“Touched” is an exercise in nonsensical melodrama. Really, for as far as this series has come, it takes a significant step backward with an episode that, for all intents and purposes, is centered around the whimsical, selfish and naive impulses of a young girl who wants the world and is suddenly realizes that she has the power to take it. I suppose the premise itself isn’t all that bad, but the manner with which the episode executes the idea leaves a whole heckuvalot to be desired — despite the rather important plot developments for the series as a whole.

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Topics: Fantasy, TV Reviews
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“Maybe we won.” – Herc

“Game Day” picks up on a theme given prominence in the previous episode and makes it into an explicit narrative thread for this particular outing. Of course, The Wire continues its very high level of success, with characters and plot threads being skillfully interwoven into a cohesive episode. As the title suggests, much of the action is centered around a “game” of some kind. Sometimes it’s all in good fun. Others … it becomes a matter of life and death. In this respect, the episode provides a number of scenes to raise questions: To what extent do our lives revolve around playing some kind of game? To what extent are those games healthy or destructive to those around us.

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Topics: Crime, Mystery, TV Reviews
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“E.B.E.” is an effective and arresting tale about extra-terrestrials visiting Earth and, more importantly, about the government conspiracies in place to keep such information from reaching the general populace. The episode trots out some fairly familiar and common “close-encounter” tropes such as radios going haywire, blinding lights, and UFOs. But what sets the episode apart, aside from the quality of the familiar sequences, is how it uses them to explore the depths to which the truth is often couched in misinformation. As Scully says, “The truth is out there. But so are the lies.”

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Topics: Mystery, Sci-Fi, TV Reviews
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Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is one of those classic films that has taken on a larger-than-life aura since its initial release in 1997. As a spoof on the whole James Bond/super-agent film genre, and on late-90s pop-culture, it works very well. As a flat-out comedy, however, its jokes run the gamut from innovative to cliché. Ultimately, it’s a film well-worth watching – but if you haven’t seen it before, and if you buy into the hype that this is one of the best comedies of the past two decades, you might find yourself disappointed. Otherwise, if you have fond memories of its initial release and subsequent sequels, there’s plenty to enjoy and reminisce about.

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Topics: Comedy, Film Review, Mystery
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“Prophet Motive” is a clumsy, clunky, uneven episode which attempts to be a light-hearted comedy and ends up being dull and boring. Aside from one scene near the end, the story is wholly lacking in anything worthwhile – there’s no real character work being done, no real themes are explored, and the plot is … well … plodding. The end result is an episode which is substandard in every respect.

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“It’s Only The Beginning” hardly feels like an event, or like a series that is about to take a four-month break. The episode itself is fairly mundane in its approach, with only a few really memorable or important moments. More to the point, this is a series that is fairly limps into its hiatus without creating very much by way of intrigue, character or plot. I can hardly imagine a more pedestrian episode. The show isn’t atrocious, but it sure isn’t anything close to exceptional. It is, at best, average entertainment. And this episode is no different.

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Topics: Sci-Fi, TV Reviews
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… with a leopard …

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“Destiny” is an episode which explores the ideas of prophecy and faith – and how, when considering the significance of such concepts, interpretation means everything. What makes the episode work so well is a compelling plot focused around characters with long, detailed histories. The payoff is legitimate – even if it does feel like it is spoon-fed to the viewer. Ultimately, though, the episode is more valuable for its explorations than its conclusions. On that level, the back-and-forth debate about how one ought to interpret anything that purports to tell us something about ourselves – our identity, our past, or our future – is compelling.

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I will say this much about Central Division: It’s not afraid to take chances. In fact, the series seems to take some wildly risky moves within its very short runtime. The result certainly maximizes drama and suspense. I’m looking forward to see how the story and the character(s) ultimately develop.

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Topics: Mystery, Web Reviews
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“Broken” is a necessary episode for Legend of the Seeker. It explores the order of the Mord’Sith and, as such, provides some important exposition regarding the history of the newest member of the Seeker’s party: Cara. More than anything, this is an episode about character – about how and why Cara has become who she is. It’s important to note, though, that even before this episode, she has made her decision to ally herself with Richard and his quest. The end result is a character who gets a close, brutally honest, look at her past … which merely reinforces the choices she has already made.

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Topics: Fantasy, TV Reviews
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All in the name of love.

It’s good to see a story built (and built so well) around pure, irrational emotion. That is precisely what we see from ”August,” an episode of Fringe whose very premise is how love can lead us to paths which, to everyone else, may seem extreme, irrational, or even a bit like a betrayal. Just as important as the premise, is the means by which the story unfolds. And while, initially, it seems to be a rather typical mystery tale, the episode ultimately proves to be something quite special.

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Topics: Mystery, Sci-Fi, TV Reviews
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Star Wars In Concert is a paradox. It’s triumph of style over substance, even though the substance is … well … rather substantial. It’s a carefully crafted production based on a premise that was not especially well-thought out. And its singularly most memorable performance is from one of the least charismatic figures in the entire saga. The show is certainly an experience … but I’d hesitate to call it an experience one must not miss. This was, in essence, a live performance of the Star Wars Musical Journey, available since the release of Revenge of the Sith. All told, it was fun … but not exactly exceptional.

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“Sometimes, accepting help is harder than offering it.”

“Legacy of Terror” is an exercise in creating a mood. As the episode unfolds, events become increasingly ominous and spooky – until the final horrific confrontation. Execution is key to stories such as this, and if there’s one thing that the Clone Wars series has proven of late it’s that it can craft stories with exceptional care. Such is the case here. The pacing helps build the increasing suspense and tension. The characters react plausibly – even providing some illuminating aspects of personality – and action kicks in at just the right moments. The result is yet another classic Clone Wars episode.

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Topics: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, TV Reviews
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“You may die a gruesome and horrible death.
Thank you for your attention and have a nice day.”

For all its bluster, “Of Human Action” is one of the most misguided episodes of Fringe to date. The episode never really finds a specific focus – instead, it repeatedly shifts from such common memes as kidnapping to teen angst to conspiracy theories – without ever finding a truly overarching concept to tie it altogether. Worse still, what little character development there is to this episode is relegated to the final few scenes … essentially rendering the vast majority of the episode irrelevant. Put simply, this is the worst episode of Fringe to date.

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Topics: Mystery, Sci-Fi, TV Reviews
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For nearly forty minutes, “A Bright New Day” continues the fitful slumber of the new V series, offering very little interest from its characters, plot or themes. At best it merely tosses and turns the inane paranoia from the previous installment. And yet, the episode manages to crack an eyelid just past the two-thirds mark of the installment. And while the final result isn’t quite eye-opening enough, it does, at the very least provide the first stirrings of entertainment.

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