Fringe: The Equation

Well, after eight episodes I can say I’m officially hooked. While things started off a little slow on this show, I can now see why FOX was willing to throw out that full season pick-up in early October. They’d probably already seen at least scripts or early screenings for some of these episodes, and I'm finally starting to get somewhere with the Pattern. Oh, I don’t have any idea what the hell it is, what it’s about, and what they’re trying to accomplish, but at least they’re touching on it.

Another week, another person with a cryptic name. This time it’s the Attendant, and she’s trying to get a formula completed. And this is one hardcore bitch, too. Trotting out Ben’s mom only to have her die right in front of him when he proves unable to complete the musical composition (it’s also the formula, don’t ya know!). And it’s not the first time she’s used such ruthless psychological tricks to try and finish. But I still don’t know how Ben (the boy musician) suddenly learned to play and got hooked on that composition, or how Bishop’s friend Dashiell got obsessed with the formula so many years before.

John Noble was absolutely stellar in this episode. With facial expressions alone he was able to express such a breadth of emotion during his impromptu incarceration. I’ve read online in a few places that some people aren’t sure about the casting of Joshua Jackson on this show. Everyone seems to agree that John Noble is turning in masterful work, but I think Jackson is doing a wonderful job of playing his foil. He has just that blend of sarcasm and heart to make it work.

And while I'm at it, let’s give Anna Torv some credit, too. Not once did she pull me from the story or action with bad acting or awkwardness. In fact, she was downright effective in her role. It looks like Torv may have finally figured out her character. She was intelligent, commanding and a little bit Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs when tracking the Attendant. Too bad that damn green-green-green-red is so effective or she would have had her.

In the end, though, I guess it doesn’t matter because the people behind the Pattern are as ruthless as they are elusive, and the Attendant had outlived her usefulness now that she’d completed the formula. Should I just call them “The Others.?” Maybe I’ll find out that they’re behind the island on Lost, too. Abrams could be building his Abrams-verse and I don’t even know it.

My Own Worst Enemy: The Night Train to Moscow

I'm still not convinced that Janus is as great a spy organization that they claim it is. As much as I enjoy the exploits of Henry Spivey and Edward Albright, I would have to coldly agree that he needs to be put out of commission. I'm not sure why Mavis wants to protect him. Maybe if I was given something along the lines of "they could shut down our whole project" if Edward was discovered. But all I get is that Edward is just a really valuable agent and that he's worth keeping even though he's a malfunctioning head-case. I don't see the value really. I'm sure he's good at the spy game, and he's at least as capable as any of the other spy heroes I've seen on TV and movies, but I just don't see the appeal of keeping him.

Maybe if I thought Janus was doing some good in the world. They just seem like a shady black-ops thing to me, and I just don't buy the "for good of the country" line. I feel like I need to like what Edward does a little more. Maybe that would help me not want to erase him. They did try and give Edward a little more "heart" in this episode. I find out that he really wants to track down the KGB baddies that killed his parents, and that he might actually be developing human feelings toward Dr. Skinner.

Henry, on the other hand, is a complete mess. He accidentally sees Angie out of the neighborhood, and catches her in a lie. After finding an old spy-coded photo, he spends the episode believing that Angie might be a planted operative from Janus. And if that wasn't bad enough, Edward/Henry needs to help KGB planted political-wife Mariam Shefer rescue her husband from…well, the KGB.

Mariam just conveniently happens to be an agent that was assigned to her husband as well, but shows Henry that it doesn't mean that she didn't grow to truly love her husband over the years. It was a little bit forced, but then I realized that the life lessons on a show like this would kind of have to come at you like a hammer.

In the end, Henry finds out that, not only is Angie not a spy, but that her super-sex with Edward actually made her feel close to Henry again. Edward's bedroom gymnastics actually might have saved Henry's marriage. It would be nice if this moment led to a better partnership between Edward and Henry. It already seems like they're working better together, and have put aside most of their resentment of the other's mere existence.

Prison Break: Quiet Riot

OK, so apparently they’ve given up on actual show titles, and from now on, I’ll just use 80s bands, is that it? Actually, this association points out how important music is in building suspense. Don’t believe it? Try watching The Omen, hitting the mute button and whistling the Three Stooges theme. Suspense, double crosses, and Gretchen in a schoolgirl outfit. How can you miss?

So in order to get to the Scylla nerve center, the crew has to get through a room with pressure, heat and sound sensors. But instead of making the scene a Mission: Impossible retread, Michael has the crew construct a kind of suspension bridge, periodically using liquid nitrogen to cool the room. Nice variation. No dialogue for this entire scene, just minor assembly noises and that music.

Meanwhile, Bagwell takes a couple of provocative pictures of Gretchen to send to General Krantz. She sends one with a message to meet her. Defying Lisa’s suspicions, the General heads to the meet. To Gretchen’s dismay, he leaves the card behind. He pulls a gun and orders her out of his life.

As Bagwell wrestles with the temptation to settle into Cole Pfeiffer’s life, he and Gretchen plant a phony meet with Feng. Trishanne and Self head to the location, only to be abducted by Feng’s men. Gretchen and Bagwell plan to use them as bargaining chips to get Michael to hand over Scylla.

Interesting to see the resurgence of women in the mix. Veronica was a key component to the first season, but Sara has been the only prominent female role on the show. Sofia Lugo was a dud last season, and Gretchen had only a half-season to work with. Now TrishAnne, Gretchen and Lisa all seem to be enjoying some pretty hefty portions of the storyline.

Michael, by the way, decides to put off his brain surgery so he won’t leave the team hanging. He crosses the bridge to Scylla’s glass wall, fighting mental issues as he approaches. He cuts through the glass and crosses to the unit, but as the episode closes, the final alarm signals General Krantz, who mobilizes his forces and heads for the basement.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Complications

You'd think that eliminating Cromartie would end all the Connors' troubles, but apparently, Cromartie isn't necessarily gone (he's still appearing in dream sequences) and all the troubles continue.

I consider myself to have at least average intelligence, but this episode had me confused. What was the significance of Sarah touching the three dripping blood dots on the wall at the end? Is it just something to make Sarah and the audience cogitate further on the mystery behind them?

On a side note, I was very glad they tortured the real Charles Fisher and threw him in jail. I'm still pissed off at him for killing Tara back when he was Warren.

My first question is: why does Skynet even take human allies? I thought the goals of the machine were to exterminate all humans and set up a more organized and logical society (on a sad note, I know people who agree with at least one of those goals). Is the idea that humans know how to torture other humans better than machines do?

At first, I thought this episode would only be in pieces and not include Ellison and Catherine Weaver. Obviously, since Weaver has a Terminator, the stakes have risen. If anybody has the resources to repair his chip, she does.

That Ellison. What a lying bastard. He deserved the ass-kicking. He doesn't know how deep the human race is in it by giving Cromartie to Weaver.

I was somewhat disappointed by the much-too-soon reveal of Paul Stewart. I think it would have been more interesting if they killed him not knowing whether or not he was a Skynet agent from the future. Mind you, if they did that, they would not have been able to move the plot along as they did (I now know why he was sent back), but it would have made for better drama and deal with the series' theme of the cost of war (much like Sarah's dreams).

I loved it when Cameron called it "rehydration fluid".

It's about time Sarah got some therapy. Like John before her, she's seen too much crap to not go to a psychologist. It must be tough when the future of the human race depends on not telling your shrink the whole truth.

The conversation between Jesse and Derek in the car after they buried Fisher/Stewart was interesting. Are we dealing with alternate futures here? Or rather, is Derek a sleeper agent for the machines whose memory was wiped? If it's the alternate future theory, I'm wondering when the sea otters will appear. This concept may unnecessarily over-complicate the series and I'm hoping the creators provide another explanation.

I wonder if the other Mr. Fisher (the one who ended up in jail) will appear again in the future? I certainly hope so.

Overall, I found the episode to be somewhat 'eh'. It's obviously part of a bigger story, but in order to survive in its imminent Friday night death slot, this series has to gain tremendous buzz. The series really excels when it uses flash forwards and hopefully, there will be more in future episodes (possibly even alternate future flash-forwards). That is, of course, assuming the show has a future. Here's hoping that Friday, February 13th, is not Judgment Day.

Family Guy: Tales of a Third Grade Nothing

After sneaking a visit to the executive bathroom at the brewery, Peter decides that he wants to earn a promotion. He tries out various wacky ideas to impress and eventually gets the call from Human Resources, but realizes he needs to complete the third grade in order to qualify. A series of random-yet-somehow-cohesive events lead to Peter competing in a spelling bee and winning against a kid named Omar, and eventually not getting the promotion despite completing the third grade because he burned down a building full of kids and has to spend a week in jail. Judy Blume would surely scorn this episode for the title reference.

Yes, it's convoluted, but it flows relatively well, and despite a terribly unfunny throwaway B-story featuring Brian, Stewie and Frank Sinatra Jr. opening a club, the episode succeeds mostly due to Peter's renewed charm. Keeping things simple for Peter works. Despite the ridiculous storyline, Peter's singular motivation to gain access to the executive bathroom (which is cleverly introduced with a nod to Jurassic Park as "Executive Bathroom Island") is the key story driver in the episode, and it all holds up reasonably well. Family Guy isn't supposed to necessarily rely on highly intelligent narratives, but it doesn't hurt to have a somewhat cohesive story.

Peter's classroom scenes were the best moments of the episode. His insensitive insults towards Omar would put a smile on anyone's face for being so blatantly politically incorrect. The reaction of the other kids was priceless. Peter's awkward attempt to get out of class by inviting Quagmire to pretend to be his father is another excellent moment. The random kids that he may have fathered that pop up in nearly every classroom was a hilarious gag that totally fits the character. Tom Tucker's inability to pronounce Omar's last name was another groan-worthy segment, and Peter's persistent requests from the judges to use the word in a dirty sentence was also very funny.

Fortunately the laugh-out-loud moments weren't just reserved for the story elements - there were quite a few memorable manatee jokes distributed throughout the episode. Standouts include Stewie's comment about Michael Jackson's treatment of his own groin, his conversation with the gazelle about his lawyer, and Peter's gift of hope to a homeless man were particularly memorable. Also noteworthy was a hilarious rant by Yosemite Sam, an appearance by Emperor Palpatine at the club, and a brilliant John Madden wedding video commentary segment.

The difference between this week's random jokes and the uninspired drivel I've been subjected to lately is that there was a bit more thought and creativity behind the cultural references. It's not enough to just re-enact a scene from some classic television series or movie - there needs to be more than just the random reference, and replacing a character with Peter or another cast member isn't enough. Despite the obvious bathroom humor, the Jurassic Park reference is a good example of taking things further. Sure it wasn't the funniest movie reference ever, but it was made memorable by the additional story-relevant content and the absurdity of the entire sequence.

It featured a charming Peter going out of his way just to accomplish some goal that only he would care about, a convoluted storyline that actually has some kind of logical flow, and more than a fair share of genuinely funny and outrageously offensive jokes.

The Simpsons: Homer and Lisa Exchange

There are two ways of looking at my expectation level for this episode after the shockingly bad trip into the pasts of the Simpson family members. You could argue that because things seemed so bleak, any speck of creativity or humor would shine in comparison. On the other hand, you could also say my claws were only sharpened. Thankfully my praise for this episode is earned and there are few items which I can take my sharpened claws to.

Lisa becomes an expert at solving crossword puzzles and enters a tournament, where Homer gets involved with an underground betting ring. Voices include crossword editor Will Shortz and crossword creator Merl Reagle as themselves.

Besides Homer's participation in underground betting, our favorite Safety Inspector found yet another calling in life. Yes, another. Sure he's climbed The Murderhorn, gone to space and as we saw earlier this season, become a bounty hunter. But this episode saw one of the most inspired choices in years for a Homer storyline. So inspired I wish it hadn't been used as filler for the beginning of an episode which it ultimately had no connection with. For a free beer, Homer dumps Principal Skinner on behalf of Ms. Krabappel. Word spreads that Homer has the gift of not only taking the pressure off the dumper but also leaves the dumpee feeling great.

In a nod to Hank Azaria's character Agador in the 1996 film The Birdcage, Azaria once again rolled his R's and put on a heavy Latin accent to play Julio, the soon-to-be spurned ex-lover of Homer's old roommate, Grady.

He stumbled upon the backroom shenanigans while at a crossword competition with Lisa. Did anyone take special note of Homer saying, "Gambling is a more sound investment than any stock, bond or real estate investment"? I pondered this line for minutes. Unlike South Park, where the animation can be tweaked up until the day before air, writers of The Simpsons must predict what will be timely months from the time they put pen to paper. In a good economy, this line could be taken as, "Oh, that Homer. An economist he is not." But as more and more global economies circle the drain, Homer is once-again, the idiot savant font of wisdom. Emphasis on the "idiot." Intentional or not, the line was an all-around great Simpson-esque observation of our current predicament.

In what could be described as both a heartwarming story and an Emmy grab, Homer found his relationship with Lisa non-existent when he admitted to betting against her in the contest. At least his bet paid off. Ultimately Lisa lost to Crossword Shark Gil.

This episode provided a healthy balance of humor, story and heart. Exactly what makes a great Simpsons episode! If there's a formula, then that's it. It may not always equal gold but it at least seems in line with the classics of the past. Homer really seemed to find his niche as an ender of relationships.

Eleventh Hour: Frozen

I was thinking how despite coming up with a potentially exciting and wide open concept, the show had so far failed to deliver even a single episode that really felt strong, and could leave me hopeful that in the future this show could turn into something pretty good. Which is why I was rather happy while watching this episode, as finally I got one !

One pretty good episode that, while certainly not perfect, felt quite stronger and better than the ones before it. I think that this was the best episode so far, and a sign that there might be hope for the show to really find its tone and get better week after week, which could result in something rather interesting.

I won’t say this episode was perfect or that nothing was wrong with it, but I would say that I feel what bugged me the most was coming from the local cop. She knew she was interrogating an ex-cop, someone who knew how they work, and yet she still tried to “force” him, or trick him, by lying in a way that was not only enormously obvious, but also had no chance to work.

Also, I wasn’t too fond of the fact that not one but both women were interested in Hood. It’s never really happened before, and out of nowhere not only a young student but also the local detective showed interest in him, which just felt a but too much.

Other than that I thought this was a pretty good episode. I was glad that I didn’t get to see Rachel ask some silly question only to have Hood make a little demonstration for the sake of it. There was that time he was teaching students who ended up helping him, when he took over the lab, but it felt like an integral part of the investigation more than just a little show for the audience.

Hood wasn’t just demonstrating something he could have had explained in a couple of sentences otherwise, he was trying to find out what killed the victims, and the whole experiment with the hamburger was actually serving a real purpose : to see whether or not they had found the murder weapon.

While investigating a serial killer is nothing really something I've never seen, and cryogenic isn’t a new topic to the genre either, the show did a pretty nice job at merging the two and conducting an investigation that kept introducing new suspects, more or less related to the cryogenic company, Forever Forward. And it worked, because despite his remarks about cheating death, and the fact that there were not really any other suspect that really fit the profile (as someone form Forever Forward would have no real reason to use such a murder weapon linking to the company so directly) and, looking back, there were many hints toward the guy, I still didn’t really had it figured out very soon.

I also liked that the episode didn’t lack humor, including what I thought was actually funny. For instance I liked the preservation of heads only, not so much because in the future people will be able to clone a brand new one, but really because it’s cheaper. Plus, seeing those heads like that, with a Futurama look to them, looked pretty funny to me.

I wouldn’t say this show is a great one, but it finally seem to be getting better, so maybe there’s hope…