art crawl!!!! o/
The Middleman is the Best Show No One Very Few People Watched
Or, Why You Should Buy The DVDs Tomorrow, July 28th
The Middleman started as a pilot script written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach. Problem was, he couldn't get anybody to buy it or make it. Someone (I think it was Paul Dini) suggested he take the story and make it a comic series instead, so Javi teamed up with Les McClane and they made a three volume series of awesomeness. Then, with the first volume of the comics written back in tv script format, ABC Family decided to make the show. Yay!
The Middleman: If we don't crack this, we're going to end up manacled to a doomsday device while a friendly female voice counts down the seconds to detonation.
Wendy: Will this scenario involve me wearing a bikini again?
The Middleman: Not necessary. But it will involve a carefully worded monologue, which will be the last thing we hear.
"The Middleman" is about the guy in the Eisenhower jacket, a.k.a. THE MIDDLEMAN. He solves exotic problems. Some of the exotic problems he will encounter during the show: trout zombies, vampire puppets, cursed tubas, and boy bands. The Middleman has an old-fashioned, "aw shucks" quality about him (he doesn't swear or drink anything stronger than milk) that is entertaining and endearing and never comes off as ridiculous or mocking. He recruits the awesome WENDY WATSON to be his sidekick/Middleman-in-training. She's a snarky artist who just wants a job to pay the bills but gives her enough time to paint. She saves the world in her own way. :D They're pretty much the best partners ever.
Wendy: I gotta ask you something: how can a Navy SEAL not cuss? I mean, you're all "darn," and "jeepers," and "criminey." What's up with that?
The Middleman: Profanity cheapens the soul and weakens the mind.
Wendy: Well, maybe, but every once in a while you could let out a [BLEEP] or a [BLEEP].
The Middleman: You kiss your mother with that mouth? Huh? Garbage mouth? Yes, you.
Wendy has to balance her job and her regular life. She's got her roommate Lacey, her friend Noser, and Tyler. Tyler comes and goes but trust me, you'll [fall in] love [with] Tyler.
Lacey: The seventh grade called; they want their maturity back.
There's also Ida. Ida is the android who assists the Middleman and runs the Jolly Fats Wehawkin Employment Agency (the recruitment front for the Middleman Organization). Just know this: Ida can [verbally] kick your ass any day of the week. And she can roller skate. She's fantastic. Totally love Ida.
The Middleman: I can't stop wondering, Ida, what if she's right?
Ida: I don't care.
The Middleman: Am I obsessing over this potential zombie attack because deep down inside I truly feel that her accomplishment with Sensei Ping somehow diminishes my own?
Ida: I don't care.
The Middleman: What if I am penalizing her without even knowing it? What if I envy the fact that she's the kind of person who can have a full and vibrant social life and the support of Sensei Ping?
Ida: Hold the presses, there's something you need to know right away.
The Middleman: Golly, what?
Ida: I don't care.
Another thing to keep in mind: Mark Sheppard guest-stars in the last two episodes. This shouldn't be all that surprising because MARK SHEPPARD IS EVERYWHERE but he's frakkin' awesome so it's all good.
And everything (and everyone) is really pretty! (The following photos were taken by Ralph King and snagged from The Middleblog.)
Please note: it is totally normal to have crushes on everyone. ;)
The Middleman: You let yourself become distracted and the next thing you know a geologic rift opens and the city is overrun by three-toed hominids who once battled man for dominance while you've got your tighty-whiteys around your ankles.
Wendy: That happened to you, didn't it?
The eye candy and the fun characters aren't the only draw for this show. The hilarious situations and cases the Middleman and Wendy are involved in are totally fun. And then there's the dialogue and pop culture references. Off the top of my head, I can think of references to Buffy, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Ghostbusters, Doctor Who, Back to the Future, Dune, Indiana Jones, Die Hard, Star Wars, Star Trek, and I know there are tons more than that.
Tyler: Did your boss just call you on your watch about a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster?
So, to recap, this show has:
• Awesome, good-looking, kickass characters
• Interesting cases
• Hilarious storylines and quotes
• Ida
• Plans that are sheer elegance in their simplicity
• Disguises and fake credentials
• Pop culture references out the wazoo
• Fast, snappy, awesome dialogue
• Mark Sheppard
• Zombies, vampires, alternate universes, sorority houses, evil boy bands...
• Romance
• The Middleman's profanity-free exclamations
• ART CRAWL!
I shall also direct you to taraljc's 101 Reasons to Love The Middleman. If you've never seen the show at all, there are some spoilers that I would consider minor to mild. If you want to go in blind, read that post after you buy the DVDs and revel in the awesomeness of The Middleman.
The short version:
This show can be summed up in one word: FUN. The characters are unique, the situations they deal with are hilarious, the dialogue is smart and funny, the pop culture references are everywhere, and it all comes together in amazing little 42-minute packages just for you. I fell completely in love with this show by the end of the pilot and, in my opinion, the show only goes up from there. So go buy the DVDs and fall in love with the show, too!