TV Rants And Raves 1.18.12: Back In The Saddle

Posted by Ben Piper on 01.18.2012

Rants and raves regarding the premieres of JJ Abrams' new hit series Alcatraz and the Bones spin-off The Finder, the return of Fringe, the season finale of Leverage and more!


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Hello, and welcome back once again to my own little slice of the 411 playground. TV Rants and Raves as presented by Ben Piper. Miss me? Be honest, now…

Yes, I took a month off and let others play in my sandbox for the time being (Speaking of which, many thanks to both Dimitri and Mike for filling in for me respectively back in the latter weeks of December as well as last week) and in the meantime I oversaw the Year End 411 Movie and TV awards, which was a lot of fun and empowering to be allowed once again to oversee, albeit at times stressful to be sure. The 411 staff that came out to play did just that, they voted their consciences, and I think that the winners that we came up with for the most part were the right ones. Did I entirely agree? No, I don't in some instances, but I was just one guy who was out-voted.

Of course, the trolls shat all over it. Which I know by now I should keep expecting, but when people complain about Breaking Bad winning Best TV Drama, all I can do is sit back and think to myself "really"?

And yes, I get all the hate for First Class winning best movie. Wasn't my first choice, but again, a good cross section of the entire staff (meaning not just the Movie/TV Zone guys) took part, and the populist vote ended up winning. It is what it is.

But enough of all that. That's so last week. With all our favorite TV shows returning to the air, as well as some newbies added into the mix, we've got plenty to talk about and cover.

TV Rants and Raves



Finding The Way: Last year we were introduced to the two main characters of Fox's new procedural dramedy The Finder via an episode of Bones which served as the back door pilot thereof. While I thought that episode itself was alright, I didn't care for how it took half of it and devoted it to setting up and introducing these characters at the expense of those we were already more familiar and comfortable with. But that's another story altogether.

So this past Thursday night The Finder debuted. Returning as highly decorated ex MP Walter Sherman was Geoff Stults, whose character suffered a severe brain injury in Iraq that unexpectedly enables him to have the skill set to find anyone or anything in the world, via deductive reasoning and the ability to see the lines that connect the threads of a situation that no one else can possibly see.

He's teamed with Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan, who plays Leo, Walter's loyally steadfast sidekick/bodyguard/lawyer. The two of them have an easily believable familiarity with one another, lending the impression that these two have been thick as thieves for a long while. It's a good dynamic chemistry between the two of them, as while Walter is the quirky nonchalant genius at what he does, Leo is not only working as his muscle and legal advice but also serves to not only ground him but act as his mouthpiece when Walter becomes far too direct and blunt in the pursuit of the case he is following.

While in the Bones episode they were teamed with Saffron Burrows, here they now have not one but two females to also work off of. First one being a hot U.S. Marshall (Mercedes Marchone) whom they trade quid quo pros with (amongst possible other things in terms of Walter) as well as a teenaged parolee (Maddie Hanson) with a gypsy criminal family background that they oversee and try to keep on the straight and narrow.

Much like Bones, this is a procedural with a lighter air about it. I've seen many online critics describe it as being a perfect fit for the USA Network's current line-up of shows, and I can't say I really disagree in terms of that. You've got the quirky genius character at the center and then you surround him with a supporting cast up to the task, you're good to go.

While I found this first episode pretty enjoyable as it reintroduced us into the characters and situations, again it's pretty lightweight. While I do think that it is a very good companion series to the show that it's spun-off of, (Both are overseen by showrunner Hart Hanson) it has yet to really grow on me in any way. Understandable, considering it's only been one episode. But when one considers that there is more than one show of this ilk currently on the airwaves (Bones, The Mentalist, Psych, etc.) it's got a ways to go before it truly impresses me.

So, thumbs up from me thus far. But again, we shall wait and see long-term.



Back In The Alt-Verse(s): Fringe returned this past week after a lengthy hiatus. As I reported when I last wrote about the show, I was kind of irritated that what was intended to be the fall finale was bumped back due to the World Series going to a Game 7, so we had to wait pretty much over a month until we finally got to see the cliffhanger that the showrunners had intended. (But at least, looking back over it all now, we no longer have to wait a long period of time to see what occurs next)

Utterly convinced that this new timeline he finds himself in with all the familiar faces that no longer recognize him or knows him how he once knew them, Peter Bishop has made the decision that he must get back to the reality from which he originated, which is clearly not this place. He is determined and desperate to get back to the woman he loves and the Father he's made peace with. The fact that they both are here in front of him is no comfort, for as he sees it, they aren't the ones he left behind and he remembers, as they in turn clearly don't remember him and his significance in their lives.

As such, early in this episode he seeks out Walter, whom of course is horrified to see his pseudo-son. Which in turns leads to a fantastic emotional exchange of dialogue….

Peter: Hello, Walter. I have to talk to you about the machine. Walter, the machine was powerful enough to pop me out of my timeline. And I think it's the only thing that can get me back to where I belong. You built the thing. You're the only person that can help me reconfigure its matrix…

Walter: The Machine is… Staggeringly dangerous. It's capable of destroying universes.

Peter: I know. And maybe I am, too. I have tried to respect your boundaries; I have stayed away, Walter. But I've got to get home now. And you're the only person that can help me do that. I have been separated from my family. And you of all people should understand how desperate I am to get back.

Walter sits and takes this all in and thinks for a moment before responding.

Walter: The water was still running in the sink. She must have come to her decision while she was washing the dishes.

Peter: What?

Walter: I knew almost immediately. Even before I found the body. There was no note. There didn't need to be. We had just lost our only child. I should have mourned with her. Be there. But instead I let her grieve alone so I could focus on finding a way into the alternate universe so I could save someone else's child. My actions caused the death of my wife. And unspeakable damage to two universes. I lost my career, and my sanity. All because I tried to help another Peter. I may be the only man that can help you. But I am also the only man that cannot.

I bring this early scene up for a reason. Fringe has always been a show about allowing it's out-there sci-fi freak flag fly, which is a great big reason why I love it so much. But with the direction this season has taken with Peter wiped from existence before finally reincorporating only to find that no one remembers him I've been worried that that might have possibly taken things too far by essentially wiping the first three seasons out of existence. While I know essentially that is not the case, one can't help but to worry as a fan. But it is scenes such as these that have been peppered throughout this fourth season thus far where the underlying humanity of the main characters have been laid so bare that I just had a gut instinct to bite my tongue and go with it. Fantastic stuff, and wonderfully acted.

This led Peter to his next and final course of action as he saw it. Venture into the Alt-verse and seek out Walternate's help. Olivia and Lincoln saw this as a great idea as it would allow them to snoop around over there and see what "over-there's" seemingly big bad is up to, considering they've been up to their ears in translucent skinned next-gen shapeshifters as of late. Naturally Peter wants nothing to do with this, and is apologetic, but not only is that not his fight, he's got his own fish to fry and his only concern is himself and getting back to where he truly belongs.

Olivia and Lincoln begrudgingly seemingly agree with him on this notion, but it doesn't really work out that way, as Peter and Agent Lee get caught in the Alt-verse, shit hits the fan, and all hell breaks loose and they are both being hunted down as a result.

Which again brings us to another wonderful scene where Walternate's wife finds a grown man in her house and instantly recognizes the grown-up son she had lost so many years before, only for him to explain that he isn't really hers, but somebody from another universe, just looking for a way to get back to what he considers truly ‘home'. Again, the humanity and the genuine emotions present in this scene is what really works to counterbalance just how far and out there this show has gone during this current season.

And seemingly, as it turns out, Walternate isn't the big bad he's been made out to be, as it is revealed that the once thought dead since season two baddie David Robert Jones (Jared Harris) is the real threat behind this new shapeshifter insurgence that is actually threatening both universes. (Can't wait to see how they explain this twist. My first thought was the simplest; He's the alt-version's answer to the character that had been killed off. But based on the previews, he doesn't belong in the current space just as much as Peter doesn't. Should prove interesting.)

Walternate appears more than willing to help Peter, so long as he sticks around long enough to convince the other universe that he is no longer the enemy that they have to worry about. Now they have one in common, who appears to be seeking to destroy them all. (although I have to admit that I can't help but to still not trust that shifty prick)

But then, the coda. As Olivia waits for Peter and/or Lincoln to return, an Observer appears out of nowhere and takes her off guard. He is gravely wounded, which is disconcerting, considering that that they are seemingly immortal beings and untouchable in that regards. He then relates to her that in all possible scenarios moving forward, in all instances, she is going to die, regardless

While it is great to have this fantastic show back on the air and I can't wait to see how all this phenomenal storytelling eventually plays out, the word out of the annual TCA press tour doesn't sound all that hopeful. As Top FOX execs continue to champion and proclaim to be big fans of the show, the word is that the network is now losing money by continuing to produce it. And that right there is a great big freakin' dark storm cloud looking to crap thunder and piss lightning. Or vice versa, I don't rightly recall how the saying goes.

In other words, the show may very well be likely completely screwed moving forward. I can see what the gameplan for the showrunners are, as this season is looking more and more like Peter's journey to get back to where he truly belongs. But they clearly also have at least another season in mind moving forward, just to eventually tie up all the loose ends and end the show satisfactorily. Hell, even co-creator J.J. chimed in saying that he's optimistic that through possible budget cuts the show would remain on the air for at least one more go round.

And as a steadfast fan of the show, that is seriously what I'm hoping for; that they can end the show on its own terms with the foresight of the inevitability. Because how things stand of right now? We'll get the payoff of the current storylines of this season and that will be it. Because yes, we all know that Peter will most likely eventually get back and yes, perhaps Olivia may very well die in the process.

But it won't be the proper and appropriate end of the show. It'll just be the end of Act II.

Another fanboy show I really dig is Chuck. And somehow, just because NBC's ratings are absolutely horrible for the past several years, this show with a small yet dedicated fanbase has managed to stay on the air long enough until it's proper conclusion after five seasons. If it had been any of the other major networks during that timeframe, no way this would have been allowed to happen.

So all that said. I hope that FOX and the Fringe showrunners find a way to give the show the proper end that it requires, because clearly with what we've been given up to this point, Peter getting back to his reality as he knew it would not be a satisfactory end point. It is clearly meant to be the beginning of the end of where the show has been maneuvering us towards.

And while it has been stated by FOX execs that the season finale would also suffice and work as the possible show finale, I can't in good conscience buy into that in any way, shape or form. Nope, bullshit, and shenanigans.

In other words, things don't appear to be all that good on this front. I truly hope that I'm wrong, in that the network hopefully decides to bring back Fringe for a limited run to tie up everything and the show gets the final resolution that it deserves rather than FOX spending a lot more money on a half-assed expensive show with CGI dinos that sucked for the most part and only started to resemble being any kind of good towards the end of its run.

But that's just me.



Payback's A Bitch: The season finale of Leverage was quite the fun affair, as it was revealed just who it was that gave the shady businessman Latimer all the information on the team that enabled him to make so much money during the course of the show's run as a result of all the team's efforts to right wrongs and help the hopeless. The fact that it turned out to be Victor Dubenich (Saul Rubinek in extra sleaze mode), the man that not only was the team's first victim but also the one responsible for putting them together in the first place was a nice touch. Very full circle kind of thing.

Elevating the stakes for Nate was the fact that his father was killed in the previous episode, so he was very much in a vendetta kind of mood. Also not helping matters was the fact that they were going up against an enemy wise to their tricks, tactics & tendencies so they knew how and where they were going to come after them.

This led them to reaching out not towards friends, but past enemies to help them. Eliot recruited a fellow heavy-hitter we last saw in season one, Parker sought out her mentor (the still great Richard Chamberlain), and Hardison reluctantly sought out his uber-nemesis, played with smarmy charm by Wil Wheaton.

And what resulted was a really fun escapist hour of TV, replete with a lot of very great character moments; From his fellow hitter asking Eliot if he can hit one of the hackers ("which one"? "I don't care". "See, it's not just me") to Hardison slowly coming to the realization just how and why he aggravates Eliot so much after spending some time with Wheaton's character, to Parker's mentor not only tazing Wheaton in defending her honor to his approval of Hardison as a suiter to her. And yeah, Hardison's complete delight that they were going to be working out of a "bat-cave".

And is it just me, or did it seem an awful lot like Nate was downright close to proposing to Sophie near the end?

I also liked that because the stakes were somewhat elevated personally for once the job came together as planned without a hitch for the most part. The bad guys thought they knew everything that they needed to protect themselves, and the team basically outthought and completely demolished them in the process, with the added help of a few new temporary additions to the team, of course. Which eventually included Nate's ex-wife, who took over Sophie's usual role as grifter once the latter was made. Good stuff.

And of course, there was Timothy Hutton setting off to commit murder in vengeance over the loss of his father. But once he knew that his team, this band of unlawful miscreants that he really wanted to have nothing to do with at the start, was watching him and had his back? He stayed his hand and allowed the two vultures to sort it out amongst themselves, to a seemingly bad end for them both.

Good, fun show. For something this inconsequential to be considered one of my current faves can all be chalked up to the fact that these characters are slowly developing and the continuous added layers to each of them as the show progresses is something I can't underestimate.



Wait, wrong island: Monday night saw the debut of J.J. Abrams' latest TV incarnation, the highly anticipated Alcatraz, co-created by one of the producers that worked with Abrams on Lost Elizabeth Sarnoff. It continues FOX's longstanding trend of procedural crime shows that have a sci-fi tint (as well as broader underlying mythologies), which goes as far back as The X-Files and continues to this day with another J.J. produced show, the aforementioned Fringe.

The high-concept premise is pretty straightforward; In 1963, Alcatraz Federal Prison was closed due to rising costs, but in reality, it was closed when 302 prisoners and prison staff mysteriously disappeared without a trace, which caused the Department of Corrections to cover it all up with false documents, essentially wiping the truth from the light of day. And now, almost 50 years later, those long-forgotten prisoners who upped and mysteriously disappeared are starting to pop back up in the present day, wrecking havoc, murdering people, and perhaps furthering someone's personal agenda.

All that said, if you know me, you know that this is a premise coming from a creative force that I know and trust in, so I'm all in to check it out.

Meh, it was okay.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't egregiously bad by any means, but it just didn't immediately grab me as a viewer like ANY of Abrams previous efforts that I've been a fan of beforehand. No way it touched anywhere close to the greatness of Lost's first intro to the viewing public, and I'd have to say that it in no way measures up to either Fringe's earliest episodes or even that of Person Of Interest from this past fall season. After watching them, I was in, no questions asked. This time, I'm not so sold, if I'm to be honest.

I realize that this may be more about me than the show itself. I really wanted and hoped to have liked it, and be blown away and finding myself wanting and looking forward to seeing more. But there was none of that this time around for whatever reason. I think a large part of it has to do that I'm starting to burnout on the whole notion of TV showrunners looking for and hoping that they will catch lightning in a bottle like Lost did and become the next big breakout serialized mystery sci-fi series, because God knows we've seen a shitload of them come and go before our eyes in the last half decade, and most of which never saw a second season.

This kinda felt like any number of those.

And while it does have the actor that played my favorite character on Lost, (and thus far, he's been the best thing in it as far as I'm concerned) I still can't help but to feel a bit indifferent. Sam Neill plays the head of the whole secret federal task force thingy that the main characters are quickly recruited into, but thus far he just acts as a secretive prick that has more answers about what's going on that he's currently willing to divulge. And I think that that's part of the problem.

J.J.'s big TV crutch is the underlying mystery. Ooh, something mysterious and perhaps nefarious is going on, we have to find out the truth behind it. Fine in concept, but you can only do so many re-iterations of the same thing so many damned times before it gets boring and trite. And all along the way, if the people involved are keeping secrets from one another, that's just more hurdles for the main characters to overcome until those that have the answers to the secrets trust them enough to finally bring them into the loop, but of course, by then, it's already too late, as shit has hit the fan and the world is ending and we wind up putting a f**king cork in an Island to keep all the evil in the world from spilling out.

Wait, did I just write that? Yeah, I guess I just did.

In comparison, Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, both of whom are long-term Lost alumni in their own right, have launched their own show this past year on ABC, Once Upon A Time, which takes full advantage of Lost's many conceits (character flashbacks in every episode, overriding mystery, and a vast mythology) and they have managed to twist it into their own original thing that is actually succeeding in it's own right, not only in terms of ratings but as well as fanbase devotion and the critics not completely lambasting it.

Perhaps I'm just too jaded at this point, but it just seems like a whole lotta "been there, done that", and do we really need to do it again? Not to mention, that there is at least two shows on the airwaves that are already following J.J.'s TV formula, and doing it better thus far.

I'll stick with it for the time being, with the hopes that not only does it get better, but that it will give me a genuine rooting interest in investing my time to tune in and watch. The premise is there, and you've got a damned fine cast in place. Wow me.

But again, that's just me.

Strange Thoughts

Having Danny Trejo be the spokesperson for Old El Paso is a subtle stroke of genius.

Early rumor has it that Sudeikis and Wiig will leave SNL after this season to pursue movie careers. Good for them both, they're extremely talented and deserve the chance. My question is can they take Fred Armisten with them? His SNL sell-by date has long since expired. Move on to Portlandia full time and let the next gen have at it. Please. Go away.

When can we all finally mutually agree that a boycott of any movie or TV series that has Adam Sandler's "Happy Madison" name on it would be a good thing?

I thought I saw Pawn Stars resident idiot Chum-Lee at a local supermarket recently, but it just turned out to be a rather large butch lesbian with some wisps of facial hair on her chin.

If you have the chance to still catch it in theaters? Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol. Holy crap, was that one great big fun thrill ride. And yeah, there is a good reason why Tom Cruise is one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Sure, he may be batshit crazy in real life, but he seems to actually work that to his advantage in this movie. (If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about)

Ditto that with regards to Brad Pitt with the movie star thing. Moneyball was quite the enjoyable watch. It gets bonus points from me by being about one of the local professional sports teams (albeit not the one I root for) and that it was shot on location. (Meaning several "holy crap I've been in that exact place" moments for me as I watched it play out) Definitely genuine as a Bay Area set movie, in that it gets the minute details of it right, (right down to Greg Papa's commentary) and I love that. Good goddamned flick. Plus I can't help but to like the notion that Jonah Hill and Brad Pitt are now in fact friends in real life.

Oh, Hue Jackson. We hardly knew ye.

Speaking of which, after being fired, Jackson claimed to be "Shocked" at his dismissal, before going on to say that newly hired GM Reggie McKenzie plans on "gutting the franchise" with the intention of starting from scratch. To be completely honest? I don't know if I should be hopefully optimistic or completely horrified.

Is it just me? Or is one of the most shrill, derisive and unlikable TV personalities out there is the onetime daytime favorite Rosie O'Donnell. I personally can't stand her. And I'm a liberal. Hell, if I were Tom Selleck, I'd still have the lingering urge to punch her in her blathering melon freakin' skull really hard. Go hang upside down and shut the hell up.

Got the new Anthrax CD "Worship Music". Holy crap, it is quite good. If you're a fan of old school thrash metal I highly recommend that you go out and pick it up. It really is fantastic. #OldSchool #Represent

After watching a thrilling classic playoff game for the ages I tuned out of Pats-Broncos after about five minutes. Not helping is that I completely hate both teams.

Oh, Ricky, way to play it safe and pick on soft easy targets. Although you get props for outing Jodie Foster, which is one of the worst kept secrets in Hollywood to be sure. While she took it in stride, Elton John didn't approve. But really, who cares?

Who Tweeted What?

ASouthernYankee Gordon McCleary: If Tim Tebow has a thought..is it a Cristian Ponder?

denisleary Denis Leary: How long before Eddie Van Halen makes David Lee Roth need Sammy Hagar's dentist?

omarepps OMAR EPPS: Was at lunch with my 12 yr old. The cook asked if she was my sister. Umm AWKWARD!!

sutterink kurt sutter: favorite star child name is shilo pitt. the day she plays the invert initials game and realizes she's pile o'shit, is the day brangelina pays.

rainnwilson RainnWilson: Paul Giamatti and Phillip Seymour Hoffman need to do an indie film where they mumble while they devour each other.

ebertchicago Roger Ebert: Gene Hackman was treated briefly and released from hospital. And we all realized how very much we would miss him.

BastardMachine Tim Goodman: Kinda nice to go from a stunning 49ers victory to the Mad Men cocktail party and a chat with Matt Weiner about next season.

sepinwall Alan Sepinwall: Kirkman says writers have specific rules on who does/doesn't become a zombie, how fast zombies move, though not all of it is shared on TV.

OfficialKat Kat Dennings: God I hate Tim Tebow. (God: "I hate Tim Tebow")

richardroeper Richard Roeper: Breaking: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie just adopted Kelsey Grammer's unborn child. #congrats

kevin_nealon Kevin Nealon: I guess if I wrote a film about my tweets tonight I would call it 'The Condescendants.'

NathanFillion Nathan Fillion: There is no mercy in this dojo. There is, however, coffee and donuts at the back.

jimmyfallon jimmy fallon: A bakery is selling pretzels inspired by Tim Tebow. You can tell cuz if you eat one in New England, you end up choking. #FallonMono

***

The Non TV Segment Of The Week

Can't say that this is something that you see everyday.



Seriously, a college marching band playing Nu-Metal effectively?

And now for something completely different… Speak to me ,Stevie…



And just because it proves that Brad Pitt is human after all…



***
And that's that for this week. Hope you all had a good time. Now go away, you bother me!
-BP


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