Category Archives: Prime

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.

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 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?

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.

Battlestar Galactica S2 E11, E12

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“Resurrection Ship, Part 1, and Part 2”

I had watched episode 10 the other day and I had intended on watching another episode right away. That was when I noticed that episodes 11 & 12 were two-parter and that I did not have time to watch both at that time. I made the choice to not start episode 11 and wait to watch the pair of them together. I am glad that I made that decision.

These two episodes worked very well together as the strife centering around the return of the Pegasus and the ascension of Admiral Cain over Adama filled the story significantly.

I did not expect President Roslin to tell Adama that he needed to have Cain killed. The show spent much of the time building Cain up as a bad guy, giving us details about some of her decision that may have been considered morally questionable. I did find Roslin’s comment to be inconsistent with her character, but with her getting sicker by the minute, I can see her wanting to have things settled as soon as she could.

The conflict within both Starbuck and Fisk over the orders that they had been given by their respective leaders was amazing. Neither of them felt like the order was the right thing to do, but they were both in position in which to do it if told to.

Having it be Gina who assassinates Cain felt kind of easy, but I am happier that it was her and not Starbuck.

The whole conversation and interaction with Gina and Baltar was tough to watch. The show has done a solid job of humanizing the Cylons that we know of and making them seem less evil. Gina had been so abused and tortured that she just wanted to die, but could not commit suicide as it is a sin. Sharon has also be made to be more human than what she started as and one wonders if this is real or still part of the plan.

The special effects of the episode were wonderful as the attack on the resurrection ship was impressive, especially for a TV show.

This two-parter did feel like a season finale, but there are several episodes to go in season two. I wonder if the show had an hiatus after this pair or if it just happened to feel that way.

Battlestar Galactica S2 E10

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“Pegasus”

A happy return becomes a tense standoff.

The Pegasus, a Colonial vessel that had been missing and presumed destroyed, arrived back at the fleet, with Admiral Helena Cain aboard. Admiral outranked that of Commander, so Cain took control of the fleet away from Adama. Adama was fully supportive of the order, showing his honor as a military man.

Even after Cain reassigned Starbuck and Apollo, Adama followed the orders and did what he was told.

Things got complicated. When the Cylon interrogator from the Pegasus went to find out what Sharon knew, things got bad. He was going to rape her during the violent encounter, but Chief and Helo came to her rescue, inadvertently killing the man.

Cain ordered Chief and Helo brought for trial, but she decided their fate without a trial and planned on executing them for treason. Adama wanted them to be brought back to Galactica for trial but Cain denied him. Adama launched viper crews and a Marine team to go get his men back and Cain ordered her vipers to stop them.

Hence the tension.

Major issues unfolding among the humans. I was excited about the next episode and I was going to start to watch it, but I saw the next episode was a part one, and I did not want to stop in the middle of the two-parter. So I stopped the next episode and hope to get back to it later this weekend when I can watch the two of them together.

This episode was really hard to watch as this crew of Pegasus had really been rough to the Cylons that they had in their control. They showed that they had a Cylon copy of Number Six, but she had been beaten and raped by many of the crew. This showed the Cylons in a new light, giving them more human qualities and almost made them sympathetic.

I thought at first that the Pegasus crew would turn out to be Cylons themselves, but this is even better. They are humans and showing the dark side of the race.

Battlestar Galactica S2 E9

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“Flight of the Phoenix”

The Chief, tormented by the events of going on with Sharon and Helo, decided to take his situation into his own hands and built a stealth plane from spare parts.

It was met, at first, with division and sarcasm, but as the episode progressed, more and more of the crew began to buy into the hope that Chief was selling, and joined in on the project.

Meanwhile, a Cylon virus started taking over the Galactica technology and was in danger of sending a signal to the Cylons to attack a defenseless Galactica.

This dangerous threat forced Adama to bring Sharon into the mix and give her a chance to help right the ship.

I am starting to buy into Sharon’s redemption arc, so I sure hope the show does not pull the rug out from under it. I’m still not sure what the long range story is here with Sharon, but I have bought into it.

Chief and his stealth plane was a brilliant way to help build up morale on a ship that was lacking patience. Of course, Starbuck can fly anything. Even a slapped together dream.

Things are looking bad for Laura and I wonder if the show is actually going to have her die from the cancer that she has. I can’t believe that there will not be some last minute save for her, but I have no idea where that would come from.

It was yet another top line episode in a series that has been filled with them so far.

Greatest American Hero S1 E8

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“The Best Desk Scenario”

It is a day for wrapping up season finales for the TV shows I am watching. I just watched season three finale for Bates Motel, and now I finished season one of Greatest American Hero with the oddly titled “The Best Desk Scenario.”

The first season of this show has been a lot of goofy, cheesy fun as Ralph struggled to learn how his super suit worked. This episode he tried for a pyrokinetic power, which did not go exactly how he thought it would.

You would also think that at some point, all the crooks brought to justice by Bill Maxwell who claimed were brought in by a guy in red long johns might start to add up and someone might question what was going on instead of just shipping them all off for mental checks.

Bill was having his own trouble here as colleagues of his were dying and it was making him look at his own mortality and question if he had lost his own step. It was an interesting idea for Bill, but it is not really dealt with during the story. It is there, but not with any real depth.

Ralph and Pam’s career successes were causing Bill to be jealous and to doubt his own career. A new head at the FBI, a really young guy, also brought Bill’s insecurities to the surface.

Season two is the longest of the three seasons for Greatest American Hero so we’ll get started on that one soon. Season one was fun and quite a flashback to the 1980s.

Bates Motel S3 E10

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“Unconscious”

Season three finale of Bates Motel continues Norman Bates’ decent into madness as he finished off yet another young woman, the believed-to-be-dead Bradley in a frighteningly violent scene. Admittedly, it was Vera Farmiga who acted out the actual murder, Norman has slipped back into the multiple personality that has caused him to be such a dangerous young man.

I do find it fascinating that Bates Motel has been able to create two couples that are some of my personal favorite couples of all time on their little show depicting how Norman became a murderer.

First up this episode, we see the pairing of Dylan and Emma take a big step forward as they shared a kiss after Dylan was trying to get her to accept the lung transplant. Her reasons to be afraid of the transplant are understandable and relatable. She just wanted to live and was afraid that the transplant was too big of a risk. Dylan was understanding and sweet as he softly convinced her to take a risk.

And you can see the beginnings of what is one of my absolutely most favorite couples of all time with Norma and Alex Romero. I remember loving this couple when they got together and you can see how these two are being built.

However, on this rewatch, it is hard for me to consider Romero a hero. My memory from the first time through was that he was a good guy, but he clearly is not as he murdered Bob. Now, he did it to protect Norma and Bob was a really bad guy, but Romero outright murdered him. And it was not the first time that he had done this. It might have been for the greater good, but still…

Norma definitely needs to work on her knot tying as Norman got out of those binds in seconds.

Bring on season four!

Bates Motel S3 E8, E9

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“The Pit”

“Crazy”

Norman and Norma have an uncomfortable conversation. Norman was upset from what Finnegan had said to him and he had to talk to Norma because he was afraid it was true. Norma reacted in such an understanding and honest manner that it completely put Norman at ease. It was really sweet.

That made the end of the episode, where Norma winds up screaming at Norman that he was going to kill her, all the more horrible. The juxtaposition of the two scenes were stark.

The whole Dylan and Caleb gun running scene was rough. The budding relationship between Emma and Dylan is cute. Alex is dealing with his own issues with Norma and he is told the truth about what happened to Norman’s father.

And what a shocker. Bradley is back.

Caleb and Chick have a major conflict and a fight. This is leading to something more explosive. It gave Dylan the money to help Emma get bumped up the transplant list. He gave it to her father with the caveat that Emma did not know it was from him.

Norma is unbelievably impulsive in a destructive way. Taking the shovel and starting to refill the ‘swimming pool’ in anger was shocking. She is a truly contradictory character. Sweet at times, insane at others.

And speaking of insane, Norman is really getting to that place.

The Greatest American Hero S1 E6, E7

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“My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”

“Fire Man”

Two different Greatest American Hero episodes with some intriguing stories.

The first one was Basically The Greatest American Hero No More.

If you are a Spider-Man fan like me, you know the reference to one of the classic stories of all time. Spider-Man was always looking to stop being Spider-Man, but he actually tossed his costume once.

Ralph does the same thing when his use of his suit nearly caused a tour bus to go off a cliff. Ralph started thinking about how dangerous he was with his suit and the possible guilt over his actions drove him to consider hanging up the suit for good.

Meanwhile, Maxwell was having his own crisis as his old army captain in the war starting making noise to Bill about stealing diamond from a fence and leaving the country. This had Maxwell doubting his own beliefs.

Both were cool storylines that did not go too deep. I would have like to have seen more of this, to see it more developed than what this show did. Perhaps even have them be separate episodes instead of both being contained inside the same one.

Oh, and there was the Lone Ranger too. Former Lone Ranger actor John Hart guest starred to influence and inspire Ralph to do the right thing.

It was Ralph’s own great power-great responsibility moment.

The next episode tested Ralph and Bill’s friendship and partnership by putting them at odds when Tony wound up as a main suspect in an arson case.

Ralph, Pam and eventually Bill, helped the fugitive Tony avoid getting arrested and trying to prove his innocence.

Both of these two episodes were different but they had the same base of Ralph and Bill at their core.