It’s the end of May, and that signals the end of yet another TV season. Inspired by Matt’s season wrap-up, I thought I’d sum up some of the stuff I’ve been watching. (There are probably more than a few spoilers in here).
First up, the powerhouse of Lost has finished it’s 3rd season. After a meandering 6-part mini-series to start the run, this really started to go places. Sun/Jin and Charlie episodes had the same boring flashbacks they always do, but the rest of the season really started moving forward. Highlights include Desmond’s visions of the future started bringing a much more peculiar twist to the show (since everything else is apparently pseudo-scientifically explainable); the exploration of The Others and Dharma (and “the purge”) was great, particularly the insane episode where we finally meet Jacob (yes, he does appear for a few seconds); newcomer Andrew Divoff as the apparently unkillable Mikhail; and that flash forward ending and all of it’s implications. While they could easily jump the shark (yet another plot-vital hatch, you say?), I think we’ll see this through to a satisfying conclusion.
Next is Life On Mars. I’ve only watched season 1, but thoroughly enjoying it. We constantly want to know why John Simm’s character is in the situation he is in (trapped in the past, somehow) and figure out his hallucinations, but that frequently gets side-lined by the excellent DCI Hunt. A man in the mold of The Sweeney, he’s a great character that proves to be the real driving force. Can’t wait to see the second season soon.
Another long-since-aired show I’ve been watching, Curb Your Enthusiasm is one of the consistently best comedy series from the US. Larry David, as a caricature of himself is superb, the semi-improvised style is fresh and reinforces some of the excruciating situations the lead gets himself in. Best described as “what would happen if you didn’t have that voice in your head telling you to stop, ever”, if you haven’t seen “The Group”, you don’t know how painful comedy can be.
More comedy, this time in the form of Peep Show. I’m late to this as well, having watched all 4 seasons in the space of a few weekends recently, but I’m very impressed by this Mitchell and Webb series. Despite fairly well explained character motivations, and effective resets every week, Jez and Mark repeatedly surprise, repulse and entertain. As with all comedy, the terrifying thing is seeing small elements of yourself in the characters and thinking you might do the same in their situation; the comedy duo play perfectly on this.
For the sci-fi fans, Battlestar Galactica goes from strength to strength. This season had a reasonable amount of filler (who cares what’s going on with the labour disputes or the chief?), but also some pretty big hits. The rise and fall of Starbuck, the fall and fall of Gaius Baltar, the increasingly maddening delusions of Six/Baltar, the wrath and authority of General Adama, and the increasing peeks into Cylon society (the ship-hybrids, for example), there’s a lot of meat to this season. With the surprise ending, I would say the next (and final) season is going to be great.
Finally, Heroes. I don’t mind saying that I hated the first few episodes of this. The plot dragged, the characters were dull, and the acting was appalling (who hired the guy that plays Peter? They deserve a slap). I stopped watching after about three episodes, it was that painful. After being convinced by a number of people, I forced myself to watch another few and got hooked. The acting is still woeful (barring guest appearances by the likes of Christopher Eccleston), but the storyline quickly picks up. I’m a sucker for big, well-planned, interweaving stories and this is a masterclass in that. Everything converges, and there’s plenty in the background for second viewings (or dedicated fan communities) to be worthwhile. The ending is a bit anti-climactic but the season as a whole is well-executed.
I’m missing more than a few things here, but that’s the cream. Looking forward to next season, but the off-season should also be decent (The 4400 and The Dead Zone return very soon).