Bones Archives - Page 7 of 7

Suits – Legal Deceit

I watched the pilot of Suits based on two things – an interesting promo ad and the fact that the show stars Gina Torres (Zoe on Firefly and Jasmine on Angel, among other things). I don’t typically watch legal dramas. In fact, the only lawyer-related things I’ve watched recently on TV shows were a few courtroom scenes on Bones and stuff related to Wolfram and Hart on Angel.

The Suits pilot didn’t wow me. I thought it was interesting, but I didn’t connect with any of the characters. Harvey initially appears to be a stereotypical lawyer – cutthroat, selfish, and possessing an almost magical knack for getting his way. Mike is likable enough as a brilliant college dropout, but didn’t seem distinctive. At the end of the episode, I wasn’t excited about watching the next one.

So I set the show aside and didn’t give it a second thought until my sister mentioned she was enjoying it. And with all my other USA network shows ending this week, I figured I’d give it another chance.

The show is smart and well-plotted. The twist of someone pretending to be a lawyer helps this show stand out from the rest. It’s nice to see Mike becoming more competent, and to see that Harvey does have a heart, after all. Lewis is great as the rival you love to hate, Rachel is a cute potential love interest for Mike, and Donna, Harvey’s assistant, steals every scene she’s in. We don’t get to see too many sides of Gina Torres as Jessica, the managing partner, though, which is a shame.

I’m still not thrilled about the show, but I think that may be because I don’t care for legal dramas in general. In fact, this is the first time I’m even blogging about one, and I can’t think of another show in the genre of which I’ve watched more than an episode. And based on this show, I don’t think I’d ever want to work at a law firm. Yet I’m still watching this seven episodes in, so take from that what you will. And just yesterday it was announced that the show has been renewed for a second 12-episode season, so it must be doing something right.

What is your favorite genre of TV show?

Share this post:

Rizzoli & Isles – High Heels and Handcuffs

I watch too much crime drama, so last summer I was reluctant to jump into Rizzoli & Isles. But since there were few shows airing new episodes during the summer, and since Sasha Alexander (Kate from the early seasons of NCIS) was one of the co-stars, I decided to give it a try.

The 10-episode first season was great. Pairing two very different characters together to solve crimes has been done way too many times, but when it’s done well, it works. Rizzoli & Isles has the unique twist of having the duo be two females, instead the usual man and woman (Bones, Castle, etc.) or two guys (Psych, White Collar). Boston was also a fresh setting, for me at least.

The first season had a great mix of conflicts – Rizzoli dealing with both her past and present with the murderous Hoyt, crazy fun Italian family issues, and breaking in a new partner while still working with her old one; Isles with uncovering secrets about her past and naivety about certain situations. The show had some great guest stars too – in fact, Donnie Wahlberg’s character in a few episodes directly influenced me trying out Blue Bloods that fall.

But so far, the second season has bored me. The drama has felt overwrought, and none of the episodes that have aired so far has gripped me. It must be still doing well as far as viewers go, since TNT just ordered a 13-episode third season, but I’m not sure I’ll keep watching. I’ll probably finish out this season at least, especially since late August and early September will be a bit empty as far as new episodes go. I’m still hoping the show will pick back up, since it has a good cast and did so well in season one.

Share this post:

TV Show Personality Quizzes

For a different twist, and since this is a weekend post, I thought I’d try something fun. BuddyTV just followed me on Twitter, so I stopped by their site and tried out a few of their TV show personality quizzes. I thought I’d share the results here.

Which How I Met Your Mother Character Are You?

More on How I Met Your Mother. Created by BuddyTV

No surprise here, though I think I might be more of a Ted if this was more of an internal personality test with less lifestyle questions.

Which ‘Leverage’ Character Are You?

Alphas – Pilot

I watched the pilot of this show based on three things:

1. Its basic premise. Though many are claiming it’s a ripoff of Heroes or X-Men, I never got into either of those so it doesn’t matter to me. I did see similarities to Fantastic Four and the movie Push – but when you have people with superpowers teaming up, it’s hard to find new ground.

2. Camy Tang liked the pilot and recommended it on GetGlue.

3. The show stars Ryan Cartwright (who played Vincent Nigel-Murray on Bones. I miss his British accent, though!).

I enjoyed the pilot. While it didn’t scream at me to watch the next episode, it intrigued me enough that I probably will. The guy in charge of the team (Dr. Rosen) is played by David Strathaim, who reminds me a bit of Dustin Hoffman. Azita Ghanizada has appeared in quite a few of the shows I watch (NCIS: Los Angeles, Castle, Psych, How I Met Your Mother, Veronica Mars, and Bones) and Laura Mennell has an impressive list of speculative appearances. And while I didn’t recognize him, it was fun to find out that Malik Yoba played Yul Brenner on Cool Runnings (18 long years ago).

One of the things I really liked about the pilot was the side effects/drawbacks the powers had. The guy with super-strength can only use it for about 5 minutes. The girl with enhanced senses has to block out her other four while magnifying the one.

The visual effects throughout the episode were fun to watch most of the time. The characters were distinct, and had a good blend of camaraderie and conflict. While the dialogue didn’t strike me as exceptional or witty, it wasn’t bland and there were a few humorous moments that held promise for future episodes.

One of the reasons I’m not anxious for the next episode is that the pilot tells a complete story. In a way I’m glad, as it seems Hulu won’t be getting more episodes for a while and I’m not sure I’ll be trying to find it elsewhere in the meantime (so many shows, so little time). But part of me thinks they missed a great opportunity for a good hook. It fits if every episode is going to be pretty much self-contained, but I would much rather see an overarching story. The ending of Hicks (Warren Christie) joining the team had pretty much been established by promo pics. However, many of my favorite shows have self-contained pilots, so that won’t hold me back from continuing to watch the show.

I just hope they’ll have a bunch of fun guest stars to spice things up.

Added note: I wrote this post before this article was posted, which has details on geeky guest stars (including the awesome Summer Glau) AND discussion on episodes being self-contained. I feel a bit psychic.

Share this post:

Bones – The Parts in the Sum of the Whole

Spoilers ahead!

This special 100th episode of Bones provides a fun look back at Booth and Brennan’s first case together, but a sad look forward.

I love how the episode provides a logical reason for telling the story in the first place – Dr. Sweets assuming that the pilot episode’s case was their first, and Booth and Brennan correcting him. Since all the other major characters lived through the story (even Cam, in a different job), he was the only one who needed to hear the full story.

My favorite part of this episode was the origin of many things we accept as a natural part of the Bones universe: Booth wearing crazy ties and socks, Hodgins’ experiments, Angela working for the Jeffersonian, why they have the fancy computer-generated scenarios, Brennan working with bodies that haven’t been dead for centuries, and Booth correcting Brennan’s misuse of colloquialisms.

I didn’t like that the flashback case doesn’t match up with the pilot episode’s description of it. Booth says, “The last case we worked, she provided a description of the murder weapon and the murderer, but I didn’t give her much credence. Because she did it by looking at the victim’s autopsy X-rays.” But I like that this version makes their falling-out more personal. And while Cam’s interaction was minimal enough that Brennan wouldn’t remember her years later, the same can’t be said for Caroline Julian’s.

The ending of the episode is heartbreakingly sad. At first, I couldn’t understand Brennan’s reaction. The final episode of season 4 made it clear she’s in love with Booth. Why on earth would she turn him down, when even her most rational side would conclude they would be happy dating? But her telling Booth she doesn’t have his kind of open heart doesn’t mean she’s not in love with him – it means she’s scared. Scared to risk everything on a relationship that might not work out. What they have now – their working relationship and friendship – means everything to her. That’s why she mentions the FBI not letting them work together, and why there’s vulnerability in her eyes when she asks Booth if they can still work together. The closeness they share as partners is all she will let herself risk. It’s more than she’ll share with anyone else, but she knows it’s not enough for Booth. So she’ll keep loving him as much as she feels she can while they work together, and leave him free to find someone who will love him back in a way she believes she never can (though I’m fairly certain she’s wrong about that – she has grown a lot over the past years, and I believe that will continue until she’s able to love Booth back fully).

Wow, I didn’t intend to go all Dr. Sweets on the ending. But that’s far better than me hating the ending because I didn’t understand Brennan’s motivations.

Have you seen this episode? What do you think of it?

Share this post:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Puppet Show and Nightmares

“The Puppet Show”

I was kind of hesitant to rewatch this episode. At first I thought I must have been bored with it the first time around, but when it started I remembered – this episode creeped me out. Part of it was that I agree with Buffy:

Willow: I think dummies are cute. You don’t?
Buffy: Uh-uh. They give me the wig. Ever since I was little.
Willow: What happened?
Buffy: I saw a dummy. It gave me the wig. There really wasn’t a story there.

This episode also introduces Principal Snyder (who doesn’t connect with Buffy, and therefore sticks around for two years), providing a possible suspect for this episode and an annoying despot for many others.

Snyder: There are things I will not tolerate: students loitering on campus after school, horrible murders with hearts being removed. And also smoking.

Another line while the “core four” are discussing the fact that the murderer could be human one line has an eerie foreshadowing edge:

Willow: The creep factor is also heightened. It could be anyone. It could be me! (gets looks from them all) It’s not, though.

And even though the dummy turned out to be on the good side, he still was creepy. But the epilogue at the end (during the credits) is hilarious.

“Nightmares”

This episode got jumbled with a few other nightmarish ones in my head, so it was good to watch it again and straighten things out. I love the slow progression of story as the nightmares get more and more outlandish and sinister.

It’s interesting that a few of the nightmares do come true later on in the series – one of Giles’ and one of Buffy’s, both involving a certain grave. And yesterday I mentioned in my post about Bones that Xander and Booth had some similarities; this episode brings out another – they both hate clowns.

I do think Billy and Collin shouldn’t have looked so similar, unless the intent was to confuse viewers initially.

The season six episode “Once More, With Feeling” references this episode in one of the songs. Willow sings, “I’ve got a theory, some kid is dreaming, and we’re all stuck inside his wacky Broadway nightmare.” But “Nightmares” also has a hint at that future episode:

Giles: Dreams? That would be a musical comedy version of this.

The Master gets a lot of screen time in an episode that has little to do with him, but that’s understandable as the season finale is coming up. It’s kind of interesting that Angel has been absent for three episodes in a row, and not even mentioned for two (I guess I remembered him having a larger role than he actually did in season one). Did the nightmare world affect vampires too? It would have been interesting to see what they had nightmares about – 24-hour sunlight? Drowning in holy water? The Slayer?

Share this post:

Bones – Chemistry and Crime

The last time I wrote about Bones on this blog, I had only watched two episodes. Now, two and a half months later, I’m on season 5. I think it’s high time I posted an update.

If you did the math and gathered that I’m watching an average of one episode plus a day, you could assume the truth – Bones has lost none of its initial charm. I love this show.

Most fans of crime drama would agree – it’s not the crimes that keep us watching these shows; it’s watching the characters interact as they solve the crimes. If the team has great chemistry, the show will soar.

Dr. Temperance Brennan and FBI Agent Seeley Booth had chemistry from the first five minutes they were together in episode one. Over the years, their relationship has grown and deepened, but it still remains the core of the show.

Brennan’s knowledge of emotions and intuitive leaps is greater than when the show began, but her preference for rational answers still provides much conflict and humor. It took me a while to realize that Emily Deschanel is the sister of Zooey Deschanel, who I’ve seen as the quirky love interest in many movies.

I like David Boreanaz as Seeley Booth far more than him as Angel. The lionhearted protector role suits him best, and far too often on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel he had to play the angst-ridden dark hero hiding in the shadows and brooding. (Pondering this, Booth reminds me a bit of a grown-up Xander, and Brennan and Booth’s head and heart relationship recalls Xander and Anya.)

Another thing I like about this show is how openly faith vs. science is discussed, especially in the first season. It’s not often you see a Christian (Booth is Catholic) portrayed in a good light on network TV.

Initially, I didn’t like the idea of Hodgins and Angela as a couple – they just didn’t seem to fit right. But by their first date I had completely changed my mind. I’m hopeful they’ll get back together, and meanwhile I enjoy Angela in the role of Brennan’s best friend and the person who can still be shocked by decomposing bodies, and Hodgin with his crazy experiments.

It took me a while to warm up to Cam (Dr. Saroyan) after she “replaced” Dr. Goodman, and she still is my least favorite of the main characters. But I really enjoyed a recent episode that focused on her, so it may just be that the writers haven’t given her enough flaws and backstory to make her as easy to relate to as the others.

I have a huge interest in psychology stemming from my love of personality types, so it’s fun to watch Dr. Sweets analyze Booth and Brennan. And John Francis Daley plays an adorable dork perfectly.

With Zack’s abrupt departure at the end of season 3 (from reviews I’ve gathered that many fans were outraged), the show took what I consider a brilliant approach to filling his role. Every episode rotates in a different one of Dr. Brennan’s grad students, each with their quirks. That way, none of them has to “live up” to Zack, and viewers can enjoy everything from Fisher’s gloomy outlook to Nigel-Murray’s compulsive fact-reciting (in a lovable British accent).

As I typed “Dr.” so many times in this post, it reminded me of another aspect I enjoy about this show – its intelligence. Shows about smart people just tend to be better. I’ve never been a fan of Three Stooges-type humor, or shows that try to be as raunchy as possible for laughs. But I love shows where humor arises naturally from the personalities of the characters, or when hyper-intelligence grates against social norms and moderate intelligence (in addition to Temperance Brennan, Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory and Sherlock Holmes on BBC’s Sherlock come to mind).

I’m trying to avoid spoilers as I hurry to catch up before season 7 starts in September. Unfortunately, I already uncovered two big ones accidentally.

(And just as a note, other than House, this is the only Fox show I’ve watched since Dollhouse was cancelled. Plus, there have been a score of Whedonverse guest appearances throughout the seasons of Bones.)

Share this post:

Supernatural – Pilot

It was only recently that I’d even heard of the show Supernatural. It popped up a few times on TV blogs and articles, and I gathered that it had a strong fan base. Without probing too deeply (trying to avoid spoilers!), I learned that two brothers, trained by their dad after the death of their mom, hunt all sorts of supernatural baddies.

The pilot introduces the Winchester brothers, Dean and Sam (played by Jared Padalecki, who I knew as Dean from Gilmore Girls, which made things a bit confusing). The entire episode was quite creepy, something I wasn’t expecting. Most of the speculative shows I watch involve vampires or superheroes, and fighting them means physical battles. As such, they tend to be more scary/suspenseful than creepy, but Supernatural’s pilot ranks right up there with the handful of episodes that were creepy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s “Hush” and Angel’s “Room w/a Vu” come to mind).

The pilot featured Life and Fairly Legal’s Sarah Shahi. The acting and effects were above par, and it contained enough of a hook to make me want to watch the second episode. The only thing that didn’t ring true was Dean’s comment to Sam that they made a great team. Their teamwork wasn’t impressive at all in this episode – they seemed to just stumble onto things individually. (A bunch of shows come to mind that have much better teamwork in the pilot episode that ultimately brings the characters together to form the show – Leverage, Bones, White Collar, Burn Notice . . .) But I’m guessing this improves with future episodes. I’m looking forward to what a regular episode will bring.

Share this post:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Welcome to the Hellmouth and The Harvest

Okay, I finally caved. As soon as I finished the final episode of Angel, I wanted to go back and rewatch Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the beginning. I managed to hold off for several months by rewatching some of my favorite episodes, reading many of the comics, and watching various shows featuring Buffy alums (Bones, Veronica Mars, Tru Calling). But after reading a fellow blogger’s review of season one, the allure grew too strong.

I’m going to take things a bit more slowly this time. I’m also not planning to watch the later seasons in tandem with Angel, except for perhaps a few key crossover episodes. I simply enjoy Buffy more, and all the flipping back and forth got to be annoying. Plus I’ve already seen the first season of Angel twice.

I’m also hoping to review each episode as I go through, most likely writing about several episodes in each post.

“Welcome to the Hellmouth” and “The Harvest”

What is widely considered the show’s weakest season opens with a two-part introduction to Sunnydale High, the main characters, and of course vampires. This was my third time watching the two episodes. The first time I thought it was decent but campy, and the vampires creeped me out. The second time I enjoyed seeing Alyson Hannigan from How I Met Your Mother and Anthony Stewart Head from Merlin in different roles, but it bored me a little.

I guess third time’s the charm, because this time around I loved it.

Oh, sure, I still thought the vampires were stupid and I still consider The Master one of the most unimaginative villains of all time, but I wasn’t watching the episodes for them. I was watching to see Buffy meet Xander and Willow and Giles and Angel for the very first time. Knowing now all they’d eventually go through together made the episodes amazing.

I hadn’t remember Angel seeming so much of a wimp. Knowing that his fighting skills are pretty much even with Buffy’s, his inaction in these episodes seems ludicrous, especially with what’s at stake. Of course, it could partly be him trying to keep his true nature a secret from Buffy, but the end of the world is a bit more important. Darla seemed too easily cowed as well, though she at least held her own in a fight.

Even this early on, the dialogue was snappy and distinct, a fitting beginning for what would eventually become known as “Slayer Slang.” A few choice bits:

“Gee, can you vague that up for me?”

“I didn’t say I’d never slay another vampire. It’s not like I have all these fluffy bunny feelings for them, I’m just not gonna get way extracurricular with it.”

Willow: Do you have Theories in Trig? You should check it out.
Xander: Check it out?
Willow: From the library. Where the books live.

It was also fun getting a brief glimpse of Harmony, knowing who she would become in later seasons. But in all the flashbacks we’ve gotten of main vampires, it seems weird that there’s no mention (at least that I remember) of Luke. You’d think a vampire that powerful and connected to The Master would have been around for a while. Trivia note: the same actor plays the Judge in season 2.

In all, not the best first episode for someone new to the show (unless you’ll be able to convince them to keep watching no matter how they feel about season one), but a must-see for fans. It makes me excited for the rest of the season.

Share this post:

What I Will Watch in Fall 2011

Now that CBS has finally posted its fall 2011 schedule, I have a good idea what I’ll be watching come September. Most of the time, of course, I will watch shows online the day after they air, but if I get a chance to watch them live, this will be my schedule.

Sunday

8PM – Once Upon a Time – ABC

This fairy tale meets modern life sounds like it has promise, and I love the promos.

Monday

8PM – How I Met Your Mother – CBS

8:30PM – Two Broke Girls – CBS

9PM – House – Fox

10PM – Castle – ABC

Chuck’s move to Fridays and House’s move to 9 finally makes my Mondays conflict-free (though I imagine Chuck’s ratings would have greatly improved with House’s move – seriously, is it any wonder the show wasn’t doing well against BOTH House and HIMYM?). Two Broke Girls sounds interesting, and will nicely fit in my half-hour gap.

Tuesday

8PM – NCIS – CBS

9PM – NCIS: Los Angeles – CBS

9PM – Ringer – The CW

CBS was smart not to mess with its Tuesday domination. Both shows had awesome finales Tuesday night, and NCIS: LA was finally renewed yesterday. I was a bit worried that they were going to off Jimmy Palmer in the NCIS finale, but Los Angeles ended with the more dramatic cliffhanger, making me anxious for season 3. I will have a hard time deciding what to watch at 9, but the CW’s terrible online viewing experience may tip the scale toward Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Ringer.

Wednesday

8:30PM – Suburgatory – ABC

8:30PM – Free Agents – NBC

I will be checking out these two shows solely for their Whedonverse alums: Suburgatory features Alan Tudyk (Firefly and Dollhouse), while Free Agents stars Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Merlin).

Thursday

8PM – The Big Bang Theory – CBS

8PM – Community – NBC

8:30PM – How to Be a Gentleman – CBS

9PM – The Office – NBC

9PM – Bones – Fox

9PM – Person of Interest – CBS

Thursdays are still full of conflict. As usual, I probably will watch The Big Bang Theory live and Community on Hulu when both are airing new episodes. How to Be a Gentleman sounds promising, and I probably would have checked the show out anyway even if it didn’t perfectly fill a half-hour gap (the promo, however leaves a bit to be desired). Watching Bones will depend on if I catch up on back seasons of the show over the summer. The Office’s penultimate episode of season 7 proved that the show can still be hilarious without Michael Scott, so I plan to keep watching. Jim Caviezel (The Count of Monte Cristo, The Passion of the Christ) stars in Person of Interest, and the sneak peek was excellent.

Friday

8PM – Nikita – The CW

8PM – Chuck – NBC

9PM – Grimm – NBC

10PM – Blue Bloods – CBS

It seems a bit odd, having such a solid line-up of shows for a Friday night. Blue Bloods has proved it can hold its own on the evening, but its family vibe makes it a more likely choice for those who stay in Friday nights. I suspect the young-adult-aimed Chuck won’t do as well, but since it’s the final season of the show the numbers aren’t as important. And it’s pitted against fellow action show Nikita, which also doesn’t seem like a good Friday night fit. Grimm has a tough shot against both a cop show and TWO speculative fan favorites, Fringe and Supernatural (which even I may be watching instead if I have time to check them out this summer).

USA’s Psych typically counts as a summer show, it doesn’t sound like it will be starting until August or September this year (since it’s cable, I won’t be watching it live, though). There are a few other shows on the major networks and some mid-season pickups I also plan to check out if I have time.

Share this post:

Renewals, Cancellations, and Finales

Wow – tons of shows are getting renewed or cancelled this week, and many are airing season finales. I keep checking for news and getting a rush of joy or sadness, and sometimes both. This year I dived headfirst into many new shows, and quite a few of them got cancelled.

Before this year, only two shows I watched as they aired had been cancelled with only one season – Fox’s 2009 summer medical drama, Mental (I had only started watching it at the urging of my sister) and another summer show, NBC’s excellent modern retelling of the story of David, Kings. (I watched the best-known one-season show, Firefly, years after it was off the air.) I picked up 3 new shows in 2009-2010 regular season: Community, NCIS: Los Angeles, and V – all got a second season. Even the two new shows I started watching in summer 2010, Covert Affairs and Rizzoli & Isles, will be back this summer.

This year I watched 6 new shows: The Cape, Detroit 1-8-7, Blue Bloods, No Ordinary Family, Outsourced, and Nikita. As of this moment, four have been cancelled, and the other two haven’t been renewed yet.

A quick recap of the verdicts on this season’s shows, by network:

ABC

They kept Castle, one of my favorite shows, but cancelled the three other shows I watch on the channel – Detroit 1-8-7, No Ordinary Family, and V. Of the three, I was most surprised by V’s cancellation. The show was intriguing, with an excellent cast, and the short seasons helped keep the integrated storylines comprehensive. I started watching it for the sole reason that it starred Morena Baccarin, aka Inara from Firefly (Alan Tudyk, aka Wash, was also in a few episodes). With this season’s finale ending the life of one of the most annoying characters on the show, I had high hopes for season 3. Too bad.

CBS

They seem to be waiting to see what the other networks do, as they haven’t revealed many verdicts. But I’m confident they’ll bring back the two not-yet-renewed shows I watch on the channel: Blue Bloods and NCIS: Los Angeles. NCIS, How I Met Your Mother, and The Big Bang Theory have already been renewed.

Fox

I’m only current with one show on the channel, House, and its renewal is hardly a surprise (it will likely be the final season, however). I’m glad they renewed Bones (on season two now and loving it!) and Fringe (hoping to try it soon), though.

NBC

I was shocked to find out less than a day after watching the season finale of Outsourced that they’d cancelled the show. I was really looking forward to season two. The Cape was dead as soon as they shortened the episode count from 13 to 10, but I plan to get Bear McCreary’s soundtrack to the show. The other Firefly alumni show, Chuck, has been picked up for a 13-episode final season (I love Chuck, but as more and more of the show’s characters move toward domestic bliss, I can see why they’re deciding to end it.) And of course, Community and The Office got renewed. Community’s finale does raise the question of whether they’ll bring back one of the main characters for season 3. And does the show have a 4 season limit due to the college setting?

The CW

I only watch one show on the channel, Nikita, and there’s no word yet on whether it’s been picked up for season two. I really hope so. My lineup needs more shows that focus on the overarching story instead of individual episodes, and the last few episodes of Nikita really kicked things up a notch.

In conclusion: Networks really seem to be abandoning rookie shows this year. I hope that space goes to other high-quality scripted shows and not endless rehashed versions of reality and competition shows.

And my other wish for the 2011-2012 season – don’t air The Big Bang Theory and Community in the same time slot!

Share this post:

Bones vs. Smallville – Initial Thoughts

I know two episodes isn’t always enough to find out whether you’ll like a show, but since pilots often differ from typical episodes, I think most shows should be given at least two chances to hook a viewer’s interest (of course, some shows are so terrible they don’t deserve even one full episode, but I’m more talking about a “meh” reaction to a pilot). I know I wish I’d given Buffy more episodes to grow on me, though the fact that I sought out other Joss Whedon shows right afterward hints that it simply was vampires creeping me out.

With my supernaturally-inclined shows all over for good or for the season (The Cape, Merlin, V, No Ordinary Family, and Being Human), and having finished my Buffy/Angel marathon, it seemed like a good time to try out Smallville. So I watched the first two episodes. And yawned.

To be fair, it probably wasn’t a good idea to watch Smallville so soon after falling in love with the Buffyverse. Smallville had big shoes to fill, and true to its name, it didn’t measure up. It didn’t have humor. Or suspense. The dialog was stilted and predictable. Good characters had no flaws and bad ones, no virtues. The country setting didn’t appeal to me either.

Since I’d watched one Superman movie, I was able to pick up on the hints of mythic origin, and thought they were rather well done – until they decided to paint them bolder as if screaming “Get it?” at me. And since I didn’t really care about the elements that would make up Superman’s future (unlike the elements in the Star Wars prequels that made me enjoy them – R2D2, C-3PO, Palpatine’s rise to power, meeting Lars and Beru), I lacked a sense of wonder at their arrival.

I liked the music. Lex and Chloe seemed like they could become interesting characters. But that was it. I may try to make it to a third episode, if only for the fact that James Marsters (aka Spike) will eventually show up on the show. But considering that won’t happen until season 5, and he’s only in there for 14 episodes, I doubt it. Maybe if I’m really, really bored.

To make up for the disappointment of Smallville, I decided to try watching Bones instead. Yes, I already was watching eight other crime dramas, but only one of them focused on the FBI. I’d heard Bones was good several times. It starred David Boreanaz (aka Angel). And Netflix had every past season on watch instantly.

A few minutes into the pilot, I knew I had found a gem. The chemistry and arguments between Brennan and Booth reminded me of Castle and Beckett. The humor and camaraderie of Brennan’s team made me think of NCIS. (And Castle and NCIS just happen to be my two favorite crime dramas.) I watched the second episode just to make sure this show wasn’t too good to be true.

Already, with her brilliance, beauty, and social awkwardness, Dr. Temperance Brennan seems to have so many layers waiting to be uncovered. I love her “I don’t know what that means” line. And she’s a writer!

Seeing David Boreanaz in a different role is nice (since as Angel he tended to live in a perpetual state of angst, with brief periods of dorkiness and pure evil). Many shows tend to paint FBI agents as “by the book,” so it’s refreshing to have the cop being the one who goes by gut instinct.

Four episodes. Two shows. One clear winner.

Share this post:

TV Trends – Online Fandom

This post about online TV show fandom caught my attention – mostly because of how many shows I love are on the list! A university student surveyed more than 3,000 people to determine which shows have the most ardent fans, as far as online activity goes. The survey was only for shows currently on the air (if they did ones that have been canceled, I’d wager Firefly as #1), and the results were:

1. Supernatural
2. Castle
3. Smallville
4. Community
5. Hawaii Five-0
6. Chuck
7. Bones
8. Leverage
9. The Vampire Diaries
10. Fringe
11. Burn Notice
12. Glee
13. Mad Men

I thought I’d take a look at each of them in turn.

1. Supernatural

I really don’t know much about this show at all, other than it stars Dean from Gilmore Girls, and I’m guessing it fits into the speculative genre. I’m kind of curious now.

2. Castle

One of my favorite shows ever – consistently good in every way. I love that it’s about a writer. I love that it stars Nathan Fillion and that Firefly references pop up all the time. I feel that if someone took all the TV shows I love and found one that encompassed them all, Castle would be it.

3. Smallville

I’ve always been more of a Spiderman rather than a Superman fan. I did enjoy the main character’s acting on movies I’ve seen him in, but I never had a chance to watch the show. However, after finishing watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, I watched a couple of James Marsters’ (Spike) Q&A sessions. He has a reoccurring role in Smallville and he talked about the story of Superman being a Christ story for an atheist world. That really interested me in watching it and with No Ordinary Family and The Cape being likely out of the picture for next fall, I’m looking for a good superhero show. I plan to start watching it soon.

4. Community

This little half-hour show is just hands-down funny. I loved it from the first episode, and while I don’t think the second season is quite as strong as the first, Abed will keep me watching for many years to come.

5. Hawaii Five-0

The main reason I don’t watch this show is that I’m watching too many crime dramas already. Since it airs in the same time slot as Castle, there was little chance I’d watch it live, and since it’s on CBS it’s harder to catch up on old episodes (I’m a big Hulu fan, especially when it lets me watch the whole current season). I did watch one episode in the middle of the season when there wasn’t a new Castle – I thought it was good, but not great.

6. Chuck

Action, humor, romance – what more can you ask for? Oh, just Jayne from Firefly. I sometimes let to-be-watched episodes of this show pile up when I’m busy (usually in a lull between several cliffhanger episodes), but I always watch them eventually. I’m a bit surprised that a show this well-liked is consistently on the bubble for renewal.

7. Bones

Thanks to Netflix having all back seasons, once I recover from my Buffy/Angel David Bornanaz deluge I plan to check out this show. Despite it being yet another crime drama, I’ve heard good things about it.

8. Leverage

Another one of those rare shows that’s “practically perfect in every way” and that I’ve loved from episode one. The concept of modern-day Robin Hoods, the tight-knit team of great actors, engaging plot, witty dialog, and explosive action. If you’re not watching Leverage you’re really missing out.

9. The Vampire Diaries

I’ve only caught half an episode while waiting for another show to start, but I wasn’t impressed. If I start to go into vampire withdrawal I’m more likely to try out True Blood instead.

10. Fringe

This is another of those “waiting for a chance to try” shows. I’ve heard it’s good, but not much else.

11. Burn Notice

Love this show, for three reasons. 1. Michael. 2. Sam. 3. Fiona. Easily one of my favorite summer shows, and more consistently good than even Psych.

12. Glee

I’ve watched 10 or so episodes. Love the music, hate the soap opera.

13. Mad Men

I’ve heard it’s good, but I haven’t heard anything that compels me to watch it.

So, out of the shows I’m not watching yet but thinking about, which do you think I should watch?

Supernatural, Smallville, Bones, or Fringe?

Share this post: