Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

The Greatest American Hero S2 E3

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“Don’t Mess Around with Jim”

Did Tony flunk?

I ask because at the beginning of this episode of The Greatest American Hero, Ralph was getting after Tony to meet him at his house an hour after school let out in order for them to work together so Tony would not flunk. Tony wasn’t excited about the extra work, but he eventually agreed to Ralph’s pressure (Sure felt like blackmail to me). However, Ralph was kidnapped in the school parking lot after school and taken away.

And there was not one mention of Tony after that.

I really expected that there would be some kind of tag at the end with this dangling plot point, but there was not. So I can only assume that Tony was going to flunk.

The episode was pretty good in-between the fate of Tony. The man who had Ralph (and Bill) kidnapped was a man who had just faked his own death. A man who was big enough of a figure in the world whose funeral would be aired on live TV. This man had his will taken and needed Ralph and Bill to help him reclaim it.

The truth was mixed though. The man knew about the suit from the “little green guys” and his friend was able to tell Ralph how to use the suit’s telekinesis.

Turned out, the man who had faked his own death, at one time, had a suit of his own from the aliens. He apparently abused the power and the aliens took it away from him.

The idea that Ralph was not the first to be approached by the aliens is a fascinating idea and helped to build the world even more.

This episode was really solid and shows that this show had spent time doing more than just breaking cases. This episode was a development for both Ralph and Bill. This was the third really good episode in season two.

Bates Motel S4 E3

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“Til Death Do You Part”

Every episode that sees Norma and Romero getting closer reminds me of how much I loved them as a couple and how I wanted to root for them, despite the fact that I knew this was doomed from the start.

Their relationship feels as if it has been built since day one. While it may seem as if it were tossed together in one moment, the truth is that they have had interactions with each other since the first season and this all makes sense.

Norman is totally frightening as he is dealing with his anger at Norma for putting him in the psychiatric home. His ability to manipulate is being shown, and it is still up in the air if anyone around there believes him. Dr. Edwards seems to be very low-key and calm when dealing with Norman, but even he gave a look at the end when Norman was accusing his mother of murder that made me wonder where he was going to fall on it.

It was good to have Dylan return to lend an ear for Norma and to face off with Chick. His time with Emma has been great, but he belongs in the Bates craziness too.

Tension is building this season and I can’t wait to see what is going to happen once again.

Bonus Action Vol. 2 Ep.1

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“A Spring’s Awakening”

Bonus Action returned to officially kickoff their second volume of D & D role-playing action with the wonderful cast of characters and a remarkably creative DM.

One of last year’s top surprises was the arrival of Bonus Action from the Preview’d guys, Adam lash and Jay Schmidt. They had decided to film their group’s gaming as a YouTube series and I found it to be very fun.

The cast returned this season with DM (Or as he says, friendly neighborhood campaign manager) David Armstrong as well as Jay and Adam (playing Bric and Victor respectively), Amanda Nicholas as Barb’E, Ja-Ron Young as Marlon, Josh Hurley as Todd, and Jason Spina as Rory. This only works because of these talented individuals with their acting, improv and interpersonal skills. They all have a total grasp on their characters and it makes it a total rush watching them play into the amazingly constructed and described world of Wild Country.

This episode kicked off with an unexpected one-on-one with David and Amanda, in a flashback for Barb’E, and it was tremendous, emotional and thrilling.

The rest of the episode was set up and character development, both important and silly in many manners. Making Todd’s 4th Wall Breaking a part of canon is truly a hoot.

I will say that the cliffhanger at the very end was fairly shaky. How could you?

This was a ton of fun and next week’s combat at the parade (or is it Pear-Raid?) will be something special. Glad this is back.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E2

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“Gates of Heaven”

Two episodes in and I am completely enthralled with this new season of Only Murders in the Building.

Steve Martin may be doing some of his best work of his long and illustrious career as Charles went through the episode trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he might have been the target of the murder attempt that claimed the life of his friend and stunt double, Sazz. Martin’s performance was beautiful as he spoke to the delusion he was seeing of Sazz. This was both sad as could be and relatable in a situation that just was crazy.

While Charles was breaking our hearts in his apartment (and kind of reuniting with escaped killer Jan), Oliver and Mabel went to investigate the Westies, people who could be the shooter in apartments across from Charles’ place, in the west end of the Arconia. These were some weirdos, led by Richard Kind’s “Stink Eye Joe” aka Vince Fish and his moving pink-eye. We also met a family who invite Oliver and Mabel to join them in a card game called Oh Hell. Some of the things that happen with the Westies are truly crazy and are either meant to throw us off or to highlight how crazy things are in this part of the Arconia. We certainly see that they know something more than they let us know.

We do not meet the Westie that Charles dubbed Christmas Guy, played by Kumail Nanjiani. Apparently, his apartment is decorated for Christmas year round. Oh, and by the way, when Oliver and Mabel were in the apartment where they believe that the shooter took the shot, Oliver found some tinsel. That clue may be too on the nose to be anything but a red herring, but you never can tell with this show.

I thought this was tremendous, with Steve Martin and Jane Lynch were amazing. I found the documentary that was the only time Sazz’s own face was on the screen packed a powerful wallop. Steve Martin’s moments at the beginning of the episode when he had Sazz’s ashes all over his hands and he did not know how to wash them off respectfully was both funny and crushing at the same time. His plan of washing off the ashes and catching the water in a bucket, putting the water in a Mason jar and allowing the water to evaporate to leave the ashes was never going to work, but it displayed the tremendous shock that Charles was suffering from.

I love the start of this season and I am thoroughly enjoying each episode so far. Only Murders in the Building airs on Hulu.

Battlestar Galactica S2 E14

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“Black Market”

The black market of goods aboard the fleet is given some light in this episode that focuses on Lee and his recent struggles since the ejection of the blackbird.

Truth be told, the whole Apollo arch feels sloppy. Much of what was going on, things that seemed to be a huge problem for Lee felt like it just showed up now and did not seem to fit in to what I knew of the character. There were a bunch of things in this episode like that. One in particular is Lee who had been taking up with a prostitute on Cloud Nine, a prostitute who had a child. I was not sure where this was supposed to have come from and it was jarring when she was there.

It was the same thing about the flashbacks to Lee’s former girlfriend prior to the Cylon attack. I knew little to nothing about this woman and, because of that, I had little to no emotional connection to her.

I also was not sure about the relationship between Apollo and Dee. This did not seem like much of a relationship before. It always felt as if Apollo was more with Starbuck, and Dee was with Billy. Maybe I missed something important, but it just felt lacking.

The stare down with Apollo and black market head Phelan was intense and ended surprisingly. I kind of liked that, even if it felt like it went against Apollo’s character. At least that felt like a choice he made to make things better.

Overall, this was not a strong episode and felt as if it lacked the narrative that this show is used to presenting.

Bates Motel S4 E2

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“Goodnight Mother”

I really love the relationship that developed in this series between Norma Bates and Alex Romero. Alex, who is anything but an angel, goes to such lengths to help Norma.

Freddie Highmore is exceptional. You can see how he is slipping deeper into his own insanity with every scene. Despite what we know of the eventual fate of Norman Bates, you can’t help but hope he makes it through.

That said, Norman’s mental break this episode was absolutely frightening. You could tell that Norman really believed that Norma was the person who had killed all the other women, even though none of that made any sense. It just fueled his rage and Highmore was compelling the whole time.

The show then juxtaposed Norman’s story of downward spiral with the new hope given to Emma after the lung transplant. The scene of Emma taking her first breaths in the hospital was just as powerful and engaging as the scenes of Norman and Norma.

With all her flaws and lack of trust, Norma Bates truly loves Norman, which makes everything that goes down here even more tragic. Bates Motel succeeds dramatically at making Norma Bates a deeply three-dimensional character and the fact that she winds up dead and in an attic is even more tragic. It provided even more layers to the film Psycho than it had before.

The X-Files S6 E16

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“Alpha”

It has been about a year since I started this X-Files rewatch and we have enjoyed some really great episodes. When The X-Files is doing well, few shows can match it. Sadly, there have been several clunkers during this time frame as well, which included the current episode, “Alpha.”

There were some ideas in the episode that could have worked well. It just felt run-of-the-mill and as if the execution of the overall story was just underwhelming.

Several concepts that did not work, that could have worked better with a different script, included the weird “love” angle between Mulder and the canine expert  Karin Berquist. While the character of Berquist was quirky and different, her motives were messy and convoluted. Another concept that did not work was the villain and his entire plan, as it were. Dr. Ian Detweiler was initially shown to be the man who captured and imported the dangerous dog, which we first seen locked in a cage on a boat. Later we find out that Detwiler is the dog himself and can shapeshift. How this happened was never discussed and none of this made any sense.

Worse yet was the finale, the final confrontation between Berquist and Detwiler, which was simply laughable. The cliche of a werewolf being impaled on a fence spike is used here in just the most painfully obvious manner.

I didn’t understand why any of this was happening and nothing made sense. It felt as if the entire story between Mulder and Berquist was just constructed so Mulder could get his “I Want to Believe” poster back after his own one burned in the fire set by CSM at the end of season five. Somehow, Berquist had the same poster and somehow, someone sent it to Mulder to have… for no apparent reason.

Season six has had some highs, but it has had its shares of lows too. “Alpha” is clearly one of the lows.

Bonus Action Vol. 2 Ep 0

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I was excited about the news of the return of Bonus Action. However, I was really hoping it would be played on another night than Monday. Simply put, my schedule is bad on Mondays for watching and hour and a half + show on YouTube. So I made the conscious decision that I would be watching this new season on Tuesday nights.

So I watched the first new Bonus Action and it turned out to be a lot of discussion on what is to come in Vol. 2 as well as what the individual players wanted their characters to go through or to face.

There was also a bit of a shock for me. I learned that there were some holiday specials with the group. I had no idea. Checking on YouTube, the holiday specials included “Midnight on Ever Clear” which was almost two-and-a-half hours long, and “Smackdown on the Solstice.” Each of these two featured three of the players in what is listed as “Odd Jobs.” I am going to try to find some time to watch these two videos, but 2 1/2 hours is a huge time commitment at this point. It would have been much easier for me around Christmas… or this whole summer break.

Either way, these characters are a ton of fun and I am pleased to rejoin their campaign, apparently around six months later from the conclusion of Vol. 1.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E1

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“Once Upon a Time in the West”

Charles, Oliver and Mabel are back for another round of mystery as they slowly discover what we all saw at the end of the third season, that Sazz, played over the series by Jane Lynch, had been killed by an assassin’s bullet in Charles’ apartment.

Well, it actually took them awhile to find out about Sazz since her body was not in Charles’s apartment and had, apparently, been removed and taken to the building’s incinerator.

Charles had been getting worried about Sazz, since she took off without any notice and that she was not responding to him. There was one mysterious text, but it did not help soothe Charles’s anxiety.

Meanwhile, the threesome headed off to Hollywood when they received an offer which included selling their life rights to a movie studio so they could make a movie based on the podcast. They were introduced to the actors that would be playing them in the movie: Eugene Levy as Charles, Eva Longoria as Mabel and Zach Galifianakis. (By the way, this casting is inspired.)

Meryl Streep reprised her role as Loretta and she and Oliver had a lovely scene together. Loretta tried to talk Oliver into coming out to California with her as she was involved in a TV show.

Scott Bakula also appeared, running into Charles and confirming that Sazz had not shown up for the job of backing him, causing Charles to really start to worry.

This started with a really excellent episode. Steve Martin, in particular, was exceptional with his confused and worried state over his missing friend. Watching him dig the joint replacements from Bulgaria out of the incinerator at the Arconia was horrifying. The response on the text message moments later, as Charles mourned his friend, was chilling.

This has a ton of promise and I can’t wait for next week’s episode to see where they go with it.

The X-Files S6 E15

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“Arcadia”

I remember loving this episode when it first aired. I still loved it after this rewatch, but it may have taken a slight step down. Still one of my favorite X-Files episodes.

Mulder and Scully going undercover as a yuppie married couple in a planned community to try and discover why people have been disappearing without a trace is a fantastic premise. It opens the show up to some funny moments as Mulder and Scully interact with each other and the neighborhood and its ridiculously strict rules.

This, I think, is a perfect episode to talk about something that I have truly noticed during this rewatch. I know there were people who thought Scully and Mulder were meant for each other, but this episode showed to me that they just did not have that lover connection. Each scene of them as a married couple, where there could have been sparks with their unrequited love, just lacked any energy and was played as humor.

I have never felt that Mulder and Scully had that “will they or won’t they” vibe of TV pairs such as David and Maddie of Moonlighting, Sam and Diane of Cheers, Richard Castle and Detective Beckett of Castle. I mean, I have no doubt that they loved each other, but more like brother-sister, or best friends. Heck, I would compare the relationship between Mulder and Scully more like that of Adrian Monk and Natalie from Monk. Closer than co-workers. Tighter than friends. Just platonic. Trying to do more feels uncomfortable, and that is the feel of “Arcadia.”

I do like the garbage monster which is revealed as a tulpa, a thought creature brought to life by the planned community leader Gene Gogolak, played by Peter White. However, the third act of the show sure seemed rushed. I think this concept could have been a two-part episode, although I know they kept those two-parters for the mythology episodes and not the monster-of-the-week affairs. I do think this could have worked as one in order to give a little more background to the monster and fleshing out the characters in the community more.

The comedic timing of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson is really great. They work in so many versions of this show. They are such solid actors. It just does not seem as if their characters are in love.

The Greatest American Hero S2 E2

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“Operation: Spoilsport”

I think this was the best episode of The Greatest American Hero that we have seen so far.

I actually remember this episode from when I first watched it back int he 1980s because of what was different. In the episode on Amazon Prime that I watched today, there were several songs used as a soundtrack as Ralph and Bill raced around trying to prevent the launch of nuclear weapons via a computer program called Operation: Spoilsport. The nuclear weapons were intended to be a preemptive strike on the USSR and General Stocker (played by John Anderson) was behind the strike, bringing the story of Dr. Strangelove to The Greatest American Hero.

What I remember clearly about this episode was the use of the song “Eve of Destruction.” I believe it was the first time I heard this song and it was so much more powerful with this than the songs than the original songs that were on the version on Prime.

There was a definite thrill in this episode as the chance of a launch of nuclear weapons from a crazed general is a danger that loomed large in the 1980s. Ralph and Bill’s desperation fit right in with the tone of the episode, which still had its comedic flavor, but the humor was in its proper place and was not over used. The threat of nuclear war was real at the time and this story of two heroes doing everything they could to prevent it was epic.

Yes, the special effects are of the 1980s TV variety, but that is not the show’s fault. The storytelling was strong and these two characters reacted in ways that you understood.

Connie Sellecca was reserved for a phone call cameo, apparently since she was pregnant at the time.

We also saw the return of the little green guys who communicated with Ralph through the radio as well as through a dead guy (which was actually kind of creepy).

Great episode.

Battlestar Galactica S2 E13

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“Epiphanies”

I am officially unsure completely which side is the good guys on Battlestar Galactica.

The second season has spent much of it so far making it shades of grey. The Cylons are being shown not just as machines that are evil and looking to destroy humanity. And the humans are being shown potentially as warmongers. This episode did not do anything to dismiss that idea. In fact, when they were attempting to take Sharon’s baby against her will, I found myself completely behind Sharon.

As I said, this is absolutely not a show about good and evil. The shades of grey are all over the place.

VP Dr. Baltar surprised me in this episode with his last minute saving of President Roslin. I supposed someone could argue that he was doing this only to save the life of Sharon’s baby.

I was not sure if Roslin was going to be saved at the end, but it does not surprise me that she was. She has been a major character and letting her die off in the middle of the second season would be a huge swing. The show is starting to plant the seeds of problems between Roslin and Baltar as she was having memories of seeing him with Number Six making out.

Then, of course, there is the nuclear warhead Baltar sent to Gina on Cloud Nine. Where is that heading?

The X-Files S6 E14

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“Monday”

Some of the best X-Files episodes are the ones where they take a familiar premise from a movie or TV show and give it the X-Files treatment. We have seen movie/TV premises such as The Thing, Speed, Firestarter, Freaky Friday and Twilight Zone among others. This time it is Groundhog Day (although actually, according to Vince Gilligan, more of a Twilight Zone episode, specifically “Shadow Play” from 1961).

Mulder and Scully wind up in a bank near the FBI offices at the same time that a man with a gun (and a bomb) is there to pull off a robbery. It seems that no matter what happens, the bomb goes off killing everyone inside the bank.

However, the bomber, named Bernard, had a girlfriend named Pam and Pam was the one reliving the day over and again and realizing what was happening. She tried everything she could think of to stop the eventual explosion, to no avail.

The show brings up Deja vu in the middle, with Mulder telling Scully that all the terrible things that had happened to him that morning felt like had happened to him before. All Scully could ask was “When did you get a water bed?” which is a hilarious toss back to the two part episode from season six, Dreamland, where Mulder switched bodies with Morris Fletcher who bought the waterbed.

The show’s director does an admirable job of shooting each scene, which could have been very repetitive, in different manners and with different variations, which showed that things could be changed and was not just totally fate.

This was a nice blend of humor, which a lot of these premise episodes leaned toward, and serious drama. It was a very engaging hour of TV and has been a highlight so far of season six.

Bates Motel S4 E1

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“A Danger to Himself and Others”

Norman Bates has gone off the deep end.

In a show that takes the character of Norman Bates as a young adult, the main protagonist of this show is really Norma Bates. Her desperation in trying to protect her son is the driving force in her life, sending her off to do crazy things in the name of her son. Is she really helping him? No, not really.

Norma going to Romero and asking him to marry her so she could get insurance to admit Norman to a mental health facility is shocking. The disgust on Alex’s face when Norma said she’d sleep with him was actually more telling than you would think. It’s not as if Romero has clean hands. His hands were quite literally covered with blood at the episode’s beginning when he hid the body of Bob (who he had shot in the season four finale) by sinking his boat in the lake. Still, I know how Romero and Norma end up and they are destined for each other.

The show is also very much about parents and children as we meet Emma’s absentee mom. She tries to come see Emma as she is having her lung transplant, but Emma’s father Will sends her away. Emma’s mother then tries to go to the Bates Motel to have Norma help her, but Norma turned her away. Unfortunately for Emma’s mom, she came across Norman all blacked out and dressed up in mother’s robe. Norman strangled her to death, adding to his body count. As of this episode, we know Norman has killed his father, Miss Watson, Bradley Martin, and now Emma’s mother Audrey Ellis. Am I forgetting anyone?

This episode has a look at the state of mental health in the country as the institution that Norman is taken to after the farmer knocked him out (which was an epic moment) was shown as scary, overcrowded, and dark. The mentally ill have such a stigma connected to them that these types of places are operating to the best of their abilities, lacking the funds and the personnel to handle the cases that they have to handle. It’s the type of place where those without money or insurance, like Norma, have to send their loved ones who need help. meanwhile, there are lovely facilities that require waiting lists and lots of cash. It is just another example of the levels of class distinction and how it affects the people of the country.

This show has never shied away from the illustration of violence, in particular against women. In order to show the complexities of the character of Norman Bates, they must show a background that would lead him to the iconic character from Psycho. It can be difficult to watch at times, but it is always compelling.

The Greatest American Hero S2 E1

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“The Two-Hundred-Mile-an-Hour Fast Ball”

We start off season two of the Greatest American Hero with the happy return of Ralph’s original last name, Hinkley. Ralph Hanley is gone for good. At the end of the last season, they had to change Ralph’s last name because of the assassination attempt against Ronald Reagan by John Hinkley.

Ralph is going undercover on the California Stars, a MLB team (meant to be the LA Dodgers as it was filmed at Dodger Stadium), because someone is beating up the Star’s best players in an attempt to make them lose. Ralph and the suit are able to throw the fastest fast ball and attracts the attention of the bad guys.

This was a weird episode with Ralph using the suit to actually play major league baseball and not just go undercover. Bill got him a contract and everything.

Markie Post was guest starring as the Stars owner. Don Drysdale appeared too as the baseball announcer.

There was a scene where Markie Post told Ralph that Mike Douglas wanted him on his show, but every time Ralph said the word Mike Douglas, it looked like his lips was saying something else. Maybe “Merv”, like Merv Griffin.

Connie Sellecca only made a cameo appearance in the episode on the phone.

Kind of a strange episode. The Stars’ manager was involved in the plot and was trying to fix it so his team would lose. However, it is sort of a performance-enhancing situation with Ralph and his super powered suit. That does feel like he cheated in the end which did not mesh with the character of Ralph Hinkley.