Sencillamente genial...
The TV or not TV Awards 2010
I’ve altered the style of this year’s awards slightly to greater reflect the Emmys and the sort of categories they hand out awards too, this is mainly due to my utter disbelief at some of the winners they handed out awards to earlier in the year and so I could stick my oar in on who really deserves praise for their TV work in 2010.
So without further rambling let’s delve into the nominees and winners of this year’s TV or not TV awards…
Outstanding Leading Actor Drama
Nominees:
- Kiefer Sutherland (24)
- Timothy Olyphant (Justified)
- Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy)
- David Duchovny (Californication)
- Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
All the above are worthy contenders for this award, which in a roundabout way was won by Charlie Hunnam last year under it’s ‘Man of the Year’ guise as four of the five shows were my favourite four shows of the year (with the exception of the rather disappointing final season of 24 – more on that later though) and this is largely due to the performances of the leading men named above.
24’s final season may have been a letdown but no one can argue that with the exception of some scenery-chewing guest stars, Kiefer Sutherland pretty much carried 24 across the finish line all by himself. The myriad deaths in the show’s swansong allowed Sutherland to tap into Jack Bauer’s softer side once again and then his downward spiral into renegade angel of death allowed him to give us one last taste of the bad-ass Jack we all loved from day one.
Justified was one of the best new shows to hit our screens this year and that was in no small part to the performance of Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens. The supporting cast, with the exception of Walton Goggins, aren’t really given much to do on Justified so every episode as good as features Olyphant in every scene and he is always great and never once outstays his welcome.
Sons of Anarchy’s second season was even better than its sublime first and Charlie Hunnam was once again the heart and soul of the show as Jax Teller. The supporting sons got a lot more to do this year, which led to Hunnam’s burden being lifted slightly, but whenever he was asked to do the weighty stuff he never once disappointed.
Some people have expressed disappoint of sorts with Mad Men’s fourth season but for me it was the best season the show has had and Jon Hamm was sensational throughout as he portrayed Don Draper’s fall and rise, in another year he may have taken this award if not for the unparalleled third season of Californication.
A lot of people don’t like/get Californication, but for me it is quite possibly the best show on television. You may argue it doesn’t even belong in the drama category but any show that can pull on you heartstrings and be as gutwrenching as Californication can has to be classed as a drama. DAVID DUCHOVNY excelled himself as Hank Moody this year, turning in episode after episode of some of the sharpest, funniest and touching acting you could ever find on TV. Without a doubt this year belonged to Californication on TV or not TV and for that reason this award goes to Duchovny.
Outstanding Supporting Actor Drama
Nominees:
- Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy)
- Walton Goggins (Justified)
- Evan Handler (Californication)
- John Slattery (Mad Men)
- Tim DeKay (White Collar)
The debutants of White Collar and Justified are both well-represented here; Tim DeKay may not be as eye-catching as co-star Matt Bomer but he definitely carries the acting side of the crime-caper. White Collar really became a firm favourite this year and it was largely down to the sheer likeability of DeKay.
Walton Goggins literally chewed the scenery of Justified every time he appeared on screen – the show must have known they were onto something good when they quickly bumped him up from guest star to a main cast member. Goggins and Timothy Olyphant had a superb chemistry together and his return for season two can only be a good thing for the show.
John Slattery’s Roger Sterling has become less of an important figure on Mad Men over the last few seasons but the move to SCDP meant he had more to do and thus more screen time and he never failed to disappoint in his un-PC, bourbon soaked ways.
David Duchovny was sublime on Californication this season, this we have already established, but so too was Evan Handler. Handler’s Charlie Runkle pretty much became Californication’s whipping boy as he was humiliated in every which way possible but through it all it’s impossible not to get behind him and cheer on the pathetic loser and that is testament to Handler’s performance.
This award though belongs to RYAN HURST who built on last year’s brilliant guest role and made Sons of Anarchy’s Opie into the darkest, complex and tortured soul on the show. Opie still isn’t featured as much as I would like but every time he is on screen, Hurst instantly captivates and you can’t take your eyes of the man-mountain. Hopefully season three will continue the evolution of the show’s best character by far.
Outstanding Leading Actor Comedy
Nominees:
- Joel McHale (Community)
- Jay Harrington (Better off Ted)
- Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
- Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
A bit of a tough category to call this one, as it’s often difficult with ensemble shows to decide who is a leading actor and who is a supporting actor. So I’ve made my choices based on who I think is portrayed in a leading way and hopefully there’ll be no controversy.
I had hopes for Community so when it finally debuted in the UK in the autumn I was thrilled. Joel McHale does a great job as the show’s leading man Jeff Winger, he is both cool and funny and McHale has proven more than once that he isn’t afraid to look like a complete fool.
Better off Ted was one of the surprise finds of the year for me, already axed in America when it debuted in the UK, it quickly became one of my favourite comedies of the year. Jay Harrington didn’t initially win me over as Ted; he’s far too handsome to try and feel sympathy for or to even think he might struggle with some of the things Ted did have difficulty with. But by the end of the series Harrington had won me over with his effortless charm and charisma.
Neil Patrick Harris has and will always be fantastic as Barney on How I Met Your Mother – even when the show has an off year, as it did this year, he is routinely the best thing on the show by a mile.
The award has to go to TY BURRELL though, who for Modern Family’s one and a half seasons thus far has been the funniest thing in a very funny show. Burrell’s Phil is delusional, pathetic and ignorant but is also sweet, kind and impossible not to like. Burrell brings a loveable goofiness to the role that could have gone either way in all honesty, but he is note-perfect and he is simply brilliant every episode.
Outstanding Supporting Actor Comedy
Nominees:
- Mark Salling (Glee)
- Tracy Morgan (30 Rock)
- Will Arnett (The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret)
- Chevy Chase (Community)
Does Tracy Morgan belong in this category? Some would argue not, but he is increasingly being treated less like a leading man and more like the supporting clown to Fey and Baldwin’s stars on 30 Rock. That said, every time Morgan, as his alter ego of sorts Tracy Jordan, opens his mouth hilarity ensues on 30 Rock.
The same argument could also be made for Chevy Chase on Community – is he more of a leading man than a supporting star in 2010’s best new comedy? Again I would argue yes, as Pierce is often used as the light relief in an episode heavily focussed on one of the other characters’ less bizarre issues. Chase really surprised me with his role on Community; he has always been thought of as notoriously difficult in Hollywood so to see him take on a part in an ensemble and to do it so brilliantly, really was nice.
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret squandered so much promise and really ended up being a disappointment to me but the one saving grace was Will Arnett. Sure Arnett was playing the same type of sleazy corporate scumbag he could play in his sleep, but unshackled from the constraints of network TV his profanity-riddled performance was fantastic for the majority of the season.
Perhaps somewhat surprisingly though this award goes to MARK SALLING of Glee for almost always being the highlight of that extremely uneven and disjointed show. Salling was able to take the jock stereotype Puck was initially saddled with and actually do something interesting with it, he also made the character go from being unliked to one of the more popular ones on the show, hopefully season two of Glee will see him featured more prominently than some of the less interesting characters we had rammed down our throats in season one.
Outstanding Leading Actress Drama
Nominees:
- Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy)
- Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)
- January Jones (Mad Men)
- Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse)
There can only be one winner here and that is KATEY SAGAL, robbed of even a nomination at the Emmys, no one else nominated here even holds a candle to what Sagal did on Sons of Anarchy this year. She was brilliant during Sons’ first season but for season two she was nothing short of mesmerising and that scene where she finally revealed the horrific rape she suffered in the season opener was the most visceral, tear-jerking scene I saw on television this year.
The two Mad Men ladies deserve a mention for maintaining the high standard of acting on that show – Jones especially because as much as I loathe Betty Draper, that is the point I think, so Jones must be doing something right. As for Moss, she just is Peggy now to me – I saw Get Him to The Greek the other day and I couldn’t understand why Peggy off Mad Men was having a threesome with Russell Brand and Jonah Hill.
Dollhouse was again uneven and frustrating in its second and final season but the gorgeous Eliza Dushku was as magic on screen as ever and had to be included here for playing so many roles on one show and doing it so effortlessly well, and sexy.
Outstanding Supporting Actress Drama
Nominees:
- Maggie Siff (Sons of Anarchy)
- Natasha McElhone (Californication)
- Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
- Ally Walker (Sons of Anarchy)
Christina Hendricks got some of the screen time she missed last year back in season four, she also got some more substantial storylines to sink her teeth into, which meant we got a chance to see what a fantastic actress she really is.
I was worried at one point that Natasha McElhone was going to be forgotten on Californication but once she returned full time she was great, her nomination here is almost solely down to a scene where she didn’t even have a speaking line – that final scene of the season three final as Hank revealed his Mia indiscretion was so gutwrenching and emotional and to do that with no dialogue is credit to both Duchovny and McElhone.
Of the Sons of Anarchy duo, MAGGIE SIFF has to triumph, as good as Ally Walker is as the almost cartoonishly evil Stahl. Siff’s Tara had a lot to deal with this year and seeing her go from the victim to be a bit of a bad ass whilst still retaining the vulnerability that helps us relate to her and makes her almost our eyes in the club as she too is an outsider to this world, really was an enjoyable ride. Katey Sagal’s award show snub really was a crime but Maggie Siff not even getting a look in was also a travesty especially after such a strong year for her on Sons.
Outstanding Leading Actress Comedy
Nominees:
Jane Lynch (Glee)
Portia De Rossi (Better off Ted)
Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
In a roundabout way I guess Tina Fey took this award last year by taking the Woman of the Year title. That said, 30 Rock’s mediocre fourth season and not enough of the Liz Lemon neuroses that we know and love mean that this isn’t her year, in spite of still being a brilliantly funny as ever on 30 Rock.
Modern Family’s two leading ladies Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara are often difficult to separate in votes likes this but for doing the more physical and foolish things for a laugh, Bowen gets my vote over Vergara.
At the start of the year Jane Lynch had this award sewn up, but by Glee’s season end Sue Sylvester had kind of become a bit of a cartoon. Sue Sylvester still is one of the greatest comedy characters ever created but Portia De Rossi’s deadpan delivery as Veronica on Better off Ted was one of the unexpected joys of the year.
Anyone who hasn’t seen Better off Ted really needs to if only to see Portia De Rossi alone. Mrs. Ellen absolutely owns that show and I have no hesitation in saying that without her Better off Ted probably would have never even seen a second season, so for that reason this award goes to PORTIA DE ROSSI.
Outstanding Supporting Actress Comedy
Nominees:
- Jane Krakowski (30 Rock)
- Heather Morris (Glee)
- Alison Brie (Community)
- Andrea Anders (Better off Ted)
This award belonged to Glee’s unsung star HEATHER MORRIS for most of the year, with only the unbelievably cute Alison Brie even coming close to catching her.
Morris’ deadpan delivery of some of the most wonderfully insane non-sequiturs as Brittany is the best thing about most Glee episodes and how she hasn’t yet come to be featured more prominently is beyond me. Brittany is by far the funniest female character on television at the moment.
Community (and Mad Men)’s Alison Brie was an unexpected delight on the year’s best comedy. Only knowing her as Mad Men’s Trudy, seeing her handle comedy with the deftness of a seasoned pro really was a joy to behold.
Jane Krakowski and Andrea Anders were both great supporting players on their respective shows, Krakowski in particular taking Jenna’s insanity to new levels of brilliance but this year belonged to the lady who thought that dolphins were just gay sharks.
Outstanding Guest Star
2009: Jerry Seinfeld (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Nominees:
- Titus Welliver (Lost / Sons of Anarchy)
- Callum Keith Rennie (24)
- Will Ferrell (30 Rock)
- Lennie James (The Walking Dead)
- Gregory Itzin (24)
Callum Keith Rennie narrowly missed out on this award last season but his scenery-chewing performance on 24 this year single-handedly made 24’s final season great even if he only was in it for a few episodes. Every moment of his hammy appearance as Russian mobster Vladimir Laitanan was unintentional comedy gold and for that reason CALLUM KEITH RENNIE finally takes home the guest star of the year award.
I love Titus Welliver – I think he could quite possibly be the coolest actor on TV. He was amazing as The Man in Black on Lost, bringing great humanity and tragedy to one of the most evil characters on television. Then on Sons of Anarchy he was brilliantly scary doing a ridiculous Oirish accent as IRA bigwig Jimmy O.
Will Ferrell’s ‘Bitch Hunter’ cameo on 30 Rock was undoubtedly the funniest cameo of the year and Lennie James’ mesmerising guest role in The Walking Dead’s opening epic episode was definitely the most heartbreaking guest appearance.
Gregory Itzin’s return as Charles Logan on 24 whilst not quite as brilliant in my eyes as Rennie’s role on that same show was still something very special and was the lone reason to keep up with the show heading towards the finale.
Outstanding Drama
2009: Sons of Anarchy
Nominees:
- Sons of Anarchy
- Mad Men
- Justified
- The Walking Dead
- Californication
Justified and The Walking Dead both had great debut seasons this year but realistically they were never going to outdo the old stalwarts of Sons of Anarchy, Mad Men and Californication in their first year (although last year’s winner Sons of Anarchy did win in its first year).
As much as I enjoyed Mad Men’s fourth season this year belonged to two shows: Sons of Anarchy and Californication; and for me, and not just in the interest of fairness, this year really belonged to Hank Moody and CALIFORNICATION.
I’ve pretty much said all I can about the show in my in depth reviews of each episode but the marriage of a veritable smorgasbord of brilliant guest stars, a scenery-chewing Kathleen Turner and Duchovny and Handler on fine form and back together as Hank and Charlie made this season something very special indeed. I defy anyone to find a more stomach-churning episode of television anywhere than the dark and destructive season finale. For me Californication was the TV show of 2010.
Outstanding Comedy
2009: The Thick of It
Nominees:
- Community
- Modern Family
- How I Met Your Mother
- 30 Rock
- Better off Ted
This is a really tough category to call. 30 Rock didn’t have a vintage year this year as funny as that show always is so I think we can take them out of the equation this year.
As much of a firm favourite as Better off Ted became, I almost kept myself at a distance really knowing that it would not be around for too long so that kind of damaged my enjoyment slightly.
How I Met Your Mother, again had another fine year but wasn’t quite up to what I was hoping for and the same can also be said of Modern Family – I know how brilliant the show can be so it can often be frustrating when it falls short of those lofty heights.
Therefore for sheer consistency it is only fair that this year’s winner of best comedy be COMMUNITY. I had high hopes for the show and they were not only met but exceeded by this brilliant, brilliant new comedy. From what I’ve heard season two is even better so I am really excited for when we finally get to see it in the UK.
Best New Show
Nominees:
- White Collar
- Justified
- The Walking Dead
- Community
- Thorne:
I’ve just extolled the virtues of Community above and it may feel a bit stupid that the show that won best comedy loses out here to a show that didn’t win best drama but it is literally like comparing apples and oranges.
Comedies always feel a bit lightweight and disposable next to dramas so it is inevitable that when bracketed together that the comedies will ultimately suffer by comparison.
White Collar really did become a TV or not TV favourite in 2010 but compared to what Justified and The Walking Dead were doing it wasn’t exactly must-see TV.
Sky1’s Thorne: series was another unexpected discovery – it’s not the sort of thing I would normally go far but it was dark, disturbing and kept me hooked for its short run.
This might surprise a few people but for me the best new show of 2010 was JUSTIFIED. Justified just seemed to have more direction and felt more like a proper series than The Walking Dead did; I have every confidence The Walking Dead, which was still great, will address this balance with their second season but for now Raylan Givens swaggered out on top.
Biggest Disappointment
2009: FlashForward
Nominees:
- The Event
- Scrubs: Med School
- Shattered
- 24
Much like last year, the biggest disappointment of the year for me was the most hyped new show THE EVENT.
It was literally like FlashForward V2, huge hype machine but no effort seemingly put into making the show coherent or worth investing in emotionally. There is literally so much going on in most episodes its impossible to follow and the constant time-jumping is distracting rather than engrossing like it was on Lost.
I think the writing is very much on the wall for The Event and I’ll personally be amazed if they get a second season.
Elsewhere, I’ve already expressed my disappointment with 24’s final season – it could have been so much but just didn’t hold a candle to those first few brilliant years.
Shattered is a show I only checked out due to one of my favourite actors Callum Keith Rennie being in it, but purely based on the unrealistic expectations I had based on the star, it disappointed massively.
And what they were thinking with Scrubs: Med School I have no idea – it takes a lot for me to switch a show off mid-run but that is what happened with this utter pile of shit.
Room 101 Award for TV star you wish would just fuck off
2009: Cheryl Cole
Nominees:
- Cheryl Cole
- Fearne Cotton
Only two nominees in this category this year (maybe I’m mellowing) although that said, BBC’s Matt Baker could have cracked the nominees if he didn’t seem to be such a nice guy – seriously man, is there any show you won’t host/appear on!?
Instead it is down to two of the most irritating women in the world: Fearne Cotton (speaking of appearing on literally anything that will have you) and last year’s winner Cheryl Cole.
And as much as Fearne Cotton’s faux-yoof shtick irritates the living snot out of me, how can anyone other than CHERYL COLE be the recipient of this award!?
Whether it’s the cynicism of releasing her new album right after X Factor came back on or her inconceivable tag as ‘the nation’s sweetheart’ every single thing this woman does annoys me and to make matters worse if she does end up on US X Factor her over-exposure is only going to get worse. God help us all.
So that’s it for TV or not TV for 2010, it’s been a great year but 2011 looks like being even better with some amazing looking new shows on the way plus the return of lots of old favourites.
Thanks for reading and see you in the New Year!
Falling Skies - Season 1 "Trailer"
Nueva serie del canal TNT, producida por Steven Spielberg y estreno previsto para Junio 2011.
Esperemos que salga un proyecto bueno e interesante, porque de lo que hay ahora poco se salva.
Esperemos que salga un proyecto bueno e interesante, porque de lo que hay ahora poco se salva.
Athena: Goddess of War - Episode 1-2 "Comentario "
Dije que sería mi estreno de temporada y no me he equivocado, solamente han bastado los primeros 20 min. Athena sigue la estela de su antecesora Iris, buenos actores, buena música, buena acción (mucho mejor), buen humor y buen argumento, y todo mejorado. Parece que la historia transcurre a los 3 años de lo acontecido en Iris. Esperaremos que se centren todos lo bandos para poner sentido a la trama, pero esa voz en inglés ya nos ha dejado con el gusanillo, es Mr. Black? WTF! y...que es Athena?
Mencionar las dobles pantallas o triples, guiño a 24? y esa NTS, CTU total y mola, sí, mola y mucho.Sobre los personajes, ya me han enganchado, creo que Jung Woo-Sung nos hará olvidar a Lee Byung Hun y Soo-Ae hace bien de Kim Tae-Hee. Cha Seung-Won lo hace perfecto pero ya le estoy dando a la cabeza a cómo meterán a Kim Sun-hwa en esta trama.
Y pensar que quedan 18 capítulos...a disfrutar!
Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome "Primeras Imágenes"
Bueno, con Caprica y SGU canceladas, SYFY parece que va a apostar fuerte por Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome, lo único que tiene de momento para sustituir a éstas dos. Serie que contará la vida del joven Adama, con sólo 20 años y graduado de la Academia, el cual ya es asignado al crucero Galactica.
Y con esto ya tenemos los primeros concept art, solamente son imágenes que pueden o no, llegar a ser parte de esta nueva serie. Estoy seguro que seguirá la línea de su antecesora y no la de Caprica.
Fuente: Blastr
Y con esto ya tenemos los primeros concept art, solamente son imágenes que pueden o no, llegar a ser parte de esta nueva serie. Estoy seguro que seguirá la línea de su antecesora y no la de Caprica.
Fuente: Blastr
Sanctuary S03E10 - Hollow Men "Promo"
Supongo que con 2 cancelaciones, Caprica y Stargate Universe, Sanctuary pueda respirar tranquila para una 4ª temporada.
Stargate Universe Cancelled
"After weeks of speculation, Syfy just announced that it won't renew Stargate Universe for a third season, putting an end (for now) to the long-running Stargate franchise on the network. The upcoming 10 episodes of Stargate Universe's second season, which will air in the Spring, will be the series' last. The news follows the recent cancellation of another franchise Syfy series, the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica."
Fuente: Deadline
¿Estamos todos locos o qué? Esto se está yendo de las manos, cancelan series decentes (SGU, Caprica, a punto lo estuvo Damages), los estrenos, sólo uno vale la pena, TWD, y con esto creo que es el peor año seriéfilo televisivo, con diferencia.
Me había dejado capítulos pendientes para estas fiestas, me darán ganas de verlo?
The Walking Dead 1.6 'TS-19'
“We always think there’s going to be more time… Then it runs out…” – Jenner
The finale of the first season of The Walking Dead didn’t really feel like a finale at all which is down to the reduced season we have had first time out.
Although ‘TS-19’ didn’t feel like your stereotypical season finale it still was a hell of a ride, even if it felt a little bit rushed, which again is more to do with the six episode first season more than anything else.
We began with a flashback that showed us that Shane hadn’t been lying when he said he tried to get Rick out and why he then thought his best friend was dead – whether he really believed he was dead we’ll probably never know but it certainly appeared as though he did.
The desperation of those opening days of the outbreak were depicted in all their grisly glory as the military routinely shot both the living and the dead alike with no remorse.
An explosion caused all the equipment Rick was hooked up to go off which led Shane to check his friend’s pulse, it is at this moment that Shane appeared to make the decision that Rick was dead – although clearly he wasn’t.
We haven’t had enough exploration into the backstories of Shane and Rick to know if Shane’s assumption Rick was a goner was steeped in jealousy of Rick or lust after Lori but Shane made one hell of a misjudgement in those moments, subconsciously influenced or not.
If Shane really thought Rick was dead it begs the question of why he risked hanging around longer, with both walkers and trigger-happy military around, to barricade the door to Rick’s room. Maybe it was to save his friend the indignity of becoming a walker should his body be discovered or if he did still think Rick was alive maybe he thought the least he could do for the friend he was leaving for dead was give him a fighting chance.
Back in the present we joined the group where we left them last week at the CDC just after the doors opened allowing them access. Jenner immediately seems reluctant and hesitant in granting them sanctuary but appears to relent on the condition of a blood test for each of them.
When his blood test leaves Andrea faint and he learns that the group haven’t eaten in days he supplies them with a meal and near copious amounts of alcohol, which as we all know – never ends well.
The wine seems to help them all forget as they share a laugh and seem relaxed for the first time since we met them, that is until Shane kills the mood entirely by quizzing Jenner on what went down at the CDC.
Of course they all want answers but Shane’s timing and the look of satisfaction on his face as he shat all over Rick’s success of bringing safety and, albeit brief, happiness to the group seemed to suggest he was merely trying to spite Rick out of his increasingly dangerous jealousy.
The luxury of hot water and wine didn’t bring joy to everyone though as we saw that Andrea was still utterly destroyed by the loss of Amy – to the point of physical sickness. Her devastation would eventually see her almost make an irreversible decision by episode’s end – but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Before that we saw the very different ways that alcohol had affected the group’s duelling leaders. A drunk Rick opened up to Jenner about how scared he really has been and how hopeless their journey has all felt, his bottling up of these feelings has been tormenting him but he had to stay strong, not just for his wife and child, but also for the group that looked to him for leadership.
Shane on the other hand proved how dangerous his lust for Lori really is as he tried to win her back round. After telling her almost verbatim what happened in that opening flashback, which we obviously knew to now be true there was a little bit of sympathy for Shane. Lori clearly now thinks he is lying and just told her Rick was dead to get close to her and fill Rick’s shoes as a Father so you almost feel bad for the guy – sure we don’t know yet what his motives are but it sure looked like he just panicked and made a mistake.
But then any good will toward Shane went straight out the window as he tired to force himself on Lori.
The next morning a hungover group was quickly snapped out of feeling sorry for themselves as they were introduced to the titular ‘TS-19’ or test subject 19 or Jenner’s wife as we would later discover she was.
Through playback of the CDC’s study of ‘TS–19’ the survivors, and the audience, got their first glimpse of how the virus takes over the brain. The symbolism of the nerves and synapses turning black was perfect – the brain literally dies a black death.
Then after a time the brain stem starts firing again but the rest of the brain remains dead; as Jenner explained it’s enough to get them up and moving again but everything that made you ‘you’ is long gone and the walkers are nothing more than a shell operating on the most basic instincts.
The ever astute Dale seemed to be the only one that had noticed the ominous clock that was counting down in the building, when probed Jenner was non-committal, simply stating that is when the generators would run out and facility “decontamination” would occur.
As the male members of the group desperately tried to get the power to last a bit longer, unsure of what would happen if it didn’t, Jenner revealed exactly what would happen to the terrified remainder of the group – a painless, instant death as the air is literally set on fire throughout the building – scorched earth, nothing survives.
Jenner then took it upon himself to lock the group in the control room of the building to give them a merciful death rather than letting them re-expose themselves to the horrors waiting outside.
Whilst most of the group were aghast at this thought, some felt that maybe a compassionate death wouldn’t be such a bad thing. So while Shane went nuts with a shotgun (releasing frustrations far beyond almost dying I’d venture) the likes of Jacqui and Andrea elected to stay behind voluntarily as Jenner relented and allowed the group to leave if they wished.
Jeffrey DeMunn got another chance here to show off some fine acting as Dale stubbornly convinced Andrea that there was something worth living for and that she did still matter and have something to offer the world.
The surviving members of the group barely made it outside before the entire CDC engulfed in flames taking Jenner and Jacqui with it.
The episode and the season ended rather poetically on black plumes of smoke pouring into the air looking eerily similar to the black that poured into the brain of ‘TS-19’ during the study.
Bullet Points:
- The unadulterated joy that hot water brought to most of the group shows just how dystopian this world is that they occupy and just how much we take something seemingly so simple for granted as a society.
Without getting too preachy, hot water is a luxury that many people in the world will never know and it’s easy to forget that sometimes.
- Another fine moment of Daryl gold this week: as Daryl hurled his axe at the doors blocking the exits to the control room, Jenner commented that the doors “are designed to withstand a rocket launcher”, to which Daryl replied “well your head ain’t” whilst swinging the axe towards Jenner.
Brilliant. By far my favourite character from this season, let’s just hope he sticks around for season 2.
- We got a little throwaway nugget of information from Jenner before he went up in flames: the French were supposedly close to an antidote before the world finally went off line. Was this nothing more than a disposable line or could getting to France be a long term goal for the survivors?
- The above point brings us nicely on to my last point in my reviews of season 1 of The Walking Dead and that is just what the hell did Jenner whisper to Rick before he left!?
Fans of the show have no doubt been debating the hell out of this already – was it where to go next or some other useful titbit that might just help the group survive out there? Or was it mainly a Lost in Translation-esque stunt that we’ll never get an answer to and was merely dropped in there to keep us guessing and debating until next year? Time will tell I guess…
Dexter S05E12 - The Big One "Comentario Finale"
Otra temporada más que nos deja Dexter, pero esta vez me ha dejado con un sabor malo. Me esperaba mucho más, todo el capítulo ha pasado muy rápido. No ha sido un capítulo de season finale, demasiado descafeinado. Supongo que esperaba una finale como la 4ª, pero eso es imposible, ya fue demasiado duro el choc para que nos pusieran otro parecido. Cualquiera capítulo de la misma temporada podría superarlo. Sólo se podría salvar la escena de Debra hablándole a dos figuras detrás de un plástico. Creo que esta es la escena donde ha estado más cerca, pero aún los guionistas no dan el paso o no se atreven, a lo que todos queremos ver, la revelación de Dexter. De esta temporada me quedaría con el personaje de Lumen, muy bien llevado por los guionistas y que seguro que lo volveremos a ver en la 6ª temporada. Pero el desánimo de esta finale se me quita con las ganas de volver a ver otra temporada de Dexter.
The Big Bang Theory S04E11 - The Justice League Recombination "Promo"
Esperemos que este capítulo, y tiene toda la pinta, pueda elevar un poco el nivel de esta temporada que a mi parecer está teniendo un flojísimo comienzo.
Damages - Season 4
Ahora me entero que la 4ª temporada de Damages se estrenará en verano, por parte de DirectTV. Con True Blood y ésta estaré más que servido.
Pero antes transmitirán las temporadas anteriores por The 101 Network.
V - Season 2
Podemos observar que el presupuesto sigue siendo el mismo, otra vez dolor de ojos. Creo que es carne de cancelación segura y sin ver ningún capítulo.
Modern Family 2.10 'Dance Dance Revelation'
“Do you think the kids in my village had pocket squares…?” – Gloria
Modern Family sang from that tried and tested hymn sheet this week – separate the adult characters into pairs and have the Pritchards act as antagonists to their respective partners or some sort of cross-combination of that formula. It’s not re-inventing the wheel, but when it is this funny who cares?
‘Dance Dance Revelation’ largely centered around Luke and Manny’s first school dance and as usual the parents of the respective children living vicariously through their offspring.
Claire was back to her highly strung character and was put out that Gloria was
muscling in on her “one thing” and Jay and Phil took a trip to the mall after Manny decided he had to have a teal pocket square for the dance – I love the fact that Manny even knows what a pocket square is at that age, his old before his time shtick never gets old.
Elsewhere Mitchell and Cameron were mortified when they discovered that Lily had developed the nasty habit of biting. After first dismissing a fellow parent who accused Lily of biting her child, Cam experienced it first hand declaring it was “like Twilight”.
This led to Cam and Mitchell once again debating the best way to raise their daughter – Cameron preferring the gentler approach through a cringe-inducing song and Mitchell opting to go for more extreme measures such as putting pepper in her mouth every time she bites, much to Cameron’s horror (he likened it to water-boarding).
Jay and Phil’s trip to the mall was by far the best of the three stories, giving us the chance to see Jay terrorizing Phil some more before Phil finally snapped in a brilliant breakdown involving an aftershave salesman.
Ty Burrell once again stole the show in ‘Dance Dance Revelation’ – his breakdown with the aftershave was one of the funniest things I’ve seen on TV in a while (his camp run as he chased the salesman was genius), the cut-away with Jay intentionally saying Dunphy wrong “Dumb-phy” much to Phil’s chagrin and then Phil’s talking head scene where he confessed how much Jay’s ribbing destroyed him were also great stuff from Burrell.
But of course everything worked out in the end, this being Modern Family and all, so as usual the Pritchards all learnt something and the show put over its saccharine final thought and everyone went home happy.
Modern Family has me more often that not, equal parts laughing uncontrollably and equal parts getting frustrated at how predictable and cliché it can be at times. But when it’s good it’s very good and it is so charming and warm it makes it easy to forgive those groan-inducing sitcom devices you’ve seen a million times before that are regularly littered throughout.
‘Dance Dance Revelation’ was by no means the best episode of Modern Family this season but it was still an entertaining and very funny episode of one of the most consistently funny shows currently on TV.
Bullet Points:
- Correct me if I’m wrong but a couple of weeks ago wasn’t Halloween Claire’s “one thing”? How many things can one woman claim as her own!?
- I thought it was a nice touch over the credits that it was revealed the aftershave salesman Phil assaulted was a friend of Cam and Mitch’s. He just had to be right?
- Danny Trejo!
Danny Trejo’s cameo was partly surreal brilliance but it was also a little disappointing if I’m honest.
When I heard Trejo was guest-starring I assumed that he would be playing some sort of crazy Colombian from Gloria’s village, so imagine my surprise when he was simply a seemingly normal school janitor. It was disappointing in the sense that they could have done so much more with him; but for the bizarre weirdness of seeing Danny Trejo practically playing it straight I don’t think I’d have changed what they did with him at all.
- I’ve read quite a bit recently about the show’s perceived casual racism in jokes made predominantly about Gloria and Lily and I have to say that since reading those pieces from some of the finest critical minds out there that I have noticed more and more that Modern Family does disappointingly often go for that lowest common denominator – see tonight’s “white on rice” line and Cam’s comment about Lily being prone to “flashbacks”. Although the latter comment was followed by Mitchell’s very funny “you know she didn’t fight in Vietnam right?”, it still doesn’t make it right and Modern Family is better than and should be above those sort of lame, prehistoric stereotypes.
- Other great lines in ‘Dance Dance Revelation’: Mitchell’s “Lily’s friend just pulled a Britney Spears getting out of a sandbox car”, Cam’s “I water-boarded our toddler… lol” and Cam bracketing Naomi Campbell in with Hitler and Charles Manson as evil people with straight parents.
The Walking Dead 1.5 ‘Wildfire’
“…I think tomorrow I’m gonna blow my brains out…” – Jenner
After the exhilaration of last week’s episode, ‘Wildfire’ was a more nuanced episode of The Walking Dead supercharged with emotion.
Even without the context of what it actually referred to one could easily have deduced that the title of the episode – ‘Wildfire’ – was a way of describing just how exponentially the zombie epidemic had spread.
We later discovered that wildfire was in fact the code name first given to the outbreak by the government and that it didn’t take long for the virus to go “global”, but we’ll get to that later.
‘Wildfire’ began with Rick trying to make contact with Morgan on the walkie-talkie – I like it how Morgan might not have been seen since the pilot but he has far from been forgotten, both by Rick and the viewer. Rick’s dedication to finding Morgan speaks volumes about the man’s character and his need to feel like he’s repaid the debt he owes to Morgan.
Back in camp we were quickly reminded of the tragic events that ended last week’s episode as the survivors set about burning the bodies of the dead walkers (not before putting a pick axe through their heads though of course) and burying, at Glenn’s insistence, the dead ‘living’.
Glenn’s insistence on burying the dead ‘living’ was a way of trying to hold on to some shred of humanity and semblance of the old world. Glenn didn’t get much to do this week but his emotional plea to do right by the dead survivors was a nice touch and offered us at least a little bit of an insight into how we would cope in these unreal circumstances under the same pressures.
The camp were keen to dispose of Amy’s body before she ‘turned’ but Andrea appeared not to have moved from the position we left her in last week – crouched over her sister’s dead body.
Andrea appeared to be in some sort of trance, not responding to any of her fellow survivors’ offers of condolence; when Rick even got close Andrea stuck a gun in his face and in a nice call back to ‘Guts’ told him “I know how the safety works”.
Andrea finally opened up to someone as Dale tried to talk her round and we learnt, in a cruel irony, that it was Amy’s birthday. In the second call back to ‘Guts’ Andrea offered Amy the necklace she took from the department store back in that second episode.
We soon saw though that Andrea hadn’t become irreparably psychologically damaged by Amy’s death, as the real reason for her vigil over her sister’s corpse became apparent.
Because as expected Amy began to reanimate and as soon as she did Andrea put a bullet through her head. Amy dying in this way gave Andrea something never normally offered in death – the chance to say goodbye to an animated being.
That said, if watching your sister be killed wasn’t bad enough to then have to kill her a second time yourself is about the most unspeakable thing imaginable; so Andrea’s dedication to then burying Amy herself was quite admirable.
The other major development at the camp was the discovery that Jim had been bitten by a walker during the attack. Having tried to hide it at first as soon as he was rumbled, the mob mentality of the new world kicked in as the remaining survivors surrounded him and restrained him.
This led to Rick’s idea of heading to the CDC to try an source a cure for Jim, who quickly started to develop the fever Morgan told Rick about back in the pilot.
This in turn led to the butting of heads between Shane and Rick, of course Rick is blissfully oblivious to the subtext of this, but as viewers it’s interesting to see just how much of a douche Shane is turning into towards his former best friend as a result of his ever-growing jealousy and resentment.
Shane’s plummet further into desperation over losing Lori was evidenced further as it looked for all the world like he was contemplating shooting Rick and making it look like it would have been some sort of tragic accident.
Shane was rumbled before he could even make the choice as Dale caught him in the act and although he might be the oldest member of the group Dale has proven himself to be the most astute and the look he gave Shane suggested that he is well aware that something odd is going on in his head at present.
Before the group could depart we found Rick back out on the walkie trying to raise Morgan. Morgan appears to have taken on some sort of inspirational role in Rick’s life as Rick’s pleas down the walkie begging Morgan to have been right about the CDC looked to me more like a man praying to God. Rick has put his faith in Morgan, the man who brought him back from the dead effectively, which explained his desperation at the episode’s end – he couldn’t cope with the fact that the one ray of hope he knows his still out there possibly having steered him wrong.
On the way to the CDC Jim made the impossible decision for the rest of the group to leave him at the side of the road as he knew he wasn’t going to make it. His decision was akin to a vampire ‘facing the sun’, he knew it was over so he may as well try and find something beautiful out there – his family, who he knows are out there as walkers.
Jim’s “another damn tree” line was a nice nod to last week and no one’s goodbye to Jim was more poignant than Daryl’s. It may have only been a little nod but in that moment Daryl proved that he has heart and cares about his adopted family – even if he can’t bring himself to ever speak that way.
Before the survivors arrived at the CDC we got a glimpse inside the building at the only remaining person left inside – Dr. Jenner (Noah Emmerich).
However long Jenner had been alone in the building had clearly taken its toll on his sanity – much like many of the characters on The Walking Dead Jenner appeared close to a mental breakdown. Making video diaries to no one and talking to himself, Jenner had clearly developed a routine and adapted to his new life alone in the CDC.
His frustration at losing the DNA he was studying of a test subject threatened to push him over the edge until he spotted movement outside the building – Rick and his ragtag group.
As Jenner seemingly refused to let them in, Rick noticed the camera moving and begged and pleaded in utter desperation for his guidance from Morgan to be proved right to his fellow survivors who had doubted the decision to head for the CDC.
Just as it seemed Jenner was going to leave them out there, as the survivors dragged a still gesticulating Rick away the doors to the CDC sprung open; and just to complete the religious connotations of ‘Wildfire’ a glorious heavenly light shone out and bathed the remaining survivors.
Bullet Points:
- I loved Daryl calmly putting a pickaxe into a corpse’s head in the background at the camp early on in the episode. Daryl has quickly become my favourite character on the show and I think Norman Reedus is doing a great job giving him a veneer of compassion that is seemingly devoid in his more cartoonishly grotesque brother.
- The beaten wife unleashing years of frustration on abusive husband Ed with that pickaxe told more than any words ever could – Daryl’s facial reactions to her pummelling her dead husband’s skull to mush were priceless as well.
- I thought Rick’s “Do not enter the city, it belongs to the dead now” to Morgan down the walkie was a very cool line and I nearly made that my opening quote but I just thought Jenner’s line was more appropriate for the episode.
- Shane’s attitude of everyone sticking together rather than splintering off in groups reminded me of Jack’s mantra from Lost: “live together, die alone” – I’ve also seen another Lost parallel drawn in this episode with Jenner alone at the CDC reminding people of Desmond down the hatch.
- Noah Emmerich who played Jenner was last seen playing the shady Agent Fowler on White Collar – he’s a good actor who I’ve always liked, dating back to Beautiful Girls and Frequency and it was good to see him bringing a bit more importance to the Jenner character.
- During one of Jenner’s video diaries I thought the little red record button displayed was actually a red button interactivity display on my TV – it doesn’t really have any relevance here but it made me laugh at the time.
The Walking Dead continues Friday @ 10pm on FX
Dexter S05E12 - The Big One "Season Finale Promo"
Sobresaliente final de temporada de Dexter, esta serie nunca falla.
três novas fotos do Jensen Ackles.
Fiquem abaixo com três novas fotos do Jensen Ackles no Aeroporto Internacional de Los Angeles (LAX), as fotos foram tiradas ontem (05 de Dezembro) por fotógrafos.
JARED NA SALVATION CON!
Gostaríamos de agradecer a todos os fãs que compraram lá passa, até agora, tornando tudo isso possível.No entanto, para todos os fãs que estão esperando por Jensen Ackles a ser anunciado: cabe a você. Tudo depende do que os fãs deste excelente programa para manter passes de compra, photo-ops, autógrafos, etc, para que possamos continuar trazendo a boa notícia para você.
Nas semanas seguintes, mais surpresas serão reveladas, que vai manter Eventos Clipremiere provando que é um sério e competente, o que está acontecendo para que isso aconteça: a primeira convenção de Supernatural em Portugal, onde os fãs têm a oportunidade única de conhecer o seu favorito atores em pessoa.
Você quer Jensen Ackles e atores mais a ser os próximos convidados anunciados? Em seguida, contribuir através da compra de seu passe e foto-ops, de modo que Dean, e outros personagens do seu gosto também pode ser aqui no próximo ano para interagir com nós, os fãs deste programa de TV fantástico.
Temos uma nova promoção que começa neste fim de semana. As primeiras 5 pessoas que forma uma passagem de Angel, receberá um presente especial do conv (a partir de nossa mercadoria exclusiva que virá em breve, muito útil para salvar seus animais do conv).
NOTA IMPORTANTE: Vendas para a foto-ops, e sessões de autógrafos adicionais almoço começará no próximo sábado, 04 de dezembro, ao meio-dia - 12:00 (horário Português). Para mais informações sobre preços, clique em "ler mais" ...
POR FAVOR, antes da compra ou ordem de um passe, op foto, autógrafo, etc, leia atentamente "PAGAMENTO" seção (chefe do site, os métodos de pagamento da loja --->). É muito importante que você leu. Graças.
FOTO OPS_ Jared Padalecki .........................75 € (+ 21% IVA) - primeiro grupo de 200 foto -
Padalecki AUTOGRAPHS_JARED ........................50 € (+ 21% IVA)
ALMOÇO SESSION_JARED Padalecki ......................250 € (+ 21% IVA) - um número muito limitado
* Pagamento em duas e três parcelas estarão disponíveis para a foto-ops, autógrafos e sessões de almoço (cada parcela será equivalente a metade da quantidade do item que deseja comprar)
** É um bom momento para pedir seu passe e bilhetes, porque próximo 01 de janeiro de 2011, o IVA em Portugal vai crescer até 23%, e os preços vão mudar.
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