I mean, really, who needs narcotics?

Not me, not when there are shows like Twin Peaks out there.

Agent Dale Cooper:
"Harry, I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange."

I just finished watching this brilliant epic last night. Wow, what a strange and bizarre ride.

From the series finale, it seems pretty clear to me that the creators didn't know that they weren't going to get renewed for a third season, and so I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending, but other than that, I have to say that I enjoyed this series a whole lot more than I expected to.

The whole story revolves around this strange small town of Twin Peaks, Washington and how it is forever changed by the murder of beloved high school student Laura Palmer. Season one and the first half of season two focus mainly on the investigation of Laura's murder. I addition to the local law enforcement, FBI Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) has been sent to the town to work on the case, as it bears strong resemblance to another murder the FBI had previously investigated (and clearly not solved). It seems like everyone in town has some sort of involvement in the case, and at the very least, everyone knows something about Laura Palmer that they aren't telling. In addition to the central storyline, there are enough affairs, devious plots, shady business deals, and teen angst moments to keep any soap opera busy for a decade. If that wasn't enough, there are also then the giants, homicidal spirits, possible aliens, bizarre shared dreams, and mythical Native American entrances to the next world(s). And every freaking thing seems to be somehow connected to every other freaking thing. Plus, the police sheriff's name is Harry S. Truman, and there's a lady with a log.

Seriously, I could probably watch this series two more times through and still not be clear on everything that's going on. I'll confess I never watched the X-Files, but I am convinced this show paved the way for that one to have any chance on the air. I am equally convinced that if someone had tried to pitch this show to a network today, they would have been shot down cold. It is just plain weird. But weird doesn't mean bad. I'll admit to approaching this show with a skeptical outlook, but while it took me most of the first season, I did find myself utterly hooked by the end. I can totally understand why people still talk about trying to revive this show (though I honestly don't think it will ever happen).

Story aside, this series had an absolutely phenomenal cast. I've never really cared for Kyle MacLachlan, my previous exposure to him had mostly consisted of his role as Charlotte's first husband on Sex and the City. But his stint as Dale Cooper has given me a newfound appreciation for the actor. As strange as I found the character, he was played with such an affable quirky honesty that I couldn't help but like him, and respect the actor for playing him.

Other series regulars included the likes of Piper Laurie, a disturbingly healthy looking Lara Flynn Boyle, Don S. Davis (playing an Air Force Major engaged in "deep space telemmetry"--i.e., looking for aliens, beautiful), Mary Jo Deschanel (mother to Emily and Zooey), Ray Wise, Russ Tamblyn, and Kimmy Robertson.

Then we have the guest stars--Billy Zane, Heather Graham, Miguel Ferrer, Robyn Lively (Teen Witch!), Royce D. Applegate, Ted Raimi, Willie Garson, and of course David Duchovny. And these lists are just people I recognized from things.

With all of the people running around Twin Peaks, there was truly a character for everyone. I think my two favorite regular characters were Deputies Andy and Hawk. They just really seemed to flesh things out for me. My favorite guest character, was, of course, David Duchovny's cross-dressing DEA agent. That guy has done some weird stuff, but this was perhaps the most awesome, IMHO. I also enjoyed Miguel Ferrer's condescending FBI agent as well.

As weird as it was, I am truly glad that I watched this series. I am definitely going to have to watch it again, though not any time soon. I need some time away from the oddness. Next up, Crossinng Jordan season one. Hey...more Miguel Ferrer!

Keep on trucking y'all. See you next week,
C

Dude...

Oh, huzzah and happy day. I09 just posted the best little story blurb.

Go check it out here.

Sweet!

In other news, totally hooked on Twin Peaks. David Duchovny in a dress makes me happy for no explainable reason.

Okay, when even I think someone needs to get a life...

That's a pretty bad sign. Sigh.

So, as I mentioned earlier this week, Sci-Fi/MGM has announced that the current season of Stargate Atlantis will be its final season. It will wrap up in January (just in time for the second half of the final season of BSG to air) and we've been promised a two hour television movie sometime later in 2009 to wrap up the cliff-hanger ending (I'm going with the majority of the reports on this one, though one interview I've read did hint that the telemovie won't really do much in the way of wrapping up story lines). There's also the chance that if the telemovie does well we'll get at least one, and maybe more, direct to DVD movies. In conjunction with/on the heels of this announcement, Sci-Fi/MGM has given the green light to the third Stargate television series, Stargate Universe, planned to premiere in 2009.

Yes, I wish that they would keep Atlantis going forever, it's my favorite show. I'm kind of bummed to think that I won't get to tune in every Friday to find out what McKay and Sheppard are getting up to anymore. Frankly, it sucks. But am I jumping on the bandwagon to join the "Save Our Show" campaign? Am I throwing a fit and stating that I am going to stop watching Sci-Fi once the series' run is completed? Will you hear me damning Stargate Universe before it even airs just because it's probable a big reason SGA wasn't renewed is to give this show a chance to air? Do I think that the heads of Sci-Fi/MGM are the most evil people in existence and in need of verbal castration on every message board I can find?

The answer, my friends, to all of the above questions, is a resounding NO. Geez. It. Is. Just. Television. And this is me saying that, for Pete's sake. Television shows end. And as much as I hate to see this particular one go, I would much rather see it do so while it is still popular enough that we have the chance for the telemovies and direct to DVD films. As long as the actors are still in, we've still got a shot at continuing the story. The show runners aren't going to go the Battlestar route and kill everyone on the way out, they're leaving the door open so we can always return to the story. Plus, we are getting a new chapter in the Stargate world, and though Universe's premise might mostly preclude this, we still have the possibility of finding out what our favorite characters are up to from time to time on the new show. Atlantis certainly didn't have a ban on mentioning SG-1 people and events.

It didn't even take me two days worth of emails before I had to unsubscribe from my Stargate email group. I figure with my feed subscriptions to SyFy Portal, I09, and Gateworld I can get all the news about Atlantis' remaining run and Universe's upcoming reign without the commentary. I just have to avoid the comments on the stories I read, which shouldn't be too hard. (Knock on wood.) I guess what it comes down to is that I am just so freaking disappointed by the vitriol I am seeing in the wake of this announcement. It's not just that people are upset, it's that they are throwing hissy fits, and inappropriate ones at that. Blame is being leveled at Sci-Fi channel, which is just a distributor, and has no control over whether or not MGM wants to continue making the show. Blame is being thrown on the new show, when I don't see how we can fault the show runners and MGM for a) wanting to keep the franchise "fresh," and b) keeping costs down and quality up by only producing one show at a time. And most of the things people are saying are just plain mean. It's not as if we're entitled to anything from these guys. We're kind of lucky that they are still willing to give us anything Stargate after 12 years of this stuff. Fans get so possessive of their shows, and it is rather scary, and again, for perspective on how bad it is out there, this is me being scared by the level of show obsession.

Even many of the people who are organizing efforts to "save" the show are in need of some serious anger management training. And they are darn militant about the whole thing. Clearly they've never heard about catching more flies with honey. Sigh, not that honey will do much good in this case. Yeah, the cancellation was a surprise to the fans, but apparently not to anyone else. The studio clearly has been thinking that this would likely be Atlantis' last season and that Universe would take the stage next year. That's the only explanation behind how organized and efficient the whole process has been. It's not like we haven't been hearing about Universe for a while, and it's also not like it hasn't been mentioned that it probably wouldn't start airing until Atlantis had finished its run. We probably should have seen this coming, honestly. I know I optimistically ignored those tidbits when I came across them.

Also, there's a huge bright side here that people seem to be missing. Knowing that the series isn't coming back gives us a chance at a much more satisfying ending. I know that the season finished filming before the announcement was made (though as I've indicated, I would guess most of the people producing/writing the show had an inkling the end was near), but they haven't started on the telemovie yet, so they are getting the chance to go out on their own terms. This isn't going to be another Smallville, folks, and that is a GOOD thing. Do we really want Atlantis to keep going until we can't stand it anymore? I sure don't. There are plenty of people out there who think SG-1 should have ended after season 8 (I'm not one of them, but I didn't start watching until season 9, so that shades my view a bit). I would much rather have a show end thinking it went out too early than that it went on too long, wouldn't you?

So yeah, I am going to miss Atlantis. A LOT. But I will have every season (and any of the following movies) on DVD to watch whenever I want. I also have no doubt that the good people over at Stargate Novels will keep writing Atlantis stories for at least a few years to come. I highly recommend their books. They've got a good crew of writers, and each novel is like a new episode that you've never seen before, with the ability to do a little bit more than the television show can because they don't have any pesky special effects budgets to worry about. Also, we're getting the game soon too. I know for a lot of people that doesn't mean anything, but for some of us, that will be a good way to stay in the 'gate, so to speak. I'm definitely going to give Stargate Universe a try. I think that TPTB behind SG-1 and Atlantis have more than earned my loyalty for at least that much effort.

And so ends the rant.

Have a good one folks,
C

Well, damn.

Man, I had a wonderful few days out of town and I get back and decide to check my email and one of the first things I find in my inbox is an announcement that Sci-Fi has declined to pick up Stargate Atlantis past the current fifth season. Grr. Argh. They are stating that there will definitely be one telemovie and promising even further straight to DVD movies a la SG-1's recent route. My fingers are crossed that these movies will actually happen. It won't be the same as getting to tune in every Friday with my favorite characters though.

I am enjoying the current season immensely, and I guess I'll just have to make the most of what I get. I hope the show-runners do the same!

Geez, add that to the announcement about the new Harry Potter movie getting bumped from this November to next July and it's kind of been a disappointing week on the entertainment front.

I think I need to go watch The Closer to cheer myself up...

Laters,
C

The summer show you should be watching...

Is totally Burn Notice.

USA has episodes online. Go check it out.

If you like heist movies or spy movies, or are just interested in seeing a lot of explosions and hot chicks with guns, or Bruce Campbell with guns...you know, whatever floats your boat...this show has got it for you.

Also, I have to say, I am absolutely LOVING Michael Shanks as an evil ex-spy. I want him to be in many more episodes.

I'm out,
C

I really couldn't have said it better myself...

So if you read this blog on at least a semi-regular basis, you'll know my love-hate conundrum with Smallville. I09 just posted a phenomenal article suggesting how to make the show good again.

Give it a gander here. At the very least, it will make you laugh. I can only hope the new show runners are I09 readers.

~*~

In unrelated news, I just finished reading Breaking Dawn, the final book in the Twilight Saga. It. Was. Absolutely. Phenomenal. If you love vampire lore and aren't put off by teen angst, seriously, go check it out. You can definitely bet I'll be reviewing the film when it comes out this winter.

Peace y'all,
C

Primeval

Okay, so I just finished watching the premiere episode of Primeval, and I have to say I'm pretty impressed.

Here's my recap (spoilers abound):

We start out with a lady being chased through a grocery store parking lot by a dinosaur and then we flash to "eight years later" where we meet a professor of paleontology trying to brush off one of his fanatic students who is convinced that there is some kind of beasty running around in the Forest of Dean that the professor should investigate. Of course, as soon as he mentions that particular location, the prof's ears perk up. Turns out that lady we saw at the beginning was his wife, and she disappeared eight years ago after investigating something near the Forest of Dean. Hmm...

Next we meet a zoo keeper, specialty lizards, who has just been laid off. On her way out, she sees a letter to the zoo complete with picture of a boy with an exotic looking lizard and decides to go check it out. Guess where the boy lives? You got it, right next to the Forest of Dean. So Abby (the lizard lady) goes to meet Ben (the boy) and his flying lizard, Rex. Abby gets very excited and tells Ben she thinks he may have stumbled across a new species. She asks Ben to take her to the place in the forest where he found Rex, and off we go.

Meanwhile the professor (Cutter) and his assistant and student are checking out the claims of a "monster" attack near the forest. The cynical professor starts to believe some kind of predator may really be out there once all of the evidence starts to pile up. His crew is joined by Claudia, a rep from the Home Office sent to confirm that the monster sighting was actually a hoax.

In the forest, both groups stumble upon some dead cows that have been flung up into the branches of some trees, and they all are more than a little concerned by this. Ben freaks out and runs for home when he and Abby come across the dead cows (with their tongues hanging out of their mouths, I love it). Abby quickly loses him in the forest.

On his way home Ben stumbles across some glowy lights and promptly sticks his face inside them. Ahh, the impetuousness of youth. In the lights he sees a different world, complete with a whole flock of lizards just like Rex. He is startled by some noises in the brush when he comes back to the forest and continues running on home, managing to cut his hand on a thorn just as he is leaving the forest.

Abby meanwhile has realized there is something large in the forest and that Rex is able to sense it and run from it. While avoiding the big scary, she encounters a not-quite-Triceratops as well as Professor Cutter's group. While they're all oohing and ahhing over the dinosaur they've found (and while Claudia is getting the government involved), the other dinosaur (a cross between a Tyrannosaur and a saber-tooth tiger) tracks Ben's blood and tries to snatch him right out of his bedroom. Ben manages to keep out of the dino's claws. Despite all of the noise and the huge mess, Ben's parents are inclined to believe that it's all Abby's fault that he trashed his room and is blaming it on a dinosaur. Now that the government is involved, Cutter and Abby can't admit that Ben is probably telling the truth, so they have to act like he's just imagining things. Poor kid.

Ben does mention that while in the forest he "saw into the past," leading Cutter and his group to discover the light show in the forest. They actually end up chasing the Triceratops back through the lights and quickly determine that they are in fact a portal to the past, to the Permian era, to be exact. The good old government is inclined to think that since they chased the dino back through the portal, as long as they keep it contained there is no more problem. The scientists of course disagree. Clearly the dino they chased back was a herbivore, and herbivores don't exactly go around attacking semis or tossing cows into trees (or attacking little boys in their bedrooms). General consensus is that there's another dinosaur on the loose, and a dangerous one at that.

Here our party splits up again. Cutter, Abby, and Claudia head back to Home Office with Rex to discuss the situation and see what they can find about the prehistoric lizard. Cutter's assistant (I think his name is Steven, but don't hold me to that) and student (I totally never caught his name) remain in the forest to try to track the other dino. After finding a footprint they are able to figure out what they're dealing with, thanks to the student's comprehensive dino database that he has compiled with his lack of life leading up to the show. Steven manages to track the creature, who has been continuing to hunt poor Ben while managing not to be seen by anyone but the poor kid. So Ben's in detention for telling lies and a dinosaur comes to get him, and of course the teacher doesn't believe him, until the dinosaur makes his attack, that is. Steven is able to distract the creature, saving Ben and his teacher, but gets himself knocked out in the process and our big bad runs off again.

Back at Home Office, Abby and Cutter have managed to convince the government agents that they don't know how to deal with Rex (with some help from the lizard himself). Cutter also has come to believe that the portal has everything to do with the disappearance of his wife eight years ago and says he's going in, no matter what. So they agree to let him go through and take Rex back to where he belongs.

On the other side, Cutter finds his missing wife's camera along with evidence that other humans have been through the portal--and have, in fact, been camping there, though the pile of human remains show that they weren't terribly successful at that part. The remains are all male, so Cutter knows they're not his wife's and has hope that she may still be alive. He is resolved to stay in the past until he finds her but the very practical soldier they sent along convinces him to go back through, especially once they realize the portal is starting to disappear. They make it back through just in time for the portal to disappear. Of course right at that moment, the big bad comes racing through the forest trying to attack everyone--and Steven comes roaring in and hits it with an SUV. We also learn that Rex came back through the portal on his own, so he is stranded in our time now.

The show wraps up with Cutter stating that even though the portal has closed, there is evidence that there may have been other portals and they need to find out what is causing them to happen. He doesn't think it's over. And he's right. Back in his office, someone stealthily creeps in to leave him some creature in a shell. He gives chase and catches a fleeting glimpse of a woman who looks eerily like his wife before she disappears into the darkness.

My initial reaction is one of enjoyment. The first episode had an excellent balance of action, humor, effects, and science. If it can keep that up, then there is real potential. The formula is pretty basic--looks like we've got a monster of the week type scenario, along with an over-arching conspiracy/mystery story line. But there's nothing wrong with a basic formula if the story itself is original and entertaining enough, and this one looks like it just may be. They have set the stage for some pretty decent character interaction and development. I am quite curious to see where this goes.

I do hope they keep Ben around, he certainly earned it with all of the crap he put up with in the episode. But I kind of get the feeling he may have just been the victim of the week, so to speak. Also, I see some dangerous creature-hunting ahead, so I am not too sure what there would be for him to actually do. Sigh.

My favorite moment of the episode:
While Rex is loose in the Home Office, he ducks into an elevator to avoid recapture and during the ride he is just sitting there bobbing his head along with the muzak. Priceless.

Primeval airs on BBC America on Saturdays at 8 p.m. (Central Time). If you missed the first episode, they are airing it again before the new episode this coming Saturday, so just tune in an hour earlier.

Until next time, keep watching, and take care,
C

For Pony!

Okay, so I didn't watch a whole lot of television this week because I went to a baseball game and a rock show and have gotten completely sucked into the Twilight saga books. Imagine that, I kind of have a life sometimes. Wow.

Anyhoo, anything I would write about has been completely overshadowed by the Jimmy Neutron/Fairly Oddparents crossover episode my husband is currently watching. This is the most bizarre thing I have ever seen.

Though a villain named Shirley who whats to be your arch-friend is an amusing concept.

I did record the premier of Primeval on BBC America and plan to watch that this afternoon. If I remember I'll put a review of that up tonight or tomorrow to make it up to you for this lack of post.

Until then, I leave you with this thought:

FOR PONY!

Laters,
C

Well, darn...

Man, I could not feel less motivated to write my blogs today. I suck.

I will say this, I saw The Dark Knight on Tuesday and it was fantastic. I really enjoy Christopher Nolan's take on Batman. It's the right level of dark and contains a good dose of realism without losing sight of the fact that it is still a comic book story. This version goes nowhere near the level of ridiculous that we got with 90's string of Batman movies. My favorite element I think is still how they do such a good job of showing that each of Batman's gadgets is rooted in real (or possible) technology/contraptions.

Stargate Continuum also made my view list this week. I thought it was phenomenal. I think people who don't enjoy or get the Stargate universe in general probably would have thought it was silly, but I feel like fans of the show were definitely given something they could truly love. I am the first to admit I'm a sucker for stories involving alternate realities and timelines, so this was honestly built to appeal to me anyway. Despite that I really felt that it was an excellent story and a great addition to the franchise. If you enjoy Stargate in any of its flavors, go check it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The new episode of Eureka was pretty fun. We got a nifty little Cylon reference that made me smile, and Dr. Parrish from Stargate Atlantis popped up--I hope we see more of his character, I think he could be a good addition to the world of Eureka, seems like he had the right kind of heart to fit in. Also, there was a good dose of Larry bashing, so I am always on board with that (though I admit was a bit freaked out for a second when I thought they'd killed him--I don't want it to go that far), especially because he totally deserved it this time. I am a bit nervous about how they are shoehorning Degree deodorant into the story as part of some new sponsorship deal. I am hearing some disturbing rumors on that front, but I guess I will just have to wait and see and cross my fingers (and possibly my toes) that it won't be as bad as it sounds.

Other than that I've spent the week being pretty much immersed in either reading the Twilight books (I just finished New Moon and am probably going to start Eclipse today) or in playing the Star Wars RPG Knights of the Old Republic. In fact, as soon as I finish this post and do one other chore, I am off to play the game...

So that's what's going on in my world. I did watch bits and pieces of the Robin Hood season finale last night. I was hanging out with my friends so we didn't have our attention completely tuned in until the big twist at the end. After seeing that I am kind of hoping it was the series finale because the heart of the show is kind of gone for me now. I recorded it so I'll probably have to watch while actually paying attention later today and see what the heezy was actually going on. I do definitely think I am going to give Primeval a try next week when it takes over Robin Hood's time slot, it looks interesting to say the least.

Well, I am off to try to level up my scoundrel some more. My husband says I get a very R2-D2 like droid to join my party soon, huzzah!

Take care all,
C