SNIP Blog

It's the end Dr, but not as we know it

Well we all watched it right? At least a lot of us did – the finale of Dr Who (The end of time) or the end of Tennant.

I’m certainly not an avid Dr Who fan, more a casual observer who has an interest in SciFi. Dr Who has always had that background appeal though, even if it to rekindle those childhood memories of hiding behind the coach when the Darleks come on. I think a lot of people would agree though, that David Tennant has certainly re-born the Dr Who franchise, and become probably the current generations favourite Dr Who.

Certainly for me, he re-captured my imagination for the long standing series with his enigmatic screen presence and dominating crazy/wacky Dr persona. He was almost perfect for the role. I think he brought more to it then just crazyness though, as there was/is something charming, sweet, even maybe innocent about Tennant as an inndividual that he seemed to bring to the final episode so honestly, it did make for a truly epic episode.

The second part of The End of Time was infact one hour twenty minutes, rather than a straight hour. I think the show was really split into two parts: 1st hour was the show conclusion and the last 20 mins was really Tennant saying goodbye to the universe (Universe being the Dr Who universe, not literally).

For me, what made the episode WAS that last 20 minutes. I think it demonstrated just what an impact Tennant has had on the show that they felt enough to give him a dedicated 20 minute farewell. Sure, the main story was classic Dr Who layered in cheese, but this finale felt like a Hollywood movie, it was visually deep and covered with gloss. Almost like, hey it’s Tennant’s last show – screw the budget.

The way Tennant portrayed the end of his character made him look vulnerable, scared and genuinely distressed about his imminent departure. The sweet spot you could argue, was his final line of “I don’t want to go!”. That one simple line, of just 5 small words for me, was the bomb, the money shot, the “I don’t want you to go” moment – honestly, that line was magical. Props to you sir, who ever scripted that.

As with all Dr Who regens, the season ends with the new kid on the block left with about 5 minutes to affirm their place on the Dr Who block. Let’s face it though, it wouldn’t matter who it was doing what ever they wanted, it would be a miracle if they could turn you around in that short time, following Tennant’s departure. Did he do it for you? Is it too soon to say? Don’t worry, the grief process works in 5 stages, one of them being acceptance – you will be ok – you will be fine.

So we will have to wait now, to see where the Dr Who franchise goes next, will it ever be the same though?

Have to say, the teaser for the upcoming remake of V on ABC lodoes look very good. A nice shiny layer of gloss was painted all over it, but does it give us some spoilers for another TV show?

One of the characters in the teaser is Elizabeth Mitchell, aka Juliet from Lost fame. If you a Lost fan, then you will remember that part of the Seasonn 5 finale ended with the potential of Juliet’s character being killed. As it is Lost, anything is possible but seeing her pop up in a new role could suggest that her character may have actually died in  the finalle.

Who knows. But back to the point in hand, the first 9 minutes of V looks very promising. Starts November 7

DOH!!

Yeah, we’ve all been there. Crap day at work with a major DOH! ending, and it looks like Foreman may have had his first wee stop at 1900 hrs after the day he had.

You got it – it’s another House punch in the face moment, and I truly never saw this one coming. In fact, I’m sat here still trying to process what happened and piece it together.

Hard to discuss in a no spoiler way, but I think it could be the end for one of the characters, not Foreman, that would be too obvious.

The House universe has usually been scripted with the rules of cause and effect. One of the characters does something bad, and they face consequences. If this plays true in this episode, then BOOM!! HEADSHOT!! has to be called.

The episode as a whole was quite good. For me, an annoying start. Annoying being I actually found House’s character a little annoying, almost too child like and a tad over the top. That seemed to fade quite quickly though as the plot moved along, ending with the Tyson type face SMACK – OUCH!! It still hurts.

In hind sight, it does make sense. With the coming together of the old team, it was almost like said character got one last chance to work with House, before departing the show. Obviously, I have NO idea if this character is leaving at all, and if so when. I’m just applying the House rules, and concluding that something MUST happen to them, otherwise the foundation to the House universe may start to crack.

Did I tell you I’ve just been punched right in the face by House!?!

Breastfeeding porn?

Hmm funny. Of all the sub genres of porn that I’ve seen, breastfeeding has never been one of them. Yet here is the genre defining Dollhouse laying that seed. I know my mind is a little off kilter, but did this opening seen really have to present Ms Echo is such a raunchy way whist having her breast sucked by young child? Erm sorry – time to move on ….

.. YAY Episode two of the Dolls is here and after what I thought was a slightly dull start, I actually think this episode had some good moments.

But where they the right moments? Well kind of. I never aim to be a spoiler poster so I’ll tread carefully, but the Echo/Tofu “Did I fall asleep?” seen, “Er, yeah” BOOM!!! Was actually kinda sweet I actually found myself lifting up off my coach. Errr, y’ellow!! You know how you feel when your team is losing big time, and you suddenly find yourself thinking “Hey – I think we really may have a chance to win! We could do this!” type moments, that is how I felt after that scene. GREAT

Thing is, right after that moment, the other side scored another goal and I sank back into my seat. That is not say the game was over. The episode muddled on with the climax that actually left me feeling quite, well emotional. I think I just might be starting to care for Echo’s character. That is good, right?

I hope so – Dollhouse is beginning to be a show that displays Bi Polar tendencies. One minute it’s Pink TV with hot chicks showing their underwear (see last episode) the next it’s thoughtful, deep(ish) and intriguing. The problem is, this has now thrown open a whole new dilemma. I actually feel slightly worried about Summer Glau coming into the show. Why? Because I just can’t help think that if Summer joined the show, the direction would become full on “tits out for the lads” type SciFi, and I think, after investing in one season at least, that we deserve more than that.

Well, that’s me. Overall, a good episode

So say we all

It’s seemed like a long wait before we get to hear the almost geek iconic line “Did I fall asleep?” drift from our TV speakers but it has, once again. The Dolls are back

Dollhouse, the TV show, suffered a heavy load on its shoulders during the rocky 1st season. Pressure from fans of Whedon, a battle for ratings and an almost cancelled season.

Yet hear it is for a second outing – how was it?

Well for me, it was kinda weird. In fact there were lots of odd moments littered across the 40 minute viewing. Let’s get some funny ones out of the way.

Guest star this week was Jamie Bamber, aka Lee Adama from BSG fame. Some of you may not know that he is actually a British born actor from London. By not knowing this some may find his English accent kinda cute against the American backdrop. In BSG he sounded American, so I don’t know which is his more “common” accent British or American.

Why do I even care? Don’t know really, apart from the Echo vs Martin Klar scene in his office (no spoiers). When Martin (Jamie) is kicking off at Echo, all I could hear was …. Dr. Gaius Baltar from BSG!! WTF!!

Trust me, play that scene back and close your eyes. He sounds just like Dr Baltars Obviously it’s not really him, just sounds like him. Now, with Lee Adama, Gaius Baltar and of course Karl “Helo” Agathon (aka Tahmoh Penikett) this episode stinks of Battlestar and you know what, I miss Battlestar. REALLY miss Battlestar. Thanks a lot Dollhouse for reminded me of that – GGRRRRR!!!!!

Right, stupid stuff aside, what about the episode? As I said at the start, it was a strange first episode. I would really recommend watching the season finale again before watching S02E01 as a lot of reference in this episode is linked to that story line. The episode seemed to be closing some loose ends from the finale episode, which was a shade annoying in part. I want it to move forward not slide sideways and we are still left unsure what direction the main story line will take. Very much teetering between scifi classic and sunday afternoon Murder She Wrote.

There were a few sweet moments to be fair. Whisky’s turmoil, Topher’s mental collapse and Echo’s/Paul’s new bond (at the end). However, as a first episode of an “at risk show”, for me the hype fell flat on it’s face and I was left thinking …. oh! As I said almost every episode last season, we will have to wait and see. I just want Summer Glau to hurry up and become part of the Dollhouse universe

It has been a monster end to the TV show season that I watch so far and to be honest, there is only one left to conclude. The Mentalist is to come to the end of it’s first season next week.

In some ways, I am more interested in how The Mentalist finales, compared to the big hitters such as Lost, Grey’s and House etc etc.

I mean come on … it’s a no brainer that Lost would climax with a peak so high, you could see above the clouds. It was no surprise that Grey’s Anatomy would end with a tear jerker so intense that an admission to ER would be needed for acute dehydration. And with House!! Well I still have the black eye following that smack in the face.

But The Mentalist is different. Through out the season, it has been happily plodding along like a modern day Murder She Wrote. Imagine for a second, Paul Nicholas (from Bread days) along side Jessica Fletcher busting it up! Mega

However according to TV.com, the plot line goes:

As the CBI investigates the murder of a young girl and the abduction of her twin sister, Lisbon suspects that Red John is trying to draw Jane into a trap.

ooohhhh – nasty old Red John is back and trying to draw Jane into a trap. Now,  Red John with his small percentile appearance in the show, is almost a distant memory for me. Who is he again? What did he do? Oh yeah – slaughtered Jane’s family, remember? Waaaay back at the start of the show.

It seems then, that Red John’s sole purpose is to purely give backfill and motivation to Jane’s character, and to act as a season finale plot line! He’s done nothing else in between.

Check out Dexter. The Ice Truck Killer themed through out the WHOLE show, and acted nicely as the season finale villain. The same goes for all the other mainstream TV shows don’t they? A seed from the start slowly grows into a monster ready for the end of the season.

This must mean then that The Mentalist will literally have a 40 minute season finale of what should really be called, an episode finale, right? Red John will be referenced after about 15 mins to set the rest of the 30 minute show down. Ahh man, it’s gonna rock!! :S

Now in my opinion, the only way that this could work with an appropriate punch in the gob and subsequent “WHOA!!!!” factor, is if Red John was really one of the main characters that features in the show, like a fellow CBI agent. Hmmm, this is very unlikely, BUT it would make for a nice finale that was topped with a healthy amount of twist.

If this doesn’t happen, and the Red John thing blows over just like any other Mentalist episode, I think it will feel kinda lame, a bit faked even. Maybe even Jane will wake up in the shower, and hear his wife talking to his daughter, who knows.

Been quite a year so far for my TV Shows.

First Sarah Connor comes to a mostly likely end, with rating not supporting a third season. Then Dollhouse seems to stumble after only 12 episodes and concludes with no second series on the horizon.

To make things worse, it is the time of year when shows are coming to their finale as well. Lost Season 5 ends this Wednesday, Greys is also soon to conclude and this morning aired the end of season 5 for House.

Every so often, I hook right into a TV Show. I buy into the universe, the characters and the plot line. I make excuses for poor episodes and give flexibility to story lines that sometimes stretch things too far.

One show that has me mainlined into their world is House, and this morning I watched the season finale. I have written before how this show can punch you in the face with a good old slap of twist and fantastic scripting, and this episode finale was one of those.

Without realising it, the season finale was really the last two episode. I wonder whether they should have been shown back to back, as last weeks episode seemed a little unbelievable, only to be balanced by this weeks episode.

The writers, directors and actors did an amazing  job of playing with House and his issues in a way that truly left me feeling sad and hurting for both him and all of his friends. I felt myself leaning towards the television wanting to give Wilson a hug (I love his enduring character) whilst sincerely wishing House all the best.

I know – It’s not real, it’s a TV Show!!!

But it’s House! And as I’ve said before if you DO buy into his universe and care for his surrounding world, then I bet you would be doing the same.

My only concern, as has been for most of my Shows this year, is where can they go from here? I haven’t read anywhere that this is the end of the series for House, and with how the show ends it can’t carry on as it did before. Down to the writers once again

It's just classic Terminator w00t!

OK First let me say, that I feel sad. Why? Because Sarah Connor Season 02 has come to an end. Why does that make me sad? Because I miss it

So now let’s state the obvious. Is a TV show has come to the end of a season, and I feel sad because I miss it, does that mean it’s been rubbish? NO – of course not, it’s been fantastic.

The last few episodes and especially the finale have been excellent. Talk about pulling a drowning life force from a murky puddle and reviving it, this show fully achieves that status.

There were times when I was set to abandon this show, but through presistance (and for the sake of watching) it has drawn me back in – right back in.

The finale plot was so clever, how it tied the whole Terminator universe (T1 and T2) together was very very clever. Surprises, twists, sexiness and even classic T1′ness all made it to this episode and all within 45 minutes to.

There is one thing that bothers me though. The show could, if needed, actually end at this point from a plot point of view, and be nicely resolved. Sure there would be a few questions, but then there would always be a few if this type of show ended. I wonder if writers these days are trying to end uncertain shows with an element of closure added, but also the scope for more if needed.

Anyhow forget all that dribble and just enjoy the show, and ponder on this .. Has anyone else been turned on so much as a skin job cyborg from the future, and did anyone else get aroused at the thought of a naked Ms Weaver?

Hmm, maybe I should have kept that bit a secret :S

You can always rely on a cheap butt shot in Dollhouse

It is hard to belive that Dollhouse is on Episode 09 already form season 01. What do I mean by that? Good … bad … too fast or to slow??

I think I mean that the season is already about half way through (I guess) and the show still seems to be finding its natural rythum.

Let me state, that I really do enjoy the show. It has some sexy ladies, a funny witty nerdy geek and is built around fantasy What could be better …

The story line though deos seem to be swaying about the place. Considering it’s only season 01, some potentially large plot lines seem to be spawning:

• Bringing down the Dollhouse
• A spy inside the company
• a Doll becoming self aware

You could argue that these individual plot lines could actually be season finale plots and not parrallel threads all with in the first season.

Is there just one season then, is that why the development is so rapid and complex? Does Mr Whedon know something we don’t and wants to avoid another Firefly situation? Who knows!

Anyway – overal a good episode. Just lots happening

Mr Locke - so full of screen presence

So Lost again, and another episode with answers and questions and maybe even some confusion.

This episode was long waited for me. It seemed to be Lockes turn for some screen time. His character has developed almost the most since the start, in my opinion, over the course of the show.

Always posing as an antagonist to the core of the group, he seems to be slowly developing into one of, if main characters of the show. I find his his screen presence captivating – whether that is down to plot and character development, or just his individual actors persona I’m not sure.

Still this week, we get to seem to motivation behind some key characters, i.e. Ben and Widmore plus the black smoke is back

A good episode.

New super powers?

Heroes – well what a show. Think back to the start where it plunged the world into Hero-mania – save the cheer leader save the world! Such an amazing tag line that dragged the audience along to it’s conclusion.

How hyped and massively anticipated was that Peter vs Sylar stand off – just for it ti happen behind closed doors!

Then came the writers strike and a big silence from the TV Universe. This them seemed to be followed by a stutter as Heroes tried to re-establish it’s identity. For many, this down period was slow enough for people to get off the ride, but for those that hung in there, complying with the orders of “Wait for the ride to stop riders, wait for the ride to completely stop” are now seeing their dividends.

The last few episodes have been good, this episode felt more like classic Heroes. In fact it was classic Heroes. With every answer there is a question. Surely a winning formula. The only downside is that this is episode 22 of 25, so only three episodes left. However, talk about building for a sweet season finale – Come on!!

Seems like some hype is brewing for the return of Fringe. Why did it have such a long break?? Well nevermind that right now, because it’s back Tonight

“The first of six new episodes focuses on a young boy — pale with no eyebrows or hair — who is found in a chamber that’s been closed for 70 years.”

write TV.com.

OMG!

I’ve watched House from the start. It’s a strange show, working from the same premise every week – patient comes in, can’t find a diagnosis then in the clsing minutes House to the rescuse. You pretty much know from the start that is how the show will pan out.

But the nice thing about House is the smattering of character subplot that threads the seasons together. It winds you in to the House universe whilst also lulling you into a sense of security. Therefore, when House (the show) decides to punch you right in the face, it does so with such force – it usually hurts.

One of my favourite (if that’s the right word) shows, is the bus crash episode. There was something about that whole episode with the climatic crash scene – wow. I could watch it ahain right now. This kind of emotional tie can only work if the show does its job and creates that connection with you, the viewer.

The exact same applies for this episode. Seriously, brace your face because it’s going to get punched – HARD.

Happy on the outside, sad on the inside

This weeks episode of The Mentalist is out, and we’re in for more of the same action and adventure. The problem is though, is that it’s more of the same.

I enjoy this show, and have even tried to get my Mum onto it, but this weeks episode failed to keep me hooked. I’ll put it down to a one off as I have enjoyed the previous shows, but I feel the show needs some central plot to keep things interesting.

The season finale must be upon us soon now, yet there is no looming cliff hanger, that I can see. The early part of the show, and an episode near the middle, made reference to Patrick’s past regarding Red John. This was the serial killer that apparently killed his wife and daughter. I thought that this would be a good antagonist as a season finale suspect, however subsequent plot lines have failed to keep this thread alive, suggesting this not to be the case.

I gues we’ll have to wait and see which direction things go.

TV.com are running an article about TV Shows facing the axe!!

The worrying factor is that both Dollhouse AND Sarah Connor made the list, Dollhouse is at numbe 2!! The article doesn’t state though if the order is listed in risk, or is just random.

After what seems like an eternity, the J.J Abrams show Fringe is set to return to our screens – we hope.

The show had a rocky start, losing viewers and ratings, but for those who persisted the investment has paid off.

There has been much speculation as to whether the show would be canceled, but discussion over in the TV.com forums seems to suggest the show will run for at least one full season.

Let’s hope so – as I for one will miss some of the classic quotes from Victor. In fact, I remember a discussion like this back my lab!

BOOM!! Headshot!

OH MY GOSH!! I have invested time in this show which, after a great start, took a dip (losing viewers) but has slowly regained control as a watchable show.

This weeks episode of The Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles was great. Full of surprises. I hadn’t realised that the season was coming to an end and to therefore expect some action, but this episode could have almost been the season finale.

It has however, placed itself as the prefect pre-season finale, what with some major character killing and the upcoming meet of Sarah and Weaver. Bring it on

Wow, this weeks episode of Dollhouse was fantastic. Almost at the mindf**k stage even. Just when I thought the show was peaking too early, it slides back into 5th gear. Very good.

As always, my scene of the show goes to …

Death by fire extinguisher

A classic scene, even if the device was probably made of foam, it still made me go “oooooooooooh”

It’s Thursday so it’s Lost day, and with out any major spoilers the episode focuses in Kate and what happened with son, Aaron. Watch the episode if you want the details.

During Season 5, I have found that each episode choses one character then flits to and fro from past, present and future supplying back fill on the plot.

It's a chatfest bewteen these two

Although they currently lack the pace and drama of previous episodes they are slowly pulling things together. This weeks episode highlight for me, was the short but very comical exchange between Hugo and Miles re. time travel. Hugo makes a classic Back To The Future reference, and their dialouge makes the episode for me.

I’ve been watching Dollhouse now since Episode 1, and after a rocky start it seems to be picking up. For more details on Dollhouse click me.

I am liking it more and more now, buying into the characters, looking out for their safety etc etc, but it is hard to ignore the blatant dress code of some of the Dolls. Maybe this is a play on the Doll theme, but Episode 7 reached a new peek for me.

Seeing Eliza Dushku ambling around in her extremely short skirt with thigh length fishnet type stockings, was just kinda ….. weird. It took me away form what I assume is trying to be a serious TV show for the geekdom, into a cheesy tackfest of hot chicks.

Both on their own I have to say are great but combined – I’m not so sure