REVIEW MOOD

Or rather out of a review mood — the Middle streak has been broken.  I curled up with my iPod tonight to catch the Accidental Occidental and once again felt the rush of middle joy, but alas no news yet on more Middle content — or the delivery of my two toned Middlemobile — I’m thinking more of a Middle mini Cooper.  So how did the episode do?  Roxy’s great, Lacey’s great, Noser’s great, Ida’s great; Fashionmouse excelled, especially at the opening of the underworld.  So was there anything not great?  Not that immediately pops to mind so + for Roxy, + for Lacey, + for Middleman and Wendy working out the ground rules of work and the other parts of life, + for the kid, + for Mr. Terra Cotta, – for underworld bureacracy, – for lighting, maybe.  Sum total 5.5+ on the EM Scale of +6 to -6.

 

Eureka — well, the Eureka mid season finale was kind of a whole minus.  Somehow, they completely forgot how to do dramatic tension, everyone’s in trouble, but no everyone’s safe and we never believed they were in trouble anyway oh but Carter has to lose his job so you’ll come back and watch.  Boo.  I’ll give ‘em points for Carter and Alison getting back to their old snap and Jo FINALLY kicking some butt.  But really, Zane’s just doing what Henry used to do with less panache and doesn’t anybody else miss taggart?  So, I’ll let them eke out a 3, maybe…2.75.  And way to end the mid season without a buzz.

 

Smallville started and seems to be doing all right, although I think the Lois/Clark relationship is a bit off…and Clark Kent isn’t actually a goofball straight off the farm.  No way he shows up in flannel on the first day of the job.  But TV shows are all about making scenes work — ooh, let’s have Lois get Clark out of his clothes — and not about keeping a line on characters as they’ve actually developed.  Liking the new Lexcorp villian though.  Smallville wins the prize(over several years) for season openings that have the least to do with the overwrought cliffhangers of the previous season’s finale.  

 

I think that’s enough grumping.

FREE EUREKA DOWNLOAD(no longer)

“Bad to the Drone” is available free through the iTunes store. Here’s the link if you don’t already have access.

N.B. I just clicked through (11/29/08) and it’s $1.99 now/$2.99 for HD.

TWO SUN DAYS

Eureka almost cracked the perfect score. Just enough tension, just enough revelation, just enough quirk plus politics and really really cool looking extra sun. And then too much heroism — do we have to make Zane an uber male hero type with the weepy Jo all over his shoulder. Come on. Where’s the Jo they started with — why can’t little girl ballerinas grow up to be the heroes. Why is that journey reserved for cool countercultural types that all our Degree buying fan base can relate too? BOO. I want Taggart back and if I can’t have Taggart back can we at least have storylines where Jo is something other than eye candy arm weight — and yes, I’m sure it’s a wonderful emotional breakthrough for the character and great to play for the actress but what about all of us who really liked Jo’s combination of kick ass tough and inner girlie, the part that connected so well with Zoe in the series pilot. That Jo. Surely there are ways to show an emotional journey better than hanging off Mr. I’m the Good Looking Perfect Cool Score SciFi watching Degree inventin’ and wearing nerd. BOO.

Right, aside from that tonight was the sort of Eureka episode I spent most of last season demanding the return of. So thank you for most of it. Carter’s sister is still a great addition; Alison’s character is recovering some of her previous spunk, not sure about Henry but he always was an idealist, Fargo, Zoe, Paulo and the pettiness of politics worked well. My Thorne as a hero thought is starting to look better (at least inside her head) and once again, love the science gone wrong.

So, scoring — well, + for rain and sun, + for school projects gone wrong, + for upping the interest in Thorne angle, – for Carter mostly trying to loom threateningly over her in hallways (I’m a gonna get you…how many times before we get that they are antagonists? Well, happened for me in a nice way when Henry came to Jack after the radiation readings thing), + for democracy, + for quirky town stuff, – for not quirky enough town stud, – for the Degree thing is getting a little annoying…

The more I type, the lower the score gets so we’ll end it at +4 on the EM scale of -6 to +6. A win for The Middleman thanks to less mushiness, Mexican wrestlers and mole — there’s a combination (refer to entry “I Want a Middlecar).

EUREKA

And I can’t think of a clever title…Eureka doesn’t seem to be inspiring clever titles, although I think this season is much stronger than the last and very well written. The acting has been consistently good over all three, although I will still put in an I miss Taggart plug. Maybe he’s tracking Beverly?

This week — still not enough Jo. I guess more Zoe means less Jo. Glad they realized Zane fits in better with the high schoolers than the grownups. Liked the Captain Eureka thing. Lexi is a good add; someone needs to give Carter that kind of a backboard for patter. Fargo’s around too much. Henry and Alison solving problems is good. Thorne plot line creeps along with very little zing. This season seems to be an exploration of the heroic. Will Thorne make the hero switch like Henry did last season?

Anyway, the score ++Carter uses technology and logic to conquer, -arbitrarily putting Zoe in danger so he can do the Dad big hero thing, – lack of Jo, +excellent writing, +for Chuck, +for Eva Thorne’s hair (don’t ask, it’s late — is one of the Eureka points all redheads are dangerous and hey, who’s the town therapist now and does Eureka have a bar? Has anyone had a still yet? Eureka moonshiners, there’s a thought, Eureka plus Dukes of Hazzard — rocket cars!). Where was I, oh the score: 4.5, I think on the EM scale of -6 to +6. Now, if we’ve finished leaving main characters behind in the time stream or etched onto a diamond, can we have some fun?

Good night.

“SHOW ME THE MUMMY”

Well, Eureka gets a bonus .25 for proper punning.  This week’s episode — not much dwelling on Stark, except for Fargo and nice touch to see the other characters react.  Getting a little tired of the Eva Thorne teasers. Like Carter’s sister and the sibling interaction, probably partly because I miss mine.  Who else can you go to when you need a quick game of touch football — that’s it, let’s see another Eureka version of sport.  Baseball and tennis, now we need….polo?  Robot horses?  Remote controlled on the moon?????    Anyway, scoring…

Eureka, pluses for Carter figuring out something the scientists should have; plus for Cafe Diem inclusion — Vincent is apparently covering all the quirk and doing a good job, plus for the horror motifs — Blair Witch and that fun moment when the bugs banged against the freezer door — minus for the streching out of the Thorne puzzle, plus for Lexi, minus for Zane, I’m still missing Taggart; minus for not enough Jo recently; plus for doing Fargo well (I guess we’re stuck with him).  Total:  3.5, sorry, 3.75 with the bonus.  So the score for plague of the Egyptian sort versus plague of the alien nanobot sort (drum roll or count down to the maybe not so inevitable detonation):  The Middleman takes the week with 5 on the EM scale versus 3.75 for Eureka.  Next week, The Middleman season finale.  Throw a party.  Serve up some square jawed justice.  Do the same on Tuesday.  Cheers.

EUREKA VS. THE MIDDLEMAN, ROUND VMT

Wow, not a funny week, but a great week.  The Middleman not as laugh out loud funny, unless you are the sort who automatically laughs at ventriloquists and their dummies — isn’t shuddering in horror a more natural reaction?  Good Noser insight, excellent Lacey, but we should save that for the scoring round. 

 

Eureka — wow.  Very well done.  Travel is a hard loop to roll and they did it.

 

So the score in Round VMT, Vampires mangle Time:

 

Middleman:  plus for Lacey/Pip sex dreams; plus for less Ida (she has been increasingly obtrusive), major plus for the Middleman of mystery thing, minus for the Noser’s hot instructor — unless she actually is a vampire; plus for vampire puppets, plus for some je ne sais quois that made me think this is a good episode.  Talley:  4.5

 

Eureka:  plus for excellent writing matched by excellent performances; plus for gripping tension, plus for banana milkshakes calming monkeys, plus for Stark the Hero, plus for so many excellent and different readings of the same lines, minus for Thorne villainy (she’s not at Beverly levels yet, where’s the subtle poison), but on the whole a great episode for any series.  Score:  6

So, the total on the EM scale of -5 to 5 is The Middleman hitting a high with a 4.5, but Eureka putting it out of reach with an unexpected 6.  Now can we go back to uproariously funny?

EUREKA + ROUND 3 Score

OK, good week for fun scifi shows, but between that and the Olympics I’m not getting to my rented animated Hellboy movie. For Middleman comments see recent Middleman entry. As for Eureka, very enjoyable.

Eureka: plus for random, crazy, mad science(and scientist), plus for robot dogs, plus for actually bringing back some of the characters from Season 2 for local color, plus for mucus (double plus), great to see so much Cafe Diem activity, minus for a little bit of plot fumble at the end, plus for tunneler, minus for awkwardness of Thorne-Henry-Carter brewing intrigue, plus for no Zane, minus for Jack and Zoe being so considerate of each other’s feelings for 2 episodes in a row, minus for Allison’s dress not being foofy enough…I think that adds up to a 4.5 on the EM Scale (-5 to 5), so this week’s result is a close win by Eureka, continuing their hot streak.

ROUND 3: The Middleman (finally in the positives!)3.5; Eureka, 4.6(the more I think about it, the better it gets)

EUREKA VS. MIDDLEMAN, ROUND 2

I think I figured out part of The Middleman problem — the physical comedy is getting less emphasis, whether a writing or directing issue, I don’t know, but definitely an issue. Last night, our hero was possessed by a girl with presumably no fighting skills and it wasn’t funny.  Sigh…bring back the flying fish and the wrestlers…oh yes, plus erring too much on the sentimental.  Get Lacey back out on the streets PROTESTING, darn it.

Eureka, however, has apparently taken to heart many of my comments (oh come on fellow bloggers, you know we’re all that kind of egomaniac) on my WAB blog and bought back quirk, Carter-Alison sexual tension and science as weird fun — I am not giving them top score though unless I see Taggart.  That’s what ticks me off about the whole Jo-Taggart thing — they spent the whole first season really investing you in the character and then bango zingo nothing to do for the local weirdest of the weird and wild… 

O.K., panhellenic ghosts vs. reverse mutated snakeman, here we go:

Eureka:  pluses for Fargo-Vincent hacking into surveillance and it becoming a town event; pluses for science used in pursuit of non scientific goal, plus for the gleam in Jo’s eyes at the mention of ‘big gun,” still don’t like Zane, plus for more Zoe, plus for Carter-Alison unexpected nude scene — that’s a lot of pluses

The Middleman — plus for Booty Chest reference, plus for Ghost Busters references, minus for too darn many of the darn things and no slime, minus for ineffective fight scene, plus for the guy in the pink dress and heels, plus for bad brother sister cover, plus for Ida getting rid of Tyler while Wendy and MM were arguing about it, minus ’cause I’m not dancing with middle fun anymore.

THE SCORE (on the EM scale of -5 to 5):  Eureka 4, The Middleman -3.

Come on Middle dudes, pick up your game.

THE SCORE: EUREKA VS. THE MIDDLEMAN

Eureka — pluses for Frances Farmer, Stark in suit, Martha; still no Spencer — no fair trading him for Zane and Larry; boo Allison accepting Stark but yeah return of chemistry with Carter.

The Middleman;  pluses for excellent early flirting, but minuses for dance; minus for Cecil, worse villian yet, pluses for Roxy appearance, middling for Ida, not a good Dubby episode, tuba not as amusing as I thought.  

 

SCORE (This week only, on a scale of -5 to +5):  Eureka +2, The Middleman -1/8

EUREKA VS. THE MIDDLEMAN

I need my goofy, square jawed hero, tons of puns, possibly a brunette stops by science fiction content so this week is a test — which show will I look forward to?  The Middleman jarred the sentiment to humor ratio last night by focusing on Lacey and The Middleman while at the same time lacking the hyperkilter zap  of the evil dictator boyband or trout craving zombie episodes; …we’ll see what Eureka does for its third season.  The Middleman is becoming my “hmmm, that might be good music to try” source. OK, just checked out The Middleman webpage and apparently people want Wendy and The Middleman to get together — NOOOOOOOOO.  One of the best things about it was that there was none of that Moonlighting once we go we go wrong tension between the two leads; leave it for the roommate.