The Rockford Files 5.13 Easily one of the very best episodes. As…

The Rockford Files 5.13

Easily one of the very best episodes.

• As well as being a complex thriller (with Jim caught up in a big conspiracy) this is a story about the little guy – the Everyman (a role that James Garner plays better than anyone else alive or dead) – going up against the system. Whether it be bureaucracy or the government or whatever, the problem is the same: the little guy gets screwed. Well, not Jim Rockford – he fights back!!
• A lot of the screentime is devoted to other characters, each on their own narrative path. And, for once, that works perfectly. The characters are interesting and the casting is perfect.
• Marge Redmond towers above everyone else, however. This is one of the best performances we’ve seen on TRF.
• And her character makes such an unlikely ally for Rockford. In fact, in her early appearances the character is unsympathetic and appears to be just another part of the problem. Then the script makes a clever switch and she turns out to be very much on the side of the good guys.
• Although there are some clearly defined “villains” in the story, for the most part the problem is the lack of inter-agency communication. Which is why the story resonates. Everybody has had to deal with government bodies that don’t talk to one another, and thus we can all empathise with Jim’s plight here and cheer him on to victory.

10/10

Seinfeld # 037 The best thing about this is the Kramer painting,…

Seinfeld # 037

The best thing about this is the Kramer painting, and the discussion that surrounds it.

• The Elaine story follows a predictable path and, although it affords
  Julia Louis-Dreyfus some wonderful comedic moments with
  Richard Fancy, it never really shines. She behaves like a jerk, and it ends up coming back to haunt her.
• Jerry’s girlfriend plagiarises a letter to him. Given such an obvious lack of morals, she should be a series regular!!

8/10

Star Trek # 005 Superb Richard Matheson script. Superb William…

Star Trek # 005

Superb Richard Matheson script.
Superb
William Shatner performance.

• This is a brilliant sci-fi story. Intelligent and thought-provoking. An ‘evil’ version of Captain Kirk roams the ship doing terrible deeds. Yet, everyone agrees, this alternative Kirk has many of the good Captain’s most admirable qualities. Qualities the ‘good’ Kirk no longer has…
• As an adventure it works. It is fast-paced and action-packed. It quickly establishes a credible threat and makes the most of it. A b-story where Sulu is trapped on the planet below them adds a ticking clock to the a-story.
• But it is as adult story-telling that the episode really excels. In midst of the crisis, Spock, McCoy and Kirk end up debating the qualities of man, and pondering the necessity 0f his more aggressive traits. When has episodic television ever been so confidently profound?
• William Shatner is amazing. Playing two new characters with aplomb, neither of whom is Captain Kirk. His every scene is a joy.
• Great episode for Spock, McCoy and Scotty as well. Teamwork and cast chemistry everywhere.
• The Sulu scenes are great. Note the forced banter, which cleverly increases tension. The men on the planet are facing death, but Sulu tries to make jokes. Great writing.
• Clever direction, too. Well chosen camera angles help sell the idea of two Kirks.

10/10

Star Trek # 005 Superb Richard Matheson script. Superb William…

Star Trek # 005

Superb Richard Matheson script.
Superb
William Shatner performance.

• This is a brilliant sci-fi story. Intelligent and thought-provoking. An ‘evil’ version of Captain Kirk roams the ship doing terrible deeds. Yet, everyone agrees, this alternative Kirk has many of the good Captain’s most admirable qualities. Qualities the ‘good’ Kirk no longer has…
• As an adventure it works. It is fast-paced and action-packed. It quickly establishes a credible threat and makes the most of it. A b-story where Sulu is trapped on the planet below them adds a ticking clock to the a-story.
• But it is as adult story-telling that the episode really excels. In midst of the crisis, Spock, McCoy and Kirk end up debating the qualities of man, and pondering the necessity 0f his more aggressive traits. When has episodic television ever been so confidently profound?
• William Shatner is amazing. Playing two new characters with aplomb, neither of whom is Captain Kirk. His every scene is a joy.
• Great episode for Spock, McCoy and Scotty as well. Teamwork and cast chemistry everywhere.
• The Sulu scenes are great. Note the forced banter, which cleverly increases tension. The men on the planet are facing death, but Sulu tries to make jokes. Great writing.
• Clever direction, too. Well chosen camera angles help sell the idea of two Kirks.

10/10

Superstore 2.9 The ending here is what makes this a great…

Superstore 2.9

The ending here is what makes this a great episode.

• I love the idea of Garrett being the one who gives the inspirational speech at the end, the speech that gets everyone up and back to work (despite being terribly sick). And the tone of the speech was just perfect for the character. And the slo-mo bit? Genius.
• This is the second episode in a row where I’ve been noticing how funny Nichole Bloom is as Cheyenne. Especially when paired with Mateo. Hope this becomes a regular thing.

10/10

Sliders 044 A busy middle-of-the-road episode. The a-story…

Sliders 044

A busy middle-of-the-road episode.

• The a-story concerns Wade falling under the influence of a vampire rock band. Yes, really. It’s dumb. But not the dumbest thing in season three, and the music is good. Sabrina Lloyd sings. And she’s good, too.
• Recurring villain Rickman appears a lot (with Maggie in hot pursuit) and while his story arc is not directly connected to the a-story, the two do crossover in the final minutes when he kills a baddie.
• As before, the usually-excellent Neil Dickson seems miscast and over-the-top here. Such a shame. But he’s in good company. Most of the guest cast are flat and unbelievable.
• It may not be working perfectly, but it is cool to see the show having a recurring baddie for them to chase.
• Tommy Chong pops up as vampire hunter who takes Quinn under his wing (for no apparent reason, other than he saw him shouting at Wade in a crowd). Odd casting choice. He works okay.
• A world where vampires are real is a stretch for SLIDERS. Especially here where they play fast-and-loose with the rules. The powers/abilities of the villains are fuzzy at best. Wade falls under “a spell” somewhere alone the way and is quite happy to betray her fellow sliders.
• At the end, the effects of the “spell” wear off. Or something. And Quinn seems okay with it. Indeed, they mostly talk about her singing!
• Reference is made to Wade being lost since the Professor died. And that makes sense. And goes some of the way towards explaining her desire in the early part of the story to abandon the group and hang out at rock concerts.
• It also fits in with the bleaker, darker tone that SLIDERS was taking. Sliding is taking a heavy toll on the characters.

6/10

Sliders 044 A busy middle-of-the-road episode. The a-story…

Sliders 044

A busy middle-of-the-road episode.

• The a-story concerns Wade falling under the influence of a vampire rock band. Yes, really. It’s dumb. But not the dumbest thing in season three, and the music is good. Sabrina Lloyd sings. And she’s good, too.
• Recurring villain Rickman appears a lot (with Maggie in hot pursuit) and while his story arc is not directly connected to the a-story, the two do crossover in the final minutes when he kills a baddie.
• As before, the usually-excellent Neil Dickson seems miscast and over-the-top here. Such a shame. But he’s in good company. Most of the guest cast are flat and unbelievable.
• It may not be working perfectly, but it is cool to see the show having a recurring baddie for them to chase.
• Tommy Chong pops up as vampire hunter who takes Quinn under his wing (for no apparent reason, other than he saw him shouting at Wade in a crowd). Odd casting choice. He works okay.
• A world where vampires are real is a stretch for SLIDERS. Especially here where they play fast-and-loose with the rules. The powers/abilities of the villains are fuzzy at best. Wade falls under “a spell” somewhere alone the way and is quite happy to betray her fellow sliders.
• At the end, the effects of the “spell” wear off. Or something. And Quinn seems okay with it. Indeed, they mostly talk about her singing!
• Reference is made to Wade being lost since the Professor died. And that makes sense. And goes some of the way towards explaining her desire in the early part of the story to abandon the group and hang out at rock concerts.
• It also fits in with the bleaker, darker tone that SLIDERS was taking. Sliding is taking a heavy toll on the characters.

6/10

Major Crimes 5.14 Enjoyable case-of-the-week with terrific guest…

Major Crimes 5.14

Enjoyable case-of-the-week with terrific guest cast. Especially Camryn Manheim, who was amazing.

• Manheim‘s character is so nasty I was virtually booing at the screen during her scenes. I hope she sticks around for a while, as this is someone we could love to hate for a long time.
• And it’s a great way to shake up a long-running show, bring someone in who causes problems for the characters we love.

9/10

24 10.3 The storyline with Isaac, Nicole and Aisha is terrible….

24 10.3

• The storyline with Isaac, Nicole and Aisha is terrible. The part where he was leaving and Aisha called him back (as if she was having second thoughts about betraying him) was cliched and painful to watch. The season is sinking fast.
• The Nilaa story was doing very well up until the did a big reveal on the identity of the real mastermind. And it, too, was painfully cliched. In fact, earlier in the episode I had been looking at that particular character and thinking: “Gosh, I hope it doesn’t turn out to be X at the end, that would be lame.” And then they do exactly that. Sigh.
• However, the storyline at the school picked up considerably when the ‘hero’ of
  the piece turned out to not be dead after all, and made his daring escape. Not
  bad. Keen to see what happens next.

• Meanwhile, Eric Carter runs around a lot, gets hit by a car and accomplishes very little. Seriously dude, avoiding oncoming traffic is a pretty basic skill! And we’re supposed to like this guy?!

7/10

The Greatest American Hero 3.12 Definitely one of the weaker…

The Greatest American Hero 3.12

Definitely one of the weaker episodes. This one is a chore to get through.

• The story is about a wild horse and the wealthy rancher who is determined to kill it because it injured him three years ago.
• All very silly. Difficult to care about any of this.
• The regular cast give it their all, but they are given nothing particularly interesting to work with. Normally these three characters sparkle when they are together, but here it could be any three characters.
• Bland.

4/10