S01E11 - "Retribution" (12 October 2010) - Everybody hates Lacy. Everybody is hatin' Clarice Willow. And every viewer in the universe should be sick of Amanda Graystone. Something appealing: Amanda just might help bring about the end of Clarice, and the Caprican police are not starting to put two and two together, so I wager we'll be seeing some explosive developments before the end of the season. Additionally, we see the (apparent) end of Barnabus. Sure, it was fun seeing Clarice hand out some pissed off vengeance, but I sure don't want Barnabus dead, if not just for my biased love for all things James Marsters [speaking of which, he returns to SMALLVILLE next week as Brainiac!]. As for Daniel Graystone - well, I do appreciate his dark descent, and I did find the ultimatum given to his 'friend' resulted in a suicide. But, really, I'm just not into all that right now. And what happened to Joseph Adama, man? A few episodes ago he was still shaken up after looking for his daughter in New Cap City, and not too sure about pursuing the family business. And it's not like his character is going anywhere fast. Hopefully his arc will shape up soon. Next week, the V-world stuff gets heavy with a Tamara vs. Zoe battle. Consider me excited.
S04E04 - "Chuck Vs. the Coup D'Etat" (11 October 2010) - It's extremely disheartening to say that four episodes in, I'm not too huge a fan of this season. Also, I just don't have a lot of things to say about this episode, and that's not a particularly good thing, either. The cute and lovable Chuck of past seasons, a man who was endearing and a fantastic character, has made way for a more-insecure-than-usual semi-'spy' who questions his relationship with Sarah at every instance, and the two of them are so, so, so incredibly horrible at communication, it bridges on infuriating. CHUCK should not be this. I liked season 3.5 [when CHUCK got picked up for six additional episodes after the first 13-order], when Chuck and Sarah's relationship first blossomed and they worked marvelously well together - they complimented each other. Now, they're two people in a relationship that are hinging on obnoxious. The real saving grace of this episode was Casey, a character severely underused this season. His reunion with his arch-nemesis Goya was absolutely hilarious, and every reaction shot and line of dialogue spoken by Casey made everything a little bit easier to swallow. On a semi-related note, I'm excited to see where this Morgan/Alex relationship goes, and would find it utterly fantastic is they engage in a serious relationship. I can only imagine the wedding, and how much Chuck and Sarah would be forced to stop Casey's strike team from killing Morgan. Or at least that would be my big epic season finale...Casey gone crazy!
S05E03 - "Practically Perfect" (10 October 2010) - The opening scene was funny enough, what with Dexter sorting through nanny interview time. That's one of the great things about DEXTER, its ability to weave dark comedy and just plain darkness flawlessly, making for one odd but entirely satisfying program. "Practically Perfect" continues the theme this season of Dexter trying to juggle all these miscellaneous elements of his life - his feelings of guilt in concern of his deceased wife, satisfying his impulse to kill, and trying to be somewhat of a father figure for Harrison. It's a lot for a man to deal with. So this episode is dedicated to Dexter fulfilling his killing hunger, taking the initiative to get Boyd out of the equation. In classic Dexter form, reminiscent of last season's second episode where Dexter couldn't figure out where he stashed a body, his kill gets a bit botched. What followed after that was pure gold: Boyd was onto Dexter, and it was killer against killer, culminating in some great moments between these two characters. And, of course, the reveal of Julia Stiles, and the beginning of her presence in Dexter's life. The writers have promised her character to be important to our anti-hero, and suffice to say, I'm quite excited to see where that goes.
S10E03 - "Supergirl" (08 October 2010) - Clark's cousin Kara makes a open visit to Metropolis, imbued with the power to fly, and acting as Clark's role as the world's savior, leaving our Superman-in-training second fiddle and insignificant. "Supergirl" is all about advancing the plot, and advancing Clark's future. Quicker than expected, we get our first real glimpse of this season's villain, Darkseid, who has manifested itself in the body of a human, campaigning to get rid of vigilantism, or at least force them to reveal themselves [which concludes with a shocker of a ending, and one I didn't see coming but am excited to see the repercussions]. In this episode, Clark got dissed a lot - by Jor-El, by Kara - constantly being told that he is no longer the person for the job, and that he just shouldn't bother anymore. But yet in true Clark fashion, he's as determined as ever. With that said, I'm loving it. I'm digging it all. This season is shaping out to be one of the more consistent and enjoyable ones by far. We got the stellar plotline of vigilantism running amok in Metropolis, and the groups of citizens who are fans of the Blur, Green Arrow, Kara, etc., and of course those opposed to them. It's absolutely fantastic for the writers to walk that path, and it's honestly something I never expected from SMALLVILLE of all places, but I'm loving it and it gives the show a LOT more weight than it ever did before. Additionally, Clark is facing larger, harder hurdles than he ever has - not even Zod, the Phantoms, or Braniac have anything against Clark fighting not only himself and the citizens of Metropolis, but also this Darkseid character. Niiice, is all I can say. "Supergirl" was a pretty good episode, and although Clark sadly wasn't in the spotlight for a lot of it, it was nonetheless vital for his character development. Season 10 is three for three right now. Kudos.
S02E03 - "Awakening" (12 October 2010) - A really, really good episode that showcases the strengths of the series and what it could be if they keep the same sort of creative momentum going. The Destiny crew docks at the object they were heading towards at the conclusion of the last episode, and find that it's a information, energy pathway thinger that could very well be the instrument to juice up Destiny enough to zoom back home. Of course, they don't, and the episode ends with another one of those damn music montages that can go away anytime soon, but the end product doesn't really matter. It was a thrilling hour of television with some good dialogue, genuinely original and interesting plots and and beats, and was extremely pretty. Prettiness?, you question. By that, I mean of the gray Yoda-like creature they encounter on this ship, which just happens to be one of many, many creatures. Worth mentioning is the stellar digital effects used to create the alien - very, very well done. I enjoyed the interaction between the crew and the alien, seeing as how there was basically no way to communicate with the poor sap. And the ending with Telford and all the aliens around him, stuck at the ship as Destiny jumps back into FTL - I cannot wait to see what happens when Telford makes his way back into the storyline. There's possibly romance/companionship happening between TJ and a Lucian Alliance member, and Chloe is feeling better far quicker than she should, making TJ think something is up. We got mystery, delved into more questions related to Destiny, had Rush be a prick once again, and everybody callin' to Eli for help - which, y'know, good for him, but give the poor guy a break. Here's hoping the same strengths that made this episode good isn't just a random hiccup, and maintains this same quality for some time, if not through the entire season.
S06E03 - "The Third Man" (08 October 2010) - Castiel returns! Even with his new powers and becoming, as was put in "Swan Sang", the 'new Sheriff in town' up in Heaven, the place is still in chaos, and God has yet to be seen by everyone. I applaud the writers for not just leaving the whole Heaven/Hell thread after two mega seasons worth of mythology, but I understand that its use will be sporadic and limited. Still, we got to see Castiel, so I'm digging it. First and foremost, did anyone get a odd vibe with him? It was like Misha was out of the Castiel game for a little bit too long, and acted in a different way than when we last left him. Or it could be the writing. Or, more sensibly, the fact that Cas has been forced to deal with a Heaven in chaos with a bunch of unsatisfied Angels that the Apocalypse has been thwarted. I do hope that the subplot of Angels pissed off at Sam and Dean for subverting destiny gets picked up again and becomes kind of a big deal. But then again, this season takes place a year later, so I wager Angels would have exacted some pissed off vengeance by now. Anywhozles, the whole storyline with Moses' staff was epic, and, in true SUPERNATURAL fashion, bloody fun. One of the strengths of this show is taking established mythology and tinkering it expertly to fit its own needs, and the show makes such a liberty here. Bloody terrific.
1 comment:
The scene when Dexter woke up next to Boyd in the ambulance was amazing and the remainder of the episode followed brilliantly. I'm excited for Ms. Stiles too. If only we could get rid of Quinn, or at least his Doakes channeling.
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