24 5.6: "Day 5: 12PM -1PM"

Written by David Fury
Directed by Jon Cassar

In which Jack attempts to get to Walt Cummings before he can aid the terrorists more than he already has, and in the process, uncovers the true motive behind the terrorist attack…


Status Report

This episode was written by David Fury, who cut his teeth under Joss Whedon on “Buffy” and “Angel”. Some fans were somewhat concerned over the idea of a “fantasy” writer coming on board a series like “24”, but it wasn’t the content of his previous material that got him the job. It was the fact that Joss Whedon’s series were highly structured, often incorporating several ongoing plot threads within a relatively self-contained episode. Also, Fury himself had gained a reputation for pulling together a complex script in a matter of days, which is the kind of timeframe that “24” producers apparently consider the professional norm.

When it comes to “24”, it becomes difficult to separate the sins of one episode from the merits of another. One hour can end on a ludicrous plot twist, which then sets the direction for the next hour. In this case, the idea of Jack Bauer hunting down Walt Cummings to answer for conspiracy charges was a bit over the top. It was Fury’s responsibility to make sense of it and carry the story forward.

Logically, both Bill and Lynn object to the idea of exacting revenge on Walt, since that sort of vigilante justice is largely frowned upon within anti-terrorist circles. Once again blurring the lines between lawful action and apparent necessity, the writers present a number of cases where individuals act out of sense of “ends justify the means”. Jack seems to be the good guy in all of this, but without any lawful authority, how are his choices any different from Walt’s choices?

After all, Walt claims to have worked with the terrorists towards the goal of detonating the nerve gas within the terrorist compound and eliminating a global terrorist threat. Consider that in comparison to Jack’s secret operation in the third season, which was also conducted without the knowledge or consent of the President. In that case, Jack wasn’t planning to use the engineered virus to kill Salazars, and he didn’t kill innocent people to get the job done, but he was operating in questionable territory with potentially catastrophic consequences.

More to the point of the episode, Jack is operating without authority to take down someone close to the President. Thankfully, the writers don’t make this some shadow operation. Jack tries to do it the right way, contacting Mike Novick to help get support. Given the extent of the conspiracy to date, it seems a bit foolish to think that cell phone conversations wouldn’t be recorded, but given the constraints, it’s not the worst plot convenience in the world.

In the middle of all this moral complication, there’s the emotional mess that Jack’s return has created. Audrey isn’t sure how to deal with the fact that Jack is back, but happened to be living with someone for six months. Diane is trying to get used to the fact that the man she was beginning to love, a potential father figure for Derek, is unlikely to ever come back. Jack is left with feelings for Diane and Derek, but more importantly, a desire for family and lingering feelings for Audrey.

Of course, when does Audrey decide to discuss her feelings with Jack? Yep, right as he’s planning to meet with Novick. Audrey wasn’t very good with the timing during the fourth season either, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. What is surprising is the fact that Jack is rather open about his emotions. Being out of the game has restored a bit of his humanity, which is likely to be an issue when the demands of the day force him to suppress those emotions yet again.

Meanwhile, Walt finds his situation crumbling when orders come down to kill Jack. Not surprisingly, this takes the central question of weighing consequences and transfers it to another level. Walt reveals the scope of his conspiracy to justify a wider American military presence overseas to safeguard oil flow. In other words, Walt was going to use terrorism as a pretext for an aggressive national security policy. (Gee, sound like a familiar theory?)

Initially, Logan is incensed at the idea of killing a former president and bringing his administration into an unlawful action, but then the question of necessity comes up. Walt draws the line between what should be done and must be done in a very different place than Logan or even Jack, and he drapes his actions in the necessities of patriotism. Walt threatens Logan with a disgraced presidency, and sure enough, Logan believes that he is trapped.

As weak and annoying as he may be, Logan is a character with a fascinating and even perfect portrayal. It’s hard to accept a leader who is so easily led by his advisors, but it makes for an interesting character study. Logan is a man in search of dignified legacy, continually struggling to live up to the demands of history. While it often leaves him in a position to be vilified, and rightfully so, it also gives him a haunted demeanor, which the actor portrays beautifully.

Score one for Agent Pierce! He’s been the go-to agent since the first season, a strong and capable supporting character, and he comes through big time in this episode. Like any good agent, he takes note of a situation and the context of orders. Does he step out of operational boundaries by choosing to help Jack? Of course he does, and he offers to fall on his sword for doing so. But he also demonstrates a distinct desire to live up to the spirit of duty above all else, and thus acts out of a sense of necessity, in keeping with the overall theme.

Bill does the same thing when he refuses to follow the order to abandon the search for the nerve gas. He recognizes that something is out of the ordinary, especially since Jack and Novick are out of communication with CTU. When Lynn balks at the idea of violating orders, Bill berates his lack of experience and operates, once again, out of a sense of necessity. Necessity demands quick and decisive decisions, the kind of decisions that Bill has made since the beginning of the season. (Of course, those decisions are also questionable decisions, providing another example of how the road to hell is paved with good intentions.)

Jack, of course, puts Walt to the knife out of necessity, despite the fact that Logan is standing not ten feet away. If any scene in this episode strains credibility (and of course, many do), this is the one. Jack gets the information he needs, but in the process, takes a big step back towards the man who couldn’t have emotional attachments. It seems rather obvious that this is going to be a main focus for the season: which way will Jack go in the future?

Logan doesn’t seem to understand the possibilities. In Jack, he has a person who is apparently dead to the rest of the world, with specialties in counter-terrorism and torture, and is completely at his mercy. Why not find a black ops position for him? For that matter, keep him out of the spotlight until the time comes for activation (each season of “24”, naturally!). That would be the most efficient and logical way to deal with the Jack Bauer crisis!

Of course, Logan is just feeling his way through his presidency, and so he wants every potential problem to simply go away. And in this case, he’s banking on the hopes that the Chinese will never discover Jack’s survival, despite the fact that the terrorist activities currently plaguing his administration will ultimately involve Jack to some degree. Especially since the terrorists have completely uncovered Walt’s attempt at using their fervor against them, and Jack must now prevent the terrorists from using the nerve gas against American citizens.

Considering how the series usually goes, this is not a huge shock. Jack could hardly be involved in an operation that left the local time zone! What makes the episode work, however, is the use of the recurring theme of necessity vs. morality. The theme is not a new one, but it elevates the episode above the average transitional installment.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is another strong transitional installment, with a dash of the usual question of necessity vs. morality tossed in for good measure. As usual, some of the plot points don’t quite add up, but in this particular case, the story relies more on solid character work than outright contrivance. The story could still use a bit more philosophical depth, but in general, the season is settling in nicely.

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Season Average (as of 5.6): 7.7

Stargate: Atlantis 2.14: "Grace Under Pressure"

Written by Martin Gero
Directed by Martin Wood

In which McKay becomes trapped underwater in a sinking Puddle-Jumper, and as his colleagues race to find a rescue solution, he begins to hallucinate someone to help him survive…


This is a fairly simple episode, and because it focuses primarily on McKay, enjoyment is directly related to one’s tolerance for the character. Some fans, including myself, have complained about the screen time devoted to McKay and his personality flaws. It felt as though the first half of the season was dominated by the subject. This episode could be perceived as salt on the wound, though in a more objective sense, it simply doesn’t cover new territory.

When it comes to the characters on this show, McKay is the one that routinely bugs the hell out of me but, moments later, reminds me why I like him. It’s very much a moment-to-moment love/hate thing. I’ve found that McKay is most tolerable when he has someone with as strong a personality in the same scene. That’s why Sheppard is such a great match, and why his battles with Weir and Zelenka work on a structural level.

Put him in a bottle and force us to listen to him whine for an act or so? Not so tolerable. Frankly, the episode was a wash for me until the moment that McKay’s vision of Samantha Carter emerged on the scene. Once he had someone to work against, in terms of the scene dynamic, it was a lot less annoying. It didn’t hurt that the writers were able to introduce some ambiguity.

Unfortunately, this also shoved the episode directly into retread territory. Even the producers cite the “SG-1” episode “Grace” as a primary influence on this episode! Granted, after so many episodes within the franchise, the two series will begin repeating concepts, falling into the same problems that the Trek franchise struggled with towards the end. But the “Stargate” franchise, at least, has a better grasp on character development, even without a truly serialized format.

In essence, the idea is that the same situation is viable if the characters involved react in a different manner than the characters in the original iteration. But that’s not what happens in this case; at least, not to the degree necessary to make the episode something more than derivative. There’s some slight hint that the ocean creature was trying to help McKay survive, and thus brought about the hallucinations in some way, but it’s hardly a given.

My other issue with the episode is that it comes on the heels of another crossover with “SG-1”. I don’t necessarily mind that the two series have connective threads, but I do mind when the “SG-1” cast is used as a way to lend credibility to an episode. As logical as this crossover is, it feels like a stunt. I would rather see this series stand on its own, because it can do so with relative ease. Hopefully the next episode will focus more on the cast as a whole and attempt to cover new ground.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

Battlestar Galactica 2.14: "Black Market"

Written by Mark Verheiden
Directed by James Head

In which Commander Fisk is murdered and Lee is placed in charge of the investigation, which puts him in conflict with the leader of a black market syndicate…


This is one odd episode, especially for this series, which has proven time and again how versatile the writing staff can be. The problem is that the intentions are right there on the screen. All the pieces are on the board and there’s even a fairly simple strategy for pulling out a victory. The writers simply don’t execute well enough, and as a result, the final product is muddled, shallow, and more than a little convenient for a series this complex.

I was expecting to listen to the Ron Moore podcast and get some sense of what I was missing. I was sure that a more positive reaction would come with a more informed point of view. Imagine my surprise when Ron confirmed each and every issue I had with the episode, and in fact, added several more to the list.

If the previous episode used the “Lost” format relatively well, with a distinctly “BSG” flavor, then this episode was an example of how it can be applied incorrectly. In fact, this episode had many of the same problems that the less impressive “Lost” episodes exhibit: lack of strong connective threads between “past” and “present” and shallow treatment of a complex point of conflict.

In this case, the idea was to establish that Lee was trying to make up for his unfortunate dismissal of his pregnant lover back on Caprica, just before the Cylon attack, by taking responsibility for Siobhan and her daughter. Lee was supposed to be making serious assumptions about Siobhan’s desire for the same thing. Unfortunately, as hard as the writers and editors try to make it work, it doesn’t quite come together. I just didn’t feel it, and so when the music began to swell in the final act, it felt like empty sentimentalism.

The episode might have been salvaged in large part if Lee’s conflict with the black market might have been more complex. In the end, there is a solid message behind it all. As I’ve said before, the fleet is operating in a situation that defies governance. Civilization is, in many ways, a pleasant veneer that may not go as deep as Roslin would desire. Lee (and perhaps Adama) understands that a certain amount of free trade and barter is necessary, since the basic systems are still being established and fortified. Certainly Zarek understands it, especially since he operates best as the self-appointed spokesman for the oppressed masses.

Ron mentioned a number of ideas that never made it to the screen. For instance, the brothel concept and Gina’s place on Cloud Nine in the previous episode were never connected, though they were meant to be. Zarek’s connections to the black market weren’t clear enough, especially at the end. But far worse was the existence of a crime syndicate so powerful that it could eliminate the commander of a military vessel so easily and with relatively little consequence.

Phelan was written a bit too conventionally, and as Ron himself admits, the entire plot was simply not up to “BSG” standards. Some of the smaller moments were good: the Baltar/Roslin confrontation was quite good, even if Roslin’s reasons for the offer weren’t directly tied to the previous episode’s revelations. Clearly, that subplot is going to have serious consequences for the rest of the season.

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

Final Rating: 5/10

Stargate: SG-1 9.14: "Stronghold"

Written by Alan McCullough
Directed by Peter DeLuise

In which Teal’c uncovers an outside influence within the Jaffa Council when he pushes for democracy, while Mitchell visits a dying old friend, who has some interesting suspicions…


I happen to find the evolution of the Jaffa from an enslaved race to a more enlightened nation to be full of potential, so episodes like this are always interesting. Granted, the writers still aren’t taking full advantage of the storytelling possibilities available, but part of that could be attributed to the incursion by the Ori. The typical history for revolutionary movements for independence demonstrates how often success breeds civil war.

Sometimes that happens when the original oppressors come along and attempt to control one emerging faction within the new government. In a very mild sense, that’s what Baal attempts in this episode. (Or one of the Baals, anyway!) It’s closer to the truth to suggest that Baal was trying to take control of the entire Jaffa Nation through subversion of its ruling council. What I find intriguing is the fact that Baal is not completely wrong. He identifies a real concern and acts on it, probably with a great deal of self-interest, but if his methods were more reasonable, wouldn’t he be making a very good point?

On the other hand, this also continues to demonstrate how a beaten foe is not a completely docile foe. The Goa’uld will continue to look for ways to rise again, and the rise of the Ori presents them with opportunity. They have already taken a degree of control over human politics and they are making moves on the Jaffa. Resources that might have been devoted to containing and addressing the Goa’uld are now focused on a greater threat.

I was also a bit more impressed with the Mitchell subplot. Unlike “Collateral Damage”, which attempted to give Mitchell depth through a forced storyline that shoved the rest of the cast into the background. This time, however, the writers made the character development part of a more balanced episode, and I was far more pleased. (OK, it was a bit much for Mitchell to drag alien technology into the middle of a public hospital and then leave it there, but I’ll set that aside for the moment!)

What I didn’t buy was the suggestion that Teal’c was actually considering surrender and that he was ever in any compelling danger. I’m not sure if it was the writing or the editing, but it just didn’t gel. Similarly, the battle sequences were just plain wrong. How many times were people exposed, in the middle of the firefight, and not one shot was taken at them? It just didn’t come together very well.

In terms of the Jaffa election, it’s likely that Bra’tac or Teal’c will be heavily involved in the new government, if not elected to the highest positions. If the Ori become enough of a threat to require a stronger response by the Jaffa, then this would make sense. However, even if this episode had some good ideas in terms of the Jaffa/Goa’uld interaction, I still think the snakeheads need to stay well in the background. It just seems better to keep them out of sight until a strong role can be found for them.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

Angel 1.22: "To Shanshu in LA"

Written by David Greenwalt
Directed by David Greenwalt

In which Wolfram and Hart launch a counter-offensive against Angel to retrieve the Scroll of Aberjian, which means that everything Angel values becomes a potential target…


Status Report

With the first season ending, the finale needed to serve two purposes. First and foremost, it needed to complete the process of setting the stage for the second season, which would delve into the more epic aspects of Angel’s psychological and philosophical universe. Also very important was the need to tie the second season into the concepts introduced at the beginning of the series. This duty fell to Mr. Greenwalt, though most agree that Joss was heavily involved in the process of working the thematic connections.

The writers do make another attempt at making David Nabbitt a worthwhile character, but this time around, it’s more from a conceptual perspective. Nabbitt points out how Angel’s mission is something worthy of remembrance, whereas his own accomplishments are pure materialism with ephemeral spiritual value. The message is simple: Angel cannot let himself forget why he fights. This is something Angel would struggle with throughout the course of the series.

Angel is given two very different “rewards” for his service in the apocalypse. In this case, this early in the series, his role is largely noted as being on the side of the white hats. His apparent reward is death. Oddly, Wesley doesn’t hit upon one of the more obvious interpretations of the prophesy. Many images or references to death in ancient prophetic works and their modern extrapolations are meant to be interpreted as a sign of fundamental change, not literal death. Of course, that is also a possibility, since death is a rather fundamental change, but it’s not necessarily what the use of the term or concept mandates.

The fact that Darla’s raising is tied directly to the Scroll of Aberjian suggests two possibilities, in light of the revelations at the end of the fourth season. One interpretation is that the prophecies are genuine, and that Jasmine, as a rogue Power, twisted the intention of the prophecies to her own purpose. However, since Darla’s resurrection was key to Jasmine’s plan, there’s every reason to wonder if the prophecies were adjusted to serve that purpose. Given that the prophecies were still referenced in the fifth season as being in force, it would be simple enough to assume that Jasmine could have simply added to what already existed, in terms of the destiny for the “vampire with a soul”.

The fact that Wesley interprets “shanshu” as meaning “death” provides a way to connect his reaction to the prophecy to the initial mission statement of the series. Angel doesn’t react to the news that he is fated to die, in Wesley’s estimation, because Angel has once again become cut off from humanity and the world. As usual, this defines one of the central conflicts of the series: Angel needs to become connected to the world to find redemption, but in doing so, he gives his enemies a means of attacking him indirectly.

The writers also bring Kate back into the picture, if only in a limited role, to complete the loop that began with Angel’s first encounter with her in the second episode. Kate is completely hostile towards Angel, very suspicious, but her presence doesn’t serve much of a purpose, other than to remind the audience that she’s still a player and someone who has every reason to question Angel’s claims.

The theme of “isolating Angel” continues with Voca’s plan. First, he eliminates the Oracles, and then he strikes Cordy with an affliction that effectively eliminates her as a source of visions for Angel to use. Then Voca takes the Scroll of Aberjian and takes measures to destroy Angel’s support system (which is one of the more shocking moments of the first season). It’s all designed to place Angel in the worst position possible, to either kill or tempt.

Unlike Nabbitt, who serves an indirect and minor purpose in this episode, Gunn is once again a resource that Angel finds important to have. More than that, Gunn gets to see first-hand how important Wesley and Cordy are to Angel, which helps Gunn see another example of how Angel is not the typical vampire.

The ritual used to raise Darla is interesting because hidden within the Latin is the core principle of the episode and the prophecy for Angel: life and death are simply aspects of the same thing. One could argue that Angel is stuck between life and death, and thus to die in some future moment, he must first be restored to life. As a metaphor, however, it works even better. Is it life and death in literal terms, or the restoration of Angel’s humanity within his soul, the final defeat of the demon within?

It’s also interesting that Lindsey doesn’t bother to think things through. Yes, the prophecies might say that Angel’s connections to the Powers would be severed, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be restored immediately thereafter. That’s the problem with prophecies, as evidenced in the first season finale for “Buffy”. Prophecy says you die? Never says you can’t come back to life!

In this case, Angel does lose those connections, but they are quickly restored. In fact, Cordy comes out of it with a renewed sense of purpose (possibly Jasmine-induced). She’s willing to go through the pain and discomfort of the visions, if it means that they can help the helpless a little while longer. In a sense, this is the mid-point for Cordy’s character: the moment that the old Cordy transforms completely into the new Cordy.

One more comment on the “shanshu” concept. Wesley reads it to say, as noted above, that in order for Angel to die, he must first be restored to life (assuming, as usual, that he is the vampire mentioned in the prophecy). But how does that directly lead to the assumption that Angel will be restored as a human being? That seems to be something the writers wanted to establish, as a nice way to point to a possible ending for the series, but it’s a massive assumption, given their line of work!

This also sets the stage for Angel’s fall in the second season. The problem with hope is that it may never die, but it can be broken, and Angel becomes a bit too confident in his eventual victory. Hope can be twisted, and that’s why Darla is the perfect weapon to use against Angel. Darla is something that he can try, against all odds, to redeem, ala Faith, which gives him hope, which gives Wolfram and Hart a weapon.

It’s in the process of setting up Angel for failure, at least in partial measure, that the episode succeeds as a season finale. Angel’s original mission is brought into a wider context, hinted at here and there in earlier episodes, and a reward is dangled in front of him. How does he react to that knowledge, and how does he try to be worthy of it? And in essence, that is a very human question, because there’s the general belief in a reward at the end of great lifelong adversity. That’s exactly the kind of question that Joss likes to pose in his work.


Memorable Quotes

WESLEY: “This is an ancient sacred text, not a Magic Eight Ball!”

CORDELIA: “Well, it’s just a prophecy. It’s not like it came from on high!”
WESLEY: “That’s what a prophecy is, Cordelia…”

ORACLE: “I can’t stay long. I’ve been dead a while. So far I don’t like it.”

ANGEL: “Don’t believe everything you’re foretold.”


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is a strong season finale, linking the original mission statement for Angel to the more epic plot concerns of the second season. While some of the concepts themselves are not explored as deeply as they could (or should) have been, the episode itself brings the first season to a satisfactory and logical close.

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Season 1 Final Average: 6.8

Smallville 5.12: "Reckoning"

Written by Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson
Directed by Greg Beeman

In which Clark decides to tell Lana his secret, but when that leads to her death, Clark strikes a deal to turn back time, unaware that the consequences will be fatal for someone else…


There was a lot of hoopla over the possibility of who would die in this episode. Early projections pointed to Chloe, if only because she’s one of the few non-comics characters on the series. However, it’s become very clear in the past several episodes that Chloe is the new Pete, the one friend that Clark can count on to discuss his unique situation with and get strong advice. That being the case, Chloe simply wasn’t in the line of fire. Instead, it came down to two obvious choices.

The structure of the episode was definitely meant to mirror the ideas in “Lexmas”. Just as Lex let the fear of losing Lana in some possible future lead to a presumably final turn towards the dark side, Clark lets his overwhelming fear over losing Lana lead to the loss of his moral compass. Lana is made even more of a pivot point for the struggle between Clark and Lex, and as each of them deal with personal demons based on possible futures that only they truly understand, the writers get the chance to explore how the two characters diverge from similar roads.

That said, the parallels could have been stronger, and the depth of emotion could have been more obvious. One big problem with this episode is Tom Welling. Usually, I don’t mind his acting, but this time he wasn’t displaying nearly enough pain and suffering, despite the iconic imagery and near-perfection of the funeral scene (love that song by Peter Gabriel!). After Lana’s apparent death, Clark’s reaction was just not convincing enough.

Also, while I am intrigued by how the writers have slowly but surely placed Lana as the central source of conflict between Clark and Lex, I can’t help but wonder if things would have been far more interesting if the writers had killed both Lana and Jonathan. Talk about learning a harsh lesson!

Chloe made a very good point, which is something that Clark will no doubt dwell upon in future episodes: Clark didn’t have to forego telling Lana the truth; he simply had to tell her what he had experienced after revealing the truth, thus giving her the chance to change her own destiny. Clark and Lex both fail to see why they cannot get what they want: neither one is willing to take Lana’s desires into consideration.

To a certain extent, it looks like I’ll get my wish. Jonathan still has a secret that could undermine the memory of his moral character, and thus force Clark to question his own moral code. Clark doesn’t have the best track record for making choices on his own, and he already has a tendency to make choices for people in the name of “doing what’s best”. That’s one of the dangers of power in general: all the good intentions in the world can still lead to megalomania. It may be too easy, however, for Clark to use Lionel Luthor as an excuse for whatever Jonathan was hiding.

Perhaps the most annoying thing about this episode is that the end result is a relatively strict adherence to continuity: Jonathan dies while Clark is still young. That’s not much of a shocker; the writers basically resorted to a trick to show the audience what they probably would have enjoyed (a deviation from expectation), only to slip back into all-too-familiar territory. And that possible accidental death for Lois was just wrong!

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Invasion 1.13: "Redemption"

Written by Shaun Cassidy and Michael Alaimo
Directed by Bill Eagles

In which Underlay is shot by an unknown assailant, taking him back to the moments after the plane crash, while Russell gets a very clear picture of what is happening…


The writers for “Invasion” must have been taking lessons from the writing staff from “Lost”, because they certainly found an interesting way to reveal some of Underlay’s secrets. As it turns out, it wasn’t so much an alien secret as it was something completely and perfectly human. The writers pull off an interesting philosophical trick in revealing one possible reason why Underlay’s conversion didn’t result in violence: Underlay had his newfound hope in Mariel to keep him focused.

All right, I don’t completely buy it either, but at least they were going for something worthy in the process. One thing I liked about the episode, even as it continued to show too many people being far too calm about the invasion, was how well it took everything revealed to this point and gave it a clear direction.

In essence, Russell now has a mission: to figure out what made the “alien” invasion so successful and how to keep it from spreading. Apparently the military knows all about the “aliens”, and they have their own reasons for letting the process continue in a limited capacity. Of course, that explains why Underlay has been working with the military. And there’s someone else out there who has survived about as long as Underlay, but he’s turned into a killer.

Other interesting items are put on the table. If the human is sick in some way, the “alien” process doesn’t take. That doesn’t account for mental instability, but it does give Russell something to work with. What if a human were to purposefully infect themselves with a disease in order to become immune to the process?

The writers are trying very hard to suggest that Lewis was the one who shot Underlay, but I’m thinking it was Missouri, or whatever the hell Mr. Ex-CIA called him. I think this represents a power struggle between Underlay’s more balanced approach and a the self-destructive and aggressive version of the “hybrids”. But it does reinforce one thing: if the converted human believes in something strongly enough, that can override the self-destruct part of the process.

Which makes me think that Underlay’s plan for an “alien” army is actually meant to be one of defense, not offense. If he expects the military to turn on him and his people, he may be looking to defend his turf and create a mini-nation of his own. It all comes down to protecting family, which is one of the themes of the series. It’s remarkable how the writers continually place Russell and Underlay in opposite corners, only to bring them into common cause when it comes to protecting the ones they love.

I’m baring scratching the surface on this episode, which is the sign of a strong and dense plot structure. Sure, some of the exposition doesn’t quite click, and Larkin continues to be a bit annoying in some of her scenes, but overall, this was a solid episode that kept my interest throughout. If the writers can keep this up, this series could end up being stronger than anyone had anticipated.

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

Final Rating: 8/10

7 Day Forecast: 27 Jan 2006

Now reading:

Babylon 5: The Scripts of JMS: Volume 1
Star Wars: Dark Nest III: The Swarm War by Troy Denning
Babylon 5: The Scripts of JMS: Volume 2
Star Trek: New Frontier: After the Fall by Peter David

106/369...Peter's books always fly by for me, and he's one of my favorite tie-in authors!


Now playing:

Final Fantasy X-2 - about 34% done...no new progress
Xenosaga II - I'm maybe 55% through the bonus levels...this seems to be Brenna's game of choice right now!

7 Day Forecast (through 03 Feb 2006):

1/28: Stargate SG-1 9.14: "Stronghold"
1/29: Battlestar: Galactica 2.14: "Black Market"
1/30: Stargate: Atlantis 2.14: "Grace Under Pressure"
1/31: 24 5.6: "Day 5: 12PM - 1PM"
2/1: Supernatural 1.13: "Route 666"
2/2: X-Files 5.20: "The End"
2/3: Smallville 5.13: "Vengeance"

Lost 2.12: "Fire Plus Water"

Written by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis
Directed by Jack Bender

In which Charlie begins having vivid dreams about Aaron and impending danger, and his subsequent actions prompt the other survivors to question his sanity and his choices…


Status Report

As with many episodes this season, the focus is less on addressing the larger mysteries introduced in the first season and more on advancing character arcs. In many respects, this is why the series has received a great deal of criticism; as more and more emphasis is placed on specific characters, the audience reaction is compartmentalized based on their own character preferences.

In this case, the focus is squarely on Charlie. Other characters get their moments, of course, but the psychological exploration is all about him. Unlike many expectations, the situation is not cut and dry. Some were expecting Charlie to lapse directly back into addiction in the worst possible way; others were expecting him to be accused of it and show some heroics to regain trust. The path chosen is actually a bit more interesting. Charlie doesn’t choose to resume his addictions, but the temptation to do so undermines his own credibility and his relationships with the rest of the tribe.

The question is: how interesting is this turn of events? Many have accused the writers of retreads when it comes to the flashbacks in second season episodes. Examples like “Adrift” can be frustrating. It’s debatable whether or not the flashback in this case constitutes a retread, but inevitably, there will be those who wonder whether the material reveals anything new. Perhaps this question demands a different way of looking at the information as presented.

The problem with “Adrift” is that it applied the same information, presented in slightly different form, to two very similar situations. In both Michael-centric episodes, the topic was effectively the same: getting Walt back from some interloper. The scale was different, but the underlying concepts were the same.

This episode, however, diverges from what has been shown for Charlie in the past, while remaining consistent with previous flashbacks. Charlie’s first flashback (in “The Moth”) was all about his addiction and trying to find a way to emerge beyond that constricting vice. Charlie’s second flashback was all about his duty to a woman he cares about, and how his own issues have often gotten in the way of doing what he perceives is the right thing.

This time around, it’s about Charlie’s concept of family. The writers reveal that Charlie was the son that was supposed to help the family escape the trapping of their mundane existence. (They may have been relatively poor, but if they could buy a piano as well as all those other gifts, it was more about class distinctions than income.) Failing that, Charlie felt some degree of responsibility to Liam and his new family, to find a way to bring Driveshaft back into the spotlight and make a success. And failing in that, Charlie was left with the guilt of having let his family down.

Take all of that underlying guilt and bring it forward into a situation where Charlie feels an unwarranted sense of entitlement, and things get incredibly disturbing. The writers didn’t back away from the realities of the situation. Charlie has a history, and he left himself open to extreme criticism by allowing himself to be tempted again. He instead acts irrationally simply on the basis of his own psychological issues, which is in fact more dangerous to Aaron and the rest of the tribe. He never figures out that if Aaron is in danger, it’s because he himself is the one putting him in danger.

Charlie’s hallucinations actually bring up an interesting question. If he wasn’t having some kind of delayed effect from standing next to a burning plane filled with heroin, then why was he having such vivid hallucinations? One possible answer could place several previous episodes into a new perspective.

What if Charlie is only the latest survivor to fall prey to the still-undefined “sickness” that Danielle mentioned all the way back in “Solitary”? Weren’t hallucinations part of the alleged symptom list? The idea of a “sickness” was something that was tossed into the background a long time ago, but it’s certainly possible that this is exactly how the writers intended to roll out the effects on the survivors: seeing random images, taking unconscious action, impaired reasoning, etc.

Of course, if that is the intention of the writers, then they are playing it out very well. Specifically, the survivors are doing exactly what one would expect them to do. Are they wondering if they are succumbing to some strange infection or exposure? Not at all! Since the experiences are all very personal and can be explained through personal weaknesses, it’s easy to dismiss. Never mind the fact that Danielle is hardly the poster-child for mental health!

But what makes this possibility interesting is that it doesn’t have to be true for the episode to work. It’s perfectly possible to explain Charlie’s behavior without it, which means that if the writers go another way, nothing is lacking in the story. One can classify this as the effect of stress on Charlie’s mental state. After all, Charlie was using Claire and Aaron, to some extent, as a substitute for his drug addiction. It was something to obsess over, and now that has been taken away from him. It’s not surprising that he’s falling apart without something else to obsess over.

This episode will push Charlie into a very dark place, because now he needs to find something within himself to move forward. The final scene made it clear that Charlie isn’t going to have some quick and easy moment of revelation. Nor is anyone likely to trust him with much of anything for quite some time.

The other character with some interesting moments in this episode would be Locke. Since he was the one who thought he had taken care of Charlie and his addictions in the first place, he was clearly operating out of a sense of disappointment beyond Charlie’s weaknesses. For someone who continually spouts off about the right for people to live free, he has quite the sense of entitlement of his own. He really had no call to beat down Charlie like that, regardless of how perfect the moment was, and he also doesn’t have the right to pass down moral judgment. (Except, of course, that he’s less the philosopher and more the self-styled spiritual guide.)

Still, Locke is continuing with his usual methods, though for reasons that are less obvious as time marches on. So he’s locked up the weapons and heroin behind a door that apparently only he can now open, which seems more than a little ominous. Sooner or later, Jack is going to find out, and it’s almost a given that their growing disagreement on the future of the tribe will hit the next level in the process.

If the “Charlie is suffering from the island sickness” theory turns out to be true, then this episode is not nearly as dismissive of the larger mysteries as one might otherwise assume. And more to the point, there’s plenty of reason to look at this as a transitional complication episode. A number of plot threads get incremental advancement, but they seem to be going somewhere, which is a good thing.

Jack, for instance, continues to work on his idea for building an army, and that seems to be putting him in close quarters with Ana Lucia. Ana still has a bit too learn about subtle questioning, it seems, since it was clear that she was wondering about Jack and Kate for her own purposes. (Also, this episode highlighted one of Michelle’s acting limitations: her voice doesn’t have much inflection to it, which limits her ability to express a wide range of emotion.)

Kate and Sawyer are certainly acting more like a couple. Having that shower in the hatch must be a very good thing, because the women are all looking a lot better than one would otherwise expect after so long. In essence, the survivors are all sharing a hotel room, complete with kitchen, bathroom, and lounge. No wonder they seem to have settled in so nicely since the premiere!

Hurley and Libby have that very interesting scene, which helps to remind the audience that Cynthia Watros is quite the babe. No wonder Hurley was speechless! Of course, her deft dodging of his question was also revealing, since it suggests a rather casual ability for deception. Also, what does it mean that the washer and dryer look new compared to the rest of the equipment in the hatch?

And then there’s Mister Eko. Beyond the fact that the audience is aware of how he became a priest, which makes his baptism of Claire and Aaron even more interesting than it already is, there’s something going on with trees. Just why is Eko so interested in certain trees? Is he just looking for a good place to set up his own camp, or does he have something else in mind? Say, for instance, building a church?

Claire and Aaron play a big part in this episode, though Aaron is mostly notable for being much bigger than he should be at approximately three weeks of age! It should also be noted that this episode has quite a lot of Claire in it, and therefore plenty of shots of Emilie at her best. Emilie is always beautiful, but when she gets that fire in her eyes, it’s a wonder to behold.

The main question that will be asked after this episode is whether or not episodes like this are actually going somewhere. It may seem obvious to most that Charlie’s descent will factor into future plot threads, but some elements of the audience can be impatient. To a certain degree, the writers were taking a chance on telling a story that wouldn’t really work for any other character, and it is the logical progression of that character’s arc. It may not be as compelling as the best episodes of the series to date, but it’s also a solid bit of storytelling.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is a solid example of character exploration, and it might even be foreshadowing for similar situations for other characters in episodes to come. While not much is revealed about Charlie’s past that couldn’t otherwise be inferred, there are enough differences to avoid a complete retread. This is very much a transitional episode, which is something that makes this kind of narrow focus easier to justify.

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

Final Rating: 7/10

(Season 2 Average: 7.0)

Medium 2.13: "Raising Cain"

Written by Craig Sweeny
Directed by Ed Sherin

In which Allison has a dream about a child who grows up to be an anti-social school shooter, and when her dreams also help save the child’s life, she tries to stop the future from happening…


As usual, Allison’s abilities show up in an unexpected but logical way, giving her clues about where Trevor’s life might lead, depending on the resolution of the present situation. There’s the concern about Trevor’s survival as well, since his mother seems to have some odd psychotic religious beliefs. And I don’t mean that as a slam against religiosity…the woman was psychotic above and beyond her religious background.

I was a little worried at first, because in a very general sense, this territory was covered by a fourth season episode of “Dead Zone”. What makes this one a bit more interesting is the fact that Allison is already a parent, and she has a daily reminder of how three lives are directly dependent on her influence. At the same time, that leads to certain assumptions that keep her from seeing the situation clearly until the very end.

All that said, I’m not sure I buy the idea that Trevor was inspired to be a good and moral child because of his near-death and mother’s suicide. The reason that Allison is so shocked by that revelation is that it runs completely counter to the typical trend. Sure, the easy answer is that it’s an atypical situation, thus the whole point of the story, but it doesn’t necessarily address the concern (at least, it doesn’t fully overcome the challenge to my willing suspension of disbelief).

The guest cast was very good. I’m usually a bit worried about child actors, since they tend towards the horrific. But the actor who played Trevor did exactly what he needed to do, and the real coup was the actress who played his mother. She switched from pseudo-normality to psychotic almost too easily!

Beyond that, I don’t have much to say about the episode. It did exactly what it was supposed to do, and it covered the usual ground, and it did so with the typical “Medium” competence and touch. I’m just not entirely sold on the overall direction that it took. I can’t imagine how all those horrible experiences, after a lifetime of psychological abuse, could produce a success story. But this wouldn’t be the first time that I struggled with an episode’s premise based solely on my particular and admittedly subjective point of view.

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

Final Rating: 7/10

24 5.5: "Day 5: 11AM - 12PM"

Written by Michael Loceff and Joel Surnow
Directed by Jon Cassar

In which Jack arrives at CTU, only to find that his return is more complicated than he bargained for when his enemies emerge, while Martha must deal with her husband’s lack of belief…


Status Report

As one would expect, coming off a four-episode introductory arc, this episdoe is largely transitional. Even so, the plot threads move forward at a blistering pace. Elements that once would have extended over several episodes, like the search for a possible mole or determining the traitor within the administration, both come to fruition in less than an hour. In a way, this is good, since the writers would otherwise be accused of retread, but it also betrays the casual logic of the story as a whole.

It wasn’t immediately obvious in the previous episode that the nerve gas had been held underground in a building near the terminal where the hostages were held, but it makes a lot more sense for that to be the case. Now the specific location of the hostage incident seems more reasonable. There’s the obvious question, however: how was the floor excavated without anyone knowing about it, and why stage such an intricate plan to divert attention if the wide open space in the empty hanger could be found within hours?

It’s a question that still hasn’t been answered. If the goal is to commit a terrorist act without warning of the scale or timetable, quietly passing on the keycard would have been the better move. Otherwise, it’s just going to bring down scrutiny, which robs the element of surprise. Granted, the terrorists weren’t counting on anyone identifying the keycard swap, but it still doesn’t make sense. Unless, of course, the goal was, for some reason, to bring attention to the site.

The dead rats also bring up a disturbing issue. It probably seemed like a good way to pass that information on to the authorities, plot-wise, but the dead rats are a sign of leakage or exposure. Which, according to the end of the previous episode, was checked for and determined not to be the case. So how were the rats exposed? Wouldn’t that imply, since the canisters were underground, that the chemical agents were leaching into the air and groundwater prior to excavation?

Supposedly the plan is to expose the population of Moscow in retaliation for the Russian occupation of some Slavic nation or territory. All right, that’s all well and good, but it leads to the obvious question: how did Russian terrorists gain knowledge of weaponized nerve gas that wasn’t created and maintained by the US military? Where did it come from, and how did the terrorists know about it?

Martha just can’t catch a break. She’s drugged and assaulted in the middle of one of the most well-secured parts of the planet (thanks to the summit), and still no one bothers to run a blood test or check on her claims in any credible fashion. They just want to ship her off to Vermont. Just what has she done in the past to be dismissed so often? Still, how hard was it to figure out that she would manage to escape?

Walt is not the smartest conspirator on the planet. Then again, neither is his friend Nathanson. Killing Jack in the middle of CTU is not even remotely a smart move, since all it does is expose an asset and prove that the scope of the conspiracy is exactly as big as Martha keeps claiming. It would have been far more logical to wait until Jack left the building, use the “assassin” to monitor the progress of the investigation, and then make the attempt on Jack once he was on the move.

This being a transitional episode, relationships were at the forefront. It’s about time that Edgar’s jealousy rose to the occasion, and unlike some annoying relationships in past seasons, this one is actually a bit cute. They really are made for each other! It’s a bit too easy for Spenser to be the mole, since in retrospect it made his affair with Chloe a bit too convenient, but the main problem is that the actor plays Spenser like Hayden Christensen played Anakin Skywalker.

Lynn, He of the Unfortunate Name, is quite the bastard. Tossing Audrey into the same room as Diane, just to find out how Jack might have been exposed? Deliciously evil. The scenes with Audrey and Diane were cringe-inducing. As much as Audrey was the victim of some unfortunate writing choices in the fourth season, her role this season makes a lot of sense, if only for scenes like this. At least the writers had Audrey admit that she was a complete pain in the ass last season!

As usual, Jack gets his security clearance back more quickly than any bureaucracy would ever allow (getting his actual identity reinstated ought to be a lot of fun…there’s a season unto itself!), which eliminates one of the more interesting possibilities. Why let Jack off the hook so easily? There are still several questions left unanswered about the whys and wherefores of the whole terrorist plot, and why Jack was targeted so specifically. Walt is part of that connection, but why would Lynn assume Jack is completely innocent? (And why hasn’t anyone mentioned the Chinese?)

One of the more amusing (if ridiculous) scenes in the entire episode comes well after Jack’s touching moment with Chloe when he walks in. Once again, there’s the father/daughter vibe. But imagine what he would have thought if he heard her style of interrogation! Bill looked like her head had just exploded! It’s a very good thing that Spenser is a bad liar and Bill’s in a sour mood over Lynn’s arrival. Otherwise Chloe would look a bit hysterical.

Lest anyone think Jack is softening up, there’s that scene at the end. Ignore, for a moment, the elements that will give Jack/Tony slash writers more material than they can handle; Jack’s inner turmoil is written all over his face when he takes his first look at Tony’s condition. The writers balance the manly emotional content with scissors to the throat in a wonderfully excessive moment, so all remains right in the world, but there’s little doubt that Jack continues to tally up the cost.

Spenser caves rather quickly when confronted with a seriously wounded Jack (just how is he supposed to act like his ribs are grinding together for 18 more hours?), but the real leap into the realm of absurdity comes at the very end. So Jack is going to hunt down the Chief of Staff like some kind of vigilante, only hours after a major political event and terrorist attack. Against a Chief of Staff, no less, who serves under a president who was more than happy to toss Jack to the Chinese wolves 18 months earlier.

There’s little doubt that the plot will dwell on the insanity of this little plot twist in the next episode, since events will typically spiral out of control. But is this the first example of the writers flying by the seat of their pants? They’ve already started with the excuses of how impossible it is to plan out the season ahead of time, so one has to assume that the story is already in freefall mode. If this is the level of absurdity that’s already on the table, this could be the most improbable season arc yet.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is an interesting mix of the usual transitional elements and some absurdly-paced plot developments. Oddly, some of the relationship scenes are the most disturbing and effective, while the now-standard plot devices are rushed to keep the audience from getting frustrated with repetition. The season is settling in to a familiar rhythm, though there are indications that the pace will be even more frenetic.

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

Final Rating: 7/10

Season Average (as of 5.5): 7.6

West Wing 7.12: "Duck and Cover"

Written by Eli Attie
Directed by Christopher Misiano

In which the Bartlet administration must respond to a dangerous nuclear plant accident, while Vinick deals with his connections to the plant and Santos struggles with his own response…


While I’ll admit that the quality of the series has been somewhat variable since the fourth season (and yes, that includes the fourth season!), I can’t find much in this episode to fault. I had my attention from the very beginning, and I found the interplay of all three plot threads to be equally compelling. I’ve been waiting for this kind of moment since the beginning of the season, so it makes sense that it would happen now, at roughly the halfway point of the season.

Taking an incident like this and making it the literal and metaphorical meltdown of the Vinick machine could have been overdone; certainly, some episodes in past seasons would have played it to the hilt. Instead, the president demonstrates much of his old fire while the two campaigns play a wonderful chess game. Each side is waiting out the other, as if playing a schoolyard game of chicken, and a part of me wished that it could go on for another hour.

Perhaps the most important element to the episode is consistency. Vinick’s defense of nuclear power was firmly established in previous episodes, as well as his tendency to speak out of turn. Thus his downfall was crafted very well, allowing the character’s own personality and platform against him. Santos’ camp was completely consistent as well, with a minimum of preaching. Sure, there was no sign of the strain between Matt and Helen from a few episodes back, but this wasn’t the time or place.

Of course, one of the strengths of the scenario, the fact that it threw an unexpected wrench into a campaign season that was effectively static, is the scenario’s main weakness. It’s an accident that just happens to be conveniently tied to Vinick, taking place at the most convenient moment possible for Santos, evening the odds. It doesn’t require anything special of Santos beyond restraint. For critics of the writers, who sometimes deify Santos, this is just another example of letting the character coast towards a victory.

But it’s not as if the incident gives Santos a massive edge; it just takes away Vinick’s invincible lead. It makes it a fair fight, and as I said, something like this was completely predictable. That being the case, I couldn’t let that get in the way of the fun. It was one hell of a chess game, with both sides losing resolve over one pivotal night. Great drama, in my book.

All of which would have been beside the point if the White House plot threads were somehow lacking. But the writers delivered on that element as well. Sheen was at his best in this episode; Bartlet hasn’t been in the spotlight that much in a long time. I was quite pleased, since in many respects, there was a resonance with the better Bartlet moments of the early seasons. This episode made it very clear that the winning candidate will never be Bartlet’s replacement, only his successor, and that made this one of the best episodes of the season for me.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 9/10

Stargate: Atlantis 2.13: "Critical Mass"

Written by Carl Binder and Brad Wright
Directed by Andy Mikita

In which the Goa’uld-dominated Trust sabotage Atlantis, threatening the city’s survival, which leads to a hunt for the guilty party, while Teyla deals with the death of an old friend…


This is a very odd episode for a number of reasons, and I’m not really sure what to make of it. I find it hard to believe that Caldwell’s character was always meant to have this kind of encounter or that the whole Trust debacle was meant to have an impact on “Atlantis”. Perhaps it was just the manner in which the crossover took place. There were a lot of things to like about the episode, especially in the final act, but there were also elements that left me wondering how quickly the script was cobbled together.

Let’s cover the bad things first. I’ve never liked the idea of the Trust, since it’s never been well-defined and it seems like a needless way to insert conspiracy into the series after the NID plot threads have been played out to death. Of course, now the Trust is a gateway for the Goa’uld plot to take control of Earth, presumably led by Baal and his many, many clones. That’s all an issue for inferior “SG-1” episodes, however, so I wasn’t particularly thrilled at the idea that the mess had spilled over into this series.

It has, however, and the implication is worse for the overall “Stargate Universe” than perhaps even the writers might suspect. If the Trust can infiltrate the SGC so completely that the commander of the Daedalus is infested with a symbiote without anyone noticing, that’s a serious breach of security. Essentially, the entire operation could be crippled with no possibility of a counter-offensive.

On the other hand, there’s a certain logic to what the Goa’uld were trying to accomplish. If the Wraith do take control of Atlantis, they have the power and the will to invade Earth and begin an incursion of the home turf. This is as big an issue for the human population as it is with the beleaguered Goa’uld. Though even they didn’t consider the more subtle and logical approach: use the Humans as the first line of defense, but then set things up so if Atlantis is breached, the gate will switch to an address in the part of space currently held by the Priors! Deal with both problems at once!

Now, the good. As much as Teyla’s “B” plot was pleasant, for lack of a better term, the music in the final act was quite effective. I could tell that she was actually singing (though it was, of course, dubbed in), and that helped a bit. I’m still not pleased by the fact that other chanting voices joined her, since none of the extras in the scene were singing, but that wasn’t the point. It was a well-orchestrated sequence.

Also, I loved the return of Lt. Cadman to the series. I mentioned back in my review for “Duet” that it was a shame how little she was on screen. It actually looks like she’ll be a recurring character, a possible bone of contention between McKay and Beckett, and I couldn’t be happier. Yay for hot redheads! And between her and Cavanaugh, that gave the whole “traitor” plot thread something to work with.

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

Final Rating: 7/10

Battlestar Galactica 2.13: "Epiphaines"

Written by Joel Anderson Thompson
Directed by Rod Hardy

In which Roslin’s impending demise leads to a final order to eliminate the Cylon/Human hybrid, while Adama must deal with the sudden and violent rise of a group of Cylon sympathizers…


As I had anticipated, this episode was a bit of a letdown after the previous installment’s near-perfection. But it wasn’t a complete and total loss by any means. A lot of plot threads are addressed along the way, and the writers put the pieces for the final arc of the season on the board. In fact, one critical piece is dropped right into the center of the board in the final scene, paying off a dangling plot element from early in the first season.

In my review for a recent episode of “Stargate: SG-1” (ep. 9-12), I noted that the episode in question could have benefited from taking the format adopted by “Lost” to explore the past of a main character through flashbacks. This episode actually proves my point. This episode was very much in the vein of “Lost” in terms of Roslin’s flashbacks, and though the circumstances were very different, it allowed events from the past to intersect and influence the present and future.

It makes perfect sense that some segment of the human population would wonder if surrender to the Cylons could be a viable option. It’s likely that they don’t know or willfully forget that surrender was offered during the original attack. Whatever the case, if there were those who were still ready to return to the Colonies and fight back, despite the odds, the opposing point of view would naturally emerge. What’s interesting is how easily they were pushed, presumably by Gina, towards violence.

Of course, that makes sense. With the Cylon fleet now out of the picture, the Cylons within the Colonial Fleet need to take the steps necessary to achieve the overall goal, which means subversion from within. I also expect that these actions will give another Cylon fleet a chance to make a move. (It’s no guarantee that the Cylons don’t already have another fleet in position, but it would make things more interesting if the action focused on the Colonial internal issues for a while.)

Roslin certainly has an interesting past (teachers in a violent strike and sleeping with the President?), but most important, I think, is her memory of Baltar and Six. If she had doubts about Baltar before, she certainly has more of them now! Something tells me Mr. Nice Gaius is going to be a primary focus through the rest of the season, especially his interplay with Gina. Speaking of which, I loved how she reacted to his overtures.

As for the Cylon child and the danger it poses, I can see why Roslon would be so adamant, but exactly what is she afraid of? More importantly, she’s missing something critical. The child is the result of a union between human and Cylon, which means genetic compatibility. Her own restoration is proof enough of that (as convenient, yet inevitable, as it was). Letting the child be born and then studying it is one way to understand the enemy. After all, there’d be a true Cylon (Sharon), humans, and the hybrid…three degrees of differentiation. The real question, morally, is whether or not that study would be on living tissue.

I agree with Ron Moore on one thing. As great as it is to have so many plot threads carried forward in this episode, it just doesn’t come together as well as it could have. For one thing, as the secret leader of the Cylon Sympathizers, Gina is in rather comfortable quarters. Ron says it’s a brothel; there’s nothing in frame to suggest that. It could have been much worse of a letdown, but that said, it’s still a bit of a letdown.

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

Final Rating: 7/10

Stargate: SG-1 9.13: "Ripple Effect"

Written by Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie, and Brad Wright
Directed by Peter DeLuise

In which several SG-1 teams come through the gate from alternate universes, causing a crisis in the struggle against the Ori, and some teams have members that are unexpected…


Messing around with alternate timelines and alternate universes can be tricky. Generally, on a show like this, trying to make sense of the science behind it is a relative waste of time. This is the problem with having some basic understanding of quantum theory and particle physics. All the right words are there in relatively right order, and it makes Carter sound really, really smart…but it doesn’t really make sense and it’s dense enough to be a little bit dry from scene to scene.

Of course, that’s beside the point. The idea was to bring Teryl back somehow, and this is a fun enough way to do it. But it also brings up a few unfortunate questions. For instance, if the composition of SG-1 changed enough for Martouf and Janet to be part of the team, why weren’t more high-profile characters also part of some of the teams? Like, say, Hammond, Jonas, or…perhaps Jack O’Neill?

OK, there are issues with money and availability and all that, I understand that perfectly, but that’s what the concept practically demands. I’m surprised that the writers and producers didn’t see the issue and try to speak to it. Say, a line of dialogue from someone indicating that Carter had requested that teams with Jack not be let through, since they already noted that some teams had been turned away.

Another problem I had was the final act. It made sense for the whole thing to have been deliberate, since that was the impression I got from the teaser, but I wasn’t impressed by the complexity of the feint and counter-feint. It was over far too quickly. Why spend so much effort to come up with endless dry exposition with technobabble to the hilt, only to skimp on the chance to delve into the psychology of the four main characters? It might have been better to stick with only two teams and their interactions than to shoehorn in a few unnecessary guest appearances?

Well, enough dwelling. If one ignores the level of dry exposition throughout the hour, there’s a fun premise at the heart of it. In fact, the episode shines when it comes to highlighting the differences (and similarities) from team to team. Some of those Carter and Mitchell scenes were a lot of fun. I liked seeing some old faces, even if the writers seemed to find their appearances more meaningful than they really were.

Frankly, my preference would be to stick with the new characters and new dynamic. Some elements of the old mythology make sense to carry forward into new episodes, but the majority of the episodes should stick to the current crisis.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

7 Day Forecast: 20 Jan 2006

Now reading:

Babylon 5: The Scripts of JMS: Volume 1

Yes! Finally finished the last book and moved on to something very different. I really like this book because it presents the original version of the pilot, "The Gathering", which has some interesting differences and omissions. The regular scripts are less divergent, but some early concepts are intriguing. And there's lots of JMS commentary in the front, production memos, photos...great stuff!

Now playing:

Final Fantasy X-2 - about 34% done...I'm in the middle of "Chapter 2"
Beyond Good and Evil - about 20% done...no new progress, what with "24" and all...
Xenosaga II - I'm maybe 33% through the bonus levels, but I also only play this sporadically when Brenna gets tired of FF X-2

7 Day Forecast (through 27 Jan 2006):

1/21: Stargate SG-1 9.13: "Ripple Effect"
1/22: Battlestar: Galactica 2.13: "Epiphanies"
1/23: Stargate: Atlantis 2.13: "Critical Mass"
1/23: West Wing 7.11: "Duck and Cover"
1/24: 24 5.5: "Day 5: 11AM-12PM"
1/25: Medium 2.13: "Raising Cain"
1/26: Lost 2.12: "Fire Plus Water"
1/27: Invasion 1.13: "Redemption"
1/27: Smallville 5.12: "Reckoning"

Smallville 5.11: "Lockdown"

Written by Steven DeKnight
Directed by Peter Ellis

In which Lex and Lana are held captive within Lex’s panic room when two cops demand to see the spacecraft, while Jonathan is less than pleased when he learns about his financing…


As the writers prepare for a number of plot twists in the milestone 100th episode, the story turns out to be a step above filler. Sure, there’s the death of a minor supporting character, which is a bit surprising, but there’s relatively little movement in the overall plot threads and just about none in the character department.

Was anyone surprised by Jonathan’s reaction to learning about Lionel’s donation? What else was that character going to do? It would have been more interesting in the long run (especially if Jonathan is the character about to die) if his implied consent remained intact and his election integrity under at least short-term question. If Clark is destined to emerge with his own set of ethics, why not have him struggle with the legacy of Jonathan’s example?

Anyway, tying the “lockdown” situation, designed specifically to throw a Lex-sized wrench in the Clark/Lana relationship, to the season premiere was a nice touch. In fact, there were quite a few nice continuity references throughout the episode, even if the characters were just doing what the plot required. Lex’s interest in Lana I can understand, looking back on the second season and onward; Lana’s friendship with Lex is a bit more forced.

Clearly the writers are implying that Clark will have to tell Lana the truth if he wants to have any chance at a future with her, and that presents an interesting dilemma. How can she know the truth and survive into the future of the mythos? Perhaps this is going in the right direction after all. Some elements of the mythology should remain intact, but why not firmly establish this as an “alternate” version of the story? All the media presentations can’t hang together, so why not vary from the conventional wisdom in a more pronounced fashion.

Of course, the writers have to continue with the hints that Clark will end up with Lois, which was cute at first, but now has become incredibly tiresome. I don’t mind her as a character in most episodes, but this is a perfect example of something that doesn’t need to adhere to the strict bounds of the mythos. Let Clark end up with Chloe, since the two have far better chemistry, and just accept that this is a story about archetypes, not comic book continuity!

OK, I know that none of that will ever happen, but as much as I like this series and its particular brand of storytelling, some of the constraints get on my nerves. The fact that the ratings are stronger than ever will just give the producers more reason to stick with a “winning” formula, no matter how the story and characters suffer as a result.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

Invasion 1.12: "Power"

Written by Reed Steiner and Becky Hartman Edwards
Directed by Lawrence Trilling

In which Russell and Mariel try to track down Underlay and the children as the area once again loses power, but Jesse and Larkin begin questioning everyone’s motives…


The promos for this episode made it seem a lot more exciting than it was. The whole episode was indeed devoted to a message that Underlay needed to send to Mariel and Russell, but the manner in which that message was delivered was a lot less interesting than I had been expecting. The very end promises a more explosive confrontation in the future, however, and that sparks my interest.

The triangle between Russell, Mariel, and Larkin is getting rather interesting, and not just because the truth about the “aliens” is out on the table. The writers continue to use the “alien” situation as an effective commentary on extended family dynamics. Mariel is in the middle, and Russell is her connection to her old life (her human side). Underlay makes it very clear that the children are the prize, the pieces in play.

Underlay is actually very smart about it. He doesn’t do anything overtly threatening to the children, and his excuse is about as airtight as it can get. But he delivers a clear message by showing Russell and Mariel how easily he can turn their world upside-down. His offer at the end of the episode is very interesting move. He give Russell what he wants, further reminding him of what he stands to lose. And Mariel gets to see what it’s like to be without the children, thus pushing her to accept her new reality.

This is what makes Underlay a compelling character. He’s something of a villain, especially since he’s preparing his “alien” brothers and sisters for a revolution, but he’s also got a point. The only way that things will go well is if both sides learn to live together and find common ground. Whether or not that’s possible is the key point in the conflict. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out, and that possibly remains with this family.

So Underlay all but ensured that Russell and Mariel would be placed in a compromised situation in terms of what they know and how they react. But it also seems as if Underlay has some problems of his own, beyond Jesse’s curiosity and Kira’s petulance. There’s the threatening phone calls, which at this point, could mean anything. That means that there are still some complications left to introduce between now and, say, episodes 14-15, when the season usually begins ramping up to the resolution of a season arc.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

Lost 2.11: "The Hunting Party"

Written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina Kim
Directed by Stephen Williams

In which Michael goes after Walt on his own, forcing Jack, Locke, and Sawyer to form a hunting party to bring him back, but the effort hits a major obstacle when the party finds someone else…


Status Report

This is one of those episodes with very little in the way of forward momentum, but plenty worth talking about. Two aspects of the episode are fairly critical to the overall “Lost” world: the revelation about Jack’s marriage issues and the first face-to-face with the Others. Enjoyment of this episode therefore hinges largely on interest in Jack as a character, since clearly, the revelations about the Others are few and far between.

The flashbacks don’t say much about Jack that wasn’t already apparent: he feels a crushing responsibility for nearly everything, and that means he’s always looking for something to fix or make right. And as his father warned him before his marriage, that can lead to bad decisions, especially when the thing he wants to fix is a person. Much of this episode is devoted to the idea that Jack was lured by the incredibly hot daughter of a new patient, but that’s only the symptom of the disease.

Jack is certain, thanks to his success with Sarah, that he can make another miracle happen. And that is fed by the faith that his patient has in him. His more pragmatic approach to reality is overcome by this desire to make everything better through sheer force of will. That’s never a good combination, because it never ends well. And in this case, it meant longer hours, time away from the wife, who needed more than just physical healing and “fixing”.

The real kicker is that Jack understands that something is missing, but he doesn’t know what it is and so he doesn’t know how to address it. It shows up big time, however, when he finds a very attractive woman with something of an infatuation, ready and willing to show appreciation. He doesn’t take it too far, but it’s far enough for him to realize something needs to change in his marriage to make up for some lack. But it’s too late, because Sarah has already found her own solution.

This is one of those situations where Jack could be seen as a willing fool. He knew that Sarah was with someone else before he “fixed” her, but apparently never considered why she wouldn’t leave him just as easily. The entire situation also reinforces another flaw in Jack: not only does he like to “fix” things, but he also obsesses over controlling them. He doesn’t like it when he “fixes” something and then it changes in unexpected ways.

Hence, his huge issue with Kate. He’s clearly attracted to her, and he feels an amazing amount of bitterness towards Sawyer for having feelings of his own. Yet he could never have a solid relationship with Kate as he is, because she’s not looking for someone to tell her what to do. Even if, to a certain extent, that’s exactly what she needs: someone who’s willing to push her into some form of stability.

For those who prefer to see Locke within the box of the philosopher’s tenets, this episode fits within that category. This is probably because Jack is in serious “control freak” mode, which is not something that Locke particularly appreciates. Locke is concerned, in a general sense, with individual freedom (when he’s not trying to impose his own concept of destiny on the entire camp), so of course he’s more than happy to let Michael do what he has to do. But Locke also pushed Jack into assuming the leadership role, so there’s a bit of hypocrisy there.

While Michael triggers this episode’s events, this episode is all about how Jack finally chooses to respond to everything that has happened since the end of the first season through the confrontation with the Others. Both camps were victimized to some degree or another, and that has finally come to a head. The question is how this will divide the camp and cause internal conflict. Jack doesn’t need a new avenue for his controlling ways, and commanding an army falls into that category.

This brings up some interesting “Lord of the Flies” possibilities. Jack wants to create an army to fight the Others, ostensibly in terms of self-defense, but as history demonstrates, an army means administration/government which means the society needs to contribute and support that function. Suddenly the dynamic changes and some will gain power they don’t necessarily deserve. Hence the comments in this episode that some people are considered more “important” than the rest.

It’s also interesting that Jack turns to Ana Lucia for this effort. Granted, she was involved in a long-term campaign to protect her people against the Others, but Sayid has practical experience within the military. For that matter, Locke has been pushing the tribe into pulling together a defense since the middle of the first season. They could probably get Danielle involved if they played their cards right. But there will be those who dislike any offensive posture, and ultimately, they cannot ignore that Walt was abducted and Michael is now also missing.

How will Jack resolve his “control freak” flaw and find some sense of peace if he’s putting together an army? For that matter, is he destined to fail and become a victim of the island? On the other hand, will this give Ana Lucia something to focus on, above and beyond her own history. Ana’s path to redemption may require Jack to cover some very dark territory.

Considering how important this turn of the story really is, the confrontation with the Others is remarkably weak. Not only does it fail to do much more than draw lines that were already effectively drawn, but it does nothing to add to or subtract from current speculation. The references to the hatch by “Zeke” suggest that there is a connection between Dharma and the Others, and certainly Walt’s “special” nature, but one thing to keep in mind is that “Zeke” is in a position of complete strength and confidence. He doesn’t have to speak the truth or clarify anything, and so anything he says must be taken with a grain of salt.

It is interesting, however, that the Others don’t immediately kill any of the four “hunters”. It suggests that the Others have a purpose for letting them live. This still plays into the speculation in earlier reviews, while giving the main characters something to think about. As will the mention of Alex, which very likely refers to Danielle’s daughter, mentioned more than once in the first season.

As much as this precipitates forward momentum, it’s simply not very substantial. The audience doesn’t know anything new; it’s just the characters that are basically being forced to accept a reality that they have been avoiding for weeks. And the Others make a very good point: the survivors of Oceanic 815 have been on the island less than two months, yet they take action as if they are the ones with the right to all the resources.

Despite all the emphasis on Jack, there’s still plenty of time given to the rest of the cast, even if it’s just one short scene. One thing that’s not as effective as it could have been is the parallel between Jack’s past and Kate’s present. Without previous context, those scenes would have been hard to pin down. Locke was pushing the rights of the one over the needs of the many again, but as mentioned earlier, it’s a bit disingenuous, since he pushed Jack into that leadership role because he saw the need for it.

It’s good to see Sawyer, because he brings something special to the mix with his sarcastic cynicism. When it comes to Jack and Sawyer, Locke slips right back into “shaman” mode, pushing their buttons to get a sense of their motivations. Sawyer, especially, is begging for another episode devoted to his past choices.

One interesting thing is Sayid’s reaction to being left out of the “hunting party”. In the first season, he would have probably been one of the first survivors approached. Now, he seems to be on the outside looking in, and that cannot be easy. Charlie, too, is feeling the isolation. Jin, on the other hand, is torn between his duty to his friends and his duty to Sun. It’s an interesting turn for the character, who has come so far in just 30 episodes.

Charlie’s jealousy over Locke’s rather casual friendliness towards Claire and Aaron now has even more bitterness, but that should become more prominent in the next episode. On the more amusing side, Hurley seems to be very interested in Libby, who will hopefully get herself cleaned up sometime soon. Wouldn’t be interesting if she turned out to be one of the staff at the institution where Hurley used to reside?

Had the confrontation with the Others been more substantial, this would have been a much stronger episode, on the same level as the previous installment. As it was, the character exploration was interesting, but not enough to make up the difference. This wasn’t a terrible episode, but it’s one that certainly didn’t live up to its full potential.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode had a great deal of potential, but one of the more important scenes didn’t have the necessary impact. The events themselves are fairly substantial in terms of long-term impact, however, and the character in focus could go a in very dark direction as a result. This episode seems to struggle like so many this season: it has the same level of potential, but something in the execution is just not the same.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

24 5.4: "Day 5: 10AM - 11AM"

Written by Michael Loceff and Joel Surnow
Directed by Brad Turner

In which Jack becomes another hostage held by the terrorists as the anti-terrorism summit comes down to the wire, forcing CTU to stage an assault as management takes a turn for the worse…


Status Report

So far the episodes seem to be wavering between strong storytelling and the issues that have plagued the series since the middle of the first season. Coming on the heels of a very strong episode, it only makes sense that this would seem weaker in comparison. It was still quite entertaining, but it wasn’t on the same level as the third hour.

One of the most immediate problems with the story is the decision by the terrorists to keep Jack alive. While he does have some general value as a means of dealing with the CTU response, but that doesn’t seem to be in mind when the terrorists first take him in hand. Why leave a seasoned counter-terrorism agent in the room when the goal is to pass off a keycard to one of the hostages as quietly as possible?

It would have been more logical, in terms of the terrorist plot, for them to shoot Jack in front of the media. For one thing, he was being used as a dupe in the assassination, and his death would prevent the truth from coming to light. Second, even if the terrorists didn’t care about that anymore, he would have been a high-profile victim, someone to kill to embarrass Logan even more. Leaving him alive, in the same room where the handoff is meant to take place, is an incredibly stupid decision.

The producers seem to find every opportunity to show Jean Smart’s bosom, which is somewhat odd. But they are also dialing back from her nutty side and showing a more calculating and focused individual. Can someone, however, explain why the supposedly mentally unstable First Lady has such light security that Walter can drug and assault her without anyone noticing?

Lynn McGill comes from the “politics is king” school of management. In other words, if it works to make one look better politically within the organization, it’s something worth doing. His attitude with Bill is intolerably smug, but the writers also go to great lengths (in this episode and the two previous episodes) in showing Bill as just a little too willing to accept new information with little or no scrutiny. There’s also the hint that Lynn used to work for Bill, perhaps as a protégé.

For instance, Bill should have been able to tell that Jack was trying to express that he was under duress. Why else would he toss out that line about “Flank 2” time and again? More importantly, why did it take so long for Chloe to remember that it was a term used for this very purpose? It seems a little convenient that the most annoying boss on the planet would figure out, in minutes, what experts on Jack can’t work out in almost an hour. For that matter, why didn’t Beresch figure out that Jack was trying to give CTU a warning? It wasn’t at all subtle, and they knew they were dealing with a seasoned agent.

Logan and Suvarov also fall prey to odd logic. If Logan were to give in to the terrorists and postpone, then he would be sending a message that the terrorists can use the lives of innocents as political capital. If he sticks to his guns, even if the hostages are killed, he sends a message. It’s a bloody and terrible message, but it’s a message. Both men seem way too concerned with the political legacy the accord will bring, more than the reality of what the accord should represent.

Once again, the terrorist plot is in and of itself a possible plot weakness. If the point was simply to cover the transfer of the keycard, why do something so public to get it done? It could have been quietly taken care of in a backroom without any issues. Was it just to ensure that any increased chatter would be attributed to the hostage situation and not the true goal? Or was it complete overkill? Time will tell, but right now, it doesn’t quite add up.

Returning for a moment to the question of Lynn McGill (and could his attitude have something to do with growing up with that name?), his character is very smooth with Bill, but he doesn’t have an ounce of sincerity in his voice. And he’s right too damn often! Letting him be the one to figure out what Jack was doing was too easy, definitely a way to maximize the smarm. Yet his interpretation of Jack’s status was perfectly legitimate and highlighted one of the major issues with Bill’s response to Jack in the past two episodes.

This is likely to bring about something that was predicted in the review for the previous episode: Bill will be taken to task for making pragmatic decisions to achieve success. Lynn seems to be the mechanism towards that goal. And more to the point, there always has to be some jerk from Division who comes in and tries to apply book policy to real world scenarios. Sure, protocol gives direction for a reason, but it doesn’t cover extreme circumstances.

It’s a wonderful change of pace, however, for Jack to concede the necessity of being taken into custody. It won’t last, but it’s a nice change for the character. After all, he’s not an agent anymore, and there are serious consequences that should follow from his return. The writers could spend a lot of time just on the topic of Jack as political hot potato, especially once the Chinese get wind of it all. Granted, those moments will exist only when the terrorist plot needs more time to build organically, but for now, the genie is out of the bottle and the writers have their work cut out for them.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode has a number of logic problems, all of which are designed to place newer characters in an immediate context and ensure the survival of others. Despite some of the issues with internal logic, there are some good moments, and by the end of the episode, the writers achieve the goal of setting up the new season with a relatively contained mini-arc.

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

Final Rating: 7/10

Season Average (as of 5.4): 7.7

Supernatural 1.12: "Faith"

Written by Raelle Tucker and Sera Gamble
Directed by Allan Kroeker

In which Dean is mortally wounded on a case, and Sam makes the difficult decision to take him to a faith healer, but the price for Dean’s life is much greater than Sam realizes…


It’s amazing how this show can pull you into a relatively simple and straightforward story. I was very busy coming into this episode (the “24” premiere week is always nuts for me), so I started the episode while cleaning up. Roughly an hour later, I realized that I had made little progress. Believe it or not, it wasn’t my semi-obsession with Julie Benz, either!

No, this time, it was my fascination with Dean’s enormous feelings of guilt, and how much was running beneath the surface. Sam made a value judgment for his brother that speaks volumes, and I’m still not sure that I’ve considered all the possible interpretations of that decision. It’s rather clear what Dean’s interpretation is, however, and it just might make their relationship more complicated.

There’s some indication that the episodes are being aired out of the intended order, but I don’t think that it’s been as obvious or damaging as it could have been (in the sense of a series like “Firefly”, for instance). I see a fairly consistent progression of the character exploration. Sure, the rift between them in the previous episode might have evolved out of this series of events more naturally than out of “Asylum”, but it all hangs together very well.

More to the point, Sam had come to realize just how important Dean is in his life by the end of “Scarecrow”, and that plays a crucial part in his decision to save Dean’s life through questionable means. Even after the truth about the Reaper was revealed, Sam didn’t show much remorse over the cost to save Dean’s life, though his actions clearly demonstrated a desire to prevent further loss of life.

Dean, on the other hand, demonstrates a very different distinction between the morality for the sake of family and the morality for the sake of strangers. In essence, he buys into the idea that the Winchesters have devoted their lives to fighting the darkness for everyone else, and that means self-sacrifice. Dean is deeply affected by the realization that someone had to die so he could live, and that is likely to have future repercussions.

In terms of the actual plot, as I said, it was very simple. Faith healers annoy me on a scientific level, but I do find that they provide intriguing examples of how faith and belief work within an individual. It was somewhat predictable for the healer to believe in his own ability, while the truth was far more sinister, but I liked some aspects of the lore involved.

One thing that took away from the episode was the somewhat cheesy depiction of the Reaper. It looked like they were going for something like the Gentlemen from the “Buffy” episode “Hush”, and wound up with something more suited to a cereal commercial. That took away some of the enjoyment for me, but as usual, the focus on the brothers’ psychology and mental state is my primary interest.

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

Final Rating: 7/10

West Wing 7.11: "Internal Displacement"

Written by Bradley Whitford
Directed by Andrew Bernstein

In which CJ struggles with matter of the heart while juggling several matters of state, such as impending war in Asia, the President’s cheating son-in-law, the Sudan, and Josh…


It’s been quite a while since an episode was told from one particular point of view, especially covering so many different plot threads at once. I’m not quite sure that the episode hit its mark, especially with some of the Sudan-related scenes. They felt a little forced, even knowing that CJ has a tendency to go hardball on certain issues. For all that some felt that CJ’s promotion to Chief of Staff was ludicrous, she is very capable in this episode, with her past role firmly in mind.

At the same time, this episode does highlight the fact that the Bartlet administration has been rocked back on its heels most of (if not all of) its second term. The Middle East accord was the only item of serious note; the changes to the Supreme Court were also substantial but never seemed to have lasting impact. The point is that CJ has been Chief of Staff during Bartlet’s least effective time in office, and while that is hardly new in terms of the direction of the story, it is personalized in this episode.

Just what has CJ accomplished during her tenure as Chief of Staff? Several times, the administration has tried to jumpstart the political fervor going into the final days. There was that whole episode devoted to Leo highlighting how many days were left to advance their agenda and make a difference. Has anything happened since then? And how many fires have they struggled to put out, while all but ignoring the Democratic candidate?

That, at least, gets addressed in this episode, but Josh has to negotiate to get Bartlet to support Santos, which is hard to believe. Josh is quite right: CJ and the others should be trying to ensure four more years with a Democratic presidency than one minority seat in Congress. CJ is more concerned with getting Bartlet to the end of his term without a major war on his watch or unnecessary political scandals. Leo used to do the same thing, but thanks to the timing, CJ’s situation feels a lot more hopeless.

Amid the reminders that the administration is about to end, and several careers with it, is the return of Danny Concannon. I’ve always enjoyed the dynamic between Danny and CJ, far more than the disastrous mess with Ben and the others in the fifth season, and this helps to bring context to CJ’s situation. She’s still an important part of the machine, still tied down with the responsibility, but very soon, there will be a massive gaping hole in her life. Danny is just the person to step into her life and help her through it, and that helps bring CJ’s journey over the course of the series into an interesting context.

Even so, there were some weaknesses. I think that too much was happening at once, and items didn’t always get the depth they deserved. The whole issue with Liz and her husband seemed to fizzle out at the end, and some scenes were too light-hearted. And then there’s that bizarre CJ/Kate relationship, which has never been that overtly girly in any other episode that I can remember. I have the feeling Bradley brought the funny, but it wasn’t always in the best context.

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

Final Rating: 8/10

24 5.3: "Day 5: 9AM -10AM"

Written by Manny Coto
Directed by Brad Turner

In which Jack works from a hidden location inside the terminal to aid CTU’s efforts to rescue the hostages from Russian terrorists, while Martha Logan searches for the real phone records…


Status Report

A number of people were concerned with the effect that Manny Coto would have on the writing staff, especially since his resume lists a number of science fiction genre shows like “Enterprise”. This episode should lay those concerns to rest. This was an episode with a clear, tight plot with a clear sense of character, even if the characters in question have aspects that are annoying or questionable. There’s little doubt that Coto knew what he was doing for this episode.

Jack in particular takes on a more focused personality. Instead of over-emoting through a crisis, as he sometimes does, the plot required a more measured and thoughtful response. As a result, Jack came across as someone with professional experience and instincts, but with personal concerns that can lead to questionable judgment and risk. That is Jack Bauer in a nutshell.

Similarly, Bill has come a long way since his introduction, and not necessarily in a good way. It’s good for Jack, because Bill seems more interested in the pragmatic solution to the no-win scenario that Logan mandates. Logan wants the situation handled quickly with as little negative media exposure as possible. How it’s done is of little consequence. Bill recognizes that having someone on the inside with a desire to help, as well as critical experience, gives him an edge. Similarly, he gets Chloe involved and keeps Logan out of the loop to enhance that practicality.

The cooperation between Jack and CTU is very well done, even as it becomes strained with Jack’s decision to take action on his own at an inopportune time. There’s none of the annoying barking of threats that Jack received at the beginning of the fourth season. Bill may take Jack to task later down the line, but for now, the mission takes priority. It gives the situation a more substantial and professional tone, even if the real world would never operate so smoothly.

In particular, the plot did a good job of communicating the idea of “necessary brutality” on the part of the terrorists; they certainly appear to believe that this action is the logical if unfortunate solution to the problems they face. At the same time, the writing doesn’t advocate the methods or the beliefs. It’s not on the same level that the writers achieved in parts of the fourth season, where parallels were drawn between terrorist fervor and patriotism, but it’s more than could be readily expected.

Bill does continue to take the news about Jack a little too casually. He just got used to the idea that Jack is alive; now he’s willing to accept that Jack is innocent, based on confirmation of only part of an alibi. Is this designed to make it look like Logan has the upper hand, despite his obvious lack of leadership, so Logan can question Bill’s own command somewhere down the line?

Similarly, the goals of the terrorists beg deeper analysis. It doesn’t make sense for the terrorists to go to so much trouble simply to derail an anti-terrorism accord. So what is the real goal? The terrorists certainly seem ready to die to further their cause, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dupes themselves. After all, why would Walter go to so much trouble, just for some Russian terrorists?

Once again, Jack uses personal resources to take care of his own agenda. And as usual, Jack’s allies drag those within their own orbits into the fold. Spenser could be trouble, however, since he could see Chloe’s off-protocol actions as a chance to take her down, if he’s using his relationship to her to get ahead.

Martha’s methods may leave something to be desired. It’s a little annoying to see falsified sexual assault as a blackmail motif; there are enough degenerate scumbags around ruining for the rest of the male population without women using that to gain advantage. Even so, it demonstrates that Martha is not the addled lunatic that everyone wants to think she is. What she found in that file should prove quite interesting and instrumental.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode took many of the slips in the previous episode and corrected as many of them as possible, while still maintaining some sense of continuity. Coto accomplishes a tight episode that maintains a strong level of tension, rising steadily during the hour. In particular, the characterization for Jack is quite good, reminding the audience that he was once quite the professional.

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Season Average (as of 5.3): 8.0

24 5.2: "Day 5: 8AM - 9AM"

Written by Evan Katz
Directed by Jon Cassar

In which Jack becomes the prime suspect in the assassination of Palmer, forcing him to break into the crime scene to look for evidence to the true conspiracy…


Status Report

Before continuing with the review, a minor point. The Official Site used to post their minute-by-minute rundowns of new episodes within hours of the initial broadcast. This season, they haven’t posted a thing, and it’s nearly 24 hours later. Sure, it’s not a priority for anyone, but why highlight the episode guide as a source of immediate recaps if it’s not going to be updated properly?

It’s a minor issue because the second episode is relatively straightforward. There are a number of plot threads, but they all relate to the response after the revelation of Jack’s survival. Granted, most of the characters believe that Jack is guilty of the assassinations, which is a bit hard to swallow, but several nuances add scope to the conspiracy.

It’s clear that the writers are trying to make Audrey the lone voice of reason among the major players. Granted, Chloe or Tony might support Jack, but they have already been branded as overly loyal to Jack in past seasons. Audrey openly questions the assumption that Jack would kill the people protecting his secret, especially Palmer, and she brings up an obvious point in doing so.

So why do so many people instantly latch onto the concept of Jack as an assassin? Part of it feels like a writing convenience, to ensure that the tension is maintained at least as long as this one episode. Jack must labor against all odds to find some clue related to the true conspiracy, while being hunted down by the rest of the world. It works out well in terms of maintaining tension, but it’s a bit hard to believe.

After all, CTU and the rest of the world should be asking certain obvious questions. For instance, why would Jack choose this day and this moment to kill the people who knew about his survival? They know that there’s chatter related to the summit, so where’s the order to determine if there are connections between the victims, Jack, and the summit attendees?

It also seems odd, in the wake of his escape from the hotel, that Jack’s face wasn’t wired to every local law enforcement agency and egress to ensure that he could be identified. He manages to get into the airport rather easily. Then again, he needs to get in the building so he can be on the inside to deal with the terrorists. That makes it another likely plot convenience, which is unfortunate.

Speaking of the hotel, there were some great scenes during that stretch, particularly with Wayne Palmer. Not everyone hated Wayne in the third season, despite the idiotic plots attached to the Palmers in general, and his presence in this episode was much appreciated. The revelation about the clue itself could have been a bit more intriguing, like a passage that spoke to something from Palmer’s past that links to the current conspiracy (thus explaining his foreboding that something was happening), but the clue works in a pinch.

This leads to the obvious question: how did Palmer get the information about the man at the airport? Will the writers ever reveal that little detail? It actually seems rather important, since any effective frame job by this undefined conspiracy (including a member of the President’s staff, no less) would want to link Palmer’s killing by Jack to the information, thus robbing it of value. Was it simply that someone on the inside was going to ensure that the terrorists could get into the terminal and stage their hostage situation? Or was there something more specific happening at the airport, which the terrorist activity would be needed to conceal?

Again, the conspiracy must have a goal, which Jack’s apparent guilt is meant to conceal. That goal must be more substantial than the killing of a former president, or it wouldn’t make for a reasonable diversion. It’s not just about eliminating someone who contacted the president’s nutty wife, which seems to be the suggestion. Right now, one could assume that government factions opposed to this arms accord took measures to disrupt the summit, which required the elimination of any trace that there was a conspiracy (hence the killing of Palmer). But there’s always more to it…so what’s the real goal?

Derek’s place in the story is hardly in doubt. Not only did he fulfill the role of the character in need of recap, thus providing an excuse for exposition about Jack, but he personalizes the hostage situation, giving Jack even more of a reason to deal with it from his unique position. It’s almost a given that CTU will somehow come to the conclusion that Jack is the only choice for dealing with the crisis, above and beyond his possible guilt, so the direction of the next episode or so is more or less predictable. How it plays out is less predictable, since the writers are already looking rather bloodthirsty.

Logan continues to act like a complete idiot, placing his Legacy before the rest of reality. The writers are going for Nixon, to be sure, but it’s not a bad commentary on other recent presidents. Still, in this episode, the guy was being a complete moron about it. Even if he believes that Jack is the killer (and he has every reason to believe it), even if he dismisses his wife’s concerns, he can’t just assume that the timing is unrelated or that the threat is easily contained.

The first episode for the season gave the audience an effective gut punch, and gave evidence that the real aim of the terrorists this time around was so substantial that the killing of a former president was secondary to that goal. This episode seems to step back from that, and along the way, it depends a bit too much on plot contrivance. Yes, that’s something that’s part and parcel for this series, but it’s annoying when it’s so blatant. Someone other than Audrey and Chloe should be questioning the assumptions about Jack. For that matter, people should be reacting a lot more strongly to his apparent resurrection. It’s something that will be dealt with in the future, certainly, but where’s the shock and awe?

The writers and producers hinted that the first four hours, to accommodate the scheduling, would make up a fairly substantial mini-arc that comprises the full beginning of the season arc. That’s fine, but that means this episode and the next episode are the middle of the story, where the weaknesses typically lie. That being the case, the writers could have kept the strength of the story more intact, relying less on plot convenience so early in the game.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was not as strong as the premiere, since the plot required a number of conveniences to drive the story. In particular, characters fail to react to events of substantial impact and make decisions based on shallow assumptions. It’s still too early to know if the plot has been carefully considered, but there are already signs that some plot points may never be fully explained.

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

Final Rating: 7/10

Season Average (as of 5.2): 8.0

24 5.1: "Day 5: 7AM - 8AM"

Written by Howard Gordon
Directed by Jon Cassar

In which everyone who knows the truth about Jack Bauer comes under fire, forcing Jack to return to his old life to protect his friends, just as President Logan prepares for an historic summit…


Status Report

The producers and writers promised that this season would begin with a punch to the gut, and they certainly delivered on that promise. In fact, the events are so overwhelming that the first episode is almost entirely devoted to them. Already, there is the feeling that the writers are taking this season to the next level, avoiding some of the pitfalls of the past by jumping directly into the scenario, rather than taking several episodes to work up to the first twist.

There is a gamble involved with that, since the series is often criticized for its shallow, non-stop-action nature. But this first episode is bathed in character as well as explosive action. It would be hard for the characters not to be sent reeling by the sudden assassination of a former president and at least one beloved agent. Jack’s pain, for instance, is written all over his face, especially when he discovers that his friends were killed in a bid to frame him for something else entirely.

This episode certainly answers one of the primary questions: how many people knew that Jack was still alive and in hiding? Only four people knew, and two of them are dead. Palmer and Michelle are particularly unfortunate victims, because they were beloved characters and some of the better actors on the series. At the same time, the series must evolve, and if Tony survives, this will launch him in a very different direction. (More into Jack territory, one would think!)

One wouldn’t expect Chloe to be a natural character for the spotlight, but this episode supports the idea of Chloe as a highlight of the series. Her character has certainly evolved! Who would have expected her to come so far? And who would have expected her to be desirable and even hot? She’s very unconventional, and wears angst and worry a little too well, but some shots reveal an unexpected beauty and resolve. That’s quite a transformation…no wonder Edgar and Spenser are fighting over her (even if it is rather unprofessional at this point).

At any rate, Jack and Chloe have established a strong relationship since the third season, and in a way, she could be considered a substitute for Kim. Jack doesn’t really have anyone to take care of, and Chloe has been more loyal than most. It’s only natural for Jack to give up his relative safety and comfort to protect Chloe and find out why his friends are being killed.

More importantly, there’s the big picture. It’s one thing for someone to target those who know about Jack’s survival. It’s quite another when the killings take place on the day of an important political summit and the goal is to make Jack look like the assassin. If the killings weren’t about Jack per se, then they were designed to implicate Jack for a purpose. Why was Jack chosen as the fall guy, and what would be so important that the assassination of a former president was not itself the primary objective?

Clearly it has something to do with President Logan, who seems to have only progressed along the path of self-aggrandizement. Logan was concerned with his Legacy above all else in the latter episodes of the fourth season, so why should it be any different now? It seems ludicrous that he would place his own political interests above the need to shepherd the nation through its grief over a terrible tragedy, but that is completely in keeping with the logic that led him to sacrifice Jack to the Chinese.

It’s interesting that Logan’s wife Martha seems to know something about the big picture. Palmer was distracted by something, and it’s possible that he wasn’t sure what the full scope of the conspiracy might be. What’s interesting (and a little convenient) is that he needed to communicate his concerns through a woman who has psychological issues. That in and of itself is questionable: is she nutty because of a condition, or was she put on medication wrongfully to addle her brain and keep Logan distracted?

Other new faces are completely in the dark, but they represent something that Jack never thought he could have again: a normal life. Looking back at the third season and his conversations with Chase, Jack had long since come to the conclusion that having a family was a bad idea for a CTU field agent. It’s not hard to understand why. Never expecting to return to his old life, why wouldn’t he search for a situation where he could step into that role of husband and father again? He might have even enjoyed Derek’s resistance.

That said, it’s a little annoying to have Derek caught in the middle of this situation, only because he’s incredibly annoying, right down to the awful makeup job that makes him look like a cross-dresser. Granted, there had to be a reminder of what Jack was being forced to leave behind, but characters like Derek have been the kiss of death for previous seasons. The truncated introduction to the season should mitigate much of the nonsense, however, and since Derek doesn’t know much about the real Jack, it could be used as a means of updating new/returning viewers on what happened last season.

Even though it was the final appearance for some characters, it was good to see so many established characters return for minor appearances. One has to wonder if that was the influence of Manny Coto, who has a track record of keeping a close eye on continuity concerns. Regardless, credit must be given where credit is due: this is one of the best Howard Gordon scripts in a long time, with minimal plot contrivance thus far. In fact, this is probably the best opening episode for a season of “24” since the second season.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was a strong and shocking premiere for the fifth season. The producers promised that the season would begin with a harrowing first 15 minutes, and the episode lived up to the hype. Most importantly, the rationale for Jack’s return actually makes sense. There are some surprising moments for established characters as well. This is easily one of the best season openers in the series’ history.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 9/10

Season Average (as of 5.1): 9.0

Battlestar Galactica 2.12: "Resurrection Ship: Part II"

Written by Ron Moore and Michael Rymer
Directed by Michael Rymer

In which the strike on the Cylon fleet leaves Apollo in a lethal situation and Adama and Cain must decide what to do with each other, while Baltar makes a stunning decision about Gina…


I’m often asked: what kind of episode would be able to achieve a rating of 10/10? So many strong episodes top out at 8 or 9, and yes, that’s intentional. It leaves the very top rating for the episodes that transcend what most productions manage. Not through perfection, necessarily, but through the power of the story and its telling, through taking chances or raising the bar. Episodes like “Severed Dreams” for “Babylon 5” or “Once More, With Feeling” for “Buffy”,

This episode now joins the elite.

Nearly every scene brings with it an emotional resonance that is lacking from most televised storytelling. From the poetic decision by Apollo to let the black overtake him, to Starbuck’s anguish at having to eliminate a flawed but dedicated leader, to Baltar’s latest step towards apparent betrayal, to Adama’s realization of what he must do in the name of humanity…it all strikes a chord. And more importantly, it brought several plot threads to fruition while sparking off several others.

Ron Moore made a point in his podcast to remind the audience that the series tries not to give easy answers to the questions posed by the story. Flawed humans are allowed to remain flawed and take a long journey towards some new way of thinking, which may in fact be equally flawed. Yet if there is a theme or a message, it’s what Adama says after his pivotal discussion with Sharon, harkening back to the mini-series: it’s not enough just to survive. Humanity must demonstrate why it is worthy of survival.

This was the fundamental difference between Adama and Cain. Adama has been focused, from the very beginning, on keeping humanity safe but doing so while preserving some sense of human morality and decency. It was about preservation of humanity on philosophical terms, and it took him some time to understand that Roslin was equally committed to the same goal, simply on a more spiritual level. It’s not great for military discipline, but in a very real sense, the familiar structures of command and government are already little more than an artifice.

Cain, on the other hand, had allowed her hatred of the Cylons to overcome some aspects of her humanity, leading to a brand of survival that dismissed the finer aspects of human morality. It was survival of humanity in literal terms. Yet that focus and drive was something vital, especially now that Roslin is dying and Adama has broader responsibilities. Never mind that there’s an entire crew on “Pegasus” with Cain’s harsher philosophy. Cain was coming around, after all, and she was not completely lost. Starbuck will likely remind Adama in future episodes how important that focus was.

Interestingly enough, Sharon’s conversation with Adama reveals why Baltar’s decision might be more in service of humanity than in betrayal of it. Baltar shows Gina that there is something within humanity that deserves to survive. Six may not be willing to see it that way, based on their strange relationship, but Baltar’s actions could be interpreted as mitigating the harsher human responses. I wouldn’t be shocked to discover that Baltar, however accidentally, turns out to be as instrumental in humanity’s survival as Adama or Roslin.

I connect Lee’s decision to die in space with the realization that Roslin was the one who suggested that Cain be assassinated. He could have believed that from his father, given Adama’s decision to jail the President, but he never would have expected that from Roslin. I think he chose death over survival out of despair for humanity itself. I may be wrong about the why, but Lee is going to take a long time to find something worth living for. Will Starbuck or Dee give him that something?

I believe that this episode had the most elaborate and extensive special effects sequences since the mini-series, and those scenes are simply stunning. What’s even better is the fact that those amazing effects and the battle itself are almost tangential to the meat of the story, but they represent a massive shift in the status quo for the fleet. The Cylons are now rocked back on their heels and the fleet has two Battlestars. I wouldn’t be shocked if the bulk of the season, at least until the season finale, took advantage of the lack of Cylon presence by returning focus on the issues within the fleet itself.

After all, this episode, likely in concert with the next episode, brings the “complication” phase of the season arc to an effective end. It’s all about setting up the resolution. After hitting such a high point, it’s going to take time to work through the consequences and set the stage for the next stunning achievement. Some might question whether the series can accomplish something like this again, but who saw this coming, even after the excellent “Pegasus”?

There’s one more thing that must be noted, beyond the tight and nuanced writing, the near-perfect performances, and the inspired direction. What takes all of that to the next level is the incredible score. The score for this episode was more powerful than I can express in this review. I can’t wait for the second season soundtrack, just for this episode’s score alone. I could rewatch this episode several times over and still find new things to discuss, and for that reason, this episode deserves the highest praise.

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

Final Rating: 10/10

Stargate: Atlantis 2.12: "Epiphany"

Written by Brad Wright and Joe Flanigan
Directed by Neil Fearnley

In which Sheppard is pulled through a portal of the Ancients into a place where time moves more quickly, prompting a race against time for McKay, as weeks pass with every hour…


Coming on the heels of an “SG-1” episode that just missed the mark because of a too-familiar premise with little or no original variation, I was worried that the same would be true. After all, this “time dilation” thing has been done again and again. So how would the writers make it unique? The answer is simple: ground it in the mythology of the series itself, center on a character with enormous depth, and use the situation to let the rest of the cast shine.

Granted, this episode wasn’t perfect. It was a little predictable in places, and while I understand and appreciate what the writers were going for, the resolution would have worked better in a prose short story than a more visual medium. (I felt something similar to the concern I felt when the “Babylon 5” episode “Into the Fire” hit its climax: satisfaction with the concept, but worry over how the execution would be perceived.)

But the fact is that Sheppard is a huge reason why I love this series, and this episode reminded me of why. It’s the fact that he’s not just a wise-cracking smartass; he has a human side that comes out at just the right moment. The fact that Joe Flanigan helped to write the script probably had something to do with it. An actor brings a lot to a character, because the actor must know how the character is thinking from scene to scene.

It also affords the actor a chance to invest more of himself into the character and make the performance more real. That was the difference between the “SG-1” episode (9.12) and this one: the character development and exploration was a lot more organic. It built upon what was already known about the character and took it in a believable direction. Just as importantly, the rest of the cast acted exactly in keeping with their established relationship to Sheppard.

I was most impressed with the subtle continuity with McKay’s character. While I have been critical of McKay’s character arc thus far (or rather, the fact that it’s inconsistent), I liked the fact that he was so passionate about saving Sheppard. Would he have done that for someone else? Maybe, but I look back at “Trinity” and can’t help but see the connection. There was also Weir’s insistence on going through the portal for John, which is in keeping with the dynamic between them.

I also couldn’t help but notice that Teyla demonstrated something like intelligence and thought in this episode, which has unfortunately been a rare commodity this season. She’s still a bit too close to Ronon for my tastes, since it’s too easy and disturbing a relationship to contemplate, but both of them took action as their established characterizations would dictate, and I appreciated that immensely.

I also thought that the idea of the enclave itself, even if the Beast was a concept that didn’t quite pay off as well as the writers intended. I found myself buying into the character of Teira and her ability, and what it meant for her and Sheppard. If this had been a book or short story, I could have seen her character being a lot more prominent. It was just another example of how well this episode worked, and why this was one of the better episodes of the second season.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 9/10

Stargate: SG-1 9.12: "Collateral Damage"

Written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
Directed by William Waring

In which a visit off-world turns into trouble for Mitchell when he is accused of the murder of a brilliant scientist, and his own memories of the night support the charge…


Well, I wanted more character exploration, and I got it. Sort of. I’ve actually been looking forward to an episode devoted to Mitchell since the beginning of the season, since his character needs to get the same level of development as the rest of the cast. Plot concerns overwhelmed the beginning of the season for just about everyone, so this is pretty much the first chance to explore Mitchell’s past. So why was I a bit disappointed with the final product?

Well, part of it was the familiarity. I don’t recall “SG-1” doing this kind of thing before, but I definitely remember a similar plot device used on “Star Trek: Voyager”. (I believe the character in question was Harry Kim, but I can honestly say I don’t have a detailed memory of anything from that series.) There were some interesting questions about the nature of memory and how it might be manipulated with the right technology, but was it enough? I’m not sure.

For me, this was like listening to a live recording of a song that I’ve heard dozens and dozens of times. There are minor variations within the performance, but the song remains the same, and sometimes I’m just not in the mood for it. I can understand why the writers went for a stand-alone episode, after a big chunk of Ori mythology, but this just didn’t strike me as interesting or revelatory.

So Mitchell is working out Daddy issues. (Yeah, that won’t remind anyone of Crichton!) He’s also dealing with guilt from activities during wartime, it seems, which is somewhat more interesting. But given the current success of “Lost”, a series that excels at exploring a character’s past with a flair for good pacing and plenty of surprises, I couldn’t help but compare the manner in which Mitchell’s past experiences were detailed.

The point is that I didn’t feel as though the revelation of Mitchell’s record and his feelings of guilt were properly paced. The key to his own confusion was the underlying guilt of his past association with a lethal mistake. While there was some emotional fallout, particularly in terms of his relationship to his father, the final act concerned the memory-altering technology and the ethics thereof.

I think the story would have had more impact if the revelation about Mitchell didn’t come until the end, and the situation was less clear cut. In many respects, this episode shows a Mitchell with doubts about himself and a crushing sense of responsibility, which he clearly masks with humor. That works for me, but why not darken the character a bit by making his choice to release the bomb his own, rather than an order given on bad intel?

I’m not saying that I want “SG-1” to stop being what it is. It’s not exactly a series devoted to deep character development or characters with crushing psychological issues. Even O’Neill only had his issues dredged up when it was convenient; most of the time, that side of his character was well-concealed. But this is a case where the writers had the perfect motive, means, and opportunity for a “Lost”-esque episode: questions about the reality of memory, the need to give a new character some definition and history, and a stand-alone chance at something out of the typical format. The main issue is that it wasn’t taken as far as the writers seem to think it was.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

7 Day Forecast: 13 Jan 2006

Now reading:

Chaos and Order by Stephen Donaldson

487/674. This book is killing me. I read this series 8 years ago, and until now, I was enjoying it again, even if it is incredibly brutal at times. But this book is very dense and it's filled with exposition...I will get through it eventually!

Now playing:

Final Fantasy X-2 - about 26% done...I'm right at the start of "Chapter 2"
Beyond Good and Evil - about 20% done...it's a fun, fast game!
Xenosaga II - I'm maybe 33% through the bonus levels, but I also only play this sporadically when Brenna gets tired of FF X-2

7 Day Forecast (through 20 Jan 2006):
1/14: Stargate SG-1 9.12: "Collateral Damage"
1/14: Stargate: Atlantis 2.12: "Epiphany"
1/15: Battlestar: Galactica 2.12: "Resurrection Ship: Part II"
1/16: 24 5.1: "Day 5: 7AM-8AM"
1/16: 24 5.2: "Day 5: 8AM-9AM"
1/17: West Wing 7.11: "Internal Displacement"
1/17: 24 5.3: "Day 5: 9AM-10AM"
1/18: Supernatural 1.12: "Faith"
1/18: 24 5.4: "Day 5: 10AM-11AM"
1/19: Lost 2.11: "The Hunting Party"
1/20: Invasion 1.12: "Power"
1/20: Smallville 5.11: "Lockdown"

As usual, "24" is gonna kill me! But hey, at least the official site has useful rundowns of each episode every season!

Smallville 5.9: "Fanatic"

Written by Wendy Mericle
Directed by Michael Rohl

In which members of the Luthor campaign decide to take the political fight against Jonathan to the next level, while Clark and Lana try to deal with the rift growing in their relationship…


This episode had a lot of promise, because the idea of Lex going hardball on Jonathan was actually something to look forward to, since “Lexmas” indicated that most of Lex’s better qualities would be sacrificed for the goal of attaining power. In fact, that episode went to great lengths to demonstrate how Lex had turned the corner towards true self-centered evil. But instead of going that far, the writers dial back Lex’s lesson in ego.

Instead of having Lex be the mastermind behind the attacks on Jonathan, thus demonstrating and presaging his future political ruthlessness, he plays things in the middle again. He wants power, but he can’t bring himself to attack Clark’s father directly, beyond spending money to bash him on the issues. He can’t even step out of the way while underlings do his dirty work with nothing but implied consent; he’s adamantly against the physical attacks, despite being more than happy to dig up dirt and break Jonathan down in every other fashion.

I could have bought it more if Lex had an objection because of the natural bounce in the polls that Jonathan would get should he survive. Instead, he objected on moral grounds. Isn’t he supposed to be setting aside morals to achieve his goals? Whatever the case, this would have been an interesting direction for Lex to take in the future: a young man with near-infinite resources, learning to use those resources to distance himself from direct connections to the actions required to preserve and expand his own power base. Instead, he remains in something of a holding pattern, and one that has gotten a bit old.

It doesn’t help that Samantha Drake was incredibly annoying as a character, and the actress couldn’t seem to keep her line delivery from becoming childish. Once she shaved her head, it was creepy enough, but I just didn’t like the character or Lex’s response to her. A better version might have been a more serious and seductive character who could lure Lex, over more than one episode, into agreeing to act against Jonathan, and only then take it past what Lex would readily accept on practical grounds. (Oh, and those comments on his security go on the list of Least Observant Moments Ever.)

At least the writers addressed something that made sense to explore: how are Clark and Lana dealing with their sex life, now that Clark has those powers back? Clark has reason for concern; his hormones have set off the heat vision several times without his control, and Lana’s not the most sturdy individual. Still, one had to feel for Chloe. I’m beginning to agree with the people who want Chloe to evolve into the future Lois through some plot twist; she really does deserve to get the man in the end.

One subplot that did work was the interaction between Lionel and Martha. The writers often forget some of the early dynamics between the characters, but when they do, it’s a lot of fun. Was Lionel acting of his own accord, or was Jor-El ensuring that Jonathan would continue to push himself to a early grave? That’s one thing the writers haven’t explored at all: the connection between Lionel and Jor-El and what that means for Clark and Lex.

So Lana has all but worked out what happened during the meteor strike all those years ago, and Clark has to decide what to do about that. If the writers are going to take this up credibly, Lana must work it out and have serious issues with Clark, given her parents’ death. More than that, but she could be drawn to Lex in the process, which would feed his ego. Of course, it could be a lot more complex, but if they are going to start knocking people off, it should mean something, and that means the character development should get better attention.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

Invasion 1.11: "Us or Them"

Written by Shaun Cassidy and J. Miller Tobin
Directed by J. Miller Tobin

In which Russell reveals what he knows to Mariel, who discovers that the changes in her life were hardly random, while Jesse has an interesting encounter with a young woman…


“Invasion” had a much shorter hiatus than “Lost”, yet it feels like a lot more time has passed and the story is more elusive. At least this episode actually felt like an example of forward momentum. I wasn’t expecting Mariel to learn that much about her recent experience so soon, but looking back on it, this was the right pacing. Having her discover some measure of truth, just as the Pod People begin separating from the rest of humanity in a more violent fashion, makes storytelling sense.

Focusing on Mariel is essential, because some of the other subplots are just impossible to believe. One is an extension of a truly annoying nonsense plot twist, and the other is a young man’s fantasy brought to life. The former does much to throw Underlay into a more agitated state, but it’s really unnecessary. Is Lewis a creepy religious guy? Sure, but it’s still ridiculous that he cut his own arm off!

This was an episode that mixed the hotness with the creepy in some bizarre ways. Kira is a relatively thin girl, but they certainly got full use out of the push-up bra she was wearing under that skintight top! The award for most exposure, however, has to go to Nicole Garza in her guest role as Emily. That bathing suit couldn’t have been much smaller on network television, especially since some of those underwater shots were particularly buoyant!

I’d like to think that Emily was more than just a chance at showing a hot babe without clothing. Underneath all the pretext is something of a commentary on how the conversion process transforms the desires of a sexually-charged young woman. An earlier episode dealt with the male sex drive, so why not a transformed sorority girl? Quite frankly, that line of thinking gets into kinky territory (the mermaid comment comes to mind). But could it also be a temptation for Jesse, a reason for him to seek out the change?

At the heart of the episode, however, is Mariel’s torn allegiance between her former humanity and the influence of her new “alien” heritage. Mariel didn’t ask for the change; she was already dealing with enough change in her life as it was. And since Russell and Underlay are on opposing sides of the growing rift in the population, each operating with limited information about the situation, Mariel is the natural indicator of which side is gaining momentum.

Up until recently, Underlay was in control of the situation, mainly because everything matched his assumptions about his own experience. So naturally, Mariel could easily suppress her lingering feelings for Russell, since her focus was on a stronger and more stable man. Underlay was also supporting her emotionally. But as Underlay has lost control of the situation and Russell has gained confidence in his own knowledge, Mariel has put Underlay at a distance and her feelings for Russell have returned.

Naturally, since the intention is to use the “alien invasion” as an extended metaphor for how family politics get demented with divorce, the children are pulled into the center of the conflict over control of the family dynamic. Children are usually forced into making a choice, which is why I wonder if Emily was meant as temptation for Jesse, even if she never comes back.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

Lost 2.10: "The 23rd Psalm"

Written by Damon Lindelof and Cartlon Cuse
Directed by Matt Earl Beesley

In which Mister Eko becomes aware of Charlie’s possession of the Virgin Mary statue, and realizes that it has a connection to his own past, while Michael begins making plans…


Status Report

After a wait over the holidays for a new episode, after the oddly unaffecting “What Kate Did”, this installment brings back some of the complexities that marked the better parts of the first season. While this season’s writing staff has yet to hit anything out of the park (nothing has been as strong as “Walkabout”, for instance), this is a solid episode that confirms a number of suspicions and offers something completely unexpected in terms of the series’ mythology.

This episode is all about Mister Eko, whose religious leanings are a more recent turn in his life than one might have otherwise expected. One could have guessed that his past involved a great deal of violence, given his ability to be imposing with a glance, but the depth of that violence was still compelling. One thing that the writers can do right, given the inspiration, is compelling background. (Kate, apparently, hasn’t inspired enough inspiration.)

Eko sacrificed his own freedom from the territorial warlords of his homeland for the sake of his brother, and thus turned his back on final salvation for the sake of immediate survival. He found some success in that survival, and in his dealing with his brother, he certainly seems to have retained some sense of right and wrong. Innocence is likely to be a big thing with him. His attitude towards Charlie was not one of respect, especially once it was clear that Charlie was lying to him. It’s almost as if Eko wrote Charlie off as “lost”.

This could explain why Eko decided not to give Charlie an easy way out. It would have been easy to burn all the heroin (from Eko’s point of view) and force Charlie to abandon his temptations. It’s quite another for Charlie to overcome that temptation on his own and find strength in it. In this regard, Eko takes a very different stance from Locke, despite the fact that both men are operating from a need to believe in something.

The relationship between Eko and Locke should continue to gain momentum throughout the season, especially now that Eko has encountered his own personal version of the island’s bizarre interloping. Not the “monster”, per se, but the very fact that the small plane with the itty-bitty gas tank somehow managed to get itself stuck on the island in the middle of nowhere, exactly where he would up many moons later. That would challenge anyone’s assumptions about coincidence and fate.

Eko was a child of faith drawn into a world of pragmatic survival, given a chance to restore his faith and atone for his sins. His entire bearing speaks to his goal of becoming a priest in faith as well as on paper. Does he see his own journey as indicative of something others must choose for themselves? Perhaps a sign that, if one accepts what is meant for them without seeking the meaning of it, they will achieve redemption?

It’s hard to say, but as personal as Eko’s desire for meaning through faith might be, it’s a lot less self-aggrandizing than Locke’s version of it. If one wants to consider the “monster” a metaphor (and given it’s apparent nature, it certainly could be), Eko faced down the demons of his past and did not fear them. He also didn’t attach any particular meaning to the fact that he was challenged with them. Contrast this with Locke’s conclusion: seeing his flaws exposed led him to believe that he had received a revelation and a mission, and that the island was meant for him and the other survivors.

Locke approached Charlie in that fashion: he brought Charlie face to face with his demon and sought to give Charlie a path beyond it by eliminating the temptation. Locke probably thought that he had given Charlie what he had found for himself: something worth believing in and owning on his own terms. Charlie embraced this idea of redemption, but once the source of the temptation occurs, he’s slipping because what he chose to replace it (Claire and Aaron) isn’t his to embrace.

Eko’s method is more dangerous and reflects his own journey. Force Charlie to find something within himself to value more than the drugs, or let Charlie drag himself down into his own weaknesses. Eko faced his demons without fear; now he challenges Charlie to do the same. Charlie, however, is not that strong a man, as his past indicates; he has nothing to keep him from slipping back into addiction.

Eko’s past hints at his psychology but doesn’t fully detail his point of view. This is good, since he works well as a man of mystery alongside Locke. It should be interesting to see how the two men interpret events in the future. Locke chooses to see his life as out of his control, himself as a victim, waiting for fate and destiny to embrace his potential. Eko thought that he was in control of his life, and then found a reason to surrender it to destiny through faith. Two very different journeys, both of which converge in roughly the same place: faith in something more.

This brings up an interesting question about what the purpose and nature of the “monster” or “security system” might be. The writers revealed something critical in this episode; the pan-through the “monster” revealed that images from Eko’s life were being scanned. Was this information retrieval, from some master database, or a direct lifting of information from Eko’s mind? Why does the “monster” sound mechanical in nature, when it appears to be completely non-corporeal? Or is the black smoke (evocative of the signal used by the Others in “Exodus”) just a cloak around a more elusive, physical structure?

The exact construction and nature of the “security system” is not nearly as important as its purpose. Why did it kill the pilot just after the crash? Why did it allow Locke and Eko to live? Neither man reacted to the scan with fear, but it seems too easy for that to be the only reason for the “security system” to allow them to live. Of course, it could also be as simple as the fact that the “security system” is designed to recognize fear and assume that anyone not afraid of it belongs on the island.

But what if there’s something about the two men, revealed within the scan, that the “security system” is looking for? If it was designed by Dharma or Hanso as part of the grand experiment, perhaps it is part of the overall selection process as originally conceived. After all, the Dharma Initiative projects seemed to dispense with basic morality in the experimental process.

So here’s a possible explanation (very general): the Others are trying to keep the experiment going by protecting the children that survive the accidents that bring fresh subjects to the island. The “security system” serves to keep people away from key Dharma facilities (within experimental bounds) and also screen the remaining adults to determine which ones are suitable for the experiment. Those not suitable could be killed without remorse, since the rest of the world already assumes them to be dead, thanks to the various accidents.

Of course, since there’s still very little information about Dharma, the island, and the nature of the “monster”, that kind of speculation is uninformed at best and a shot in the dark at worst. But revealing the fact that images from Eko’s life were within the form of the “monster”, projected within the inside of it, does suggest some kind of advanced science or something more spiritual.

In terms of the characters, this episode took the time to have at least one scene with the major cast members. Jack continues to play the responsible leader, especially when he sits down to discuss Walt with Michael. Of course, he also seems to let his own issues and concerns blind him to the obvious. He seems distracted by the relationship between Kate and Sawyer, which has become a bit closer after their fevered moments in the previous episode.

Locke also continues with his usual behavior, this time supporting Michael, despite better judgment. This could be an example of Locke setting himself up for failure. Locke could believe that empowering Michael is better for everyone and that Michael needs to do something about Walt in order to move on from the mistakes of his past. There is an interesting evolution in the similarities between Locke’s instruction with firearms with Michael and his first season scenes with Walt and the knife. He doesn’t seem to understand how desperate or unfocused Michael’s plans seem to be.

Did anyone bother to tell Michael about the instructions not to use the computer for anything other than inputting the deactivation code? One would think that anyone assigned to use the computer would be given the warning! Not only that, but previous episodes suggested that there were two people in the hatch at all times, something that Kate’s actions in the previous episode should have reinforced. Michael is not someone who should be left to his own devices, especially when Jack and Locke both have reasons to be concerned about his judgment.

Charlie has dug himself quite the hole, and he’s in danger of falling into it in short order. Claire and Aaron were two things he could count on to say focused, but temptation was already eating at him. This episode reminded the audience that Charlie’s relationship with Claire was something he assumed and the audience merely supported; in all fairness, little consideration was given to Claire’s feelings on the subject until recently. Sure, Claire accepted the help when pressed and probably thought about keeping Charlie around, but who can blame her under the current circumstances?

Other characters were barely in the episode, but there were indications of movement in their plot/character threads. Jin and Sun are still looking happy with their reunion, and they seem to be among the first to approach Ana Lucia, following in Jack’s footsteps in previous episode. Hurley seems to be intrigued by Libby. Given his previous experience with psychiatry, that could lead into some interesting territory.

While the connections between the Nigerian priest and the plane stocked with heroin and Mister Eko were telegraphed in press releases well before the season began, thus stealing away some of the shock value, there was more than enough to the episode to keep that drawback from becoming a huge liability. Tackling the troubles for Charlie was a good move as well, since the character was in danger of stagnating. While the season still needs a more consistent and active direction to match the quality of the first season, this episode is a step in the right direction.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was one of the stronger offerings of the season, aided by the intriguing exploration of Mister Eko’s past history and some revelations about the “monster”. Some of the connections made in the episode could be perceived as obvious, but movement on lingering plot threads is always welcome. If the rest of the season can build on this episode, it would be a step in the right direction.

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Supernatural 1.11: "Scarecrow

Written by John Shiban and Patrick Sean Smith
Directed by Kim Manners

In which Dean works on a case on his own after an argument with Sam, a case which almost becomes deadly, while Sam meets an alluring stranger with a secret while on the road…


It’s been a long time since a new episode aired, and absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder. Dean was even more enjoyable of a scoundrel this time around, and Sam managed to intrigue me with his choices. Both brothers continue to demonstrate a complex psychology of pain and regret, which gives this series an emotional depth. Considering that this is another episode with a relatively standard approach to a horror film staple, it really was all about the characters.

That includes John Winchester and Meg. As these two characters step into the picture, the series’ premise complicates in some interesting and unexpected ways. The executive procedures have the pedigree to make it work, and by establishing a credible and stylized basis for things that would otherwise seem cliché, the writers make the idea of warring generations of good and evil a fun prospect.

There’s a “sins of the father” mystique inherent to the show’s premise, so I’m not surprised that Dean and Sam will find themselves at war with the children of their demonic tormentor. Is this an indication that Meg’s father was a human at one point, and that he struck back at the Winchesters as a spirit after death? Or was Meg’s father always demonic?

Nearly all of the indications thus far suggest that the entity that killed Dean and Sam’s mother targeted the Winchesters specifically. Just the fact that they are a family with a “hunting” tradition could have explained that, but the conflict appears to be more personal. If it is all about a generational conflict playing itself out, then the problem isn’t solved by eliminating the entity that killed their mother. It also becomes a question of convincing the current generation, Meg and her likely siblings, to lay down arms and stop fighting someone else’s fight.

That appears to be what Meg was ordered to do: find a way to break up the brothers and stop them from being an effective team, thus making them more vulnerable. Meg was clearly raised to hate the Winchester brothers, even if she’s very good at hiding it through charm (though the writers did make her true intentions a little too obvious). There’s still much to learn about Meg and her parentage, but if the writers keep their feet on the ground, it should be very interesting.

It’s good that Sam’s solo adventure had more going for it, because it helped the character explore new ground. Dean’s solo adventure, while fun at times (complete with gorgeous young woman to rescue!), also felt rather mundane. The overall idea of an older generation sacrificing the younger generation to preserve their own status quo did seem to resonate with the revelation at the very end, but it certainly wasn’t a strong metaphor.

Casting was also a mixed bag. Meg seems to have the charm and presence to play the distaff opposition to the Winchesters, and Emily was just plain gorgeous. But I wasn’t at all pleased with the one scene with William B. Davis. Why bring in such a credible guest star for a scene that could have utilized anyone with equal effectiveness? Contrast that to his appearance on “Stargate: SG-1”, and there’s no contest. But that’s a minor complain for an episode that had plenty going for it.

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Medium 2.12: "Doctor's Orders"

Written by Rene Echevarria
Directed by Helen Shaver

In which Dr. Walker emerges again, this time threatening Ariel and driving Allison to a violent act in defense of her daughter, as Ariel finds her teenage life more complicated than she imagined…


At the end of the first season, in the episode “Penny for Your Thoughts”, there was the hint of an ongoing storyline for the series in the form of Dr. Walker: a spirit that would routinely take control and twist the minds of young men so they could become murderers themselves. The episode suggested that Walker, thwarted by Allison, would become a recurring problem. More to the point, it introduced the idea of spirits with considerable malevolence with the intention of subtle possession.

While this is a natural extension of the “mythology” of the series, since Allison herself has been overcome with the desires and mandates of powerful spirits (the previous episode being an example), there are drawbacks. The writers need to be careful with the idea of a recurring spirit killer, because the series is grounded in a certain level of everyday reality. Such a concept could quickly become silly and break down the suspension of disbelief.

At the same time, I think that the idea of Walker targeting Ariel makes sense. For one thing, it’s an interesting measure of revenge. Walker uses Ariel to distract Allison, and there’s the sense that he is testing the waters. In short, Walker is trying to find a way to beat Allison and continue with his murderous ways.

I’m not sure that this was the best way to approach this idea, because in some ways, it violates the logic of “Penny for Your Thoughts”. Walker would typically take years to twist the minds of his “hosts”, roughly 15 years at a time, which is what made the idea so disturbing in the first place. If someone can be transformed into a killer by a malevolent entity with a taste for living vicariously, how can one predict and prevent the subsequent murderous activity?

Yet in this episode, Walker pushes a butcher into his dirty work with very little prodding. Sure, the butcher seemed to be ready to kill in the first place, but it doesn’t quite track. The story also required a young woman to make herself an easy victim. Did Walker know that the young woman was that sexually adventurous? That guy wasn’t much of a catch, so it wasn’t convincing for her to have been making a concerted effort to have a torrid affair.

The writers seem to be reaching for a metaphor, but in rushing the story, the idea loses power. Walker could have become a stand-in for all the fears that parents have regarding their teenage daughters as they step into the shark-infested waters of young adulthood. Parents are endlessly worried about what kind of hidden influences will shape their children’s psychology, and Walker is an extreme example of a situation specific to Allison’s daughters. As interesting and clever as the episode was, I worry that any future return for Walker would be mitigated by the fact that Allison, Joe, and Ariel actually have reason to look for trouble.

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

Final Rating: 7/10

West Wing 7.10: "Running Mates"

Written by Peter Noah
Directed by Paul McCrane

In which Leo seems to have issues preparing for the Vice Presidential debate, while Santos deals with some unwelcome revelations at home and romance blossoms at the West Wing…


I knew better than to expect that the episode itself would be devoted to the fate of Leo McGarry, but I had the feeling that the producers would do something at the very beginning to mark John Spenser’s passing. Even expecting it, it was a kick in the gut. It was very difficult watching the episode knowing that John is dead. But it was certainly a great episode to highlight his acting ability.

Even though I found it a little odd and forced at times, I liked the idea of Leo playing things his own way for the debate, knowing how to deliver a victory out of a moment typically left to the footnotes for the footnotes of history. OK, maybe not a victory, but certainly something worthy of note, and therefore useful to the campaign. I got the impression that this was one way that Leo was helping Josh with the overall effort.

On the side of the wacky, Annabeth is getting a little bizarre, especially with the constant comments of attraction to Leo. I can’t stop thinking of those horrible Old Navy commercials, which is, as you might expect, rather distracting. I do appreciate the funny, but it’s also creepy.

The other side of the episode was the last visit home for Santos, which revealed some problems on the home front. Helen seems to have some issues with reality, even if she never was entirely pleased with the idea of the campaign and her husband’s possible presidency. But does it make sense for her to act like the concept of looking like a potential First Lady is such a shock within weeks of the election?

The writers have long since revealed that Matt and Helen are of the frisky sort, so I wasn’t too shocked by the idea of Helen in a thong. That, and Teri Polo is a fit young woman who can carry it off. Now, personally, I would have thought that the whole “broken bedframe” business back at the beginning of the season would have been more mortifying, but perhaps the issue now is the bunker mentality.

That cold, however, is going to make for one very convenient metaphor, especially if it worsens down the stretch. Santos’ chances will falter as his health reflects the state of his candidacy, and I imagine the plan was for Santos to resurge at the end as his health returns. Will that still be the case, now that the writers have to account for Leo’s absence? Unfortunately, I get the feeling that John Spenser’s death is going to overshadow whatever story the writers had in mind. Some may not mind the idea, I would be saddened if naysayers used this situation to jump down Wells’ throat.

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

Final Rating: 8/10

Stargate: Atlantis 2.11: "The Hive"

Written by Carl Binder
Directed by Martin Wood

In which Ford’s team, along with Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla, attempt to escape the Wraith hiveship, while McKay makes a deadly choice in the hopes of getting back to Atlantis…


Of the three “Sci-Fi Friday” series currently on the air, I was least satisfied with the first half of the season for “Stargate: Atlantis”. I felt that the writers weren’t capitalizing on the strength of the concepts and characters nearly enough, and in general, the series was in a slump. This conclusion to the mid-season cliffhanger has a number of the same problems that plagued the first half of the season, as well as the same relative potential strengths.

One thing I was happy to see (and hear) again was a full opening credit sequence and theme. I love the opening theme for this series and missed it terribly during the first half of the season. It gives the series an epic tone that I think it wants to achieve. Of course, it helps when the story hangs together better than this episode did.

It struck me, throughout the episode, that while some moments were rather clever (if a little predictable), like the enabled escape attempt and the concept of Wraith-worshipping humans, the final act of the episode relied on a number of vague assumptions and several plot conveniences. Sheppard manages to create an effective civil war between two hiveships far too easily, especially since the Daedalus was a juicy target already under fire.

The writers never explained how McKay recovered so quickly, after putting him in immediate jeopardy, and likewise, they never explained how Sheppard managed to get his hands on a Dart in the middle of a crowded hanger bay during an alert condition. Sure, they mentioned that the Wraith are becoming territorial to the point of insanity, but that doesn’t cut it when the conflict erupts in such an abrupt fashion.

Equally egregious was the overwrought manner of Sheppard’s survival. There was no chance that the three main cast members would die in the firefight, so the entire mess felt needlessly manipulative. The fact that it didn’t work made it even worse. The writers found such an unlikely way for the characters to survive long enough to escape in the Dart that it would have been ridiculous for them to die within reach of freedom.

The writers needed to preserve the safety of Atlantis while wrapping up the mid-season finale with some semblance of logic. As entertaining as it was, once the plot conveniences started filing in at a rapid pace, the quality of the episode suffered proportionally. That said, there were some good points. It was interesting to see the effect of withdrawal from the enzyme, Ford’s apparent heroics, the Cute Exposition Wraith-Worshipper, and there were some great comedic moments (that bit about clowns was inspired). And Ronon continues to be a fun character to watch.

I’m just looking for this series to bring back some of the storytelling richness and depth that was present in the first season. It’s possible that I’m missing some of the context without the second half of the season, but it still feels like the series is finding its own voice. There’s still a lot of time to turn things around, especially with a third season already in the works, but for now, I’m still worried about where the series is heading.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

Battlestar Galactica 2.11: "Resurrection Ship: Part I"

Written by Anne Cofell Saunders and Michael Rymer
Directed by Michael Rymer

In which the discovery of a Cylon “resurrection ship” within the Cylon fleet postpones the final showdown between Cain and Adama, while Roslin’s health takes a turn for the worst…


“Pegasus” left off with hints of a possible civil war between Cain and Adama, and as the title of the episode indicates, resolving that situation required more than a single episode. I consider that to be another indication of the series’ depth. As Ron Moore continually notes in his podcast commentaries, the episodes almost always run long, because any given situation presents the writes with a ton of character-driven moments worthy of attention.

This episode is a strong “middle chapter”, especially since it centers on character conflict. A civilian leader dying while the fate of the fleet lies in the power struggle between two military commanders? Sounds practically Shakespearian when you come right down to it. And as the episode progresses, the end of the final act is almost a foregone conclusion. That doesn’t make it any less powerful in execution.

There are a ton of moments in this episode that come as a shock. Perhaps the most obvious is Roslin’s advocation of assassination. She’s speaking from a very pragmatic point of view, but that doesn’t make it any less surprising. Roslin is typically so concerned with the preservation of life that it seems out of character for her to advocate killing. At the same time, it makes perfect sense: she sees the issue as a question of fleet survival. If Cain takes control, Roslin suspects what is later revealed to be true: Cain would sacrifice civilian survival for the sake of the “war effort”.

As with “Pegasus”, it’s possible to understand and even agree with Cain’s goals. One might even agree with some of her methods. She correctly identified Adama’s weaknesses as a military commander, many of which were intentional (recall that Adama was originally depicted as a man looking forward to retirement, willing to overlook strict military protocol in many instances). Yet that doesn’t make her treatment of prisoners remotely justifiable, nor does her attitude regarding civilians win many points.

If the episode was simply focused on the conflict between Cain and Adama, it would have been more than sufficient. But there was also the evolution of the relationship between Adama and Roslin. I don’t need them to become lovers; that would be going a bit too far. But I do accept that their struggle since the Cylon attack has given them reason to respect and admire each other, and that shows in several scenes. The bedside scene, however, is one of the best moments of the episode.

I also like the fact that Cain and Adama each choose assassins who are conflicted about following orders. Is Cain’s XO willing to kill Galactica’s command staff, or is he tempted by the thought of serving a more reasonable commander? Will Starbuck, strongly motivated to return to Caprica, still kill the admiral who promises to do just that? The conclusion of the story is fairly obvious, but how the events will play out is far less certain.

I’m still only scratching the surface, which is an indication of how dense the story truly was. The scene with Sharon and Adama, the scenes between Tyrol and Helo, not to mention the growing relationship between Baltar and Gina…all of those scenes advanced plot and character threads that will surely have future implications. This is the kind of episode that begs pages and pages of commentary and consideration. I can’t wait to see how it all plays out!

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 9/10

Stargate SG-1 9.11: "The Fourth Horseman: Part II"

Written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
Directed by Andy Mikita

In which the Ori plague continues to spread while SG-1 struggles to find a cure with Orlon’s help, find a way to break the Ori’s control over the Priors, and deal with Gerak’s conversion…


When the return of “SG-1” came on my radar (read: my TiVo recording list), I wondered whether or not the series would still have the momentum that it gained in the first half of the season. After all, this is the first time that the series is coming back with Mitchell as an established member of the cast; the season premiere acknowledged his “outsider” status. Would his presence be distracting, or would it feel completely natural?

“Completely” may not be the word for it, but I was surprised at how it felt right for Mitchell to be there. It wasn’t an intrusion, that’s for sure. Granted, my personal disposition towards Browder as an actor may have something to do with that, but he wasn’t as jarring a presence as, say, Landry. Maybe it’s the hair, but Landry was driving me nuts in this episode.

In retrospect, it probably had something to do with the visit from Hammond. Hammond looms very large in terms of the series’ continuity; in a number of ways, his departure was more jarring than O’Neill’s exit. Landry stands on his own well enough, but Bridges is no Don Davis. It’s a minor point, but if Hammond had been the one infected with the plague, it might have been a more anxious moment. (And it would have avoided that awkward scene between Landry and Lam, which simply didn’t work.)

In terms of the plot, this is one of those instances where the severity of the first half simply cannot be fully realized in the second half. The most important points are touched upon in terms of the plague, especially the difficulties raised with the international oversight committee (which better factor into the second half of the season), but only a few thousand killed? Even with the vaccine (which is not the same as a cure, damn it), the death toll should have been in the hundreds of thousands at the very least and probably in the millions. But how practical would that have been?

There’s also the problem of Orlin. Thankfully, the writers killed him, because that child actor was painful to watch. Sure, the producers were going for the cheap seats with a dying kid who sacrifices himself to save humanity, but that kind of role requires a compelling actor who gets the audience to care. I didn’t care. And so he became little more than a source of exposition for me, which is non-ideal.

I also didn’t buy the simplicity of the conversion of Gerak. Gerak as a serious threat to the freedom of the Jaffa Nation was an interesting idea that really should have been explored longer. Gerak throws off the control of the Ori a bit too quickly, and so his death becomes a little too convenient and predictable. More importantly, with Bra’tac as a leader, will Teal’c have any reason to slip into Preacher Mode? In lieu of Badass Mode, that’s when Teal’c as a character is at his best.

Even so, the episode had its moments. Teal’c had some compelling moments. Mitchell’s showdown with the Cigarette-Smoking Prior was fun (it was good to see William B. Davis again!). The Sodan are always fun, since Tony Todd makes almost anything better, and it gave Mitchell and Daniel more interaction. I wasn’t thrilled with Carter’s part of the episode, though, and I can only hope that she gets a good subplot soon. With the mid-season event out of the way and the point of the Ori conversion revealed, the season can continue with its usual focus on character.

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

Final Rating: 7/10

7 Day Forecast: 06 Jan 2006

Now reading:
Chaos and Order by Stephen Donaldson

Now playing:
Xenosaga II - bonus levels!
Final Fantasy X-2

7 Day Forecast (through 13 Jan 2006):

1/7: Stargate SG-1 9.11: "The Fourth Horseman: Part II"
1/8: Stargate: Atlantis 2.11: "The Hive"
1/9: Battlestar: Galactica 2.11: "Resurrection Ship: Part I"
1/9: West Wing 7.10: "Running Mates"
1/10: Medium 2.12: "Doctor's Orders"
1/11: Supernatural 1.11: "Scarecrow"
1/11: Angel 1.22: "To Shanshu in LA" (?)
1/12: Lost 2.10: "The 23rd Psalm"
1/12: Invasion 1.11: "Us or Them"
1/13: Smallville 5.10: "Fanatic"

Buffy 4.22: "Restless"

Written by Joss Whedon
Directed by Joss Whedon

In which Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles all experience attacks within their dreams, all connected to the spell they used to defeat Adam and Buffy’s own Chosen legacy…


Status Report

By most measures, the fourth season was something of a failed experiment. Joss had his attention divided, thanks to an inconsistent first season of “Angel” in need of closer attention, and he had a good production staff already in place for “Buffy”. And so he did the most logical thing: he placed “Buffy” in the hands of his able staff and let them bring forth his vision. Unfortunately, the execution was hampered by issues with guest cast and a concept that couldn’t be addressed fully in one single season arc.

Joss took the initiative (no pun intended) to underscore the season’s theme by wrapping up the Initiative arc one episode early and ending the fourth season in a more unconventional manner. While this would leave the fifth season with a somewhat questionable starting point, it did provide Joss with a chance to expand his writing techniques. The result is an episode that was hailed by some as pure genius and reviled by others as the death of the series.

The premise is simple: the four primary characters deal with the consequences of their actions in “Primevil” within a shared dreamscape. As such, many of their personal issues of self-identity merge with the sense of being stalked by something incredibly old and primal. It serves to bring each character’s arc to something of a transition point: if the fourth season brought forward questions of self-doubt, then this episode clarifies those questions and points to where the characters might be heading.

Each act becomes a mixture of wacky dream imagery, character analysis, and plot, told from the four primary perspectives. While focusing on the dream world of each character, it is quite an interesting and fun piece of fiction. Not everything comes together as it could, but the overall tone and consistency is quite impressive. It’s only at the end, when Joss needs to end the cycle and get things back to the “real world”, that the episode stumbles.

As with most dream sequences, there are levels of interpretation and communication that differ with opinion. There’s what Joss intended, what he managed to convey, and how each member of the audience interprets that information. This analysis is an attempt to reconcile the entire series with the ideas and concepts that Joss had communicated before and after the episode was written and aired. It’s not meant to be the authoritative interpretation for all of fandom.

Starting with Willow, the episode sets its dreamy tone with a great sequence involving Tara, a paintbrush, and a poem by Sappho. This initial shot is actually a means of introducing the idea of the primal hunter. Many shots of Ms. Kitty Fantastico are designed to show the hunter at the heart of the fuzzy little kitten, which is exactly what Joss is saying about Buffy: at the heart of the Slayer is a primal force, ancient and instinctual.

In retrospect, Tara is the voice of the First Slayer, and so there are levels of subtext to the scene that might otherwise be overlooked. Tara hints at having secrets of her own; however, is this Tara speaking, or the First Slayer? The fact that she says that Willow already knows her real name, in light of the final season, is intriguing. This suggests the later revelation that Willow’s wellspring of magical power was essentially the same connective female source that originally gave power to the First Slayer, before the Watchers took dominion through forced mergence with a demonic power source. Thus the First Slayer, through the form of Tara, seems to be telling Willow that she knows the source of the Slayer’s origins, even if she doesn’t realize it.

Shortly thereafter, Willow finds herself as she is at the end of the fourth season, but back in Sunnydale High. This is the first suggestion of a fear that her new lifestyle is far from genuine. In a sense, it also plays on the season’s theme of Self-identity in the Young Adult. Willow is left wondering if those things she discovered about herself at UC-Sunnydale are really parts of herself, or if she’s just trying to hide the same ol’ Willow.

Willow’s anxiety over the swift nature of adult change is reflected in the immediate jump from signing up for Drama and starring in a production. It’s telling that Riley, for instance, shows up “on time” and gets to be “Cowboy Guy”. After all, he had a strong sense of direction before working with the Initiative, or he wouldn’t have been so valued by the military (at least, as it was suggested he was). Giles is, of course, the director, demonstrating the role that she still gives him in her life (denoting, over time, how she comes to reject the “limitations” of her parent figure). Willow also sees this performance as lying to the world and everyone she knows. All in all, it underscores all of her doubts and fears.

Tara, the voice of the First Slayer, points out that Willow isn’t waiting for a play to begin, because life itself does not “stop” or “start”. It simply moves forward, and one must endure and find one’s own way. The First Slayer is striking Willow at the heart of her fear. Meanwhile, out on the “stage”, Buffy’s character gives a screed about men and their disgusting biological urges, all of which sound like what some in society would expect an emerging lesbian to spout. (And perhaps there is a bit of resentment towards Riley for stealing Buffy out of her life, hinting again at a latent attraction to the Slayer.)

The dream imagery gets a little obvious as Willow finds herself exposed and betrayed by just about everyone she trusts, back in the persona that she had before the Slayer ever entered her life. It’s actually hard to believe how easily Allyson Hannigan slips back into that role, and the production crew should be commended for the costume and makeup. This act sets the stage for Willow’s growing sense of identity in the fifth season, most especially the connection between her self-image and strength in magic.

The second act pertains to Xander, who is a character in serious need of development by the end of the fourth season. It begins with Xander in the real world, but there are indications of the deeper meaning. Willow is called a “big faker”, and Giles points out that the movie they are watching is “all about the journey”. Xander doesn’t get it, which is largely due to the fact that he doesn’t see himself as having made a journey. If Willow is terrified that her changes are cosmetic and false, Xander is terrified that he never will change.

Xander is worried about measuring up in the world (hence, being observed by Initiative scientists as he urinates). He believes he should be striking out on his own, taking command of the world around him, but he’s mostly looking for a role to be comfortable in. As the only “normal” member of the gang, he has even more reason to question his ability and utility.

Once on the playground, Xander comes face to face with what he thought he wanted. First, there’s Giles and the potential to become a Watcher. Like Willow, Xander has placed Giles in something of a parental role since the very beginning. Similarly, Buffy is placed in a sisterly role instead of a love interest role. (One could also consider that Buffy in this scene is also a presage of Dawn in the fifth season; Xander plays “big brother” for her on many occasions.)

The scene in the ice cream truck has some obvious elements, especially in terms of Xander’s thoughts on Willow and Tara and what they are like behind closed doors, but there are also some obtuse moments with Anya. One could take their conversation as something of a hint towards the sixth season and Xander’s doubts about Anya’s demonic past.

Xander pursues his fantasy versions of Willow and Tara only to find himself back in the basement. Upstairs, there’s something pounding and growling. Like with Willow, this is the source of his fear and weakness. Xander is terrified of becoming his father, and by extension, just another member of his less-than-illustrious family.

The next several moments represent Xander’s fear that he can’t keep up with everyone else, who seems to understand what’s happening from moment to moment. He finds himself pushed into the role of the soldier in his mind’s version of “Apocalypse Now”, and soon he’s confronted with a version of Snyder, who questions Xander on his direction in life. He tells Xander exactly what Xander fears: that he was destined to be a nobody, another victim, not someone capable of fighting back and surviving.

Xander seeks a safe haven (Giles’ apartment, Buffy’s dorm room) only to find himself back in the basement, having made no progress at all. The only way out of the basement is through his fear, but he can’t overcome that obstacle. And because he cannot overcome it, the First Slayer defeats him.

The third act is focused on Giles, the eternal parental figure. This segment is intriguing because it introduces complication in terms of the role between Slayer and Watcher. The initial scene could be seen less as Giles’ attitude than the attitude ingrained in the Watcher mythos: men need to control the feminine, to harness and direct that primal power. This fits perfectly with the idea of the First Watchers, men who saw a need to defeat demons but needed to twist and pervert a woman with that ability to their own ends.

As usual, Olivia (and the potential that she represents) is only present in a Joss Whedon episode (which is actually rather disappointing). In this context, she represents what Giles wishes he could have, but never will: a normal family and a child of his own. Faced with the first glimpse of the “enemy”, however, Giles recognizes (at least intellectually) some aspect what they must be facing.

Giles is faced with the tatters of a family life, having chosen (through that recognition) the role of Watcher again. Yet he sees that Spike, clearly a demon and a fixture of unrelenting evil in the mind of any Watcher, has chosen a different way: sideshow attraction (in one of the more hilarious moments of the episode).

Giles is more in control of his own dream-state than Willow or Xander, but he’s still caught up within the confines of his own fear: the loss of his own dreams and desires for a normal life. Giles, being older, is less driven by fear than by regret. This becomes a primary influence on his character arc throughout the rest of the series. Even as he tries to rally Willow and Xander to determine the nature of the threat and prepare a response, in his usual role, he slips into another expression of his desire to break free of obligation: his recent return to singing.

Realization dawns too late to keep him from giving in to his fear, and his own Watcher tradition becomes the bait for the trap set by the First Slayer. But Giles’ defeat brings up an interesting continuity question. Why would Giles say that the First Slayer never had a Watcher? Of course she did; otherwise, the whole point of the initial scene for Giles’ dream would lose meaning. And Joss would have known what his intentions were for the origins of the Slayer traditions, if he brought them to question this early in the game.

The answer may lie in the Watcher traditions themselves. If Giles is under the impression that the First Slayer was a wild power to be harnessed, within the traditions of the Watcher legacy, then he might believe that they dealing with the most untamed aspect of the First Slayer. Just how much does Giles know of the Slayer’s origins from the point of view of the Watcher legacy, anyway? For all he knows, the First Watchers took a power with little direction or purpose and gave it meaning.

This calls into question many of the traditions of the Watchers. Many assumptions about vampires are Watcher lore, and seem designed to keep considerations of possible redemption out of the equation. Similarly, the Watchers have taken great pains to keep strict control over the thoughts and actions of the Slayers. The goal of the Watcher is not to teach or to direct, but to control; the Watchers Council becomes, from this point of view, a paternalistic attempt to save mankind through systematic (and ultimately, needless) sacrifice of, in essence, young women (symbolically virgins, especially when the Slayers in question are raised in the Watchers’ preferred environment).

All of which brings to mind the Chosen legacy, which brings the episode to the final act and Buffy’s dream. Things get interesting once Buffy wakes up in the Summer residence and sees the bed that she and Faith made in “This Year’s Girl”. This suggests that there is a shared spiritual space for the Chosen, which does much to explain why those connected to the Slayer experience the sudden emergence of the First Slayer into Buffy’s dreams.

The clock once again reads 7:30, or 730, but Tara notes that the time is wrong. Since Tara is the voice of the First Slayer, it makes sense that she would know what the time means. The earlier incidence of 730 in “Graduation: Part II” indicated that Buffy would die in two years. The First Slayer would know that Buffy was now closer to the time of her death. Since the First Slayer believes that the gift of the Slayer is her life, to die to save the world, awareness of that fits.

At the same time, Tara says what is essentially the theme of the fifth season: “You think you know what’s to come, what you are…you haven’t even begun”. This is an indication that Buffy’s journey of self-discovery is about to reveal, for her, what part of her is the Chosen legacy. At the same time, in retrospect, it could point to Buffy’s inevitable role.

One thing that is easy to forget is that Buffy is, at this point, outside of the normal Chosen line. Faith is technically the true Slayer. Therefore Buffy is something of an interloper; she shouldn’t exist and shouldn’t have the connection to the Chosen legacy that she has. Therefore her role could be seen as “pre-ordained”. She was meant to be, on a certain level, the Last Slayer. Even Faith is never technically the Chosen One; Buffy begins a process that will end by the series finale by making it possible for more than one woman to possess the power of the Slayer.

So what is to come? In the short term, Buffy will sacrifice herself and once again return to life. The net effect is that Buffy has access to the Chosen legacy without being a part of it. Buffy therefore has the ability to change the system, which is what she accomplishes. Therefore Buffy is unique among Slayers, and once she fulfills the goal of transforming the Chosen legacy into a veritable army, she will truly come into her role as a seasoned leader. So it is quite true for the First Slayer to say that Buffy hasn’t even begun to understand her destiny.

But why would the First Slayer fear that destiny? Why would she want to attack Buffy and force her into the box that the Watchers have created? This suggests that the First Slayer in this case is the post-First-Watcher version of the First Slayer, the one convinced that the Chosen must fight alone without support. This is in apparent contradict to the previous dreams. (The easy explanation is that the writers, including Joss, hadn’t foreseen the contradictions.)

Tara also mentions that this needs to be finished “before dawn” is an obvious reference to the fifth season. This could be the key to why the First Slayer acts in contradiction to her apparent knowledge. Tara could, in fact, be more than just the voice for the First Slayer, as suggested by Willow’s dream. She could be the voice for the part of the First Slayer connected to the Goddess power suppressed by the First Watchers, whereas the First Slayer is acting without full understanding.

The First Slayer tries to play on Buffy’s fears of isolation, first by isolating Buffy from her friends, and then reminding her that she’s personally placed everyone at arm’s length and behind metaphorical walls over the past year. There’s also a hint of Joyce’s fate within the metaphor; Joyce will soon be locked away from Buffy forever.

The conversation between Buffy, Riley, and Adam reveals some of her thoughts on the military and their attempts with the Initiative, but it turns quickly towards a hint of her own fears about the Chosen legacy. Adam seems to suggest that there is a demonic element to the Slayer; this is later confirmed in the final season, though not in the way Buffy suspects.

Buffy finds herself in the desert, a metaphor for the isolation of the Chosen. One is left to wonder what the “right questions” are, though those could be related to the nature of the Slayer’s origins. Buffy’s fear is, in fact, that she will be alone, and the First Slayer represents a way of being the Slayer that she cannot abide. How this is resolved is one of the weaknesses of the episode.

One could interpret the ending as a subtle means of demonstrating how Buffy defeated the First Slayer. Buffy tries fighting the First Slayer when she attacks, but that doesn’t seem to get her anywhere. Buffy’s real victory comes when she decides that it needs to end. It could be interpreted that she decides not to fight, and thus achieves victory. However, this is far from clear, and it comes across as unconvincing writing, as though Joss couldn’t figure out how to end it and just had Buffy take control as a default.

Despite that drawback, Joss turns an unconventional season finale, quite apart from the “Big Bad” plot arc that ended in “Primeval”. Instead, he focuses on the character arcs, all of which centered on questions of self-identity. Joss realized that the search for one’s place in the world is accompanied by uncertainly, and therefore, fear and regret. Each of the primary characters in the cast is faced with their weakness, and Buffy is the only one to come through to the other side.

What does that suggest about the fifth season and beyond? In essence, it suggests that Willow will continue to struggle with the uncertainty that her abilities and choices are just an affectation. This is exactly where the fifth season was originally meant to go; Willow’s descent into dark magics was extended into the sixth season. Xander would continue to struggle with finding a direction and thus happiness; he would continue to create a false sense of security making choices he thinks he should be making.

Giles would continue to take issue with his “father figure” role, especially as Dawn’s needs emerged and Joyce’s fate came to pass. He would also be forced to evaluate his own regrets and balance them with the obligations to Buffy’s unique situation. And of course, Buffy would take her own questions about herself and take it to the obvious next level, and explore what of herself is a product of the primal demands of the Chosen legacy.

The net effect is that the fourth season finale avoids what the previous season finales accomplished with relative ease: resolution of a main theme. The theme would essentially blur and become less discrete over the rest of the series’ life. In short, the fourth season is the initial fear and uncertainty of adulthood, reflected in questions of self-identity; the fifth season is the doubt over how much of one’s life is the legacy of one’s origins, and the sixth season is about facing the inner demons that feed on those doubts. The seventh and final season was the logical culmination of that journey: self-realization.

The nature of this episode is such that layers of meaning and potential context are easy to miss. Every scene, every line of dialogue, every lighting choice could be mined for pages and pages of analysis. In this case, Joss does his best to give a lackluster season a depth of meaning and an overall context within the scope of the series as a whole. It may not fully fulfill that purpose, but it does represent an important moment in the growth of a gifted storyteller.


Memorable Quotes

XANDER: “Sometimes I think of two women doing a spell…and then I do a spell by myself!”

RILEY: “I showed up on time, so I got to be Cowboy Guy!”

GILES: “Acting is not about behaving, it’s about hiding. The audience wants to find you, strip you naked, and eat you alive, so hide!”

RILEY: “I’m looking for a man…a salesman…”

GILES: “I’m beginning to understand this now…it’s all about the journey, isn’t it?”

GILES: “Go on, put your back into it! A Watcher scoffs at gravity!”

GILES: “Well, it appears she’s never heard the fable about patience.”
OLIVIA: “Which one is that?”
GILES: “The one about the fox and…the less patient fox…”

SPIKE: “I’ve hired myself out as an attraction!”

CHEESE MAN: “I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.”
GILES: “Honestly, you meet the most appalling sorts of people…”

RILEY: “We’re drawing up a plan for world domination. The key element? Coffee makers that think.”
BUFFY: “World domination? Is that a good?”
RILEY: “Baby, we’re the government. It’s what we do.”

COMPUTER: “The demons have escaped. Please run for your lives.”
ADAM: “This could be trouble.”
RILEY: “We better make a fort.”
ADAM: “I’ll get some pillows.”

JOYCE: “I’m guessing I missed some fun?”
WILLOW: “The spirit of the First Slayer tries to kill us in our dreams.”
JOYCE: “Oh…you want some hot chocolate?”

BUFFY: “Well, at least you all didn’t dream about that guy with the cheese. I don’t know where the hell that came from…”


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is a rare gem, an example of storytelling that transcends its intended purpose and inherent flaws through sheer scope and originality. While the resolution of the episode is somewhat lacking, the strengths of the episode far outweigh what would usually be a fatal flaw. Joss Whedon embraces the absurdity of dreaming while managing to delve into coherent character exploration. All in all, one of the best episodes of the series.

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

Final Rating: 10/10

Season 4 Final Average: 6.8

Medium 2.11: "Method to His Madness"

Written by Robert Doherty
Directed by Peter Werner

In which Allison begins dreaming about a serial killer, and after his death, begins acting out his MO, which brings up some concerns with Joe and her co-workers about her actions…


There were moments during this episode when I wondered if I had accidentally slipped in an episode of “Millennium”. Not that such a thing would have been terrible, since I enjoy that show immensely, but it’s not what I’m looking for when watching “Medium”. That said, I have to give credit where credit is due. This scenario fits within the logic of the series, even if it does so in a more graphic manner than usual.

At the same time, I’m on the fence as to whether or not I feel that the idea was handled as deftly as I have come to expect. Sure, there were the usual “common sense” moments where Joe tried to get Allison to see what the real-world effect of her reaction to the dreams might be, and when Allison slipped into the persona of the killer, it was chilling.

My main issue with this episode was not the graphic slashing or bloodletting, however. It was the disappointing final act. It was one thing for Allison to take several scenes to catch up with what the audience could figure out in relatively short order once the “ME” clue was dropped (my wife actually called it before I did, and she wasn’t paying much attention). It’s another for her to confront this possible deranged killer on her own, without any hope of backup, and expect things to go well.

But all of that would have been forgiven if the Medical Examiner would have at least threatened Allison and taught her a lesson. The lesson being: Allison is not a cop and she shouldn’t act like one. Instead, the guilty party just sits there and explains, in detail, exactly why she committed the murder. It’s a time-honored complaint, and I’m sure it’s happened on this series before, but for some reason it was a lot more annoying during this episode.

I guess my objection is that the rest of the episode didn’t test my willing suspension of disbelief, so it annoyed me when the end was far too conventional. That’s going to happen from time to time, but it doesn’t get any less irritating. And when I don’t expect that kind of conventional cheat, it gets under my skin and takes something away from my enjoyment of the episode. Along with the graphic content, which was a little over the top, that ending made this episode less enjoyable.

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

Final Rating: 6/10

7 Day Forecast: 02 Jan 2006

Now reading:

Chaos and Order by Stephen Donaldson

Now playing:

Jak II
Final Fantasy X-2

7 Day Forecast (through 09 Jan 2006):

1/4: Medium 2.11: "Method to His Madness"
1/5: Buffy 4.22: "Restless"
1/6: Angel 1.22: "To Shanshu in LA"
1/7: Stargate SG-1 9.11: "The Fourth Horseman: Part II"
1/8: Stargate: Atlantis 2.11: "The Hive"
1/9: Battlestar: Galactica 2.11: "Resurrection Ship: Part I"
1/9: West Wing 7.10: "Running Mates"

Happy New Year (and some updates!)

Long time, no post!

I have been on vacation for the last 11 days. Well, let me rephrase that. I've been away from work for 11 days, and on vacation for about 3.5 days. In a little more detail:

Friday 12/23: Got up early so my insane wife could go shopping for several hours. Spent more hours trying to blow up two "hoppy balls" for the kids using an air compressor that always said it was charged, but turned out to be anything but. Oh, and the damn thing can't compress air while charging its battery. Hello, design flaw. My wife informs me that she volunteered to host both Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas dinner. This basically ruined my already perfect mood.

Saturday 12/24: My wife freaks out while trying to ready food in time for it to cook before Brenna's Christmas pageant. The sink in the kitchen begins clogging. She sends me out twice, with the kids, to get something to unclog the drain. By early afternoon, I'm taking apart the trap under the sink to try to get water to flow. Nothin'. So I have to ask my surly brother-in-law for a snake to run through the drain line. Since we have to host dinner, I can't work on it until after dinner, after setting up for Christmas morning, etc. I can't get the snake down the line, so I give up. While in the basement, I go into the bathroom...and realize where the problem is. Water is bubbling up (along with lots of Drano) through a crack in the floor. Around midnight on Christmas Eve. Yay.

Sunday 12/25: Christmas morning goes relatively well. Brenna and Riley are happy kids who immediately set to fighting over the toys they each adore. Of course, as I try to make breakfast (using the basement sink, since it's not creating a hot spring in the concrete), my waffle maker implodes. So much for breakfast. Meanwhile, my mother is getting hysterical about when to show up for dinner, my wife has no idea how she's going to make dinner, and I'm losing my mind. Easily one of the worst Christmas-es in a long time.

Monday 12/26: The Day After. The plumber came and explained that they would have to pull up the basement bathroom floor. Cost? $2500. When? First thing Tuesday morning. Yay. Needless to say, we order dinner in and eat on paper plates using plastic cups.

Tuesday 12/27: Got up early, only to find that the plumbers didn't think they had to show up until 10:30. Since they have to hammer through concrete, my wife is annoyed because that will now happen during Riley's naptime. And so the attitude continued. Put delicately, we haven't been communicating well for quite some time, so all this stress wasn't helping. I use this time to order tickets for myself and Brenna to see "Narnia" on Thursday.

Wednesday 12/28: The first relatively quiet day goes to Hell when I try to install the VCR/DVD Recorder from my parents. The wife wants to swap DVR units between the basement and living room. OK...not as easy as it sounds. And of course, in the process, my elaborate sound setup goes south. After two hours of great annoyance, I finally determine that it's a broken digital optical sound cable. At the very least, it was my excuse to get an hour or so out of the house without the family. The first such excursion, I might add, since coming home from work on Thursday.

Thursday 12/29: First the wife, and then Brenna, come down with a stomach virus. All morning long. So, no movie. Also, with the terrible weather, stuck in the house all day with Riley. At least he was a good boy for me, thanks to the liberal use of his new Thomas the Tank Engine toys/DVDs! But, stuck in the house. And since I was the only one to keep Riley from being sick, when my stomach started bothering me, I had to use liberal amounts of Pepto-Bismol to keep myself from being sick.

Friday 12/30: The first bright spot emerges. The morning was dicey, of course, since I was up half the night trying not to hurl. But my noon, I was feeling fine, and Brenna was recovered enough to take a chance with the movie. We went right after Riley's naptime and she had a great time. She didn't freak out once! While the wife was a little annoyed with Brenna's hyperactivity when we got home, I chose to ignore the sniping and just be happy with the time alone with my daughter.

Saturday 12/31: Not a bad day, overall. Sure, my wife invited her mother over for dinner on Sunday without consulting me on the idea, but I got some time to myself, got plenty of rest, and generally had my first full day of actual vacation. And the Giants won, too, which was a good thing! I was alone, of course, at midnight, but I wasn't expecting much.

Sunday 1/1: A morning of pancakes with the kids, and then an afternoon of football with hopes of winning the Survivor Pool. I made it to the last week, but lost in round 4 of the tie-breaker. That's all right, though...it was fun! Dinner was a little annoying, but we had a working kitchen this time around, and it went quickly enough.

Monday 1/2: Another good day today, even if I was regretting how little actual rest I had over the break. I took the opportunity to go through my closets and what not to add the new clothes and get rid of things long overworn while watching my Hokies win the Gator Bowl! Now I'm trying to get my brain around the idea of going back to work and getting back on a schedule again!

So that was my 11 day vacation. It would have been one thing if the stress had been normal...kids, etc. That's something I expected. But the plumbing, the illnesses, the attitude...it was all a bit much.

***

Despite all the drama, I did manage something I consider very important and rewarding. I finally finished the main outline for "Morituri". This was a formal breakdown of how the story would progress, if it were to be written to conclusion. I had so much of this in my head, but I had to take the time to put it on paper, so to speak, and see how it all worked out. And now, hopefully by the end of the week, so will everyone else.

I said, a few months ago, that I had to face facts: "Morituri" would probably never be finished at the rate at which I was working on it. Yet I still felt that the readers (however few) should get to see where the story was going in something more than a quick rundown. This is a full 30+ page outline of the entire story, scene by scene. In some places, it's still little more than a tease, but the resolutions are all there on the page and if I never finish the full version of the story, at least the ideas are in a complete form. After all, how many writers of long stories leave readers hanging? That's not happening here.

I will have the outline in both Word (.doc) and Acrobat (.pdf) versions on my main website. I'll also have a bit of an explanation for why it's there and what the next steps may or may not be. I'm likely to write some, if not all, of the material in full. Some of the scenes would still be a lot of fun to write, especially the very last dozen or so scenes, and when I have the time and interest, why not?

Beyond that, I feel this fulfills my promise. One way or another, I told the story. I may tell more. Believe it or not, the final outline forced me to cut a few things, just to make the story flow. So there's a lot of other ideas that remain in play within the concept. Perhaps that's best...it gives the entire story a more "lived-in" feeling.

What's next? Well, besides putting this to bed within the week, I'll be devoting time this year to my original novel's outline. My goal is to have the detailed outline w/notes in place to begin writing by this time next year. Why not faster than that? Well, because I want to ensure that the story exists within a fully-realized context that I have worked out beforehand. I want to understand why things happen and who the characters are before letting them loose into the scenario I have in mind. And I want to take this step-by-step so that the first draft doesn't stall when I hit a difficult question.

So...that's the writing update.

***

On to reviews!

OK, so the stretch between January and May is rough. Very rough. The next few weeks are going to be brutal. The next week or so will ramp things back up for a lot of series, and I hope to end the reviews for older series (Buffy, Angel, X-Files) with the respective season finales that I've been working towards (4th, 1st, and 5th). That's a good place to stop, especially since I can always turn to "Fight the Future" during slow moments before picking up the final stretch on those series by the end of the year. Yeah, it's vague, but it's a plan...LOL!

One thing I will have to do, of course, is put together a rough schedule for January once I get a better sense of when shows are airing in mid-month. The premiere of "24" is going to be a bear, but I'll get through it somehow! This year I continue my association with 24 Fanatic, so please visit them when you get the chance (I'll post a link at some point, and it's on my site already). I might actually start posting a regular updated projected schedule for which reviews are pending, here and on my LJ.

More on that when I get a chance to post!

***

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I hope everyone else had a better Holiday and I have great hopes for a Happy New Year for all my friends and acquiantances!