Playing Dead - Thoughts & Impressions

SPOILERS ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS YET, STOP HERE!!!

Eames and Goren
Back on the case

So, last night was the big premiere - several months overdue. All that angst for what? Well, for people who loved classic LOCI from the first three seasons or so - season four is where it started getting more interesting for me as there were more personal insights being given to us as fans of the actual characters as opposed to the actual story lines - I'm sure it was like a little piece of heaven. I am making huge assumptions here as I have not read anything on any forums and am likely to not - unless it's Major Case, which still tempts me from time to time.

For me, it was pretty much a non-event show-wise. Vincent D'Onorfio-wise, however, it was really nice to see him again. Same for Kathryn Erbe.

The thing about the show was that honestly, you could have dropped any other detectives into the mix and it would have been basically the same show. I'm bored with that. I want to know what's going on with Goren and how he's dealing with things since we saw him last. I want to know how things are with him and Eames, with him and Rodgers ( good I guess as they rarely interacted in the one scene she was in), how things are with Ross. Speaking of Ross, we saw him less than we saw Deakins and Carver combined in season 1-5 epis. I am not a happy camper.

Okay, I am a happy camper because we get new Bobby episodes and I'm still anxious to see Jeff Goldblum's premiere. But other than that the show could be any other cop show as far as I'm concerned.

Oh and while it was one of those confusing, plot twisty kind of show, I kind of figured it out the minute the sleaze bag stepdad was intimidating the stepdaughter in the bath. Even knew about the daughter - very China Townish and not very imaginative, IMO.

Wow, guess the casefile was lamer than I thought. lol Sorry, but I miss Warren Leight BIG TIME right now. Season six and seven had some really great season openers. This one was just bleh. Of course I'm sure they're counting on die hard fans to tune in anyway and I did. Even my husband, who liked the earlier version of LOCI - he's the one who got me hooked - thought it was an okay episode and wasn't sure how much he liked it yet. We have to watch it again he says, just to make sure he didn't miss anything. I don't think he did. lol

So let's hope things get better. I would like to see more focus on what's going on with Bobby. This episode was all right. Kind of like old LOCI where you see Goren a lot more than anyone else and that was okay. But I love his interaction with Ross and missed that a lot.

Eric Bogosian is far too good a talent to waste on walking and talking for five minutes - if that - in the show. And I don't want to see that happen.

I'm just assuming and giving the writers the benefit of the doubt that they need to get more of a feel for the Goren and Eames characters so they're playing it safe with the first few episodes. They did show Goren's addressing being abused as a child. Stephanie Sengupta mentioned that in an interview she did once. Goren was abused but there was never a clarification of what kind. Mental or physical but from his interaction with the victim, it made me feel that he there was physical abuse involved as in he related to being out of his body and going to another place.

Those were nice touches. Guess I'm just spoiled and want a little more.

For the positive side I loved seeing Goren without his beard. lol I was growing used to it but really, I hate it when he hides that gorgeous face behind a beard. And of course I hate facial hair on men. The only guy who looks better with facial than without is Tom Selleck, IMO.

Also, Kathy Baker as the evil mother with a very odd relationship with her pedophile son was an interesting turn. I'm so used to seeing her as the mom on Picket Fences.

So Goren and Eames seem to be back. I did feel something was off, though. I just can't put my finger on it and I will probably figure it out when I see other people's thoughts and opinions.

That's all for now folks. Will add on if I get an urge. Must be I'm more interested as I've made two posts in two days which is a record for me lately. Here's hoping Jeff Goldblum's episode is more....well, just more. lol

[NP: Foo Fighters - In Your Honor]

A Quickie on New LOCI

Just thought I'd post here as forums are not where I want to be any more. Will do a more detailed post on it but for now I just have to say, solid opening for a throw back to early LOCI. If you liked the early years, you'll love this. I enjoyed it but found it strangely dissatisfying as they didn't even in passing address anything about Goren's situation and how he's dealing. He looked all right and all but...

Eh, always a critic, he? lol

Loved seeing Vincent D'Onofrio. Something about that man just gets me going. I'd watch him sitting and staring into space for hours without complaint so it looks like I will be watching season 8 unless they really muck it up.

Can't wait to see Goldblum and Nicholson next week. Got a little miffed USA didn't give us a preview right after the show since I NEVER watch them except for these new LOCI epis.

Will see if I can find pictures and stuff for the longer review. Hell, who am I kidding? Let's hope I'll actually even get a longer one up this week. lol

Happy Birthday Maherjunkie!

Well, it's late in the day but it's the thought that counts. Didn't have time to make up a new one but thought I'd bring this up to wish one of my best cyber pals a Happy Birthday! Hope it was great and you enjoyed your day. :-)

I can't get you the real thing so here's the next best thing. Naked Vincent always makes me feel better. :-)

Photos mostly from Velocity of Vincent - the naked ones any way. :-)

Is it April 19th Yet?

So, Life on Mars is over and I am now officially left with nothing to excite me on television every week. April 19th is supposed to be the season 8 debut of LOCI but I refuse to get overly excited as if I do, if anything happens to change that AGAIN, I am afraid I will go postal and flood USA and Wolf Productions with hate mail.

In the meantime, I've been trying to be good and avoid anything that tells me too much about the upcoming season because for some reason, it always leaves me with dread. I do, however, like to see previews. So, when I got the heads up about the new LOCI premiere I went to check it out and now I'm all annoyed. I can't win, can I?

Sometimes a little knowledge can be a dangerous and bad thing. Guess it's a good thing I haven't watched anything on USA since they scuttled the original debut of season 8. I'd have been annoyed a long time ago. Now I only have to wait for - hopefully - a short time.

At this point, the only reason I really want to see the show at all is because of Vincent D'Onofrio. Having watched Life on Mars and revisited the entire Six Feet Under series on DVD, I am now quite spoiled and want the quality of my television shows to be that high. The promo makes me think we're in for more of the same. I was kind of hoping new writers would take it in a new direction. Don't know why or how I expected this. Maybe it was just wishful thinking.

Warren Leight did a marvelous job of transforming the show from a strict police procedural to a more character focused show - at least for the Goren/Eames episodes. A little for the Noth ones but not as much.

Don't know what's going on with Jeff Goldblum episodes since the show runner for his set of shows up and quit in the middle of it all. Hopefully this won't make his episodes too disjointed - the first set from the second, I mean.

On the upside, I've been watching a lot of movies on the Independent Film channel now that we get it on our upgraded service. Wonder if they have any of Vincent's films on? Going to have to look. :-)

So if LOCI fails with me this season, I will still be going to all the blogs to check out caps. That way I can see Vincent without suffering through anything that may be horrible. Like more depressed Goren and Eames for example.

Speaking of which - blogs that is - BobbyG has been capping older episodes to kill the time until season 8 ever gets around to starting. She just did Yesterday and as usual, she did a bunch of them including Eames ones for Kathryn Erbe fans. Love her 'Extras' caps!!!

Oh and she does point out Goren's surprise at Eames stating she once owned a mini-skirt. This is one of those moments where I get a distinct 'non-ship' feeling as it seems sometimes Goren seems to forget Eames is a girl. lol

Ah well, I have to admit I'm getting a little excited. Especially reading about the "Python Patrol" she mentioned. No, it's not a bunch of Vincent Vixens heading to NYC! Though I think it would be kind of fun. ;-)

Other blogs for Vincent sitings would be The Velocity of Vincent, Life and Vincent, The Valentine Cat and Team 13 Projects. I do stop in there regularly but I haven't had much to say or add so I've been rather silent. lol But I do appreciate all the work they put into their sites. Oh and Basric also does some wicked caps! Very thorough.

Wish I had the patience these ladies have for capping.

So as the new season approaches, I am finding myself more interested and hopeful.

It's my only chance at something salvageable in the television drama areana at the moment.

[NP: Rolling Stones - Street Fighting Man]

Life On Mars Series Finale

The Cast of Life on Mars

So, if you haven't watched this series you have missed quite an event. One of the most refreshingly original shows on television in ages! As I sort of expected, it only made it one season here in America. But then it was set up in the UK as a limited run series anyway. I think that's the way to go with something like this. Compare this to Lost and the way it's been stumbling around for going on five years now. Only after season 2 did the writers of that debacle decide they needed to script ahead and limit the series to 5 seasons. If they did that in the first place maybe things wouldn't have gotten so muddled and stupid.

Life on Mars was well written, well-conceived and superbly cast - even though it did take them two tries to get the casting down. It's smart television and don't read any more after this paragraph if you haven't seen it and plan to eventually. Knowing the ending could spoil the fun. Then again, knowing the ending, I now feel like I want to go back and watch every single episode again to see it in context. So many different meanings can be applied to the things that have happened to Sam Tyler in 1973.

SPOILER WARNING! DO NOT READ PAST THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW!




The finale left me so stunned and happy it was beyond belief! I think perhaps being canceled was good for the artistic integrity of the show. I know we Americans want to hang on to things like this long after they've started become stale and repetitious, but this was a fitting ending. So much happened in such a short time. We jumped from 2009 to 1973 to 2010 back to 1973 and then to 2035 all in one short hour. It was mind boggling but not confusing like Lost.

The end was HUGE! We discover Sam Tyler is an astronaut in 2035 on a mission to Mars who is awakening from a cryogenic sleep. His crew mates are his 1973 squad members led by Colonel Annie Norris! I loved that. lol

We also get the shocking revelation that Gene Hunt is Sam's father. Now that one threw me for a loop! But in a good way. It explains the father issues Sam has in his 2008 and 1973 incarnations and the love/hate relationship he seemed to have with Gene.

So much symbolic stuff to think about I can't get it all in with one post. I may just re-watch all the episodes again and write up something for each with the new perspective of knowing who Sam really is and why he's back in 1973. It's sci-fi disguised as a cop show and it pulls it off so well I don't believe I'm saying that it's probably in a position to topple Six Feet Under on my list of best television shows ever in the history of television.

All the glitches, the bleed throughs where time fluctuates. Sam being stuck in 1973 but seeing things from the future breaking into his reality are now perfectly understandable. I want to see this entire series again and I want to own it. I hope ABC will put out a series DVD.

One of my favorite things was the song they played for the last ten minutes or so of the show. My most favorite Elton John song EVER. Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters. So fitting and just perfect! I was truly in viewer heaven.

Oh and Annie and Sam! That was handled beautifully as well. Don't know if they have the same 'shipper vs. non-shipper' issues on that relationship as they do on LOCI with Goren and Eames, but this one was handled so well I doubt LOCI will ever be able to handle an ending for Goren and Eames as well as Life on Mars did for it's lead male and female characters.

Something for everyone. Sam and Annie fall in love and kiss in 1973. But in 2035, she's his boss (kind of like Eames is Goren's boss with her being senior partner and all), and they're just colleagues when Sam awakens. Though in his memories during cryosleep, he definitely did fall in love -as he admits to the 2035 version of Ray Carling.

Kind of makes everyone happy. People who don't want them as a couple and people who do! Not an easy feat and accomplished very well here. Don't know if that's what they were trying to do but it was the end result. LOCI has a handicap there because it has to deal in realities and you should see the bitching that ensues when they try to employ either 'flashbacks' or 'memories' so I can imagine a dream sequence would send people right over the edge.

I loved that Gene ended up being Sam's father! Again, so much is explained with that little tidbit of information. I was floored when Sam went up to Gene after he awakened from his sleep - a bit later than the others - and told him he didn't want to fight with him any more and referred to him as 'Dad'. Wow. We had to back it up and watch that again after it ended.

So we left Sam, Gene, Annie, Chris and Ray stepping out onto the Martian surface to begin a new journey.

Part of me wants to follow them further and see what happens but another part of me says all series have a shelf life and because of the premise of this one, it ended at the appropriate time.

I believe all shows tend to have a shelf life of 5-6 years. After that it gets a little shaky if it goes on much longer. Even Homicide: Life on the Street got bad in it's seventh and final season.

Six Feet Under, the show I keep lauding as the best show ever on television, ended at a good time. By season 4 it was getting so dark and depressing it was hard to watch. Still done very well, though. I think if it had gone on it would have been too much.

ER ended last night. I watched a bit of it but haven't really been into it since Anthony Edwards left the series. It was a great show, no doubt. But after a while it all feels recycled. It's hard to keep things fresh like that.

Another show that should stop is the original Law & Order. Great show. Superb cast, great writing but deadly dull to someone who saw the first five seasons, bits of the sixth and pretty much an episode or two over the next several years. I suppose it can limp along for a while longer just so Dick Wolf can break Gunsmoke's record.

I'm for the 'leave while you're on top' mindset. Limping to the finish - which sadly is what the show seems to be doing - is just sad.

Now I'm hoping my beloved LOCI having new writers will be rejuvenated. But already I find myself anxious to move on to new things. Like the show that's taking Life on Mars' spot on ABC. The Unusuals. It stars Amber Tamblyn - I've watched her career from General Hospital to Joan of Arcadia to this new series and I think she's a joy to watch. Also co-stars Terry Kinney, the ex of my favorite actress, Kathryn Erbe.

So goodbye to Life on Mars, a series that will live on fondly in my memory and on my DVD player. :-D If you didn't watch it, try and make efforts to find episodes to watch. It's really a marvelous show.

[NP: Elton John - Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters (had to pull it up and play it again this morning!)]