Reviews for The Batman, Smallville, The Simpsons, Family Guy and Others (Spoilers)
Also reviews of American Dad and the latest two episodes of Reaper. Also a review for the miniseries "Stephen King's The Stand"
The Batman "The Joker Express"
Surprisingly strong episode. The show has done "Joker has a crazy scheme" stuff to death but this one was actually cool and made sense. I like that it actually effected the Bat-Family (although Bruce getting hit may have been taking it too far). There was nice character stuff and Batgirl (who makes a welcome return) was really cute this episode. I enjoyed this one a lot. It's good that they haven't completely forgotten the Bat-Rogues after all. ****1/2.
Smallville "Wrath"
This episode had me Squeeeing in delight until the extremely weak epilogue. That seems to be a HUGE problem with this show and considering how strong the episode was it's really frustrating that they don't seem to be able to come up with decent endings on this program.
I think it was smart to turn Lana into a villain although I REALLY hope they don't go the "Dark Willow" route and try to turn it into a story of redemption. Clark needs to have a wedge between Lana that splits them up once and for all if the series IS going to have a satisfying ending.
Lex was REALLY smart to tell Clark that it was his (Clark's) fault for Lana becoming what she became. It's total nonsense of course but Clark is a big enough sap to fall for it.
I think the thing that bugged me about the ending was that everybody had a discussion about how Lana was becoming "dark" when what she really needed was a good telling off. There are some things that you just can't justify like kidnapping and attempted murder. I also think Lana using Clark's powers to hurt people is SUCH a violation of his trust (and a potential to let his secret out) that I'm disappointed that Clark didn't outright tell her they were through.
A good episode that was great until the last five minutes. ****.
The Simpsons "Little Orphan Millie"
This episode had some good bits (Homer and his subplot of guessing what color Marge's eyes were was sweet) and was pretty enjoyable but Bart was pretty unlikable throughout. I hate how Bart has the need to make everything about himself. He's really a crummy friend and I love how last season Nelson called him out on it. That needed to happen here too.
I would have changed the resolution of Marge and Homer's eye color plot by having her eye color revealed to be black. I was waiting for that to happen and I'm disappointed it didn't. I have hazel eyes myself.
Once Milhouse's uncle showed up the episode lost some steam. But I really like that they reunited Kirk and Luanne. Funniest bit in the episode was Bart and Lisa asking them if they were really brother and sister. That's a joke that needed to be done a long time ago.
Good episode but the show has done better. ***1/2.
King of the Hill "Death Picks Cotton"
A disappointment. A death of Cotton episode could have been MUCH better than it turned out to be. I think the thing I didn't like about it is that despite the fact that the show has made numerous attempts to humanize Cotton in the past by the time he died it was clear that he was an irredeemable monster. Credit where credit is due: this time it was PEGGY of all people protecting Hank instead of the other way around. I often think Hank is an idiot but it's truly surprising how decent he turned out after being raised by someone like Cotton.
I also found Luanne and Lucky's subplot of babysitting Bobby extremely depressing. There ARE parents as stupid as that and it's just plain disturbing that they WILL actually be parents soon.
This episode left a bad taste in my mouth. It was very well put together but I think it was more depressing than it actually set out to be. ***.
Family Guy "Lois Kills Stewie"
They TRIED to make a joke out of how the ending was a cop-out and it didn't work. I REALLY wish they hadn't killed Cleveland off in the middle of the episode because once they did that it was obvious it was going to be retconned so we were prepared for that. I think the joke at the audience's expense would have been funnier if we WERE angrier at the ending.
I REALLY liked the cameos of Stan and Agent Bullock especially how Stewie confused Stan with Joe. I also liked the family agreeing to start a rumor about Rob Schneider. Although they should have actually made something up instead of going with something that was actually true.
I loved Brian agreeing to try Lois's milk for Stewie but the funny joke came with a plothole. Wouldn't Lois' milk have gone if she had been gone for a year? Or did she spend much of her time nursing Fishmen and Neo-Nazis? God, I can't believe the places my mind will go if I let it.
Decent episode that would have been better if it had made the audience angrier (even if that's the thing I claimed I didn't want last week). ***1/2.
American Dad "Haylias"
I loved the Alias reference in the episode. I also thought the idea of Hayley as a sleeper agent was funny because it's just the kind of thing Stan would do. I liked the resolution of Hayley ACTUALLY killing Stan for six minutes so that she came out of the trance. I also like Stan trying to convince her that it was her stuffed bear that was her handler. Good episode. ****.
Reaper "Leon"
Funny episode. I'm glad Sam and Andi went back to being friends at the end. I like that in this world (like Buffy) the Devil thinks Halloween is crass and depressing. Leon was funny as was Sock sticking up for him and being REALLY shocked at his betrayal. I was kind of bummed Leon went back to hell at the end. He would have been a great recurring character. I like how Same actually talked him out of killing him as he's NEVER used that approach with a bounty before. Good episode. ****.
Reaper "Love, Bullets, and Blacktop"
To complete the Buffy homages this show has we get a role for Mercedes McNab as one of the killers! I was glad that Sam realized that the Devil was probably screwing with him by telling him he didn't believe in love. The ending of the Devil at the bar thinking about SOMEONE was really cool too. ****.
Bionic Woman "The List"
I don't see this show lasting much longer. I think the writer's strike will kill it off. The show is getting more boring every week since every single episode seems to be the same. More Sarah Corvis please and less of this fluff. Yeah, the show takes itself too seriously but it would be nice if it actually had a plot. **1/2.
Stephen King's The Stand
Easily the best of the Stephen King Miniseries done by ABC based on his books. The Stand IS one of King's best novels and the fact that they actually got him to write the screenplay helped enormously. Outside of cutting out the Kid nothing in the miniseries that WAS cut was missed and the stuff that was changed was changed for the better (like Nick's outright rejection of Julie here instead of waking up next to a monster).
Gary Sinise makes a great and relatable Stu Redman while Molly Ringwald is decent as Fran. The BEST casting of the movie though is Rob Lowe as Nick Andros. He may have been a little too old to play the part but he was perfect as the angelic deaf-mute.
Jamey Sheridan (Law and Order Criminal Intent, Shannon's Deal) does a pretty scary Randall Flagg and he gets the humor and darkness of the character down pat. I don't usually jump at TV shows but he has quite a few scares in the movie that REALLY freaked me out.
Ray Walston (Picket Fences) is a REALLY good Glen Bateman (even if he seems a LITTLE bit too old) and Miguel Ferrer (Twin Peaks, Bionic Woman) is surprisingly good as dopey Lloyd Henried. Ferrer usually plays smart buttholes but his turn as a loyal to a fault dude who makes bad choices is really convincing.
Bill Faggerbake gives the best performance he's ever done as the mildly retarded Tom Cullen. The nuance and humanity he gives Tom is hard to believe can come from the same guy who plays Patrick on SpongeBob or the dope from Coach. Yeah, he's done some touching things as Broadway from Gargoyles but this is easily his best performance.
Miscasts? Corin Nemic as Harold Lauder. In the book even though he was fat and arrogant Harold had a trace of humanity in him that is all but excised here as Nemic plays him as a straight up jerk. Laura San Giacoma is only passable as Nadine who she plays more as a siren than she was in the book.
All in all the miniseries did the book proud and I really liked it. *****.
Part 1: The Plague: Easily the eeriest opening scene of ANY King miniseries because you know that everyone in that tranquil small town including the kids is going to wind up dead. The opening to the book was way more insular. The way the plague moves throughout the world and kills off almost everybody is chilling because it's so plausible and depressing because you see characters you have grown to like having to deal with the deaths of EVERYONE they ever loved. Cool cameos from Kathy Bates and Ed Harris too. ****1/2.
Part 2: The Dreams: I love the trek all of the characters take across America to reach Nebraska and then Colorado. I loved Nick Andro's friendship with Tom Cullen. Larry in the dark Tunnel still freaks me out. It was great seeing all of the characters come together and Mother Abigail getting ready for the eventual Stand against Randall Flagg who is frickin' scary! *****.
Part 3: The Betrayal: Best of the four parts because it was neat seeing everybody set up new societies again and how they tried to pick up the pieces from the devastated population. Here the idea of Nick sending out Tom to be a spy is even harder to take than the book because of the chemistry between Lowe and Faggerbakke. The betrayal and the explosion is still shocking and devastating. *****.
Part 4: The Stand: The weakest of the four parts, not because it's bad but simply because like the book the story is no longer interesting after Larry, Glen and Ralph's Stand in Las Vegas. Any book that involves traveling is GOING to have to involve a return journey and that is never more interesting than the climax. I really DID like how everything seemed to be falling down around Randall Flagg due to a combination of his own hubris and bad luck. The Hand of God CGI wasn't as bad as I feared either. Good conclusion to a great miniseries. ****.
The Batman "The Joker Express"
Surprisingly strong episode. The show has done "Joker has a crazy scheme" stuff to death but this one was actually cool and made sense. I like that it actually effected the Bat-Family (although Bruce getting hit may have been taking it too far). There was nice character stuff and Batgirl (who makes a welcome return) was really cute this episode. I enjoyed this one a lot. It's good that they haven't completely forgotten the Bat-Rogues after all. ****1/2.
Smallville "Wrath"
This episode had me Squeeeing in delight until the extremely weak epilogue. That seems to be a HUGE problem with this show and considering how strong the episode was it's really frustrating that they don't seem to be able to come up with decent endings on this program.
I think it was smart to turn Lana into a villain although I REALLY hope they don't go the "Dark Willow" route and try to turn it into a story of redemption. Clark needs to have a wedge between Lana that splits them up once and for all if the series IS going to have a satisfying ending.
Lex was REALLY smart to tell Clark that it was his (Clark's) fault for Lana becoming what she became. It's total nonsense of course but Clark is a big enough sap to fall for it.
I think the thing that bugged me about the ending was that everybody had a discussion about how Lana was becoming "dark" when what she really needed was a good telling off. There are some things that you just can't justify like kidnapping and attempted murder. I also think Lana using Clark's powers to hurt people is SUCH a violation of his trust (and a potential to let his secret out) that I'm disappointed that Clark didn't outright tell her they were through.
A good episode that was great until the last five minutes. ****.
The Simpsons "Little Orphan Millie"
This episode had some good bits (Homer and his subplot of guessing what color Marge's eyes were was sweet) and was pretty enjoyable but Bart was pretty unlikable throughout. I hate how Bart has the need to make everything about himself. He's really a crummy friend and I love how last season Nelson called him out on it. That needed to happen here too.
I would have changed the resolution of Marge and Homer's eye color plot by having her eye color revealed to be black. I was waiting for that to happen and I'm disappointed it didn't. I have hazel eyes myself.
Once Milhouse's uncle showed up the episode lost some steam. But I really like that they reunited Kirk and Luanne. Funniest bit in the episode was Bart and Lisa asking them if they were really brother and sister. That's a joke that needed to be done a long time ago.
Good episode but the show has done better. ***1/2.
King of the Hill "Death Picks Cotton"
A disappointment. A death of Cotton episode could have been MUCH better than it turned out to be. I think the thing I didn't like about it is that despite the fact that the show has made numerous attempts to humanize Cotton in the past by the time he died it was clear that he was an irredeemable monster. Credit where credit is due: this time it was PEGGY of all people protecting Hank instead of the other way around. I often think Hank is an idiot but it's truly surprising how decent he turned out after being raised by someone like Cotton.
I also found Luanne and Lucky's subplot of babysitting Bobby extremely depressing. There ARE parents as stupid as that and it's just plain disturbing that they WILL actually be parents soon.
This episode left a bad taste in my mouth. It was very well put together but I think it was more depressing than it actually set out to be. ***.
Family Guy "Lois Kills Stewie"
They TRIED to make a joke out of how the ending was a cop-out and it didn't work. I REALLY wish they hadn't killed Cleveland off in the middle of the episode because once they did that it was obvious it was going to be retconned so we were prepared for that. I think the joke at the audience's expense would have been funnier if we WERE angrier at the ending.
I REALLY liked the cameos of Stan and Agent Bullock especially how Stewie confused Stan with Joe. I also liked the family agreeing to start a rumor about Rob Schneider. Although they should have actually made something up instead of going with something that was actually true.
I loved Brian agreeing to try Lois's milk for Stewie but the funny joke came with a plothole. Wouldn't Lois' milk have gone if she had been gone for a year? Or did she spend much of her time nursing Fishmen and Neo-Nazis? God, I can't believe the places my mind will go if I let it.
Decent episode that would have been better if it had made the audience angrier (even if that's the thing I claimed I didn't want last week). ***1/2.
American Dad "Haylias"
I loved the Alias reference in the episode. I also thought the idea of Hayley as a sleeper agent was funny because it's just the kind of thing Stan would do. I liked the resolution of Hayley ACTUALLY killing Stan for six minutes so that she came out of the trance. I also like Stan trying to convince her that it was her stuffed bear that was her handler. Good episode. ****.
Reaper "Leon"
Funny episode. I'm glad Sam and Andi went back to being friends at the end. I like that in this world (like Buffy) the Devil thinks Halloween is crass and depressing. Leon was funny as was Sock sticking up for him and being REALLY shocked at his betrayal. I was kind of bummed Leon went back to hell at the end. He would have been a great recurring character. I like how Same actually talked him out of killing him as he's NEVER used that approach with a bounty before. Good episode. ****.
Reaper "Love, Bullets, and Blacktop"
To complete the Buffy homages this show has we get a role for Mercedes McNab as one of the killers! I was glad that Sam realized that the Devil was probably screwing with him by telling him he didn't believe in love. The ending of the Devil at the bar thinking about SOMEONE was really cool too. ****.
Bionic Woman "The List"
I don't see this show lasting much longer. I think the writer's strike will kill it off. The show is getting more boring every week since every single episode seems to be the same. More Sarah Corvis please and less of this fluff. Yeah, the show takes itself too seriously but it would be nice if it actually had a plot. **1/2.
Stephen King's The Stand
Easily the best of the Stephen King Miniseries done by ABC based on his books. The Stand IS one of King's best novels and the fact that they actually got him to write the screenplay helped enormously. Outside of cutting out the Kid nothing in the miniseries that WAS cut was missed and the stuff that was changed was changed for the better (like Nick's outright rejection of Julie here instead of waking up next to a monster).
Gary Sinise makes a great and relatable Stu Redman while Molly Ringwald is decent as Fran. The BEST casting of the movie though is Rob Lowe as Nick Andros. He may have been a little too old to play the part but he was perfect as the angelic deaf-mute.
Jamey Sheridan (Law and Order Criminal Intent, Shannon's Deal) does a pretty scary Randall Flagg and he gets the humor and darkness of the character down pat. I don't usually jump at TV shows but he has quite a few scares in the movie that REALLY freaked me out.
Ray Walston (Picket Fences) is a REALLY good Glen Bateman (even if he seems a LITTLE bit too old) and Miguel Ferrer (Twin Peaks, Bionic Woman) is surprisingly good as dopey Lloyd Henried. Ferrer usually plays smart buttholes but his turn as a loyal to a fault dude who makes bad choices is really convincing.
Bill Faggerbake gives the best performance he's ever done as the mildly retarded Tom Cullen. The nuance and humanity he gives Tom is hard to believe can come from the same guy who plays Patrick on SpongeBob or the dope from Coach. Yeah, he's done some touching things as Broadway from Gargoyles but this is easily his best performance.
Miscasts? Corin Nemic as Harold Lauder. In the book even though he was fat and arrogant Harold had a trace of humanity in him that is all but excised here as Nemic plays him as a straight up jerk. Laura San Giacoma is only passable as Nadine who she plays more as a siren than she was in the book.
All in all the miniseries did the book proud and I really liked it. *****.
Part 1: The Plague: Easily the eeriest opening scene of ANY King miniseries because you know that everyone in that tranquil small town including the kids is going to wind up dead. The opening to the book was way more insular. The way the plague moves throughout the world and kills off almost everybody is chilling because it's so plausible and depressing because you see characters you have grown to like having to deal with the deaths of EVERYONE they ever loved. Cool cameos from Kathy Bates and Ed Harris too. ****1/2.
Part 2: The Dreams: I love the trek all of the characters take across America to reach Nebraska and then Colorado. I loved Nick Andro's friendship with Tom Cullen. Larry in the dark Tunnel still freaks me out. It was great seeing all of the characters come together and Mother Abigail getting ready for the eventual Stand against Randall Flagg who is frickin' scary! *****.
Part 3: The Betrayal: Best of the four parts because it was neat seeing everybody set up new societies again and how they tried to pick up the pieces from the devastated population. Here the idea of Nick sending out Tom to be a spy is even harder to take than the book because of the chemistry between Lowe and Faggerbakke. The betrayal and the explosion is still shocking and devastating. *****.
Part 4: The Stand: The weakest of the four parts, not because it's bad but simply because like the book the story is no longer interesting after Larry, Glen and Ralph's Stand in Las Vegas. Any book that involves traveling is GOING to have to involve a return journey and that is never more interesting than the climax. I really DID like how everything seemed to be falling down around Randall Flagg due to a combination of his own hubris and bad luck. The Hand of God CGI wasn't as bad as I feared either. Good conclusion to a great miniseries. ****.