More TV premiers and finale reviews...
More new TV stuff…
Invasion - with the sizzling hot Eddie Ciberan. This is the latest Shawn Cassidy production, and like all the others, it's a family-based show with a sinister or eerie twist. And like the others, it's terrific. Hopefully, it will be unlike the other and not get cancelled midway through the first season. The story centers around a Florida swamp biologist living in south Florida, his kids, his pregnant new wife (the newscaster), his ex-wife (the doctor) and her new husband (the local sheriff) in the aftermath of a hurricane hitting their small town. The harmless but brave drunk brother-in-law/conspiracy fanatic is also in play. The daughter sees ship-like lights descending into the ocean/swamp during the hurricane, and eventually convinces the brother-in-law to help her look after they find her missing mother, alive and naked (and strangely perfectly unharmed) in the swamp after the hurricane subsides. They find evidence of a crashed plane, and strange, corroded, spine impaled bodies in the water. It becomes clear that the sheriff is not entirely what he seems to be, and that the good doctor is changing - if only in her scent and mind. It’s a little creepy (a little Invasion of the Body Snatchers), and looks like it has a lot of promise. Definitely worth some more viewings.
Surface - this was much lighter fare, though it seems to have a similar premise. Ships/meteors from space crash into the ocean bringing a new form of life (or causing rapid mutation) in the form of large sea-creatures. It had a little suspense, but like Threshold, it seemed a bit more focused on the scientists, though it clearly has other components. Though the science was good, the idea plausible, the script solid, and the acting good, it didn’t really grab me. It's probably going to be a 8 o'clock show, so that's a big strike against it in my book. It's hard to do aliens that don’t announce themselves in a non-horror way in that kind of show. I *might* wait a couple shows and then try another episode to see how it shakes out as a series.
Threshhold - I watched the second show, and it was better. It has morphed into a Pretender/X-Files show, despite the idiotic pilot. And despite being better, the stupidity of the whole setup just irks me, so I'm dropping this one off my 'to watch' list.
JLA - watched the second show of the season, and hey, it featured a 40ish muscle stud in a fur loincloth hero, so I was in from the beginning. :D I’d never seen Kara (Supergirl) in a full episode before, and she was better than expected, but I had low expectations. I'd never seen Stargirl and her mecha uncle before (in print or otherwise), so I'm a little curious about them, but Stargirl was pretty irritating. Of course, she's supposed to be a middle teenaged girl, so I guess irritating goes with the territory. :P
Battlestar Galactica - JUST ROCKS! (I had to say it again, so I don’t start sobbing because I have to wait until January until it's on again.
Stargate:Atlantis - This is one of my guilty pleasures. It's not superior sci-fi TV, but I love it anyway. The 'season finale' was basically two one hour episodes, the latter of which was a cliffhanger two parter to keep us interested over the break (until January). The first episode was very good - basically a Shepherd/McKay episode: easily my two favorite characters. They have tons of chemistry and they both snark, which makes the dialog sparkle. Shepherd is gorgeous and easy-going, but has a quiet darkness under the surface that comes out sometimes under pressure. McKay is the most self-absorbed egotistical genius on TV, but despite his flaws (including hypocondria and feigned cowardice), he's brilliant, heroic, reliable, and just freaking snarky as Hell. He's one fo the best characters on TV right now (trust me, he's better than I can seem to get into words at the moment). The first episode was interesting, a bit of a take on the Matrix, and it gave us a little glimpse into the ancients at their height in power. The story had emotional resonance. The cliffhanger, on the other hand, wasn't very interesting. not exciting. Unevenly written and a little goofy, it left them in a place that they'd never, ever escape from, yet, the hour managed to be uninvolving enough that I found myself not only *not* concerned that they'd be free next episode, but uninterested in how they were going to get out of it. Definitely going to keep watching, but, guys, ya gotta do better than that lame assed finale!
Watch Firefly - go see Serenity!
Desperate Housewives and Gray's Anatomy tonight! YAY! Maybe I'll even record West Wing.
Invasion - with the sizzling hot Eddie Ciberan. This is the latest Shawn Cassidy production, and like all the others, it's a family-based show with a sinister or eerie twist. And like the others, it's terrific. Hopefully, it will be unlike the other and not get cancelled midway through the first season. The story centers around a Florida swamp biologist living in south Florida, his kids, his pregnant new wife (the newscaster), his ex-wife (the doctor) and her new husband (the local sheriff) in the aftermath of a hurricane hitting their small town. The harmless but brave drunk brother-in-law/conspiracy fanatic is also in play. The daughter sees ship-like lights descending into the ocean/swamp during the hurricane, and eventually convinces the brother-in-law to help her look after they find her missing mother, alive and naked (and strangely perfectly unharmed) in the swamp after the hurricane subsides. They find evidence of a crashed plane, and strange, corroded, spine impaled bodies in the water. It becomes clear that the sheriff is not entirely what he seems to be, and that the good doctor is changing - if only in her scent and mind. It’s a little creepy (a little Invasion of the Body Snatchers), and looks like it has a lot of promise. Definitely worth some more viewings.
Surface - this was much lighter fare, though it seems to have a similar premise. Ships/meteors from space crash into the ocean bringing a new form of life (or causing rapid mutation) in the form of large sea-creatures. It had a little suspense, but like Threshold, it seemed a bit more focused on the scientists, though it clearly has other components. Though the science was good, the idea plausible, the script solid, and the acting good, it didn’t really grab me. It's probably going to be a 8 o'clock show, so that's a big strike against it in my book. It's hard to do aliens that don’t announce themselves in a non-horror way in that kind of show. I *might* wait a couple shows and then try another episode to see how it shakes out as a series.
Threshhold - I watched the second show, and it was better. It has morphed into a Pretender/X-Files show, despite the idiotic pilot. And despite being better, the stupidity of the whole setup just irks me, so I'm dropping this one off my 'to watch' list.
JLA - watched the second show of the season, and hey, it featured a 40ish muscle stud in a fur loincloth hero, so I was in from the beginning. :D I’d never seen Kara (Supergirl) in a full episode before, and she was better than expected, but I had low expectations. I'd never seen Stargirl and her mecha uncle before (in print or otherwise), so I'm a little curious about them, but Stargirl was pretty irritating. Of course, she's supposed to be a middle teenaged girl, so I guess irritating goes with the territory. :P
Battlestar Galactica - JUST ROCKS! (I had to say it again, so I don’t start sobbing because I have to wait until January until it's on again.
Stargate:Atlantis - This is one of my guilty pleasures. It's not superior sci-fi TV, but I love it anyway. The 'season finale' was basically two one hour episodes, the latter of which was a cliffhanger two parter to keep us interested over the break (until January). The first episode was very good - basically a Shepherd/McKay episode: easily my two favorite characters. They have tons of chemistry and they both snark, which makes the dialog sparkle. Shepherd is gorgeous and easy-going, but has a quiet darkness under the surface that comes out sometimes under pressure. McKay is the most self-absorbed egotistical genius on TV, but despite his flaws (including hypocondria and feigned cowardice), he's brilliant, heroic, reliable, and just freaking snarky as Hell. He's one fo the best characters on TV right now (trust me, he's better than I can seem to get into words at the moment). The first episode was interesting, a bit of a take on the Matrix, and it gave us a little glimpse into the ancients at their height in power. The story had emotional resonance. The cliffhanger, on the other hand, wasn't very interesting. not exciting. Unevenly written and a little goofy, it left them in a place that they'd never, ever escape from, yet, the hour managed to be uninvolving enough that I found myself not only *not* concerned that they'd be free next episode, but uninterested in how they were going to get out of it. Definitely going to keep watching, but, guys, ya gotta do better than that lame assed finale!
Watch Firefly - go see Serenity!
Desperate Housewives and Gray's Anatomy tonight! YAY! Maybe I'll even record West Wing.