Monday, October 22, 2007

'Heroes' - "Fight or Flight"

Heroes - NBC

Now, mind you ... I'm not saying that I don't enjoy the show this season. I do. I wouldn't watch anything else in the 9 PM slot on Monday nights. But, that said, I think it's lost a bit of the amazing mesmerizing magic it held for me in its first season. I'm not sure what the problem is -- it's coming across as very disjointed this season. They're flipping from character to character and back again with no rhyme or reason.

Anyhow, here goes ...

Mohinder Suresh, Molly Parker, Matt Parkman (Brooklyn)
Molly is still all but comatose. Mohinder insists that Matt go ahead to Philadelphia to find his father -- the reason behind Molly's condition. He says that in nightmares you can fight or take flight. He think Matt owes it to Molly to go.

Mohinder calls HRG (who's with the Haitian) to tell him how sick Molly is. Mohinder wants to bring her to his boss at "The Company" as he thinks that they'd be the only ones who can save her. HRG is against the idea, but Mohinder does it anyway.

Mohinder, Molly, and Bob the Boss (The Company in NYC)
Bob the Boss, who reeks of a young Richard Deacon in my mind (Lumpy Rutherford's father in Leave it to Beaver) is thrilled Mohinder has brought in Molly ... as we could have guessed. Where's Mohinder's mind?

Bob tells Mohinder he has to go out in the field, handing him a taser gun. Reluctant to leave Molly behind, Mohinder stalls long enough for Jessica (of Jessica/Niki fame) to rant through and almost kill Bob with her powers. Mohinder uses the taser to bring her down.

Next thing you know, she's back to being Jessica and is in bed being consoled by Bob -- "Multiple personality disorder is a terrible thing." After he left the room, Mohinder tried to free her, but Jessica refused to go. She thinks The Company is her only help to be normal again.


Monica Dawson and Micah (New Orleans)
Although she was quick to stop the robber at her workplace, Monica refused to ID the guy to the cop even though he said she should step up and be a hero. She told her co-worker friend that she didn't know how she did what she did and she's still on the "I was meant to be someone better" kick we saw last week.

When she returned home, Micah was playing the piano. She said no one had played it since her mother died. She also said she didn't know how to play, but then went all piano fingers crazy after watching Micah for a bit. Micah, smart little dude that he is, figured out her power. He showed her how he can control the television, then it dawned on her that the
tomato roses and karate kick to the robber were learned with the power. Micah called it "copycat" and showed her it in the 9th Wonder comic book.

Micah and Monica went out to test her powers. She always wanted to Double Dutch, so she did it in style after watching a few minutes. Her eyes almost developed a tear-shaped outdent as she took in the how-to.

Alas, later when she answered the doorbell, it was Mohinder with the taser gun to bring her back to The Company. "You have questions? I have answers?" (What is going on with him?)

Peter Petrelli, Caitlyn, Mickey and Elle (Cork, Ireland)
Peter still hasn't opened the box and has become totally smitten with Caitlyn (am I spelling her name right this time?).

Caitlyn is sure that someone must be looking for him -- family or friends.

Oh, yeah someone is looking for him, but she's neither a family member or a friend.

So, we're introduced to a new anti-hero (I think I'll call the bad ones that from now on) -- Elle. She's looking for Peter and we first see that she has a lightning fingers power. Um, okay.

Mickey had heard that an American girl was searching for Peter, so he told him to go to Caitlyn's flat. When Elle met up with him in the bar, Mickey told her he didn't recognize the picture of Peter. She thinks otherwise. She uses her
lightning fingers to weld the lock on the door shut, then works him over trying to get information about Peter. She ended up killing Mickey.

As she called someone on the phone explaining that Peter was in Cork, she admitted killing Mickey. She said first that she had to use persuasion and d
idn't understand what the big deal was. Then she sighed and said into the phone, "Okay, I'll come home, Daddy." (Who's your daddy?)

Meanwhile, in the flat, Peter and Caitlyn finally opened the box. They found Peter's passport, a ticket to Montreal, and a photo of Nathan and Peter. Peter still has no memory of his prior self.


Peter saw a canvas and his old Isaac painting power took him over. He painted a picture of a couple near a corner. The street signs were in French, thus making them think Montreal is a must.


When they went to the bar, they found that Mickey had been murdered. That actually ended this episode, but not the way I'm writing it!

Ando (Tokyo) and Hiro & Co. (1671 Japan)
This was a lot of flipping back and forth and much ado about nothing (except the very end of the segments) to me. Ando took Hiro's scrolls passed through the sword to a man for reading. Hiro had pretty much been telling the story of what he was doing, so they went back and forth from the guy reading them to Hiro doing. Very odd.

At the very end of the segments, the scroll was unreadable. In the Hiro relating scene, Hiro, Kensei, and Yaoko find out they have to face an entire army.

Matt Parkman, Nathan Petrelli, and Matt's Dad (Mainly Philadelphia)
Matt met up with Nathan who thought he wanted another round of interrogating his mother. Instead, Matt told him about Molly and his father. Nathan initially didn't want to go with Matt, especially not used as a cargo jet, but he did.

They found the apartment and busted in as cops ... or something. Parkman's father had a picture bit of himself from that group shot, also bearing the red "Godsend" symbol across his face.

Matt should have remembered his father was a con man. Duh, Matt. The father gave a story about his own life being in danger and how the group tried to save the world, but some used their powers for evil. (I'm sure he was one of them.)

He too can read minds, so he could block (and hurt) when Matt tried to read his. He told them the power develops further, then offered to show Matt something from "the old days" which might help him.

He led Matt to one room where the doors automatically locked. Nathan tried to rescue him, forcing open a door. Then it was akin to an LSD experiment gone
horribly wrong from that point on.

The door Nathan chose led him to the roof of the DeVeaux building overlooking a destroyed Manhattan. He met up with his mirror monster, who is indeed him. They fought. The mirror monster Nathan said, "You are no hero. You want ignorance! I am you!"

Matt ended up in a jail where the guards spoke gibberish. A baby appeared, then his wife. They argued, then she left. He started fighting with the guard trying to break free.

The fight scenes flipped back and forth between the two places and two people rapidly, then all but melted into one -- Matt and Nathan were fighting in Matt's father's decrepit apartment. When they woke up, it was then they realized they couldn't trust the con man dad. (Duh.) They know why he was "the nightmare." Plus, they have a picture of Bob with the "Godsend" red symbol.

Um. Okay. At least there weren't any Wonder Twins tonight.

'The Amazing Race' Starts Soon! - CBS Press Release

Originally, Amazing Race 12 was scheduled for a winter into spring run, but with the cancellation of Viva Laughlin, we're getting it early!

Here's the press release from CBS:

FIVE-TIME EMMY AWARD-WINNING "THE AMAZING RACE" RETURNS FOR ITS 12TH EDITION ON SUNDAY, NOV. 4, 8:00-9:00 PM

"The Amazing Race 12" Spans 50,000 Miles Including First Time Visits to Ireland, Lithuania and Croatia

THE AMAZING RACE, winner of five consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Competition Series, returns for its 12th edition on the CBS Television Network, Sunday, Nov. 4 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).

Editors Note: THE AMAZING RACE replaces "Viva Laughlin" which has been pulled from the schedule. A rebroadcast of CSI will air in the Sunday (8:00-9:00 PM) time period on Oct. 28.

“If there ever was a season that I consider one of the best, it’s this one," said Bertram van Munster," executive producer, director and co-creator of THE AMAZING RACE. "It’s insanely funny, fast-paced and dramatic all at once. Teams are in hot pursuit of one another at every location and its reality television at its nail-biting best."

This season, teams will travel approximately 50,000 miles, covering five new countries including Ireland, Lithuania and Croatia.

In its 11 previous editions, broadcast in several time periods, THE AMAZING RACE has averaged more than 10 million viewers and a 4.1/10 in adults 18-49.

Jerry Bruckheimer, Bertram van Munster, Jonathan Littman and Hayma Screech Washington are the executive producers for Bruckheimer Television and Earthview Inc. in association with ABC Television Studio and Amazing Race Productions. THE AMAZING RACE was created by Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri. Phil Keoghan hosts.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

TV Newsy Bits - Sunday, October 21, 2007

I've decided his name must be Roofus. His fellow roof companion cat (four stories up) seems to have vanished, but Roofus still watches the birds daily from his perch in the sky. I believe he's part of the group of feral cats living in the area near the train station. That isn't the best of life a cat can have, for sure. A few months ago one of the feral cats in that area was diagnosed with rabies and a gang of big-headed strays roam the night.

I can't save them all -- I have my own two elderly cats saved from that sort of life as kittens. As I watch Roofus, I don't think he could ever adjust to a home. He comes and goes from the roof at will apparently getting up there through a condemned building on the block. Oh, well. I think the roof is safer for him than the city streets. Unlike my own cats who would probably fall off, he seems to know its boundaries. After all, I first spotted him and his companion about a year ago.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:
  • Has Grey's Anatomy jumped the shark? This news article explores that very possiblity.
  • I was watching last night's rerun of Without A Trace on CBS. The key missing character was played by the same young man who plays West this season on Heroes. Uh-oh. I think type-casting has affected my mind. I wanted him to remain vanished without a trace.
  • Ellen DeGeneres took a few days off after the big Iggy Dog fiasco. I don't think she wanted the death threats to the folks at the dog rescue and I'd imagine she's horrified at how everything has gone. Me? I still think that while rescues do fantastic work, sometimes things should be looked at on a case by case basis rather than no shades of grey. My own family always had pets when I was very young. None of us kids ever would have harmed any size pet -- they were a part of our family.
  • I watched The Next Great American Band on its premiere night this past Friday. I think I'll be following the show as my Friday night television watching is a bit of a vast wasteland. This coming Friday (10/26) I'll be sitting in to review the show for TV Squad for the regular writer as he'll be on vacation. After that, I think I'll be reviewing it weekly here. Anyone interested?
  • Letterman's in reruns this week. Grr.
  • Survivor's most recently ousted Aaron was interviewed by Fans of Reality TV. He said he was cast because he happened to meet someone who asked him to try out for the show. He seems to think that Amanda and Todd are the true Survivor fans of the game.
Today's music non-sequitur:
"The reason you're cool is because you're from the old school.
All the critics love you in New York."
-- Prince "All the Critics Love You in New York"

Friday, October 19, 2007

TV Newsy Bits - Friday, October 19, 2007

Yes, be considerate -- a good motto, a good way of life. The incongruous part of it all is that this is New Jersey, a NJ Transit train to be more precise. NJT has a new politeness campaign starting up, but I don't think it will make a huge difference.

I'll still end up being surrounded by the party crowd in the evenings heading towards the city. That woman who speaks loud Mandarin Chinese yelling into her cell phone will still sit in back of me no matter where I sit. Some fool will still put a full cup of coffee on the floor as if expecting it to remain upright. People will still put their nasty feet up on seats or even worse, take their shoes off. Someone will still have their iPod so loud I can hear the tinny sounds from half a car away. Me? Nope, I don't do any of those things. I occasionally sit with train friends, but we talk using "indoor voices." I be considerate.

Random mention: I'd be willing to coach the Yankees next year for only four million dollars. Have your people call my people and we'll get it done.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:
  • As a tribute to the recently deceased Deborah Kerr, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will be airing From Here to Eternity and Separate Tables starting at 8 PM ET/PT this Sunday night.
  • The folks over at Morty's TV have recent interviews with Daniele Donato and Evel Dick Donato from Big Brother 8. Beware -- the language is a bit rough on Dick's interview. One interesting thing to note on that one is that he said he has a DUI arrest in the past, but has never been arrested for domestic abuse (which was plastered all around the Internet). Both of these interviews are really long. Grab a cup of coffee and get to reading!
  • Yahoo TV should be your new home for Seinfield stuff -- you can watch complete episodes, vote for your favorites and more.
  • Celebrity Rides: Burt Builds a Bandit premieres tonight at 10 PM ET/PT on the DIY network. That's Burt Reynolds and, remember ... you can enter to win a classic Trans Am.
  • Buddy TV has two interviews which will be of interest to many of the readers here. Wonder Twin Alejandro from Heroes, Shalim Ortiz, is one of them although I'm not too keen on the characters. The other interview is with Taylor Kitsch of Friday Night Lights.
Today's music non-sequitur:
"Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?

It took me years to write, will you take a look?
It's based on a novel by a man named Lear
And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer"
--
The Beatles "Paperback Writer"

Thursday, October 18, 2007

'Survivor 15: China' - East Coast Updates 10/18

The show has started here on the East Coast. As it airs, I'll update this post with important events. Please refresh the page for the latest.

Um ... so far, no important events, but it has started! ;-)

UPDATE: Messages came by boat -- each tribe picked two from the other tribe who will compliment them. Fei Long chose Sherea and Frosti. Zhan Hu didn't think. They didn't realize they would lose two of their own -- chose James and Aaron thinking they'd have seven people and would vote out Aaron.

UPDATE: Immunity Challenge -- Fei Long won, but it was thrown by Zhan Hu by Jaime and Peih Gee. They want to vote out either Aaron or James thinking their end game will be stronger after the merge.

UPDATE: Aaron is voted out.

My review of the episode is up over on TV Squad.