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Jericho, a Retrospective

2007-10-16T13:10:00.001-07:00

I was an instant fan of the television series that debuted last season titled Jericho. I watched each episode with rapt attention, often going back and re-watching each a second and even third time. My family said I was obsessed, and I will admit I was to an extent. Part of the draw I think had to do with the state of the world that we live in. Actively at war, and with September 11, 2001 not so far in our past, Jericho stepped onto the television screen with what I felt was a viable, if not very accurate look at what we might be headed for lest we learn to come to some very broad agreements with the countries we call both friend and foe. Add to the story background enough personal drama to rival the best soap opera, and I, and many others, were admittedly hooked.

With news stations and cable channels, carrying often graphic descriptions and views of the war many of our friends and family are actively part of, some people questioned the practicality of airing such a show. And I often wondered myself how the shows creators approached the higher ups who had to make the decision on whether this was not only a show that could engage viewers, but if it was a show that was even politically correct to air. If I were to have been in that room, my question would have been is it politically correct for the ones we loved and lost to not air this show. While though it is strictly fictional and one would hope it would never, ever come to fruition, the sad facts remain that on some levels, this show has been put forth as a warning of what might still be to come. When you consider the idea of nuclear war, and that if the world leaders can not get their acts together and once and for all, agree to disagree on some subjects, and agree to work on the subjects that can better the world as a whole, a doomsday scenario is something that many of the worlds population believe could happen. In addition, it is not only something that might happen to a future generation that is yet to be born, but also a valid worry, for the generations that currently call this world home.

Most television shows, which are chosen by those in command of the airwaves, are predominately chosen on the merit of whether they will attract viewers and make the studios money. This one most likely came through the door with both that obvious question attached to it, along with a completely separate element of discussion and decisions at a time that the subject at hand could actually be too close to home. Am I saying that I think we could potentially be exposed to the same terrors that strike at the start of Jericho? I would certainly hope not, but the truth remains that nuclear technology does exist. Along with that technology are cultures that clash violently, and with the many clashes, access to each other like no other wartime on this planet we call earth. Plane travel, coupled with borders into and out of countries that are not as secure as one would hope they would be in this day and age, and the groundwork for a real life Jericho is not that far fetched, and I think that is what the draw is for so many viewers of this show. We see our potential selves layered between the fictional characters of Jericho. We see neighbors, and family that live next door to each other and close by towns, business people, farmers, rich, poor, all mixed together with one common goal, the goal to survive and have some sort of semblance that we take for granted. We see good people and bad, and a fine line drawn between the two. When survival is the object of the day, that line can quickly become clouded. Jericho affords viewers the luxury of working out some of our worst fears in the safety and comforts of our recliners, popcorn bowl beside us, and in a time when a real war is literally at our own doorstep.

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2007-07-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

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The X-Files Season Five

2007-01-18T06:42:00.000-08:00

Review by Garnet Brooks

By Season Five the long running series had developed a complex mythology about aliens and governmental conspiracies. These themes are developed across the years at times becoming so intricate that only loyal viewers could easily understand them. At the end of Season Four the X-Files project is being discredited and Mulder is presumed dead.

Season Five begins with a two part-episode. The action is picked up where the last season cliffhanger left off. In it Mulder seems to be dead. Having been surveilled by a man upstairs, Mulder has found the location of the surveillance and confronted the man. This man who is an employee of the Department of Defense is then killed in a struggle. Mulder places the body in his own apartment and asks Scully to lie to her superiors gaining the pair a little more time to investigate. Another government employee named Kritschgau has become a whistleblower and is instrumental in convincing Mulder that the alien invasion theory is a lie and that a supposed alien body is actually the fulcrum of a hoax. While Scully has cellular material tested Mulder goes to a DOD facility looking for a cure and he finds multiple alien bodies which appear to be housing growing alien embryos. Scully finds that the cellular material is a chimera hybrid which is neither plant nor animal and is not identifiable. Mulder finds a sample labeled with Scully's name hidden among many others and delivers the sample to his three friends who publish the Lone Gunman magazine. Mulder makes it known that he is not dead. He returns to find that Scully is hospitalized and near death. Mulder finds that a chip is in the container he found and that it may be the cure for her cancer. He persuades her to try implanting the chip. For whatever reasons, Scully's cancer goes into remission.

This season begins with speculation about whether or not the aliens are real. What emerges across the season is the nature of the alien physiology. Often in the series the thing in question is glimpsed briefly and is vague, half-hidden, or ambiguous. But the aliens are real-they just have a complex etiology and genealogy. They are transmitted in black oil. They can grow in a human host. They have more than one stage of adult development. By the season's end we see that there is actually a way of communicating with them. This is through a little boy named Gibson Praise, a boy who is telepathic. He can read their thoughts. For this reason he is extremely important to the Smoking Man who schemes to take him for the leaders of the governmental conspiracy to use as an experimental subject. When Mulder and Scully find the child he is guarded and hidden away. But while a friend of Mulder's, Diana Fowley, is guarding Gibson she is shot and seriously wounded. Gibson is taken. Through an intricate set of maneuvers, the Smoking Man is able to discredit Mulder and Scully and by season's end the X-Files are shut down.

This season is one which contains a number of extremely good stand alone episodes. One of those is "Unusual Suspects." This episode is a flashback to 1989 where Mulder first encounters the three men known as the Lone Gunmen. The episode is focused on Byers, the most traditional of the three. We see Byers in a three piece suit attending a trade show as a representative of the FCC. He is enamored of a mysterious blond named Susanne Modeski. She tricks him into hacking into a governmental database and retrieving and decoding a secret document. She persuades Byers that Mulder is a psychotic and abusive ex-boyfriend who has kidnapped her child. The child is nonexistent. Modeski is really a chemist who has fled a top secret project when she finds that they plan to use her work to harm the public. A newly developed drug which makes people paranoid is to be tested on a sample of the population by distributing the medication in asthma inhalers. Modeski is able to persuade Mulder and the trio to help her find the shipment of dangerous chemicals. There is a showdown in the warehouse in which they are stored. Two mysterious men threaten Mulder then try to kill him. Modeski shoots them. In the process some of the medication is released causing Mulder to hallucinate. A clean up squad comes in taking the evidence away leaving the trio standing there alive. Modeski flees. Mulder and the trio are picked up by the police where the trio spend time in a jail cell till Mulder is well enough to verify their story and get them out. Byers sees Modeski one last time as she is attempting to get newspapers to print her account of the whole incident. As she leaves the men who were responsible for the clean up take her away in a car leaving Byers with his regrets. This is the beginning of the friendship between Mulder and the trio and is apparently the point in time that he changes directions looking into conspiracy theories and a little later finding the X-Files.

Another great stand alone episode in the season is "The Post-Modern Prometheus." This is one of the darkly comic episodes that punctuate the X-Files gloom from time to time. It is the story of a mad scientist type called Dr. Pollidori in homage to Mary Shelly who wrote Frankenstein. This silver haired scientist is played by John O'Hurley. His experiments in genetics have produced a mutated human whose distorted appearance makes him a social outcast. He lives in secret in his grandfather's basement. The grandfather loves him and protects him. The local people see glimpses of the boy from time to time. One of them Issy Berkowits a budding comic book writer and illustrator has already immortalized him as "The Great Mutato" in his comic book. Mutato is obsessed with Cher probably because of her role in the movie Mask. In this film she is a good mother to a boy whose appearance is like that of Mutato's. He craves a mother like this but has only his grandfather. In a very unrealistic fairy tale scenario Mutato impregnates lonely childless women including Issy's mother presumably because Issy is eighteen and about to leave her. Its tragic-comic plot mirrors the plot of Frankenstein, at least the film versions of it. Done in black and white, it evokes the feel of those early films. The plot builds to a conclusion as an angry mob pursues Mutato to his grandfather's barn where instead of burning the monster they decide he is not so bad after all. Mulder's character insists that the sad ending which must necessarily include loneliness and isolation for Mutato be rewritten. Issy is the ostensible author inside the story and its real author Chris Carter makes a nicer ending-one in which Mutato gets to go with the FBI agents and some of the townsfolk to a real live Cher concert. At least briefly, the mutant gets a good mom.

These two outstanding episodes are not the only ones in the season. Other stand alone episodes include "Kill Switch," "Bad Blood," "Mind's Eye," and "All Souls." Each of these deserves repeated viewing. "Kill Switch" is a cyberpunk episode authored by William Gibson. In it a cyber vixen named "Visigoth" is part of a plan to create a cyber intelligence. It becomes willful and gets loose on the net. "Bad Blood" is a rarity in the X-Files universe: it is a vampire tale. Scully becomes fascinated by the sheriff vampire played by Luke Wilson. "Mind's Eye" is about a blind woman played by Lilli Taylor. "All Souls" is a venture into Scully's Catholicism and in some ways echoes the themes developed in the second season of Millennium, also a Chris Carter creation.

The DVD boxed set of this year contains the usual features. The commentary is quite good especially Carter's. This is the year that precedes the X-Files movie. It takes up where the last episode leaves off and by the beginning of Season Six the FBI agents' artic adventure is over leaving them to try again to explain to their superiors why they believe in little grey men.

The X-Files Season Four

2007-01-18T06:40:00.000-08:00

Review by Garnet Brooks

By it's forth year The X-Files was a wildly popular series. It had established its own dark, brooding look and had spun an elaborate mythology about extra terrestrials and sinister governmental conspiracies. Its tone though usually somber enough contained a reservoir of whimsical humor to lighten it and make it more entertaining. In addition to its two main characters, a number of regular characters had grabbed the viewer's interest. Mulder and Scully, the FBI agents, were always the focus on the series but their boss Walter Skinner came to play a larger role. One bad guy in particular, a man called "The Smoking Man" came to be the larger than life villain of choice when things got bad. A trio of quirky characters called "The Lone Gunmen" had frequent roles. Some of the most memorable characters had comparatively little air time but were nonetheless beloved. One of those who appears in this year was an abductee named Max.

The first episode of the forth season is a mythology episode taking up where the last episode of season three ended. Mulder is with a man named Jeremiah Smith. The two of them find a farm where children are cultivating bees and harvesting pollen. There Mulder finds a mute clone who looks like his sister Samantha as a child. The alien bounty hunter finds them there. They hide in a shed which contains numerous bees. Mulder and Smith escape and the bees attack the bounty hunter. The bees are seen again much later in the X-Files movie where their meaning becomes clearer.

Across the season the mythology of the "black oil" is again taken up. In one episode Mulder and Krycek travel to Russia where they are captured by the men there who are running a mine and an experimental base. Krycek smoozes with the men while Mulder is imprisoned and sent out with the work force. Mulder escapes taking Krycek with him where they are separated in the dense woods. Krycek is taken in by local residents who cut off his arm to prevent him from being an experimental subject. Mulder escapes just in time to make it to a Senate hearing saving Scully from citation for contempt.

The last episode in the season spins the myth in a different way. After four years of Mulder being a stanch believer in the presence of aliens we find him having doubts. He has them in the context here of actually finding what appears to be an alien corpse. It is buried in ice and the party who find it are all murdered except one man. A scientist performs an autopsy and is very detailed in his evidence of the alien's authenticity. A man named Kritschgau contacts Mulder persuading him that the evidence is manufactured. Mulder is confused and devastated. He sees the possibility of all his years of suffering and work coming to nothing in the end. The episode begins with Scully reporting to a group of FBI supervisors that not only was Mulder's work false but Mulder is himself dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. From this the episode flashes back showing how Scully was lead to make her report of Mulder's death. Of course he is not actually dead and this thread is taken up at the beginning of the next season. Given the gossip about the series that flourished in the internet it is apparent that the viewing audience genuinely may have supposed the Mulder character might be dead for good.

This season is one in which some really good stand alone episodes dominated the series. They are outstanding because of writing, plot or characterization. One of these is an episode about Max, a character who had appeared before in the series. In the episode called "Max" the character called Max Fening (Scott Bellis) has just died in a plane crash. Max leaves behind a video which Mulder and Scully find and view. Max is a winsome loner and conspiracy buff who in a previous episode discerned Mulder's alias authorship of a science fiction magazine article. Max had acquired an object, an alien energy source, and it gets him killed. He boards a plane with it and dies along with all the passengers. As Mulder and Scully put together what has happened they find a woman named Sharon, a former aeronautics employee, who stole a device to help Max document the presence of alien technology being used in the military.

Another much loved episode from this season is "El Mundo Gira." This is the story of two brothers, migrant workers who quarrel over the love of a woman. Reuben Blades guest stars in this episode. He partly helps Mulder and Scully but ultimately misleads them so that the migrant community can solve the dispute in their own way. One of the brothers is cursed and becomes a creature who sucks the blood of goats. When the brothers at last confront each other the second brother is himself cursed and they disappear into the landscape presumably wandering forever.

Another episode called "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" delves into the psyche of its reoccurring character. Here we see why he has become what he is. The man believes in what he is doing even seeing it as patriotic whereas most people who encounter him see his motives as sinister and evil. He has a hankering to be an author and produces norish spy novels which he consistently fail to sell. Here he manages to sell one to be serialized in a magazine. He decides to quit the government conspiracy business. When he sees what a chop job the magazine has made of his novel he despairingly goes back to his old ways. In a small act of kindness he spares Fro hike's life.

In another stand alone episode Mulder finds that he has led a past life and encounters a doomed woman who remembers him from long ago when they were very close. In another stand alone episode we meet a character called Eddie Van Blundht who envies Mulder his good looks and position in life. This man sees himself as a loser in life. He is able though to mimic anyone's physical appearance. He uses his ability to fertilize women who want babies and when Mulder pursues him he takes on Mulder's likeness almost scoring with Scully a thing Mulder with his personality quirks has never come close to doing. He berates Mulder in the end telling Mulder that the FBI agent is an even bigger loser than he.

As usual, the DVD boxed set of this year has very good commentary especially from series creator and writer Chris Carter. It has the usual special effects sequence commentaries and has deleted scenes. It has a documentary. The last disc has a DVD-Rom game.

The X-Files Season Three

2007-01-18T06:35:00.000-08:00

Review by Garnet Brooks

By its third season The X-Files had a dedicated fan base and was doing well in the ratings for its network Fox. It also had been nominated for several Emmy awards. The series stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as a pair of FBI agents investigating the paranormal. They are Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. The unlikely pair strike up a friendship. Mulder is the believer and bears the scars from a childhood trauma: his sister was kidnapped when they were children and presumably she was abducted by aliens. Mulder morns and he searches for his lost sibling. He has found a group of files that obsess him. Scully who was sent to spy on him has the integrity to take each case seriously though she does not share Mulder's beliefs. She sees scientific explanations where Mulder sees wonder.

At the beginning of season three it appears that Mulder is dead. He was last seen at the end of season two in a buried railway car which "the Smoking Man" then sets on fire. It seems impossible that Mulder could have survived. In the first episode of season three ("The Blessing Way"), one of the Navaho Native Americans spots something unusual. The boy and several others find Mulder underneath a rock in a shallow cavern. Mulder is almost dead and is in a coma. He is taken to a sacred place and the Navaho begin a ceremony in which he encounters spirit guides. Mulder fights to survive and talks with the significant people in his past who have died and moved into the sprit realm.

While Mulder is missing Scully goes to a session of regression hypnosis and has mixed results. She attends Mulder's father's funeral. One of the friends of Bill Mulder was a man who is only known in the series as "the Well-Manicured Man." This man overhears Scully telling Mrs. Mulder that she believes that Fox is alive. Though Mulder recovers Scully is now in danger. She is warned and escapes but her sister Melissa is mistakenly shot in her stead.

The mythology of season three continues in an episode called "Paper Clip" and it is elaborated. Mulder finds a picture of his father and his father's associates. It was taken in the 1970's and Mulder sees in the background a facility which turns out to be an abandoned mine in rural West Virginia. Mulder and Scully go there looking for answers and find an extensive underground storage facility for files. They are records of numerous individuals who have been secretly monitored without their knowledge. Samantha Mulder's sister has a file as does Scully. They speculate that the tissue samples in the files may mean that people have been experimented on as was Scully. Mulder sees what appears to be a flying saucer overhead just outside the facility.

Season three sees the introduction of more mythology about abductions. Mulder and Scully find a group called Mufon who claim they have been repeatedly abducted and that their lives are going to be short lived because of the illnesses given to them by their abductors. In one episode a Japanese diplomat is killed. Many episodes this season contribute to the mounting mythology of alien presence. There seem to be different incarnations of the aliens. They are there just out of Mulder's reach as grey creatures with black eyes. The aliens may be somehow related to the presence of "black oil" and this substance becomes a focus of the mythology in several episodes. There are also clones who are hard to kill but when the base of their skull is pierces they die emitting a toxic green gas.

We see something called "black oil" introduced in one episode. The crew of a French ship called the Piper Maru all die except for one diver. He has been exploring the wreckage of a World War II downed fighter. Inside it is a pilot still alive after all those years. His eyes reveal the presence of the "black oil" obscuring them. It is transferred to the diver and once ashore begins to jump from body to body eventually taking that of Alex Krycek who is busy trying to sell information that he gleaned from "The Thinker" tape.

There appears to be a governmental conspiracy to experiment on humans who are exposed in one way or another to alien matter. One of them is a leper colony. Mulder suspects that an alien is aboard a train and is saved at the last moment from its explosion by the mysterious contact whom Mulder summons from time to time. The episodes are focused on discovery of evidence of alien presence in whatever form.

In the last episode of the season a saint-like man appears played by Roy Thinness. He heals people who have been shot in a diner and disappears from under the nose of an investigative officer. This man Jeremiah Smith is being pursued by an alien bounty hunter who seeks to kill him because Smith is an alien-human hybrid of some sort. He is presumably one of the many clones which appear across the seasons in the series. Mulder finds one of the stiletto weapons that kill the hybrid creatures. His mother has been at the family summer house and she is confronted by the "Smoking Man." The distress causes her to collapse and she is taken to a hospital where she gives Mulder a hint that allows him to discover the weapon. The alien bounty hunter captures Scully to draw out Mulder and Smith. Mulder wants Smith to heal his mother but before this can happen Smith is killed.

Season three contains some really good stand alone episodes. One of the best is "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose." In this episode Peter Boyle plays the title character. He is an insurance salesman so obsessed with the question of death that he becomes able to foresee the deaths of others as well as his own. It is one of the grimly humorous interludes in the series that lightens the tone a little. Another good episode is "War of the Coprophages." It is perhaps the best of the series' "bug episodes." In another of the episodes "Syzygy" a couple of teens are the focus of the energy of the cosmos allowing them to kill with their thoughts. Not surprisingly, this power in teens is not something they can manage well and they send their community into a witch hunting hysteria. Another of the stand alone episodes is "Pusher." The man named Modell is called "Pusher" because he is able to get into the minds of others pushing them to acts which they would not normally commit.

The DVD boxed set for Season Three contains very good commentary and documentary segments. Those by Chris Carter are particularly good. It has the usual deleted scenes and special effects commentaries. The last disc has a DVD-ROM game.

The Magrit Collection

2007-01-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

Review by Garnet Brooks

This is a twelve episode multi-disc DVD set produced by Granada Television in conjunction with PBS. Its star is Michael Gambon as the French detective Maigret. The series is an adaptation of some of the detective novels of Georges Simenon.

The series has a somewhat gritty, noir feel. It is set in the 1940's with its characteristic dress and hats that one sees in the American noir detective novels of authors like Raymond Chandler. Everyone smokes and drinks a lot. The sets are often dark and evoke a sense of black and white films despite the fact that it is filmed for television and in color. Paris itself is a character in the series. We see grand and decrepit city buildings with their tall ceilings, elaborate decor and peeling paint. The elevators are all metal cages being hoisted by chain and pulley. Stores are small family businesses with tins stacked in the windows. Jewelry stores display their exquisitely expensive wares right there in the front windows all the easier for the unexpected smash and grab.

Maigret is happily married to a lovely wife who stays home and takes care of him seeing to it that his appearance is always natty at least at the beginning of the day. He wears that hat that all the noir forties men seem to wear. Maigret himself is in his early fifties. He has balding scalp and a bit of a pudge to prove it. Madame Maigret is played by two different actresses. The first is too stereotypical and unemotional. The second incarnation of Madame Maigret is played by Barbara Flynn with a greater degree of warmth and liveliness.

Though Maigret has a happy home life he lives with the down and outs in his professional life. Paris is full of murder and thieving gangs and unlucky women who are no better than they should be. Maigret is no snob and he hobnobs with suspects in a way that sometimes displeases his superior. He even befriends them though this does not stand in the way of defeating them. Though he is a Chief Inspector, Maigret has trouble delegating work to his men and often goes himself to the bar or den of this or that iniquity to question the suspects himself. His men are quite loyal to him. The French police have much broader powers than American ones so that the suspects have few actual rights when they are being investigated. If they are not forthcoming enough Maigret is not above threatening to ruin their businesses to get them to talk. Maigret seems to be a rather famous policeman in the Montmartre district and desperate people are forever showing up on his doorstep pleading to talk to him and only him.

One of the best episodes is "Maigret and the Maid." The maid in question is a girl named Felice. The episode is set in Jeanneville not Paris. Maigret comes to this small town by invitation to investigate the murder of a man named Jules Lapie. The elderly man has been killed. He was living with Felice whom the villagers call his housemaid but she seems to be like a daughter to him and he leaves her everything in his will. Felice will not cooperate with Maigret and she frustrates as well as amuses him. The episode is more of a character study. It is short on plot development and the actual culprit's motivation and involvement are not the most sterling of detective fiction's creations.

In one episode we see a nightclub dancer Arlette (Minnie Driver) who comes to plead for help. The detectives on duty sends her away and she is killed before Inspector Maigret can speak with her. Arlette has been dancing as a stripper at the Picratt Club and she is one of the types of people who often frequent Simeon's stories. One of the junior inspectors named Javier has become fond of her and thinks she is an innocent trapped in circumstances beyond her control. Arlette's identity begins to emerge as Maigret purses her murderer. One suspect is a sinister man named Oscar who has known Arlette since she was quite young. She accidentally entered his orbit and Oscar does not allow women to leave him.

The DVD boxed set contains notes about both author Georges Simenon and actor Michael Gambon. There is a quote in the notes from Simenon in which he says he was lucky to get away from his surroundings and felt that had he not he might have become an unlucky denizen like the ones he creates for Maigret to investigate. As it was he became instead a reporter on the police beat and a prolific author of over eighty Maigret novels.

Metalocalypse

2007-01-02T01:35:00.000-08:00

Metalocalypse is a unique animated program on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming line-up. The first season recently finished airing a few weeks ago, on New Year's Eve, the network played eight straights hours of the show in a marathon, and it's currently playing during the line-ups weekday strip of shows. It comes from Brendan Small, the mind behind a decidedly different animated series, Home Movies. Small also provides several voices and musical direction.

The show follows the adventures of a heavy metal band named Dethklok, made up of Nathan Explosion, William Murderface, Pickles the Drummer, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, and Toki Wartooth. They are a worldwide phenomenon, with their songs, concerts, and daily actions having the ability to profoundly influence their fans for good or for evil. Throughout the series, a group of shadowy tribunal constantly monitors the actions of Dethklok. They seem to be concerned by Dethklok's powerful influence, and they attempt to sabotage them at every opportunity, plots that always end up backfiring.

Metalocalypse isn't a show for the faint of heart. It is consistently rated TV-MA for violence. Enjoying the show takes a certain dark humor, particularly an ability to see humor in violence.

The one downside to Metalocalypse is that it only clocks in at 15 minutes, so sometimes it feels like things have barely gotten started before they're wrapped up and it's all over. A final scene will often play along with the closing credits, but these scenes could have been more involving if they were allowed to stand on their own instead of being rushed.

As the lead singer of Dethklok Nathan Explosion often slips into the stereotypical heavy-metal growl, and some of the best lines come from Nathan saying the most mundane things in that metal voice. He also likes to declare things "brutal," usually a sign of approval, because it means those things are sufficiently "metal."

One problem for the new viewer may be that the characters are difficult to understand. Murderface has a generally slurred way of speaking, perhaps implying that he's always drunk, or just that he's slightly crazy. Toki and Skwisgaar are Norwegian and Swedish, respectively, and their dialogue is influenced by heavy accents. These accents can lead to additional humor from their mangled English, but it can be troublesome to decipher. When I first started watching the show, I had to watch it with closed captioning on for the first two or three episodes. However, upon watching those earliest episodes for a second time recently, I realized that I could understand them now. It seems it must be a matter of getting used to the way they speak more so than any incomprehensibility in the first few episodes compared to later episodes.

Even as the songs featured in the show are created with humor in mind or to set a plot in motion, they really do stand on their own as heavy metal songs. My personal favorite is the "Awaken Mustakrakish" song, featured in an episode in which the band accidentally awakens an ancient troll. Some of the songs have been made available for download on the adultswim.com website and the show's MySpace page. Rumor has it that a full-length Dethklok album will accompany the future DVD release of the show, with the songs expanded beyond the clips you hear on the show.

Even as the larger plot in each episode unfolds, some of the best moments come from the interaction between bandmates and the sideplots. For instance in the previously mentioned episode in which they awaken a troll, the second story featured in the episode involves the band licensing their own band of cell phones, a ridiculously pointy and dangerous-looking metal phone. Murderface annoys everyone by talking loudly on the phone at every opportunity. The shows even appear in other episodes as a bit of a running gag. Later, as they work on a way to subdue the troll, they express their disgust at having to play "grandpa instruments," in other words, acoustic instruments. So even though the main point of the episode is the troll storyline, the episode is made by these other little moments.

If you have an appreciation for heavy metal and a twisted sense of humor, Metalocalypse may be the perfect show for you.

Trinity Blood

2006-12-31T20:48:00.000-08:00

Trinity Blood is an anime series currently airing on Saturday nights on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup. In a post-apocalyptic world, vampires have become a real threat. They reside in their own country, but there are larger and more ominous organizations at work, trying to force an epic conflict between the human and vampire worlds.

Father Abel Nightroad is a special agent of the Vatican, one of the seats of power in the re-imagined world. When vampires cause problems, Abel is sent in to take care of them. He is also occasionally involved in more diplomatic missions. He is an easy-going and goofy guy. His dark secret is that he is a "cruznik," a race that feeds on vampires. As the series develops, viewers meet other members of the special forces unit, each with their own special skills, such as sword play. The pope is a child, dominated by two cardinals, his brother and sister. The two cardinals are often at odds with each other though, with the special forces remaining loyal to the Lady Katerina. As the story progressive, seemingly unrelated incidents are recognized as part of a larger conspiracy, and the Vatican must get to the bottom of it.

Trinity Blood is beautifully animated, with lush backgrounds, crisp lines, and pulse-pounding action sequences. The show was dubbed by Funimation, a studio that generally does a quality job with translation and dubbing. I've heard from other fans who watched the series in its original Japanese that they've played a little loose with some literal translations, but it's not anything that destroys the meaning of a particular scene. If you've watched other Funimation properties, you may occasionally be playing a game of "where have I heard that voice before?" It's only a momentary distraction that's common enough in anime dubbing, though.

I really want to like this show, but I'm constantly disappointed in it. I can enjoy a good vampire show as much as the next person, drawn to the dark beauty of these creatures and the drama inherent in the conflict between vampires and humans. However, it just doesn't do enough to distinguish itself from other series.

The worst crime in being indistinguishable from other series comes in the form of the Abel Nightroad character. His happy-go-lucky attitude changing into a skilled fighter is pulled right from the Vash the Stampede playbook. As if an anime about vampires wouldn't already get compared to Hellsing, Abel must call on nanomachines and request percentages of power when he changes in to his cruznik form. This is almost exactly what Alucard must do, even though he's calling on different protocols.

As pretty as the animation is, the directors make far too much use of slow pans and fade-outs. I don't know if they were doing this for artistic effect, but it only serves to add a ponderous feel to the show. Moments of silliness also seem out of place in this polished of an anime series. Perhaps that's more a problem of trying to include some of the more cartoonish conventions of anime with today's slick digital animation.

The show can have great action sequences, especially when it comes time for a vampire showdown, but it can also display odd pacing. For instance, in one "climactic" scene, Lady Katerina and her attendants had to make it to a special Mass before a bell was rung, fearing the tolling of the bell would activate a destructive device. However, much attention was spent on showing them walking slowly towards the cathedral. Even as an upbeat techno track played, the characters continued to walk...and walk...and walk. Not the best way to build up to an impressive scene.

Overall, I'd give Trinity Blood an overwhelmingly apathetic vote. It's not the worst way to spend half an hour, but it's not worth going out of your way to watch. I'm willing to make a point of turning on my television every Saturday at 11:30 p.m. If I had to rent or, even worse, buy the DVDs of the series, then there's no way I would have made it this far into the series. The show started out airing with top ratings in the Saturday night Adult Swim lineup, but it has slowly faded over time. Perhaps other viewers share in my apathetic opinion.

A Look at Holiday Cartoon Specials

2006-12-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are nearing the end so too does the glut of Holiday-themed T.V. specials and movies. It is a mixed blessing depending on how a viewer feels about these specials; some are way beyond ready for the cable and network channels to move on past these shows and get on with the normal schedule, others feel differently.

Looking at these shows on the whole it's easy to find true classic gems as well as sinful stinkers. Fortunately the stinkers have a way of disappearing after a few seasons and being forgotten. This of course leaves viewers with only the classics to choose from and judging from what's aired this month, the choices are many. On the whole, the best shows are the animated ones, especially those produced by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass. Many of their productions are genuine classics that are enjoyed year after year by new and old fans. Here's a brief look at some of the more memorable shows by them and others.

A Charlie Brown Christmas: This was the first time the Peanuts characters created by Charles M. Schultz appeared in a television special (produced by Bill Melendez) and it was an impressive debut. In it the themes of commercialization and the true meaning of Christmas are explored as Charlie Brown in his typical melancholy way copes with Christmas and being ostracized. It's so easy to sympathize with him and the droopy Christmas tree he buys and viewers are just as easily moved by the final moments when the characters sing "Hark the Heralds Angels Sing."

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Many consider this cartoon from MGM and Chuck Jones and based on Dr. Seuss' (Ted Geisel) book to be the best holiday-themed special. The songs are simply a delight and a hoot to hear. Viewers can't help but laugh at the lyrics of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." Boris Karloff is perfectly cast as the voice of the Grinch, who hates Christmas and does everything in his power to stop it from coming to the town of Whoville. His redemption is one of the best scenes in the special and reflects the true meaning of the holiday season.

Frosty the Snowman: The best part of this cartoon (that doesn't use stop-motion) by Rankin and Bass is Jimmy Durante's narration. Viewers could tell that the late actor is having a great time relating Frosty's tale. It's a fun story about how Frosty comes to life and the efforts by his new friend Karen to get him up North Pole before he melts. Fast moving and uncomplicated the dark undertones of the tale are offset by the story's happy ending.

The Little Drummer Boy: Based on the Christmas song of the same name, the cartoon by Rankin and Bass is a rare religious-based one and showcases Aaron, a poor shepherd boy who hates humanity for its cruelty. His only loved ones a pet lamb, donkey and camel. Eventually he finds himself in the presence of the Baby Jesus and undergoes a change of heart. Greer Garson's narration is inspiring and adds gravitas to this moving story.

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol: The oft-told Dickens classic is given a Broadway spin and starring the poor-sighted Magoo (voiced by Jim Backus) in this UPA production. The musical numbers are reminiscent of Broadway musicals that give the story some needed oomph. Though liberties are taken with Dickens tale in that elements and characters are dropped for time, it doesn't detract from the presentation.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Considered the best of Rankin and Bass' specials, its status as a holiday classic seems to grow each year, even inspiring themed merchandise and set the standard for stop-motion animated T.V. specials. Based on Johnny Marks' famous song, the show presents Rudolph's story and how his so-called physical detriment winds up being an asset. It is part of the show's central message that there is nothing wrong with being different. This message is probably better shown with the sympathetic Misfit Toys. Many of the characters introduced have since become cult favorites like Yukon Cornelius and the Bumble a.k.a. the Abominable Snow Monster of the North. Also, Burl Ives' songs are a joy to hear and classics unto their own.

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town: A personal favorite largely due to the wonderfully catchy soundtrack that still holds up after all these years. Narrated by the late Fred Astaire, this special utilizes Rankin and Bass' stop-motion animated puppets that made them famous. It tells the origin of Santa Claus (Mickey Rooney), largely known as Kris Kringle in the show, and how many of the Christmas traditions came to be and actually does a good job of tying in many of these traditions to his origin story. The best musical number is the toe-tapping "Put One Foot in Front of the Other" which is a delight to watch over and over again. The Santa Claus puppet used in this special will appear in several of Rankin and Bass' specials.

The Story of the First Christmas Snow: Narrated and sung by Angela Lansbury, this is a nice little story by Rankin and Bass without any fantasy characters or talking animals. It chronicles the story of Lucas a poor shepherd boy who is blinded by lightning and taken into an abbey to recover by kind nuns. This selfless boy only wishes for what is best for his flock of sheep and dog, to show gratitude to one particular nun and and to experience snow for the first time. It's one of the few religious-themed animated shows and is very touching.

The Year Without A Santa Claus: Probably the best things about this special are the musical numbers by the Miser Brothers (Snow Miser and Heat Miser) who appear halfway into the story. In this one, Santa Claus (again voiced by Mickey Rooney) is burned out by the cynicism of Christmas and considers not delivering his toys while Mrs. Claus and two elves try to change his mind. This Rankin and Bass cartoon is a bit episodic and meanders a bit but is otherwise well animated and it does make Santa Claus more rounded out as a character by plaguing him with self doubt. It was remade into a live-action movie starring John Goodman that aired a couple of weeks ago on NBC.

There are other notable gems that while not up there with the classics are worth checking out if one wants to try something new. Some of them are quite good and could be considered classics in the future.

Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey: This Rankin and Bass special is quite harsh and has many similarities to Rudolph and Dumbo. Misfit character is treated cruelly by others (more so in this cartoon) but winds up saving the day, in this case, Nestor winds up being the donkey that is part of the Nativity Story. Children may be upset by some sequences in this special like the death of Nestor's mother. It also has cameos by Rudolph and Santa Claus.

Opus and Bill: A Wish For Wings That Work: Starring Opus the Penguin and Bill the Cat from Bloom County, the animation in this special is very good when compared to standard television animation, and that is probably due to Steven Spielberg being the executive producer. The story here is that Opus wants to be able to fly and the outcome of this story is very uplifting, literally.

Rudolph's Shiny New Year: Interesting sequel to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is about Rudolph enlisted by Father Time (Red Skelton) to find the missing Baby New Year (another misfit with big ears who is needed to ring in the New Year). The best parts are the visits to the Archipelago of Yesteryear which are a group of islands stuck in time with a wild mix of characters. It isn't as inspiring as past Rankin and Bass efforts but is worth a viewing.

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July: One of the last of Rankin and Bass' animated works; it's generally dismissed by many fans. But it's actually quite good. With a running time of ninety minutes, it's one of the longer specials and tries to tie in the origin of Rudolph, Santa Claus and Frosty. Unfortunately this leads to a lot of exposition which leads to the special taking a while to get to the plot; an evil winter wizard plots to seize power through complicated machinations involving the title characters. It's fun to spot cameos by other characters like Jack Frost and Big Ben from Rudolph's Shiny New Year as well as Clarice and the Kringle Elves as well as subtle references to the other specials. - - J. L. Soto

What Happened to Grey's Anatomy? A Quick Fix During the Hiatus

2006-12-29T05:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, is it just my imagination or has "Grey's Anatomy' fallen off the face of the earth? Yes, it's been on for the past month, but only in repeats. In fact, a quick check of my TV Guide channel shows that a new episode is not due to turn up until mid- January.

I have to wonder, do networks set out to purposely sabotage a good television series? Back in the good old days, new episodes of TV series' were shown from September until May. Then you had the summer rerun season. Nowadays, we're lucky to get 3 weeks in a row without a repeat—and this is in the Fall! I wonder, are the stars of these shows on vacation all this time or are they cranking out new episodes during this hiatus? It sure seems like the TV season has gotten much shorter over the past decade or so. And in this age where TV stars can make up to a million bucks a week (think the cast of "Friends") shouldn't these stars have to work for their money?

It's been so long since I last saw a new episode of "Grey's Anatomy" that I forget where the storylines ended. I'll need a refresher course before the new episode next month.

But I do love the show. Which is why, during this long lull, I took it upon myself to re-watch a taped episode from last Christmas that I still have on my DVR (that's how much I love this episode). I was experiencing "Grey's" withdrawal so I had to do something! Titled "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer", it's a great episode that actually got my sister hooked on the show.

It starts out with Burke and Cristina. He's talking about decorating a Christmas tree and she reminds him she's Jewish. Duh! Then we get to the hospital, where Meredith and Derek are both acting like they've lost the loves of their lives (oh yeah, they have) during the holiday season.

The medical cases, usually my least favorite part of the show revolve around a non-believing (in Santa Claus and in God) little boy in need of a heart transplant, a mother (with an obnoxious family) who has bleeding ulcers, and a family man( with an adorable family) who conked his head after falling off the roof while stringing "Christmukkah" lights.

Then there's the storyline about Alex Karev, the doc that everybody loves to hate. Karev has to cram to study to retake his medical boards. The test is the next day and he's sure to fail, so the interns take turns helping him study.

Cristina and Burke come to blows when she mocks him in the O.R., equating his spirituality with a belief in Santa Claus. Justin, the little boy with the heart transplant, just wants to die because he knows another little kid had to die in order for him to get his new heart.

Izzie, initially furious when she catches the other interns helping Alex study, decides to help him in the spirit of Christmas. But it's hard to tell if she's being a patient or being herself when she bursts into tears (remember, Alex cheated on her and broke her heart a few episodes earlier).

Throughout the entire episode, Addison is trying to get hubby Derek to help her with Christmas shopping. They make tentative plans to shop and have dinner, but he has to break the plans when the head injury guy needs a second surgery.

At the end of the episode Derek wistfully tells Meredith to have a Merry Christmas and they sadly part outside of the hospital, going their separate ways. Derek meets his wife at Joe's Bar, where she asks him what's wrong. It's then that he drops the bombshell: he doesn't want to leave his wife, but Christmas is a time to be with the people you love. And Meredith wasn't a fling-- he was in love with her. The look on Addison's face is priceless.

The show ends with Izzie lying on the floor looking up at the Christmas tree lights. Meredith joins her. Sixpence None the Richer's version of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" is playing, and when George walks in and asks the girls what they are doing, Izzie says dreamily, "Lights--"

If you need a "Grey's" fix during the new episode hiatus you can watch "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" on the Grey's Anatomy Season 2 DVD.

Prison Break - Episode 2X12 - 'Disconnect'

2006-12-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

By: Katie Lee

Recap of Episode 11 can be found here - http://www.tvpotato.com/2006/11/prison-break-episode-2x11-bolshoi.html

We Pick Up With -

The not-so-happy family reunion between Michael and Papa Burrows. Michael tells Papa Burrows to stay away from him, and storms off. Lincoln's confused and Michael tells him that he's met Papa Burrows before. Lincoln asks him how, and we flash back to Michael as a child, as he's hurled into a dark room.

Back in the present day, Michael, trying to hold back tears, explains that after their mother died, and Lincoln was in 'juvie,' Michael was placed with a foster father who 'punished him.' Flashback once more to a young Michael, as adult Michael narrates how his foster father locked him up for long periods in the dark and how Michael learned to adjust. We see young Michael work a nail loose and then begin trying to pry the door lock loose. As young Michael continues trying to loosen the door lock, the foster father appears, sees what's he's doing and slaps him hard across the face. The foster father begins beating up young Michael, until he's lying bloody on the floor.

Sara's still submerged in the bathtub, struggling to save her own life. Kellerman is blasting the TV as he unrolls a tarp and handsaw (poor Sara!). There is a knock on the door, which he ignores. The knocking becomes persistent but Kellerman continues to ignore it. The knocking finally stops, but the lock turns and the door begins to open. Kellerman jumps at the door, blocking it. It is the motel's manager and he says that there are complaints about the volume of the TV. Kellerman apologizes, saying he must have fallen asleep and hit the remote, but that he'll take care of it. The manager insists that he turn the volume down right away.

Sara's still under water, trying to find a way out when she spots the drain stopper. She strains to reach it and finally manages to yank it off the drain with her mouth. The water in the tub begins to drain.

Kellerman's still trying to get rid of the manager, who hears the water sloshing in the bathroom and asks if everything's OK. Kellerman smoothly lies and says that his daughter thinks bath time is play time but that he'll clean it up. 'Scout's honor.' The manager finally leaves and Kellerman chains the door behind him. He shakes his head before sinking down on the bed.

Sucre, very protective of Michael, leads him away from Papa Burrows, as Lincoln asks Michael if Papa Burrows was the mysterious, abusive foster father. Papa Burrows tries to explain but Lincoln makes it clear that if Papa Burrows did indeed hurt Michael, there would be hell to pay. Lincoln then asks Michael if Papa Burrows was the one.

Turns out, Papa Burrows actually saved Michael - by killing his foster father. Michael asks Papa Burrows how he could have done that to another person, 'with your own hands.' Papa Burrows insists that it's going to be OK, but Michael doesn't look so sure.

Kellerman's still waiting for Sara to drown and grows impatient. He grabs his gun, heading to the bathroom. Only one problem, Sara's not in the tub. She's waiting for him - with a white hot iron that she slams into his chest, and then holds it there. Kellerman screams in agony, finally falling down from the pain. Sara grabs her purse, including the mystery key, and tries to get out but Kellerman, still writhing in pain on the floor, manages to block her way. (You should have finished him off, Sara! Or at least take his gun!)

Sara heads to the window. She opens it and looks down to see a parked car below. Kellerman's regaining his strength and reaches for his gun, just as Sara dives out of the window. She times the jump so that she lands on the windshield of the car and on her side. Kellerman rushes over to the window as the car alarm blares, but Sara's gone.

Mahone's still tracking Michael and has found the shack where Michael and Sucre had their bloody run-in with the Coyote and his men. Mahone makes note of the blood on the floor as well as the vials of fake nitroglycerin. He sees some footprints on the ground and follows them out.

Michael and Papa Burrows continue arguing as they walk along. Michael demands to know where his father has been all this time. Why he didn't come for them. How he could have left them like that. Papa Burrows insists that he did what he had to do to keep them safe. Michael knows about 'The Company' but yells that 'you could have come back at any time!' Papa Burrows tells Michael that it wasn't that easy and then says that 'we can fix this.' Michael retorts that 'this can never be fixed.'

Papa Burrows tells Michael about the tape and that Lincoln will be set free if they find it. (Now, it might just be me but that doesn't solve Michael's or the other inmates' problems because they all were guilty of the crimes that landed them in prison in the first place, and they are all guilty of breaking out. The tape doesn't seem to fix that.) Lincoln chimes in and says, 'You're not going to believe who he thinks has it.' Michael's shocked to learn that Sara's suddenly a key player in all of this.

Speaking of Sara, she's quite popular these days as Kellerman's looking for her too. He's calling emergency rooms to try to find her, but he's having no luck. Agent Kim interrupts his search with a status check and Kellerman lies that Sara's dead. Kim seems to suspect something because he orders Kellerman to take a picture of Sara's dead body with his phone and send it to him. (Man, Kellerman's having a bad day. He's trying to ice an iron-shaped burn on his chest, track down Sara and now he has to take a picture of a dead body he doesn’t have.)

In Harvey, North Dakota, we find C-Note having an idyllic camp-out with his family. It's all just a little too perfect.

In Tribune, Kansas, Bellick's cooling his heels in an office at the police station. The female detective, Slattery, finally comes in and apologizes for keeping him waiting. They chat like colleagues, but it's clear that Slattery is interrogating him. She wants to know what he and Geary were doing in Tribune. Bellick says they were 'seeing the sights.' Slattery's dubious. 'You left Chicago to see the sights in Tribune, Kansas?' she asks. Bellick shrugs it off. Slattery tells Bellick she doesn't care what he was doing in Kansas. He and Geary could be 'going a little Brokeback' for all she cares. Bellick looks horrified at that thought. All she wants to know is who they crossed paths with so that she can have a list of suspects to Geary's murder. Bellick 'confesses' that he and Geary were tracking T-Bag. Slattery asks Bellick if he would be willing to answer her questions about T-Bag so that she could try to track him down. Bellick agrees to cooperate.

Michael, Lincoln and Papa Burrows are discussing Sara and Michael tells them that he was with Sara 'yesterday' and that if she has the tape, she doesn't know. Lincoln asks if he can get in touch with Sara. Michael reveals that they bought disposable cell phones so he could call her. Sucre jumps in and implores Michael to call Sara 'from Panama.' They need to meet the plane.

Just then, Mahone appears and begins shooting at them. Papa Burrows tells the guys to head for the car as he begins shooting it out with Mahone. The guys jump in the car and head back for Papa Burrows, who jumps into the car and they all drive off. Mahone looks on in frustration. Inside the car, the guys celebrate getting away from Mahone. However, Michael notices that Papa Burrows is unresponsive. He's been shot.

Michael implores Sucre to find them a hospital as he and Lincoln tell Papa Burrows to hold on. But Papa Burrows knows it's bad, and tells them that he should have never left them. Michael tearfully tells his father to just breathe.

Back at C-Note's camp-out, C-Note's daughter complains that her stomach hurts. C-Note's wife, Kacee, asks C-Note where Dede's backpack is, but apparently, in the chaos of escaping from the feds, they left it behind. Kacee tells C-Note that Dede's medication was in there. Luckily, Kacee has an extra prescription. C-Note tells Kacee that things will be fine - they just need to find a pharmacy.

Bellick asks Slattery about Geary's personal belongings, specifically 'his backpack' (which contains the $5 million but Bellick leaves this tidbit out). Slattery's doing a good job of working Bellick over, telling him that if they get T-Bag, she'll make sure that he not only gets Geary's things, but the reward money as well. Slattery casually mentions that he shouldn't worry that some other officers are concerned about him. Bellick asks what they are concerned with and Slattery says that Bellick's story isn't quite adding up. She mentions that it just doesn't make sense that he can't ID the guy who hit him 'smack dab' in his forehead. Bellick realizes he's caught in that lie and says, 'You got me.' He tells Slattery that he and Geary had a fight over how to capture T-Bag. Bellick then fakes crying, saying he wished that they had never fought because Geary would probably still be alive.

Outside a nondescript pharmacy, C-Note's waiting with Dede while Kacee's inside, getting the prescription filled. The pharmacist asks for Kacee's insurance and she says she'll just pay cash. The pharmacist expresses surprise, saying the medication's 125 dollars. Kacee insists it'll be fine and the pharmacist goes to fill it. That's when she notices Kacee's picture (along with C-Note's) on the front page of the newspaper. When Kacee pays with two hundred dollar bills (C notes!) the pharmacist tells her that she has to go into the back to get change. Kacee looks at her warily but can't leave without Dede's medication.

Lincoln spots a sign for a hospital and tells Sucre to head that way. Papa Burrows tells them they can't - they'll be caught. Michael says 'Then we'll be caught.' Papa Burrows weakly tells him to listen. He tells Michael that he has to find Sara because she can 'end this.' It's up to Michael and Lincoln now.

Mahone's giving chase and calls in Michael's car. After he hangs up, his phone rings again. Mahone listens for a few seconds before he says simply, 'What hospital?'

But it's not Papa Burrows in the hospital. Turns out, it's the Coyote that Sucre shot. The Coyote wants a deal to tell Mahone where and when Michael's meeting the plane.

Michael and Lincoln have managed to construct a makeshift grave for their father. Michael says sadly, 'One day.' That's all he had with his father.

Mahone's made a deal for the Coyote. The federal charges will be dropped and the US government will pay all medical bills. However, the Coyote's not happy about being deported to Mexico after he's recovered. He insists on getting citizenship. Mahone sighs tiredly and says he's not going to play games anymore. He then goes on a rampage and begins yanking out the Coyote's tubes and wires. The Coyote yells, 'What the hell are you doing?' Mahone coldly responds, 'Giving you a little incentive.'

Slattery tells Bellick that there was nothing at Hollander's house. She asks him why he and Geary didn't go to the house themselves if they knew T-Bag would be there. Bellick lies and says they couldn't find the house. The detective looks doubtful and says the house is listed. Just then, another detective interrupts and hands her an envelope. She asks Bellick about a hotel and Bellick, ironically enough, tells her the truth - he has never heard of it. She asks why there's a receipt for a room at the hotel under his credit card then.

Slattery tells Bellick about an old case. It involved a young girl who managed to key in her killer's number onto her cell phone, so that she could ID her killer as her last act. She tells Bellick that they found the receipt clutched in Geary's hand, with his finger pointing at Bellick's name. It was his last act. Bellick panics and spills the real story. But after all his lies, Slattery's not buying it.

Kacee asks the pharmacist what's taking so long and the woman finally comes back with the medication and her change. Kacee grabs it and heads out the door, only to be met by an approaching police car. Kacee drops the medication into a trash can. The police ask for her ID, and Kacee says she doesn't have any on her. But they already know who she is. They ask her where C-Note is and she says she doesn't know, leading them to arrest her. C-Note can only watch helplessly from a distance.

Kellerman's coming out of a hospital and it looks like he was getting that iron-shaped burn on his chest treated. (Wonder how he explained that to hospital personnel?). Kim calls and asks about the photo. Kellerman evades with, 'there were unforeseen circumstances.' Kim deduces that Sara got away. Kellerman reluctantly admits it, and Kim angrily hangs up.

Speaking of Sara, she's in some bathroom stall, heating up a sewing needle with a lighted match. The side that she landed on is badly banged up, with a nasty cut on her left arm. Sara threads the needle, takes a deep breath and then begins stitching up her own arm. (And with that, Sara officially became a bad ass!)

Michael's recalling his father's last moments, with Papa Burrows choking out that he loves Michael. Michael murmurs to Lincoln, 'Too many people have died because I wanted you free.' Lincoln tells Michael that he couldn't have known. Lincoln says that things won't end here, and Michael says he knows but he wonders if the blood will be on The Company's hands, or 'ours.' Sucre interrupts and tells them they have to go now if they want to meet the plane.

Mahone apparently got what he wanted from the Coyote because he's calling in air support to intercept the plane. The plane's landing on a strip of highway and Michael, Lincoln and Sucre meet up with it on time. Sucre runs to get on the plane but Lincoln and Michael stay back. Sucre tells him that this is what they've been waiting for, but Michael says they're staying. Michael smiles sadly and says, 'Maybe we'll see you down there somewhere.'

Sucre sighs, knowing he can't talk Michael out of this. He embraces Michael and thanks him for everything, before he gets on the plane. Michael bids Sucre farewell with a, 'fly safe, Papi.' As Michael and Lincoln watch the plane take off, Michael asks if Lincoln's ready. Lincoln says he's been waiting for this. Michael says, "Good to hear it. Because today is the day we stop running.'

Mahone's sees the plane flying off and he wonders where 'those jets' are. Michael and Lincoln are driving away, when they see a fighter jet zooming in. They realize it's after Sucre and the plane. Michael wonders how Mahone found out, but they realize he's close now. They get back into the car and head off in the opposite direction.

The kid gloves are off now, and Bellick isn't cooperating anymore. He wants out of there. Slattery delivers the final blow - she plays back the death threat he left on Geary's cell phone. Bellick is arrested for Geary's murder.

Kellerman tries to call the President but he's been disavowed. They insist there's no Agent Kellerman in the Secret Service. Kellerman calls Kim and pleads with him not to do this, just as Kim is essentially 'erasing' Kellerman from all files.

Michael's trying to get a signal on his cell phone so that he can call Sara. He then spots a radio tower, but they have to turn around and drive back - towards the pursuing Mahone. Lincoln points this out and Michael says, 'If we're gonna go down, we might as well go swinging.'

Michael finally gets a signal and dials Sara's number. But Mahone comes out of nowhere and slams into their car. Michael stumbles out of the totaled vehicle, and looks for the phone. He spots it and tries to reach it, but Mahone points a gun at him and Lincoln. Michael can only stand there helplessly as Sara answers the phone.

"Hello? Michael?'

Top Chef - Holiday Spirit

2006-12-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

By Brandi M. Seals

This week contestants were told to get into the holiday spirit even though it was obvious that the piece was filled ages ago. The quickfire challenge was a contest to see who could come up with the best drink and holiday inspired tapas. Everyone was required to use Bailey's in their drink (they could choose from original, caramel, or mint). The piece seemed more like a commercial than a challenge. And of course, several of the contestants moaned that they thought they were on a cooking show, not a mixology show.

Anyway, everyone came up with their drinks and food. Cliff and Sam did well again. Cliff even ended up winning immunity. Surprisingly, Michael also rose to the top; looks like he really knows his alcohol.

Mia and Betty were the bottom two in this competition. Mia's presentation was lackluster and Betty made a cement mixer. In case you are not up on drinks, that is when you mix Bailey's with lime juice. It makes the cream in the Bailey's curdle and makes it hard to drink. It is meant to be a joke drink. Betty apparently was not aware of this. She actually thought her drink (which also used Parrot's Bay rum and some other ingredients) would be good.

The real drama got started when the elimination challenge was announced. The chefs drew knives to form two teams. Sam, Ilan, Betty and Marcel made up the black team and Cliff, Elia, Michael and Mia were on the orange team. Each team needed to prepare appetizers for 200 hungry guests at an LA magazine party. The teams each got $1500 and several hours to prepare.

Things went smoothly for the black team. They came up with 13 hors d'oerves, many of which were pretty common place but fairly well executed. Their plan was to have lots to choose from for picky eaters and it seemed to work pretty well for them. In a surprise, Betty and Marcel almost appeared to get along. We did not see any bickering.

The orange team did not fair as well. Their game plan was to do a couple of items but to do them really well. They opted for 4 hors d'oerves. The small number did not work in their favor and during the event their table was often missing pieces. Elia and Cliff in the kitchen could not keep up with the food demand. They should have prepared more things in advance. They did, however, have two of the best tasting treats.

When they were doing their planning there was some clashing as Mia's ideas kept getting shot down. She wanted to do more dishes and wanted them to avoid doing 3 seafood dishes. Cliff squashed her ideas and everyone else agreed with him. Later when it was revealed that their team lost the challenge, Cliff tried to throw Mia under the bus, saying that she had been difficult the entire time.

This of course pissed Mia off who used every word in the book to tell Cliff off. Elia had been the team leader so she was most at risk of going home. We do not know who the judges would have picked to send home, Mia decided it was time for her to go. She said it was to save Elia because she is so talented and really deserves to be there.

It was obvious that the Orange team was in over their head from the start. They bought only about 1/4 of the food the other team bought, they argued constantly, and they did not have enough food at all times. The real problem seems to have been underestimating how much food was needed and not getting it out fast enough.

Cliff's behavior in this challenge really made me dislike him. He came across as a pompous butt that did not care what anyone else wanted. I no longer think he has a shot at winning. His true colors have started to shine through and something will happen. He is a good chef, so it may take him to the final challenge to lose.

I still think Sam will end up victorious in the overall competition. He seems good at directing people, he is an excellent chef, and he knows how to get along with people. That seems to be what ends up knocking people out in the end rounds. They are all good chefs so it is just about how they deal with people and adapt to changes.

The Worst Storylines on One Life to Live in 2006

2006-12-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

By Brandi M. Seals

One Life to Live used to be my favorite soap opera back when Antonio had just gotten out of prison and was working with police to figure out who was selling guns in Angel Square. A lot has change since then and the writers have sometimes forgotten about the personalities of the characters when they delve into new and exciting storylines. That is what I had the most problem with this last year; storylines that were not true to the character of many Llanview residents.

The Integration of Jessica and Tess
Can we say drawn out? I get it. They are two separate personalities. Nash loves one, Antonio loves the other. Neither of them wants to lose their loved one. Back and forth they went for months as Jessica yammered about what would happen. I think there was a lot more talk then actual doing then all of a sudden she was intergraded. She seems to be Jessica with a bit more edge but something tells me we have not seen the last of Tess.

I got bored with this storyline. I loved when Tess was out and I agree with a lot of people that Jessica is boring. She was not always though. She used to be young, vibrant, and interesting. She was never a sex kitten, nut job or any other sort of character that gets a lot of attention, but she was a solid character before hand. When they went down the path of giving her DID they dulled Jessica right down and I do not like it. What happened to the girl that got pregnant the first time she had sex and then lost the baby when she got hit by Dorian's car? The old Jessica made Dorian think she was being haunted. Now the writers play this off as Tess coming out before.

Cris is Alive
Enough with people coming back from the dead! Christian went to prison for killing Tico when he thought he was someone else (do not ask it is too stupid of a storyline to even begin recounting). So anyway Cris did not know if he was really Christian or someone brain washed to think he was Christain. Turns out he really is Cris. After being in prison for about a year, he decides he has had enough and asks Evangeline to get him out. There is a lot of hoppla and eventually he is out and must convince everyone he is himself. It is amazing how quickly he recovered from being brain washed and not having memories of the past.

Dorian and Clint Get it On
This storyline makes me want to barf. Clint has never liked Dorian and all of a sudden they are being paired up? That does not make sense. Plus, it is hard to watch them together. There is no real chemistry. They need to bring David back and have Dorian take him back. They sizzle together despite the age difference. This pairing of Dorian and Clint is almost as awkward as he and Carlotta were a few years back.

Kelly and Duke have a Baby
Kelly was engaged to Kevin (Duke's father) but they were having problems and Duke thought Kelly was hot. He tried to woo her but she resisted saying she thought of him only as a friend. Keep in mind he is closer to her age than Kevin is. Anyway after one particularly nasty fight before Michael and Marcie's wedding, Kelly gives in and has sex with Duke. Just afterwards as she is concerned about what she has just done, a tornado rips through the building hurting them both. Later they are found naked and rushed to the hospital where Kevin must decide who gets operated on first (as if the hospital would not have some sort of better protocol for this type of situation). Kelly ends up living and Duke dies before going into surgery. Days later Kelly finds out she is pregnant.

The pregnancy is hidden for a long time because Kelly does not know how people will react. In the end, Kevin comes around and wants to be the baby's daddy. Now they are off to London to live happily ever after.

Kelly used to be feisty and lively, and then she was portrayed as good and loving. Sleeping with Duke was neither of those things and running away when times got rough seemed out of character. I am sad to see Kelly go. I hope she returns again someday. Maybe there will be another Buchanan for her to get with. She has already been with Drew, Kevin, Joey, and Duke.

The Worst General Hospital Storylines in 2006

2006-12-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

By Brandi M. Seals

It has been a rocky year for General Hospital. They have had several high octane storylines, like Sam and Jason on the run as well as quite a few duds, for example Skye was too scared of Alcazar's life that she went on the run while pregnant but returned with baby and promptly moved in with him. I understand that this was a maternity leave issue but it left views confused and annoyed. But enough about these minor ups and downs. Let's get down to the nitty gritty.

Worst Storylines in 2006
There are so many to choose from that I had a hard time narrowing this one down. There were some odd pairings made and over the top scenarious this year.

Emily and Sonny in Love
Yuck! I think it would be hard to find another two people with so little chemistry. This was an odd pairing from the start. We have bad boy Sonny who is probably coasting into his 40s by now and sweet, young, do-gooder Emily. If we were to follow the time line exactly, she would be about 20 by now but she was aged up awhile back and I would put her around 24.

The idea of the two together is intriguing but both of them are going way out of character for this role. In theory I suppose it could have worked, but Natalia Livingston and Maurice Bernard just do not look good together. It sometimes looked like Livingston would rather puke than pucker up for another kiss.

Laura is Back
I know people left and right will disagree with me on this one, but this storyline stank the second it was thought up. I love the idea of Genie Francis coming back and reprising the role of Laura. However, I hate these special guest appearances when the writers clearly have to move heaven and earth to make them work. This is one of those cases. She is unresponsive, the next moment she is running around town planning a wedding. If you blinked you may have missed her return to unresponsive Laura. Now we are stuck with characters still talking about it because the abrupt change cannot go left unaddressed.

Luke is the Cure
I must admit, I missed the start of this storyline. All I know is that somehow a terrible disease was spread through out Port Charles and Luke had the cure in his blood. That is right; I said he was the cure. This is about as stupid of a storyline as I could imagine. In a way it is a throw back to the weather machine that was going to destroy the world or when Stavros was magically brought back to life.

That was bad enough, but then Holly the tart showed up with the cure but wanted a ton of money for it. I like seeing Robert and Luke work together but the thought of either one actually wanting to get into Holly's pants gave me the willies.

One good thing about this whole fiasco was that Lulu was brought back. Technically she should be about 10 right now, but I will forgive the aging up on this one. Lulu has gotten some very interesting storylines and the show would be very different without her. She is the firecracker that Lucky used to be before he was kidnapped by Faison.

Noah Drake is Back and Drunk
Let me explain. I like that Noah is back. He is a very nostalgic character and has tons of fans. That is great. I, however, did not like his opening storyline. All he did all day was wander around in a drunken stupor, act like a real butt hole, and worry his son. Noah cleaned up his act but refused to go on the organ donation list saying he did not deserve a new liver. He is probably right about that one, but his son forced part of his liver on him. Hmm, I think that might be a little harder to do than getting little Robin to sign on the dotted line.

I cannot wait to see what the writers cook up for us next year. Rest assured there will be the standard mix of the very best stories and the ones that leave you scratching your head, asking "what on earth were they thinking."

The Worst All My Children Storylines in 2006

2006-12-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

By Brandi M. Seals

I have watched All My Children on and off again for a number of years. I watch when the storylines are hot and fresh and turn it off when they grow monotonous and many times ridiculous. Does anyone remember when Erica ran off to be a dancer in Las Vegas? Or, how about when Erica was in a car accident and wore a mask to cover the scaring a la Vanilla Sky? Somehow it seems the bad storylines flock to Erica Kane and this year is no different.

Erica and Jack's Marriage
In true Erica fashion she has gotten married and is already having marital difficulties. I just do not think it is in the cards for Erica to remain married to anyone. She is much more reasonable when she is alone. This was her 10th marriage, this time to Jackson Montgomery. The writers have toyed with the idea of them pairing up for quite sometime. They actually have chemistry together, but if I had to hear Erica go on and on about how great Jack was just one more time, I may have gone crazy. Luckily love turned to resentment pretty quickly.

I think they were together for all of 10 minutes before everything go interrupted by their lives. Suddenly they were not spending any time together and then Erica moved out to concentrate on her new show. The show in and of itself was a horrible storyline. If I had to sit through one more episode the featured her show, I would have to barf. Luckily it has taken a back seat and Erica's former husband Jeff Martin has shown up. Now Jack thinks Erica and Jeff are hot and heavy.

These people act like they are ten-years-old. No one says what they think or feel. They just lash out when they are hurt or angry. Quite frankly I do not care if they stay together or not. I am just done with them. Erica has always gotten on my nerves. That woman is a spoiled brat with no morals and who is overbearing when it comes to her children.

Josh Madden is Erica and Jeff's Aborted Baby
If you have not been watching you are probably very confused. Let me explain, way back in the day Erica had an abortion while married to Jeff Martin. He never knew she was pregnant. The abortion was done by the nutty Dr. Madden. He removed the baby as requested, but did not do an abortion. He implanted the embryo in his own wife and they raised the kid. Now Josh is on the scene and knows about everything. There was a lot of himing and hawing over whether to tell him, but in the end he found out.

I like that Erica has a son. He really was missing from the Kane family. However, I do not think that his being aborted and implanted would really work and that calls the whole storyline into question. I think the writers just got too ambitious on this one.

The Return of Colby
Colby went away a year or two ago as a 5-year-old, now she is back as a spoiled, selfish teenager. The way she behaves is not accurate since her mother, Liza, was a very good mom. I guess the writers just want us to forget the past. If only Colby would calm down a bit, I think she could be an excellent addition to the cast.

Casting Errors
Ian Buchanan (an actor I absolutely love) was cast in the roll of Dr. Greg Madden. He was not a minor character and was actually quite a big player for awhile. The problem is that previously Buchanan starred on General Hospital as Duke Lavery. He was married to Anna Devane. When Anna reprised her role on All My Children they tied her into the scene by giving her a nephew (Aiden) and she met up with her former husband's nephew, Ryan Lavery.

There apparently was not much thought given to Buchanan's former roll because he was immediately tied to a storyline featuring Ryan. It seems odd that someone who once played Ryan's uncle is now playing a doctor messing up his life. Someone should have thought twice about this one.

The Best Storylines on One Life to Live in 2006

2006-12-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

By Brandi M. Seals

The best storyline of any ABC soap opera comes from One Life to Live. They spent months setting things up and really did it right. The execution of Todd Manning is by far the best thing I have seen in quite awhile.

The Execution of Todd Manning
First he was held captive and raped by Margaret Cochran. Then he gets away. Todd and Blair are reunited and everything seems hunky dory. Just then Margaret shows up pregnant with Todd's kid. She wants him to be a good daddy to Todd Jr. Todd freaks out because he never told Blair he had been raped. He does everything to get Margaret to go away and even considers killing her.

At one of their meetings, Todd rows out into the middle of the river and Margaret jumped out and disappeared. We think she is dead. Everyone thinks Todd killed her, especially when they find the body. Todd goes to prison after a lengthy trial and gives up his right to appeal since it does not look like anything will save him and he does not want his kids to suffer.

Just as Todd is about to be executed new evidence comes into the light. Margaret's not dead and his child is out there somewhere. However, the switch has already been thrown and Todd received a lethal injection. Dr. Truman saves his life but it is later revealed the Truman is the one that set things in motion.

This storyline has been going on for more than a year and is still going strong. Things constantly change, new information comes out. This mack-daddy story is one of the best I have ever seen. Then again, when they involve Todd they are usually top notch.

Jessica is Tess and Tess falls for Nash
This was another big storyline for One Life to Live. Their formerly sweet little Jessica went and got herself a split personality just like her mommy. See Jessica was molested as a child which made her split into Jessica and Tess. Tess has lain dormant for many years but she makes a break for it and stays out for quite awhile. Tess is a bit of a hussy always looking for a good time and some free vodka. On one of her wild nights, Tess meets Nash and they hate each other but they have great chemistry. Suddenly Tess settles down a bit and takes up residence with Nash. Their relationship grows and they conceive a child together. Everything seems great to Nash until Antonio shows up and suddenly he finds out about the split personalities.

The integration process that followed was lackluster, but Tess and Nash together were great. I am enjoying seeing Nash become a bigger part of the Llanview scene and he seems to have bonded with Antonio. However, his interactions with Jessica are annoying. If the writers will just let her back off a bit, this storyline would not have to be ruined.

Bo and Rex Bond
Rex has always been a bit of a rebel and I did not like him a whole lot in the past. Ever since Jen's murder, Rex has been a different guy. He is more caring, loving, and patient. He started doing PI work which connected him with Bo the Police Commissioner. They make a great team. You can tell Rex annoys Bo but they have a real father son dynamic going on that is very endearing.

Starr and Cole
This storyline is just getting underway and could potentially go very badly, but for now I like it. Starr, the child of Todd Manning, found herself a love interest in Cole Thornheart. Too bad he is the son of Marty Saybrooke who was raped by Todd. This should make for an interesting relationship since their parents are always at odds. I am a bit annoyed though that the writers did not think things through and it is not possible for Cole to be Starr's age. They never showed Marty pregnant back in the day when she used to around. Starr, however, was born right after Marty met her future husband. In that regard it just does not work, but I like the pairing of Cole and Starr some I am willing to overlook the logistics for now.

The Best General Hospital Storylines in 2006

2006-12-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

By Brandi M. Seals

General Hospital's storylines have been all over the place this last year. Generally they are my favorite soap opera and offer very few duds. This year was different with the resurrection of Laura, the killer virus, and several more. But, there were a few storylines that stand out as some of their best in history.

The Best Storylines
We had the introduction of Sam and Alexis as a mother-daughter team, we have seen Luke take an active roll in his daughter's life even if it was only for a short time, and we have seen the return of Robin's parents Robert Scorpio and Anna Devane. What will make the cut?

Lulu and the Abortion
Quite frankly, this was one of my favorite storylines. I could have done without the whole Enduro Condom scandal and even the changes to Lulu and most notably Dillon's personalities. However, this piece was well done. Viewers actually got to see Lulu's dilemma and how much she thought about what she wanted to do. I know that some people are pro life and may hate that an abortion was made part of daytime television, but abortion is part of reality. Many see it as an easy fix. I think GH did a great job of showing that there are last ramifications to having an abortion.

Manny Ruiz Strikes Terror in the Hearts of GH Residents
I loved Manny. Covered from head to toe in tattoos, this pint sized terror really was a menace to society. It became clear he was wacky when he shot up his own family, and he stuck around long enough to put a real crimp in everyone's lives. I did not like the bit where he could wear scrubs and go undetected. Please, with all those tattoos, everyone is going to recognize you. Anyway, Manny has been the first real villain in awhile to really shake things up and keep things interesting. Who knows, maybe he will be resurrected from the dead some day like Cesar Faison was back in the 90s.

Who is Spencer's Daddy?
I hated the pairing of Nikolas and Courtney. I do not know if it was because they lacked chemistry or the fact that she was a newlywed with a baby (via Elizabeth) on the way when things heated up. I always hated that Nik choose Courtney over Emily but I loved the drama that unfolded.

Courtney magically gets pregnant after being told it is impossible and then Nik and Jax fight it out over who the baby's daddy is. In true soap opera form there are multiple DNA tests and the results all read Jax. However, they were all fixed. Nik is really the big daddy and Jax knows it. He keeps the truth to himself and only reveals it as Courtney is about to die (right after giving birth) from the mystery virus. She calls for Nik and is about to tell him but dies before she can.

We then had to wait the situation out as Jax tries raising the kid as his own. After all, he does not want the evil Helena to corrupt Courtney's child. In the end, the truth is revealed and Nik is delighted to be the baby's daddy.

The Return of Edward
The part of Edward has been played by John Ingle since I can remember. There were others before him, but John Ingle is the person I most associate with the role. He left General Hospital back in 2004 when they would not give him a contract role. They wanted him to work on a reoccurring status. This year, Ingle reprised his role and is now back where he always deserved to be. I keep up with all kinds of spoilers but had not heard that Ingle would come back as Edward. Jed Allen filled the role during the absence but was seldom scene. Now Edward is back with a vengeance and the Quartermaines are seeing more storylines come their way. Yay for the return of John Ingle!

Next year I hope to see more well-executed storylines unfold. Only time will tell what the writers will think up, hopefully it is more above par work than we saw this year.

The Best All My Children Storylines in 2006

2006-12-15T09:33:00.000-08:00

By Brandi M. Seals

Each year there are some storylines that really hit home and others that completely miss the mark. This year, I think All My Children has had more stinkers than winners, but a few of their storylines have really been good.

Lily and Jonathan Tie the Knot
My favorite storyline this year has been Lily and Jonathan's relationship. I do not like how it ended, but its beginning was great. We first have to overlook the fact that Lily saw Jonathan kill Edmund in the barn about a year or so ago and was terrified of him. After Jonathan underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor that made him insane, he came back impaired. He had trouble communicating and was slow to comprehend. Apparently this made him perfect for Lily who was sick of being different. She saw Jonathan as being similar to her and the match was made. Everyone was against them but they made things work. Lily was actually starting to become comfortable with touching others and it was clear how much the pair cared for each other.

That all changed when Jonathan suddenly recovered his functions and stopped talking like Bo-Bo the idiot (this is not a dis on anyone with disabilities; it is merely pointing out that the character of Jonathan was hard to listen to because his stutter was so obviously faked). Jonathan hid his recovery from Lily for fear that she would not like him being normal. In the end the lie was found out and Lily left.

Despite the flaws in the storyline, the pairing was spot on. Lily and Jonathan have great chemistry and they are fun to watch together.

Dr. Madden is Buried Alive
After months of reeking havoc on the lives of women in Pine Valley, Dr. Madden finally gets a dose of his own medicine when he is buried alive. Tad buries Madden in hopes of getting information out of him. Dr. Madden convinced a very sick and injured Dixie to give up custody of her daughter without Tad finding out. Later Dixie returns to town and tells Tad what happened. They start searching for their daughter and come across Madden who will not tell them anything.

Dr. Madden spends a lot of time in his coffin, crying and ranting, before he dies when there is a sudden earthquake. I did not know there were earthquakes in Pennsylvania but I suppose that is okay.

Babe has an Affair with Josh
Babe remarried JR even though he has done all sorts of crazy things, including trying to kill her. Meanwhile she has found herself attracted to newcomer Josh Madden. She keeps her distance despite being pursued by him. In the end, JR's sister Colby goes missing and JR refused to open up to Babe. She takes that as her cue to step out on the marriage and hooks up with Josh on the roof of Fusion.

Unfortunately, Babe does not want to keep up the affair. She sees it as a mistake and wants to commit herself to her rocky relationship. It is not clear yet who Babe will end up with, but I like her and Josh together. It works in a way. Josh is a Kane and Kanes either hate or love Babe. Erica and Kendall hate her for sure. Bianca wanted to date her but settled on being her best friend until the whole baby fiasco. Now it is Josh's turn to give it a try.

Annie and Emma on the Run from Terry
Terry is a pervy sort of guy that likes young girls. His wife Annie figures this out and goes on the run with their daughter after she decides he would like to use Emma for his own pleasure. Terry terrorizes Lily and gets killed which frees Annie from a life on the run. Good thing since she quickly falls for Ryan. I like Annie's character. She is fun and witty. She makes for a great addition to the cast, plus she has made many storylines possible. From her coming to town we get Jonathan killing Terry, Lily's being terrorized, a relationship between Annie and Ryan, jealousy from Kendall, Emma mistaken at Dixie and Tad's daughter and many more. Hopefully Annie can get a bigger chunk of the action rather than just being a peripheral character on so many great stories.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Season One, Volume Two, Disk 3

2006-12-14T16:18:00.000-08:00

When Irwin Allen would surround himself with talented writers and directors, he could produce some of the best science fiction and adventure programming on television.

Such was the case with the early days of VOYAGE TO TH BOTTOM OF THE SEA and LOST IN SPACE, two series that had absolutely fantastic early episodes before they slipped into mediocrity and downright awfulness before they disappeared from TV screens.

VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA ended its first season on a high note as the final few episodes that aired in 1965 were incredibly well written and hold up very well to this very day. It is a joy to see that Fox DVD Home Entertainment has decided to open up their vaults and bring back this classic series for old fans of classic TV science fiction and Cold War era drama.

The Enemies This one of the stranger episodes in that instead of confronting Soviets, the Seaview crew runs afoul of rogue People's Republic of China agents who are developing a serum that will lead people to fight amongst each other with the intent of deadly consequences. Of course, nelson and Crane are exposed to the serum and are pitted against each other on a tropical island controlled by the rogues. There also is a weird scene in here where Officer Morton threatens to use a nuclear missile on the island!

Secret of the Loch This episode was one of the few black and white episodes that I remember from when I was a kid. Without giving away the ending, the secret found at Loch Ness is not what you would expect. Some hardcore fans put the episode down because of its Scooby Doo style ending, but it is actually a really good episode that has a nice (somewhat logical) twist at the end.

Condemned Here is another great episode that plays on a common convention that was used repeatedly on the series: the sub having to deal with the deadly danger of CRUSH DEPTH! While approaching crush depth was done to death in the series, this episode effectively creates a suspenseful scenario where a scientist has designed a machine that can be used to .allow a sub to withstand tremendous pressure and the Seaview must literally travel to the bottom of the sea to test it out. Of course, the egotistical scientist has not informed them of some of the risks and the ship faces certain implosion! What does harm the episode is the needless inclusion of a giant two headed monster. What were they thinking when they added that thing to the mix???

The Traitor The final episode of season one returns to Cold War themes as Nelson discovers his sister has been kidnapped by enemy agents and may be forced to do their evil bidding. This is not a bad episode per se, it is just that it is a bit of a standard spy style story that revisits a rehashed plot from earlier in the season.

David Hedison Interview This is an add on to the DVD series and it is a bit of a disappointment considering that it is a very brief interview where Hedison reminisces about the series for about 8 minutes. It is WAY TOO brief to contain anything of note and Hedison steers away from mentioning his dislike working on the series. (Although he did grow fond of the series many years later) Does anyone remember the episode of FANTASY ISLAND where David Hedison Guest starred as a werewolf? (!) Anyone remember the episode of FANTASY ISLAND where Robert Reed of Brady Bunch fame played a vampire? (!)

Blooper reel. Ugh. This is on the extras and it is too brief and really is not all that funny. Completists may enjoy seeing the footage, but it is kind of dull.

The episodes present on this disk were also the last episodes shot in black and white as season two would bring the series to color. The second season was mostly excellent, but towards the end of the second season, the quality of the series would take a decided nose dive into mediocrity.

The bottom line on the first season DVDs is that they are fun viewing and well worth watching again and again!