TV Review: “Girls” #1.5: “Hard Being Easy”

May 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“Hard Being Easy” finds our girls learning to use sex as a tool to get what they want.  But first, we clear the air a bit after the debacle of “Hannah’s Diary.”  Charlie arbitrarily makes Hannah read the infamous diary entry aloud while he and Marnie give one another the stink eye across the kitchen table.  Hannah is her usual snarky self, and the scene serves to be unbearably awkward while driving home the point that Hannah is maybe the most uncouth character on television since Michael Scott left The Office.  Charlie ultimately takes the handmade coffee table he and Ray constructed in the previous episode and leaves after calling both girls “dicks” (I honestly can’t tell you how much I love when people buck gender stereotypes with their insults.  Women should just always be called dicks, and men bitches, as a rule).

The next day finds Marnie and Hannah on good terms once more, eating cereal while Marnie resolves to get Charlie back – because if she felt bad in the relationship, she reasons, she feels even worse now.  To execute her plan, she visits Ray at work to get Charlie’s address – she’d never been to his apartment, which I think is telling of their relationship.  At the apartment (which, in the words of Marnie, looks like a Target ad, decked out in Charlie’s handmade furniture, which includes an awesome adult bunk bed), the two work out some things, or rather, he weakly rebuffs her advances, asserts that they have nothing keeping them together, then gives in, seemingly because Marnie makes a lot of promises, including one for more blowjobs (ahem, using sex as a tool).

They have awkward, mostly-clothed sex – AGAIN – and it pretty much serves to drive the point home for Marnie:  nothing will change this relationship.  No amount of anger is going to put passion back into their sex life, is going to make him treat her like anything less than a porcelain doll, a role she can’t seem to play.  So mid-coitus, she announces that she wants to break up.  I feel for Charlie, for sure, even though they clearly don’t complement one another.  And yet, the termination of their relationship is made bittersweet by a flashback scene earlier in the episode, depicting the night they met at Oberlin College in 2007.  It’s funny and sweet, as Charlie comforts Marnie  post pot brownie binge.  Jessa and Hannah are there, and Hannah’s ex-boyfriend Elijah (Andrew Rannells) is back, complimenting Hannah’s makeup as they jam to the Scissor Sisters in a nice callback to episode three.  Hannah of course claimed that she never would have guessed he was gay, but it’s pretty damn obvious.  This scene is the highlight of the episode and I hope so very much that we have more flashbacks.  But now the days of Charnie are seemingly no more, although I hope this isn’t the end of Christopher Abbott’s all-American hipster boy Charlie.  Who else can rock a button-down and a cardigan like that?

Meanwhile, Hannah is convinced by Jessa (who is swiftly becoming my favorite character on the show – I so hated her at first, but she’s so quippy, and with a fun attitude.  Maybe the things she says are just funnier with her British lilt, I’m not sure) that she is actually flattered by her boss’s hands-on attention.  The attention comes with the added bonus of him letting her get away with shit, like coming in 20 minutes late (which is better than six days late, like this review – sorry about that) or being totally inept at breaking down cardboard boxes.  The deal with Hannah is that I don’t often understand her motivations.  The impetus behind most of her words and actions seems to be that she simply doesn’t understand basic social cues.  She has to be told what to think in certain situations.  While Hannah seems to think that she’s wise and experienced enough to be writing a memoir, she’s perhaps the most naive character on the show, besides Shoshanna.  So I’m really thrown for a loop when she propositions her Santa Claus of a boss.  She thinks this is what he wants, with all of his inappropriate touching around the office, and besides, she’s disgusting, he’s disgusting (her words, not mine), why not just go for it?  Maybe she is flattered by this and wants to see if she can up those feelings by actually going all the way.  Maybe she’s really unhappy at this job, feels inept, and wants to either distinguish herself or go out in a blaze of glory, which she does after he rebuffs her advances.  Either way, she’s hoping to accomplish something by propositioning the boss, whether he takes her up on it or not, and she does:  she quits.

Next we find her at Adam’s apartment.  Now, Hannah has spent the entire episode reassuring everyone that she and Adam have come to a new level in their relationship after last week, when she confronted him and he responded by actually sweeping her off her feet in what seemed like a romantic gesture.  She’s been referring to him as her boyfriend and bringing it up whenever she can.  But as Jessa says, those types of guys will try anything once, and this proves to be the truth.  Adam is completely disinterested when she drops by, and assures her that, “these things have an expiration date,” six months or until someone is unhappy.  It stops being fun.  Hannah tries to entice him back by revealing that she almost slept with her boss (maybe this is why she did it?  To make him jealous?) but, like me, he just seems confused by the admission.  He asks her why she did that, and she says, “I don’t know.  For the story?”  It’s as much of an explanation as we’ll get from Hannah, who somehow manages to be both mysterious and an open book.  Later, Adam entices Hannah into one of his sexual fantasies, albeit a one-sided sexual fantasy, “for the story,” and she earns $100 bucks “for cab fare” in the process.  Sex as a tool?  Ka-ching!

Jessa has been busying herself this episode by going on a date with a past fling.  She gets all dolled up, he says they’re not going to sleep together, she affirms, they will not be sleeping together, then they sleep together (if that’s a term you can assign to an act that occurs in the span of 30 seconds up against a window sill).  It’s all rather boring, although amusing when she forces the dude out of her apartment, realizes that Shoshanna bore witness to the whole nasty business (she looks even more afraid of sex now, if that were possible.  Carrie Bradshaw probably never screwed a vest-wearing hipster in a windowsill), and calls her a nasty perv.  But at least, Jessa declares, she has proven that she can not be smote.  “I am unsmotable!” she says.  Okay, Jessa.  Sure thing, hon.  I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I will be using the non-word “unsmotable” approximately 87 times in the coming weeks.

This is probably the least amusing episode of Girls so far, but ultimately, it’s a pretty radical one.  Both Marnie and Hannah are out of relationships for the first time since the show began.  For Hannah this is less of a revelation, but really, who is Marnie outside of Charnie?!  I hope she’s a better person than she was in the relationship, because I am pretty sick of her.  I vote we see more of Jessa and Shoshanna playing out some Park Slope version of Perfect Strangers.  Also more flashbacks.  And maybe some non-white characters.  But what’s new?

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TV Review: “The Hour” #1.03

May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

One of the strengths of a limited number of episodes is that it allows the story to move at a reasonable pace, rather than get forced to the back burner in favour of fillers, or be forced to get stretched out to cover a season. A majority of the critically acclaimed shows tend to have fewer episodes as a result, and British television has shown a particular affinity for this model, with a number of their shows, including this one, having only six episodes in a season. The benefits of such a format presented themselves in this episode, as all the stories moved forward quite briskly.

The setting moved this week from the newsroom at the BBC studios to the countryside manor of Hector Madden’s in-laws, although the office still did figure prominently. This allowed for some character growth for individuals outside their natural environment, as well as allowing some of the secondary players, such as Clarence, Marnie, and Kish, their own chance to develop, as well as bringing back Andrew Scott’s character Adam Le Ray.

The prominent featuring of Marnie, Hector’s wife, added a significant amount of forward momentum to the budding romance between Hector and Bel. The writers, who have previously made a smart decision by choosing to forego any romantic tension between Freddie and Bel, instead making them close friends who are very comfortable with each other, made another smart decision this episode by choosing to forego a prolonged amount of sexual tension. The change in setting from a position where Bel had power and authority over Hector to one where the roles were reversed not only pushed the two of them together, but also allowed for Marnie’s discovery of the act, developments which I was frankly not expecting so soon. Oona Chaplin, who plays Marnie, did an excellent job this episode in her first substantial part on the show, and I hope she returns in the second half of the season.

The episode also helped develop Freddie’s backstory a bit more, and, by extension, allow him and Hector to get closer. Giving Freddie  little character touches such as his aversion to guns, helps make him a more rounded figure even if these particular details don’t come into play later on in the story. Likewise, Freddie’s interactions with both Le Ray and Kish were very telling of his overall character, and his ability to quickly decipher Angus McCain’s veiled barb continues to prove his journalistic capability, something the series has been able to show rather than tell, thus making it much more convincing. The mystery behind Darrell and Ruth’s murders also moved forward quite bit in this episode, which is another testament to the shorter season, as such a mystery would definitely have suffered from a longer season where it would have to move more slowly. The questioning by Clarence and Lix of Kish’s true motives thus also fit right in, both with their individual character motivations, and the larger idea of the crew of the news show working as a team and trusting each other’s instincts, and it was a subtle way of showing the bond among the group, even when they’re not physically together.

Overall, it was another strong episode of the show. Despite the news program being the centrepiece, the episode did not suffer by stepping away from it, particularly as the Suez Crisis loomed in the background, via phone calls, periodic updates by Lix and Isaac, and news reports, thus ensuring it was on everyone’s minds, even if it wasn’t at the forefront. Andrew Scott, who had a fantastic turn on Sherlock playing Holmes’ nemesis Moriarty, played Adam with equal sincerity and conviction, despite the two characters being radically different. Burn Gorman’s understated turn as Kish, whom it seems we shall not be seeing anymore, was excellent as well, as he managed to keep the character from going over-the-top or becoming unrealistic, which could have easily happened in the hands of a lesser actor. The show continues to maintain a strong pace with all its storylines, effectively drawing me into plot developments I thought I’d have no interest in as well, and it shall be interesting to see if the writers can manage to maintain these positive developments in the final three episodes.

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TV Review: “Veep” #1.04 “Chung”

May 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A politician, more than anyone in any other profession, has to be very careful of what they say and how they say it. Statements made both in an official capacity and off the cuff can be analysed, scrutinised, and generally wrung for any possible meaning for years, which is why they have to be very measured. Of course, the benefit of such control over what one says is that a deft politician can plant the seeds of self-destruction in an opponent’s mind with just the right words at the right time.

It was interesting to note the effects of words and statements in this episode. Governor Chung’s seemingly innocuous statement set off the chain of events for the episode, and Meyer’s offhanded statement at the end of an interview ultimately became the focal point when the interview aired. The writers also made a very interesting shift by having Meyer be on the tail end of a hospital visit when the interview aired; by putting Meyer in an environment where people were actually grateful for her presence showcased a unique position, as she no doubt did not want to squander the goodwill she had earned by disagreeing with people who were, in essence, cheering for her, even if it was for the wrong reasons. It’s a tricky minefield for anyone, let alone a politician, to navigate. Meyer’s reception at the hospital also provides an interesting contrast to how she was received at Frozen Yoghurt two weeks ago.

Another fascinating aspect for this week’s episode was watching Meyer flip out and assert her position in the political hierarchy. Despite the season, and the series, being relatively young, in many ways the show has been building towards this moment. With Selina’s constant opposition from all quarters on both her Clean Jobs Initiative as well as her Filibuster reform, the brief taste she got of the Presidency, the upstaging she suffered at the hands of the First Lady with regards to the pet adoption, and the veiled threat to her job given by Governor Chung this episode, in many ways it was inevitable that she would flip out at some point, and even though this particular tirade was directed only at her immediate staff, if things continue to go the way they have for the veep, this may just be a precursor of things to come as the show progresses.

Dan and Amy’s attempts to court the extremist senators to support the veep’s filibuster reform was also intriguing to watch. As harsh and abrasive as Senator Doyle has appeared (and while he’s been entertaining to watch, working with someone like him can’t be easy), the presence of Senator O’Brien this week did wonders to illustrate  that Doyle was indeed the lesser of two evils. Similarly, Amy’s effective winning over of O’Brien and the influence he brings worked well in showing why, when push comes to shove, she is the Vice-President’s Chief of Staff.

Despite all of this, however, this week did have its fair share of comedy as well. Matt Walsh and Tony Hale do the majority of the comedic heavy lifting, but both are more than capable, so it’s not a cause for concern. The character of Gary is growing on me, particularly as his role of an invaluable but often chastised team member gets more well-defined. My unexpected favourite, however, is Sue, Meyer’s secretary, who has been a delight in the short amount of screentime that she has had. Each episode of the show has been better than the last, a trend which continued with this week’s episode, and I’m excited to see how the season progresses.

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TV Review: “Community” #3.19: “Curriculum Unavailable”

May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A lot of shows tend to use “it was all a dream” or some variation thereof to explain away strange occurrences in a convenient manner that also closes any potential plotholes. St. Elsewhere perhaps is the most popular example of this, with a series finale that revealed the entire show took place inside the mind of an autistic boy who owned a snowglobe that provided the setting. Thus, the trope would provide an easy way out for Community as well, as it has long since made its initial premise moot with its various absurdities, a thought which has no doubt crossed a number of minds throughout the years, and which the writers chose to tackle this week, deciding to use the episode to point out the flaws in using such a trope.

With the ramifications of last week’s actions still requiring some dealing with, this week’s episode advanced the story in a not-quite-straight manner. It’s interesting to note that the show chose to use the events as a way to bring the Greendale Seven closer together as a group, instead of as a catalyst for their breakup. In lieu of having anything else in their life, the group’s attachment to each other seems to have strengthened to a potentially unhealthy degree, as they refuse to let Abed attend even a single therapy session on his own.

Britta’s insufferable belief that she understands human psychology despite having taken only one class in it continues to be amusing. We’ve all known individuals who have acted like they’ve got a deeper understanding of human behaviour and emotions solely from attending a class that others couldn’t possibly grasp, and it’s a testament to the writing and to Gillian Jacobs that Britta’s current routine comes off as funny instead of annoying. The group’s reminiscing of the antics that occurred at Greendale was also fun to watch, and recalled last season’s Paradigms of Human Memory, where the “flashbacks” were all new scenes.

It was also interesting to note the show’s declaration of the importance of Dean Pelton via the characters. Pelton and Chang have always worked as a form of comic relief for the show, often tending to take a backseat to the Greendale Seven, but both Jim Rash and Ken Jeong have had major contributions towards the show’s critical success, and the absence of either actor would be sorely felt. How the group’s realisation of Pelton being the driving force behind all their happy memories of the college alters the group dynamic will be interesting to view over the course of the show’s run.

One aspect of the episode that disappointed me was the under-utilisation of John Hodgman. One of Community‘s constant weaknesses has been an inability to play to their guest stars’ strengths, the most glaring example being the completely forgettable character handed to Paul F. Tompkins to play in last season’s Mixology Certification. Hodgman, much like Tompkins, is an incredibly gifted comedian whose sense of humour fits in very well with the show, but as the shady therapist, he wasn’t given any real opportunities to showcase his comic ability, ultimately making his role something any actor could have played, instead of something that’s uniquely Hodgman.

Overall, this was an enjoyable episode, and set up the three-part finale quite well. It shall be interesting to see if and how the show tops its prior season finales, as the bar has been already set quite high, but the last two episodes, as well as the precedents, point towards an exciting finale, regardless of whether it exceeds or falls short of expectations.

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TV Review: “Girls” #1.4 “Hannah’s Diary”

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

What does it mean to have privacy? It’s usually taken for granted, but for most – if not all – women, a lack of privacy and autonomy is something we have to get used to. Whether you’re attractive, unattractive, fat, skinny, more masculine or more feminine, open or secretive, you have to accept at some point in your life that your body and your life are public property. It shouldn’t be this way, but for some reason it’s become acceptable for everyone to have an opinion on how I look and act and dress and live, and to voice that opinion, sometimes with words and sometimes with actions and sometimes with touches.

It’s this dilemma that really lies at the heart of “Hannah’s Diary.” Even the title suggests something secretive, but like Chekhov’s gun, putting it there lets us know it’ll be what clinches everything in the end.

The episode is bookended by a nice set of scenes. The first scene opens on a black screen, and we hear a familiar cell phone text alert. Then Hannah saying, “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.”  She appears, holding a cell phone. Marnie and her boyfriend Charlie come out, and they’re all convene in their pajamas to discuss this new development: Adam has sent Hannah a dick pic.  Not just any dick pic – a pic of his dick in some kind of furry get-up. As they’re discussing said pic, a new text arrives, saying, “SRY that wasn’t for you.”  Charlie, current possessor of the cell phone, reads the text, hands the phone back to Hannah, cracks a joke about the size of said dick – “You should ask if you can borrow it to club baby seals” – then retreats to Marnie’s room. His role in this situation is an important one, keep this in mind. Marnie strongly advises Hannah not to respond to the text, reminding her of the obvious: Adam didn’t mean to send you that text, so clearly he’s texting pictures of his disco stick to another girl. Marnie leaves and Hannah almost immediately decides to whip her shirt off and reply with a photo of her boobs.

The final scene finds the crew in a small bar watching a band that consists solely of Charlie and his friend Ray (Mr. Opium Tea from the pilot episode). Truly, it’s the sorriest excuse for a band since Milli Vinilli. They sing a song about girls wearing Keds while I run to the bathroom to puke from the hipstertude of it all, coincidentally tripping over my collection of Keds on the way, because I am a massive hypocrite. They finish up and announce that their next song is dedicated to Marnie and Hannah, and it’s called “Hannah’s Diary.” HOLD UP.  The audience knows something that Hannah and Marnie don’t – Ray and Charlie have been snooping around their apartment. Ray found Hannah’s diary, read something shitty in it, and (inadvertently) shared it with Charlie. We all know where this is going.

They break into a half-assed song quoting Hannah’s diary – saying how Charlie has a vagina and not a penis, saying how his love is smothering, wondering why Marnie won’t break up with him.  They wind up reading from the diary right there on stage, then leaving in a huff. Marnie throws a drink on Hannah and calls her a bitch.

This concludes an episode in which Hannah’s privacy is utterly non-existent. Everyone is offering her advice on her relationship, from Charlie and Marnie (if they don’t break up soon, I’m going to give them the couple name of Charnie), then from her coworkers at her new job. Her coworkers pick on her appearance at work, penciling in her eyebrows so she looks surprised ALL THE TIME! Her new boss is touchy-feely, and gives her a massage which somehow requires him to put his hand on her boobs. Ray and Charlie read her diary and perform segments of it on stage. The line that rings in our ears at the end of the episode is Marnie calling her a bitch, and yet it somehow feels like she gets a raw deal here. The real question asked by this episode is, can a woman have any private space of her own? And for Hannah, who will probably have to kiss some serious ass in the next episode for putting her opinions in something that should be private, the answer is resoundingly, “no.”

With all this hubbub going on, I found Shoshanna and Jessa’s storylines to be most intriguing in this episode. They’ve found a genius way to make Jessa likable – match her acerbic bitchiness up with some cute, honest-to-a-fault kids. I could watch the “Jessa is a Nanny” show all day. But Shoshanna’s story here was the most interesting, and it does something I’ve never really seen on television or film: it’s depicting a woman who is embarrassed to be a virgin, who wants desperately to lose her virginity, who just can’t close the deal. I think we’ve seen this story played out with male characters so many times, and I’ve heard many men say they’d find it implausible because, “Women are the ones who decide when to have sex.” BULL SHIT.  That’s all I’ll say. BULL SHIT. It’s not as if women can lay out somewhere, stick a sign near their open legs saying, “Open for business” and hope for the best. It’s simply not that easy. And with Shoshanna and her temporary flame, Matt, a guy she used to be a camp counselor with (played by Broadway actor Sklar Astin, seemingly another gift to me from the Broadway Gods), she finds herself in the position of being the one who wants sex and getting denied. Matt refuses to sleep with a virgin, even though they are literally in the midst of foreplay when she drops the “I’m a virgin” bomb, and he still shuts her down. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to watching Shoshanna desperately try to swipe her v-card.

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TV Review: “Veep” #1.03 “Catherine”

May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Being immersed in the universe that Veep has created, the characters no doubt can sometimes forget how absurd their actions must seem to those outside their immediate circle, as Selina and her staff very pointedly realised with the introduction of Meyer’s daughter, Catherine.

One benefit of the show has been the continuation of secondary storylines from one episode to the next, allowing a common thread to weave the episodes together, as well as allow for the return of supporting characters, allowing for the universe of the show to be built in greater detail. This week, Meyer’s Clean Jobs Energy Commission made its appearance again, and by its presence, allowed for the return of the highly entertaining Senator Doyle and Senator Hallowes. Watching the overall antics surrounding the selection of Chuck Furnam to the Clean Jobs commission, a move both pro-oil lobbies and anti-oil lobbies oppose for opposite reasons, was hilarious to see, but also had more than a hint of realism about it, and it’s not impossible to believe situations like this occur all the time in Capitol Hill.

The other interesting plot revolved around the visit of Catherine to see her mother and her staff in action. Her interactions with all the regulars, from Sue to Gary, were funny and interesting in their own unique ways, and said more about Meyer’s staff than it did about Catherine. Amy, for example, found her opinions about a particular dog perfectly in line with Selina’s sentiments, yet Catherine’s reaction couldn’t be more different, thus proving that Amy and Selina think on the same wavelength, which is what makes her such a good Chief of Staff.

Catherine’s change in reaction as events unfold is also a treat to watch, as she goes from quiet and accepting to visibly upset as the day wears on. It’s a subtle reminder that even with the preposterous goings-on as we’ve witnessed them, the game of politics is not for everyone, and it can take its toll on people. It’s no coincidence that Catherine’s strongest reactions come at a function celebrating Meyer’s 20th anniversary of politically arriving on Capitol Hill, as it shows the difference in personality types really well. The secondary story of Meyer’s attempt to get a dog only served to highlight that difference even more.

Overall, it was another entertaining episode, continuing the show’s ascent in quality. It’s interesting to note that this is the first episode Iannucci didn’t direct himself, but the quality didn’t suffer due to the lack of his direct involvement. The continued sombre acknowledgment of the death of Senator “Rapey Reeves” as well as the continued highlighting of Selina’s perceived feud with the First Lady, despite her deflections, provided ample laughs on their own, and the episode’s end tag may be the funniest moment to date. Tony Hale’s character of Gary continues to grow on me, and the callbacks to the President’s ignoring of the Veep, as well as Mike’s fake dog, hint at a level of writing whose sharpness and intelligence will become more apparent the longer the show continues. For now, I continue to remain a fan.

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TV Review: “Community” #3.18: “Course Listing Unavailable”

May 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

One of the highlights of watching Community is an inability to predict what will happen on any given week, as the show has managed to take what seemed like a formulaic sitcom setup and take it to some very unique places. The show mostly uses its license to be absurd to go after common television tropes and modern pop culture. This week, however, the show decided to go in a different direction, and the writers actually managed to make a very effective political statement on misguided responses and abuse of power. [Read more...]

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TV Review: “The Hour” #1.02

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The second episode of The Hour was a marked improvement over the premiere, which was not a bad episode in and of itself. However, with character introductions out of the way and everyone’s position relative to each other, as well as the overall atmosphere now being well-established, the writers were free to dive right into the show, and they did so with ease. This episode displayed a kind of confidence in the story and characters that takes some shows years to master, and was all the better for it.

One fascinating aspect of a period news program is the ability to gauge how the reactions to now-historical events were. The focus of the news program this week revolves around the eruption of the famous Suez Canal crisis. Watching not only how journalists and news producers react, but also how peripheral people, such as politicians and family members, react to the news provides an interesting insight into the mindset of 50s British culture. This also proves the benefit of setting this show in the past; were it set in current times, it would run into the possibility of not only being able to assess how the story will turn out from the beginning and write accordingly, but also not telling us anything new in the process. But watching as politicians actively interfere in news stories to ensure that public sympathy is not lost for an imminent war even 60 years ago is eye-opening.

The other interesting aspect of the show is watching the show come together . The pilot didn’t lend itself well to this process, primarily because the show was not in existence, but this episode took full advantage. The struggles and breakthroughs on display transcend news programs, as everyone is familiar with the immense difficulty in putting a project together and ensuring everything goes in the right place at the right time, and this show managed to capture those trials and tribulations very well. This also allowed the character relationships to get more sharply defined, as it was the perfect showcase for Hector and Freddie’s antagonism, as well as a display of why Bel got the producer’s position and what she has to deal with. The show also allows for an interesting contrast between Bel and Freddie’s relationship and Bel and Hector’s relationship. Clarence’s thoughts about the show also got clearer this week in his actions, making him a more interesting character.

The performances, of course, continue to be top-notch. Dominic West is given a lot more to do this episode as Hector Madden gains importance, and he does not disappoint, going from flustered to angry to passionate to confident, all with ease. The dual natures of Hector and Freddie are very interestingly illustrated in the way the two characters choose to dress, as well as their actions; Hector is always suited up with slicked hair, whereas Freddie always appears to be in a cheap coat with not half as much attention paid to his hair. It will be interesting to see where the writers go with their characters, particularly in terms of how they relate to each other as well as Bel. Both Ben Whishaw and Romola Garai have no trouble keeping up with West, making the proceedings all the more interesting. Garai has been quite impressive in just two episodes, and I hope to see a lot more of her in the coming years, whereas Whishaw’s lack of leading-man success in movies continues to perplex me, as he keeps proving himself capable.

Overall, this was a great episode, and got me excited for what’s in store over the remaining duration of the season more than the pilot did. The murder conspiracy also ran more smoothly this episode, with only Freddie pursuing it, thus accomplishing both advancement of the storyline and giving the audience a glimpse into Freddie’s journalistic skills. Knowing what we know about the Suez canal crisis, it shall be fascinating to see how The Hour continues to cover the events, as well as how the characters continue to develop. Should the show continue its upwards decent in quality the way it has, it may end up earning itself a spot among the upper echelon of current television offering.

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Web Series Review: “Angel of Death” #1.09, #1.10

May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This is the final part of a weekly review roundup of the web series “Angel of Death”. You can find Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.

Episode 9: The Hunt

Lucy Lawless’ character, Vera, makes a brief return appearance this episode, and proves with her presence and action that Help wasn’t entirely a filler episode. Unfortunately, the overall point of her character is still unclear, and Lawless’ presence on the show remains a missed opportunity.

On the other hand, Vail Bloom continues to be a valuable addition to the main cast, as we get to see the Downes siblings interact for the first time. Bloom and Abel both bring a level of heightened sibling rivalry to their interactions with each other, and the differences are well-illustrated simply in their conversation. The character of Regina Downes is a very interesting one, and her presence, as well as the difference between her character and that of Cameron, has made the story of the power struggle much more interesting, making me wish she was introduced earlier in the series.

Eve’s attempt to steel herself prior to the final battle was a nice touch, and proved an attention to detail that often gets overlooked in action series of this nature. While we knew that her ability to shoot people was bound to return, it was nice to see an acknowledgment nonetheless.

Episode 10: Absolution

The fight that was teased at the beginning of the series finally comes through in this episode, and as usual, Zoe Bell delivers. The episode takes advantage of all the fighting styles it has shown throughout the season, and makes for an entertaining brawl. The one on one duel between Eve and Cameron likewise lives up to its billing, with both characters’ trademark weapons playing major parts. It was nice to see the zipties make a return appearance, particularly the way they were used.

The character of Franklin remains a weak spot of the show in this episode. The audience has no sense of who he is as a character, and by extension, why Eve cares about his well-being to the extent that she does. Thus, his fate in this episode didn’t affect me any more than that of the nameless henchmen that fought Eve.

On the other hand, the conclusion of Eve’s storyline was promising in the sense that it did not let go of the mental illness aspect of the character. The importance of Prescott’s book was not brushed aside, thankfully, and neither was the FBI’s involvement.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the show was an entertaining one, despite the sag in the middle. Zoe Bell proved herself capable of carrying a show as the lead, and Jake Abel was fun to watch, as expected. Vail Bloom was the pleasant discovery from the series, playing Regina with the perfect blend of cunning and faux-innocence, and I look forward to seeing other projects she may be involved in. The same goes for Doug Jones, whom it was interesting to actually see onscreen, and whose Dr. Rankin was a fun addition to the series. Brubaker managed to add some interesting ideas to the story to separate it from average run-of-the-mill assassin stories, and while it seemed like the show was in danger of counteracting Eve’s actions with shots of her half-naked early on, it got confident enough in the story to pull away from that, which is a positive sign.

The show did have some problems, most glaring among which being the lack of development of Franklin. The character made an appearance in every episode, proving almost as important as Eve or Prescott, but he remained a two-dimensional character throughout. As I have documented previously, I also have qualms with the insertion of filler episodes in a web series, which exists free from any restrictions that force filler episodes into tv shows.

In closing, the show’s worth a watch, for the fights alone if nothing else. I wouldn’t mind seeing a reteaming of Brubaker and Bell in the near future.

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TV Review: “Girls” #1.3: “All Adventurous Women Do”

May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Being a frequent watcher of Glee (I’m sorry I’m not sorry), I sometimes forget that lighthearted shows can have continuity. So I was pleasantly surprised when this week’s episode of Girls followed up on one of the looser threads left dangling after last week’s episode: does Hannah have an STD?  The answer, unfortunately, is “yes.” She gets the call after another night of weird sex with her asshole, maybe-boyfriend Adam. The evening’s escapades apparently called for her to be dressed – rather pathetically, with smeared eyeliner – as a goth high school student. Immediately upon getting the news, she assumes Adam is the cause of her brand-new HPV, because, duh, he’s admitted to having sex with other women sans condom, and he’s the only one she’s been sleeping with. If this were a police line-up, he’d be the only one in it. But he insists that he just got tested and is HPV-free. He uses her accusations as an excuse to get irritated with Hannah, flounce off to his bedroom to do some strange leg exercises, and dismiss her from his apartment. This guy… what a catch.

Meanwhile, Marnie attends what I assume is an opening at the gallery where she works and meets a smarmy artist, played by the usually-cute-and-funny-but-also-apparently-good-at-playing-an-asshole Jorma Taccone, he of Lonely Island fame. This is clearly the guy meant to compete with her boyfriend’s boy-next-door charm, which is wearing thin on her. It’s obvious he has an affect on her because, in what is probably the most “shocking” scene in the episode (OMG, women masturbate?!), she leaves the party, barricades herself in a bathroom, and attends to herself. I wonder if actress Allison Williams let her dad, Brian (you know, the news guy?  Brian Williams?) watch this episode.

While the other ladies are out having fun, Jessa keeps herself busy with a babysitting gig. The scenes are cute – one of the girls reads her the ten page novel she’s written while Jessa snacks on string cheese in a pup tent – but seem a bit pointless as of now. Seeing as how Jessa gets stoned with their dad upon his return home, and that the mother is played by the always wonderful Kathryn Hahn, I’m suspecting that this will be going somewhere.  Of course, Jessa also provides the title of this episode. Shoshanna (left with very little to do otherwise) reveals to Hannah that Jessa has HPV as well – “several strains” – and is of the opinion that “all adventurous women do.” I think it’s telling of how enmeshed this show is in whatever our sexually liberated generation is referred to that an STD is a badge of honor.

The crowning achievement of this episode are the scenes in which Hannah meets her college boyfriend, Elijah, in a bar to confront him about the HPV she now thinks he gave her. Elijah is played, miraculously, by Book of Mormon star Andrew Rannells, who looks like a Ken doll, but only if Ken also had razor sharp comedic timing. I will spend the rest of the week praying to the Broadway gods that he shows up on my screen again, and that by the end of the season, we’ll be bathing in guest appearances by up-and-coming Broadway stars.

Elijah reveals, in the course of their conversation, that he’s dating a man, although he rebukes the term “gay.” Their conversation goes less than stellar, with her being initially happy that he figured himself out, then panicking that he had always been not quite heterosexual, and how hadn’t she known and how was he able to have sex with her? Ultimately her reaction seems typical of people who feel liberated in their opinions of sexuality unless confronted with it in such a way. He accuses her of being blind to his sexuality while they dated, and she retorts that if he’d acted more “gay” during their relationship, as he is now, she would have known. He says he’s just being himself now, and bully for him. They end their conversation with a delightful back-and-forth, in which they argue over whether or not her dad is gay (the earring is suspicious), and he reveals that men can’t be tested for HPV, so Adam’s purported clean bill of health might not be so clean after all.  Really, he wins the argument, and while we might be meant to feel some sympathy for Hannah, her “Did I turn you gay?  How dare you be gay?” panic is a bit tiresome. Add “glaring heteronormativity” underneath “white washing,” in the list of things Girls needs to work on.

The episode ends with Hannah reaching some form of acceptance of her HPV while composing a Tweet (this show uses social networking and modern technology seamlessly, and I applaud it for not making Twitter a punchline, but rather a necessity for certain young people). She then dances around her room to Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own,” and is joined by Marnie. Here is the scene, I think, that most ingratiates me to Girls, because ask any girl of a certain age if she’s ever jammed out to a Robyn song with her friends, and the answer will be yes more often than not.

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