Here there be spoilers if you haven’t seen last week’s episodes. (If you’re a LiveJournaloid, sorry ’bout this – on my WordPress blog, there’s a handy “more” button here that allows those who don’t want to be spoiled rotten. For some reason, LJ doesn’t translate this into a “cut.” Dunno why that doesn’t make the leap when everything else short of smilies and left or right justified graphics work just fine.)
Jericho: Interesting episode with a lot more teasing going on about several of our characters, but goddamn if that cliffhanger ending didn’t make me almost completely forget the 42 minutes that came before it. 😯 Uhhh…I’ll have to get back to you on this one. Next week: bedlam.
Lost: I hope this episode isn’t in the minority this season. In addition to all the obligatory plot points (and that weird-ass dream/vision sequence of Locke’s – turns out his “steam hut” was a real boon to him), there were many moments of sheer fall-down-funny humor, if you know the characters. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve become a try-my-damnedest-not-to-miss-an-episode Lost fan, but there are times when the characters seem a little like they’re pieces being pushed around on a chess board, or their main character traits seem to be regret and anguish. I liked the lighter moments in this episode, the little bits that show that the characters know each others’ quirks and are willing to push each others’ buttons a bit. I got an inordinately big laugh out of Charlie worrying about Locke punching himself, and Hurley’s discomfort at Desmond’s state of undress. The angst is realistic, yeah, but with as long as these folks have been together, a few laughs are too. Or they’d go nuts. Plotwise, I have to wonder what kind of rescue mission Locke & company can possibly mount without the resources of the (apparently smooshed) hatch. Desmond’s apparent clairvoyance is interesting, though it could become a cliche’ very quickly. But what if it’s an ability only to hear what people will say in the future, with no context of events? That would be much more interesting. And who the hell are Nikki and Paolo? Next week: “Benry” Gale is not a nice man. As if there was any doubt.
Battlestar Galactica: I think we knew, from the moment it appeared, that Galactica lore dictates that the Pegasus’ days were numbered from the moment we first saw it. Still, what an exit – one also ordained by the classic series, I might add (whose version of the Pegasus also went out driving right between a couple of basestars and taking them both out in the process). On the surface, I have a gut feeling we’ll have people accusing the writers of employing a Trek-like “Status Quo Miracle Reset Button,” though I think the preview for next week’s episode makes it very clear that this is not what has happened, not by a long shot. For the first time in what I think may be the entire run of the new Galactica, I’m worried about Tigh, rather than just being scared to death of what would happen if he wound up in command (as he did at the beginning of season 2). And I think Starbuck’s going to have some serious crap to work through with the head job that Leoben put her through with the kid. Oh, and that brings me neatly to one minor gripe, a bit of a reality check thing. The woman who turns out to be Kacey’s mom looks like she’s been living in the gutter, and yet the moment she opens her mouth, her teeth practically flare out the whole picture because they’re so sparkling white. Hey, I know nobody wants to see crappy teeth in their entertainment, but if we’re going to pursue the reality of the utterly loathesome life the humans were living under toaster rule on New Caprica, most of these folks would not have looked like that. Maybe it’s a really weird thing to focus on, but those blindingly white teeth took me right out of the story and chewed right through the fourth wall. Next week: let the Salem witch trials of space begin.
Doctor Who: Again, I’ve already said my piece, but I’m kinda interested to hear what you folks thought of this one. Next week: the return of the handle-heads.
