Calm Before the TV Storm

So I was going to write a big review of Blades of Glory but there really wasn’t that much to say. It was funny. I laughed a lot. It was nice and short like a good comedy should be. Will Ferrell’s Chazz Michael Michaels is basically Ron Burgundy on ice with bigger hair. This movie is not clever but it’s still a great idea. There’s ultra fake dance moves, disturbing costumes and a fantastic chase scene. Jon Heder, Will Arnett and Amy Poehler were fun to watch; and I loved seeing Jenna Fischer outside The Office. If you like dumb comedy, you’ll enjoy this movie.

Now onto television. We are mere weeks away from the final installments of new episodes from some of the most addicting series on TV. As May sweeps approaches, each show will pull out all the stops to end strong and keep us wanting more. Here’s my two cents on what’s currently on:








Lost: If you’ve seen the last three episodes, I’m sure you will agree with me that Lost is back on track. Sure the season started off with a weak six episode arc that didn’t excite its audience but since they’ve come back, they have been near perfect. Desmond’s powers, the meteor accident, the ping pong game, the disturbing burial and the revelation of Locke’s wheelchair causing accident are just a few of the wonderful scenes that Lost has blessed us with the season. For those just sittin’ around waiting for the DVD, you have missed out on some of the best hours of television. Hope the surprises aren’t ruined before you get there.







24: Wow, I’m bored. Many think last year’s season with surprising deaths and an evil president was its best, but I’m still convinced season four with Behrooz was it’s breakout season. It was the first year they didn’t depend on the return of Sherry Palmer or Nina and they managed to wrap up situations that would normally take five episodes in twenty minutes. This season started off strong but has been watered down week after week. Thank goodness there’s five bombs so we can take the entire season to get them all. Milo and Nadia’s CTU romance doesn’t hold a candle Tony and Michelle. The White House betrayals are nothing compared to Mike’s usurping of power. And Wayne Palmer ain’t doing it for me (and I’m a fan of DB Woodside). His sudden reversal at the end of this week’s episode was utterly ludicrous. The wheels are falling off. Maybe they’re introducing Ricky Schroeder to take over Keifer Sutherland’s job if he should perish this season. Now, that’s a surprise that would wake me up.







Prison Break: Well the season is over and so is the manhunt. Next season they’re in a new prison. I’m hoping that Lincoln and Sarah are as smart as Michael when it comes to a prison break. I didn’t mind seeing the man hunt this season, even if they did thin out the herd. At least they kept T-Bag who continues to creep me out. The producers of this show intended to end the series after two seasons but of course money changed their mind. Here’s hoping they keep things as tight as the first season and as emotional as the second.







House: I used to scold this show for adhering to the same formula week after week. They usually think they solve the problem by 9:35pm and then have 25 more minutes to get inspiration from a seemingly meaningless clinic call or conversation. And while this show still falls into the same pattern, they have elevated the drama of medical shows. The story arc involving House and the vengeful policeman was compelling television. The relationships between Chase & Cameron and the growing chemistry between House & Cuddy have been a treat this season. If you haven’t seen this show before, you’re missing out. And each episode is self-contained so you don’t need to know the whole backstory to enjoy it.







Amazing Race: It’s the only reality show I still watch. Unfortunately this has not been their best season. When they announced the all-star teams, I was shocked that the hippies and the clowns were not competing, but the lame Kentucky coal miner and his wife were. I’m also sad that Rob and Amber were defeated and by the annoying Mirna and Charla no less. What amazes me this season is how far certain teams are ahead. Although, it seems like the producers have stepped in and rigged the show again. (You may remember the holding of the plane so at least two teams would compete for the finish line a couple of seasons ago.) This year when Mirna and Charla were more that a full day ahead of everyone else, they were suddenly held at bay when a boat couldn’t cross the water because of ‘bad weather’, thereby reducing their lead by almost 14 hours! C’mon, they were rafting the last teams at 11 at night. Anyway, I’ll watch to end since I’m committed already, but I don’t really care who wins as long as it’s not Mirna and Charla.







Dexter: Okay, this show isn’t on TV right now but you can certainly download it somewhere. This 12 episode season starring Michael C Hall of Six Feet Under fame was certainly a fun ride. Hall plays Dexter, a FBI blood splatter analyst who happens to commit grizzly murders in his free time. Granted, he only murders bad people. This new crime series has the darkest of dark humour and Hall is amazing as the calculating serial killer who is trying to mask his lust for blood by interacting ‘normally’ with other people. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast looks weak compared to Hall, but there has been improvement over the season. Well maybe not for Erik King’s Srgt. Doakes who is a caricature of the angry black cop. He just yells a lot. Fortunately, the stories are so wonderfully told that I can often excuse the acting. The season-long arc of The Ice Cream Truck Killer is captivating as a serial killer tries to impress and draw out the evil nature of Dexter. Also, for you Angel fans, Dexter’s girlfriend is played by the lovely Julie Benz (Darla). It’s a fun show but if blood makes you queasy, you definitely want to stay away.

Okay, so maybe that was more than two cents. At the end of the TV season, I’ll wrap up the other shows that are currently awaiting the release of their final batch of episodes. Can I just say that I can’t wait for the return of Entourage, Heroes and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Once June rolls around, I’ll be revealing my Top 10 episodes from various television shows including Buffy, Angel, Alias, X-Files, West Wing and more. Stay tuned.