Thursday, October 31, 2013
Walking Dead - Season 4, Episode 2 - Infected
Human drama isn't something Walking Dead always does particularly well, despite much effort over the years. The characters in the show have often been forgettable, and the overall acting inconsistent enough that it just doesn't work. That said, season 4 is lacking a villain thus far, and is in the meantime relying largely on the interplay between the residents of the prison to keep us engaged. The result is hardly a home run, but it isn't terrible either.
Walking Dead has clearly come a long way since seasons 1 and 2, and the strength of the ensemble cast is one area where it may have improved the most. A lot of really bad characters have been killed off over the years, and while there are still some undesirables hanging around, for the most part the most interesting characters have survived. The strength of the cast (relative to previous seasons) is particularly obvious in an episode like "Infected". For example: Michonne has been a bit of a letdown on this show so far, but the character is still intriguing. So when she has a baby bonding moment with Judith that may provide a clue about her very mysterious background, it's a thousand times interesting than, say, the Carol domestic violence story line of season 1.
Ironically, one of the most divisive characters of Walking Dead has been, and will likely remain, Rick Grimes. Some hate him; others tolerate him. Some even think the acting of Andrew Lincoln has a lot in common with a Sequoia tree (for what it's worth, I actually think he has his moments). It's a pretty big handicap for any show when the main character is disliked by so many, and Walking Dead is no exception. Sadly, while season 4 is off to a largely solid start, Rick is not so great in "Infected" after having a solid storyline in the season premiere. Apparently, his quiet, pastoral life of Farmer Rick lasted a grand total of one episode (probably a good idea given that our fearless leader is even more boring without a gun).
Now, however, Rick (and Carl) are packing again, and it looks like business is about to pick up in the next episode. I'm curious to see whether the the person feeding the zombies is our new season 4 "big bad", a disgruntled resident of the prison, or something else entirely. The graphic novel usually has a villain our heroes are contending with, and the television version would be wise to follow suit: it provides focus and raises the tension (and the stakes) a bit. Hopefully, Walking Dead won't drag out this reveal for too long; for now, the human drama is enough, but the show shouldn't push it's luck.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Twin Peaks
I recently finished watching Twin Peaks for the first time. Here are my thoughts:
Twin Peaks has
aged really well, and that isn't something you can say about a lot of things
that came from the 90's. Historically,
70's and 80's television and movies have fared better in that regard. Maybe the show is helped by the fact that Twins Peaks was actually born of that
transitory period between decades and before the 90's had become truly
ridiculous (check out an episode of Full
House to see what I mean). Obviously,
the hairstyles and the attire are dated. But content-wise the show itself wouldn't be too out of place on
television today (it might be a better show, too, on HBO or some other modern
cable network where many of the more adult themes that lay bubbling beneath the
surface could be explored more in-depth).
Not to say that Twin Peaks was
in any way tame television as is.
Even watching it in 2013, I was shocked by some of the content of
the show. Some of the murders are pretty shocking, and Maddie's death in particular stood out as very graphic (and lengthy).
Grisly murders aside, there was also no shortage of drugs,
sex, and violence (usually involving minors) in every episode. Of course, most of this content was spoken of
rather than shown explicitly, which gave the show a very soap opera-y
feel. In fact Twin Peaks was often essentially a very edgy soap, rife with enough
love triangles, baby mama drama, hookups and breakups to satisfy any All My Children fan. But of course, what made the show truly
enthralling was its inherent weirdness. Twin
Peaks is a product of the mind of David Lynch, one of those directors
(along with Quentin Tarantino for example) with such a singular style that when
you watch something they've made, you know exactly
what kind of thing you’re in store for.
For what it’s worth, Twin Peaks is
probably the most “normal” David Lynch work that I've seen, but that isn't
saying much, and the show is still pretty trippy by television standards.
I mentioned earlier that Twin
Peaks wouldn't be out of place on
television today, and I meant that, but one thing that shocked me is the degree
to which the show was well-known in its day; was a culture phenomenon it became.
Perhaps it’s a testament to the fact that there was simply less great
television (and less choice) in that era.
But in this golden age of TV, I think a niche show like Twin Peaks would be struggling to find
an audience. The show does a good job of
mixing in humor with the heavy stuff (something Lynch doesn't always bother to
do in his movies), but Twin Peaks is
often surreal, bordering on incomprehensible, and very dark. I just couldn't imagine it capturing the attention of a wide audience today.
What the show does have is a substantial cult following,
which I think would only have been enhanced were it on the air today. I could easily see Twin Peaks developing a Lost-like
legion of obsessives who pore over every detail, and dissect the mythology of
the show endlessly on internet message boards.
Perhaps that would have been enough to carry the show to more than two
seasons today, but it’s hard to say. As
entertaining as Twin Peaks was
throughout, it clearly lost its way to a certain extent after the Laura Palmer
case was solved. Perhaps it is better that Peaks only lasted two seasons anyway. The “lightning in a bottle” aspect only adds to
the mystique surrounding the show.
And of course, the legacy of Twin Peaks lives on today. There are
countless longer-lived shows that surely would never have existed without its
influence (X-Files comes immediately
to mind). And Lost fans who are upset with the way that show ended should be required by law to watch the series
finale of Twin Peaks. Literally nothing is resolved and nearly
every major character is involved in some cliffhanger at the conclusion. But it’s hard to be upset about it because “Beyond
Life and Death” is one of the highlights of the series and one of the most genuinely
unsettling and terrifying hours of TV ever. In other words, a damn fine end to a damn good television show.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Walking Dead - Season 4, Episode 1 - 30 Days Without an Accident
The biggest show on cable television has changed show-runners again. For a show that is so enormously popular, Walking Dead has had a surprising amount of turnover at the top, and that pattern continues again this year with Scott M. Gimple taking charge. This would be cause for concern for a lot of other shows (imagine if Vince Gilligan had left Breaking Bad after season three) but in the case of Walking Dead, no one seems to be panicking. Probably because, despite all the upheaval throughout it's four seasons, the quality of the show just hasn't varied much. Season two was probably the only one considered somewhat of a disappointment, but even that one had it's moments (and sports a healthy rating of 80 on Metacritic).
Part of the reason for this is that Walking Dead, simply put, is no Breaking Bad. Or Mad Men, or any other critically acclaimed hour-long drama favored by the intelligentsia. This show is not deep (although it often hilariously aspires to be). There is no complex, overarching narrative. It's just a pulpy, guilty pleasure that happens to be watched by 16 million people. The quality of the story has varied a bit throughout the series, but the incredible makeup and zombie effects have not. And neither have the action sequences. And as long as Walking Dead continues to excel in those areas, the ratings will be there.
That said, each season of the series has had a pretty unique identity, and "30 Days Without an Accident" provides our first glimpse into what our characters will be dealing with this season. The episode was low-key overall, obviously setting the table for things to come while introducing a host of new characters (and changes to old characters). It was also less of a downer than this show has tended to be at times. The cast of the show has expanded exponentially, and I for one think it's a good idea. There are some obvious standout characters on The Walking Dead (Daryl, occasionally Michonne), but many more are inconsistent, or just plain uninteresting. Expanding the cast ensures we don't have to stick around too long with those uninteresting characters, and provides a lot more zombie fodder as well (like poor Zach this week; we hardly knew you brother).
I got a pretty serious Lost vibe from "30 Days Without an Accident" (in a good way) because it felt like all the characters were going on with their respective lives and we were just dropping in and out to see what they were up to this week. That sort of unencumbered approach bodes well for future episodes. Also of note was the great zombie sequence involving Daryl and company in the supermarket. Over four seasons, there have been countless scenarios like that one (the characters sneak into some dark area, somebody screws up, a ton of zombies converge on them like white on rice), but kudos to the creators for finding a way to put a fresh spin on it (the zombies dropping in on our heroes via a decaying roof). I particularly enjoyed the numerous squishy zombies who merely exploded into zombie paste upon colliding with the supermarket floor. Just the sort of gross detail I've come to expect from Walking Dead.
Overall, "30 Days Without an Accident" was a solid, if somewhat uneventful start, to the season. Rick may not able to come back from all the terrible things he has done, but I'm glad he has come back to my television set (and brought all his zombie-slaying friends with him).
Friday, October 18, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Breaking Bad - Season 5, Episode 16 "Felina"
The word that seems to be getting thrown around a lot in regards to the series finale of Breaking Bad is "satisfying". And "Felina" was certainly that. For a long-running show with such an enormous following (apparently over 10 million people watched this episode), there was, incredibly, very little grousing among fans about the final episode. The people responsible for Dexter can tell you difficult it is to accomplish that feat. Fans have invested hours and hours of their lives into these programs, not just watching them but endlessly dissecting every twist and turn on the internet and with friends. In the end, they want a reward for their devotion, and that reward, for most people, should come in the form of a series finale that goes exactly the way they want it to.
With "Felina", most fans got exactly that. Walt is dead (but he want out on his own terms). The Nazis and (perhaps most importantly) Todd are dead. Lydia bit the bullet (or drank the Ricin in this case). Jesse and the White family live on. If you had a taken a poll of Breaking Bad fans before this episode aired, asking exactly what fate they would prefer for each character, the results would likely have been very similar to what actually happened (except perhaps for a few folks who would have wished the fate of Walter and Skyler reversed).
But not only did those who deserved to die die, and those who deserved to live live, Breaking Bad, typical of a show so sharply-written, left no stone un-turned in it's pursuit to dot every 'i' and cross every 't'. Often, after a show as huge as this one ends, there are a multitude of individuals on Twitter and elsewhere asking questions like "but what about...?" and "so, in the end, what was the meaning of...?" Not so after "Felina" (with a few minor exceptions, such as the fate of poor Huell). It shouldn't be too surprising. Vince Gilligan and company, for better or worse, have never been above a little fan service. Reading interviews with Gilligan and other individuals behind the show makes it clear how acutely aware they were of the expectations of their audience in making "Felina". For example, they apparently never considered killing Jesse, essentially because he was so likable and his fans (including the showrunners themselves) had already been through enough over the course of the show.
That sort of thinking seems pretty unique among long-running dramas. For instance, I don't think David Chase gave even one second of thought to how fans would feel about the final episode of The Sopranos. And Damon Lindelof and crew seemed to actually get a kick out of torturing Lost fans by introducing more puzzles into the landscape of that show and never answering them. Love or hate the Gilligan approach, "Felina" certainly has a garnered a better response than either of those shows did in their final moments. Of course, there are a vocal minority who disliked the tidiness of the Breaking Bad ending. They feel everything ended a little too neatly. And those people may have a point. Breaking Bad to this point, was so unrelentingly dark, and so loaded with controversial plot twists, that "Felina" does seem a little out of character in that regard. Maybe that's why it feels like the episode falls just outside of the series finale Hall of Fame, currently inhabited by shows like Six Feet Under and The Shield.
In the end, though, while the ending may not have been as controversial or world-altering as some would have liked, it did feel right. And in the end, how much does the final episode of a show really matter anyway? All told, Breaking Bad gave us more hours of solid entertainment than any other show I've mentioned in this article. And probably four to five episodes that rank among the top ten or fifteen hours of drama on television ever. And two or more those episodes came in this season alone. Yes, the phenomenon that was Breaking Bad is finished. And I have no complaints. Now all that's left is to look back on the journey and remember the good (and the very bad) times. Thanks Walter. May you rest peacefully with thoughts of baby blue dancing forever through your mind.
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