Kolchak becomes convinced that a convicted cult leader is using psychic abilities to convince those who put him away to kill their loved ones by seeing ghosts from the past…


Before I say anything else, I must give this episode its due for having one of the best titles in recent memory. This one made me laugh before I started watching it, simply based on the implicit sarcasm of the title and its reference. Certainly, that goes a long way towards telling the audience what to expect. I wasn’t expecting, however, for that to be the only laugh of the hour.

There are two shows on the air right now that cover the “scary” side of the paranormal. Sure, “Invasion” and “Threshold” have their moments, but the real focus is not on the horror aspect of each concept. “Supernatural” and “Night Stalker” jump into the horror genre with both feet and with no apologies. But they definitely take two very different approaches to the material, and I find myself seeing more balance in “Supernatural”, for all its WB mentality, than this series.

Kolchak is one hell of a brooding character, and he seems to exude a massive amount of angst without really trying. That’s all well and good if there’s a character to balance the angst with a little of something else. Perri and Jain seem to be designed specifically to provide foils for Kolchak and his intensity, but in this episode, it’s not really there.

Perri is too involved in the situation at hand to offer any real resistance to Kolchak, and while she initially scoffs at Kolchak’s worries, that disappears quickly. Jain is clearly meant to be comic relief, but he spends most of the episode wringing his hands and watching his co-workers slowly lose their perspective and self-control. All in all, not much room for light to creep in.

One tool that writers will use to establish a “family” atmosphere within an ensemble very quickly is to design an episode around a situation which will force one member of the “family” to victimize another. This forces anyone in the group to demonstrate how they value (or devalue) the other members of the “family” and their opinions. In this case, Kolchak, Perri, and Jain are already strongly devoted to each other’s well-being, which doesn’t quite ring true. It seems too early for Kolchak to be so central in their lives.

On the other hand, the other goal of the writers had to be giving Kolchak some degree of credibility. Perri (and to a lesser extent, Jain) begins the episode with a lot of doubt; she ends the episode with a lot less. Even their boss buys into Kolchak’s theory. How that will translate into future episodes is hard to predict, since it depends greatly upon internal continuity.

But I find myself wondering if Kolchak is already compromised in terms of his character’s future. He already has trouble with the law, and now he’s basically come within seconds of butchering a co-worker after getting her to trust his unusual sense of reality. If the man influencing Kolchak hadn’t been stabbed himself, just at the right time, Kolchak wouldn’t have been able to stop himself. I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t see how that inspires confidence!

In terms of the plot, it was certainly disturbing, and once again the strong “X-Files” pedigree is practically dripping from every scene. A lot of scenes were incredibly dark and even grainy, and one can see how that would be distracting. In the end, this felt exactly how one would expect an early first season episode to feel: rough. This series is still searching for its unique identity. With so much potential, I only hope that ABC gives them the time to find it.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

West Wing 7.3: "Message of the Week"

Written by Lawrence O’Donnell Jr.
Directed by Christopher Misiano

In which Vinick uses issues with a strong Latino impact to highlight Santos’ lack of comment on the topic, but courts disaster when he opposes strong-arming by religious conservatives…


Despite the promos to the contrary, this episode is entirely focused on the Santos and Vinick campaigns. With all the gains for Santos in the past two episodes, it was beginning to look like a sure thing. In fact, most fans expect Santos to win, if only in keeping with the more liberal slant of the show’s creators. Despite all that, this episode makes it clear that this will be a continually uphill battle for Santos, because Vinick is a strong contender.

But just like Santos, Vinick has a problem. In short, it’s the same problem that the Republicans had when they were losing during the Clinton years. Whenever a candidate doesn’t kiss the ring of the Christian Coalition (renamed in a cosmetic way in this episode), they don’t have enough support to win. Conversely, GOP candidates who do sell their soul get elected without much trouble.

Despite the fact that he’s calculating and can make some disturbing decisions, like knowingly going after the Latino vote and inserting an indirect racism into the campaign, I respect Vinick for standing up to that kind of pressure. There will be some who equate this episode (and my comments, for that matter) to Christian bashing and mischaracterization, but one must separate the religion from the fanatics. Most Christians don’t want to act like the Mafia, but the ones who do act that way make Christianity look like the Taliban. (“Represent just us and our values or else!”)

But Vinick, for all his clever maneuvering, has his blind spots. He correctly identifies the downside of the GOP’s past marriage of convenience with religious conservatives, and yet, he doesn’t seem to understand how dangerous they can be. As in the real world, the more fanatical and politically motivated “Christians” would rather have someone they can preach against as immoral instead of an apparent political ally who won’t be a puppet.

This may seem harsh, but it’s the political reality, and this series has always tred that fine line between addressing real political issues and behind-the-scenes drama. Vinick all but sows the seeds of his own destruction in this episode, and one gets the sense that his running mate only put a bandage on a festering wound. Vinick may want the radical religious faction of his party to stop making demands and playing games, but assuming that empty promises will work is the wrong move.

That’s not the only plot thread, of course, but it’s the main one. I will say that this was probably the most compelling episode of the season, and a lot of that was due to the absence of divergent plot elements. In the first two episodes, the “White House leak” subplot sometimes got in the way. Focusing entirely upon the ups and downs of each campaign, and the possible Achilles Heel of the Vinick campaign, made this episode move. Considering that I felt the same way last season, I suppose that’s not much of a shock.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Threshold 1.5: "Shock"

Written by Andre Bormanis
Directed by Tim Matheson

In which Caffrey and the Red Team track down one of the infected to Baltimore, where issues of jurisdiction get in the way of conducting the investigation, while team members continue to change…


I’m beginning to have serious concerns about this series. It has some very good elements and a lot of potential, but it just doesn’t seem to be coming together. Granted, some series are just rough for a season or so, but in this day and age, it takes a strong showing right out of the gate to stay alive. I suppose there’s little else on Fridays right now, but that doesn’t mean that the audience will continue to support a series that seems to have internal logic problems.

I’m finding it very hard to believe in the character of Molly Caffrey. In the pilot, she seemed to be very competent, and while they really played up the sex appeal, the writers let Carla look smart at the same time. Now, while every episode has the requisite buoyant bosoms in a really right shirt and stylish skirt and boots, her credibility has been terribly compromised. Here’s the thing: for someone who keeps talking about how she has a plan, the Red Team is completely reactive.

That’s what bothers me. These are good characters, and their various issues are becoming a good reason to watch the show. But this “contingency plan” is a complete crock. It seems to have little political support, especially considering the fact that this is quite obviously a matter of national security. It’s also quite clear that Threshold can’t predict something that is entirely predictable.

What is learned in this episode? Caffrey already knew that the “infected” were trying to broadcast the signal by any means possible, so why did everyone seem so shocked at the idea? As soon as they knew that microchips were involved, they should have figured out what Park’s goal was. That part of the story was clearly designed to force the showdown at the end of the episode.

Now, one thing I do recognize is that a plan is only as good as the people who implement it, and in this case, Threshold is getting a mixed bag of support. But Caffrey’s decision to keep the threat completely hidden from public knowledge is clearly not the best play. There are other ways to accomplish the same goal, and this episode exposes that gap in logic. Caffrey was able to give Rossi a good enough cover story to gain her cooperation, so why not the public?

I’m not saying that she should say anything about the alien incursion or even the signal. But the public could be alerted regarding the missing crew member as if they were fugitives, terrorists, or even suspects in a child abduction. It just takes creativity, and that’s what I don’t see happening. Maybe some of these things are happening, but I haven’t gotten a strong sense of it. (Like…why not just smash the damn transmitter with a big rock and be done with it?)

What have we seen so far, in the course of five episodes? A team changing in unexpected ways, due to exposure to the signal that they are trying to stop from spreading. The one person who knows the ins and outs of the plan, who constantly runs out into the line of fire. A contingency plan that is entirely reactive, based on incomplete analysis of the scope of the threat. And that’s just scratching the surface.

I hold out hope that this is something the writers are doing intentionally, and that the tide will turn in the near future. But I’m concerned, because there’s plenty of reason to believe that this is the way the series is going to progress. This series needs to tighten up the plot a bit and deepen the character development. Right now, in my point of view, there’s not enough to sustain a long-term series.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

Smallville 5.2: "Mortal"

Written by Steven S. DeNight
Directed by Terrence O’Hara

In which Clark revels in the opportunity to live as a normal human being and give Lana his all, but when a few meteor freaks come calling for payback, he must use his cunning to win the day…


The producers and promotional people keep telling us that this is the season where “everything we’ve been waiting for” will finally happen, and I suppose they’re following through. It makes me believe that this is the final season, but one cannot deny that it gives the storytelling a bit of a jolt. Clark finally has to come face to face, so to speak, with his legacy and all the choices that come with it. And making him fully human, however short-lived it might ultimately be, is an important part of that.

In essence, the way I see it, for Clark to appreciate what he really has to offer for Earth and the human race, he must see the strengths and weaknesses of those he must protect. He must also recognize that he cannot be human to fulfill the role he needs to take. One thing that is interesting about Superman as a concept is that, even as the ideal hero, he stands apart and largely solitary from those under his protection. (And of course, it also gives scope to his growing rift with Lex, which takes a major step in this episode.)

But it’s Clark’s connection to humanity and his appreciation of human emotions that keeps him from taking on a superiority complex. Clark has been given the chance to live as a human for most of his life, using his abilities to facilitate human goals and societal needs. He’s learned the pitfalls of placing his own needs above those of others, and his moral foundation is a human one. Had he come to Earth fully Kryptonian, he might not have taken consideration of humanity.

Still, Clark has never been able to live as a simple human being. He’s emulated human life, but he’s always had those abilities to fall back on. Now, he must live as a human being in full, with all the ups and downs. And of course, that means recognizing that humans can’t readily defend themselves against super-powered villains. Intellectually, he knew that already, but now he knows it more personally.

In short, the strength of this episode is not the moment where Clark and Lana finally get together. Sure, that’s a satisfying moment for fans of the series, but if anything, it’s actually a mistake. Clark ought to know by now that he cannot simply put his past on the shelf and move on. The way I see it, this will only serve to lay the foundation for a final, horrific separation at the end of the season/series. When Clark regains his power (and of course he will), he will have to go right back to keeping secrets. It’s going to be painfully fun to watch!

Anyway, I feel the strength is in the lesson that Clark begins to learn. Clark gets to be human so that when he regains his power, he appreciates it more. Clark is getting to learn how much he takes for granted, and how much he still has to learn. He’s been learning that along the way, but I think that’s one major theme for the season. Like on “Buffy”, the transition from high school to young adult life is a good metaphor for recognizing all the things that are so transparent during those teenage years. (And this is why I hope the series, which is doing very well against horrible competition, continues after this season.)

Dare I say that it continues to be so with his relationship to Chloe. As one smitten by Allison and the character of Chloe (the hottest one in the opening credits!), I can’t see how Clark can be so ignorant of her feelings. But that’s part of the lesson, too, because Chloe continually places herself in the line of fire to prove herself. I hate to say it, but I fear she may be a victim of her unrequited love before the series ends.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Invasion 1.3: "Watershed"

Written by Shaun Cassidy and Becky Hartman Edwards
Directed by Michael Dinner

In which Jesse and Kira come across a submerged trailer and Jesse is attacked, which serves to reveal changes to Mariel, while Underlay tries to hide the truth from Larkin…


Like the first two episodes, I feel like this is dragging forward at the slowest pace possible. I still think this series helps to demonstrate the depth and methodical progress on “Lost”, because I’m not feeling it as much here. I love Shaun Cassidy’s work, especially “American Gothic”, but this isn’t grabbing me as much as I had hoped it would.

The mystery itself is still plodding along. Apparently the military is operating some cover-up of the whole alien incursion, and Underlay knows all about it. The implication is that Underlay would rather that Larkin had been forced to believe his explanations, which would make it seem like Underlay knows all about the military work and actually has been using the quarantine to keep it secret. So the military activity is apparently not a threat to the alien invasion, unless of course, it’s not the invasion that it seems to be.

It also seems as if the aliens are similar to terrestrial marine life (which makes sense, or they couldn’t survive in the same environment), and when they take over a host, that host’s blood chemistry changes dramatically. I’m waiting for Mariel to grow gills. Speaking of Mariel, sometimes she’s incredibly severe in her looks, but other times, she’s incredibly hot. Russell has very good taste in his women!

Stepping back to that whole situation with Larkin, I really have to wonder why Underlay would allow her to poke around so much. She’s certainly a threat to whatever goals he might have in mind, and unless he plans to get her “infected” sometime, it doesn’t make much sense. Never mind the fact that her job should be yanked any minute now, since her boss is one of the “possessed”.

Then again, the “possessed” don’t seem to be aware of what’s going on much of the time. Mariel still doesn’t seem to be as aware of her own nature as she was at the end of the pilot, though she seems to know better than to say too much about the weirdness. She also doesn’t seem to know how to act around Russell. That whole relationship is beyond complicated, and since the two of them can’t figure out if they still love each other or can’t stand each other, it’s hard to figure out what pushed them apart in the first place.

Two things really bothered me. First, the nature of those wounds, apparently caused by the wrong kind of encounter with the aliens, keeps changing. The wounds on Dave’s legs didn’t look like the wounds on Paxton in the previous episode at all, but now, that’s what we’re supposed to believe. Second, Dave is pretty dense if, as a conspiracy theorist, he can’t figure out what “two become one” might mean, beyond the obvious.

I liked Kira (who is going to be of the hotness when she gets older) and her odd relationship with everyone in this extended dysfunctional family. I also thought it was interesting that the skeleton might have been Underlay’s first wife. Either that, or the ring was the one that Mariel lost (Underlay made that comment about how Mariel keeps losing wedding rings). That’s something I’d be interesting in knowing more about. Hopefully, the pacing will pick up enough that I’ll still be excited enough to wait.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

Alias 5.2: "...1..."

Written by J. R. Orci
Directed by Fred Toye

In which Sydney continues to follow leads on the whereabouts of Vaughn’s killer, which leads to an unexpected theft of a potentially deadly material, while an old friend moves on…


Status Report

With much of the outside interference already dealt with in the wake of the season premiere, the writers turn towards the next challenge in this episode: dealing with the notoriously fatal “baby plot”. All the drama behind the scenes was bad enough, but nothing kills a series faster than having an action lead suddenly get pregnant. Granted, the writers didn’t have much choice, but it doesn’t change the fact that options dwindle and plots get a bit cliché.

It’s clear that the writers are struggling with the idea of Sydney being sidelined due to her condition, and there are shades of the infamous “absent center” concept that the writers for “X-Files” tried to use when Mulder left Scully behind with a bun in the oven. This series has always contained certain similar plot elements to “X-Files”, but this is not the best plot thread to replicate.

There’s even the hint, perhaps open to interpretation, that the person in the advanced cryogenic device is Vaughn. While it’s true that it could be someone else (like, say, Rambaldi), the implication is there. JJ made it clear that things are not what they seem in the whole “Vaughn is Dead” plot arc, and this seems like a big clue that he wasn’t lying.

All things being equal, that entire plot thread is not that bad, and it actually continues to explore the idea that Sydney’s extended “family” has some serious issues. When SpyDaddy is the best support one can muster up in a personal crisis, it’s a sign that life has taken a disturbing turn. If the writers weren’t playing Dodgeball with using the Rambaldi mythology as the basis for all this intrigue, it would probably work better. As it is, there’s the impression that the writers are trying very hard to keep the same level of mystique that Rambaldi lends to a plot thread.

But other factors keep intruding on the plot, and in this case, it’s Sydney’s pregnancy and the need to address it. Yes, it’s important that the character have a new and unexpected relationship to deal with, since the aspects of being the daughter, sister, and lover of spies have been covered. The only relationship left is the reversal of the earlier dynamic: being the SpyMommy herself. It brings Sydney’s arc full circle, to a certain extent, since she also gets to live the role of SpyDaddy, tracking down the truth about a duplicitous love.

All those things make sense thematically, but they can’t overcome the reality that this pregnancy plot element is the kiss of death. It’s not just that it cuts down on Sydney’s ability to perform to her usual level, though certainly, her inability to get drop-dead sexy every week is a major problem for a series built around that element. It’s the need to address Sydney going through the typical pregnancy issues. It’s been done a million times, and frankly, the writers can’t make something that standard look fresh. It’s not their fault; it’s something a lot of good shows encounter and falter over.

The producers and writers are addressing this issue by bringing in new cast members to pick up the slack. This episode includes the introduction of the “Vaughn replacement”, Thomas Grace, who gets the shortest and least useful character entrance on the planet during that bar fight. OK, so he’s rough around the edges and definitely not a Vaughn clone. Good to know! But it doesn’t change the fact that with Weiss leaving, this transitional period is painfully slow.

A bit more interesting (and useful to replacing Garner’s sex appeal) is the slow but intriguing introduction of Rachel Gibson, played by the gorgeous Rachel Nichols. Making her loyalties less than obvious is a nice touch, and she ought to do well as Sydney’s stand-in. She may be more similar to Sydney than Grace is to Vaughn, but that’s all for the better. (The writers can’t get her into those outfits Sydney used to wear too soon!)

The issue is that the process of getting these new characters into place and establishing the new dynamic takes time. Take a look at “Stargate: SG-1” and how long it took for that new dynamic to settle in; it was at least the first third of the season, given that the plot can’t simply stop moving forward to accommodate the transition. Adding the “baby plot” to that transition is just making the process more difficult.

One might get the impression that this was a bad episode. In fact, it wasn’t bad at all. The overall plot, connected to a large and complex mystery centering on the truth about Vaughn and his death, is not a bad move. And thematically, Sydney’s situation is bringing her arc full circle. But the mechanics of removing old cast members and replacing them with new faces is hampering the pacing, and Sydney’s pregnancy is very difficult to pull off. Seeing Weiss and Dixon in action was a lot of fun, but even the most true fans of the series would have to admit that having Sydney on the sideline is far from ideal.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode continues the process of shifting the direction of the series, and the writers continue to struggle with the number of changes that need to be addressed. A lot of the established dynamics have been tossed, especially due to Garner’s pregnancy, and the introduction of new characters cannot happen fast enough.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

Ghost Hunters 2.11: "07 Oct 2005"

Case #1: Winchester Mystery House
Case #2: Queen Mary

Another episode, another whirlwind investigation, another round of disappointment. It’s not that I expect much to happen at the more “infamous” sites, because I had my serious doubts, but I’m surprised at how little has been found during the investigations this season. And considering how many more sites are being covered, the overall effect is worse. Sure, most of the time, nothing happens during an investigation. But how can the series stay afloat when the implication is that something will happen?

In this case, however, the TAPS team gets to once again underscore the depth of their integrity. If this were “Most Haunted”, a lot of things from this episode would have been tossed out as perfect evidence of a haunting. The TAPS team was a lot more thorough (which makes it hard to understand why they goof off while reviewing evidence, if they know subtle clues are important).

In fact, I was a little annoyed when Steve took Donna to task for not reviewing the evidence with enough dedication. Who else remembers all those episodes earlier this season, where Brian and Steve were obviously fooling around and not playing attention? I find it more than a little ironic. That said, it was good to see the contrast with Dave Tango, from fooling around to finding evidence of tampering.

First case:

What a waste of time. Here’s where the editing makes it look like a lot more fooling around was being done, because if you pay attention, you can tell that the whole issue was only being discussed for something like 20 minutes. They were really reaching when they tried to play up tension, and it wasn’t working. I think that place is considered haunted more for the atmosphere than the frequency of activity.

Second case:

Well, now, isn’t this interesting? There are a lot of people who claim that Jason and Grant fake everything they catch, and yet here’s something that they would love to see, handed to them on a silver platter. So why didn’t they just accept it? Because that’s not what they’re about, that’s why!

I suspect that the hot little “ghost guide” was the one behind the incident, because whenever she discussed the footage, she would start blinking furiously (tell-tale sign). Also, nearly everything she said was all performance; she was blatantly lying about things and playing at being sensitive. Granted, that may simply be how she was portrayed, but let’s face it: it’s her job to make the ship look super-active. I suspect they brought TAPS in for no other reason than to use them for publicity (and some comments/observations since that investigation apparently bear that out).

I also think it’s odd when people get mad that TAPS won’t call a place “haunted” if they don’t have solid evidence. I’ve always recognized that Jason and Grant are saying that they themselves don’t have the evidence to support that a haunting is taking place. It would be impossible for them to claim, with any credibility, that no haunting is definitively happening. Semantics, of course, are always a source of easy criticism.

Chill Factor: 4/10

Lost 2.3: "Orientation"

Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Craig Wright
Directed by Jack Bender

In which Jack and Locke discover the apparent purpose of the hatch and its contents, forcing Locke to deal with a crisis of faith, while the survivors of the raft deal with their captors…


Status Report

As promised by the producers, the situation with the hatch makes a bit more sense after this episode. One could still quibble over whether or not three episodes really needed to be utilized to attain this goal, but the pacing of the series is such that this kind of slow and methodical process is now expected, and in most cases, appreciated.

This episode revolves around Locke, which is a smart move, in terms of the overall season arc. The writers have effectively smacked the entire audience upside the head to ensure that the “faith vs. reason” debate between Jack and Locke is clearly understood. There is a definite point that the writers want to make, and this episode belabors that point in fine fashion.

Most of the time, an exposition dump is far from welcome, and if that “orientation” film is anything, it’s an exposition dump. For all that, it adds some interesting possibilities to the entire premise. The debate between Jack and Locke now takes on a very different aspect. In the past, one could assume that the dangers were real and that Jack and Locke were simply disagreeing on how to respond to that. This is no longer the case, or at least, the psychological aspects are even more complex.

Locke has been chasing after his sense of destiny and purpose, because he needs to believe that everything has a reason and that living on faith reaps rewards. This episode takes the evolution of Jack’s philosophy as seen in the season premiere and applies it to Locke in similar fashion. It’s not simply that these men represent the warring philosophies of rationalism and faith; both men struggle to maintain their philosophies against strong evidence to the contrary.

In this case, Locke’s flashbacks were to a time just after the events of “Deux ex Machina”, where his need to believe in the possibility of a real relationship with his father betrayed him. He’s clearly bitter and unable to move past this psychological obstacle. His sense of faith in his own destiny, that eventually his life would have meaning, fell apart. This goes back at least four years, and so even if his faith was restored again by Helen, something brought him to the desperation seen in “Walkabout”.

This episode is just as much about Jack, in a way, because it pays off some of his doubts in “Man of Faith, Man of Science”. While Locke is brought to yet another crisis of faith, where his purpose is about as doubtful as it’s ever been, the episode eventually puts him in a position to justify his faith. On the other hand, Jack recognizes that the whole system of entering the code and hitting that button could be nothing more than an aspect of an ongoing experiment, but his sense of rationalism is shaken by Desmond’s presence and the consequences of being wrong. Where Locke gains strength from this situation in the end, as he did when Boone’s death seemed to serve a larger purpose, Jack’s trust in the rational order of the universe is shaken considerably.

Beyond the character dynamics of Jack and Locke, quite a bit of information was provided. Some of that information provides context, but in several other ways, larger questions are raised. In terms of timeline, there are elements that suggest relationships. The Dharma Institute emerged in the early 1970s as a think-tank (for lack of a better term) regarding human psychology with an unusual twist. (It’s unclear if any of the people pictured were related to the current batch of survivors.)

At some point, before 1980 (given the date on the orientation film), the island was determined to have unusual electromagnetic properties. This is important because it could explain why people eventually act differently the longer they are on the island, since EM fields can negatively influence one’s mental state. Also, it could explain why planes and ships sometimes end up off-course and converging on the island, if the EM fields affect instruments.

Anyway, this “Station 3” was set up on the island and from there, things get sketchy. There’s the implication that something went wrong, to the point that some contagion was discovered that could destroy humanity. That part is still far from clear. The point is that by 1980, a team was placed in the station with the task of ensuring that this disaster be averted by entering a code and hitting a button every 108 minutes. If this does not happen, the implication is that this contagion would be released and the world would end. The two-person team supposedly needs to be there for 540 days at a time (5 x 108), and there’s this “Hanso” person funding the whole thing, and his goals at now at the heart of the mystery.

Jack is right to a certain extent; why would such a system be put into place? The answer seems reasonable enough, given the point of the Dharma experiments: to see if people will believe it and endure sleep deprivation for years through belief that they are saving the world. It’s likely more complex than that, but the whole thing sounds rather silly. If there really was such a threat, why would this be the only way to prevent it?

This is where the previous timeline comes into play. Around 1988, someone started broadcasting the code through the transmission that ultimately ensnared Hurley, Danielle, and others. Danielle and her shipmates came along sometime after that, and at that point, the Others were presumably there and had been for quite some time. According to Danielle, something happened that made her shipmates “sick”, and one would assume that the same is true of the Others, who are clearly a real threat.

So therein lies the philosophical issue. For all that the system in the hatch doesn’t make much sense, something unusual is happening on the island. Are the Others the remnants of some kind of control group, or some small population infected with something and left on the island so that the occupants of the hatch would believe that the rest of the world would be similarly infected if the code/button were not used? Or is this something on the island that is a real danger, especially given how people keep hearing whispers and voices? And is that “security system” for the hatch, and is it designed to keep people out or convince those within of the important of their task?

As already mentioned, the situation with Michael, Sawyer, and Jin serves to remind everyone watching that there is an element of the situation that is truly threatening, regardless of the situation in the hatch. With the revelation that there are survivors from the tail section on the island (presumably linked to Boone’s conversation with someone in “Deux ex Machina”), it seems like both groups were dealing with the threat posed by the Others. So there is still much to be dealt with from the simple aspect of survival. (It remains possible that Ana Lucia and her people are the Others themselves, but that seems doubtful at this stage of the game.)

One possibility, given the connection between Dharma and parapsychology, is that the various plane crashes and similar events were engineered by this mysterious organization. Walt would make a good candidate for parapsychology research. In terms of social dynamics, setting up a survival scenario in this remote location would also fit within the Dharma mandate. At the same time, if Dharma is involved, there’s an equal possibility that these events are being used by the Institute but are otherwise coincidence.

It all boils down to the fact that there may be a rational explanation for everything, based on some psychological/sociological experiment on a worldwide scale, but it could just as easily be a matter of several unrelated elements that become connected through assumption and synchronicity. That lies at the heart of the series since the very beginning, and even if placing Jack and Locke on opposite ends of the spectrum is a bit obvious, it’s also completely in keeping with the show’s central philosophy.

Like the two episodes before it, the focus is so strongly on a handful of characters that there’s not much time to spend on anyone else. Hurley was brought face to face with the hatch and yet another hint as to the source of the numbers, and that will probably spiral into the events of the next episode. The scenes in the pit revealed much about those in the tail section, at least through suggestion, but the main goal there was to allow those characters to inform the other survivors about the JackLocke tribe.

In many ways, this is the end of a three-part season premiere, and there’s every reason to believe that the format that was in place for most of the first season will return in the next episode. That should help to bring some of the less recognized characters into the situation, while also beginning the process of learning more about the island. Whatever the case, this is a nice way to take the story in a new and unusual (yet consistent) direction.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is a strong conclusion to what appears to be a three-episode premiere arc. Locke’s background, while not quite as strong as one might have hoped in this instance, brings complication and scope to his personal ups and downs. The hatch and its purpose brings up a number of intriguing questions, many of which build on the philosophical and psychological ground cultivated in the first season.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Medium 2.3: "Time Out of Mind"

Written by N/A
Directed by N/A

In which Allison begins having dreams where she’s caught in an institution, and when she does her research, she discovers a woman who decades earlier claimed to be her…


This is another strong episode, largely because the central mystery was very complex and the evolution of the concept was quite intriguing. Unlike the season premiere, I was completely unable to predict how all the elements were going to fit together until the scene where the writers laid everything out. That usually doesn’t happen, and I credit the writers for making a lot of the visions compelling.

I’m still not sure what the connection was between Beverly and Allison was, but it was more than just the usual level of communication. Beverly was clearly acting as if she had been channeling the future Allison’s personality, and that is far beyond the usual situation. However, I don’t think that it was completely outside of Allison’s usual philosophy.

In a first season episode, Allison described her theory that everyone who lived, to some extent, is imprinted on the fabric of the universe itself. (Her version was somewhat more metaphorical.) In essence, she could interact and relive moments from these past lives as if they were a catalogue, able to be read (consciously or unconsciously) by those sensitive to the information. The implication is that this information is only available in one direction: a present individual getting in touch with past “recorded” events. But her visions immediately imply that future events are also available, as if these “recordings” are independent of time.

Still being very general here (I could go on and on with the subject), Beverly could have been sensitive enough to tap into Allison as much as Allison was later tapping into her memory. This would have created a connection so strong that Allison would literally believe that she was living those moments. In fact, from a certain point of view, Allison may have been the one controlling Beverly, albeit without knowing it, during those times that Beverly was claiming to be Allison.

That kind of rich conceptual soil is what makes this series so intriguing. The intersection of this unusual speculative world with the more mundane family elements are the main areas of interest for me. The mysteries themselves might be predictable from time to time, but if the other aspects are strong enough, it makes up for it. When the mystery is solid as well, it makes for a great bit of writing.

Also nice was the hint that the connection between Allison and Joe is beginning to have an effect on him as well. When Allison was talking to Joe at the spot where Beverly jumped from the bridge, Joe began doodling a rough picture of a woman standing on a bridge over a river. I really found that intriguing, and I hope that it wasn’t some kind of red herring.

And the best part? This episode actually had a satisfying ending. That sense of closure was something that the previous episode was missing. Overall, everything I liked about this episode highlights what I thought was missing from the season premiere. Perhaps my review for that episode makes a bit more sense within that context. Episodes like this one, with plenty of room for intriguing speculation, are what drew me to the series in the first place.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Supernatural 1.4: "Phantom Traveler"

Written by Richard Hatem
Directed by Bob Singer

In which Dean and Sam track down a possessing demon with a pattern of causing plane crashes, but things get complicated between Dean’s fear of flying and a possessed pilot…


After three strong episodes to start the series, this episode seems to slip a bit, at least from my point of view. I find that my enjoyment of the series is now firmly rooted in the exploration of Dean, especially since Sam is showing very little in terms of a distinct personality. It might actually be a flaw of the series that the writers will be correcting over time, but I’m not entirely sure that staging Sam as the “straight man” to Dean is the best move.

Dean (Jensen…see, I can remember his name!) is the more dynamic brother, and his scenes have been one of the highlights of the series. As I mentioned before, the elements that are supposed to be scary don’t really bother me, so I’m in it for the disturbing psychological places that these situations take the characters. In this case, it brings out Dean’s fear of flying. That was probably the best part of the episode, but in too many other cases, I didn’t feel like the story was all that interesting.

In general, I did think it was interesting that Dean and Sam were essentially forced to act like terrorists in order to save the passengers on the plane. If less time had been spent on trying to generate sympathy for a guest character that we didn’t know or have reason to care about, more time might have been available to explore that angle. As it was, the timing in the plot required the flight attendant to go along with what they were doing on a relatively poor argument.

There were the token connections to their father and Jess, but overall, the story didn’t move forward very much. I was under the impression that this was supposed to delve into Sam’s psychology a bit more, and if that was indeed the case, there’s reason for concern, because I didn’t get much out of it. I get that Sam is shutting down a lot of emotions in response to the changes in his life, but the resulting flat affect is not at all conducive to his performance.

As I mentioned in earlier comments, one of the drawbacks of the “monster of the week” format, where the focus is rather narrow, is that the audience interest will come and go with the overall interest in that narrow topic. I personally didn’t get much out of the whole “plane crash” scenario, so for me, I needed to find something else in the episode to make up for it. Maybe that exposed some of the weaknesses of the character dynamics at this early stage. Quite possibly, it’s just that I didn’t favor this episode.

One interesting aspect was, as usual, the connection between folklore and reality and the idea that these brothers are running around with a book filled with exorcism rituals, among other things. I keep thinking of what would happen if the wrong person got a hand on that book! This is probably the episode closest to taking a “real world” situation and applying the “Supernatural” concept to it. Perhaps that was part of the problem. I liked the previous episodes where they were operating more on the fringe of society, which in this case, they couldn’t do.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Prison Break 1.7: "Riots, Drills, and the Devil: Part II"

Written by Nick Santora
Directed by Robert Mandel

In which Michael does whatever it takes to keep Sara safe from the rioting inmates, but things get complicated when her father, the governor, orders a swift and lethal end to the situation…


The previous episode was going to be hard to top, in terms of intensity, so I wasn’t surprised when the tone of the episode dialed back a bit. Once Michael got his hands on Sara, I knew that she’d be all right, because the stupid FOX promos gave too much away. Had that situation remained unspoiled going in, events might have been a lot more disturbing.

As it is, the anticipated shift towards a more complicated phase of the story arc is underway. The tension between Warden Pope and Captain Bellock now has another aspect to it, because the governor believes that Pope is too soft with the inmates. This riot and the danger to Sara, on top of the information the Secret Service has on Pope, puts Pope in a very bad situation. As the escape plan comes to a head, Bellock could end up running the efforts to get the escapees back.

Michael has also made a snap decision that could undermine his plans completely, if things continue as they are. Saving Sara demonstrated what kind of man he is for her, but he was also caught in a blatant lie. Clearly she’s suspicious of his intentions, since he wouldn’t have lied unless there was something to hide. He might have done better to minimize his explanations, rather than make something up that he should know a doctor would question.

For those looking to really screw Lincoln, there’s now a metal pipe and all kinds of other objects with his fingerprints and someone else’s blood all over it. Even if it was self-defense, no one else saw the circumstances and there was a prison riot taking place at the time. Despite the complete lack of security cameras in key locations throughout the facility, I’d bet that this will be on camera and force Michael to move even faster.

His plan is in jeopardy, however, because they have too many people involved, and T-Bag is a complete psychopath. It wasn’t hard to guess that Bob was a dead man, but T-Bag was also making sure that Michael understood the stakes. There’s also the small matter of a big hole in the wall, which happened to be nearby some maintenance equipment. I would expect that the equipment was being used for something, and that means the hole could be discovered.

Things look to get even more insane in the episodes to come, but we have a bit of a breather first, whether we like it or not (thanks, MLB). Now is probably as good a time as any, since this is basically the end of the introductory phase of the season arc. Now things will get a lot more complicated, and I look forward to seeing what the writers come up with.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Threshold 1.4: "The Burning"

Written by Brannon Braga and Dan O’Shannon
Directed by John Showalter

In which the escape of a mental patient triggers a search that reveals the possible existence of the alien signal long before it was supposed to exist…


After the last episode, I was a little concerned about how the concept for the series would evolve. This episode actually covered some of those concerns while bringing up a number of new ones. There’s still something of a consistency to the show, but some comments from the characters suggest that liberties could be taken in the future.

My main concern is this idea that the aliens are so advanced that they could simply violate the laws of physics at will. Now, to a certain extent, I recognize that this is a reasonable direction for the concept to take. These beings are dealing in higher-dimensional physics, and that cannot be accurately predicted. However, when the Threshold team makes a bold announcement of what they’ve discovered, effectively setting the ground rules, the writers shouldn’t break those rules casually.

My concern is something that Caffrey suggested early in the episode. In short, she was questioning whether or not they could be sure that the signal has a limited range. If that concept is tossed out the window, then it undermines the central premise. In essence, any contingency plan would be meaningless, because in the end, one cannot prevent what one cannot predict.

For instance, why wasn’t the young woman tied up right next to the 100-year old probe affected by the signal? I didn’t buy that for a second. Other than the fact that she looked rather fetching in her tight T-shirt and panties, what was the reason for keeping her alive, if not to expose her to the signal as well? Was it simply to put somebody cute in jeopardy to generate audience sympathy?

On the subject of what the writers did effectively, I thought the mystery itself was rather well executed and the idea of probes being sent to Earth a long, long time ago may explain why so many people were responding to the signal in the second half of the premiere. In fact, it may be that certain people are more susceptible to the signal because their ancestors were exposed to a weak version of the signal after the probes arrived.

It was good to see the team conducting a logical investigation, though I’m still not certain why the one person intimate with the Threshold protocol is constantly in harm’s way. The writers even have the characters address this in a vague manner right at the beginning, but the question remains. The characters continue to explore issues of civil rights during emergency situations and impingement on their own private lives, but not enough to be truly satisfying as yet. I personally found the whole issue of the wedding invitations to be silly.

This wouldn’t be an episode of “Threshold” without some glamour shot of Carla Gugino looking like she’s going out on the prowl, and the end of this episode doesn’t disappoint. I’m also pleased with the idea that this is a situation rapidly widening in scope, bringing up the obvious question: can the Threshold team really do anything to stop what’s coming? How can they, when they don’t even know the true scope of the situation? I expect that this concern will continue to crop up as more elements of the “invasion” are unearthed.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

West Wing 7.2: "The Mommy Problem"

Written by Eli Attie
Directed by Alex Graves

In which Josh finds that the situation at the White House is making it impossible to stay on message, and he tries to convince an acerbic communications expert to join the team…


The season premiere was all about the creation of a true Santos/McGarry ticket, amid Josh’s foaming at the mouth and the White House’s leak problem. So I was a little surprised to see absolutely no follow-through on that plot thread. Apparently all is well with Leo and his candidacy, because the question now is whether or not Santos can even win the election. Vinick continues to be strong off-screen, and when the entire Santos campaign is playing catch-up after one sound bite from the opposition, it’s not a good sign.

It is, however, an interesting look at how the situation in the sixth season, where Josh was all but running for Santos, has evolved into near-disaster. Josh has been trying to control everything, including his candidate, and that hasn’t been working as well as he thinks it should. Josh has been pulling too many all-nighters and his attention is slipping. Meanwhile, the press is eating Santos alive.

This leak story has gone on long enough, I think, and it’s clear that someone on the show is going to be leaving as a result. It has all the hallmarks of a targeted plot device. My current suspicion is that Toby is the leak, based on his brother and his general desire to step over the line for what he believes in. Plus, there really is no role for him beyond Bartlet.

So we get to see Janeane Garofalo play the role of Louise, a feisty communications director that looks and sounds like she’s trying to convince everyone that she knows her stuff. She, too, plays a targeted role. It’s about exposing the weaknesses in Josh’s hand-holding and reminding him and Santos that Bartlet had an entire team working on his election, not just Leo. And Santos is right: Bartlet was the one calling the shots in the end, not just Leo.

More importantly, none of these characters (especially Santos) are direct analogues of the previous cast. Granted, the growing ensemble isn’t as compelling, but there’s a logical reason for that. By the time the series began, everyone had a certain degree of confidence, based on their previous relationships and a great deal of experience with one another. Santos has Leo and Josh. The rest of the team is still pulling together, or at least, they should be. If this series is supposed to continue past this year, then the writers need to find characters and actors with the presence of the original cast.

This was a good episode, if only because I liked the fact that Santos took the reins. I wasn’t thrilled with the White House side of the story, yet again, but something tells me that it will be more prominent and meaningful in the next episode. What I was really thinking, however, is that the producers might do better to pull a “Practice”/”Boston Legal” move after this year.

Want to save money on contracts? End the series and start new. Contracts get big with success and longevity. First season salaries are typically lower. Make the break cleanly with this series for the sake of sticking with the Bartlet administration timeline, and don’t let the series end halfway through a Santos or Vinick administration. If a spinoff dies early, it won’t drag down the original. For some, it’s too late for that, but I want this series to go out on a good note, and this season is playing like the end of an era.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Medium 2.2: "The Song Remains the Same"

Written by Bruce Miller
Directed by Vincent Misiano

In which Allison has an auditory “vision” of a song, playing over and over, which leads her to the disappearance of a young woman and, ultimately, a possible danger to her family…


I wasn’t happy with the season premiere, largely because I felt that the need to wrap up the cliffhanger in a relatively predictable way impeded the more character-driven aspects of the show. This episode is closer to the format and balance of the best episodes of the first season, and for that, I am thankful. The misdirection in the plot was well-executed, and the tension between Joe and Allison was believable.

I mentioned after the previous episode that I was able to predict the killer’s identity after Allison’s first vision. This episode was the exact opposite. I really had no idea where it was going, and yet in the end, it all came together. I find that rather impressive, especially since the case itself was only a small part of the whole. The promos really made it sound like the entire episode would be about the repetitive song and Allison’s response to it, and that was far from the situation.

One very interesting side to the episode was the discussion on religion. Allison’s experiences run counter to a number of the teachings within Catholic dogma, and clearly, she has a lot of reasons to have a negative opinion. Joe doesn’t seem particularly pleased with the idea of going to church either. But Allison’s interaction with the priest gave the episode an unexpected strength, because there were no easy answers.

I should have known that Allison’s vision of the plane wouldn’t actually intersect with her family’s fate, but when Joe was “outnumbered”, I figured that was a safe bet. I’m still not sure why the visions would have included Joe, given how they eventually worked out, but it brings up an interesting question. Did Allison have the original vision, incorporating aspects of her own world into the vision, which was then passed on with the additional elements intact?

The use of the looping song was interesting, especially when it became something of a homing beacon. The writers were smart enough to know that it was something that would get annoying rather quickly (and by the time it was over, it was close to that line!), so it was used effectively to get the story going and to provide the link to the priest. It was a very good use of a gimmick!

One thing I didn’t like was the abrupt ending. That was something I didn’t like during the first season, and it shows up again in this episode. The jump to credits was far too abrupt, and it left open too many loose ends. I understand that the plot points of the episode were resolved, but a couple extra lines of dialogue wouldn’t have killed anyone!

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Invasion 1.2: "Lights Out"

Written by Shaun Cassidy
Directed by Lawrence Trilling

In which an Air Force diver is found badly injured with mysterious wounds, and while Mariel finds something unexpected in his wounds, Larkin tries to uncover what seems like a cover-up…


One thing that a lot of critics mentioned about “Invasion”, in the months prior to the premiere, was the pacing. They all noticed that the pacing made “Lost” seem hasty in comparison. This second episode certainly seems to bear that out, as a number of plot threads continue forward from the pilot as the story transitions into series.

Shaun Cassidy always noted that this wasn’t so much about the alien invasion concept as it was about the family dynamic. The alien invasion is an extreme outside pressure on the family, placing them in situations where their true strengths and weaknesses are revealed. It’s the same formula that has worked so well for “Lost”, but the unique spin here is that most of the characters know a lot more about each other going into the situation. It’s not strangers learning about each other and all the intrigue that comes with it; it’s about learning the truth about someone you think you already know.

However, I do have some concerns. For one thing, I saw the pilot twice and felt that I understood the characters and circumstances fairly well. Some things in this episode blurred the picture a bit, and I hope that it’s more a question of layering the mystery than adjusting characterizations. Mariel, for instance, seemed to be gaining an understanding of how she’s been changed at the end of the pilot. In this episode, she’s in the dark, and actually providing evidence regarding the alien incursion.

If this is about the mystery, then it suggests that if a person is “possessed” by the aliens, then the process of conversion is largely unknown to the host. Sometimes the alien influence is apparent, and sometimes it’s dormant. But then in the case of the priest and the sheriff (or so it seems), the alien influence seems completely dominant. This will need to be explained in the near future.

It also seems as though Paxton’s fate reveals one aspect of the alien’s nature. They seem to be feeding off of humans in some cases, while “possessing” those in positions of authority that can help them continue their spread unabated. The fact that Paxton was on a classified mission in the area suggests that the military is aware of something unusual in the area. How this connects to Sheriff Underlay and his previous time in the military is unclear and ought to be interesting to explore.

Regardless, the tone of the series has been well established. Whenever anyone is near the water or on their own, it gets a little disturbing. I’m also intrigued by how the conspiracy angle will play out. Larkin is likely to keep pushing (while still taking the time to look incredibly hot in very little clothing), but someone knows that Dave and Russell have seen something they shouldn’t. And against my usual nature, I was really creeped out by the fact that Underlay knows that Rose saw something.

For all that, I’m still not sure about where things are going and how well they will play out. To be honest, I wasn’t all that interested in the family politics, beyond the fact that some people aren’t who they seem to be. That’s not how I feel about the characters on “Lost”, so if this series is going to continue to keep my interest, the characters are going to have to get a little more compelling. Admittedly, that’s all my subjective reaction thus far, so it might be that this will change as the story moves forward.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

Ghost Hunters 2.10: "28 Sep 2005"

Case #1: Eastern State Penitentiary
Case #2: Vacation Home

Well, as the current season winds down (the newly ordered episodes may be the third season rather than an extension of the second), things are more or less the same. I’m still not happy about the fact that each episode covers two cases, since I prefer seeing more of the investigation. Besides, more investigation would mean more Paula!

As a sidenote…this is an episode held over from earlier in the season. I’m not exactly sure why that is, though I have a feeling it had something to do with Brian and his departure. I don’t have a lot more to say about this episode so I’ll get right to the cases.

First case:

Well, if anything proves out the fact that even active sites have boring nights, this will do it. I’m afraid this only reinforces the theory that the guards faked that “apparition” last season. SFC seemed to edit every possible instance of someone mentioning an odd feeling or odd sound into the recap, and it was still about half the content as usual. I’m not sure I would have even included that footage if I were putting the series together (though who knows whether or not there’s an obligation).

Second case:

This was a little more interesting. As usual, the evidence won’t prevent critics and naysayers from claiming fakery, and nothing was completely groundbreaking, but it’s more than we’ve had for a while. I love EVPs, and there hasn’t been a good one all season. This is still not great, but it did make things more interesting. I’m not sure about the flashlight, since it wasn’t on camera per se, but I don’t think Jason would fake something like that.

Admittedly, I was otherwise distracted this week with “Serenity”, so I was annoyed that so much time was spent on that silly “blessing” montage. I also found all the comments about “inhumans” rather amusing. There’s a fine line between a scientific explanations and unsupported folklore, and whenever they start talking about demons and what not, they cross it. For a group that typically dedicate itself to disproving paranormal activity, it’s a little odd to classify entities with such conviction.

Chill Factor: 6/10