Aaron Broder – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:31:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Aaron Broder – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Remote Nomad: ‘Elementary’ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/10/03/remote-nomad-elementary/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/10/03/remote-nomad-elementary/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:30:38 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1071378 CBS got a lot of flack for “Elementary” every step of the way -- for ripping off “Sherlock,” the BBC’s modern retelling of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories, for making Watson a woman, for moving the story to New York instead of London -- all before the show even aired. Last week, the pilot finally made its way to television with the general consensus already stacked against it.

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Remote Nomad: 'Elementary'
Courtesy CBS

But the premature judgment is a little unfair; rather than solely an opportunity to cash in on “Sherlock’s” popularity, “Elementary” proved to be a fairly solid, if familiar, police procedural that happened to feature modern iterations of Holmes and Watson.

BBC’s “Sherlock,” which only has three episodes per season, focuses on tightly recreating the original stories in a modern context. “Elementary,” while less true to Doyle’s original stories, instead features new mysteries that allow the writing to tackle the iconic Sherlock Holmes character from a different angle.

Because the “Elementary” characters sidestep rather than settle into their “Sherlock” molds, they escape our predictions and lowered expectations. So far, Lucy Liu’s Watson seems to be a more active player than the traditional Holmes sidekick and better able to hold her own against her Holmes. While she lacks Sherlock’s deductive abilities, her ability to read people entertains us, a la “Lie to Me,” “Psych,” “Monk,” et cetera. And while Sherlock strays less from his original form, or from Benedict Cumberbatch’s BBC performance, his seemingly haunted attitude has us hoping the show will delve deeper into what exactly makes him tick and what led to his rehab admission.

Despite all the character achievements, the flair of “Sherlock” escapes “Elementary.”  Shifting it to a standard procedural distinguished “Elementary” from other Holmes retellings but risks falling into the shadow of any of the countless other procedurals on our Netflix queues. Meanwhile, “Sherlock” has a distinct style in all of its shots, even the ones where the style involves text floating in midair as Watson types out a blog post. Somehow, the Sherlock of “Elementary” waving around an iPhone to show a picture he took just doesn’t wield the same distinction. The show seems like it’s simultaneously trying to draw attention to its modernity and not step on the BBC’s toes.

“Elementary” may play too safe to keep the crowd. Despite that, for now the characters are holding our interest. It almost seems to be the story of what would have happened if Watson and Holmes met each other a little later in their lives, and how each character would have developed without the other’s influence. As a result, where they are now and where they go from here are both unexplored territories, and overall something I’m excited to see every once in a while.

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Remote Nomad: ‘Eureka’ finale goes to extremes to wrap up loose ends https://stanforddaily.com/2012/08/16/remote-nomad-eureka-finale/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/08/16/remote-nomad-eureka-finale/#respond Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:00:13 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1069768 I’ve joked with my friends that in my ideal world, every series finale would end with an abrupt, mid-scene cut to black. A good TV show is a window into a living, breathing, persistent world--one that continues even after the credits roll. When a finale has the gall to put a bow on every situation, it just reminds me that as soon as the episode ends, the characters’ lives are over. Closure is good, but complete resolution feels artificial. Unfortunately, that’s the trap Syfy’s “Eureka” falls into with its series finale.

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Remote Nomad: 'Eureka' finale goes to extremes to wrap up loose ends
Courtesy of Syfy

I hate resolution.

 

I’ve joked with my friends that in my ideal world, every series finale would end with an abrupt, mid-scene cut to black. A good TV show is a window into a living, breathing, persistent world–one that continues even after the credits roll. When a finale has the gall to put a bow on every situation, it just reminds me that as soon as the episode ends, the characters’ lives are over. Closure is good, but complete resolution feels artificial. Unfortunately, that’s the trap Syfy’s “Eureka” falls into with its series finale.

 

As the episode title, “Just Another Day,” suggests, the plot is a bit by-the-numbers for “Eureka”: the Department of Defense has decided to shut the town down (as the main character Jack points out, it’s surprising they’ve waited this long, what with the weekly world-ending catastrophes), but right as everyone’s either packing up or protesting, wormholes start appearing, threatening to tear the town apart. The scientists throw out a little technobabble, Jack does something foolhardy and the day is saved. It’s exactly what you expect from “Eureka,” which is comforting in a way, and it manages to hit some nice callbacks throughout the episode.

 

But wait! Allison, Jack’s wife, is pregnant! And Holly, having lost her memory just last episode, remembers that she loves Fargo! And at the eleventh hour, a character we haven’t seen in over a year saves Eureka! And…and…

 

And it’s all just a little too perfect.

 

The last 10 minutes of the episode are dedicated to reveals of this sort. Jo’s proposal to Zane was the rare thing that really felt genuine; not only did it cap off that relationship beautifully, but it served as a strong character moment, a counterpoint to Zane’s (rejected) proposal two years ago and a mark of how Jo has grown emotionally since the lead characters accidentally changed the timeline and reset their relationship to zero. But everything else felt contrived, like an attempt to give everyone a happy ending even if it hadn’t been earned yet.

 

This was especially true for Holly and Fargo. I’m sure the writers had a much bigger plan for these two–they only found out about their cancellation after the season had already been filmed and were only given one extra episode to wrap it all up–but the constant back-and-forth seemed almost silly. I don’t want to be on the record as having asked for yet another character played by Felicia Day to die, but when it happened, it was completely unexpected and emotionally powerful. Bringing Holly back cheapened that, even though I eventually decided that the writers used the circumstances of her existence in interesting ways. Wiping her memory could have been the start of something great–something that happened off-screen, that implied a life beyond what we saw on-screen–but instead they redacted it so quickly it was meaningless.

 

Eureka is a goofy show with an emotional core that seems to intimidate its writers. They delve into feelings when it’s appropriate, but they only stay there as long as they have to. Even if the writers were rushed into this finale, they didn’t have to rush out of it, quickly tying up every loose end they found. It would have been more apt to end with Jack and Henry–the two strong forces that hold the town together–sitting and talking about the town of Eureka, an uncertain future ahead of them. Cut to black.

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Remote Nomad: ‘Jericho’ starts strong, but stumbles through end of series https://stanforddaily.com/2012/08/02/remote-nomad-jericho-starts-strong-but-stumbles-through-end-of-series/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/08/02/remote-nomad-jericho-starts-strong-but-stumbles-through-end-of-series/#comments Thu, 02 Aug 2012 07:55:48 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1069210 Set in the fictional town of Jericho, Kan., "Jericho" takes place shortly after a series of nuclear explosions devastate the country. Isolated from most of civilization, the people of Jericho deal with the fallout (both literal and metaphorical) of the bombs, as one disaster after another threatens their lives.

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Remote Nomad: 'Jericho' starts strong, but stumbles through end of series
Courtesy of CBS

There’s not a lot of summer TV that I keep up with regularly, so the break is a good chance to catch up on my backlog. Despite the amount of TV I watch, there are always many very popular, critically-acclaimed shows that manage to slip through the cracks, including “The Wire,” “Game of Thrones” and “Breaking Bad.” What caught my attention first this summer, however, was “Jericho,” a show from 2006 whose fan base did what few manage to do–get the show renewed after it was already canceled (albeit only for a very abbreviated second and final season).

 

Set in the fictional town of Jericho, Kan., the show takes place shortly after a series of nuclear explosions devastate the country. Isolated from most of civilization, the people of Jericho deal with the fallout (both literal and metaphorical) of the bombs, as one disaster after another threatens their lives. At the center of the series is the Green family, made up of Johnston, the father and mayor of the town; his wife, Gail; and their two sons, Eric and Jake, the latter of whom left Jericho years ago under tense circumstances but manages to take charge when the bombs strand him back home. They’re surrounded by a fairly believable cast of characters who either join them in taking charge or let their panic and worry take over their lives.

 

At the risk of hyperbole, I honestly think the first few episodes are just short of flawless. There’s an interesting tension at work here between the characters’ relationships and more immediate catastrophes, and the writers walk this balance with finesse rarely seen in TV writing. In some respects, it reminds me a lot of early “Lost” episodes (the only “Lost” I’ve seen)–the pressing need to survive pushes the characters forward but weaves in and out seamlessly with inter- and intrapersonal conflicts, each serving as a backdrop to the other. When handled well, it’s a compelling combination–and it’s certainly handled well here.

 

Remote Nomad: 'Jericho' starts strong, but stumbles through end of series
Courtesy of CBS

Unfortunately, as some of the more pressing ramifications of the bombs begin to settle down, that careful balance goes a little off-kilter. People begin to adapt to their new lifestyle, and their focus naturally shifts to the mystery behind the attacks themselves; however, that mystery is handled fairly clumsily. Suddenly, subtle character moments are overacted, and the drama is overwrought. The writers ramp up tension in tensionless scenes, and some revelations feel empty since we know little about the minor characters they revolve around. It’s as though the writers felt they couldn’t tell a compelling story without a catastrophe each week, so they attempted to manufacture artificial ones to fill the gaps.

 

There’s still a lot I respect about the way “Jericho” handles its characters. It relies on a lot of common tropes, but it goes out of its way to avoid some that would be too easy to fall into, like a could-be love triangle involving Jake, the main character, that’s discounted fairly quickly and believably. I just wish that the strong characterizations hinted at in those first few episodes were more consistent.

 

I’m still engrossed in the story, but I’m beginning to see those same issues that initially put me off of “Lost”–the plot moving forward at the expense of characterization and tension being artificially ramped up in an attempt to keep you glued to the TV. Grand mysteries tend to take over their shows in this manner, and I hope that as I continue to watch, the show manages to get back on track.

 

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Remote Nomad: The United States of Tara https://stanforddaily.com/2012/03/09/remote-nomad-the-united-states-of-tara/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/03/09/remote-nomad-the-united-states-of-tara/#respond Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:39:58 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1060940 Like its title character, "The United States of Tara" has multiple personalities. At times it’s a comedy, poking fun at the zany situations Tara’s multiple personalities get her family into.

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Remote Nomad: The United States of Tara
Courtesy of Showtime

Like its title character, “The United States of Tara” has multiple personalities. At times it’s a comedy, poking fun at the zany situations Tara’s multiple personalities get her family into. At other times it tries to be a suspense-driven thriller—its most annoying personality, and one that thankfully only emerges in the back half of the last season. But its true personality, the one that’s most developed and nuanced, is an emotionally-grounded, character-driven family drama about how the Gregson family manages to stay whole despite—and sometimes because of—Tara’s dissociative identity disorder.

 

I mean, when it wants to be, this show can be dark. I’m not talking about the creepy, unsatisfying serial killer arc in the third season. I’m talking about moments like the one when Marshall Gregson sets the family shed on fire to get back at T, one of Tara’s personalities, for making out with the guy he’s crushing on. Or when Charmaine, Tara’s sister, tells Tara she doesn’t want her near her newborn baby in case she transitions into another personality and hurts the baby. These moments are all driven by believable emotion, and it’s hard not to feel a pang of sympathy for Tara and her family when watching.

 

Of course, that only makes it all the weaker when the show’s other personalities emerge. After all, it might be funny to see Buck, Tara’s southern hick personality, come out and crack a few jokes, but once you’ve seen the emotional trauma he puts the family through when he starts a relationship with a local barkeeper, his appearances become much less funny. It’s a difficult line to toe, and oftentimes “United States” ends up on the wrong side.

 

The character development drives this show, which is why when the plot takes center stage it feels a little lacking. All of these characters are distinctly human; they all have their own problems: take Kate, the other Gregson child (played by Brie Larson, who I’m happy to see again after first meeting in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”), maturing from a petulant teenager to a mature adult. She changes her mind as quickly and often as Tara changes her personality, but unlike Tara, she grows by leaps and bounds in an evolution that sometimes feels rushed, but never forced.

 

When it comes to TV, I’m often invested more in the story than in the acting; bad acting will pull me out of a show, but good acting tends to just blend in to the background for me. But it’s impossible to talk about “United States” without Toni Collette, who plays Tara, and the way she effortlessly pulls off not one, but eventually eight different characters, each distinct from one another in dress, voice and manner. Tara is completely different from T, and both are completely different from Alice, the ‘50s housewife, and so on.

 

Though it stumbles a few times, eventually “United States” manages to end on an emotionally strong note. In fact, you’d never guess that the third season finale wasn’t originally written to be a season finale. Things in the Gregson family still aren’t good, but it’s better that way. I’m a sucker for ambiguous endings, after all, and after years of getting worse, it doesn’t make sense that it would just snap back to normal. It’s as close to a happy ending as the family can believably get, and after three years of putting up with the discordant states of Tara, boy does that family deserve it.

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Remote Nomad: ‘Misfits’ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/02/17/remote-nomad-misfits/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/02/17/remote-nomad-misfits/#respond Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:35:02 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1058628 If you imagined “Heroes,” but British and “edgy,” then you’d end up with “Misfits,” a show that’s been made popular in America thanks to Hulu bringing it across the pond last year. It’s about a group of young criminals who gain superpowers in a mysterious storm while doing community service, as well as the surprisingly unfortunate luck they have after the storm. But the comparisons are more than skin-deep; looking at “Misfits’” structure over the years reveals a lot of other parallels between the two shows.

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Remote Nomad: 'Misfits'
Courtesy of E4

If you imagined “Heroes,” but British and “edgy,” then you’d end up with “Misfits,” a show that’s been made popular in America thanks to Hulu bringing it across the pond last year. It’s about a group of young criminals who gain superpowers in a mysterious storm while doing community service, as well as the surprisingly unfortunate luck they have after the storm. But the comparisons are more than skin-deep; looking at “Misfits’” structure over the years reveals a lot of other parallels between the two shows.

 

Let’s start from the top: The first season of “Misfits” was a tightly-constructed, well-written character drama. The superpowers served the plot, not vice versa; they were tools to draw out each character’s strengths and insecurities and to drive them forward. At the beginning of the show, the characters were bad people; at the end of the first season…well, let’s be honest, they were still bad people, but they had grown in measurable and believable ways.

 

Then came the second season, and with it, the downward spiral that ended up defining every season of “Heroes” after the first. The plots became incoherent; random recurring characters appeared from nowhere, serving no real purpose; and I don’t even want to talk about the nonsensical Christmas episode. To its credit, there was an excellent subplot about the mysterious “Superhoodie” that delved into the characters of Simon and Alisha, but even that became its own kind of problem when the forgone conclusion was dragged out all the way through season 3.

 

Remote Nomad: 'Misfits'
Courtesy of E4

The new season, which just recently finished airing on Hulu, is somewhere in the middle of those two. It lacks the strong definition that the first season had, but it’s definitely a move in the right direction. I’d even argue that switching out Nathan, the manic character who had a tendency to overshadow everyone else in the first two seasons, for Rudy (whose really just a Nathan-lite to be honest) was actually a good idea for the show since it gave us another character whose growth we can hope for. But the original misfits are dropping like flies, and it’s going to get old fast seeing them replaced by almost identical characters. When a show swaps out their entire cast, it’s a bold move. But phasing them out one by one makes “Misfits” feel more like a show that’s fizzling out—yet another case where the “Heroes” comparison holds strong.

 

Despite its flaws, though, “Misfits” is a much stronger show throughout than “Heroes” ever was. It’s more grounded; even though it has flights of fancy (like that Christmas episode, or the third season episode where history is altered so the Nazis won WWII), they never last as long as “Heroes’” did. Alisha put it best in the third finale; the misfits aren’t superheroes. “All we’ve ever done is try to defend ourselves from every [person] who’s tried to kill us. We’ve done our best, and if you’ve got a problem with that, then fuck you!”

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Remote Nomad: The Browncoats of Penzance https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/27/remote-nomad-the-browncoats-of-penzance/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/27/remote-nomad-the-browncoats-of-penzance/#respond Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:55:58 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1055888 What is it about TV shows that inspire such mad devotion? Sure, fandoms arise to support stellar movies, but they never seem to match the intensity that some TV shows manage to draw in. Something about the continuous, serial nature of a TV show just lends itself well to causing obsession in a way that isn’t really seen that much elsewhere (although book series can certainly cause a similarly widespread fixation).

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Remote Nomad: The Browncoats of Penzance
Courtesy of Brian and Tina Lee

What is it about TV shows that inspire such mad devotion? Sure, fandoms arise to support stellar movies, but they never seem to match the intensity that some TV shows manage to draw in. Something about the continuous, serial nature of a TV show just lends itself well to causing obsession in a way that isn’t really seen that much elsewhere (although book series can certainly cause a similarly widespread fixation).

 

You can’t really talk about devoted groups of fans without talking about the Browncoats, the dedicated group of followers who fell in love with Joss Whedon’s “Firefly” as soon as it aired. The space western (I swear, it’s better than it might sound) may have gotten cancelled with only 14 episodes produced, but that did not by any means temper the fans’ enthusiasm. It’s hard to talk about what makes “Firefly” so special without repeating what hundreds of fans and critics have said before, but the show has a unique aesthetic and a well-written case of flawed, but relatable characters that gave the crew of the ship Serenity a real sense of family.

 

It took a few years after the series’ cancellation, but the Browncoats’ devotion has led to more than a few fan sequels, a tabletop RPG, a series of comics and a canonical sequel in the form of the movie “Serenity.” Now the Stanford Savoyards, a student-run theater company that exclusively performs Gilbert and Sullivan shows, has decided to bring the ‘verse to life in a unique way–by setting “The Pirates of Penzance” in the “Firefly” universe.

 

Remote Nomad: The Browncoats of Penzance
Courtesy of Brian and Tina Lee

Most of the “Firefly” flavor is in the costumes and the set dressing, which I unfortunately didn’t get to see, but it’s still easy to see how well the two universes mesh together. The crew of “Serenity” was morally ambiguous; they were pirates for sure, but they worked against the oppressive Alliance and took care to make amends when they hurt innocent bystanders. Likewise, the pirates don’t attack ships weaker than they are, and they spare anyone who says they’re an orphan. And while the character analogues fall apart somewhat in the specifics (Zoe would never fall for Simon), it’s easy to see how the Pirate King and Captain Mal are, at their core, similar characters.

 

In a weird way, pairing “The Pirates of Penzance” with “Firefly” recaptures a lot of what I thought “Serenity” missed out on. “Firefly” was a very personal show about the unlikely family that came about in the spaceship “Serenity”; it was about fighting unlikely odds and barely scraping by in time for the next fight. “Serenity” was all about being Big Damn Heroes and taking a stand against the evil empire; not necessarily a bad plot, and outside of a few key moments, most of that sense of family, what I really loved about the show, was lost. The story of “Pirates” is far closer to the warm, comfortable feeling of “Firefly” than the epic scope of “Serenity”, even if it does veer off in a much sillier direction at times.

 

It’s really nice to see the crew of “Serenity” back in action, even if it’s in such an indirect way. I rarely need an excuse to revisit the ‘verse, but it’s nice every once in a while to have a reminder. Its brevity tends to anger any fan (don’t even think about mentioning Fox around most Browncoats), but at least in its brevity it never suffers the fate of TV shows that last long beyond their expiration date; there’s rarely a moment of “Firefly” that isn’t worth watching.

 

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Remote Nomad: Alcatraz can’t escape from procedural tropes https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/13/remote-nomad-alcatraz/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/13/remote-nomad-alcatraz/#respond Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:54:25 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1054220 It feels a little unfair to review a J.J. Abrams show as early as I am doing with “Alcatraz.” Not to name names, but the shows he produces have a tendency to either take a while to warm up or slowly peter out--or both. But “Alcatraz” doesn’t seem like it’s going to be bucking any trends; so far it seems like it will fit pretty smoothly into the former category.

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Remote Nomad: Alcatraz can't escape from procedural tropes
Courtesy of Fox

It feels a little unfair to review a J.J. Abrams show as early as I am doing with “Alcatraz.” Not to name names, but the shows he produces have a tendency to either take a while to warm up or slowly peter out–or both. But “Alcatraz” doesn’t seem like it’s going to be bucking any trends; so far it seems like it will fit pretty smoothly into the former category. The two-hour premiere (two separate episodes, really) that airs this Monday gives a slight glimpse into what might end up being a very compelling drama, but so far feels a little rote.

 

Let’s go down the J.J. Abrams checklist, shall we? A weird overarching mystery? Check. Apparently just before Alcatraz was shut down, all of the prisoners mysteriously vanished, and are returning in the present day, without having aged, creating the need for a special task force to take care of them. A “surprising” personal stake in the mystery? Lead detective Rebecca Madsen (played by Sarah Jones) finds out her grandfather, who she thought was a guard at the prison, was a prisoner–and she’d already unknowingly crossed paths with him. An adorkable nerd character thrown in for audience appeal? That’s right, Hurley from “Lost” is back with a fresh coat of paint as Dr. Diego Soto, and he’s even being played by the same actor (Jorge Garcia).

 

Characters we care about? No? Well, three out of four wouldn’t be too bad, if it weren’t for the fact that the fourth is so important. It’s too early to call the characters uninteresting, but the writers certainly haven’t been putting forth any effort to make me think otherwise. Madsen is the same policewoman archetype we’ve seen on every procedural from “Law & Order” to “Castle,” and recently losing a partner isn’t exactly a revolutionary spin on the trope. And there’s nothing really wrong with Dr. Soto, but that’s mainly because we don’t know anything about him. The one insight we’ve had into his personality is that he’s not sure he’s worthy of being on the task force–and considering they made this a plot thread in an episode where he did little to advance the case, I’m not inclined to disagree.

 

Remote Nomad: Alcatraz can't escape from procedural tropes
Courtesy of Fox

Even with the mythology being put into place, there isn’t enough to keep me coming back to the show. The murderers may be mysteriously un-aged Alcatraz prisoners, but when it comes right down to it, Madsen and Soto are basically just dealing with murders the way that any other cop show would. I’m not totally disinterested in the mystery–in particular, I want to know more about Lucy Banerjee (played by Parminder Nagra), a woman on the task force with a direct link to Alcatraz of 1963. But I don’t find myself caring about the two main characters at all.

 

Again, it feels unfair to judge a show so harshly so early on. “Fringe” was widely panned in its early days for similar reasons–formulaic plots, wooden characters–and it’s since grown to be some of the most compelling writing on TV both in terms of story and characterization. But it’s getting frustrating to have to wait like this for any sense of payoff in TV shows. I’ll revisit “Alcatraz” closer to the halfway mark of the first season and see if it’s picked up any, but in the meantime I’m not particularly interested in another procedural to add to the already endless list.

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Remote Nomad: Best of 2011 https://stanforddaily.com/2011/12/07/remote-nomad-best-of-2011/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/12/07/remote-nomad-best-of-2011/#respond Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:41:10 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1052998 It's that time of year again: that special time when everyone burns through their backlog of television shows in a desperate effort to put off homework and studying. For the more discerning procrastinators, however, it might help to have an idea of what in your Hulu queue is actually worth watching. Here are a few of my superlative awards for the front half of the season.

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Remote Nomad: Best of 2011
Courtesy of NBC

It’s that time of year again: that special time when everyone burns through their backlog of television shows in a desperate effort to put off homework and studying. For the more discerning procrastinators, however, it might help to have an idea of what in your Hulu queue is actually worth watching. Here are a few of my superlative awards for the front half of the season.

 

Best Show You Need to Help Save–“Community”

“Community” has always teetered on the edge of cancellation, but now that it’s vanished from the midseason schedule for an indefinite hiatus, it’s time to rally the troops. If you’re a fan, tell your friends about it and (most importantly) keep watching. If you’re not, well, the hiatus gives you time to give “Community” a try. In the past few weeks, it’s been a documentary, explored parallel timelines and was (very briefly) an anime, and yet it manages to combine these epic, over-the-top moments with an emotional grounding that meshes surprisingly well and makes for one of the most well-written sitcoms on TV.

 

Remote Nomad: Best of 2011
Courtesy of ABC

Biggest Surprise of the Season–“Once Upon A Time”

I probably shouldn’t like ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” but I do anyway. Instead of keeping you guessing at some elusive mystery, the solution of which is almost sure to disappoint, it gives you most everything that matters upfront and lets you care about the characters and how they’re going to get out of the mess they’re in. It’s campy, heavy-handed and doesn’t exactly revolutionize the Disney princesses, but it’s good enough to keep me watching, and at least it’s trying to mix up the format a bit harder than its NBC counterpart, “Grimm.”

 

Most Disappointing Cliffhanger Resolutions of the Season–“How I Met Your Mother

Until a week or two ago, I would have picked on “Castle,” whose writers seemed to have conveniently forgotten about Beckett’s shooting, much less the fact that she knows Castle confessed his love for her. But with “Kill Shot” dramatically changing Beckett’s character in response to the former, I’m willing to give them a slight pass on the latter. Instead, I’ll have to give the award to “How I Met Your Mother” and its writers; though it’s pretty obvious that Barney’s going to end up with Robin now, I’ll be damned if they aren’t prolonging it.

 

Least Impressive New Show of the Season–“New Girl”

I didn’t have high expectations for “New Girl” from the start, but the show hasn’t done anything to exceed the already low expectations. They’re relying too much on Zooey Deschanel to carry…pretty much everything, actually, and she’s just unable to support the sitcom plot retreads and quirkiness that goes a step or two past adorable. Sorry, Fox; maybe next year?

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Remote Nomad: Bringing up baby on ‘Bones’ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/11/04/remote-nomad-bringing-up-baby-on-bones/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/11/04/remote-nomad-bringing-up-baby-on-bones/#respond Fri, 04 Nov 2011 07:46:17 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1051425 I can’t help but feel like last year’s “Bones” finale wasn’t the game changer I thought it was going to be.

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Remote Nomad: Bringing up baby on 'Bones'
Courtesy of Fox

I can’t help but feel like last year’s “Bones” finale wasn’t the game changer I thought it was going to be. I mean, it could have been; it should have been. I thought their choice to resolve Booth and Bones’ sexual tension off screen and only let us see the aftermath was a brilliant one, since that integral moment is often so poorly handled it cheapens entire relationship. Adding the baby was a risky move–they have a tendency to derail TV shows–but it definitely made the reveal more dramatic. Resolving an arc that had been integral to the show’s chemistry, however, left one question on every “Bones” fan’s mind: will this ruin everything?

So I’ll start off with the good news: I’ve seen the first two episodes of the season, and so far, Booth and Bones’ relationship hasn’t ruined the show. But it hasn’t really pushed the show forward, either. The couple hasn’t spent any of the gap between seasons getting over the problems that all “will they, won’t they” couples tend to go through during the first months of their relationships. In this case, the relationship has actually sent Bones a few steps backward socially. Both of the first two episodes have subplots that basically boil down to her being insensitive about how Booth feels. While some of the decisions seem in character, as I watched how many missteps she made in the “The Hot Dog in the Competition,” the second episode of the season, I couldn’t help but feel that she’s grown past this. Sure, she’s still awkward and misunderstands a lot of nuance in day-to-day interaction, but her evolution since the beginning of the show is a major part of why they were finally able to get together in the first place.

Remote Nomad: Bringing up baby on 'Bones'
Courtesy of Fox

And even with a baby between them, it doesn’t really seem like Booth and Bones’ relationship has changed at all, at least beyond the superficial. That’s always the way it is with procedurals, isn’t it? No matter how dramatic the events around the characters are, you never see as dramatic a change in the characters themselves. This problem is systemic; it’s not just limited to the starring duo. You wouldn’t know that Hodgins and Angela had a baby in last season’s finale if they didn’t occasionally throw in an extra scene featuring their son to remind you about it. That’s why I was so impressed by their decision to kill off the intern, Nigel-Murray, last season. No matter how much I liked the character, the fact that the writers actually changed the structure of their show (though admittedly the interns are a little interchangeable) blew me away. I was slightly less impressed when I found out it only happened because the actor was off to Syfy’s “Alphas,” but the definitiveness with which they ended his tenure was still fairly bold. It’s unlikely we’ll ever see as bold a decision with the starring cast.

Maybe I expected a little bit too much from “Bones.” The episodes are as entertaining as they’ve always been, and saying that the relationships haven’t changed isn’t really a bad thing; after all, isn’t that what brings us back every week? If you’ve always enjoyed “Bones,” then as far as I can tell, you will continue enjoying it into the future. I’m just a little upset with how the writers are misusing this opportunity. They have a chance to really see how this relationship and this baby would change who Booth and, in particular, Bones as people. Of course, there are still a few episodes until the baby’s born and who knows what will happen after that. In the meantime, last season’s “game changer” was anything but.

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Remote Nomad: ‘Gregory’ borrows too much from the Griffins https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/28/remote-nomad-gregory-borrows-too-much-from-the-griffins/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/28/remote-nomad-gregory-borrows-too-much-from-the-griffins/#respond Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:56:55 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1051178 Fox is clearly desperate for a new animated sitcom to fill its scheduling gaps. Even Seth MacFarlane himself admitted that “Family Guy” should have ended a while ago. At least, that's the only explanation I can come up with for the new show “Allen Gregory,” which is written by and stars “Superbad” funnyman Jonah Hill.

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Remote Nomad: 'Gregory' borrows too much from the Griffins
Courtesy of MCT

Fox is clearly desperate for a new animated sitcom to fill its scheduling gaps. Even Seth MacFarlane himself admitted that “Family Guy” should have ended a while ago. At least, that’s the only explanation I can come up with for the new show “Allen Gregory,” which is written by and stars “Superbad” funnyman Jonah Hill. Despite an interesting concept, the show seems to be relying on the star power behind it instead of good writing or funny jokes. Unfortunately, if it’s going to keep its coveted slot right after “The Simpsons,” it’s going to have to do a whole lot more.

The show’s about Allen Gregory DeLongpre, the world’s “most pretentious” seven-year old, who’s forced to go to public school when his dads start worrying about their financial situation. The episode is a little bit too focused on getting this story set up, to the point where I feel like I don’t know most of the characters in the universe. Julie, his adopted Cambodian sister who looks like she’ll be filling in for the role of the only sane person, particularly suffers from this focus; I can’t really figure out what part she plays in the family outside of occasionally making snide comments. There’s nothing wrong with having a character like that; she just needs to be more integrated into the cast.

It’s very apparent that “Family Guy,” one of the behemoths of Fox’s Animation Domination lineup, has heavily influenced the show. Though the creators were careful to distinguish themselves from the MacFarlane art style–which actually resulted in a pretty cool ‘60s-inspired design–you can easily see other places where they modeled themselves after the Griffin family. On a surface level, Allen Gregory isn’t that far off from Stewie (minus the British accent and the maniacal plans), and while not everyone hates Julie, her character definitely seems to be an analogue to Meg. But it’s also had a much deeper influence on the show, right down to its sense of humor.

Remote Nomad: 'Gregory' borrows too much from the Griffins
Courtesy of MCT

That’s where “Allen Gregory” ends up failing, which is pretty damning for a half-hour comedy. The writers seem to be aiming for the same jokes as “Family Guy” (namely ones that go too far for too long), but they seem to have forgotten about the funny part. The long “jokes” like Allen Gregory’s minute-long fantasy about his 70 year-old principal, or the implication that his dad aggressively pursued his (formerly, and possibly currently straight) partner until he gave in, just feel uncomfortable. When the show goes on these tangents, I’m not laughing; I’m just waiting for it to move on to the next part.

Much of what I find fault in is the type of thing that often shows up in pilots. At this point in the show, the writers don’t really know what it’s going to be about, and it’s inevitable that they’ll look to other successful shows as a guide. My advice to the writers is to instead look to distinguishing “Allen Gregory” more from the other shows in Fox’s animated comedy block. There’s already so much homogeneity there that something new would be a welcome addition, and they’re more likely to succeed if they find their own groove rather than being a poor imitation of another show. Simply changing up their art style isn’t enough; they need to change up their sense of humor.

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Remote Nomad: The “Community” continuum https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/21/review-community/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/21/review-community/#respond Fri, 21 Oct 2011 07:31:16 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1050970 People tend to group all "Community" episodes into one of two categories: high-energy genre parodies, like the paintball episodes or the stop-motion Christmas episode, and the regular old sitcom episodes. And while it doesn't hurt to group the episodes this way, I think it's a gross oversimplification.

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Remote Nomad: The "Community" continuum
Courtesy of NBC

People tend to group all “Community” episodes into one of two categories: high-energy genre parodies, like the paintball episodes or the stop-motion Christmas episode, and the regular old sitcom episodes. And while it doesn’t hurt to group the episodes this way, I think it’s a gross oversimplification. What makes “Community” one of my favorite shows on television is the way it manages to cover such a broad spectrum of stories. While last year’s critically-acclaimed bottle episode “Cooperative Calligraphy” was high-concept, is it really the same kind of episode as the paintball episodes? Even “Advanced Dungeons and Dragons” is a fairly straight genre parody, but it uses the genre in a much more grounded, emotional way than, say, the “Apollo 11” parody in “Basic Rocket Science.”

In my opinion, the best episodes of the series are the ones that find a comfortable place in the middle of that continuum; they’re guided by some high concept, but motivated by the characters themselves. It’s not that the genre parodies aren’t fun, but it’s easy for the sound of paintballs firing to drown out the characters themselves. That’s why when I talk about my favorite episodes, season one’s paintball episode “Modern Warfare” doesn’t make it onto the list as it does for many other “Community” fans. I’ll take episodes like “Paradigms of Human Memory,” which parodied sitcom clip episodes, and last week’s “Remedial Chaos Theory” any day.

Remote Nomad: The "Community" continuum
Courtesy of NBC

Now, “Remedial Chaos Theory” is the type of episode that falls squarely in the middle of the “Community” continuum. It’s high-concept–a single dice roll at Troy and Abed’s housewarming party causes the timeline to fragment into seven different stories–but it’s more about how the different combinations of characters interact in each of the split timelines than the split itself. In fact, it blends the elements together so well that many people consider it the best episode of “Community.” While I don’t necessarily agree, I’m not sure I could point to an episode that’s done a better job of showing the group’s dynamic.

It was also exciting to see the beginning of the power struggle show runner Dan Harmon has been promising between Troy and Jeff. People have been making a lot of the fact that the “darkest, most terrible” timeline (the one where Pierce died, Jeff lost an arm and Britta got a wash-away blue streak in her hair) happened when Troy wasn’t with the study group; only a few have been pointing out that it was his over-eagerness that kicked off the traumatic chain reaction. It’s easy to criticize Jeff for being too aloof, but everyone just sees Troy’s childish traits as adorable. Troy’s birthday episode last year was a big step for him, but even if he insists he’s a man, is he really ready to be a leader?

The real leader that emerged was Abed. After all, he’s the one who gave the Jeff-style speech at the end of the episode. And when he was gone, the entire group devolved in to squabbling. I’m not sure if it’s a misdirection, or maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it seems like there’s something there.

Of course, on top of all of this analysis of story and characterization, the episode is just a lot of fun. The recurring jokes that characterize a lot of “Community’s” humor play out perfectly across multiple timelines, and the ridiculous depths to which the dark timeline sink are probably the funniest escalation since the conspiracy theories episode last year.

While I didn’t have as many problems with the first few episodes of the season as most people did, I’ll admit that it stuck a bit too close to the sitcom end of the spectrum (Chang’s noir story being the exception). If they can continue to write episodes that balance the two sides of the show this well, then there’s no telling where the study group will go this year.

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Life on the Fringe https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/07/life-on-the-fringe/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/07/life-on-the-fringe/#respond Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:58:05 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1050470 Fans of “Fringe” know that its days are numbered. Despite the fervent fandom that seems to gather around this kind of show, the Fox series never managed to pull in serious numbers, and its move to the Friday night death-slot only confirms what people have suspected. The writing's on the wall: unless something spectacular happens, this year is the last we'll see the Fringe Division of either parallel Earth.

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Life on the Fringe
Courtesy of Fox

Fans of “Fringe” know that its days are numbered. Despite the fervent fandom that seems to gather around this kind of show, the Fox series never managed to pull in serious numbers, and its move to the Friday night death-slot only confirms what people have suspected. The writing’s on the wall: unless something spectacular happens, this year is the last we’ll see the Fringe Division of either parallel Earth.

It’s interesting, then, that with a finite number of episodes left, the writers are spending time reinventing the show. Peter Bishop, one of the main characters and the unintentional catalyst for the war between Earth-1 and Earth-2, was erased from time in the Season 3 finale and the first two episodes of the new season spend considerable time (including an exposition-heavy rant from Walter Bishop) explaining the historical differences now that he’s no longer around. Olivia Dunham is as cold as she was in season one, and Walter Bishop is even less stable. But these changes feel like wasted space; the writers have already sown the seeds of Peter’s return (as if there was any other doubt), and it’s somewhat difficult to care about the altered timeline when it could snap back at any moment.

However, this part of the mythology has mostly been dealt with on the fringes (no pun intended) of the episodes so far. The premiere was a formulaic and unmemorable “freak of the week” episode to showcase the new dynamic of the team, but it ignored what’s most exciting about this new season: the joining of Earths-1 and 2. This was something the second episode, “One Night in October” handled with aplomb. Acting as both Olivia and Fauxlivia (the Olivia of Earth-2), Anna Torv managed to show off some mean acting chops. Since we first met Fauxlivia, Torv has impressed me with her ability to pull off two variations of the same character, but until I saw them acting alongside each other for an entire episode I didn’t appreciate the subtle nuance used to distinguish them. The differences extend beyond their hair color and personality quirks to the way they style and carry themselves. Several actors on the show play alternate versions of themselves, of course, but none are as nuanced as Torv’s performances.

This was echoed by the primary mystery of “October,” when John McClennan, a criminal profiler from Earth-1, was brought in to investigate himself, a serial killer on Earth-2. Bringing an outsider in on the madness that is Fringe Division was a fantastic and much needed reframing of the situation. The best stories about the parallel worlds have always involved how slight changes in our history can radically change who we are; while I felt that McClennan’s serendipitous encounter with the woman who changed his life wasn’t particularly subtle, the episode is still one of my favorite stories the show has told using the two worlds.

There’s no question that “Fringe” is on its way out. But for the first time, it’s not too upsetting that a show I enjoy is getting canceled. It’s not that it’s a worse show–I mean, even “Dollhouse” upset me more than this. But “Fringe” didn’t live past its prime, nor did it never reach its full potential. It’s a show with three years of solid storytelling that’s reaching a natural conclusion. It’s true; I’m not sold on this season of “Fringe” yet. The writers are playing their long game a bit too close to the chest for me to be invested in the arc just yet. But when you look back at older “Fringe” stories, it’s fascinating to see how the show has evolved. Unlike certain other J.J. Abrams shows, mysteries aren’t used to lead the audience on, but to push the story forward. Solving one, like “the Pattern,” motivates another, like the parallel worlds. Olivia put it best in the premiere: “Sometimes answers lead to more questions.” It’s practically the show’s mission statement. “Fringe” may not be long for this (or any) world, but it’s clear that in the meantime it has plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

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TV Review: ‘The Guild’ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/08/11/tv-review-the-guild/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/08/11/tv-review-the-guild/#respond Thu, 11 Aug 2011 07:57:36 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1049814 The show lives somewhat precariously on the edge of being too niche, since its main characters are a group of misfits who play an online roleplaying game together.

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TV Review: 'The Guild'
Courtesy of Microsoft

It can’t be easy writing a Web series. Think about how long you’ll stay watching a single YouTube video. If you’re like most people, you’ll probably click away after a minute or two, and that’s only if the first few seconds interest you. Even though Netflix and Hulu are starting to change those attitudes, it’s difficult to gain – and even more so to maintain – an audience.

It’s kind of surprising, then, the following that the Web series “The Guild” has attracted. It’s been going on for five seasons – the newest of which premiered two weeks ago – and it still has hundreds of thousands of viewers. It’s certainly no “Friday,” but the commitment of its viewers is surprising.

The show lives somewhat precariously on the edge of being too niche, since its main characters are a group of misfits who play an online roleplaying game together. However, ever since season one, which began with the guild meeting in real life for the first time, the show has focused on the characters and their relationships. Despite occasional references to things that may be beyond the reach of a non-gamer (what is “DPS” and how do you “link loot”?), the game never overtakes the characters; it doesn’t have a name and didn’t even appear on screen until last year’s finale. As a result, the show has gained a following far beyond what one might expect from the subject matter.

This season takes the Knights of Good further from their virtual world than they’ve ever been before, to MegaGame-O-Rama-Con, a “nerdstravaganza” that seems to cover the entire breadth of geek culture. The main set piece – the convention itself – hasn’t appeared on-screen, but it’s evident they’re splitting up the characters this early for the purpose of showing as much of it off as possible. It’s a bit disturbing to see the characters serving the plot like this, but it might be worth it to see Clara (played by Robin Thorsen) have her last hurrah before her baby bump keeps her from having fun, to watch Bladezz (Vince Caso) cash in on his Internet-meme fame from last season and to see Codex (Felicia Day, who also writes the series) pursue Zaboo (Sandeep Parikh) .

Let’s talk about that last thing. I’m not really happy with the way the show’s handling Codex’s crush on Zaboo. There have been hints of this as far back as season two, and I’d even argue that it’s something the show needs. It took a while for Zaboo to evolve from Codex’s loveable stalker to her friend, but his development was natural and well thought out; he and Codex actually kind of seem like a good fit now. But I feel like the way they’re going about it is all wrong. Codex has abruptly changed from denying her interest in Zaboo to doodling their names in a notebook. It’s a bit of a leap, and besides, we’ve seen Codex with a crush before, twice if you count her fake relationship with Wil Wheaton’s character last year; it’d be nice for them to take a different angle on the fledgling relationship.

But the slight faults in characterization don’t put a damper on the clever writing and the funny interactions between the characters. If you haven’t watched “The Guild” yet, you might want to take a look. Although fans since the beginning have had to wait four years to get to season 5, all past episodes are available for free on a variety of websites, including YouTube, Netflix and Hulu. The nerd-centric humor may be off-putting for some people, but the characters and the witty dialogue that flies between them should make up for it. It gets off to a slow start, but you’ll be able to plow through the entire series in a day – although afterward, you might find yourself wishing you had paced yourself a bit more.

Watch “The Guild” Tuesdays on Xbox Marketplace and Zune and Thursdays on http://www.watchtheguild.com/.

 

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TV Review: ‘Alphas’ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/07/21/tv-review-alphas/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/07/21/tv-review-alphas/#respond Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:59:01 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1049578 It’s almost too easy to overlook Syfy’s new series “Alphas.” After all, it wasn’t that long ago that NBC’s “Heroes” tried the “realistic superheroes” conceit, and despite a strong start, it eventually was crushed by its overcomplicated designs.

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TV Review: 'Alphas'
Courtesy of Syfy

It’s almost too easy to overlook Syfy’s new series “Alphas.” After all, it wasn’t that long ago that NBC’s “Heroes” tried the “realistic superheroes” conceit, and despite a strong start, it eventually was crushed by its overcomplicated designs. Last year’s “No Ordinary Family” barely made it to the end of its first, and now final, season. But even though the concept might not be original, last week’s “Alphas” premiere delivered a show that managed a twist and backed it up with a great group dynamic.

Though comparisons to “Heroes” are inevitable, “Alphas” is, on the surface at least, a much less ambitious show. A typical episode from the NBC program would generally involve at least two different countries and half a dozen characters. “Alphas” is much smaller in scope: rather than fighting crimes, the titular Alphas (led by the stereotypical friendly professor character) use their powers to solve unusual crimes, like this episode’s “locked-room” mystery.

Ostensibly, the team has been together for some time before the show starts, and despite a bit of awkward dialogue that’s clearly for the audience’s benefit, their interactions hold up. The characters have a good, albeit burgeoning chemistry, and that’s in part due to how well defined their roles are. Not only are their powers distinct – ranging from enhanced senses to what’s essentially a Jedi mind trick – but they all have a more mundane use on the team as well. Bill Harken, for example, not only has short bursts of super-strength, but his history in the FBI gives him training and contacts that help get the team information. The group dynamic as it stands is probably one of the strongest features of the show.

There is a misfit, however: the autistic Gary Bell is really only a source of comic relief when he’s not using his power to visualize wireless signals and watch YouTube videos in thin air. While his character was one of my favorites in the pilot, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to maintain a credible and interesting role unless he gets a bit more fleshed out in later episodes.

One other character doesn’t quite fit in with the rest, either: the obligatory “new guy” Cameron Hicks. As the subject of the investigation for the first half of the episode, he didn’t have any time to carve himself a niche within the group. His powers aren’t as clear-cut as the rest; he can, on rare occasions, pull off unlikely physical feats like tossing coins in a vending machine from a few meters away. The other team members’ roles were, in contrast, so carefully outlined that it’s hard to see exactly where Hicks will fit in.

It’s too early to tell whether “Alphas” will take an episodic or a serialized approach, but hopefully it will strike a balance that avoids the overwrought twists that damned “Heroes.” The writers have also managed to sow a few seeds for character development and toyed with the idea that, although the powers may give the Alphas huge advantages, they can also be limitations both physically and – in the cases of Hicks, Bell and the episode’s villain – psychologically.

“Alphas” doesn’t do a whole lot that’s new. Crime procedurals have been around for ages, and superheroes for even longer. And it certainly has flaws: a lot of the dialogue feels stilted and fake, and while the characters work well as a group, individually they cling to stereotypes. However, this unorthodox approach to superheroes “fighting crime” seems to be more sustainable than the concepts behind “Heroes” and “No Ordinary Family.” It may never reach the highs that the other shows did in their best moments, but it might just be a “realistic” superhero show that lasts.

Watch “Alphas” on Syfy Mondays at 10 p.m.

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Fumbled details betray ‘Torchwood’ high concept https://stanforddaily.com/2011/07/14/fumbled-details-betray-%e2%80%98torchwood%e2%80%99-high-concept/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/07/14/fumbled-details-betray-%e2%80%98torchwood%e2%80%99-high-concept/#respond Thu, 14 Jul 2011 07:59:31 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1049401 This year’s “Torchwood” is going to be an interesting beast. The show has had a shaky history since its inception: when it first spun off from “Doctor Who,” it was envisioned as “‘Doctor Who’ for adults,” but its attempts to be “adult” for its own sake made the show more immature than the source material.

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Fumbled details betray ‘Torchwood’ high concept
Courtesy of BBC

This year’s “Torchwood” is going to be an interesting beast. The show has had a shaky history since its inception: when it first spun off from “Doctor Who,” it was envisioned as “‘Doctor Who’ for adults,” but its attempts to be “adult” for its own sake made the show more immature than the source material (the second episode, for example, featured an alien that possessed a woman and absorbed energy from having sex with random men). Though it improved slowly throughout the run, it wasn’t until two years ago, with the five-episode mini-series “Children of Earth” that it finally found its footing with a story that was not only mature but also compelling. Now, for the fourth season, subtitled “Miracle Day,” American network Starz is footing the bill and providing some Yankee sensibility.

Like “Children of Earth” before it, “Miracle Day” abandons the monster-of-the-week format the first two seasons used in favor of an overarching high concept: what if everyone on Earth stopped dying? It’s an interesting idea, with some terrifying ramifications, most of which would be even more terrifying if the show weren’t so direct about them. For some reason, the new (and so far uninteresting) characters introduced for American audiences – Rex Matheson and Esther Drummond, two CIA agents – need almost every plot point spelled out for them, aided by a cast of characters that seems perfectly willing to state the obvious for their benefit.

But even if he could be more subtle about it, it’s gratifying to see showrunner Russell T. Davies take the concept so seriously, tackling it from all the angles. Amid concerns about the resulting explosive population growth and whether or not a prisoner on death row who survived execution can be freed, there’s a great moment when Gwen Cooper, one of the three characters to survive the entire run of the show, is talked out of investigating the miracle by her husband when he says their newborn daughter could live forever (although naturally, it doesn’t last very long).

Despite claims from Davies that every effort has been made to make the show accessible to a new audience, I couldn’t help but try to envision what I would be thinking if I hadn’t seen the past three seasons. Gwen’s extreme paranoia makes her seem more like a former prisoner than an employee of Torchwood Institute until it’s finally pointed out that she is the latter, and it’s entirely inconsistent with how she appeared in the epilogue of “Children of Earth.” Captain Jack Harkness’ immortality is never directly pointed out, even when he and Gwen are actively discussing it, so the fact that his injuries aren’t healing doesn’t mean anything to someone new to the show. These are the things that the writers should have been spelling out for new viewers, not the plot points that were right in front of their faces. By trying to please old fans while easing in the new, the writers made concessions that end up hurting both groups. Hopefully these are just growing pains that will go away after the first couple episodes.

After I watched this premiere, I went back and watched the beginning of “Children of Earth” to see how it compared. It’s clear this season is an entirely different show than it was before, and not just because now it’s American. With twice as many episodes, the writers have much more room to breathe, but this could be as much its downfall as its salvation. The premiere lacks the tight writing and the punch that helped save the show from the brink of cancellation two years ago. While the high concept could easily outdo that of “Children of Earth,” it will take some careful maneuvering to make sure the rest of the season remains compelling to both new viewers and old.

Watch “Torchwood” Fridays at 10 p.m. on Starz.

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TV Recap: ‘Leverage’ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/07/08/tv-recap-leverage/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/07/08/tv-recap-leverage/#respond Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:56:40 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1049381 Last Sunday, with the season-four premiere “The Long Way Down Job,” the “Leverage” crew hit its peak – literally.

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Last Sunday, with the season-four premiere “The Long Way Down Job,” the “Leverage” crew hit its peak – literally. The “Ocean’s 11”-style crew found themselves running a con on the top of a mountain, fighting blizzards alongside the usual evil corporation and ultimately producing one of the stronger episodes of the series’ run.

The premise of the episode is standard “Leverage” fare. A woman recruits the team to find the body of her husband Alan Scott (played in posthumous video recordings by Eric Stoltz of “Caprica”), who died climbing a mountain with the CEO of Merced Financial Services. When Alan died, he was carrying with him a notebook that proved Merced was foreclosing on mortgages it didn’t even own. The “Leverage” team has to beat the company up the mountain to retrieve the notebook and expose Merced’s crimes.

The con isn’t anything special to anyone who has seen an episode of “Leverage” before. It isn’t epic in scope, like any of the season finales, nor does it do anything creative, like last year’s “The Rashoman Job,” which told the same con from five points of view. But it still makes for a solid episode.

“Leverage” has been criticized (rightfully so) for its formulaic approach to episodes, but most of the time, the formula works, and this episode is the perfect example of that. In fact, it is episodes that diverge from the formula that tend to be the weakest, such as this week’s “The Ten Little Grifters Job,” which turned into a murder mystery halfway through and failed to capture the show’s spirit. Though the story beats of “Long Way Down” are predictable, they’re still entertaining and play out in an original way.

Besides, it’s not the trappings that matter, but what the characters do within those trappings, and “Long Way Down” nails the character moments like few other episodes have. It was disappointing to see how quickly and lamely the fallout of team mom and dad, Nate and Sophie, ending up in bed together was dismissed. But one of the strongest character moments in the entire series happened with none other than Parker, the team’s always-kooky thief, whose evolution over the course of the series has been unique among all the characters.

Parker stands out in the group, not only because of her borderline psychotic personality, but because she’s the only one who’s legitimately changed since the show began. While some of the other characters have gotten superficial development (Nate, for example, frequently stops being an alcoholic for a few episodes), Parker has changed on a much deeper level. In the premiere, she giggled at her childhood memory of blowing up her house with her guardians still inside; in this episode, she broke down in tears when she realized she wouldn’t be able to bring Alan’s body back to his wife. It’s a scene that easily could have been overdone, but Beth Riesgraf portrayed Parker’s despair as easily as she portrays her craziness, and she was complemented well by Christian Kane, who’s always surprisingly good at tender moments when he’s not glaring down the bad guy’s goons.

In interviews leading up to the premiere, the actors promised that this season would have more “heart.” It’s a trite phrase, but it carries with it a little hope. This episode managed to hit the highs (emotional Parker’s breakdown) and the lows (do we need another reminder that Nate’s an alcoholic?) that, respectively, have carried and burdened the series since the beginning. But “The Long Way Down Job” still carried with it a subtle shift toward more of the former than the latter. Though its follow-up didn’t carry the same promise that it did, the premiere hints at a season that might actually follow through on its promise of “more heart.”

Watch “Leverage” Sundays at 9 p.m. on TNT.

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