S01E02 - "Rebirth" (29 January 2010) - Saw the pilot for Caprica a long, long, long time ago when it was released on DVD, and I was thoroughly intrigued and hooked. By no means is it Battlestar Galactica, and I had no illusions that it would be, but Caprica successfully bridges the two time frames perfectly so that it really does feel like one large show/universe. This episode, "Rebirth", follows the consequences of the train bombing in the Pilot, with the Graystones and the Adam(a)s grieving over the loss of their respective children. Tony Stark-like inventor Daniel Graystone, however, is not content with his daughter being gone forever, and with the revelation of a digital copy of Zoe still in existence, well - his mind goes a little warped. As the second episode of the series, it nicely further sets up plot points that will be explored later and is akin to a giant neon arrow with red blinking words saying: "THIS IS IMPORTANT!" Even with a bunch of set-up, the episode does feature plenty of tense moments: every shot with the robot that contains Zoe's avatar is absolutely tension-filled, as I'm always anxious to see what she's going to do, or if she's going to say something to her father; and of course, the finale, where a distraught and not-very-logical thinking wife spills the beans about her daughter's alleged connections to the terrorist act. Complimented with Bear McCreary's awesome work, and the gorgeousness of the cinematography and digital effects, Caprica looks like a winner, and I wager I'll give it a few more episodes before making a final judgment. For those interested, Caprica Season 1.0 arrives on DVD in, I believe, October, and the remainder of this season starts...er, this month?
S06E01 - "Legacy" (29 June 2010) - When we left Tommy Gavin, he had two bullet holes in his thanks to Uncle Teddy, distraught after the death of his wife and thus holding Tommy personally responsible for it. Well, Tommy dies. Not, y'know, permanently, but long enough that he gets a vision of the other side - the white light, the whole shebang. But his waltz to the light is interrupted by a hallway of fire, and before he gets engulfed in it, he arises from the dead. Post credits, in typical Rescue Me fashion, we fast forward about three weeks and find out what happened back at the bar through exposition (sadly; I would have liked to see it). Basically, that deadly experience didn't knock any sense into the guy - or at least not enough - and he's back to being his ol' self, although he wants to make improvements. Colleen is consuming alcohol at a alarming rate, which is a subplot that may or may not be interesting. So far, the direction of the season appears to be this - making amends, making hard choices, and choosing to change and clean up ones mess. However, judging by the vodka-filled final scene in the church, it'll be a long road. And the dynamic between Tommy and Uncle Teddy...interesting. Of course I would have preferred if Tommy just gutted Teddy right then and there in the restaurant, but this does add a deep dark layer to his already messed up family. With only 10 episodes this season, should be interesting.
S06E02 - "Change" (06 July 2010) - The sad thing is, I just watched this episode about a day ago, and hell if I can remember anything about it. I recall Uncle Teddy being his obnoxious self, threatening to shoot Tommy at least four times this episode; that Tommy brings Collen out to the bar so she can drink, attempting to use some sort of reverse psychology on the gal to little effect; and that Tommy's big "I ain't drinkin" campaign ends with him having a sip at episodes end. By this point, already, I just want to drinking Tommy storyline to end, and for him to start improving some aspects of his life. I don't mind Colleen and Katie getting greater screentime, as I find Colleen's storyline interesting enough and Katie a character that could definitely follow that path. Overall, "Change" isn't one of the good episodes Rescue Me has produced.
S06E03 - "Comeback" (13 July 2010) - This episode, marking Tommy's return to firefighting after three weeks off, is a improvement over the previous one, but I still find it lacking. There are two important elements of this episode: the evolution of the Lou subplot, where his weight and constant eating is starting to cause concerns, and rightfully so by episodes end. The other part is the introduction of Peter Gallagher's (The O.C.) character, a Father Tommy meets on the job. Throw in some conflict between Tommy and Sheila, which for once this season was pretty fun to watch, and you got yourself a regular everyday episode of Rescue Me. Concerning comedy in the show, though, it's always been a staple of the program, and it's in every episode (even the dramatic ones), but three episodes in, it feels like the comedy sketches and monologues are given more screen time due to the lack of sufficient story ideas. I hope that's not the case for the rest of the season, or perhaps I was spoiled by the goodiness of season five, but I was sorta hoping for more.
S03E01 - "Bad Blood" (13 June 2010) - Oh thank God that was a dream. No, I don't mean season 2, I mean that scene between Bill and Sam in the hotel room. Ewage. Seriously ewage. Anyway, the third season of True Blood opens up pretty well. The resolution to the whole Bill being kidnapped part was quick and, well, rather pointless. I don't know where Bill's story is going to go this season, but if this was the end of that plot-point, than shame on your Mr. Bell (showrunner) for doing that stint at the end of season two just to create a cliffhanger. At this point, it would have been far more intriguing to have Eric kidnap Bill, torture him a bit, and have a lingering animosity between the two factors for the remainder of the series. Jessica, one of the more cool characters, fed and accidentally killed a man, so she wasn't really heavily involved in anything yet, though I can't wait to see what happens to her arc. Tara, on the other hand - I don't know what to think about her, but I do know that if ever the day her mom gets killed, and I hope that day comes really, really soon, than I want that woman to get a glorious death scene - ripped to itty bitty pieces, a bomb put inside her, decapitation, fed to a alligator, I don't care, I just want that woman outta here! Sookie was assertive girl this episode (not to mention still looking gorgeous in that dress), so I'm all for that. I liked the Andy and Jason scenes, and don't at all feel bad for the actor playing Jason, having to suffer a scene with two attractive naked ladies. Poor guy. And the finale - Bill versus (were)wolves. Should be interesting to see Bell's take on the werewolf mythology, but I seriously hope they end up looking cooler than the few shots we got in this episode. BTW, so...the span of the last three seasons has been about, what, two months, if that? [talk about moving fast, Bill]
S03E02 - "Beautifully Broken" (20 June 2010) - Alright, so Bill was abducted by werewolves but commissioned by a vampire to talk business/politics; yeah, I can get behind that. Tara's suicide attempt didn't stick, which is unfortunate, but I sure as hell love her kicking ass at the end. Sookie is hardly featured in the episodel, but her verbal jousting with Eric was great fun, as were the flashbacks with Eric and Godric [Godric!!!] during World War II. Sam's road-trip resulted in him locating his biological parents, as well as finding out he has a shape-shifting brother (who is apparently better than Sam is at it!); hopefully that brotherly relationship doesn't turn into one of animosity and spite. So, with werewolves as a mega part of the season, here's hoping that they are well utilized and offer something new to the mythology not present before. BTW, so Lafayete spends the whole night helping Tara - wasn't he supposed to sell all the V before sunrise? And, well, the final scene with the two of them - lo and behold, it's daylight out [though back at Sookie mansion, it's nighttime]. Or am I missing something? And in other news, That One Guy is in True Blood! [James Frain, 24]
S03E03 - "It Hurts Me Too" (27 June 2010) - That was...interesting. Sam's biological parents are still around, the King of Mississippi has a ace up his sleeve to persuade Bill to agree to his proposal, Eric assigns another 'hot' guy [who sorta looks like Sam, don't he?] in the form of werewolf Alcide to protect Sookie, Lafayete gets a new car, Tara has a one night stand with that freaky vampire Franklin, and the episode concludes on one of the most disturbing love making sequences of all time. All time, I tell yah. Overall, a filler episode that propels certain aspects of the plot *just enough* to get possibly initiate the turning point that will lead us to the rest of the season. But interesting enough, even as a filler episode, the 57 minutes just zoomed by. I love that part of the show, and never ceases to amaze me.
S03E04 - "9 Crimes" (11 July 2010) - Now this was a pretty damn good episode, at least in relation to Sookie, Bill, Alcide, Eric, and Russel. I still don't give two lambshakes worth about Sam's messed up family life or Tara's new vampire problem, though by all means, James Frain is truly at his menacingly worst as Franklin. First off, I am absolutely loving this emotionless, cold Bill Compton. I love how he delivered the break-up over the phone, how his face and eyes convey no life to 'em whatsoever, how he relinquishes any thought or control and just does whatever his new master commands of him. It's spooky, chilling, and highly captivating to watch. Bill Compton is truly dead. And speaking about deadness, that final scene with Russel, Bill, and Lorena chowing on that poor emotionally lost girl was gruesome, sad, and woah at the same time. On the Sookie/Alcide spectrum of things...is it just me, or does Sookie look more gorgeous than ever? She looked quite with the hotness at the wolf bar, and I loved Paquin's crying post-break up; I wasn't sure if it was performed that way for comedic effect, or it was meant to be deeply emotional and just turned out wrong - either way, her cryfest in the beginning was the highlight of the hour. Not to mention she still looks hot. Russel coming into the wolf bar at the end and donating his blood to his followers was spine-chilling, and I can't wait to see this Magnificent Bastard be more calculating, and eventually get his just rewards; pretty exciting plotline, though still not sure where this whole wolf stuff is going. Guess we'll find out.
S02E01 - "Time Will Tell" (06 July 2010) - The return of Warehouse 13, and the fate of Artie revealed! I've said it before, and I'll say it again - this show is fun. Beginning right where we left off at season one, McPherson is at large after having attempted to destroy a part of the Warehouse, Leena is under some mind control whammy and releases one of the dangerous blokes from the Bronze Sector of the Warehouse, and Claudia goes on the lamb after being implicated as a baddie. Well, to no one's surprise, Artie is still very much alive, thanks to McPherson sneaking the Phoenix into his pocket. After some digging, Pete and Myka realize that H.G. Wells has been set loose on the world, and desperately try to find her. Yep, H.G. is a gal, and played by no other than Jaime Murray of Dexter season two fame! By hours end, the McPherson storyline concludes, Leena regains control of herself, and Claudia is welcomed back to the fray, but Wells is still at large. Overall, a pretty damn good opening to its sophomore season, it looks like Warehouse 13 is gonna keep on getting better with each episode. The dynamic between Pete and Myka is well established, the father-daughter-apprentice relationship has been set in place for Artie and Claudia, and a new big bad is out and about ready to cause some mayhem. I'm excited!
S02E02 - "Mild Mannered" - (13 July 2010) - First I gotta get this off my chest: OMG!!! It's Kaylee and Simon from Firefly!!! And they're together! And boy, does Jewel Staite look gorgeous. Alright, now that I have that out of the way, the show also gets major props for creating their own comic book characters, and throwing in comic book references all over the place in this episode. The downfall of this particular ep is, though, the writing. Now Warehouse 13 is a show that happily immerses itself in the ways of the camp, but this script felt lazily written, from the dialogue, jokes, and even plot. So from a screenplay standpoint, "Mild Mannered" is a epic fail, and I take no pleasure in saying that. Nonetheless, it was a pretty decent hour of television, but the main point of happiness: OMG!!! It's Kaylee and Simon from Firefly!!!
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