PGoody's Goodies

Yeah!!! Burn Notice is back baby, and I celebrated with a viewing party complete with mojitos that rivaled the yumminess of Michael Weston himself.

While thoroughly enjoying last night’s episode, it felt a little off to me. This may be due to watching our favorite episodes from last season prior to the season premier. Or it might be the slight change in format – Michael doing his burners’ bidding rather than being the reluctant hero.

The case of the week was so-so. I wasn’t emotionally drawn into Jimmy’s plight. Although, I dig that the story continued the series’ theme of family. And, of course, it was good to see the trio back in action.

Carla’s hyper-polite, sardonic dialogue is great. I almost wish she’d stay a voice on the phone, but the ending meeting-without-really-meeting scene was fantastic. She’s certainly a brilliant cat to Michael’s a bit-out-of-his element mouse – the perfect foil.

I felt Fiona was a little out of character last night, although she’s still Michael’s go to gal in a gunfight. Her puffy hair and highlights in some of the early scenes, while pretty, seemed like a heavy-handed attempt to glam her up. I always found Fiona’s more natural look, which returned in later scenes, a great contrast to the glitz of Miami. I wasn’t really buying her “break-up” with Michael. Again, it seemed like a heavy-handed attempt to define the romantic side of the Fiona/Michael relationship. I liked last season’s more natural flow to their relationship.

My favorite scene/dialogue was when Michael returned home to find Sam and his Wonder Bread camped out in his place.

Michael: … Making yourself comfortable, I see
Sam: Uh, comfortable? I wouldn’t go that far. Mike, how do you fit into these little shirts? They’re like doll clothes.

(The rewind feature got a workout on that one. Then again maybe it was the mojitos!)

How about you? Are returning viewers satisfied with the premiere and the direction of the show? Did first-time viewers get drawn into the world of Michael, Fiona, and Sam? Was anyone else relieved that Sam’s tight-fitting shirt was a bit rather than a style makeover?

Here's a fun list from British mag, Empire. The list includes both British and American shows, and there is an interesting trivia fact for each show.

I’ll admit, I have a soft spot in my heart for the 20-something male slacker/man-child. Maybe I’m a sucker for the fixer-upper. I love Chuck and really enjoy Reaper. The relationship between Sam, Sock and Ben is sweet for all their tough-guy bravado, although I’m ambivalent about the Sam/Andi romance. Ray Wise as the Devil is well worth the 40 minute (DVR) investment of time, but I think they missed an opportunity to explicitly set up Cady as the Devil’s daughter and create another character to mess with Sam (maybe she’s not gone for good). The “soul of the week” stories are hit and miss, but I watch the show for the relationship between the guys and Sam’s, increasingly belligerent, interaction with the Devil.

However, I’m diggin’ recent developments. The boys moved into their own condo and met their new neighbors, Steve (Ed’s Michael Ian Black) and Tony (Veronica Mars’ Ken Marino). The twist is that these guys are demons, passing as human, who have a beef with the Devil. The casting is perfection. They know Sam’s story and are recruiting him as an ally. Hopefully, their storyline will continue to develop a bit of a mythology (although not the complicated variety of say an X-Files or Lost). They’ve already revealed that as far as Reapers go, Sam’s extensive “friendship” with the Devil is unprecedented.

How about the rest of you Reaper fans? Are Steve and Tony keepers?

I checked out New Amsterdam last night and find it worth another shot, especially since FOX isn’t making us wait long. There’s a new episode on Thursday then it settles into its regular time on Mondays.

I was intrigued by the charismatic main character. I like the way he’s not trying to hide his immortality and makes off-hand comments about his past experiences (like drinking at a speakeasy, temporary deafness at Normandy, 600 plus girlfriends, and multiple wives). He calls his dog, 36 (seems immortality makes you give up actually naming your pets). However, I found the flashback sequences a bit redundant. Native American women give him immortality until he finds his true love, I get it. I think his attitude about wanting to find this true love so he can grow old and die is interesting, but I hope they complicate his feelings a bit. Yeah, living forever could be a drag, but oh the things you’d see and do.

My main reservation is the disconnect between the crime of the week and reveals about his past. I didn’t care who killed the woman, which is probably not the main point of the show, but the writers could do better. What will keep me watching is if the writers can weave past and present together into a clever, compelling narrative.

We will see how long FOX keeps this one around…

What do others think? Thumbs up or down?

Just like everyone who blogs here, I love TV. My growing DVD collection attests to this love and my fondness for programming my own marathons – Firefly, Veronica Mars, Friday Night Lights, Buffy, Angel, and Eureka, just to name a few. I can’t get enough of these shows. Once I start with one episode, I find it very hard to stop. Is there a support group for this?

Every now and then, as I ponder my collection, I feel there are shows missing. Two shows that come immediately to mind are Ed and I’ll Fly Away. I think how much better my collection would be with these two additions. I’ve signed online petitions and do realize there are licensing/royalty issues that probably prevent some great shows from getting much deserved DVD releases. But a girl can dream…

So I ask, what shows would you like to see available on DVD?

And, if I may, a follow-up question, what show should be in everyone’s DVD collection?

I’m tickled pink that the writers’ strike is over and that the writers won some concessions. Unfortunately, I still have the TV blues. While I’ll continue watching (can't seem to turn it off), some new favorites (Chuck and Pushing Daisies) are not returning until fall. I’ve been enjoying Lost (diggin’ the flash forwards and the yumminess of this week’s Sayid-centric episode) and Supernatural (this week’s episode was trippy and did the Groundhog Day thing up right). Plus, there's this to keep my spirits up.

However, the future of Friday Night Lights is uncertain. Hopefully, the TV gods will smile upon this gem of a show. I’m doing my part to show support.

Plus, last night was the final new episode of Psych until summer. This feel-good show just makes me smile. I’ve enjoyed the second half of season two, and last night was no exception. The Scooby Dooish scene of Shawn trying to outrun the museum’s security camera to music from (I assume) Steve Franks’ band was particularly smile inducing. I’m also intrigued by the possibility of Shawn’s mom as a regular or reoccurring character (although throughout the episode thought that Henry was going to be named the new police chief). One of the things I love about this show is the constant ‘80s references and music. The scene in the model-centric episode with Shawn, Gus, and various models strutting, runway-style, down the alley to the Pet Shop Boys was brilliant, as was Shawn and Gus singing Come On Eileen at the end. Sigh, I’ll tide myself over with saved episodes on DVR and my season one dvds.

The writers’ strike was not kind to my wallet. I purchased too many dvd sets – The Tudors (very interesting), season two of Supernatural (more consistently good than season one), third season of Veronica Mars (just needed a fix not assuaged by season one or two), and the entire series of Northern Exposure (I heart Chris in the Morning).

I’m anxiously waiting for those lazy, hazy days of summer when Burn Notice, Eureka, and the previously mentioned Psych return. I feel like a kid again counting down the days until summer vacation. Maybe I’ll make a paper chain and cut off a ring each day.

Urrrrrgh!! I wish I wasn’t such a TV junkie.

It’s that time of year when I get obsessed with reading top [insert your number here] lists. So, I decided to compile my own top 5 TV shows of 2007. The beauty of thinking in terms of calendar year is that it spans two television seasons.

5. Chuck Other shows are better written, but I have a soft spot in my heart for this geeky hero that defies explanation. Chuck is a refreshingly simple and decent human being in a sea of morally ambivalent, dark, and complex characters.

4. Eureka This show fulfills my need for a community-based show now that the lights have gone out in Stars Hollow. Sheriff Carter and Zoe have a parent-child relationship in the tradition of Lorelai and Rory, and the town rallies around their own when the going gets tough.

3. Burn Notice Jeffery Donovan is smart and sexy as Michael Weston, the hard-ass spy with a heart of gold. The witty dialogue and sharp character development keep the “problem of the week” formula fresh and intriguing.

2. Friday Night Lights This show tugs at your heart-strings, tickles your funny bone, and reminds you that honest and simple can be a satisfying TV experience. The brilliant cast brings subtly to the nighttime soap genre. My all time favorite TV couple – Coach and Mrs. Coach.

1. Pushing Daisies I feel like the Grinch on Christmas as this Seuss-like show makes my heart grow three sizes each week, and for 60 minutes, joy radiates from my television set. All I can say is thank you Bryan Fuller for letting me rattle around your color-soaked brain each week. I hope this show lasts 10 years, 3 months, 26 days, and 42 minutes.

Screw the Emmys!!!

Friday Night Lights deservedly wins salon.com's Buffy Award, given to the most under appreciated show in TV land.

Maybe (fingerscrossed) this will bring some attention (and viewership) to the best show on TV.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't loose.

This week, the good people of Eureka got in touch with their spiritual side as they grappled with the question – is there still a place for faith in a world of science? As usual, strange and inexplicable things threaten the lives of some of our favorite folks in Eureka. Zoe and her friends loose their voices; Allison is all aglow (and not in a good way); and Seth’s aquarium water is turning into a blood-like substance (you may remember Seth as the botanist growing necrosomnium violacea in last season’s Purple Haze). At first, Stark and Henry work to find a scientific explanation and solution for Zoe’s laryngitis and Allison’s bioluminescence. Stark declares his love to Allison and vows not to let her die. But eventually, many begin looking for supernatural explanations. Stark turns to Kevin and his connection to the Akashic Field to cure Allison, and Larry thinks GD was built on a Hellmouth (my favorite scene of the night – “Hey Larry, what, studying to be Pope?”). Jack suspects that Reverend Harper is responsible for the phenomena as a way to fill the pews at the First Church of Eureka. It seems that Jack is the only one who doesn’t give up on science as he doggedly pursues the cause of the melted glass that connects all the phenomena. As it turns out, sound waves can melt glass. Diane Lancaster, the head of at acoustic engineering at GD and music director at the church, is trying to find a portal to heaven to be reunited with her recently departed husband. She’s built a machine that appears to be successful and is ready for a test run. Jack talks her out of passing through the portal by asking her to have faith that one day she’ll see her husband again, but for now, she needs to help the people who are in trouble. Henry looks longingly at the portal telling Jack that Kim could be on the other side. Once again, Jack prevents Henry from being with Kim by convincing him that shutting off the machine is the right thing. The portal machine is shut off at the same time as Kevin is healing Allison so Stark is convinced that Kevin now controls the Akashic Field.

In other developments …

Jack touches the book of sonnets he borrowed from Henry and flashes back to Henry blaming him for Kim’s death. He knows something’s not quite right and is getting closer to figuring it all out. At the end of the episode, he returns the book of sonnets to Henry, who claims no memory of loaning it to him, and reminds Henry that they are best friends. I’m getting anxious for the day Jack puts all the pieces together. Henry also makes a slightly ominous promise to Diane that they’ll see their loved ones again. This may have been an affirmation of his faith or foreshadowing of some plan he’s cooking up.

Jo and Zane go on a date, and we see Jo’s insecurities about her own intelligence. She’s afraid Zane will become bored with her average intellect. Zane’s pursuit of Jo was charming.

The story line of Zoe wanting a tattoo was sweet as well. Jack and Zoe’s relationship is one of my favorite parts of the show.

Next week looks AWESOME – for some reason Jack becomes irresistible to women. To me, there’s nothing strange or unusual about this. Jack is simply yummy!!!!

Some other bloggers have been posting about their fall TV watching plans, and it got me thinking fondly of past years at this time when I was excited about my returning favorites and looking forward to a few new ones. This year – not so much.

As I watch my new DVD of Friday Night Lights, I’m looking forward to the new season, but at the same time, bracing myself for cancellation. I know, I know, I shouldn’t be so pessimistic. Lost won’t be back until February so it’s basically off my radar. Besides, while I’ve stuck by Lost, my interest in the show runs hot and cold. I’m planning to check out a couple of new shows – Pushing Daisies is intriguing and I watched the pilot of Reaper online and its fun. But, the delicious anticipation of yesteryear is just missing.

One reason for the – dare I call it – apathy is that summer TV has been so damn good this year – Eureka, Burn Notice, The Closer, Mad Men, and Pysch. In the past, I was excited about the start of a new TV season after a summer of reruns or duds. This year, when I’m supposed to be tingling with anticipation, I’m saddened by the thought of only a few more episodes of my summer TV gems.

So, blogging-buddies help me out. Which show are you eagerly awaiting its return? Which new show do you have the highest hopes for and why? What is giving you that tingling anticipation feeling for the fall?

I need help in getting psyched for the new fall TV season. In the words of Buffy Summers – “Give me something to sing about…”

Here’s my belated blog on this past week’s episode of Eureka. This episode moves along two continuing stories – the love triangle of Jack, Allison and Stark and the artifact “accident.”

First, the love triangle – Jack flirts with Callie, the owner of Eureka’s dry cleaner, (she’s sweet remembering that Jack’s been in Eureka for one year) and they make a date. At the end of the episode, Callie and Jack are at Café Diem at the same time as Allison and Stark. Jack and Callie click (“It’s nice when you find someone you click with”). Allison and Stark talk about how they didn’t realize Jack had been in Eureka for a year. Stark tells Allison that it’s because she’s preoccupied with something else, but Allison confesses that maybe she’s “thinking about someone else.” I don’t know how I feel about these developments. I like that there’s been tension between Jack and Allison because she didn’t tell him about the dream device but am not thrilled that they’ve introduced another love interest for Jack.

Second, the artifact “accident” – Jack remembers that things Henry said to him about Beverly, and he’s as curious as George. Surprisingly, Henry turns to Stark as an ally. He shows Stark the recalibration device Beverly planted in Kim’s computer to throw off the readings during the experiment. Stark is interested in preventing any investigation into the accident because he doesn’t want to loose access to the artifact data or Kim’s lab. Henry’s motives are more complex and perhaps darker. He wants justice for Kim, and I hope, he doesn’t want Jack finding out about his erased memory. I’m enjoying the way this storyline is playing out. While I’m not thrilled about the Henry/Stark alliance and think Henry might be setting Stark up for something, it is keeping Henry’s story more mysterious (which makes for good TV).

The disasters du jour are things becoming invisible, including Jack, and GD’s moon rocks are becoming radioactive. And, because this is Eureka, the two are connected. Turns out, experimenting with invisibility is illegal in Eureka. Callie was one of the scientists working on invisibility before the ban and quickly becomes a suspect after an explosion at her dry cleaning establishment (which puts a temporary damper on the Jack and Callie romance). As with all explosions in Eureka, an experiment went wrong. Upon further investigation, Jack discovers the real culprit is another scientist, Frank Phillips (a CIA surveillance specialist and a spook’s spook), who worked on invisibility. The radioactive element, aluminum 26, from the moon rocks, turns out to be a key element for invisibility. Unfortunately for Jack, this makes becoming invisible deadly. Callie, Stark and Henry develop a reversal formula in time to save Jack – natch.

The story of Zoe and her science partner was nice and continued the development of Zoe into a very smart and sweet young woman. I’m digging how Jack and Zoe’s stories have parallel themes each week. This week, they both realize that the one they are crushing on is not necessarily the one they click with.

Chuckle worthy moments:

Zoe calls Jack “Miss Daisy.”

Jack finds out the moon rocks displayed in public are fakes and sees kryptonite, I mean the real moon rocks, at GD.

Pretty much anytime, Fargo was on the screen. Fargo and Jack have great chemistry.

Jack: “Oh, come on, no spectrum super charger? Like night vision goggles, Like an infrared mega-thingy.”
Henry: “No”
Fargo: “Well actually there is an infrared mega-thingy.”

Eureka has a “poop guy.” (I know a little childish).



Dear Sci Fi, Please give us season 3!!!

Don’t get me wrong, I love me some tennis. But I missed having a new episode of Burn Notice tonight. My Thursday night just wasn't the same without new exploits from Michael, Sam, and Fi. I know, I know, there was a repeat, but I have all the episodes saved on my DVR. So, reruns don’t have the same thrill they once gave me catching missed episodes or re-watching a particular favorite.

I should look at this as an opportunity to dive into a good book, but no book would provide me with a glimpse of a shirtless Jeffery Donovan. The worst part is that I have another lonely Thursday looming ahead of me next week (if I am recalling the promos correctly). On the one hand, missing a TV show this much should make me feel pathetic. On the other, this is such a damn good show!!!

Okay all you Burn Notice fans, how are you coping with the two week hiatus?

This episode was stupid funny!!

Global Dynamics has a talent scout, Sam, who gets $25,000 a pop (he’s only responsible for finding them, not what they do once in Eureka). He brought Zane, a particle physicist, to Eureka, but Zane’s a felon who’s been accepted and expelled from every Ivy League school. As a felon, he becomes Carter’s responsibly (“until you think you can trust him”). Carter locks him up, Jo wants to shoot him, and they hook him up to fancy monitoring bracelets (I know a few people I’d like to be able to shock at will).

Meanwhile, GD is planning the mother of all experiments – recreating the Big Bang. Like most of GD’s activity, this is a dangerous experiment. If left unattended, the containment field will fail, and the experiment will blow up the town. Unfortunately, in the middle of the experiment, every one comes down with a “dumb virus” (“Carter, you can’t catch stupid.”). The two guys playing Marco/Marco was hilarious. Carter, now the smartest man in Eureka, has two problems – stopping the big bang from blowing up Eureka and figuring out who caused the “dumb virus.” He needs Zane for the first problem. Trouble is that he escaped after sweet-talking information about the cell lock and bracelets out of Jo. Carter finds him in time, and Zane uses the fancy bracelets to reinforce the containment field (they’re good for more than just shocking).

With that crisis averted, Jack turns his attention to the “dumb virus” and soon deduces that all the dummies all ate chicken at Café Diem. After investigating the chicken farm, Jack finds out that the chicken farmer doesn’t want to kill birds so she uses stem-cell technology to grow independent chicken parts (yummy?). The cloned chicken parts, while organic, causes some chemical reaction that makes people who eat them stupid. A vegetarian doctor, who kept her smarts, develops the antidote, and all goes back to “normal” at GD.

I got a chuckle out of everyone in their regressed state – Allison and Stark’s flirting and Henry’s cartoon watching. With his defenses down, Henry confided in Jack that Beverly did something to Kim (more pieces of the puzzle for Jack).

Turns out, Zane is a sweetheart, giving away his stolen millions. He’s also got the hots for Jo (Carter advises the ballet). I’d like to see him as a reoccurring character and love interest for Jo.

There were more endearing Jack and Zoe moments. Zoe is upset. No one will ask her out because she’s the sheriff’s daughter. Carter advises her to be herself, and she gets the guy. Unfortunately for him, he wants to take her to his parents’ lake house for the weekend. And, Zoe gets to wear the special bracelets (these bracelets are certainly handy).

This was a great episode from start to finish. In the opening scenes, Michael and Fi “pretend” to be boyfriend and girlfriend as they check out the bureaucrat (played by the dependable Arye Gross) who Michael contacted for information. They send in the police, and he acts like a bureaucrat which convinces Michael he’s legit. So, Michael negotiates a meeting.

Meanwhile, Sam gets his Cadillac (what does he do for these women?) and a request from his lady-friend to help out Nick, a friend of a friend. Nick is a professional house sitter and quite the liar. He let his fiancé think he owns the houses he lives in and the cars he drives. This all comes back to bit him in the ass when his fiancé is kidnapped because they think he’s rich. Nick, who’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer (“Halliburton? I don’t know him.”), blows the initial meeting with the kidnappers, and the trio must come up with another plan. Fortunately for Nick, they get a hostage of their own – one of the kidnappers – who they turn into a double agent, thanks to Fiona’s experience with “fragile psychological states.” They hatch a scheme where Sam plays a disgruntled bodyguard who wants to kidnap his rich employer’s wife, played by Fiona. The double agent sets this up while stalling the current kidnapping of Nick’s fiancé. Michael’s cover id is the hostage negotiator for the fiancé’s family. My favorite scene was when Michael’s meeting with the kidnapper for the first time, and there’s a sniper trained on him. To convince them he’s not the police, he reveals his Armani label and says “How do I look? I look good.” (I second that emotion!) He’s also pretty damn cool staring down the barrel of a gun. As we’ve come to expect, the trio saves the day, after some awesome MacGyvering from Michael and some killer moves by Fiona. That girl can really kick ass. I did not like Fiona at first then she started to grow on me. Now, I think she’s one of the toughest (and coolest) female characters on TV. She could give Buffy a run for her money (may Joss forgive me).

Although the trio saved the girl, girl dumps boy because of lies. Sam said it best, “Another happy ending.” Or is it?

As it turns out, the bureaucrat is not a bureaucrat but an assassin sent to kill Michael. Someone is very unhappy with our “free lance super hero, Robin Hood guy.”

Oh, Michael in a towel – yummy

This was a much more personal episode. Nothing happened in Eureka to put the town in peril, but emotions ran high. This one was about family.

Fargo’s grandfather, Pierre, woke-up after 50 years in the deep freeze with no knowledge of how or why he got there. I had good chuckle when everyone was talking to Pierre right after he woke up, and to make him believe, Carter tells him to put on his glasses. Everyone thought Pierre ran out on Fargo’s grandmother, Bella, which he adamantly denies. While Pierre and Fargo toured GD (the moments with Fargo and his grandfather were sweet), Pierre saw some skin regeneration technology that he claims was one of his ideas. Come to find out, he had plenty of ideas, and genius runs in the Fargo family (who knew?) After Pierre’s disappearance, Andre Sandrov, Eureka’s Albert Einstein (“I would have thought that Albert Einstein would have been Eureka’s Albert Einstein”), took credit for Pierre’s ideas and became famous (Nobel Prize winning famous). Carter thinks he might have frozen Pierre in order to steal his ideas, but Sandrov asserts that he just took over the research after Pierre went missing. In the end, love, not science, motivated the homicidal freezing. Another man was in love with Bella and put Pierre on ice. Unfortunately, a side-effect of the cryogenic is the newly awakened Pierre began to age rapidly (poor Fargo was losing his family as fast as he found it). But, there was a happy ending – Pierre was reunited with Bella.

Another family in crisis was the Carters. Zoe, miffed at being denied caffeine and driving lessons, starts snooping around when she discovers her dad sent flowers to a mystery woman. She and SARAH discover she’s Jack’s high school sweetheart, and she died at 16. Jack reveals that her death was his fault. He had given her a driving lesson that turned deadly. I got misty when Jack was telling Zoe the story, which was sad enough. But, when he said that every year after he sent flowers to the cemetery, the girl’s dad called him to say thank you, both Jack and I lost it.

Jack’s still mad at Allison for not telling him about Stark’s dream machine. I think they’ll be okay, but Jack just has to be mad for a bit. I like this tension in their relationship. Unlike some shows, it doesn’t feel contrived. Jack has every right to be a bit mad. They’ll make up during the next crisis (Maybe there’s even a little make-up sex in their future?).

Henry and Stark shared another moment about the accident. Again, they talk about Stark’s lack of responsibility for the accident, and Henry tells Stark that someone sabotaged the computer because they were getting close to discovering something important that others didn’t want them to know. When is Beverly coming back to shake things up?

Another chuckle-worthy moment was when Stark, whose early research was cryogenics (of course), was excited about the first person waking up. His excitement was somewhat dampened when he found out the person waking up was a Fargo. I agree with Jack – “karma’s a bitch.”