While I enjoyed most of this series, I always wonder – much like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – what could’ve been. Throughout its 2 season run, there have been some gems, some lumps of coal, and a whole lot of mediocrity. I especially liked how it built some momentum at the end of first season which carried into most of the second season. The unaired “Epitaph One” episode was probably arguably the best and served as the framework for how the second season wrapped up. I wish Fox could’ve aired Epitaph One for audiences that didn’t rush out to buy/rent the Dollhouse season 1 DVD (I mean, if we we watched it week-to-week, why would we?)

I can’t help but feel a bit unfulfilled. It was building to a solid finale with episodes “The Attic” and “Getting Closer” where you learn what exactly Caroline knows. There were some great payoffs here and some great reversals with Adele DeWitt and Dr. Saunders/Whiskey. All this made for entertaining television until the final two episodes “The Hollow Men” and “Epitaph Two: Return” were ultimately underwhelming.

In “The Hollow Men,” revealing Boyd as the mastermind behind everything was interesting but I felt his reasoning was glazed over too quickly. I get the sense the wrtiers felt there was enough ambiguity with his character’s background to pull a stunt like this, but didn’t give the audience enough time to put it together without having long expository scenes. It would’ve been nice to see that story unfold over three episodes.

There was an especially unwatchable scene in this episode between Paul Ballard and Mellie/November. It’s a crime that Tammoh Penniket (Helo from BSG) can still get roles where he has to emote. He is just horribly bad in this scene. (I remain convinced that the the less Ballard and Echo in an episode, the better it really is)

I really wish I watched “Epitaph One” again before “Epitaph Two: Return.” In fact, I think it probably should’ve been a 2-hour episode – or 90 minutes, at least. Whenever you flash forward a few years, you can’t just expect the audience to swallow all the changes that have occurred. With “Epitaph One,” the focus was on the tech. In this one, not only do you have to focus on the tech, but also create resolutions for all the characters. But to do that, you have to show what these characters have been doing up until you moved ahead in the timeline. Sure, they got the point across with some exposition and you can follow the story, but I suppose I felt I was owed a bit more. I would’ve liked to see the deterioration of Sierra and Victor’s relationship. I would’ve loved to see Echo’s inability to show affection towards Ballard. I would’ve loved to see Topher’s steady decline into madness. There were some scenes in the finale with emotion at the core, but without solid context, you will not connect with the audience.

I suppose this is what happens when you find out you only have so many episodes left before you’re done. You have to take shortcuts to tie up the loose ends AND give the characters the resolution they should get. And I suppose this is why I can’t help but think of what could’ve been with this show. It is what it is, so they say.

But all in all, it was a pretty good run. With the exception of Echo and Ballard, I’m sure the actors will find better jobs – specifically Enver Gjokaj (Victor) who steals every scene when he’s imprinted with Topher Brink, Dichen Lachman (Sierra/Priya) who really showed her chops when they did the Priya backstory episode (Belonging)*, and Olivia Williams (Adele DeWitt) who admirably played ruthless and motherly at the same time.

* Belonging was directed by Jonathan Frakes of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame. This was probably one of the best-directed episodes of television I’ve seen in a LONG time. Performances were great and there was an excellent use of motifs and imagery that you rarely notice in episodic and serialized TV today.

[NOTE: I've added to this post below]

This happens to me every year. The relationship blossoms brilliantly. I am enamored by the newness. You learn something each week. But somehow, life gets in the way. The honeymoon ends and suddenly, you see things for what they are – ordinary.

I’m talking to you Flash Forward, V, and Better Off Ted.

Flash Forward
I think I’ve only watched 3-4 episodes. I loved the reveal of the man who was walking around the baseball stadium during the blackout. I loved how another person who didn’t see anything during the blackout actually died – foreshadowing what would happen to John Cho’s character (who also didn’t have a flash forward) And then they revealed Joseph Fiennes’ friend’s flash forward was actually fake. What he saw doesn’t actually happen and thus throws off the mythology of the show all in 3 episodes. Now as an educated TV show watcher, I’m sure they’re going to call back to this and somehow explain that perhaps this character misinterpreted the flash forward. For example, he was sleeping at that very moment and what he saw was a dream. This would be lame. And because of this, I stopped watching. This doesn’t mean I don’t want to know what happens, I just don’t want to sit through it. Know what I mean?

V
I think I’m current with this show. Again, I want to know what happens but I can’t really handle the horrible dialogue or the uber-cheesy green screen shots of people on the ship. As SFX have advanced in the past decade or so, audiences are pretty hip to good and bad effects. I’m sure many don’t notice, but step up your game SFX team. And as someone who likes to completely invested in the world a show is trying to create, too many flaws (like bad effects, stilted dialogue, and expository scenes) really take me out of it. But I suppose I do look at film/tv through a different prism.

Better Off Ted
LOVED the first season of this show. It’s back and while it continually entertains, I just don’t feel I need to watch it every week. I think I’d be content with just watching it if it happens to be on. I’ve mentioned this in the past too, but they’d definitely changed the cinematography/production design a bit this season. You now see much warmer tones and generally more color in every frame. This contrasts the cooler, slightly desaturated look of last season. I’m used to it now, but it definitely felt different when I watched the first few episodes. The feel of Better Off Ted was there, but something was a bit off.

[ADDENDUM 2/8/10]

The Office
I don’t think I’ll be hurting anyone’s feelings if I said this show’s been heading south since Pam and Jim found out they were having a baby. Michael Scott will always be Michael Scott, Dwight will be Dwight and the same goes for pretty much the rest of the supporting characters. The audience falls in love with these characters and enjoys seeing them react to the random events that seem to happen in their daily routine. But there needs to be an emotional through-line the audience can follow. They need to know that something is going to happen with these characters. This is what Pam and Jim brought to the show for the first 3 seasons. Witnessing the hijinx was fun, but audiences connected with the Pam and Jim storry.

But now that Jim is a co-manager, married and expecting a kid, what’s really left? You can tell they’re shifting the romance from Jim and Pam to another salesman-receptionist potential relationship. Andy (Ed Helms) who is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters wants Erin and I’m sure that will turn into something eventually. That’s just par for the course.

Kudos to the writing staff for giving Michael some romantic pursuits because we got to see Michael fumble through something more than just being the boss. But again, it’s Michael being Michael. Also, the Dwight-Angela-Andy love triangle was enjoyable and helped transfer the emotional core away from Jim and Pam, if only for a little while.

Dunder-Mifflin getting acquired by a printer company called Sabre is interesting, but I’m wondering why it happens mid-season versus at the beginning of the next? Maybe they’re just running out of ideas?

I’ll still watch, but I won’t cry if the DVR accidentally deletes it.

[END ADDENDUM]

So these are the shows that have fallen to the wayside. This doesn’t mean that I’m not watching anything. Modern Family continues to impress in its freshman season. Castle is a guilty pleasure that keeps my interest week to week. I suppose my man crush on Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic’s hotness help with that. But I just love how that show looks – beautifully shot. And the guiltiest pleasure of all is probably Supernatural which is a perfect example of how to NOT take yourself too seriously. The creators of the show have fun with the rules and conventions you’ve established over the past 4.5 years.

I am waiting patiently for the return of Mad Men, which I can now watch in HD since Time Warner Cable FINALLY has AMC in HD.

I’ve slacked on sharing my thoughts about movies and TV lately, so I figured I’d do it quick and dirty.

Film

Inglourious Basterds - Liked it a lot overall despite some valid criticism from people about the self-serving nature of Quentin Tarantino’s writing and some inflated scenes. (What I mean by this is I felt some scenes could’ve been edited down a bit and tightened up) I felt the scene at the bar with the German actress played out a bit too long, but that’s just me being nitpicky. I did love the tension in some of the scenes with Landa, particularly the opening scene and again when Shoshanna meets Landa for the streudel. It was a fun time and it definitely had the feel of a QT film.

It was what I expected it to be. This is always a plus.

Zombieland - I probably would’ve skipped it but a few trusted viewers had gushed about it so I decided to go for it. This was a good idea. This was a pretty good summer according to my previous posts, but Z-Land was just flat-out fun -this and Star Trek were probably the most fun films I’ve watched this year. It’s coming-of-age, action, road picture with fun characters, great set pieces and a supremely awesome cameo that ends the 2nd act.

TV (new series)

Glee - I don’t love it as much as everyone else seems to – but I know why they would. The pilot was great – witty, original, and fun. Oh and of course the musical numbers outshine all the other merits. But here are my problems:

Characters – I cannot sympathize with any of them. Most shows I watch take great care in letting characters reveal their personalities and intentions. I get that this is a comedy and sometimes you don’t always need to have well-rounded characters, but I think I just expect more. I like to sympathize with the characters and none of the characters on this show are particularly sympathetic. A reason for this could be…

Story Pacing – Wow, a lot has happened already from a plot-standpoint. What was great about the pilot was that it sets up the conflicts that the season will explore. You have the Glee teacher vs. Cheer teacher, love triangles between Glee teacher, his wife, and counselor, as well as the love triangle between football captain, cheerleader, and glee club star. (forgive me, I don’t even know the character names)

And in the first month and some change, you’re already starting to see some solutions to said conflict. I do understand that the show probably has more twists and turns up its sleeve for the remaining 16-17 episodes, but so much has happened already. I feel like they really could’ve built the tension of one (or both) of the love triangles over the course of half a season.

The combination of thin characters with lots of plot elements that push the overarching story along over the course of an hour makes me care less and less about the characters. I don’t feel anything when the football player thinks he got his cheerleader girl pregnant because there isn’t enough time to dwell on it.

But maybe you’re not really supposed to. I mean, this is from the guy who created Nip/Tuck where no one in that show is particularly likable either. But you know, I understand who Christian Troy is – enough to care about why he makes the decisions he makes. This isn’t the case with Glee - at least as of yet.

Flash Forward – It’s got enough mystique to keep me watching. The show does suffer from some overacting – Joseph Fiennes who seems to brood too much and John Cho’s aggressive nature feels forced. I can’t comment on plot at this time because I’m about two episodes behind. I’ll let you know in a few weeks if this is one of the shows that just falls to the wayside.

Modern Family – This is the best of the bunch for me. It’s sharp like Arrested Development but also has heart. It’s shot verite or documentary style, much like The Office, but I can’t recall if the 4th wall is broken for the narrative sections. I do appreciate that when they shoot the interviews, they’re mostly shot as a medium 2-shot instead of the standard talking head. It’s also an opportunity to show off the relationship dynamic between the couples.

This week’s episode with Shelly Long as Ed O’Neil’s ex-wife was pretty damn good. The pilot is hilarious as well.

I’ve heard some good stuff about Community so if I can find some episodes online, I might give those a shot. The next post will cover my thoughts about returning series. Stay tuned!

The Heart Songs pt. 1 post was kind of fun, so I decided to start another one with John.

ANTON - After my first Comic Con experience last weekend, I began to ask myself why the science-fiction genre has gotten so much love by the populous in recent years. The genre has had its bright spots over history of film and TV.  (the OG Star Trek, Star Wars, the Alien franchise, X-Files, to name a few) And now with Battlestar Galactica finishing its run as arguably one of the best TV series of all time, and Lost - whose conventions don’t exactly fit within the sci-fi genre, but still maintains that feel – heading into it’s final season, networks are starting to gamble on shows with sci-fi premises. Of the shows slated for later this year, the ones I’m most intrigued by are V (the remake of the 80s mini-series), Flash Forward, and AMC’s The Prisoner (also a remake).

But I’m wondering – why is science fiction more accessible these days?

Ronald D. Moore (Star Trek: TNG, and BSG) mentioned the sci-fi genre allows you to view and comment on our world through a different prism. Exploring and even challenging the controversy of suicide bombing is okay when it’s happening on an entirely different planet called New Caprica thousands of years ago. It allows storytellers to tell tales about the truths that we often are too afraid to face. I’m pretty sure Gene Roddenberry said the same thing about Star Trek back in the 60s.

And while all these things are valid and noble, I feel like we might be giving audiences too much credit. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to downplay the intelligence of sci-fi fans – they’ve been some of the most informed and educated viewers since the beginning – but I’d venture to say this fanbase is and has been fine with being on the outskirts of the mainstream for decades.

My point is that the mainstream won’t suddenly become aware of the allegories – the bigger picture drawn between the lines. Something had to help it. And that something was the advancement of visual effects.

Audiences can only suspend their disbelief so much. At some point, your brain will realize you’re looking at a model, a matte painting, or worse yet, a man in a suit. But these days, it’s getting pretty damn close. Even watching a film like Independence Day, which was touted for its VFX prowess back in 1996. It already looks fake. Hell, even the Harry Potter movies – they “look” more and more real with each installment.

What’s happening is that viewers are willing to suspend their disbelief more and more. They forget about the “movie magic” and let themselves absorb the story and the characters. And then they’re hooked. (well, unless you’re talking about Transformers 2 and then that’s really what it is – ILM showing off what they can do)

Here’s something I read from LA Times TV critic Robert Lloyd’s review of ABC’s new space opera show, Defying Gravity, which premiered last Sunday.

The budget has gone into the spacecraft — the constructed interiors, the computer-generated exteriors — and all the outer space, which looks good enough that you never think about it not being real.”

In years past, sci-fi always encouraged you to come aboard their journey. It wanted you to stretch your imagination. But now, there’s almost no imagination necessary anymore, it’s a real world you’re looking at.

Of course, the next sentence in that review read, “The human element can be less convincing, however, with many of the characters flat or opaque, the dialogue a tad artificial. Some bits are overstated, others feel undercooked.” (For the record, the pilot definitely intrigued me. I’ll climb aboard for the next few episodes to see if it can sustain my interest.)

Your thoughts about this? Also, to what else can you attribute this sci-fi renaissance?

JOHN - My gut response at first read was to repeat what you said: technology’s caught up with our imagination.  Sci-Fi’s always explored in allegorical ways the same way “literature” did but in more fantastic ways.  Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities was full of metaphors, but I don’t know any of them.  Why?  I couldn’t sit down and read it.  How do I know there were metaphors?  My best friend in high school had a badass English teacher that pulled the fun out of it.  But, I can talk about the metaphors in mythology – Narcissus, Midas.  I can talk about comic book metaphors like Kevin Smith made Stan Lee did in Mallrats:

On dealing with the one that got away…

Stan: I created some special new superheroes. They were characters that reflected my own heartbreak and my own regrets.

Doctor doom wears body armor… To conceal his own mangled form, right? Okay. That was me beneath the armor.

The hulk — a normal guy one minute, a rage of emotions the next. Just like me when I thought about what I’d given up.

Brodie: So you created each character as a way to deal with your one big
regret.

There’s always been something grand and appealing and exciting about the fantasy of science fiction because it was far out but it spoke to our souls.

But now, what’s far out?  In Season 1 of Eureka, the whole town had a townhall meeting with the mayor on individual LCD monitors.  Now, that can REALLY happen with iPhones.  I think the appeal of science fiction, nowadays, is that is far closer to reality than falsity.

Remember the run of superhero movies in the 80s and early 90s?  Let’s take away the first two Superman films and the first two Batman films.  What did you have left?  Made for video farces of Captain America, successful but still kinda campy shows of Incredible Hulk and Wonder Woman, and Dolph Lundgren “acting” as Frank Castle.  Bleh.  (Except for Lynda Carter.)  Well, bleh as in visual appeal.

Ironically, the best of those superhero movies came from well-made films and character driven scripts.  Same as Empire Strikes Back.  Sure, they had good visual effects of the time, but we remember them so fondly because they were good films.  I don’t think much has changed in terms of quality.  For every Spider-man 2, X2, and Hellboy 2 we have Daredevil, Ghost Rider, and Elektra (all from the same writer/director, mind you.)  Those first three movies have studio backing and high-priced creators at the helm.  I can only assume they sign on to the movies because their visions for the stories will actually be created.  Artists have magical palettes, now.

I think the same goes for television.  The quality of visual effects is the honey to the masses.  I love Lost, but I’m not sure how fast it would’ve caught fire if the plane crash, the smoke monster, and the polar bear weren’t part of Season One’s scenery.  Overall, television budgets are getting more than they have in the past and they also attract more big time producers, creators, and actors.  Basically, there’s money and leverage to play the sci-fi game and play it correctly.

So, my gut reaction was to agree with you.  But what fun is that?

As I reread your post, what I noticed was this weird dynamic between the ideas of “science fiction” and “reality”.  Sci-fi is becoming close to reality.  But on television, we’re recovering from an influx of SURREAL reality programming.  Yes, I know it still exists, but at least the hyper sleazy and cheap ones aren’t AS common as they were in the early OHs.  We also are inundated with REALITY from 24-hour news stations that can equally be questioned for their quality of reality.  Plus, we have access to “information” on the internet in our pockets.  So, what am I trying to say?

Fiction is closer to reality for most people.  Reality is knowing that Adama and Roslin are going to make some life and death decisions that neither they nor us, as viewers, will completely agree with or reject.  Reality is knowing that Peter Parker is a really good guy and that Mary Jane should’ve been casted differently.  Reality is that Jack Carter (and we) will hear some unintelligible science jargon but he will be able to flip that with a hokey anecdote and save everyone from yet another catastrophe.  Reality is in the fiction because even if we know it’s not real at least we’re only a hop, skip, tweet away from it becoming our reality.

Now that I’m three weeks removed from the brilliance that is Battlestar Galactica, there are some newcomers this season that have been surprisingly good and collectively filling the void quite nicely.

Better Off Ted – It’s Scrubs-meets-The Office-meets-Eureka. Portia de Rossi is great and the comedic chemistry between the two scientists Phil and Lem is TV gold. So if both Scrubs* and The Office** are as underwhelming for you as it is for me, give this one a shot. This week’s episode tackled racism in the workplace – hilarious! Even moreso that it’s on a Disney channel.

Castle – It’s a standard procedural in which the whole premise – a writer getting paired up with a detective – results in the cops appearing not as smart as the lead character, Richard Castle. But despite its flaws, I realized why I like it. It’s X-Files meets Law & Order. The female lead detective even looks like SVU’s Olivia Benson and dresses like Dana Scully. Nathan Fillion has the looks and the charm of Fox Mulder. Hell, even the director Rob Bowman is an X-Files alum. There’s witty banter and enough sexual/romantic tension to keep me watching week in and week out. It’s not at the top of the list, but a decent DVR filler. Also, and added bonus for the great production design and cinematography.Ok, fine, so what if I have a man-crush on Nathan Fillion?!

Dollhouse – I talked mad shit about this show a couple of months ago. But then I watched the sixth episode, which I heard was the original pilot. It was far superior than the previous episodes I had seen (granted, they were only two) – mainly because Joss Whedon wrote it and Eliza Dushku wasn’t in it very much. On this episode alone, Dollhouse may end up back on the DVR list.

*Scrubs took place in the Bahamas this week. There was a funny homage to the Brady Bunch in Hawaii episode, but I can’t help but think the show has officially jumped the shark. Actually, it probably did when they made JD have a kid, but whatever.

**Really awesome to see Stringer Bell on the show.