6 posts tagged “24”
There are about half a dozen shows that I follow and without a shadow of a doubt Battlestar Galactica takes the top spot. In fact it annihilates the competition. Growing up in a pro-scifi environment I never realised the prejudice against this genre. It is a loss to those not tuning in; such a stellar ensemble cast, good writing and direction. You can tell that everyone involved cares and then there are the perks: Ron Moore's podcasts for EVERY episode, round table discussions, webisodes over the summer and a geeky music video (which I have watch an unhealthy amount of times today). The big themes running at the moment are Gaius Baltar's trial (I am confident that the silver tonged genius will get off) and the identities of the final five cylons. There is a lot of speculation on the boards but my guess is Saul Tigh... Only time will tell. My other top show at the mo is Supernatural. It has shifted up from guilty pleasure to highlight of the week, along side BSG and House (which has a BIG revelation coming about the gruff doctor's childhood tomorrow night!) - such is my exciting Manhattan life.
Supernatural has a Buffy crossed with early X-Files feel about it but with consquences. I am all about cause and effect, it's the Greeks what can I say. There is great chemistry between the actors playing the Winchester boys (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki), plenty of sarky banther and classic rock references. The background is that their mother died in mysterious circumstances and their father dealt with it by becoming a hunter of all things supernatural. This of course leads to tension and resentment as the boys grow up. Sam (Padalecki) eventual leaves to go to college but is reunited with Dean (Ackles) to go looking for their missing father, and that is where season one begins. You need to watch it carefully as there are plenty of good genre cameos: the smoking man, Fred from Angel, Leoben from BSG and Tricia Helfer will be seen later this season!
Being a born again student has eaten into my couch potato time. There had to be cut backs and several shows on parole at the moment. Season passes could be revoked at any time for CSI, ER, Bones, Prison Break and 24. I am not buying into the ER resurgence, and CSI has lost its faux edge. I need to check to see if Danny Cannon is still exec-producer cos if not that might explain the gear shift down to medicoracy. To a certain extent I am enjoying Liev Schrieber as the mysterious fill-in whilst Grisolm treads the boards, he pockets his used coffee cup in a manner of someone with something to hide. Prison Break has got very blah since they crims escaped and I just can't see it going three seasons. If they tied things up neaty at the end of this seasons the principals would be free to head up other shows perhaps Wentworth Miller could turn up on 24. CTU should so hire Michael Scofield. I'll give up on Bones once I have seen the arc where Stephen Fry guests a shrink. How long till Fry & Laurie reunion?
And finally 24. Which totally lost it last week which introoduced last season's bluetooth man as Jack's Bel-Air dwelling brother - WTF. Everyone knows that Jack does not have family. He was bread in a lab and is a cylon; one of the final five.
It is minus 12 outside. Today is set to be the coldest day in Manhattan since like the last ice age. I wish that I didn't have to leave my bed let alone the apartment today. Oh well, this week has been a bit more aahhhh and a little less AAARRRGGGHHH. This weekend will be my first in a month where I don't have to prep for an imminent seminar which of course translates into me spending the weekend prepping for a not so imminent seminar and trying to finish up my last four Roman history modules. So I will have to welcome Claudius and Nero into my home; they can't be any worse than Gaius Caligulia as combining him and with the Elgin marbles gave me some very strange dreams.
I made the grave mistake of starting The Prestige on Monday morning. I am already two third of the way through even though I am only reading it on the subway and at night before I fall asleep. Okay I'll come clean on Monday morning I didn't get off the train; I just sat there shuttling between Brooklyn and Queens because I got so caught up in the tale of duelling magicians. I need to work on proper film and TV posts as I am feeling a bit congested. Got one or two things to get off my chest regarding 24...
Bauer has been released (without upgrade) and is definitely damaged goods. After 20 months of being tortured by the Chinese he did not look good. But, we can sleep easy in our beds because he did not crack. Though what exactly Bauer would have been able to tell his captures is another matter. Best try to forget that between seasons four and five he was a causal labourer a stones throw away from LA and he was out of the loop. Perhaps he was trying to keep the secret of where to get the best all day breakfast and cup of joe.
So Bauer is being traded by his own peeps for information about the flavour of the month terrorist. He has this "Do I look bovvered" face when he was informed that he would be being martyred for a higher cause. Any how it was all a bit of double cross but it gave Bauer an opportunity to take a bite out of life again and try to save a Muslim (who has a touch of the Adams about him). This Alexander Siddig character has the potential to not be a stereotype and I am oh so happy to have Doctor Bashir in prime time again.
I'll be honest so far Jack is a little bit blah but Wayne Palmer (D.B. Woodside) is now Prez (and many a chav can dream that their little Wayne or Waynette may one day be PM), he appears to be even worse than the last fictional president but we must remember that his mother was a slayer so there is some hope. But there does appear to be one Palmer with balls Sandra (Regina King) - the sister. Is it just me or is the Palmer family turning into a dynastic empire. Sadly Peter MacNicol's is far less lovable as the constitutional stomping advisor than as Larry on Numbers and he has distractingly stumpy fingers.
Catching up with the Archers and testing out the Cornell note taking system. The verdict is that I love it because it streamlines my note taking and forces me to think about the bigger themes of each topic. Man those peeps Cornellians really know a thing or two! I have Alex to thank for introducing me to it as he heard about it in a pod cast, and I would love to spend the summer converting my notes from the first year of my course into the Cornell format, but we'll see if I actually get round to that because I am planning on trying to learn Latin come summer. There has been a little bit of a bruohaha over the Cambridge Latin course. Personally I think it sounds like a great place to start and I intend to order the first book after my May exams. It looks like a more holistic (and fun) approach to the language and it comes with DVDs! Can't think of a better way to spend my summer Fridays.
I guess I better go take a shower as we are finally venturing out of the apartment for dinner at Lupa. I foolishly made the reservation a month ago (such is New York life) without checking the all important return of Jack Bauer - bless DVR! Oh and my Mum drew my attention to this article in the Sunday Times and it is oh so true.
(I've skipped a few days here and there, but will try to make them up.)
At the weekend I caught up with the Doctor (Who of course) and I think I am rather smitten with him. It must be the revamped spiv look with the coat, pinstripe suit and Converse boots. I see pinstripes and I think Flash Harry. Anyhow still quite behind, but watched 'School Reunion' and 'The Girl in the Fire Place' (which sounds like a Tracy Chevalier novel). The latter had some cracking lines: the Doctor summing up school kids as all "hoodies, ASBOS and ring tones", Rosie referring to K-9 as a bit "disco" and then whole awkward situation of Rose/Sarah-Jane "the Mrs. and the ex. Every mans worst nightmare".
There is a nice piece at the Guardian about Spooks (MI:5 in transatlantic translation). I've just finished watching season 4 on DVR and I am not sure when we will get the latest season which has just finished on the BBC. You see MI:5 is shown on A&E over here and in the last few years lets just say that it no longer fits with the network. I know this because they aired it on Fridays at 11pm (otherwise known as the limp off and die spot), but after two weeks they yanked it and showed the remaining episodes in a marathon one Saturday afternoon. It was a sad act because it is a strong series and in many ways so much better than 24.
What Alex really means by "resident entertainment director" is despotic dictator. For the past 11 years Alex has been held hostage by viewing tastes; I had hoped that Stockholm syndrome would have kicked in by now but I haven't been able to convert him to the wonder of British mysteries, Sharpe or Doctor Who. Because we record all our shows on DVR we are not tied to the schedule, but because we record everything in HD and since we have 16 or so shows set up for season passes we have to keep on top of things otherwise the DVR will implode. I add this to the ever growing list of things I stress about: mildew in the bathroom, insects, my course, skin cancer, identity theft, not being able to read everything book that interests me, the umpteen films that are currently released that I haven't made it to the cinema to watch, and eating too much sugar (is there such a thing as too much sugar in ones diet?).
The shows that I am most looking forward to are obviously Battlestar Galactica, then House and 24 (starting in December and featuring Eddie Izzard). BSG is so good that even the 90 second webisodes are more satisfying that a lot of other shows and I think that there is a good chance that we might cull some of the stuff we only watch out of habit.
Old favourites on borrowed time: ER, CSI, L&O:CI (already voted off the island), Without a Trace and Bones.
I don't like the Grisolm/Sara clunky relationship hints ("I brought you a veggie burger") and the sickening potential for long looks over the mass spectrometer. I was under whelmed with the season premier involving Cirque du Soleil and then disappointed with the execution of Catherine's drugged/dated rape because she doesn't report the crime. She gathers her own evidence - that wont be admissible in court - that will probably lead to street justice involving her father. I just wish they had her calling it into the police because it sets an example. I still remember the scene from the British soap Eastenders where one of the main characters is raped and Michele Fowler takes control of the situation and wont allow her to take a bath as it will destroy the evidence (and this was back in the late 80s/early 90s) for the police.
Current favourites: BSG, Prison Break, NCIS, The Unit, House, MI5 and Supernatural.
New shows that have tickled my fancy: Kidnapped, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Smith and Dexter.
Out of the four Kidnapped (I can even overlook naming the ex-FBI bod who specialises in kidnapping - Knapp) and Showtime's gory Dexter are the most intriguing. Studio 60 is Aaron Sorkin's return to television but it is not as clever as it think's it is. Just because the characters talk fast doesn't mean they are smart, and it is not like West Wing dialogue where you have to listen closely for all the cultural, political, historical, biblical and literary references. Last night's show for instance centred around trying to figure out a cold opener for the show (which is an SNL style comedy sketch show), and they ended up doing a version of Gilbert & Sullivan's Modern Major General. Maybe I am jaded and old, watched and listen to too much (predominently British) comedy because whilst it was funny it was hardly revolutionary and something that I have seen before (several times as G&S style is easily reformatable) and was it just me or did they not mention G&S? It also doesn't help that I am deeply prejudice against SNL. However, it is still refreshing to have Sorkin back writing for television but since he has been gone the bar has been raised with David Mamet's The Unit, House or BSG.
