Fall Season 2008 (the reviews, part 1)

Fringe
To be honest, I found myself a bit disappointed by the premiere.

My largest concern was the occasional but highly unlikely plot point which clearly existed only to further the storyline:
--In light of this scary turn of events, why would the federal government adhere to a state mandate that only Dr. Walter Bishop's family can visit him in the mental institution where he has been locked up for the past 17 years?
--Why would Harvard keep all of Dr. Bishop's original "mad scientist" equipment in the same location that he left it all those years ago (with only a few tarps to show that it has been put in "storage")?
--Why does Special Agent Dunham risk her life* in a desperate gambit just to see the what an unkown suspect looked like (with no name or other information attached to this fact)?
*I'm not talking regular life-risking. She has the base of her skull drilled, agrees to be heavily drugged with an LSD variant, strips down naked (this being network television, "naked" means everything but her bra and knickers), and submerges herself in a sensory deprivation tank in an attempt to astral project into the thoughts of another FBI agent.

Another moment that I found odd was during the astral projection of Special Agent Dunham, where something clearly of note happens on a monitor, prompting Peter Bishop to ask "what was that?" In response, his father states, "nothing" in a very matter-of-fact manner, but with a knowing look on his face which indicates otherwise. This interaction was never explained.

As for the "twist ending" with Special Agent Scott, it doesn't hold up upon a quick review of the events which lead up to the twist. In fact, the pilot almost appears to have been rewritten halfway through! Special Agent Scott tries to run his lover off the road, even though we are led to believe that he truly loved her? What did I miss here?

Further, why did Morgan Steig inject himself with the mystery serum in the first place? He looked terrible on the airplane even before he did it, so it is unclear why he would do such a suicidal thing. Perhaps he thought it was Dramamine...

Much like Lost, this show creates a plethora of questions as you watch. But unlike Lost, I have less faith that the questions I have posed are set to be answered. Rather, I just think the writing was sloppy and the show will march on and not look back at these little glitches.

And yet despite all of the above hiccups, I did actually enjoy the show. It was well directed (though I didn't like the "bubble graphics" which accompanied each location change) and was exceptionally well acted for a pilot. Not only has Joshua Jackson successfully shed his Pacey alter-ego, but I was extremely pleased that Dr. Bishop was portrayed as truly nutters, not just as a mildly eccentric scientist. Further, the Massive Dynamics angle was highly intriguing and just enough was revealed to really whet the appetite.

Final Verdict: Overall, the show may have not come out of the gate as strongly as Lost or Alias, but it certainly looks primed to be a success.


90210
This show is truly a strange bedfellow with itself.

In the pilot episode, jock Ethan Ward receives oral sex (just barely off-screen) in his car. In the parking lot of West Beverly Hills High. While everyone is arriving for morning class. From another student who is not his girlfriend. And this, my friends, is the prospective beau of the main character, Annie Wilson.

I'd say that it goes downhill from there, but it doesn't. Apparently the aforementioned risqué (and pathetically gratuitous) sex scene is merely a desperate attempt to convince viewers not to change the channel. Because the rest of the show is quite devoid of any such nastiness.

However, it remains a show where dichotomy is the name of the game. For example, character Erin Silver publicly disses our poor Annie on Silver's highly-viewed internet blog site. But then makes up for it by apologizing in private.

Another example is when Annie begs her mom for permission to go to dinner with cute thespian Ty Collins after drama practice. When Ty wants to literally fly her to San Francisco for dinner, she submits to his offer. (Of course, Annie doesn't tell her parents about the trip because, you know, she doesn't want to get in trouble for potentially being kidnapped and sold into white slavery.)

In fact, the entire show is filled with both supposedly nice characters making really stupid decisions, and supposedly mean characters being relatively docile. But despite all of this (or perhaps because of it?), everyone comes across as being surprisingly layered and multidimensional.

Final Verdict: As far as the genre is concerned, it is certainly a superior creation. However, it isn't quite enough to keep me watching. (I get tired of watching the on-screen teenagers act idotically. It makes me yell at the televison and look exactly like the daft old gent that I am.)


Do Not Disturb
Four times, I genuinely laughed out loud. That's more than most comedies these days, including those which are considered successful. Unfortunately the rest of this show's supposed jokes were just painful, so as a result there is a gaping dumbness which permeates the show. And many of the situations are telegraphed so far in advance that you end up waiting for the show to finally present the joke so that viewers can finally move on to the next attempt.

Further, none of the characters are much more than one-dimensional caricatures. The exception being Nicole, the blonde model / reservations supervisor, who is portrayed by Molly Stanton. She was able to spin straw into gold with perfect timing and a flawless delivery. She outshined even my mate Jerry O'Connell, who managed to be charming, but was simply too crippled by the poor writing to wring out more than one (hysterically) funny joke.

Final Verdict: The humour and acting was extremely weak. However, with the dearth of good sitcoms these days, I'm willing to give it another chance.


Hole In The Wall
This is a show that is not very difficult to describe – contestants attempt to shape their bodies in the same figure as cutouts in a styrofoam wall. It is also a show that is not very difficult to enjoy. At least the first time you see it.

However, when confronted with the prospect of watching it one week later, the resulting decision sorts out what kind of viewer you are.

If you are the kind of viewer that is eager to see what ridiculous shapes and positions the show will come up with next, then this is your show. However, if you feel that seeing one episode is like seeing every episode, then there are other shows better suited for you. I fall under this second category.

Having said that, I think this show has the potential to be quite a ratings king, because it is the same "turn off your brain" type of show like Deal Or No Deal.

Final Verdict: Unlike Wipeout, which transcends its generic premise by including commentary and instant replay doodles, Hole In The Wall is only moderately entertaining. Regardless, if you are looking to relax with a moderately entertaining show that will require almost no level of attentiveness, this may be the series for you.


America's Toughest Jobs
First I would like to concede that I misunderstood what this show was about. I had thought it was just another "tough job" show, but it is actually a reality show where contestants participate in "tough job" challenges. Far more interesting.

Unfortunately, much like Survivor, you start off not really getting to know everyone. This is a result of editing and having too many participants to focus full attention on them all. The resulting downside is that I ended up not attaching to any character as the hero or villain of the group. And without someone to root for or against, it is harder to get invested in the show.

The show's first challenge was based on Deadliest Catch, but its location/time was clearly not in the middle of the prime crab fishing season. (If it were, at least three contestants would have ended up corpses by the end.) This made for a much tamer viewing, as there was not really as much danger as they otherwise imply.

However, I have to say that the absolute worst part of this show is the narrator, who is so monotone and unexciting that he makes Stephen Hawking's voice synthesizer seem thrilling by comparison. You eventually get used to the dullness until suddenly he will speak a certain word or phrase with so little inflection that you are immediately pulled out of the action.

The brilliance and bane of this show is that each week the generic contestants must compete in a completely different vocation. Hence, if you are not interested in panning for gold or bull fighting, you can simply skip that episode. On the other hand, if you are interested in logging or bridge construction, you can jump right in and see the excitement.

Final Verdict: While I won't watch the show on an ongoing basis I might check it out from time to time depending on the profession.