A nerd before the birth of TOS Red Shirts, I share my thoughts on genre media be it books, movies, TV shows, etc

Thursday, December 30, 2010

FBI(Fringe Benefits Inc.)Ep Review - 3.09: Marionette

Join us in our temporarily constructed shared reality known as a podcast, as we discuss the latest episode of Fringe.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

ODONTV - Podcast 3 - Holiday - 'End of the World' Episode - The Walking Dead S1

The third ODONTV podcast on the current state of TV!

Join me as I chat with Fellow Podcaster Mary Scavarda whom can be found online at True Blush Girls and on Twitter at - @mary3s

In addition Karen Lindsay whom can be found on Twitter as - @Aleveria and is a regular on the Chuck CNN podcasts. Karen is a big The Walking Dead fan. She gives us the perspective of a fan of the graphic novel versus the television adaptation.

We compare notes on the First Season of The Walking Dead and talk about the Second Season.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

CNN - 4.10: Chuck Vs The Leftovers

Welcome back gang!

Take a listen to our Audio Episode Review of CNN 4.10 - Chuck Vs The Leftovers

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Join Jan, Karen, Joe, and myself as we embark on our next Season 4 Audio Review.

Thanks to my fellow podcasters, Jan, Karen, and Joe. Hope you listeners will enjoy!

Miss any episodes? You can find them all at CNN - Chuck Nerdposium Netcast, and every time you watch it helps to support us!

Note: my written review for Chuck Vs The Leftovers can be found at ChuckTV - here.

As always this podcast is family and office safe.

Dalton Does It Better – Episode 4.10: Chuck Vs The Leftovers

Written by Henry Alonso Meyers

Directed by Zachary Levi

“Nobody does it better
Makes me feel sad for the rest
Nobody does it half as good as you
Baby, you’re the best “

The Spy Who Loved Me

Carly Simon

Dalton. Timothy Dalton. Guest star extraordinaire.

In Chuck Vs Phase 3, Yvonne Strahovski elevated a solid episode storyline with her outstanding performance, turning it into the signature episode for the series.

Timothy Dalton gives a guest start performance that also soars to great heights. But he is not so fortunate on the storyline side. His performance takes place in an episode that disappointingly concurs with the episode title.

This is one of the funniest episodes of the season and, if you maintain a 50,000 foot view, the individual scenes do offer good laughs. The best bit by far was Chuck and Morgan taking defense lessons via a Strip Kick Aerobics class. Even better that there was payoff to that bit when Chuck used one of the class moves to take down a baddie later on. However, diving down to levels where more detail is revealed the mechanical nature of the plot and the recycling of bits from previous Chuck holiday episodes, including more Die Hard references, detract from the fun. Mileage on the laughs will vary from individual to individual but for myself this episode, when Dalton was not onscreen, felt forced.

By far the best element of this episode was Timothy Dalton. He dominated the screen every second he was on the screen. The now revealed volatile and erratic nature of the Volkoff allows Dalton to run roughshod over everyone. One second dashing. The next, incensed. Another beat; sensitive and caring. The next; commanding and violent. The fact that his Achilles Heel is MamaB is a rather cliche but Dalton exploits to its fullest. So much so, that when he is onscreen he obliterates everyone else. All they can do is stand back and hope Volkoff does not lash out at them. Volkoff is a certifiable loon and Dalton can be seen having a ball with the character because of it. His performance gave me that same vibe when I first saw Anthony Hopkins portray Hannibal Lecter in Silence Of The Lambs.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

* Ah a villain listening to classical music. Cliche but it always works
* Chuck Unplugged
* Strip Kick! ‘I saw an infomercial.’
* ‘Casey can never know about this.’
* ‘Come with me if you want to live.’ MamaB to the rescue
* Big Mike is so slick shilling Subway subs. Who can resist?
* ‘Who has two thumbs and is taken?’
* Morgan enjoying a foot massage a la Die Hard and the carpet trick.
* ‘Shave my back.’
* Volkoff’s Die Hard Assault Team
* Nerd Machine sticker on Volkoff’s computer expert’s laptop
* CIA Internal Defence System – not so special
* Fatman & Indian – the not so dynamic duo
* ‘Hand Frost the damn phone!’
* ‘I got lucky. I got assigned to you.’
* Casey gives Morgan a gun. Again.
* ‘Is that a threat?’
* Exploding Soccer Ball Of Doom
* ‘That’s how you threaten somebody.’
* Sarah and Chuck holding hands before going into battle
* ‘Charles is my son.’ Really? Really. Really? ….Really!
* ‘Kids love me!’
* Chuck and Sarah’s silent planning during charades
* Volkoff doing charades
* Devon needs to be Awesome. Again.
* ‘Cold. But surprisingly soothing.’
* ‘I don’t have to really do that. I just love the sound.’
* ‘You see. That is a real threat.’ MamaB protects her family.
* Morgan unable to reach taped gun
* Chuck knows Kung-Fu. Again.

With the totality of the spy arc pretty well revealed now, and we were told way back in Chuck Vs the Coup D’Etat that MamaB was a kept woman, Season 4 seems destined to be another season with another underwhelming spy storyline. At least in the first thirteen episodes. The saving element is, obviously, Timothy Dalton’s virtuoso, mesmerizing portrayal of Volkoff. To use the series’s best villain solely in the service of a kept woman storyline seems all the more the pity.


I fully disclose that my expectations of the Chuck being deIntersected arc not being realized undermine my enjoyment of this episode. But even from the perspective of judging what the show delivered, the resolution to said arc is undramatic, leaves many dangling – and somewhat contradictory plot threads, and offered no character growth for Chuck. He is literally handed the remedy via Devon. No struggle to reacquire it. No chances to show his mettle without it. No strengthening of family bonds. If anything Chuck was diminished during this arc. Chuck Vs The Couch Lock is my one of favourite episodes so far this season. It also one of the few episodes where Chuck felt like Chuck this season. Henry Alonso Meyers did not fare as well with this outing.

MamaB’s assertion that PapaB never wanted Chuck to be subjected to the Intersect Suppressing PSP does not ring true nor does her motivation. How leaving Chuck defenceless makes any character sense is impossible to ascertain given the paucity of details. There may be very valid reasons for what transpired but without any context, the reasons behind the creation of the PSP and the laptop, appear to serve only one purpose: as very mechanical story devices to facilitate the loss and retrieval of the Intersect. This is borne out by how the episode glosses over Chuck’s reacquisition of the Intersect. Will these questions be answered at a later date? Given some of the unresolved dangling story threads ie Devon giving Chuck the laptop which is expressly against Ellie’s wishes; the answer is not likely.

Even worse the deIntersect arc ends with Ellie still in the dark about Chuck spying and having the Intersect. With the PapaB heirlooms in the form of the car and the laptop, MamaB on the scene, Ellie’s impending motherhood, and the off season announcement that this is a season about family; this was the PERFECT time to bring Ellie into the know. Even more disappointment abounds; Chuck, Devon, and Ellie are back to lying and keeping secrets from one another. It is a writer’s maxim that writers should not give the fans what they want, they should give fans something better. I am hard pressed to envision a scenario that exceeds the possible payoff that was waiting to be realized in this episode.

All that aside, watch this episode to see Timothy Dalton’s performance. What a coup for the show in being able to cast him! His tenure on the show is a precious treat rarely seen on television.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

FBI(Fringe Benefits Inc.)Ep Review - 3.08: Entrada

Join us in our temporarily constructed shared reality known as a podcast, as we discuss the latest episode of Fringe.

ODONTV - Podcast 2 - A Chat With Fellow Podcaster Mary Scavarda

The second ODONTV podcast on the current state of TV!

Join me as I chat with Fellow Podcaster Mary Scavarda who can be found online at True Blush Girls and on Twitter at - @mary3s

We compare notes on Fringe, Chuck, Dexter, True Blood, SuperNatural, BoardWalk Empire, Terriers and a few others.

CNN - 4.09: Chuck Vs Phase 3

Welcome back gang!

Take a listen to our Audio Episode Review of CNN 4.09 - Chuck Vs Phase 3:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Join Jan, Karen, Joe, and myself as we embark on our next Season 4 Audio Review.

Thanks to my fellow podcasters, Jan, Karen, and Joe. Hope you listeners will enjoy!

Miss any episodes? You can find them all at CNN - Chuck Nerdposium Netcast, and every time you watch it helps to support us!

Note: my written review for Chuck Vs Phase 3 can be found at ChuckTV - here.

As always this podcast is family and office safe.

She-Ra! Er... She-Male! - Episode 4.09: Chuck Vs Phase 3

Written by Kristin Newman

Directed by Anton Cropper

That's the power of love!

Many TV series have precious rare moments of alchemy when storyline, series history, character development, writing, acting, directing, music, etc and probably catering too for all that is possible; come together in a rare, magical confluence of energies to create an episode that transcends their normal output. Such episodes become the show's insignia. Lost fans often refer to, 'The Constant,' as such an episode.

Now Chuck has its signature episode; Chuck Vs Phase Three.

And like, 'The Constant,' it deals with love and faith and hope and the lengths and strengths that the couples involved will go to and the power they draw from their partnership. In Chuck Vs Phase 3, we see the power of the Chuck and Sarah relationship persevere through its greatest challenge. As is characteristic for the two of them; Chuck fights his battle on a mental landscape while Sarah cuts a swath of chaos on those who are in any way a physical barrier to her finding Chuck.

A defenseless Chuck, Intersect Impotent, kidnapped in the previous episode and whisked away to an undisclosed location takes on a, “Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind,” battle for his mind. Chuck tries to protect his sanity and his memories as The Belgian, played in a delicious evil Dr. Kildare manner by Richard Chamberlain, and his assistant probe Chuck's psyche trying to find the mental lever that will turn the trick and cause Chuck to flash.

At the same time, Team Bartowski is scouring the globe in a vain and desperate attempt to find Chuck. And we get to see a Sarah Walker that we have been waiting to see since the series started. Vulnerable, strong, frustrated, worried, fearful, angry; out of control. A little crazed. Or in the understatement of the episode as Beckman put it, 'On the edge.' As Casey so insight-fully notes we are seeing glimpses of the Sarah Walker that existed before she met Chuck.

This is a tour de force, brauva performance by Yvonne Strahovski. She must have be so pumped when the script for this episode was handed to her. An actor's dream script. Never has she had to carry so much of an episode as she does in this one. Not just emotionally but physically as well. Have to imagine Yvonne was drained on both planes by the time this episode finished filming. She excelled at both.

On a visceral level seeing Sarah go on a rampage is a thrilling sight to see. From breaking the rules to torturing a source to butting heads with Casey to cutting a swathe through Thailand - generating a fearsome reputation as the 'She-Male' in the process - to besting the best in a pit fight, and to storming The Belgian's hideout; this was a Sarah as an unstoppable force of nature. (Was I the only one who thought Sarah's hair style in the beginning made her look like a rampaging Indian Warrior with a headdress on?)

It is the emotional beats that Yvonne carried off that make the lasting impression. She got to play the entire emotional spectrum. Often both sides of the same emotion. Sometimes Sarah was instilling fear. Other times she was experiencing it. The moment in the bedroom where Sarah approaches Chuck's shirt and hesitates slightly before touching it spoke volumes.

Never has Sarah been so vulnerable. Never has Sarah been so strong. Never has Sarah been so open.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.
  • The entire episode! Pick any moment and its golden.



Writer Kristen Newman suffers no sophomore slump here after her first episode, Chuck Vs The Coup D'Etat. She continues to display her grasp of the characters and comedic beats. The dialogue crackles in this one and this is a very quotable episode. All the characters get moments to shine. Casey gets to growl, stand up to Sarah, kibitz with Morgan, and have amusingly interesting glimpses into his character too. The waitress recognition moment at the pit fight was a wonderful comedic touch.

Morgan continues to be the all knowing sage, The Magnet, gets to display his leaping before looking bravery stepping in between Sarah and Casey, and continues to be relationship adviser to Chuck and Sarah. By the end of this episode Morgan has made sure that Chuck and Sarah are on the same page relationship-wise. Morgan is truly a, 'Connector.'

Kudos for the stunt team and to the editing team as well. The scene where dream and real Sarah bring Chuck back from the precipice of losing himself was beautifully cut together.

Next week, Frost and Volkoff return. For Thanksgiving leftovers no less. How will this all play out and how will Ellie and the Roark laptop play out? Next episode, 'Chuck Vs The Leftovers,' should provide some answers.

FBI(Fringe Benefits Inc.)Ep Review - 3.07: The Abducted

Join us in our temporarily constructed shared reality known as a podcast, as we discuss the latest episode of Fringe.