TV WEEK 4/15 TO 4/23/10
BREAKING BAD - 3x05 "Mas"
Respect this, b*tch!
Another week of small changes, big ramifications, most of it marked from people primed and ready to make a change in their lives, only to find themselves back in the old destructive patterns. Walt was moved even closer to the only role he has left, as Gus played his need to provide for his family brilliantly; it also didn’t hurt that he had a monster cooking site set up in the dry cleaners’ basement. That facility was a far cry from the dingy RV, and the show cleverly juxtaposes Walt’s seduction with the backstory of how Jesse stole that clunker in the first place, which of course gave Hank another big clue in his investigation. Hank’s façade continues to crumble fast (his lashing out at poor bewildered Marie also revealed her basic motives) as did Skylar’s resolve to keep Walt (and his big bag o’ cash) out of her life. And yet it seems as if the status quo is far from being returned to normal, as every show bring Walt closer and closer to his self-engineered doom.
THE PACIFIC - “Part Six"
No man’s land
Sledge’s friend said of combat, “you can’t imagine it”, but Part Six did a pretty good job of it, showcasing a desprate, brave, near-suicidal drive over an open airfield in order to continue the advance on Peleliu. Once again, the fury and randomness of the combat proved that in situations like these, there’s almost nothing one can do to stave off death - either you’ll live or die, no matter the level of your training. It’s a testament to the Marines that they took that field under such withering fire, but what a cost and what a sequence, easily the most gripping of the series so far. Sledge proved his mettle, as did Leckie, even though he was wounded and seems to be on his way home once again. Sledge seems well on his way to the thousand yard stare, and I found it ironic that I stated the same line about the dead freak out Marine moments before he did. Keep pouring it on, THE PACIFIC.
24 - “Day 8: 8am to 9am"
Angels and demons
Look, at this point there’s really nothing new under the sun that 24 can do that it hasn’t already done; one could almost say that the plot template is a Mad Libs entry, and the random word choices (“_____ is a mole”, “____ becomes head of CTU”, “the ____ are really behind the _____’s evil plot“) help determine the season’s “twists” and “turns”. That being said, a Mad Libs can be pretty funny at times, and at this (very) late point in the game, 24 can still land a dramatic punch or two. The last three weeks or so have been surprisingly effective, what with the assassination of (SLUMDOG), Renee’s murder, and now this week’s twisty installment. Was it clichéd? Of course, as the whole episode was solely engineed to keep Jack in the game, and as manipulative as it was, his quest for revenge will certainly motivate him as such. But did it work in the moment? Hell, yes it did. Speaking of manipulative, Gregory Itzin made a fine return to form, and his Shakespeare-quoting scene with Cherry Jones was a fine example of juicy, go-for-broke acting redeeming somewhat shaky writing, once again reminding me that it was he that should have won an acting award for this show, and not Cherry Jones. Anyway, a rogue Jack is always a fun Jack, and as as long as his quest for revenge doesn’t get too outlandish, it will have been a good day.
DAMAGES - 3x13 “The Next One's Gonna Go in Your Throat"
Well, if this is to be the end of DAMAGES, as I think it might be, I won’t be terribly upset. Season Two and Season Three haven’t been as tightly written as One, and while Three had one or two moments of dramatic clarity, the overall effect was muddy and unsatisfying. It’s a shame too, with the talent involved. Fare thee well DAMAGES, and we’ll always have Frobisher.
LOST - 6x13 "The Last Recruit"
I’m on a boat!!! (Libby's Boat!)
And I’m being moved around into the final positions of the game. Not too bad for a transition episode, but left me anxious for more. I like how Jack took his symbolic leap of faith, was intrigued by the fact it was a multi-character flashsideways (the group flashes are usually saved for the finales), felt bad for Island Claire (who got abandoned yet again) and was pretty underwhelmed by the Jin/Sun reunion, maybe because I was irked by the continuity error (?) of two people that should have been lying on the ground, writhing in pain because of a sonar fence that was turned ON! We also got further confirmation that Island power has an agenda of its own, with Smokey's claim that he appeared as Christian in "White Rabbit" -- if Smokey is physically trapped on the Island, the "Christian" that appeared to Michael on the Freighter and to Bearded Jack at the hospital was an apparition of a different color. Man I wish I could watch these all in one fell swoop, the hiatus this week is even more infuriating...
Oh, and I'm calling it now that Juliet is Jack's ex in the AU.
(This needs more 70's video filtering/graphics, but is pretty dang amusing otherwise:)
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