The 63's

With several shows on hiatus this week, there wasn't really much to discuss television-wise. Several of my regular shows are on break, and besides Castle and The Good Wife, none of the shows were exceptional this week. For All MAD MEN Fans, I'm sure you are as ecstatic as I am with the return of the series, though I will reserve my review for the new season for now. I feel it hasn't really gotten into its stride, and as such will reserve judgment for the later episodes when the show will most definitely reach its climax!


For Now, 13 episodes in, I figured it was about time to review the much anticipated New Series ALCATRAZ!.

Any TV Fanatic will know that if a show has J. J. Abrams as an executive producer, it is definitely a show worth trying. His genius is responsible for Extra-ordinary shows like LOST and Fringe, which many consider to be among the best television shows ever to be on TV. When I heard he was taking on Alcatraz, an island surrounded with lots of mystery, I only imagined that it would be Epic. Then I remembered, as brilliant as he is, J.J is not flawless, and in fact has been responsible for mediocre shows like "Undercovers" which did not even make it through half-way of it's first season.


Nevertheless, I watched Alcatraz as soon as it came out, and the premiere was rather exciting. The concept behind the new show is shrouded with mystery like its fellow compatriot LOST, and I'm a sucker for suspense/mystery shows which require me to fill in the blanks. However, as the show continues, my interest is slowly waning. The primary reason for this is that after 13 episodes, I have not been able to invest in a single character in the main cast. The acting in this series is not particularly strong except for "Doc" who many will recall played "Hurley" in LOST.  Furthermore, the writing of each episode becomes so focused on the inmate that has "come-back" that in the process the character development is glacier slow. 

Rebecca Madsen played by "Sarah Jones" , in my opinion is not a particularly strong lead. As far as the show goes, all the story-lines lead back to her grandfather, which makes her by association very important to the overall plot, but for some reason, she seems to be quite a bland character. Admittedly, when fringe started, I wasn't very fond of Olivia Dunham played by Anna Torv, however Joshua Jackson and John noble, did superbly as Peter and Walter Bishop so in terms of character involvement, Fringe was covered by the supporting cast. Alcatraz seems to be hanging by a thread really. 

Emerson and Lucy Banerjee have an interesting story-line, but it seems to be the intent of the creator of the show to keep this in the dark for several episodes to come. I just hope by the time they decide to finally do this, they haven't lost majority of the viewership and there is still interest in the show.


I will continue to watch this show because it has tremendous potential to be excellent, should the episodes start being more connected, and the semi-procedural approach is slowly abandoned into a more direct story-line. I hope in the upcoming episodes there is more character involvement so as we can relate to the people more. The idea of putting too many questions without answers truly only worked for LOST. If Alcatraz tries that, the show will fail. But I am optimistic that it will get better. From the 2 episodes that aired last night, the show seems to be slowly heeding my advice.


All in All for now, the show is a 7/ 10. Fingers crossed it will get better!

"Jerry" Reconnects with David E Kelly whilst "Ted goes Bonkers"!!

I will start by admitting that even though I watch Harry's Law, however haphazardly, I have never truly genuinely enjoyed an episode for the show itself. By this I mean, I have never really been wowed by any of the story-lines concocted and I've never really taken a liking to any of the characters so much so that I would continually watch the show just for the characters; for instance with a show like House Md.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***


However, This week for the first time in over 20 episodes of the show, I truly enjoyed "Harry's Law" for the show itself. Firstly, this episode was not the typical episode- it had much deeper character involvement than the usual shallow exploration of the cast.. particularly for the character "Adam" who is probably now the moral center of the show. As an Actor, I've never really seen much emotional depth from Nathan Corddry. the closest thing was perhaps the K&R episodes in Studio 60 on the Sunset strip, which by the way is a bloody awesome show, so it was good to see him perform in this capacity, and do it well.

Secondly, maybe I'm just a sucker for Boston Legal, but how awesome was it to have Christian Clemenson back on television, and on a David E Kelly show no less acting as an attorney. He definitely gave me some laughs during this episode, particularly his reference to the time he hummed the Boston Legal theme song at the start of the credits for a show( what a loon). What was even more brilliant was that in the end, he also went a little cuckoo... kind of brought memories to early "Jerry" on BL.

For all the "Better of Ted" fans out there... it must have been fantastic seeing Jay Harrington(Ted) back on television. He definitely gave us some laughs on the prematurely cancelled ABC series. However, Ted returned in a much different capacity on Harry's Law. He was kind of bonkers, and he pulled it off well. I mean, he wasn't Mr. Hinks (Michael Emerson on the Practice) but he was able to pull off the disturbed/sane angle and it was a welcome sight. Far too often the character is one or the other. 
The story-line involving his character was rather interesting, however perhaps the most intriguing aspect was the ending. In Boston Legal, a similar arc was developed in which the stalker ended up killed by the ex-spouse. I feared mirroring from David E Kelley which he has done far too often, and when "Ted" ends up dead at the end of the episode, I thought- REALLY?!! However, we learn that the gun was actually loaded by... WAIT FOR IT..... The ex-spouses Daughter- and to make it juicier, we kind of get this disturbed vibe from her too. Like Father like daughter I guess.

By the way, also one of the cases involves a lady suing a guy for inducing her into sex under false pretenses. This arc also produces some interesting and humorous moments.


All in All- A good episode. I'd give it 8.5/10. 

LEGAL TV Currently Exceeding All Expectations!!

"My, My, My": A phrase once used by Alan Shore (James Spader) when he encountered Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen) for the first time on the hit legal series Boston Legal... A phrase I am currently using to express my amazement as to how wonderfully LEGAL TV is currently doing.


This morning, I watched episode 16 of the 3rd season of "The Good Wife", and I remain continually impressed with how this show is developing. Personally, I feel as though with every episode the show just keeps on getting better and better. "The Good Wife" perhaps is one show that uses a technique that is lost on several TV shows currently airing, which is to emphasize the power of the "thing unsaid". In this episode (After the Fall), several moments on camera would have one of the characters simply give a look to one of their characters expressing whatever emotion they intended to, without saying a single word. It often was more powerful then characters trying to find the right thing to say to capture the moment.

Perhaps what is even more impressive is the fact that they use such unique cases and deal with them with extreme expertise. when you're watching "The Good Wife", you feel as though you are a part of the cases and you are invested from the beginning to the end of each episode. Furthermore, the way they deal with firm politics is exquisite. It has a feel of realism that no other legal show has been able to exude; and this includes shows like "The Practice, Boston Legal, Suits and Alley Mcbeal. Without a doubt, "The Good Wife" is one of the best shows currently airing and anyone who fancies LEGAL TV should definitely get their hands on it.


I must admit that when Boston Legal met its end, I feared that Legal TV was in the toilet, at least for a while. David E Kelley wrote a show called Legally Mad that never made it on the air, and one couldn't help but feel that the void left by Boston Legal would be impossible to feel. Before Boston Legal, we had "The Practice" which was phenomenal,  and "Ally Mcbeal" which was decent. However, we are currently experiencing a period of excellent LEGAL TV shows. 

The 3 shows I would most recommend are "SUITS", "The Good Wife" and "Franklin and Bash" which are all exquisite shows. 


In all Honesty, If you have not watched "Suits", even for non-legal fans, you're doing everything wrong on the TV front!! Suits is nothing short of incredible, and in fact there is no point on dwelling on the matter any longer. SIMPLY WATCH IT. I can't wait for Season 2 this summer. It will be fantastic.

"Good Wife" is realistic, dramatic and very well written. As mentioned above, It is a MUST watch for LEGAL TV fans.

As for "Franklin and Bash".. it really just takes a much more relaxed approach to the law. it is probably the weakest of the aforementioned shows, but it is very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it over "Harry's Law" which in all honesty is dwindling- it is not the best of David E Kelley. And if you've watched "The Practice or Boston Legal", you will feel as though some of the cases and concepts are redundant.

LEGAL TV is Soaring people- As much as I miss Boston Legal, and would revive it if given the option, LEGAL TV is doing just fine without it!!

Return of Bionic Barry!!

It is Furahi-Day everyone, and for the fellow TV enthusiasts out there who watch their shows online like myself , it is an important day! Unfortunately, some excellent took a hiatus this week including Big Bang theory and Person of interest; therefore my options for Friday morning television were quite limited.

From the shows I did watch; Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock were only just okay- as usual they had some humorous dialogue here and there- but definitely not one of their strongest episodes. This usually tends to happen around this time when a lot of shows are generally just having filler episodes- saving their best material for the final weeks of the show before the long break so as to ensure their viewers are eagerly waiting for the next season to come!


That said, ARCHER this week was hilarious! Be warned however, that the remaining part of the blog may contain some SPOILERS, though I will try to keep them to a minimum!!

First and foremost, For many of the Archer fans- you will of course welcome the return of Barry Dylan.. or should I say Bionic Barry following from the season 2 finale. He is a constant source of amusement, and always seems to bring out the best in the show- especially the dialogue around and with him. It appears that the writers do not want to get rid of this character, and what a smart move on their part, as his scope has now increased and is likely to ensure him more screen time as a recurring guest star. .."Nice one other Barry"!

Secondly, This episode focuses more on Archer's sex life- which hasn't been much of a story-line since the season 2 finale and the bulk of season 1. I must say it took a very interesting twist. It is not unfathomable that Archer would have ended up in the situation he did at the start of the episode, but by the end of the episode, all you can say is that Archer is truly an enigma.


I want to add more- but it is better if you just watch it for yourself! I would give it a 9.5/10. 


I am really hoping in the future episodes they give Cheryl/Carol more of a prominent role and that she goes back to her season 1 ways. We saw glimpses of that in this episode, but her role was quite limited. I always thought we saw the best of her in season 1.

The Audience will no longer be "HUSTLE-D"

Oh Wow!! I cannot believe the journey that was "hustle" has reached its end!! What a fantastic series. As most people would know, this show put on 6 episodes per series and in total has 8 episodes. I only wish they could have had more episodes per season so we would have relished in "Tony Jordan's" Brilliance even more.

Throughout the years, we have seen our beloved crew pull of some amazing heists, we've seen the mentoring of 2 young con-artists who have grown into top class grifters; we have seen a heist involving the crown jewels; we have seen a change in crew personnel more than once; we have even seen the crew compete amongst themselves- which all in all made for fantastic British television.


Well about the Finale: ** Slight SPOILER ALERT**

What an Amazing episode; the premise obviously being the same- the gang find a mark, they rope him in whatever unique style they deem fit, con his ass and get away with his cash!


However, this time they were several differences that are worth mentioning.. Firstly, Mickey took on a mark that he himself admits that he would not have ordinarily take on if it wasn't their "retirement mark". Usually the gang take on marks that are non-violent and greedy, as the risk of physical harm tends to be low- unless of course there is some sort of personal connection. this time, they took on a a violent, rich, greedy, borderline psychotic mark at great physical risk to themselves- and for a moment the notion that maybe one member of the team might not make it seemed like a possibility.

But as mickey says- it probably would have happened- "we're it not for extraordinary planning". Hustle hands out several life lessons for those of us who intend on occasionally bending the rules to our benefit. It teaches basic cons that any Tim, Rick or Gerald can pull off.. and monst importantly, it teaches you how NOT TO BE A MARK!!


All in All- A great Series= 9/10. I would recommend this show to any one looking for a new series to occupy their time.


By the way: The FINALE offers a special treat for long time fans, and the welcome return of some familiar faces.