Battlestar Galactica: Someone to Watch Over Me

Tonight’s Episode of Battlestar Galactica on Sci Fi channel “Someone to Watch Over Me” proved to be mostly about the enigma of Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff). I was disappointed though that we really didn’t learn anything new about her. I began by wondering why Starbuck would cozy up to a character that we have never seen before. Little by little we come to understand that it is her father Dreilide Thrace.

Could Kara be a Cylon? Perhaps. Maybe she’s a clone. After all, she was in the Cylon medical facility at Delphi for quite some time where they removed an ovary. Who knows what else they did with her when she was there. Some speculate that she is Pythia. The same Pythia, cloned or somehow reborn, who returned to Kobol thousands of years ago to chronicle the original journey to Earth.

There also seems to be some relationship between the Final Five and Starbuck’s father. He taught her the Watchtower song when she was a child. The Watchtower song is what brought the Five back to each other and triggered their memories. So, somehow he is connected to Earth. Could Starbuck’s father be a Cylon? Does Starbuck have a head Cylon just like Baltar does? Or, perhaps Kara’s father is Number 7/Daniel, the model that Cavil (Dean Stockwell) permanently retired.

And what’s up with Hera? Obviously she holds some sort of key. She holds something of the final wrapping up scenes, since she knows the very song that ties all three, seemingly unrelated groups together, the Thraces, the Five, and Hera. Does she point the way since she is a Cylon/human love child? And what does Cavil want with her?

Now on to Boomer (Grace Park). I was sucked right in to her deception alongside Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas). I thought it was such a shame that they were going to kill Sharon/Boomer. After all, she had just risked her life to bring Ellen back. I was somewhat happy to see that she was going to get away, although I did not approve the methods Tyrol used to free her. What was he thinking? Where was she going to go anyway? He wasn’t thinking, he was not only sucked in by Sharon’s manipulations, but was also acting purely on emotion.

I soon came to realize just how evil Boomer was when she proceeded to get it on with Helo. Harsh for Athena, having to watch those two in action. I now find one of Sharon’s statements in Galactica’s brig very revealing, when she tells the Chief “The most important thing is that we both know who we are now.” I think she was really saying that she was on Brother Cavil’s side. One thing is for certain though; we now know that Brother Cavil must know where the fleet is, if Sharon is able to jump between the two at will. Uh oh.

I find it disappointing that we completely dropped Baltar (James Callus) and the crazy cult story line from this episode. It remains to be seen if that decision will be the right one.

There are so many questions left to answer and each episode seems to introduce new ones. I am left hoping that the final 3 episodes don’t turn into just a super long exposition fest, but BSG does not often disappoint.

American Idol Results Show, Group 2

Well, tonight’s the night we found out who the second group of 3 will get to proceed into the finals on Fox’s American Idol. After 25 million people voted, here are the results:

The show began with the group performing “Closer” by Ne-Yo. They did a really good job, but for some reason I kept watching Nick “Norman Gentle” Mitchell and it looked like he was lost—as if he hadn’t attended any of the rehearsals… weird.

The first contestants to receive the results were Allison Iraheta, Jesse Langseth and Matt Breitzke. It doesn’t really come as a surprise that Allison Iraheta would be the one out of these three into the top twelve.

Between Kris Allen, Megan Joy Corkrey, Matt Giraud, and Jeanine Vailes I was hoping that the next finalist into the 12 would be Megan but I did actually enjoy Kris Allen’s performance too, so when he made it through to the top 12, I can’t say I was disappointed. I am expecting Megan to be one of the Wild Cards in two weeks.

Brook White came on at ‘half time’ to perform her newly released single, “Hold Up My Heart.” I actually think Brooke White is a former American Idol contestant that I could continue to follow. Nice song.

The last of the final 12 finalists were Mishavonna Henson, Kai Kalama, Nick Mitchell, Adam Lambert, and Jasmine. It was no surprise to me that they ejected Mishavonna, Kai and Jasimine Murray straightaway and left us with Nick and Adam for the climax of the show. Neither of these knocked my socks off, but I was happy that Adam Lambert made it through because I don’t really think that this is the right venue for “Norman Gentle.” I’m sure we’ll see him around though.

That’s it for this week on American Idol. While there are some very good performers, I haven’t found any that I’ve clicked with as well as I did with some of last season. Who knows, maybe my American Idol match will be in next week’s group.

American Idol Top 36, Group 2

Jasmine Murray’s version of Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song” Sounded a little flat in the opening and ended up being just kind of OK. Presentation-wise, she sang it basically how I’m familiar with it so I’m not sure if she made herself stand out. Overall it sounded rather dull.

I really love the song “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay, but for Matt Giraud to have an arrangement that is basically the same one that Coldplay recorded but to try to sing it in a jazzier way, really didn’t seem to work. He also sounded a little nervous too. I like Coldplay and I like him, but I just don’t think the two of them should get together anymore.

Have we seen Jeanine Vailes before? It seems like the producers don’t want her to progress very far because I don’t think they’ve shown anything of her in the past weeks for us to form any positive opinions of her. I think that her performance of Maroon 5’s “This Love” showed that it was a song that she knew well and was comfortable with and because of this I think she did a very good job—at least I thought it was much better than the judges thought.

Nick Mitchell is an anomaly on the American Idol stage. Usually people who come in with a gag or a gimmic aren’t anything that can or should be taken seriously, but when Nick came auditioned as “Norman Gentle” he surprised everyone by actually being entertaining. After watching him perform “You’re Gonna Love Me” from Dreamgirls, I realize that he’s a better fit for a grab bag show like America’s Got Talent than American Idol. He reminds me of Jerry Lewis when he’s playing the fool with Dean Martin.

Allison Iraheta sounds a lot more polished and much older than 16, but boy can she sing! And the way she belted out “Alone” by Heart really made think she definitely deserves to go through to the finals. It’ll be fun to see the range of songs she sings.

Kris Allen is another contestant I didn’t see featured in the weeks leading up to tonight’s show, which makes me think the producers aren’t hoping he progresses in the competition. I thought his performance of “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson was a nice clean performance that didn’t include any of the vocal ticks that Jackson is known for. I think he should do well in spite of what the judges say. So if he doesn’t make it past tonight is it because we haven’t seen him enough in the previous weeks?

Megan Joy Corkrey sang “Put Your Records On” Corinne Bailey Rae. I really liked her during the audition week, but it seemed like she sang this song in an exaggerated Corinne Bailey Rae. Almost like a vocal caricature. Her movements were kind of weird too. I’d vote for her, but hoping that she makes different, not as quirky, choices in the future.

Welder fabricator guy, Matt Breitzke sang “If You Could Only See” by Tonic. I hate to borrow a standard critique from Simon, but it seemed like a Karaoke performance. His vocals didn’t really seem all that impressive either. Maybe it was just the wrong song but I don’t think he should go through.

Jesse Langseth’s choice to sing “Betty Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes seems like an odd choice to me. She sang it much like the original, but her voice is different enough that it didn’t sound like she was impersonating Kim Carnes. It’s not the most vocally difficult song, but I think she did an ok job. She was probably not good enough to win the competition, but I thought it was one of the stronger performances of the night.

Kai Kalama sang “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” By Jimmy Ruffin. Basically he did a good job vocally, but nothing exceptionally memorable and I had was negatively distracted by his movements and expressions.

I really liked Mishavonna Henson’s performance of “Drops of Jupiter” by train and I think she should make it through to the next round. I was a little annoyed by her “ay aaaaay ay ay” stuttering parts but I definitely disagree with the negative critiques of the judges.

“Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones was not my favorite choice of songs, but Adam Lambert was able to take a song with a 5-note range and improvise enough on the melody to show his vocal talents. It’s apparent that the producers are saving their favorites for last, and I think he’s one of their them, but I’m not really a huge fan. He reminds me of an 80s glamour rocker. I’m sure Randy won over a lot of fans for him by comparing to Robert Pattison as Edward in Twilight, though.

My vote tonight would be for two people, Allison Iraheta and Mishavonna Henson. I’m sure the two of them will be in the group of three to proceed to the finals with Adam Lambert being the guy in that group. I don’t have a Wild Card pick from this group.

So far I don’t think that this season’s contestants are measuring up to what they were promising during the audition weeks. Maybe they sent some of the wrong ones home? I can think of a couple that I would have rather seen, like the blonde-haired earthy girl with no shoes, Rose Flack—I think she got a bum deal.

Lost Review - "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"

"There's a war coming, John. And if you're not back on the island when that happens, the wrong side is going to win."

In reality, tonight’s episode of ABC’s Lost probably should have been called the “Death and Life of Jeremy Bentham”. It’s unusual, on Lost, to see someone die and then come back to life (unlike what usually happens on NBC’s Heroes) so when they revealed in the opening of the show that John Locke is not only alive, but on the island with the other survivors of flight 316 (the kind of revelation that’s usually reserved for the end of an episode), I thought that the remainder of the episode would be pretty exciting.


Well, I can’t say that I was blown away by anything else this episode showed, but I am intrigued by the notion that Charles Widmore might not be the bad guy after all. You have to admit, his tactics tonight were much less heavy-handed than Ben’s. Plus, we did see a younger Widmore closely associated with Richard Alpert when Locke, Kate, Sawyer and the others were time jumping, so we know that he did have quite a long history with the island. It’s just so hard to know whom to believe and it’s one of the things that makes Lost something that’s worth returning to every week.

We also got to know a little more about Matthew Abaddon, who was the creepy orderly who guided Locke into taking the Australian walkabout that made him end up on the island. This reveal leads me to wonder if we’re going to see him in everyone else’s back-story at some point in time encouraging them to be on the ill-fated Oceanic flight that brought them to the island in the first place. It would make sense if Eloise Hawking is working for Charles Widmore’s group and would have been able to predict that Oceanic 815 would have brought them into the path of the island. She sure didn’t seem to care enough for Ben to be working for him.

In recent weeks, I had a feeling when Ben showed up with Jin’s ring and used it as a tool to convince Sun to return to the island, that Ben had in reality killed John Locke because of Locke’s desire to be true to the word he gave Jin that he wouldn’t bring Sun back. I knew Ben wouldn’t allow that so I just figured that Ben was the one who killed Locke. Looks like this is one of those rare moments when I was right.

I don’t really have all that much more to say about “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham” other than that it was nice to see Locke’s interactions with the Oceanic 6 that we had only heard them tell of in previous episodes, but I can’t say we learned anything by it.

One more thing I can say is that it’s nice that we’re finally into the stage of this series where there are more questions being answered than asked. The creators of this show have an end date and a plan to get us there, and it’ll be nice when it’s over to look at this series as a completed work and finally understand what it’s all about.

TV Review: Battlestar Galactica

Deleted Scenes and a Theory

I have been working on a theory about Battlestar Galactica from the Sci Fi channel, that I hope you will indulge me on and give me your comments. Follow me for a second while I walk through the evidence and then give my analysis.

In the episode “No Exit,” Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) shows the damage in Galactica’s hull that he discovered in “Blood on the Scales” to Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos). He warns him that they shouldn’t even attempt a jump until it is repaired because the ship may not survive it. Tyrol believes that corners were cut when building Galactica, things that now are compromising its structural integrity.

When Adama reinstates Tyrol as Chief, he gives him specific instructions that the repairs be carried out by an all human repair crew. Later though, we find out that the damage includes extensive micro fractures. Tyrol believes that the only solution is to use a Cylon compound, an ORGANIC, as in living, compound, to repair all of the “fracturing.” Adama, of course refuses this. And why wouldn’t he? He has massive mistrust of Cylons, forged from many years of fighting them. However, when he discovers fractures in his own quarters, he relents and instructs Tyrol to use the compound on Galactica.

Also in "No Exit,” we realize that the Cylons are also deeply split. Brother Cavil (Dean Stockwell), as we now know is considered to be one of the 1st “children” of Ellen Tigh (Kate Vernon) and the rest of the Final Five. But, he is resentful of his body and even of his maker. He is a man/machine bent on revenge.

The Five are also split. Since Ellen has returned to them, in “Deadlock”, they take a vote on whether or not to leave the humans or to stay with them (BTW, does anyone know how Boomer (Grace Park) knew where to find the fleet? And if she can find them, why hasn’t Cavil attacked?). Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma) and Tyrol vote to leave (interesting, since we have come to believe that Tyrol is once again invested in saving Galactica), while Samuel Anders (Michael Trucco), based upon his pre-operation comments, and Colonel Tigh vote to stay. Ellen is the swing vote.

After the whole love triangle with Ellen, Caprica Six (Tricia Helfer), and Saul, Ellen decides that the Cylons should leave. Her decision was based on emotion and spite rather than rational thought and she later recants. You will also remember that it is believed that Cylons can only conceive if love, twoo wuv, is what bwings them toogethuh (oops, sorry, wrong show). Jane Espenson, who wrote "Deadlock," was asked why Caprica Six’s baby died. She answered with another question: “Did the baby die because Tigh, witnessing Ellen's gesture of sacrifice, fell in love with her all over again and deprived Six of his love in that moment?”

I think the Cylons are just as emotional and irrational at this point as the humans are. Ellen even accuses Tigh of not wanting to leave Galactica because he loves the ship and Bill more than he loves her or Caprica Six.

Now for some things you may not have known. There were some deleted scenes from "Deadlock" that I think are pretty critical. You remember the scenes with Gaius Baltar (James Callus) in Dogsville. They were a little confusing. In the deleted scenes however, it is explained that many marines were lost during the mutiny and there are just not enough of them to maintain order. The marines were forced to retreat from Dogsville. Adama is finding it difficult to maintain order aboard Galactica.

In the absence of the marines, the Sons of Ares seize most of the food supply, with the exception of the small stash controlled by the cult formerly led by Baltar. Adama needs a force to help keep the civilian population under control. Adama and Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) debate the possibility of bringing Centurions on board to provide security. Adama is firmly opposed to this, even though the ship is slowly being infused with Cylon material, because he fears, among other things, a civilian uprising.

Enter Baltar with “the last human solution;” to arm the cultists. The decision facing Adama is to either allow criminals to control the food supply, or allow Baltar and the crazy cultists (good name for a band?) to act as a civilian security force. Adama obviously believed that the human solution was better or at least the lesser of two evils and arms Baltar’s followers to the teeth.

What is a fracture? A split, a rift, a parting of two entities that were once a whole. Cylons and humans once lived together. Bringing in the mythology of the tribes, Cylons, or at least the skin jobs, are referred to as the 13th tribe since they are "children" of the Final Five.

Galactica is a representation of the human-Cylon relationship. I believe the writers are trying to tell us that Humans cannot survive without bringing their lost children back into the fold. Just as Galactica was deteriorating and would have eventually been lost without an infusion of Cylon, so too will the human race be lost without a reuniting of Cylons and humans.


Cylons too are lost without the humans. Resurrection technology is lost. Perhaps it could be rebuilt, but it is lost for now. Cylons once had the ability to procreate but have lost that ability. They are missing something that can only be obtained from the humans. Whether that be technology or a Cylon/human baby, who knows, but it seems to me that Galactica, once again is showing the way for human and Cylon alike to survive.

To me, this indicates that Cylons and humans will unite and become one race with a shared destiny. After all, Anders did reiterate a theme during his bullet-induced visions that has been common throughout the series: “This has all happened before, and it will all happen again.” The Five were all once human, perhaps a thousand years ago, but they were all once human. (BTW, where is Hera?) And if you needed any more convincing, we have the words of Adama himself. At the end of “Deadlock,” he and Laura see a Cylon putting up pictures of Cylon dead. In classic deadpan Adama delivery, he states that the integration has already happened.

Only time can ultimately prove me right or wrong, but I think that the separatist Cylons will not leave the fleet and we will see a further blending of Cylon and human technology and ideology. Cavil and his group will have to come around to the point of view of the separatists and rejoin the Final Five “makers.” If he doesn’t, he and his followers will be lost, spiritually and physically.

Does this mean that together they will find another planet to live on? Personally, I don’t think they will find one before the end of the series. But in my opinion, they don’t need to in order to bring closure to the series. Now that Earth is gone, all they really need is to eliminate the threat of Cavil (either by conversion or destruction) and then find a New New Caprica.

TV Review: The Biggest Loser

My Biggest Loser Story

NBC's The Biggest Loser is one of the most inspiring shows on TV. It’s also one of the most discouraging. I believe that whether or not this show works for you depends on where you are in your own weight loss journey.

There was a time in my life when I couldn’t stand this show. I was offended by the name when it first came out because it made me think that they were saying that ALL fat people were losers and that they were just looking for the biggest one. Of course, back then I was about 440 pounds and would usually watch the show while balancing a bowl of chocolate ice cream on my belly, so you can probably guess where my negative feelings were coming from.

Now when I watch this show I have nothing but compassion and awe over the accomplishments of the contestants. What created this change in me? Well, it wasn’t in a method that NBC’s The Biggest Loser trainers Bob Harper and Jilian Michaels would approve of—I had Gastric Bypass Surgery.

The decision to have the surgery came after many years of struggling with my weight, losing it only to find myself gaining more not too long after that. What finally tipped the scales (so to speak) was when I saw the following picture of myself that was taken at my daughter’s baptism.


This was what was a special day for my daughter and was definitely something for the family albums, but when I saw this picture, my heart just sank. It really hit me hard how far I had let myself go. Not only did I come to a realization of how bad I looked, but I was also realizing that I was missing many opportunities to spend quality time with my daughters because I was too tired or weak.

So I had the surgery, the Roux-En-Y version, and had very good results. One of the keys to making it a successful experience is to make sure to have a doctor with a great support system—you need to be a part of support groups and there also needs to be a great diet system. The surgery doesn’t magically make everything in your life better, there is a lot you need to do before and after to be successful and it is possible to gain a considerable amount of weight back. It’s more of a great jump-start to get you on a path to losing your weight and it gives you a tool to curb your appetite.

Two years after my oldest daughter’s baptism, my younger daughter had hers and the following picture was taken.


Needless to say, we’re all much happier now. It’s amazing how kids can forget negative things. When my daughters see my “before” picture, they have no memory of me looking like that. But what they do know is how much more we do together. We ride bikes, go on hikes and just spend more time together. We’re all so much happier now.


So, back to the The Biggest Loser, the people on that show have an advantage that I’d say is every bit as “unfair” of an advantage given to someone who wants to lose the weight surgically. How many other times in their lives are they going to be able to have their diets closely monitored and be able to work out for 8 hours or more a day?

Although their methods of weight loss differ from the path that I took, I am very inspired by this show even though my path to weight loss was quite different from theirs. I know what a change losing a significant amount of weight can create in someone’s life. It’s like a whole new world opens up and people start seeing you for who you are and not as some random fat person. For anyone else who struggles with your weight, I’d say just do what it takes and what works for you. Your future is depending on it.

I’m sorry if this “review” hasn’t been as much of a review as a personal testimonial, but I’ve never known my enjoyment of a show to be as affected by my own personal situation as this show has made me feel. I hope that more and more people will continue to be motivated by it to make changes in their lives for the better.

TV Review: Chuck

"Chuck Versus the Best Friend"

Don’t get me wrong, Chuck on NBC is one my favorite shows, but I never know when to take it seriously or to just laugh something off. There was a little bit of that going on last night. Do we take the spy game seriously or do we take it as a comedy and laugh off the inconsistencies?

The show opens with a flashback to young Morgan (sporting an Alf t-shirt, awesome) getting beat up by a girl he likes. Chuck comes to his rescue even back then. That sets up the pattern for the entire show: Chuck has always rescued Morgan, who has never grown up.

Back in the present, we find Morgan still troubled by his breakup with Anna Wu, where he and the boys are planning a little spy mission of their own. The real spies, Casey and Sarah must then engage in a little spy vs. spy action; scratch that, make that spy vs. nerd action. Two of the best lines of the whole episode come during this scene, the first when Jeff informs us that 80% of his female encounters have been without the nerd herd’s knowledge (Chuck is more worried about the other 20% . . . rightly so). The second, Casey’s line, comes during the surveillance mission:

Morgan: “We have visual acquisition of the target.”
Lester: “The subject is on the move.”
Casey: “The idiots are on the move.”

During their spy mission, Chuck flashes on Anna’s new boyfriend, who is a major smuggler, so much so, that he is on the CIA’s radar and in the Intersect. Ok, is Chuck just a major magnet for trouble, or is LA just that dangerous that everyone routinely rubs shoulders with smugglers, spies, and other assorted terrorists. This is one of the areas that I am willing to suspend belief, as it is the premise for the show. I do think the writers mix up this formula enough that it doesn’t get too monotonous. Either way, the mission parameters are great; Chuck must “befriend his best friend’s ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend.”

This episode also has the return of Captain Awesome. I love his mix of confidence, laid back attitude, braininess, and naivety. I laughed so hard when they first introduced him in the Pilot. BTW, did you know that Captain Awesome has a blog?

Here come the little nitpicky comments. Chuck always blows the “covert ops” sections. Why would Sarah ever task Chuck with planting a bug? A little too formulaic to me. Next, after Morgan is discovered as the spy/stalker, a Triad member walks right up to the bug. How did he even know that he should look for a bug? Are all smugglers that sophisticated? Speaking of the Triad members, I for one didn’t buy that Morgan was ever in any real jeopardy. The 2 male Triad members just didn’t come off as very threatening in their actions.

As for being in jeopardy, did anyone ever believe that Chuck was in danger of being blown up? Ok, I was surprised that he was driving the remote, but why wouldn’t he have just stayed in plain view to drive the car away? Obviously it was just to set up the whole cheesy hand-holding scene between Chuck and Sarah (formulaic). Don’t get me wrong, I want to see them together as much as anyone else, but it just came off as a little too easy.

Speaking of easy, why did the Chinese ambassador’s guards focus on Casey and just let Chuck by to uncover the bomb? And why did they believe Sarah was CIA when moments before they didn’t believe Casey’s credentials? It didn’t add up . . . too easy, too neat, but hey, you have to tie up the loose ends quickly in a 1 hour show. That’s why I don’t know when to take the series seriously. I am willing to overlook things in the name of comedy, but other things seem to be glaring holes.

To wind up the show, I liked the idea of the continuing bromance between Morgan and Chuck. It was mostly believable and a nice relationship. Chuck seems to be dependant on Morgan as his only “family,” but Chuck has a sister. What about her? If there is a family relationship between Morgan and Chuck, it would be one with Chuck as the older brother who always has to rescue his younger brother from his own stupidity. Not much of a two way street.

As always though, an entertaining show with plenty of action and comedy to keep me coming back for more.

TV Review: Medium, “…About Last Night”

Medium on NBC is a show that doesn’t get a lot of fanfare. It’s a show that doesn’t have the most glamorous of actors and doesn’t do many stunts to produce a lot of hype. Sometimes I find that it’s even easy to forget that Medium is on and I miss it. It’s interesting, then, how just about every time I watch Medium I come away from it thinking that it’s one of the best shows on television.

Now in it’s fifth season, Medium is about an average family living in Phoenix, Arizona. The dad, Joe Dubois (played by Jake Weber), is an inventor. The mom, Allison Dubois (played by Patricia Arquette), is a consultant for the District Attorney’s office. And they have 3 daughters: Ariel, who’s just learning to drive, Bridgette, who offers much comic relief, and the youngest is Marie. Did I mention that mom, Allison, is a psychic who sees dead people, has visions, and other paranormal experiences?

Yes, the thing that keeps Medium from being a modern day version of Leave It To Beaver, is that it’s really a crime drama centered on a psychic who is trusted by the District Attorney for her paranormal insights. Much of the time Medium is a fantasy grounded in the mundane of every day life, and that seeming mismatch of genres is what makes this show so compelling.

In last night’s episode, “…About Last Night”, Allison blacks out for 6 hours, not realizing how she got from the supermarket in the late afternoon to laying on the sidewalk under a freeway overpass in the middle of the night. As she begins to realize what she’s done, she’s terrified that she may have killed at least one person, maybe two. (SPOILERS FOLLOW) It turns out that she was actually possessed by a recently murdered woman who takes over Allison in the hopes of stopping the deaths of many other people.

Medium is interesting because Allison’s visions and dreams aren’t always clear and she frequently misinterprets them. This leads everyone else to doubt her when her visions don’t make sense, at the same time they realize that her visions often do include important clues that they trust will help them solve whatever mystery they’re facing.

If you’ve never watched Medium, I’d suggest that you give it a try. Often there are great twists at the ends and great writing throughout. Also refreshing about this show is that there are only very minor ongoing storylines. Each episode is a self contained story, so there are no worries that if you miss one or haven’t watched from the beginning, that you’ll be lost, as in ABC’s Lost or NBC’s Heroes.

TV Review: Heroes, "Cold Wars"

"You know me, I've always been comfortable with morally grey."

From the previews last week, we were promised that tonight’s Heroes on NBC would answer the question of whether or not Noah Bennet A.K.A. HRG (Horn-Rimmed Glasses) was a hero or a villain.

Whether or not he’s a good guy is something I’ve wondered for a long time, and been frustrated with. He seems to go through spurts where he’s devious and manipulative, and other times he’s playing the part of “inside man” turning the tables in the heroes’ favor. Personally, I’ve always wanted him to be a good guy trying to stay on the inside of a bad situation so he could turn the tables as a double agent.

When we left off last week’s episode, "Building 26," Noah was in the restaurant of the hotel he’s staying in while he works out his family troubles. While there he discovers that he’s been drugged and looses consciousness. We then saw 3 of our on-the-lamb heroes, Matt Parkman, Peter Petrelli and Mohinder Suresh escort him out.

Tonight’s episode, "Cold Wars" began by skipping back a little before the three “supers” drugged Noah where we see that they weren’t all on the same page on the virtues of abducting and interrogating him. Once the abduction takes place, they spend most of their time in a seedy hotel room where Parkman uses his mind powers to probe Noah’s brain for answers about who is pursuing them and what their intentions are.

I’ll admit that Noah Bennet is one of my favorite characters on Heroes. One of the best things about this episode was that it focused primarily on his interrogation and featured many flashbacks from his memories exploring how he came to be involved in the hunt for the supers. There were echoes of what many consider to be one of the best episodes of Heroes from season one, “Company Man.” What both of these episodes have going for them is their focus on Noah and their black and white memories from Noah’s past.

What I think was lacking in this episode were the supposed-to-be tense interactions between the 3 heroes, Parkman, Petrelli and Suresh. I think the writing just isn’t up to par… or maybe it’s the direction. They’re supposed to be having this internal struggle, but to me it just sounds like they’re bickering about who are the good guys and who are the bad. In previous episodes it made sense for Hiro to call others, “heroes,” “villains” or “nemesis” because he was a geek growing up who loved comic books, but when it comes from one of the straight man-ish characters, it just doesn’t seem to fit, in the midst of this tense situation, that they'd be self aware enough to label themselves like they do.

Another thing that bothers me is that, as a viewer, I know about the powers that these heroes possess. I know that Matt Parkman can use his abilities to give those around him illusions that can change their environment and make them believe things are happening that aren’t true. So why didn’t he use his ability to get away from the small army that was coming to take him? I guess how it played-out was appropriate since the episode was trying to focus on Noah, but sometimes the writers seem to conveniently forget details if it supports their storyline.

Oh, and when is someone finally going to blurt out that Nathan can fly?? It seems like that would be one thing that would seriously undermine his efforts to hunt them all!

Tonight’s episode ended with Mohinder Suresh captured, Peter (we assume, but it could have been Nathan) rescuing Matt Parkman, and Noah Bennet finishing a conversation with Angela Petrelli that he started 5 weeks ago in his memory. It’s in this last scene that we learn that Noah is still working for Angela and he still has the same goals that he had when he was working for the company, which seem to be noble enough in that he wants to save the good people with abilities, and only lock up the dangerous ones. He admits that he’ll have to go deep under cover and do even more questionable things to convince is colleagues that he really is on their side, but I think we, as viewers, are supposed to remember this and keep rooting for him to succeed as a “good guy.”

All in all, I think tonight’s episode was satisfying. Heroes is best when the storylines aren’t getting spread too thin amongst all of the main characters. Hopefully this will be a trend revisited in the near future. But please, the final shot with another painting on the floor of a city exploding–this time Washington DC. How many times are they going to build up to an explosion that never happens? Can't they change their formula a little?

Thoughts on Amazing Race: 14

"Your Target is Your Partner's Face"

I have to start this off by saying that I am impressed with anyone who makes it on the hit show from CBS, Amazing Race, but the last two episodes have left me, shall we say, less than impressed with Steve and Linda, the county bumpkins. They seemed to get confused at seemingly simple tasks that everyone else breezes through. In their defense, I have been in stressful traveling situations in foreign lands with my wife, and it can be downright exasperating (no offense honey). That said, during last week’s episode, I was thinking, “if you come in behind the bumpkins, you deserve to be eliminated.” This week, Steve and Linda seemed doomed from the start. I felt empathetic for Linda when she lost her way and was impressed that they got it together enough to finish the leg. Too bad that Steve realized too late that he should stop criticizing Linda and start working as a team.

Lawyers Tammy and Victor put up an impressive run and never gave up the lead once they took it. They seem to know how to work as a team. Tammy may talk about how Victor always makes the final decisions as the big brother, but I think he respects Tammy’s input and contribution to the team. This is in contrast to another sibling team, Lakisha and Jennifer (does anyone else think that Jen got gypped in the name department?). These two sisters better get things together or they will soon find that their sibling rivalry will get them into trouble. Teams that gel always seem to do better.

I’m sorry, but I don’t see what all the big hype was about Margie and Luke winning last week’s leg. Sure he has a hearing handicap, but he is a smart, strapping young fellow. In most situations, it doesn’t seem like verbal communication would be that much of a requirement. I guess I just have always found deaf people to be just as capable as anyone else. We have a friend who plays on the high school tennis team; if it has been a problem for her, she doesn’t show it. To me it is impressive when anyone wins a leg, no matter who they are. It takes equal doses of smart playing, physicality, and a lot of good luck. Now if Steve and Linda had won a leg that would have been impressive!

Other teams that impressed me were Mel and Mike and Mark and Michael. I felt bad for Mel, that he had no choice but to wait for the wind to change up on that mountain. I agree with him that it isn’t really right for someone to pray and expect God to help you to win. I don’t think something as trivial as a game really registers on the “miracle” radar. However, I will say that it was a miraculous bit of editing for their scene. Mel kept saying how grateful he would be, and then immediately the wind changed. Amazing. Kudos to the editors.

As for Mark and Michael, something about them is endearing to me. Perhaps it is their cheerfulness or maybe their can-do attitude. Either way, I expect them to go far. On the opposite end, Christie and Jodi have been disappointing. What happened to their “insider-travel-secrets” advantage? I will be surprised if they make it another week.

Thoughts on Survivor: Tocantins

The Poison Apple Needs to Go

Nowadays it seems that I watch Survivor on CBS more out of habit than anything. I really haven’t seen anything new on it since Rupert Boneham took the world by storm on Survivor: Pearl Islands. This time around in Survivor: Tocantins they are in the Brazilian highlands and it looks like about the same variety of people have been cast and already they are turning on each other. Nice.


I always tend to root for the underdog, and so I was rooting for Sandy and Sierra who were “voted out” of the trek to the camp on the first episode. Sandy has turned out to be annoying enough that I’ve gotten over my sympathy for her, but I’d still like to see Sierra go a little farther, or at least get a fair chance to fit in. So I was pleased tonight when the annoying Coach used his ego-based coaching skills to get the rest of the tribe to vote out Candace, whom he billed as the “Poison Apple.”

Shows like Survivor always try to mislead you in what is going to happen by their editing but it’s rare that it doesn’t play out the way you think it will. Tonight was a nice surprise, then, to see Candace as the second Survivor voted out.

As Candace was walking out of Tribal Council, host Jeff Probst turned to the rest of the tribe and said, “Your first Tribal Council, your first blindside. Congratulations.” I had to chuckle because in my imagination he continued by saying, “Congratulations… you are all now officially scumbags.”

I’m not sure how often I’ll be posting updates about Survivor, as it’s usually the same-old, same-old. But who knows? Maybe this will turn out to be the season that justifies my apathetic loyalty.

Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock

As the Sci Fi channel original series, Battlestar Galactica, comes to a close, it’s interesting to see how the storyline is wrapping up. As someone who has watched the series from the beginning, I’m a little unsure if some of the issues will be satisfactorily resolved in the four episodes that are remaining before the series ends.


One of the problems that I have with tonight’s episode is that as they are preparing to end the series in a handful of episodes, we are seeing a lot of things that I can’t help but think aren’t really important to the resolution of the overall storyline. Are the political issues about the poor on the lower decks really going to help tie up the bigger questions about a final home for the fleet? Or answer the questions about what’s going on with Starbuck? I understand that the reunion of Ellen Tigh with the final five was going to cause conflict between her, her former husband Saul Tigh and Caprica Six who’s four months pregnant with his pure Cylon child, I just wish it wasn’t the primary plotline of tonight’s episode.

In my book, the best ending to a series came from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine where they had a 10 episode arc that tied up all the outstanding plotlines from the series and then a two-hour finale where we were able to say farewell to all the characters and feel like things were tidied up well. The worst ending to a series came from Star Trek: Voyager where they vowed to keep you guessing up until the last moment as to whether or not they were going to make it home. When the answer to that question was given that yes, they had finally made it back to earth, 5 seconds later the show ended.


There are 4 episodes left to Battlestar Galactica, and next week promises to focus heavily on the mystery behind Starbuck. They’ll probably need another one to resolve what’s happening with Gaius Baltar and the lower decks and then hopefully they’ll take care of the other group of cylons that the rebels on Galactica abandoned. I’m sure sprinkled in all of that will be the working out of the love triangle between Saul Tigh, Ellen Tigh, and Caprica Six; whether or not Laura Roslin is going to succumb to her cancer; and how many more frakking times are we going to see Adama shaving or brushing his teeth in his bathroom? I mean, can’t that wait until he’s safely home on New, New Caprica? Or New Earth? In his New Bathroom?

Lost Thoughts: 316

LOOK OUT! Spoilers ahead

I’m sure that everyone noticed, as I did, that tonight’s episode of Lost on ABC was the first since the Pilot not to include any kind of flashback or flashforward. Well, I guess that’s not technically true since the beginning of the episode showed them just moments after Jack, Hurley and Kate returned to the island with the rest of the episode revealing the events that led up to their getting there. But the limited flashbacks made me think that this episode was serving as a hub, or a restarting point for the rest of the series.

Tonight's episode, "316" began by showing Jack, Hurley and Kate suddenly finding themselves on the island, but quickly flashed back to show us how they got there.


The flashback begins where we left off last week with Jack, Sun, Ben and Desmond speaking with Daniel Faraday’s mother Eloise Hawking. She explains that the island moves through both space and time and that the place she is working, the Lamppost, was created by the Dharma Initiative for the purpose of finding the island. She reveals that she has discovered a time and place where the island will be and she believes that if the “Oceanic 6” are in a plane as it’s flying over, then they will somehow return to the island.

The remainder of tonight’s episode revolved around Jack’s preparations to return to the island, but what really surprised me is that they actually got on the plane and back on the island by the time the episode was over! That was a huge leap forward in the plot in my opinion because I was expecting to have to wait until the end of the season to see how Jack managed to convince everyone that they all needed to go back.

The insertion of Jack’s granddad into the story that seemed to come from out of nowhere. Unless that particular character is going to play a more substantial role in the future, it seems like they could have accomplished the same if jack just went to his apartment and pulled out a shoebox labeled “Dad’s shoes.” Viola! Plot problem fixed... I should have been a writer.


By the way, I think we received a couple of messages that everything Ben says is a lie. Ms. Hawking revealed that Ben was probably lying about not knowing about the Lamppost station and later in the episode when Jack asked Ben on the plane, “How can you read?” and Ben answered, “My mother taught me.” Remember back… Ben’s mother died in childbirth. The man is a habitual liar.

One of my favorite moments on this episode came when Jack was speaking with Frank Lapidus who just happened to be the captain of Flight 316. During the conversation Lapidus looks around and quickly comes to realize that just about everyone from his doomed helicopter flight from the freighter is on his plane and he says, "We're not going to Guam, are we?"

Once back on the island, the first thing they see is none other than Jin in Dharma duds driving a brand new Dharma VW bus. My theory about this is that when John Locke fixed the frozen donkey wheel last week, the Oceanic survivors remaining on the island were stuck in the time that they just happened to be in and ended up becoming part of Dharma. This also explains how Daniel Faraday appeared at the excavation of the donkey wheel cave in the Orchid Station in the beginning of this season.

But, as the creators of Lost so masterfully do, although they seemed to tidily wrap up getting them back to the island, they left many questions unanswered. Here are some of the questions this episode has left me with:

• What made Hurley and Sayid suddenly decide to get on the plane? 
  
• Who was that lady with Sayid? 
  
• Who was it that worked over Ben and why didn’t they finish the job? 
  
• What happened to the plane and all of the other passengers?
  
• What happened to Aaron and why won’t Kate talk about it?
  

I’m confident that all of these questions and more will be answered eventually, and since there is a scheduled end date for the show in 2010, which means that they will actually be able to end the story with plenty of time to tie up all the loose ends. At the very least, now we can have a fairly good idea of what the flashbacks throughout the rest of the season will involve.

American Idol Results Show, Group 1

Ryan Seacrest announced at the beginning of the show that a record 24 million votes were cast for this show, which is a record high for this point in the season. This brings to mind how people like to complain that more people vote for American Idol than vote for the President of the United States. Let me remind everyone that you can only vote once for Pres, but you can vote as much as the buttons on your phone and your fanaticism will permit.

After some annoying judge banter the semifinalists came out and sang “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. They did a pretty good job, but I’d say the country guys looked a little uncomfortable with the reggae beat.

They began revealing the results with a no-brainer, and eliminated Casey Carlson. No surprise. I’m sure her performance last night had everyone questioning how she made it to this stage of the competition. Stephen Fowler was no surprise either. I’m actually surprised he made it here after walking out on his last song in Hollywood Week.

Alexis Grace was the first contestant revealed to be in the top 12. No surprise for me, I think she was one of the best singers from last night. But given some of the train wrecks we witnessed, that’s not saying much.

Between Ricky Braddy and Jackie Tohn, neither of them made it through to the 12. No surprise for me about Jackie, or Ricky for that matter, but I fully expect Ricky to be one of the wild cards in a few weeks.

Anoop Desai and Michael Sarver – Michael made it through to the top twelve. Surprised that Michael made it through. I thought there were much better vocals, but I think that he must have gotten the country vote. I’m sure Anoop will be a wildcard too. Maybe Michael’s song was just better than his delivery? I’m sure enough people liked him from the auditions too to put him through. He was one that we liked.

Carly Smithson and Michael Johns from last season appeared on the show and performed a duet of the song, “The Letter.” I have to say it really didn’t do anything to make me nostalgic for the old contestants.

Brent Keith, Stevie Wright and Ann Marie Boskovich were all eliminated in one fell swoop. None of them were surprises to me, or to them by the look of things.

When the two remaining finalists were brought up, Danny Gokey and Tatiana Del Toro, I fully expected Tatiana to faint on stage for the drama of it all. When they announced that Danny was the last of the three to proceed into the final twelve, I was surprised that Tatiana didn’t make more of a spectacle of herself. I really hope that she won’t be one of the wildcards, but for the sake of good television, I’m sure they’ll put her in that pool, especially because they couldn’t keep the camera off of her during Danny’s reprise of his song.

Hopefully in the coming weeks we'll see the contestants to quite a bit better than they did this week.

Thoughts on American Idol Top 36

Group 1

American Idol is like 4 shows in 1. The one-the-road auditions are barely tolerable, but I rather enjoy Hollywood Week. But tonight was the first of the live shows and this is where the excitement really begins.

I liked the funked-up version of Elvis’ “A Little Less Conversation” that Jackie Tohn performed but I thought that her dancing and outfit were terribly distracting. From the auditions I thought that her style was more folky than what we saw tonight. I don’t think she’ll make it any farther.

I didn’t remember Ricky Braddy from the auditions at all. I’m sure that’s because the producers are so focused on Danny Gokey being the front-runner this season, that they’re passing over other real competitors—which is a real shame because he really does have a nice voice. He sang “A Song for You” which is a good song but he did sing it in very much the same way that I’ve heard it sung many times before. He did have good vocal control and form, but did he over sing it a little?

I’d never heard of the song “I Never Loved a Man,” previously recorded by Aretha Franklin, before and it was not really the sound that I was expecting from Alexis Grace. It was probably because of the pink hair I was hoping for something a little more alternative or edgy from her. I didn’t think it was a very good song choice but the judges sure liked it. If history is any predictor, though, the pink hair will get her through to the finals. Think Nikki McKibbin. Maybe then I’ll have a better idea of what kind of music to expect from her.

Brent Keith’s choice of “Hicktown” was probably a good choice for him so that people could appropriately view him as a country artist but it doesn’t seem like country singers ever make it farther than maybe halfway through the finals. Sorry, but country music really isn’t my bag so I can’t really say too many good things about his performance but I’d be surprised if he makes it past this stage of the competition. The problem is that as country goes, there are so many more impressive songs than the one he sang.

Stevie Wright really reminds me of Evangeline Lilly (Kate from ABC's Lost). I think it’s her eyes. I don’t think it matters that I’ve never heard the song “You Belong With Me” that she sang because she was unfortunately very nervous and it showed. It’s too bad that she probably won’t make it past this stage of the competition because I had high hopes for her—probably because I’m such a fan of Lost. Heck, she’s only 17, maybe we’ll see her try out again next year? Maybe she'll get the Lost vote?

Besides the fact that my cosmetologist wife said that his eyebrows need to be taken down a little, Anoop Desai really sang his song, “Angel of Mine,” very well! Again, I’ve never heard this song before, but I would imagine that he probably sang it similar to the original. I do like it when a guy sings a song originally recorded by a girl, and vice versa. That alone has a way of changing it up enough to make it memorable.

Casey Carlson’s version of “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” was simply a train wreck. I don’t agree with the judges that songs by The Police are “untouchable”, I just didn’t agree with the touches she put on it. Aside from being too nervous to sing it well, I really hated the gender switching in this song—I think “she” and “her” are too rooted into the lyrics. I thought it would have been good if she would have sung it like the original “Every little thing she does is magic”, but then it would have made it sound like she was switching teams. It also looked like a beauty pageant performance or something from a talent show—might have gone over well in high school, but not on a national stage.

Michael Sarver made a really good impression on me during the auditions. Although I’m not a country fan and could tell that he would probably lean that way, his vocals and his personal story made me root for him to make it far on the show. His choice of the song “I Don't Want to Be” was a bad choice in my opinion. I don’t think anyone has sung this song as well as Bo Bice did a few seasons back, so I was left a little flat by this performance. He was a little stiff to be singing a song as energetic as this one. It would have been nice if he would have sung a song that showed more of the tender vocals that we grew attached to in the auditions.

Ann Marie Boskovich delivered another beauty pageant performance of “A Natural Woman.” The arrangement and performance seemed like just about every other version of this song that I’ve ever heard, and it wasn’t sung nearly as well. Very forgettable.

Stephen Fowler made a huge mistake in singing “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson. In my opinion when someone chooses to sing a song so closely associated with the original artist, they need to make drastic changes to it in order to make it theirs—similar to what David Cook did with Jackson’s “Billy Jean.” The arrangement was very much like the original but he seemed like he was singing to a totally different arrangement in his head. I don’t think that fast songs are very good at this stage because they don’t show how good the contestant’s vocals can be. This will probably be the end of the road for him.

What’s worse? Someone who shows up with at the auditions with a huge ego and thinks they sing perfectly but can’t sing at all, or someone who has a huge ego and thinks they can sing perfectly and they actually do sing very well? Such is the case (or problem) with Tatiana Nicole Del Toro. She’s pretty good but she’s convinced that she’s fantastic and she doesn’t shy away from flaunting it. As could have been predicted, she sang a very dramatic, but surprisingly vocally restrained version of Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You.” She’s a pretty good singer but often her personality overshadows her ability to sing. I think she has been coached to tone down her personality because she seemed controlled, like she was acting the whole time. I think she’s actually the psychic they keep referring to… probably one of her many personalities.

I’m sure they saved Danny Gokey for last tonight. He was the most comfortable of tonight’s performers as he sang Mariah Carey’s “Hero.” I think it’s clear that the producers think that he should be one of the front-runners too, which explains all of the hype he has received throughout all of the audition weeks. I think it’s also a real shame that they cut Danny’s friend Jamar Rogers. Jamar was so much better than almost all of the other contestants we saw tonight.

I think that the standard that will determine if the contestants progress to the next stage is whether or not the vocals and performances are good enough to inspire people to fork out their hard earned money to buy their music. If you stumble upon one of these people in a bar or in a park you would enjoy it, but would you become a fan and seek out opportunities to financially support them?

I think it’s obvious that my vote along with most of America tonight will be for Danny Gokey. The three that I think will be voted through to the finals in this group are Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, and Anoop Dasai with Ricky Braddy being one of the wild cards added in week 4.

Out of all of them though, I don’t think I heard any that I would actually buy records from based on what they sang tonight but I guess we’ll see what the other contestants come up with in the future.

TV Review (series available on DVD): Dead Like Me

Calling all fans of Pushing Daisies

What’s that you say? You’ve never heard of Dead Like Me? Not surprising, I hadn’t either until by chance one day my Tivo (not DVR, my TIVO) recorded it as a suggestion for me. The show originally aired on Showtime in 2003, which is probably why I didn’t catch it. The free movie channels are usually enough for me.

If you were a fan of Pushing Daisies though, then chances are you will like Dead Like Me. Brian Fuller, who is the creator of both shows, seems to have a fascination with death, as he continues to examine how we look at death with dark comedies. So, with the follow-up, directly-to-DVD movie released today (Dead Like Me: Life After Death), which is rumored to bring closure to the story, I bring you a review of the series.

In the series pilot, we are introduced to 18-year-old, completely unmotivated Georgia “George” Lass (Ellen Muth) who lives in Seattle. George’s mom soon gets fed up with her after she drops out of college and sends her out to find a job. She applies at a temp agency where supervisor Deloris “as in her-big-brown-eyes” Herbig, brilliantly played by Christine Willes, reluctantly gives George a job.



While on lunch break from her first day at a meaningless job, George is vaporized by the flaming toilet seat from the space station Mir as it reenters the atmosphere. How’s that for being born under the wrong sign? Suddenly seeing the scene from outside herself, she realizes she is dead. It is then explained to her that she has a new “job.” Her lack of direction and affection has left her designation to either heaven or hell undetermined. The reaper who extracted George’s soul has now fulfilled his own spiritual quota and is able to move on, but George must become his replacement. She now joins the ranks of the undead grim reapers, led by Rube (Mandy Patinkin, best known for his role as Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride), who receive daily assignments (on Post-it Notes of all things) to extract the souls from the bodies of people who are about to die and escort them to their afterlives. Whew, now I’m out of breath.



Like Pushing Daisies, there are rules and twists. First of all, the reapers only receive the first initials and last names of their targets. This has comedic results at times, as in episode 5 of season 1 “Reaping Havoc,” where George must collect the soul of M.J. Bowers at the park. When she gets to the park, she finds a Bowers family reunion is underway and she must quickly find the right M.J.

Reapers have bodies and can be seen by mortals, but do not look like they did when they were alive. That aside, they are not supposed to interact with their loved ones from their former life. But reapers don’t get a free pass either. They must either get a job that will allow them to take frequent breaks so they can go collect souls, or they get money by other means, such as Mason (Callum Blue). Sticky-fingered Mason takes money from his dead assignments, and even knocks over parking meters, which sets off another reaper Roxy (Jasmine Guy, A Different World), who is always pissed-off anyway, but just happens to work as a meter maid too. To save money and keep a low profile reapers squat in the houses and apartments of the recently departed until they are kicked out by the living.



Comedy aside, I believe the series is really about the growth of George, as seen in one of my favorite lines from the pilot episode:

George: “I want my life back.”
Betty: “It's not like you were doing anything with it.”

Slowly over the series, she is forced to examine the relationships in her life. She realizes that her pushy critical mother actually loved her and shock of shocks, George loves her mother too. George also learns that she loves her little sister Reggie, who has really been affected by her big sister’s death and begins to steal toilet seats in homage. George reluctantly starts to care and starts to mature throughout the series, but all the while keeps her annoyed demeanor.

Like kissing cousins, Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me are completely dark comedies with very dry delivery. In my estimation, dark humor is more brainy than the humor purveyed by sitcoms and this is why neither series lasted very long. I have grown tired of laugh tracks. To me, it is like the show is trying to tell you what is supposed to be funny, where you should laugh. Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies not only don’t tell you what to think, sometimes they pass over comic situations so quickly and deliver lines in such a deadpan manner that you don’t realize the humor until after the moment has passed (thank you for pause and rewind on my Tivo). This type of show does not spoon feed you, but requires you to think a little for your reward. If you want to just sit back and veg, Dead Like Me may not be for you. After all, death shouldn’t be funny, right?

Footnote:
I must warn you that I saw this series entirely on family friendly cable television, so this review is for the edited version of the series. The DVD version likely contains language and situations not safe for family viewing, so please keep that in mind.

Heroes Thoughts: Building 26

Warning: SPOILERS.

At the beginning of the fall season of Heroes on NBC, I was pretty hard on the show. I was worried that they were taking the danger out of the mix by killing characters and then bringing them back as if nothing had happened. Well, anyone who has been watching the series since this season began will have learned, along with myself that many of my criticisms were uncalled for. They actually did kill off Niki/Jessica and it doesn’t look like they’re bringing DL back either. So while the writers of Heroes have done many things to increase my interest in the show, I’m also starting to notice some other things that are really going to bother me if they continue.


In tonight’s episode, Claire goes behind Noah’s back and rescues a potential target and then confesses to her mother what she and Noah were really doing when they were supposed to be college shopping. Hiro learns that he doesn’t need powers to be a hero. Nathan gets a skeptical new boss that he needs to convince that there really are people in the world with almost “magical” abilities. And Sylar learns that his new sidekick, Luke, knows the truth that will lead Sylar to his father.

I really like the apparent direction the show is going. The prospect of having our heroes living in the underground as they try to elude the government has the potential to present some very exciting television. Heroes is definitely a show that I intend to keep my Tivo programmed to record every week and I’m sure I’ll want to buy the rest of the DVDs as they come available.

I finally figured out as I was watching tonight’s episode, however, why my enthusiasm for this show sometimes wavers. It came to me as I thought of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Most of that movie seemed to be centered around the build-up to the climactic battle at Helm’s Deep and the associated tension that went along with it. As long as that build-up continued, every element of it ratcheted up the tension more and more until, when the battle actually commenced, all of that tension was released and the resulting energy paid off all of my expectations, and more.

It seems to me that Heroes is forever stuck in the “build-up” mode and the eventual releasing of the tension that is supposed to happen at the end of their volumes isn’t as satisfying as it should be. This goes back all the way to the very first season which I loved, but by the time the season finale arrived, the climactic battle that had been hyped for the entire season, just kind of happened in a very staged way that left me feeling kind of cheated out of all of my efforts as a viewer.

So you might be asking, what do I like about this show? Well, I do like the Peter Petrelli, Matt Parkman, and Mohinder Suresh team-up. I still really enjoy Hiro and Ando and I hope that Hiro gets his powers back soon. I really like the threat of the government hunting down people with abilities and I think some exciting times are in store with that storyline.


What don’t I like? I’m not thrilled with Sylar. Personally I think Sylar should have died at the end of the first season so the heroes could encounter a new and different threat. I don’t like Noah’s flip-flopping between is-he-good-or-is-he-bad? I like him when he’s good, and I like him when he’s bad, I just wish they’d make up their freakin’ mind! (Something that the preview for next week is promising to resolve… yeah, we’ll see.) And I’m starting to get really annoyed by Claire. She’s starting to seem like one of those annoying kids you see in movies who’s always wandering off chasing their lost pet and getting into trouble that almost kills everyone, but nobody ever does anything to stop the kid in the first place. They either need to lock Claire up like they keep threatening to, or Claire needs to finally go out on her own and get over her misguided loyalty to Noah and her attachment to her real father/creep Nathan.

I still have high-hopes for this show. I think the storylines have real potential but I think that the writers need to be brave enough to break out of some of the seemingly crippling formulas they’ve developed. And for crying out loud, it’s OK not to show us every one of the main characters in every episode. You can cover just one storyline from start to finish in a show and I don’t think the world would end.

But really… I do like this show.

Book Review: Viking Warrior

My Strongbow Saga

It has been quite some time since I have been unable to put a book down. I can’t even remember the last time I finished a book in less than a week. But that is precisely what happened with the series I discovered written by Judson Roberts, the Strongbow Saga.

I first picked up book one, Viking Warrior, on the recommendation of Orson Scott Card's review. Card calls it a “serious historical novel,” but you would never know it. Although the story is extremely well researched, set within the context of actual 9th century events, and uses vivid details to bring the world of the Vikings to life, you are too caught up in the main character’s whirlwind journey to take notice.

So here’s the scoop. Halfdan, a young slave has really never known comfort in his life. The only comfort he has is occasionally spending time with his mother, who is a slave in the chieftain’s own house. This one comfort is suddenly ripped from him when he learns that his mother is to be sacrificed in order to accompany the chieftain on his journey to Valhalla, the Viking afterlife.

In a bold bargain, Halfdan’s mother uses her death to buy a new life for her son. On her deathbed, his mother reveals that she was once an Irish princess and was captured and then made a slave by the chieftain. Halfdan is not only a descendant of royalty but also the illegitimate son of the chieftain. The bargain is struck. If Halfdan’s mother is to make the journey to Valhalla, her son must be recognized as a full son and heir. Thus begins the change of fate for the 15-year-old Viking Warrior.

There are so many conflicts in this book that they are difficult to enumerate: the caste society, love and hatred, Christianity and paganism, duty and survival, honor and revenge, sacrifice, romance, betrayal, blood, and battle. There is a little bit of something for everyone.

With all of these themes and elements, it could almost be called the Viking version of Mel Gibson’s Braveheart or perhaps the lesser known Tristan and Isolde (read Dennis' Review), starring Spiderman’s James Franco. In these two films, a young boy is taken from the comfort of his home life when his parents are killed and he is then raised by others who teach him honor, values, and of course combat skills. But this is no rehashing of a tired story, it is rich with its own culture and real-life history as a boy struggles to find himself in a man’s world. It doesn’t hurt either, that Halfdan is clever, strong, brave, and probably the best shot with a bow that anyone has ever seen. Thus the series gets its name, the Strongbow Saga.

Actual battle campaigns and historic figures are perfectly blended with clothing, weaponry, and 9th century religion and culture to weave a gripping tale. Parents should be warned that at times some of these battle scenes are gruesome but they were never gratuitous. The Viking’s everyday world was filled with violence and warfare. Still, parents of children under 12 may want to preview the books first or better yet, read it with them.

Viking Warrior was the first in the series, but I made short work of it. Truth be told, the books are all part of the same overarching tale that has yet to be concluded. When I finished Viking Warrior, I was mostly satisfied with the ending, but I had to have more. I jumped right in to book 2, Dragons from the Sea, and before I had completed that one, 2 days later, I had to have book 3, The Road to Vengeance. I was like a junkie, I had to have more; now! So be warned, book 1 could probably stand alone, but books 2 and 3 seem to be a single story split into two books. You may have to buy book 2 and book 3 at the same time.



Judson Roberts is a masterful storyteller. If I were to point out a fault in these books it would probably be that the titles tend not to attract much attention and may even scare some readers away. Viking Warrior is an especially bland title that did little to interest my 12-year-old. It has also suffered from being a book without a proper place on the shelf. As Orson Scott Card points out in his review, there isn’t much of an audience these days for historical fiction, so the book has been relegated to YA fiction obscurity, where it hasn’t quite found the right audience yet. In my opinion, this is merely due to lack of publicity.



Look on Amazon, and you will find that nearly every review for Viking Warrior, Dragons from the Sea, and The Road to Vengeance have been rated 5 stars. Orson Scott Card calls Mr. Roberts “a terrific writer.” In an e-mail conversation with Mr. Roberts, he told me that he hopes to ultimately make this series into 5 books and has “already sketched out rough outlines for the plots of books four and five” and submitted them to his publisher. But these two books may not come to life unless more people find this wonderfully written tale.

I plan to give gifts of Viking Warrior to some of my prolific reading friends. If you are even slightly intrigued by this review, I urge you to run down to Barnes & Noble or go on over to Amazon and buy it. Yes, I am shamelessly trying to get you hooked on the series, so that there will be a book 4 and 5. Save Halfdan, save the Saga. You won’t be disappointed.

By the way, if you want to try before you buy, the first chapter of all 3 books are posted at Mr. Robert’s Web site http://www.judsonroberts.com/previews.asp

Lost Thoughts: This Place is Death

BEWARE: Spoilers spoken here.

The farther along I get into ABC’s Lost, the less I’m sure of how I want all of this to end. Right now there is the Oceanic 6, including Jack, Kate, Sun, Hurley, Sayid, and Aaron who are trying to get on with their old lives back on shore. Only a few of them believe that it’s imperative that they go back to the island. Meanwhile back on the island, the remaining Oceanic survivors are time shifting at random intervals and Locke believes that they need to get the 6 escapees back to the island in order to get it to stop. So whom should I be rooting for? Are all of the Oceanic survivors fated (or doomed) to live the rest of their lives on this island? Should we, as viewers, still be hoping that they’ll be rescued in the end?


Last night’s episode explored some interesting topics. We got to see a little about how Rousseau came to be on the island, plus a little more about the smoke monster. Could it be that the others came to be the way they are because of their long term exposure to this creature? Rousseau’s companions sure seemed to have been negatively affected.

Also in this episode is the reunion of Jin with the other remaining Oceanic survivors. I’m excited to see Jin back. I don’t feel fooled as if they brought him back from the dead—the truth is, I never really believed he was dead to begin with. They didn’t really show Jin die. In fact, he was very much out in the open on the freighter when it blew up so he could have easily jumped or have been thrown overboard. I actually have a lot of respect for the producers of Lost because they aren’t afraid to let even a main character remain dead if it’s the honest progression of the story.

Another thing I like about this show is that it’s to the point where they are answering questions, but they are also introducing new ones. Here are some of the questions that I find compelling as I’m looking to the future of this show:

How did Ben get Jin’s ring? If we’re to believe Locke, he was going to honor Jin’s request and tell Sun not to return, it’s possible that Ben wouldn’t allow that and that Ben may have been the one responsible for Locke’s death.


Did Locke resetting the frozen donkey wheel stop the island’s time jumping? If so, is it still imperative that the Oceanic 6 return to the island?

Is the time jumping on the island the same thing that was happening when Walt kept appearing to Shannon before her death? Are we going to see what started his time jumping since he’s not with the group currently on the island?

Questions, questions. I’m just glad they have a time frame to end this that they’re shooting for so that it’s not like they’re just trying to fill in the time. It’s still a great show!