1332 replies to this topic

[tdalton]

CHUCK ("Chuck vs. the First Fight"): To quote one of the show's catchphrases "That was awesome!". In all seriousness, this episode is one of the two or three best episodes of the entire series, rivaling the very best episodes from Season 2, which is the highest compliment someone can pay a Chuck episode. Timothy Dalton was beyond phenomenal in his guest role, beginning what I think could be the best series of episodes in the series' history. He was just simply phenomenal, and he looked like (in a certain scene in the episode) like he still could easily play 007.

[jaguar007]

Agreed tdalton. I loved the ending

Spoiler

as I suspected that Dalton would be Volcroft as soon as I heard he was cast in the series.

[tdalton]

Agreed tdalton. I loved the ending

Spoiler

as I suspected that Dalton would be Volcroft as soon as I heard he was cast in the series.

The ending of the episode is one of my favorite scenes of the entire series.

Spoiler

I had initially thought that he'd be playing Volkoff as well, as the idea of casting someone of both the talent and the name recognition of being a former Bond would be wasted on anything other than the season's chief villain, but they did such a great job of suckering the audience into thinking that he was simply going to be Gregory Tuttle, the bumbling MI6 handler (and Dalton's performance was superb in that role as well) that they actually managed to surprise me a bit when they revealed him to be Volkoff. That reveal at the end was one of the coolest scenes I've seen on TV in quite some time, with Dalton having gone from a bumbling parody of his James Bond persona (complete with a decidedly non-suave appearance) to looking like he was basically James Bond in that last scene. Plus, with the talent and gravitas that Dalton brings with him to such a role, it really felt like the first time in the entire series that Chuck and Sarah might actually be outmatched by the villain.

[honour]

Sherlock- the 2010 recipe. Like the updates they made to it!

[SecretAgentFan]

MOONLIGHTING - Season 5

Okay, I admit it. I not only LOVED the show when I was a teenager and the first two seasons were on TV. I was a TOTAL FANATIC about it.

Then the third season came and I still ADORED it. Yet I feared how the dynamic changed because everyting was getting to the point of David and Maddie becoming a couple. And then... they did it.

And then - as it is still widely known - the writer´s strike, Shepherd´s pregnancy and Willis´ rising movie stardom derailed the show. The fourth season had to be filmed without Shepherd being there most of the time. One could clearly see that everybody involved tried to sidestep all the issues, to stay afloat with detours and excuses for giving the supporting characters (Bert & Agnes, "the shadow David & Maddie"-couple) more to do or even entire episodes.

And when Shepherd came back... well, the basic principle of the show just was not the same anymore. David and Maddie, once they had been lovers, had to deal with everything that had happened so much that the fun seemed to have disappeared and the show became mostly a soap opera.

Around that time I lost interest. I still treasured the show for its glorious beginnings. But I abandoned it.

Years later I was overcome by nostalgia and bought all DVD boxsets, even of Season 4 and Season 5 (which I had not seen before).

I watched the first beloved episodes... LOVED them still... and then I struggled with Season 4 and stopped again.

This year I sold around half of my DVD collection, making sure I only kept those I really wanted to keep. Therefore I watched all those that were in danger of being tossed out.

And so I got to Season 4 again. And I watched it. And... miraculously, despite all the visible production trouble of that MOONLIGHTING phase, I became enthralled again. Without the previous expectations I re-discovered and re-evaluated the show and had not only lots of fun with it but also lots of respect for it.

So I finished Season 4 with regained confidence and amusement, prepping myself to get disappointed again with Season 5 which the original show´s creator left after the first episode and which eventually became the last season.

The first episode is another experimental one, dealing with the big change of Season 4 (Maddie´s pregnancy) and solving that problem in an unexpectedly poignant and emotional, yet sweet-spirited way.

And from that moment on the show is back on track. Funny, inventive, relaxed - even the chemistry between the lead actors is back.

I´m now halfway through the season and happy to discover it for the first time, loving it all the way and therefore...

... yes, recommending it. If you haven´t seen it and like MOONLIGHTING, check it out.

If you have seen it back then and were disappointed, do yourself a favor and check it out once more, give it another chance.

Television rarely was that loose, funny and disrespectful of conventional narrative.

[tdalton]

CASTLE ("Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind"): An excellent episode that really broke away from what a Castle episode traditionally is. The show generally stays in the realm of the realistic, but this episode ventures into the territory covered by shows such as The X-Files, which was a welcome and fun detour from the usual types of stories that they tell on the show.

CHUCK ("Chuck vs. the Fear of Death"): Another top-notch episode, which leaves me thinking that Season 4 may end up either matching or exceeding Season 2 in terms of quality. This season is really what Season 3 should have been, as the writers are really upping the ante for both the Chuck character and the show as well, reaching a nice blend of dark and comedic elements instead of going just for the dark elements as in Season 3. This episode in particular was one of the better spy stories the show has done in a while, with some solid locations which, at times, looked much more cinematic than we're used to seeing on the show. Also, for those of us whose favorite character is Yvonne Strahovski's Sarah, next week's episode looks nothing short of epic.

[Joyce Carrington]

In the past few weeks, I watched the entire seven seasons of THE SHIELD.

Holy moly, what a MASTERPIECE.

[elizabeth]

16 an Pregnant.

[tdalton]

CHUCK ("Chuck vs. Phase Three"): This episode confirmed what I've long thought, that the best aspect of this show is the duo of Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and Casey (Adam Baldwin). This was very much a Sarah/Casey centered episode, and it was one of the best of the series. Extraordinarily well acted, which is a given considering the expanded screen time for the ridiculously talented Strahovski and Baldwin, and the episode managed to take on a much darker tone than we're used to with the series without being terrible in the way the trip to the dark side that was the entirety of Season 3 was. If and when this show comes to an end, some TV network needs to get Strahovski her own spy/cop/whatever show so that she can get into the spotlight where she deserves to be. She was excellent in this episode, which was one of maybe two Sarah-centric episodes in 4 seasons for the show, and she proved herself to be not only the best actor on the show (with Baldwin coming in a very close second), but she also proved herself to be what really makes this show work.

And in more good news, Dalton returns next week, according to the promos. Can't wait.

Edited by tdalton, 23 November 2010 - 02:19 AM.

[terminus]

Just watched Season 2 Episode 2 of 'Misfits' - if anyone hasn't seen this great little UK show about teens with unorthodox superpowers, they should definitely try and track it down as soon as they can. I can't wait to find out who this mysterious figure is watching them.

[SecretAgentFan]

THE GOOD WIFE

Just finished the first season. Surprisingly great! Juggles the case of the week in highly entertaining and different ways than the usual lawyer shows AND holds tension with an ongoing private line about the main character´s husband. Supreme cast with wonderful guests in supporting roles (Dylan Baker, Gary Cole, etc.). This is definitely a high quality show and huge fun! Highly recommended.


IN TREATMENT - SEASON 2

I absolutely loved the first season. Gabriel Byrne is one of the most underrated actors of our time. At the start of season two something happens that changes the whole dynamic of the show and keeps it fresh, engaging and surprising at every turn. The new patients are carefully chosen and again feature acting highlights from everyone involved. Can´t wait to see the next episodes. Highly recommended as well!

[elizabeth]

Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell.

[Joe Bond]

Chuck vs. Phase Three

A perfect example of how a TV episode can be as good as films or perhaps better. This is the best episode of Season 4 and could be the best in the series with Emmy worthy performance by Yvonne Strahovski. I agree with others who believe she is a very underrated actress and I can't wait for The Killer Elite in which she co-stars with some pretty big action stars.

[tdalton]

Chuck vs. Phase Three

A perfect example of how a TV episode can be as good as films or perhaps better. This is the best episode of Season 4 and could be the best in the series with Emmy worthy performance by Yvonne Strahovski. I agree with others who believe she is a very underrated actress and I can't wait for The Killer Elite in which she co-stars with some pretty big action stars.

Definitely agreed on her performance being Emmy-worthy in this episode (although, IMO, she's always worthy of a nod for the award when she's actually given screen time, which wasn't really the case in Season 3). Hopefully her work in The Killer Elite will get her more noticed by the industry a bit more so she can get some bigger film roles, because she certainly deserves them, and she certainly deserves more recognition for her work on Chuck than she currently gets as well. Most of the credit goes to Zach Levi for the "success" (to use that term very loosely, as virtually nobody watches the show), but I honestly feel that the show would suffer the most were it to lose Strahovski than it would if it lost any of the other principle actors. They proved that in this past episode, that an episode that featured very little of Chuck could work very well while they showed for an entire season that relegating Strahovski and Baldwin to the background did not work at all.

[Conlazmoodalbrocra]

Frasier

[Goodnight]

16 an Pregnant.

LOL I love that show

I manged not to drift off during last nights X Factor.

[Jim]

Working my way through the box set of The Persuaders!

Bliss.

[tdalton]

Finally getting caught back up on the show, thanks to Hulu, after not having watched it for the better part of a month and a half now:

GLEE ("The Rocky Horror Glee Show"): Not the strongest episode, and certainly one of the more inappropriate ones they've done to date. The final performance was very good (especially since they gave Dianna Agron a fairly extended, and long overdue, solo in the song), but the rest of it was underwhelming bordering on creepy (although the "Janet" song performance was pretty good as well, and quite humorous)

("Never Been Kissed"): Better episode than "Rocky Horror", with some excellent performances (really enjoyed the "Start Me Up / Livin' On a Prayer" mashup). It's an episode that recalls some of the better moments of the first 13 episodes of the series, but never reaches the heights of those episodes either.

("The Substitute"): Best episode of Season 2 to date. Gwyneth Paltrow is the one guest star the series has had that I'd really want to see back at any point in the near future. Finally an episode that feels worthy to put up against the best of Season 1.

[Joe Bond]

Chuck vs. the Leftovers

You would think that after series defining episode last week that this week's episode would be a letdown but suprisingly this episode was packed with supsense. Mainly due to another great performance from Timothy Dalton. What is amazing to me about his performance was how he made Volkolff a real menace but at the same time making him humorous which is why the audience can laugh with him but at the same time can be scared of him because of his menace and its not hard to see why Timothy Dalton's Volkoff is the best villain in the series history. Loved the Morgan scenes and Linda Hamilton was great in this as well.

[jaguar007]

I agree Joe Bond, great episodes. Dalton is great going from dead serious, to letting a little humor creep in. I loved Morgan as John McClane.

[tdalton]

I wasn't too crazy about the latest episode of CHUCK, although I thought that Dalton and Gomez were terrific in it. Dalton's easily the best villain the show's had (not that it would take much, really, but he's an absolute revelation after how terrible the Shaw story arc was last season), and his performance, IMO, saved this last episode from being a massive let down. Also liked the inclusion of CASTLE's Monet Mazur as one of Volkoff's sidekicks.

[Conlazmoodalbrocra]

Coronation Street

[Tanger]

Watched the first season of CALIFORNICATION over a couple days last week. Really excellent show and I can't believe how skilled an actor David Duchovny has turned out to be. You really can't believe this is the same guy who played Fox Mulder. There's also a great supporting cast including the terrific Evan Handler.

Currently I'm working my way through TRUE BLOOD season one and am up to episode eight. Really enjoying it so far which was a nice surprise because I didn't think I would. Great, likeable cast and an interesting escalating storyline. I really like how each episode starts exactly where the last one finished. Can't wait to see where it goes.

After this I'm either going to start LIFE season one or BREAKING BAD season one. There have been so many shows that I've wanted to get into this year that I decided I'd focus on the first seasons of each rather than trying to blitz through every season of them all.

[Goodnight]

BBC sitcom - Miranda.

[Safari Suit]

I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown
I was unsure about this because it was made relatively recently (after Charles M. Schulz's passing, though taken entirely from his pen) and focuses on second or third tier Peanuts characters like Rerun and Spike, but I found this a typically charming effort with a gentle, laid back vibe which perhaps captures the appeal of the comic strip more than some of the more frantic and crammed specials. Beats the heck out of Harry Potter anyway.

[Conlazmoodalbrocra]

Match of the Day

[Goodnight]

Alan Carr - Chatty Man

[SecretAgentFan]

CHUCK - Season 3

Being a huge CHUCK fan I was afraid of this season, having read all the negative remarks about it.

I must admit: Season 3 gets darker and is less light and funny than the glorious Season 2. However, I liked that they tried to treat the psychological implications of Chuck being a spy rather seriously. Also I think they incorporated Morgan much better. In the end, the season definitely feels a bit padded out (no wonder since they thought the season would end much sooner). But I´m very much looking forward to Season 4 now.

Flash Forward

A bad "LOST" successor. Cancelled. Trouble behind the scenes with changing showrunners.

That´s what made me avoid this one before. However, I decided to take a look... and after the first five episodes I must say: this is a pretty good show. I´m as excited about it as I was about the first LOST season. Hope that this feeling will remain during the next episodes on the DVD set.

[Conlazmoodalbrocra]

Zen

[tdalton]

CHUCK - Season 3

Being a huge CHUCK fan I was afraid of this season, having read all the negative remarks about it.

I must admit: Season 3 gets darker and is less light and funny than the glorious Season 2. However, I liked that they tried to treat the psychological implications of Chuck being a spy rather seriously. Also I think they incorporated Morgan much better. In the end, the season definitely feels a bit padded out (no wonder since they thought the season would end much sooner). But I´m very much looking forward to Season 4 now.

I think that the best way to look at Season 3 is to view it this way: Episodes 1-13 are "Season 3" and 13-19 are "Season 3.5", or something of a preview of Season 4. I think the producers at one point during last season said that the additional 6 episodes that they were given they took as something of a test run for the concept of the current fourth season, which is probably why Season 3 as a whole feels rather padded out. They moved at such a break-neck speed during the first 13 episodes because they had too much story to try to tell (or they bit off more than they could chew in terms of story for the original 13-episode order), and had to forgo actually developing the ideas and had to just simply connect the dots regardless of how ridiculous some of the plot progressions were and how far out of character they made the characters act to get there (especially Sarah).

If you haven't seen any of Season 4, then you're in for a real treat. There hasn't been a bad episode in the whole 10 episodes that have aired thus far (and for a show that lost its way last season, IMO, that's a major accomplishment). While I do think that Linda Hamilton may have been somewhat miscast as Chuck's mother (and they didn't do her any favors either pairing her with Timothy Dalton, as the talent gap between the two of them is extraordinarily large), there's not really been anything in Season 4 that even comes across as anything short of brilliant. It is, IMO, right on par with the very best episodes of Season 2, and if Dalton continues his Emmy-worthy run for a while longer, this could be the best season the show has had during its run. Hopefully the Emmy voters take notice this time, as both Yvonne Strahovski and Timothy Dalton are doing some tremendous work this season, and both of them are absolutely worthy of Emmy nods.