COMFORT FOOD AND TELEVISION

OK, this week’s Monday night plan is watch The Big Bang Theory, eat some form of comfort food — even though the restaurant (Keo) that supplies me with curry chicken rice is closed on Mondays — watch Top Gear with Gayle while reading the fun sections of the FT Weekend — FT lead art critic Jackie Wullschlager has written one of the better recent Lunch with the FT — and then finish off with The Clotharian Contamination episode of The Middleman, which will mean two weeks of aliens in funny hats and I hope enough laughter to get me over the “I’m coming down with something feeling.” Good thing my comfort food categories usually include the addition of garlic and maybe I can convince Gayle that an apple crisp or some form of cookie will be good for the morale. One can hope. Pongo is also a bit under the weather but he had his Cheetah Girls content last night (yes, Pongo is a Cheetah Girl fan, along with his other passions, Bjork, raw hamburger, and watching ESPN’s First Take on the couch with me) so tonight, he’ll just have to settle for Monday night laughter and raw hamburger.

Where was I? Cookies + The Middleman. I must review blog entries to see if there’s any I missed reviewing or maybe I’ll just rereview a few — the initial ones were a bit bare. Anybody have a suggestion for next week’s? And don’t forget to vote for Gullible and/or Twitchy (see Gullible and Twitchy for President entry.)

Reviews by Wednesday or so. Tomorrow, I’m trying the sun and fresh air approach to feeling better. Cheers.

“I NEVER BUILD STRIP MALLS”

And if you’ve never watched the pilot episode of The Middleman that will make no sense. Go watch it now; I’ll wait.

There, had a good laugh? Dancing with Middle joy? Wondering where the next mutant, evil scientist, or confrontational conceptual artist will strike? Good.

O.K., the Pilot Episode Sanction score — wrote pluses and minuses on little blue post its scattered across the top of my computer so let’s take them in order: +black and white interludes, + location titling, + for “as is department”, +for “I never build strip malls” and other dialogue you actually have to listen to, + (always) for Noser, + for the art scattered around the illegal sublet, – Kesslar’s good, but in some parts, especially the beginning the dialogue just goes too fast, + Avengers reference, – for bad gorilla body double on the gunman, + for the Middleman’s “I have issues with authority”, + for the totally poised hero run, +for gorilla art…

And that’s only the blue post it tip of a larger comedy iceberg. Score on the EM scale (-6 to +6), well, +6 — how can you not give a perfect score to a reprise of the night you fell in love. Something about The Middleman just leaves me with a grin and in a dancing mood, possibly square dancing or at least country line dancing though I don’t have the boots. I think Middleman is vying to take beach bum off the top of my future career list, ahead of choreographer and media mogul.

So watch ‘em and if you happen to be a media mogul– I have yet to get my multi million media mogul spurs — pick the darn show up.

THE MIDDLEMAN

O.K., SciFi pick it up if ABC Family sticks with teens in turmoil.  We want our second season of svelte sidekick and square jawed hero.  Season finale very very well done, if lacking quite so many laugh out loud moments.  Bonus for the Shadow reference and excellent lighting in Middle Apocalypso Land.  Lacey wasn’t as sexy as the preview articles claimed, but it’s hard to outdo hot on the track of everything anti-art Lacey.  Noser with a gun showed a new side…answer the man, d*&n it, or get blown away.  Makes you wonder what your palindromic double would be like.

So, the score:  pluses for middle hog striding dude, excellent acting job; pluses for serious tension, pluses for glass puzzling, plus for multifunction Ida, plus for villian twist, plus for spray on soup, minus for still smarmy Pip, minus for banal art at the end — why not an eyepatch, tatoo or stubble, minus for cutesy Tyler stuff, plus for all being right with the world.  Total on the EM Index 2.0 with its -6 to +6 scale:

The Middleman season finale:  +4.5

Somebody pick up the show and when is the DVD coming out?  And can Season 2 involve more Sensei Ping?

“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.

MIDDLEMAN DESERVES MORE SEASONS

Might as well put it all in the title…here’s the page where the situation is discussed:  http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-story-themiddlemanoutin12orbackfortwo,0,2566870.story

As for tonight’s episode, no suspense, it’s a 5, yes, they’ve maxed out the scale. OK, I should change the scale to a -6.5 to +6.5, EM Scale 2.0

The Breakdown: pluses for actually carrying off the hero crying, pluses for Code 47s, pluses for Dr. Who, more power, and the awful first Star Trek movie references; always pluses for Lacey and Noser; minus ’cause I still don’t like the boyfriend; plus for Ida’s brain, pneumatic tubes always good (watch the Shadow); minus for not giving a cooler character Lethbridge-Stewart’s name; minus for not enough steam…

CHEETAH GRUMP

Well, Cheetah Girls: One World not only gave me a curry craving, but it pushed we care about music videos and equal screentime past we care about script.  Was like the highlight reel for three different movies — I think the Sabrina Bryan branch had the most potential — interesting pauses for mixing in philosophies, plus physical comedy, a lonelypond staple and something that comforts me, personally, at moments like this when I’m starting to come down with something.  Maybe I can convince Gayle to break out Season 1 of Get Smart instead of more NBC chooses my Olympics events.  Oh yeah, plus the Cheetahs were missing that Kenny Ortega snap sizzle — be interesting to see what he does on the big screen with High School Musical 3.

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)

MIDDLEMAN

The Middleman back on form: pluses for Battle of the Bulge Pancake House and location tags, plus for code 86(Get Smart reference, I hope), plus for Bond references and melty ray tracking the current Middleman to his doom, minus for mushy stuff (but Gayle liked it), plus for Kevin Sorbo, plus for witty banter…I said 3.5 on the EM scale (-5 to +5); Gayle sayeth 4, but I’m sticking with 3.5.

And Eureka approaches the plate…

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