This week’s Haven, “Ain't No Sunshine” treads into territory previously charted by genre shows like The X-Files ("Soft Light") and Friday the 13th the Series ("Shadow Boxer"). A phantom shadow "dark man” is wreaking all manner of havoc on personnel associated with a clinic where an overwhelming number of cancer patients have died. The case itself is fairly straightforward – a doctor and nurse were conspiring to keep back cancer meds to resell them and pocket the profits. The survivors of the patients put that together, and the grieving husband of one of the victims finds that his shadow can skip out for killing sprees to avenge their deaths. The episode wraps up with the man confined alone to a darkened house. Not as tragic as it sounds because he’s blind.
The bigger story involves Jess and Nathan. Jess works at the clinic and puts herself in harm’s way when she noses around the home of the blind man, realizes his wife had too many leftover pills and pockets them to show Nathan, bringing the shadow after her. This is pretty inconvenient because she and Nathan have started dating in earnest. He’s hesitant to move the relationship forward, despite his outward interest, and Audrey finally goads a TMI confession out of him that he’s been abstinent since his condition developed so he doesn’t know whether he can actually have sex with Jess. Audrey tells him to share that with Jess, and through the power of red wine and Jess's insistence that he never look away from her, things look pretty promising until Audrey interrupts because the dark man has descended on the police station, trapping her with Vince and Dave.
After Jess is attacked (stabbed but surviving), she decides she can’t stay in Haven and goes home to Montreal. Nathan is upset but understanding. He and Audrey have a heart to heart about finally having a friend they can count on in each other. She’s been walled off because of her upbringing and the job; he’s been walled off because of his physical inability to feel. When Audrey sweetly kisses him on the cheek, he touches his face, stunned at the realization that he felt it against his skin. He’s sort of dumbstruck about it as he climbs in the truck beside Audrey, and she's oblivious because she’d already turned around to get in after she kissed him.
So, we have an interesting turn with Audrey and Nathan, but I don’t get a romance vibe there at all. I think we’re going to find out they’re related, perhaps even siblings, and that her return is driving the Troubles in the same way that her mother perhaps did (total conjecture/I’m spoiler-free). We haven’t really been told anything about Nathan’s mom, so there may be a tangent there, too. No Duke this week, which left more room for the Jess/Nathan arc. I was pleased and surprised they didn’t kill her, and that the door’s open for her to come back into Nathan’s life later. Solid effort all around
No episode this week. New episodes return on the 10th. You can catch up on Syfy.com and Hulu.com.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Drop Dead Diva: Bad Girls & Freeze the Day by Kara Howland
Sorry I didn’t get this up right away. I worked the Emmy red carpet yesterday and I was too exhausted to watch any TV. But I’m here now and I’ve got opinions!
Wow. My first opinion is that the past two hours are the best two hours of the show I’ve ever seen. Hands down. This is the kind of writing and acting I want to see on this show every week. I’m not saying I don’t already love this show because I do. But I think these last two episodes really showcased how amazing this show can be.
Let’s do the highlights then explore deeper. Parker’s former bedmate and current partner Claire Harrison returns to the firm after an eight-year absence. She left the firm to get married after she fell in love and now she’s back to get a divorce and to start practicing law again. She fakes evidence and fires Kim, who breaks up with Parker. Grayson meets the parents and admits that he’s scared of a future with Vanessa. She appreciates the honesty but breaks up with him. Grayson doesn’t want to lose another important woman in his life so he proposes. Fred asks Stacy out on another date but Stacy is afraid that they’ll burn out quickly if they start out too hot and heavy. Worried that he doesn’t care, Stacy makes him jealous until he admits how much he does care. Jane, once again resolving to tell Grayson who she really is, picks the time and place and even daydreams about their wedding. But before she can tell Grayson anything he asks Jane to be his best man. Upset, Jane runs out of the restaurant and when Grayson follows after her he’s hit by a car. When he regains consciousness momentarily, Grayson calls her Deb.
I’m leaving out a lot of details on purpose because I want to talk about relationships much more then the actual details of all the cases. Let’s start with Kim and Parker. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I really enjoy this relationship. When it started I was very nervous. It’s always a tricky proposition to be involved with the boss and I was worried Kim’s reputation and the work environment would be negatively affected. But they’ve seemed to make it work and I like that Parker is different with her. He really cares about her and was striving to make it seem like he had no bias. And I think he was succeeding. Should he have told Kim about the kiss? Absolutely but I don’t think he had a hidden agenda in keeping it from Kim. I think he was scared to tell her. He’s scared to mess up this great thing he’s got going. But silence can be the death of something. Even though Kim and Parker are apart now I don’t think it will be a permanent separation.
Fred and Stacy. They are adorable. I’m so happy Stacy decided to give Fred a chance. And I really like the way their relationship is progressing. I love that he’s jealous and even though Terri tries to get Fred to be Zen about it all he can’t fake it. He’s jealous. But that’s what Stacy wants. She’s not used to guys like Fred. She probably hasn’t had someone who cares about her like this for a long time. And she’s insecure too. She’s worried that Fred doesn’t care. But I think these two crazy kids will make it and in the meantime it’s fun watching their relationship evolve.
Jane and Grayson. Where to start. Even Grayson admits that they have a connection, which is why he asks Jane to stand up for him at his wedding. What I think is the most confounding thing about their relationship (aside from the fact that Deb inhabits Jane’s body and can't tell him) is that Jane always manages to talk Grayson into something without knowing what she’s doing. Every time she gives Grayson a speech it seems to send him running into the arms of another woman. Jane thinks she’s making a case for herself but she never is. Grayson always takes her little pearls of wisdom and applies them to his other relationships. But how would he know? Jane can’t tell him she’s Deb so he has to believe they’re forging a friendship and nothing else. And Jane is pretty good at hiding her feelings by now. I’m sure these soul mates will get together one day but I’m assuming there will be at least one more season of the whole will-they-or-won’t-they thing. If it’s too easy for these two to get together, I guess a lot of people would lose interest. Not me. But I guess that’s what they’re thinking. And by them I mean the writers and the network.
Ok. Now I’m ready to talk about the cases. Well, I really want to talk about Gail O’Grady and Gloria Reuben. It is so nice to see both of them on the small screen again. Gail is very convincing as a cyber bully. I feel so sorry for her daughter. Can you imagine growing up with a mother like that? She let her own child take the blame for something she did. That’s some bad parenting. And Gloria Reuben. I’m sure she’s worked since ER, but that was the last show I saw her on and I loved her character. Here she plays a woman who can’t imagine life without her husband. The irony is that her research could help bring him back. I’m glad Grayson and Jane convince her to continue to live her life. She's got to be awake to make that discovery.
Terri and Stacy are awesome as always. I know I’m not giving them their due here, but I can’t even imagine this show without them. They are great comic relief and have also shown us some great dramatic work.
And I have to mention both the opening song and dance number, which I found highly enjoyable. Actually, I like it every time there is song and dance. It makes me smile. And an honorable mention goes out to Paula Abdul. I like her on this show.
What did you think? Will Grayson be ok? Will Kim and Parker get back together? Did Fred know Grayson was going to get hit by that car? I hope to find out on the next season of Drop Dead Diva.
Wow. My first opinion is that the past two hours are the best two hours of the show I’ve ever seen. Hands down. This is the kind of writing and acting I want to see on this show every week. I’m not saying I don’t already love this show because I do. But I think these last two episodes really showcased how amazing this show can be.
Let’s do the highlights then explore deeper. Parker’s former bedmate and current partner Claire Harrison returns to the firm after an eight-year absence. She left the firm to get married after she fell in love and now she’s back to get a divorce and to start practicing law again. She fakes evidence and fires Kim, who breaks up with Parker. Grayson meets the parents and admits that he’s scared of a future with Vanessa. She appreciates the honesty but breaks up with him. Grayson doesn’t want to lose another important woman in his life so he proposes. Fred asks Stacy out on another date but Stacy is afraid that they’ll burn out quickly if they start out too hot and heavy. Worried that he doesn’t care, Stacy makes him jealous until he admits how much he does care. Jane, once again resolving to tell Grayson who she really is, picks the time and place and even daydreams about their wedding. But before she can tell Grayson anything he asks Jane to be his best man. Upset, Jane runs out of the restaurant and when Grayson follows after her he’s hit by a car. When he regains consciousness momentarily, Grayson calls her Deb.
I’m leaving out a lot of details on purpose because I want to talk about relationships much more then the actual details of all the cases. Let’s start with Kim and Parker. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I really enjoy this relationship. When it started I was very nervous. It’s always a tricky proposition to be involved with the boss and I was worried Kim’s reputation and the work environment would be negatively affected. But they’ve seemed to make it work and I like that Parker is different with her. He really cares about her and was striving to make it seem like he had no bias. And I think he was succeeding. Should he have told Kim about the kiss? Absolutely but I don’t think he had a hidden agenda in keeping it from Kim. I think he was scared to tell her. He’s scared to mess up this great thing he’s got going. But silence can be the death of something. Even though Kim and Parker are apart now I don’t think it will be a permanent separation.
Fred and Stacy. They are adorable. I’m so happy Stacy decided to give Fred a chance. And I really like the way their relationship is progressing. I love that he’s jealous and even though Terri tries to get Fred to be Zen about it all he can’t fake it. He’s jealous. But that’s what Stacy wants. She’s not used to guys like Fred. She probably hasn’t had someone who cares about her like this for a long time. And she’s insecure too. She’s worried that Fred doesn’t care. But I think these two crazy kids will make it and in the meantime it’s fun watching their relationship evolve.
Jane and Grayson. Where to start. Even Grayson admits that they have a connection, which is why he asks Jane to stand up for him at his wedding. What I think is the most confounding thing about their relationship (aside from the fact that Deb inhabits Jane’s body and can't tell him) is that Jane always manages to talk Grayson into something without knowing what she’s doing. Every time she gives Grayson a speech it seems to send him running into the arms of another woman. Jane thinks she’s making a case for herself but she never is. Grayson always takes her little pearls of wisdom and applies them to his other relationships. But how would he know? Jane can’t tell him she’s Deb so he has to believe they’re forging a friendship and nothing else. And Jane is pretty good at hiding her feelings by now. I’m sure these soul mates will get together one day but I’m assuming there will be at least one more season of the whole will-they-or-won’t-they thing. If it’s too easy for these two to get together, I guess a lot of people would lose interest. Not me. But I guess that’s what they’re thinking. And by them I mean the writers and the network.
Ok. Now I’m ready to talk about the cases. Well, I really want to talk about Gail O’Grady and Gloria Reuben. It is so nice to see both of them on the small screen again. Gail is very convincing as a cyber bully. I feel so sorry for her daughter. Can you imagine growing up with a mother like that? She let her own child take the blame for something she did. That’s some bad parenting. And Gloria Reuben. I’m sure she’s worked since ER, but that was the last show I saw her on and I loved her character. Here she plays a woman who can’t imagine life without her husband. The irony is that her research could help bring him back. I’m glad Grayson and Jane convince her to continue to live her life. She's got to be awake to make that discovery.
Terri and Stacy are awesome as always. I know I’m not giving them their due here, but I can’t even imagine this show without them. They are great comic relief and have also shown us some great dramatic work.
And I have to mention both the opening song and dance number, which I found highly enjoyable. Actually, I like it every time there is song and dance. It makes me smile. And an honorable mention goes out to Paula Abdul. I like her on this show.
What did you think? Will Grayson be ok? Will Kim and Parker get back together? Did Fred know Grayson was going to get hit by that car? I hope to find out on the next season of Drop Dead Diva.
Eureka: The Ex-Files by Heather M
First off, Eureka EP Amy Berg is an awesome human being and jumpy claps that she Tweeted truthfully when she said Ed Quinn was not back on the show. That said, that Tweet has since been deleted, so, hmmm. It’s true as of this week’s episode, which she wrote, so I'll take it.
In “The Ex-Files,” five of the six time travelers are afflicted with hallucinogenic nemeses after a power surge. Carter gets Nathan, Allison gets Tess, Jo gets AlternaZane, Fargo gets his 5th grade tormentor, Jessica, and Grant gets his 1947 best friend, who happened to be Beverly’s dad.
The hallucinations occur in tandem with various power surges that start to bring down structures and buildings around town, causing environmental havoc to match the emotional havoc. Tess and Nathan nag Allison and Carter with a running narration about their new relationship – Tess from the standpoint of a BFF betrayal and Nathan from the standpoint that Carter will never, ever fill his (size 13, he wants you to know) shoes. It could have been a sad and painful plot point for the foursome, but was actually pretty clever, quick, and sometimes hysterically funny, with Carter immediately exasperated with Nathan and Allison just annoyed. I expected more soul-searching from Allison and a kind of closure where she actually had a chance to say goodbye to Nathan, but she seemed fairly reticent about it. Because there is still a Tess out there in this reality, her appearance had less permanent ramifications.
Jo’s encounters with AlternaZane were a strange sort of mindmeld of current Zane’s discounting his intentions for Zoe overridden by AlterZane being lovey dovey. Fargo’s former nemesis dogs him about being a weak leader and finally forces him to nut up to the general and find his backbone.
The hallucinations turn out to be a side effect of a plot by Beverly and her unnamed collective (which she convinces Grant he founded) to gain custody of a device being tested at GD. She tells him they’re trying to prevent repeats of nuclear weapon-level catastrophes of science, and she sets him onto a “DED device” that renders electronics useless. This leads Grant to repeatedly interfere with testing of the device, which gets the device loaded up for transport out of GD, where Bev’s group steals it. Once they have the device, the power surges and environmental destruction subside, but the emotional issues have to be sorted out individually.
When Grant realizes he’s been played, he is furious with Bev, until she tells him the core from the DED device can power the Bridge device and send him back to 1947 to continue his work. He’s not completely buying it and it doesn’t help that he keeps seeing her father as he was in 1947. We also find out that Bev’s dad is the guy Allison saved with a jumper cable heart boost in the premiere.
Zoe’s left in the lurch in this episode, trying to work Zane up to asking her out so she can figure out what they have, and at the end of the episode, he finds himself embroiled in a sting trumped up by Bev & co, which leaves her at odds with Carter and storming out of S.A.R.A.H.
Henry and Grace are goofy and giddy and happy and in love and immune to the MacGuffin arc because they were wearing transdermal memory-sharing patches, so we don’t get much of them.
Erica Cerra continues to layer her performance as Jo. Her tough exterior softens a bit when she finally processes that she’s been chatting with an idealized version of who she remembers as Zane but who is not exactly her Zane, and that she’d been romanticizing her memories. In a fit of confession, she processes why she turned down the proposal (she tells him they didn't work, which I think was posturing, but we'll see). She gives Zane back the engagement ring and only realizes after he has it in his hands that he’s this reality’s Zane and not her figment. She doubles over, wanting it back and unable to breathe, and her world starts to spin. There’s an interesting chat to come about why he now has two rings. She doesn't have time to really process that, though, because Zane is then suddenly accused of espionage.
The shakeout at the end is that Carter and Allison have to confess their deepest darkest to each other before they can move forward. For him, it’s that he has loved her since the pilot (which I guessed last week – yay!) and for her, it’s that she’s lost previous loves in a permanent and unfriendly fashion and she worries history will repeat. Once they sort that out, their hallucinations depart. They commence with the romance in proper as Allison beckons him to the bedroom and he’s sort of amazed at how well that went. I have to say the casual way Allison calls him “honey” did as much for me as their confessions. The Carter/Allison romance is finally off the bench. Proceed, guys and gals. Let’s see where this goes.
In short, I was very, very pleased. I guessed/hoped that the cast returns of Ed Quinn and Jaime Ray Newman were a riff of some sort and was glad to be right in assuming/hoping that the obstacles to the Carter/Allison relationship were internal and not external. That said, they had a ridiculous amount of fun with their constant commentary on Allison and Carter, and Quinn even froze his ass off, shirtless and strutting (in Vancouver) just to tweak Carter, who tells him to “put a shirt on!”
We’re two weeks from what Syfy is calling the season finale but I think this is still technically a midseason finale, to be followed by a Christmas one off in time for the holidays. Here’s hoping we get the rest of the season back sooner than later.
In “The Ex-Files,” five of the six time travelers are afflicted with hallucinogenic nemeses after a power surge. Carter gets Nathan, Allison gets Tess, Jo gets AlternaZane, Fargo gets his 5th grade tormentor, Jessica, and Grant gets his 1947 best friend, who happened to be Beverly’s dad.
The hallucinations occur in tandem with various power surges that start to bring down structures and buildings around town, causing environmental havoc to match the emotional havoc. Tess and Nathan nag Allison and Carter with a running narration about their new relationship – Tess from the standpoint of a BFF betrayal and Nathan from the standpoint that Carter will never, ever fill his (size 13, he wants you to know) shoes. It could have been a sad and painful plot point for the foursome, but was actually pretty clever, quick, and sometimes hysterically funny, with Carter immediately exasperated with Nathan and Allison just annoyed. I expected more soul-searching from Allison and a kind of closure where she actually had a chance to say goodbye to Nathan, but she seemed fairly reticent about it. Because there is still a Tess out there in this reality, her appearance had less permanent ramifications.
Jo’s encounters with AlternaZane were a strange sort of mindmeld of current Zane’s discounting his intentions for Zoe overridden by AlterZane being lovey dovey. Fargo’s former nemesis dogs him about being a weak leader and finally forces him to nut up to the general and find his backbone.
The hallucinations turn out to be a side effect of a plot by Beverly and her unnamed collective (which she convinces Grant he founded) to gain custody of a device being tested at GD. She tells him they’re trying to prevent repeats of nuclear weapon-level catastrophes of science, and she sets him onto a “DED device” that renders electronics useless. This leads Grant to repeatedly interfere with testing of the device, which gets the device loaded up for transport out of GD, where Bev’s group steals it. Once they have the device, the power surges and environmental destruction subside, but the emotional issues have to be sorted out individually.
When Grant realizes he’s been played, he is furious with Bev, until she tells him the core from the DED device can power the Bridge device and send him back to 1947 to continue his work. He’s not completely buying it and it doesn’t help that he keeps seeing her father as he was in 1947. We also find out that Bev’s dad is the guy Allison saved with a jumper cable heart boost in the premiere.
Zoe’s left in the lurch in this episode, trying to work Zane up to asking her out so she can figure out what they have, and at the end of the episode, he finds himself embroiled in a sting trumped up by Bev & co, which leaves her at odds with Carter and storming out of S.A.R.A.H.
Henry and Grace are goofy and giddy and happy and in love and immune to the MacGuffin arc because they were wearing transdermal memory-sharing patches, so we don’t get much of them.
Erica Cerra continues to layer her performance as Jo. Her tough exterior softens a bit when she finally processes that she’s been chatting with an idealized version of who she remembers as Zane but who is not exactly her Zane, and that she’d been romanticizing her memories. In a fit of confession, she processes why she turned down the proposal (she tells him they didn't work, which I think was posturing, but we'll see). She gives Zane back the engagement ring and only realizes after he has it in his hands that he’s this reality’s Zane and not her figment. She doubles over, wanting it back and unable to breathe, and her world starts to spin. There’s an interesting chat to come about why he now has two rings. She doesn't have time to really process that, though, because Zane is then suddenly accused of espionage.
The shakeout at the end is that Carter and Allison have to confess their deepest darkest to each other before they can move forward. For him, it’s that he has loved her since the pilot (which I guessed last week – yay!) and for her, it’s that she’s lost previous loves in a permanent and unfriendly fashion and she worries history will repeat. Once they sort that out, their hallucinations depart. They commence with the romance in proper as Allison beckons him to the bedroom and he’s sort of amazed at how well that went. I have to say the casual way Allison calls him “honey” did as much for me as their confessions. The Carter/Allison romance is finally off the bench. Proceed, guys and gals. Let’s see where this goes.
In short, I was very, very pleased. I guessed/hoped that the cast returns of Ed Quinn and Jaime Ray Newman were a riff of some sort and was glad to be right in assuming/hoping that the obstacles to the Carter/Allison relationship were internal and not external. That said, they had a ridiculous amount of fun with their constant commentary on Allison and Carter, and Quinn even froze his ass off, shirtless and strutting (in Vancouver) just to tweak Carter, who tells him to “put a shirt on!”
We’re two weeks from what Syfy is calling the season finale but I think this is still technically a midseason finale, to be followed by a Christmas one off in time for the holidays. Here’s hoping we get the rest of the season back sooner than later.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Summer TV Extra: TV Guide Network's 2010 Emmy Awards Coverage
It's a well known fact the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards will air today on NBC at 8ET. And just like the Oscars, TV's biggest awards show will now air live on the West Coast too, which means statues will be handed out starting at 5PM Pacific. It'll re-air on the West Coast at 8PT for those who didn't get the memo of the earlier time.
But before the big night begins, the celebrities walk the red carpet and meet the press. And for the most part they look good doing it. TV Guide Network will be there as will Hollywood 411's main man Chris Harrison who hosts the show before the Big Show. You can catch the Emmys Red Carpet with Chris Harrison Sunday August 29th at 6pm Eastern/3pm Pacific on TV Guide Network.
You can also check out TVGuide.com's interview with the Hollywood 411 host who happens to emcee some other shows you may have heard of: ABC's The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad. Anyway, Chris talks about what he will and won't be doing to get ready for this Emmy pre-show gig on TVGN.
And once the awards are a thing of the past, TV Guide Network shines the spotlight on what everyone really wants to know about: the fashion. Fashion Team host Lawrence Zarian and his panel of experts dish the details on the duds that are a dud as well as the celebrities that are fierce and fashionable on the Emmys Red Carpet Fashion Wrap premiering Monday August 30th.
Bonus Coverage: Here's a link to the TVGuide.com live fashion cam...
But before the big night begins, the celebrities walk the red carpet and meet the press. And for the most part they look good doing it. TV Guide Network will be there as will Hollywood 411's main man Chris Harrison who hosts the show before the Big Show. You can catch the Emmys Red Carpet with Chris Harrison Sunday August 29th at 6pm Eastern/3pm Pacific on TV Guide Network.
You can also check out TVGuide.com's interview with the Hollywood 411 host who happens to emcee some other shows you may have heard of: ABC's The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad. Anyway, Chris talks about what he will and won't be doing to get ready for this Emmy pre-show gig on TVGN.
And once the awards are a thing of the past, TV Guide Network shines the spotlight on what everyone really wants to know about: the fashion. Fashion Team host Lawrence Zarian and his panel of experts dish the details on the duds that are a dud as well as the celebrities that are fierce and fashionable on the Emmys Red Carpet Fashion Wrap premiering Monday August 30th.
Bonus Coverage: Here's a link to the TVGuide.com live fashion cam...
2010 Summer TV All-Star: Covert Affairs' Christopher Gorham by Heather M.
So, Chris Gorham.
I’ve been a fan since Popular, and seriously a fan since Jake 2.0, a sweet gem of a genre show, shot in Vancouver in 2003, that didn’t get past the first season on the nascent UPN. In that show, he played a meek IT tech for the NSA who couldn’t quite get into the agent circle, until he was accidentally exposed to nanotechnology that rendered him adept and powerful, a la Steve Austin.
Gorham has a physicality that belies his infectious smile and boy-next-door charm—it can be seductive and it can be scary. He’s very adept at using it both ways. Jake 2.0 worked it—putting Gorham in a variety of harm’s way and also bonding him to the lead scientist, Diane, played by Keegan Connor Tracy, with whom he had some lovely chemistry. None more so than when he was an amnesiac who found himself in a fight club, because his enhanced physical ability was the only sure thing he knew. Diane went to find him, and despite his inability to remember her as Jake, there was still a bond between them that was innately familiar and natural to him.
In the interim since Jake 2.0 ended, Gorham guested on Without a Trace (also in a heartbreaking role as a duped high school teacher) and appeared regularly on Ugly Betty, a show a bit too frenetic for my tastes, that I did not watch.
Then, last summer (MAJOR spoilers ahoy), he anchored the ensemble thriller series Harper’s Island, which was a Ten Little Indians riff on CBS about a wedding party at a beautiful destination wedding (also Vancouver) being picked off one by one by a killer or killers unknown. Gorham was the mild-mannered bridegroom, Henry, who fought alongside his friends to conquer the killer(s), only to be revealed as one of them in the series’ 12th episode. The moment where he flicks the switch from sweet, attentive groom-to-be to completely batshit crazy and stabs his fiancee is amazing to behold. And then he goes a little further into insanity, reciting his justifications in a wild-eyed yet innocent dialogue to the woman who had been his lifelong best friend and suddenly found herself his prisoner as part of a misguided soul mate quest. When she kills him and he doesn’t understand, until his last breath, what he did wrong, it’s crushing to watch.
Which brings us to Covert Affairs, the newest summer hit (already renewed for a second season) on USA. Gorham pays Auggie, a blinded former special ops soldier who now finds himself a CIA tech and confidante to the show’s lead, newly minted agent Annie Walker. He’s funny, competent, a bit of a ladies man, and itching to be a field agent again despite his inability to see. This week’s episode put Auggie in the driver’s seat, managing an operation on a hacker with whom he’d had an affair a few years prior.
The flame was rekindled, he did his job to get the data they needed from her, and then she got away, which gave him a sense of closure for his earlier betrayal that had locked her up for two years. In this episode, we also discovered that Auggie’s been running a play on Liza Hearn, a local D.C. journalist looking to crack the CIA wall. As the episode closes, Auggie returns home, defeated at losing Natasha again, and cognizant that he can’t do these ops every day, when Liza surprises him, already inside his apartment. She comes close behind him in an embrace, happy to see him. And, he smiles a wistful little smile, happy that she’s there, disappointed that she’s not Natasha, and sad that history’s about to repeat itself with a romantic betrayal in the name of the job.
We wonder whether Auggie can really pull off an operation on another woman he’s having a relationship with. I say yes. I want to see a flashback of special ops Auggie, where he’s able to see, yet blocks out what he does see in order to accomplish his (in all likelihood, quite deadly) missions vs. now, where he’s physically unable to see but also unable to manifest that same level of deception because the rest of his features give him away. Gorham can pull off this duplicity. I hope Covert Affairs lets him.
Jake 2.0 is not on DVD (Boo!) but does rotate on Syfy occasionally. Harper's Island is available on DVD. Covert Affairs runs through September on USA and rebroadcasts on USA.com and Hulu.com.
I’ve been a fan since Popular, and seriously a fan since Jake 2.0, a sweet gem of a genre show, shot in Vancouver in 2003, that didn’t get past the first season on the nascent UPN. In that show, he played a meek IT tech for the NSA who couldn’t quite get into the agent circle, until he was accidentally exposed to nanotechnology that rendered him adept and powerful, a la Steve Austin.
Gorham has a physicality that belies his infectious smile and boy-next-door charm—it can be seductive and it can be scary. He’s very adept at using it both ways. Jake 2.0 worked it—putting Gorham in a variety of harm’s way and also bonding him to the lead scientist, Diane, played by Keegan Connor Tracy, with whom he had some lovely chemistry. None more so than when he was an amnesiac who found himself in a fight club, because his enhanced physical ability was the only sure thing he knew. Diane went to find him, and despite his inability to remember her as Jake, there was still a bond between them that was innately familiar and natural to him.
In the interim since Jake 2.0 ended, Gorham guested on Without a Trace (also in a heartbreaking role as a duped high school teacher) and appeared regularly on Ugly Betty, a show a bit too frenetic for my tastes, that I did not watch.
Then, last summer (MAJOR spoilers ahoy), he anchored the ensemble thriller series Harper’s Island, which was a Ten Little Indians riff on CBS about a wedding party at a beautiful destination wedding (also Vancouver) being picked off one by one by a killer or killers unknown. Gorham was the mild-mannered bridegroom, Henry, who fought alongside his friends to conquer the killer(s), only to be revealed as one of them in the series’ 12th episode. The moment where he flicks the switch from sweet, attentive groom-to-be to completely batshit crazy and stabs his fiancee is amazing to behold. And then he goes a little further into insanity, reciting his justifications in a wild-eyed yet innocent dialogue to the woman who had been his lifelong best friend and suddenly found herself his prisoner as part of a misguided soul mate quest. When she kills him and he doesn’t understand, until his last breath, what he did wrong, it’s crushing to watch.
Which brings us to Covert Affairs, the newest summer hit (already renewed for a second season) on USA. Gorham pays Auggie, a blinded former special ops soldier who now finds himself a CIA tech and confidante to the show’s lead, newly minted agent Annie Walker. He’s funny, competent, a bit of a ladies man, and itching to be a field agent again despite his inability to see. This week’s episode put Auggie in the driver’s seat, managing an operation on a hacker with whom he’d had an affair a few years prior.
The flame was rekindled, he did his job to get the data they needed from her, and then she got away, which gave him a sense of closure for his earlier betrayal that had locked her up for two years. In this episode, we also discovered that Auggie’s been running a play on Liza Hearn, a local D.C. journalist looking to crack the CIA wall. As the episode closes, Auggie returns home, defeated at losing Natasha again, and cognizant that he can’t do these ops every day, when Liza surprises him, already inside his apartment. She comes close behind him in an embrace, happy to see him. And, he smiles a wistful little smile, happy that she’s there, disappointed that she’s not Natasha, and sad that history’s about to repeat itself with a romantic betrayal in the name of the job.
We wonder whether Auggie can really pull off an operation on another woman he’s having a relationship with. I say yes. I want to see a flashback of special ops Auggie, where he’s able to see, yet blocks out what he does see in order to accomplish his (in all likelihood, quite deadly) missions vs. now, where he’s physically unable to see but also unable to manifest that same level of deception because the rest of his features give him away. Gorham can pull off this duplicity. I hope Covert Affairs lets him.
Jake 2.0 is not on DVD (Boo!) but does rotate on Syfy occasionally. Harper's Island is available on DVD. Covert Affairs runs through September on USA and rebroadcasts on USA.com and Hulu.com.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Summer 7: WGA Panel featuring Emmy-nominated Writers from Modern Family, Glee, FNL etc. by Tina Charles
7 things I learned at Thursday night's often hilarious Sublime Primetime panel that featured some of this year's Emmy-nominated writers from TV miniseries, sitcoms and dramas (courtesy of the Writers Guild Foundation):
The 62nd Emmy Awards air on Sunday, August 29th on NBC @ 8PM/Eastern.
The night's featured players included:
- "Television, I don't know if anyone knows this, is super easy." - Glee's Ian Brennan said this after moderator and Lost guru Carlton Cuse pointed out how Brennan went from actor to being nominated for an Emmy for his very first writing gig.
- We now know the format for Conan O'Brien's upcoming TBS late night talk show: "Have you seen the other two? Kind of like that. Guests, a band, celebrities selling b---s--t. Pretty much like that." Love that this "insight" came from the always funny 2010 Emmy-nominee (and not to mention Conan sidekick) Andy Richter.
- Not that this is a shocker but The Office's Mindy Kaling is freakin' hilarious. As is Modern Family co-creator/Executive Producer Steve Levitan and Lost showunner/Executive Producer Cuse who had to face down a few jokes about the lack of answers from his Emmy-nominated show that's up for Best Drama series. He was a trooper.
- The audience loved CBS' The Good Wife. When it came time for the audience portion of the Q&A many questions were thrown at husband-wife writing team and creators of CBS' hit drama Robert and Michelle King. News (at least to me) was that the married couple originally pitched Good Wife to ABC but the alphabet network passed.
- None of the Glee "boys" (Brennan, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk) have seen Disney Channel's High School Musical. This band of three were referred to as "the Glee boys" or "the Glee guys" so often that Ian at one point insisted they had real names. Very funny moment.
- Mindy follows her Office character on Twitter.
- We learned what these writers watch on TV: Kaling adores AMC's Breaking Bad; Levitan tunes into Showtime's Weeds; Murphy is a big, big fan of A&E's Hoarders; HBO's Deadwood pretty much ruined TV for Richter because he loved it so much although he has been known to tune into Bravo's Top Chef and "whatever's on." The Pacific's Robert Schenkkan and Friday Night Lights scribe Rolin Jones were completely devoted to The Wire. Jones got real specific and said he was way into The Wire Seasons 3 and 4 the most.
The 62nd Emmy Awards air on Sunday, August 29th on NBC @ 8PM/Eastern.
The night's featured players included:
- From Lost: Carlton Cuse who moderated the evening.
- From The Office: Mindy Kaling
- From The Pacific: Bruce C. McKenna
- Also from The Pacific: Robert Schenkkan
- From Modern Family: Steve Levitan
- From Friday Night Lights: Rolin Jones
- From The Good Wife: Robert King
- Also from The Good Wife: Michelle King
- From Glee: Brad Falchuk
- Also from Glee: Ryan Murphy
- One more from Glee: Brad Falchuk
- Conan's Andy Richter
Drop Dead Diva Extra
Hi all. I'm pretty excited for Sunday's two-hour finale and I'm thinking you are too. As you may or may not know Drop Dead Diva hasn't been picked up for another season yet. Check out this message from series creator Josh Berman and show them some facebook love.
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