Survivor: Borneo SE01 EP01 - "The Marooning"

Survivor is a show that I grew up with, and have a deep interest in. While generally I will avoid "reality television," this show has an almost special place in my heart. My reviews of episodes, though, will be slightly different. Given it's a reality TV show, great detail doesn't strike me as being overly necessary. Quite simply, I'll state what happened in the episode, and then in the summary, move onto the more interesting portion, being the analysis. Lastly, I won't be giving ratings for this series - I wouldn't even begin to know how to rate reality television, so I'll just leave that bit off.

Episode Name: The Marooning
Original Airdate: May 31, 2000

Here we are - 39 days, 16 contestants, 1 million dollars.

This episode doesn't waste time - the two tribes, Tagi and Pagong, have already been chosen. Here are the contestants, with their profession and age:

Tagi:

Sean Kenniff - Doctor [30]

Kelly Wiglesworth - River guide [22]

Rudy Boesch - Retired Navy Seal [72]

Sonja Christopher - Musician [63]

Richard Hatch - Corporate trainer [38]

Susan Hawk - Truck driver [38]

Dirk Been - Dairy farmer [23]

Stacey Stillman - Attorney [27]

Pagong:

Gervase Peterson - Youth basketball coach [30]

Colleen Haskell - College student [23]

B.B. Andersen - Real Estate developer [64]

Ramona Gray - Biochemist [28]

Gretchen Cordy - Teacher [38]

Greg Buis - Recent college graduate [24]

Jenna Lewis - College student [22]

Joel Klug - Health Club consultant [27]

For Tagi, rifts arise quickly. Richard would prefer to discuss what steps they need to take to accomplish their goals, while most of the tribe is more action-orientated, such as Susan. Kelly has immediate problems with Rudy's bossiness. Richard has problems hiding his disappointment of the disorganization of his tribe, and his tone comes across as condescending to some tribe mates. The next day, Sean tends to Sonja, who cut her legs (due to thinner skin and her age, she believes). Despite working hard, Tagi is unable to get a fire going.

On Pagong, Ramona has difficulty on the raft (being a biochemist, she doesn't get out much) and appears greatly weakened when they reach their camp. Still, she and B.B. are able to find the water after an hour, and later, Gretchen makes a fire using B.B.'s glasses. B.B. rubs most of the tribe the wrong way, though, with his hard-working attitude. Joel, Colleen, and Greg, in B.B.'s eyes, are all lazy. Gretchen tries to reason with B.B., and let him know how he comes across, but comes across as bossy to her also. Gretchen worries that B.B. will burn out, ruining their chances of winning the Reward and Immunity challenges. 

Speaking of the challenges, the Reward and Immunity challenges are combined into one in this episode (the prize being waterproof matches). During the physical challenge, Tagi and Pagong are close at the beginning, but Pagong comes out ahead, partially due to Sonja struggling to stay upward, causing significant delay.

Rudy discovers that despite his preconceived beliefs, he meshes well with Richard ("He's fat, but he's good"). The same can be said vice versa, as Richard enjoys Rudy's straight-forward attitude. Sonja feels responsible for the loss, while Rudy considers that he may be voted off for being older. Susan gives an amusing confessional in which she says that Stacey believes Susan to be voting for Rudy, but she's actually not.

At Tribal Council, Sonja states that despite her age, she is perfectly able to carry on with the tribe. Unfortunately, this doesn't work, as she becomes the first individual voted off of Borneo, and Survivor as a whole.

The vote count, with the parenthesis indicating who voted for that person.

Sonja: 4 [Susan, Rudy, Sean, Dirk]
Rudy: 3 [Stacey, Sonja, Kelly]
Stacey: 1 [Richard]

Sonja following the extinguishing of her torch

The first episode, and season in general, is really interesting to watch if you're familiar with modern-day Survivor. Personally, I've not watched the show in something like 15 seasons now, but this is quite far removed from what many viewers have come to known. Case in point: during the challenge in this episode, instead of Jeff supplying us with updates, we have dated techno music playing throughout. Quite simply, it just feels different.

Before I go on and give my analysis, I want to make this clear: I know the winner of this season (most Survivor fans do). I know the winner of the first eight seasons, to be perfectly honest. Anything after that, well, it's been too long to remember the specifics. Because of this, I cannot give a completely non-biased analysis of each contestant, because I know that some will surprise us and last longer than expected, and others will be voted out before we really get to know them. But I'll do what I can.

On the teams themselves, I think Pagong has an advantage when it comes to physical challenges. Gervase, Greg, and Joel all look like they can hold their own, while Tagi really only has Sean and Dirk (you could argue Richard, but he's not the typical strong guy). On the other hand, Rudy gets along better with Tagi than B.B. does with his tribe. Plus, Ramona could be a weak link, given her weakened state in this episode. Tagi got rid of their obvious weak link this episode (Rudy, despite his age, seems quite able to physically compete), so one would hope that would make them more successful as they move on. But just looking at the team dynamics, physically, Pagong appears a stronger team.

This episode was featured far more on Tagi than it was Pagong. Partly, this is because Tagi lost the challenge so their drama is more interesting to cover than Pagong's victory celebrations. As such, we got to see a bit of most Tagi members. We didn't really see much of Kelly, Stacey, or Dirk, so my opinions on them are not quite formed. Sean seems a decent guy, and being a doctor (neurosurgeon, to be specific) shows that he is willing to work hard. Rudy, while gruff, seems to know what he's doing, though I highly doubt he can play the social aspect of this game really well. Richard, I liked also, as the way he approaches this game seems far more fine-tuned than how Susan came in (they're disagreement in this episode was perhaps my favorite scene). Speaking of Susan, while she may well be a strong competitor, I won't lie - her accent is quite grating to me. Hopefully, it'll wear off as the series continues.

For many Pagong members, we don't really learn much. Gervase, Colleen, Greg, Jenna, and Joel are sort of just there. Joel can't stand B.B., but from the lot of them, this is about all we know. B.B. is much like Rudy, only he seems more vocal about his displeasure with other tribe mates. I sense that B.B. will have a far harder time in Pagong than Rudy will in Tagi. I don't even disagree with B.B. on this point, but it's not the way to go if you actually are looking to win. Ramona seems out of her element here, but that might wear off as the season progresses. Gretchen seems a very nice woman, partially, I am guessing, because she's a pre-school teacher. Instead of ignoring B.B. like others did, she explained to him her perspective calmly, and unlike Joel, did not give up when annoyed. Quite simply, she came across as a polite individual in this episode, so hopefully she can make that work with the group.

As for Sonja, well, she seems like a very nice lady. Optimistic, willing to help out the tribe by playing music for them, Sonja was a perfectly fun and loving individual. Her lack of physical prowess notwithstanding, she could have been one of the more popular contestants. As such, she was a weak link, so pragmatically, it's good that she was booted out, and on good terms too.

It was close, though. Rudy had three votes, Sonja had four. While it's obvious why Sonja voted Rudy, Stacey and Kelly teaming up on him (and trying to get Susan to join in) was interesting. We know from her confessionals that Stacey considers Rudy too bossy, but beyond that, we don't know much. As for Kelly, I am guessing she just followed Stacey's line of thought and voted Rudy because Stacey did. Most interesting, though, is Richard's vote for Stacey. You can tell that Stacey obviously didn't expect it, and even Richard seems unable (or unwilling) to describe exactly why he voted for her. Not voting for the obvious choice shows that Richard isn't using the same thought process that many contestants seem to be.

Contestants who stood out positively in this episode include Richard, Rudy, and Gretchen. Everyone else either didn't leave an impression, or we didn't learn much about.


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Freaks and Geeks SE01 EP03 - "Tricks and Treats"

Episode Name: Tricks and Treats

Original Airdate: October 30, 1999

Characters:

1) Lindsay Weir

2) Sam Weir

3) Neil

4) Bill

5) Daniel

6) Nick

7) Ken

8) Kim

9) Millie

10) Jeff Russo

11) Harris
12) Alan

It's nearing Halloween, and Mrs. Weir is excited to hand out candy again with Lindsay, who is less than ecstatic, but her mother doesn't catch on. Sam, now in ninth grade, claims he's too old to trick or treat, which his mother doesn't agree with, but his father vehemently does.

Plans, of course, don't work out. When given Crime and Punishment to read for a book report, Sam convinces Neil and Bill to go trick or treating with him. They're a bit old, sure, but feeling like a kid instead of reading Crime and Punishment Halloween night strikes him as a good, likely nostalgic idea. Lindsay, meanwhile, is invited to hang out with Nick, Daniel and Kim (which is done in a way which make Nick's attraction for Lindsay pretty obvious). At first, she declines, but after finding out that Millie has a boyfriend, she decides to join them, potentially hoping to get with Nick.

The night goes well for no one.

Lindsay leaves her mother without any warning, and Mrs. Weir hands out her home-baked cookies herself, though many parents aren't accepting them, as they're not wrapped.

Lindsay's night goes downhill first when Ken is with Nick, Daniel and Kim - instead of a double-date like scenario she was considering, Ken being there makes the whole thing far more casual to her. Not to mention, her suggestions of what to do get shot down by Daniel and Kim, as they simply want to aimlessly drive around, and let what happens happen. Eventually, bored, they decide to raise hell, and beginning smashing pumpkins, hitting mailboxes with bats, and egging kids.

Lindsay, Nick and Ken

Sam, Neil, Bill, and Harris (who has appeared in both previous episodes) are ridiculed by parents, those handing out candy, and even some girls that Neil has a crush on. Worse, they run into Alan, the bully from the Pilot, and he and some friends rough them up a little, leading to a harsh argument between Neil and Sam. Worse still, Sam gets egged by no other than Lindsay and Kim (not knowing it was him). Lindsay tries to apologize to him, and Daniel offers to drive him home, but he runs back himself, very obviously hurt.

Neil, Harris, Sam and Bill

They both get home around the same time, and while Sam doesn't tell their parents that Lindsay was the one responsible, but calls those who did it "dirtbags" while glaring at Lindsay. He then insists he'd not a baby at his mother's concerns, and leaves for his room. After a heart-to-heart with her mother about leaving her to hand out candy herself, Lindsay decides to dress up and finish the night off, but beforehand, speaks to Sam, apologizing. Understandably angry, Sam lets her know that no one thinks she's cool for hanging out with the "freaks," to which she solemnly agrees. Lindsay hands out candy with her mother, and her father talks briefly to Sam, who is reading Crime and Punishment prior to going to bed, choosing to, in a way, leave his childhood behind him.

This episode was far removed from the previous one. Instead of emotional drama insofar as relationships are concerned, this episode focused on the drama within the family.

Let's talk about Mr. Weir, first. Personally, I found him pretty terrible for most of the episode. He wasn't supportive of his wife's interest in Halloween, and also more or less mocked his son when he did decide to go trick or treating. Toward the end, he definitely tried to be more supportive, but overall, I found it pretty weak.

Mrs. Weir's story was perhaps the most disheartening of the episode, I feel. She deeply cares about Halloween, and went all out to celebrate. But when parents actively refuse to accept her cookies, her night goes downhill, and without her daughter by her side, she is very obviously depressed. I am happy that this arch was tidied up nicely, as the final scene really was heart-warming.

Sam trying to hold onto his childhood by trick or treating failed in about every way it could have. I think many of us have had those moments where you weren't sure where you fit on the scheme of things - were you a kid, or ready to grow up? For many people, it's a mix of both. I didn't have much of a childhood, so seeing Sam's childhood pretty painfully ripped away from him was quite sad. More so, I cannot imagine that Sam will easily forgive Lindsay for her actions, and more so, it may change their whole relationship for the rest of the show. Sam's fight with Neil will be far easier to smooth over, but there may be some remaining tension there come the next episode.

For Lindsay, her story is two-pronged - family concerns, and relationship concerns.

She really screwed up by egging Sam, and while it wasn't entirely her fault (she couldn't see who exactly she was egging), you could tell she felt immensely bad about it. Immediately, she wanted to be let out of the car, and go back to Sam. And you could tell the worry was real also - sure, she was scared about getting in trouble, but her apology to Sam, multiple, all had a lot of feeling behind them. With her mother, I think we've all been in a situation in which you don't want to let down a loved one so you grit your teeth and do something you'd otherwise not do. Lindsay's actions her were not ones I could blame, though she did apologize to her mother, and by the end, I think that particular wound had mended.

After finding out that Millie of all people has a boyfriend, though, she is really desperate to get into a relationship. Nick, whom she seems to be at least mildly attracted to, seems a good choice, and I hope that is something she pursues. At the very least, I think she's mostly over Daniel, which is good news for everyone, unless Daniel and Kim break up, and Daniel tries getting with Lindsay. That would be a mess.

Why would Nick be a good partner, though? In this episode alone, he shows his deeply supportive and gentle side. When Lindsay realizes that it's her brother who she egged, Nick is the one who gets people to quit laughing and turn the car around for her. He stood up for her beautifully, though in that moment of panic, Lindsay may not have seen it. Regardless, I do hope for good things in their future.

The rest of the "freaks"? Well, personally, I detest Kim about as much as I detest anyone. While I am sure there are reasons for her bitchiness (her mother, by the sounds of this episode, is one prime candidate), at this moment, it really doesn't allow Kim to be shone in anything than a negative light. I'm sure the time will come when this changes, but I've little pity for her at the moment.

Daniel, I am starting to dislike more and more. He stood up for Lindsay a few times in this episode, but it was more half-heartily and far less passionately than Nick did. While Nick demanded that Daniel let her out of the car after the egging, Daniel was content with just continuing on driving, reasoning that Sam was "fine" and wouldn't be hurt. It just wasn't anything I'd consider impressive, and his character is not one I am much fond of at the moment.

Lastly, as always, Ken didn't really do much. While he laughed at the fact Lindsay egged her brother, he did stop immediately once Nick told him to. Aside from that, he didn't show much character here, which is on par for him.

This episode was quite different than the last one, and initially, I thought it was slightly worse. Not bad by any means, but not as poignant. Upon re-examination, though, I realized that this episode is just as touching as the last one, and in many ways, more so. Again, I give this series' episode my highest rating.


Rating: Superb


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Freaks and Geeks SE01 EP02 - "Beers and Weirs"

Episode Name: Beers and Weirs

Original Airdate: October 2, 1999

Characters:

1) Lindsay Weir

2) Sam Weir

3) Neil

4) Bill

5) Daniel

6) Nick

7) Ken

8) Millie

9) Cindy

10) Kim

11)  Jeff Russo

Lindsay and Sam's parents are going out of town for the weekend, and on the suggestion of Daniel (whom Lindsay has a crush on), who happened to just break up with Kim, Lindsay agrees to throw a party at her house. Bill and Neil overhear this, which causes Neil consternation: he believes that they are bad influences on her, and will ruin her life. More so, as Bill points out, Neil has a bit of a crush on her. Lindsay lets Sam know about the plans, and he promises not to tell their parents. After a school assembly displaying skits about alcohol deaths, though, Sam begins to share Neil's concern about the party, and decides they need to take measures to prevent any shenanigans: they plan to switch out the beer keg with a keg of non-alcoholic beer.

Daniel resting head on Lindsay's shoulder during school assembly

Neil, Bill, and Sam buying non-alcoholic beer

Sam, Neil and Bill are able to switch out the kegs, with Sam and Bill doing the heavy lifting and Neil smooth-talking Lindsay, occasionally awkwardly, though his Sabbath joke was pretty amusing. Daniel, Ken and Nick arrive, and the party begins, Daniel telling her not to be nervous - he knows it'll be great.

Daniel, Nick, and Ken arriving at party

With Bill guarding the beer in Sam's room, Sam and Neil patrol the party, making sure things don't break and people don't do stupid things. The first setback comes in the form of Millie (who in fact participated in the anti-alcohol skit earlier that day), who is immensely uncomfortable in the situation, decides to stay and keep an eye on things, though as she says, she will have more fun then anyone else, sober. Next, older friend's of Daniel arrive, far past high school age, along with Kim. Neil and Sam worry, while watching the party unfold, that while the beer is non-alcoholic, the placebo effect will cause damage to the house regardless. Bill, alone in the room with the keg watching Dallas, begins to drink.

Lindsay catches Daniel looking over her extensive collection of pictures and medal, and while Lindsay acts as though it reflects a past geeky life, Daniel backs up her right to be proud of her achievements, seemingly flirting with her. Millie, being her self-righteous self, begins playing a hymn on the piano when the music cuts off, and while most are annoyed, Nick jumps in and sings with her. Daniel prevents a fight between an older guest and Ken. Cindy, Sam's crush, comes over, and a drunken Bill insists that he show dominance to gain her attraction.

After looking around for Daniel, Lindsay catches him and Kim making out in her bed, thoroughly disgusting and hurting her. She tries to calm down outside, and Nick attempts to comfort her, but while hugging her, undoes her bra-clip, only disgusting her further. Nick immediately apologizes, blaming the fact that he's "wasted," but Lindsay goes back inside and cries in an empty room.

Neil tries to comfort her, telling her that while things may not be working out, she is a beautiful young girl, and is able to do anything she wants. They hug, Lindsay seeking comfort. Wanting the party to end, but afraid to look lame in front of everyone, she's not sure what to do. Neil then comes up with a plan - calling the police, pretending to be a next door neighbor, and shutting the party down. Just as Sam begins talking to Cindy, Neil clears everyone out by saying that the police are outside.

Miserably, Lindsay heads off to bed, telling a drunken Bill that he should get off the floor, as that's how the drummer of Led Zeppelin died.

Millie arriving at party

While on the surface not as substantive as the pilot, Beers and Weirs holds within it some great emotional nuggets worth examining.

First thing's first, though - while I identified the actor playing the father of Lindsay and Sam last episode as one I knew (mostly from Happy Gilmore), it just hit me this episode I knew the mother also. She played one of the characters in the 1999 mini-series Storm of the Century, an extremely good horror story worth watching (and written by Stephen King). Her face just clicked, so I thought it was worth mentioning.

Insofar as the characters go though, who better to start off with than Lindsay? Trying to impress her new friends, and specifically Daniel, was a poor idea, but once it's done, there's only so much you can do to salvage the situation (one of the reasons Neil's solution at the end was quite welcomed). As she bemoaned near the end, her old friends (such as Millie) think that she's throwing her life away, while her new friends believe her to be a goody-two shoes. Lindsay is in a confusing situation, and doesn't know how to move forward. More so, Daniel's misleading behavior in the episode (which I personally feel was clearly flirting) has hurt her deeply, given her crush on him. Where will she go from her? Whatever she may think of Daniel now (though I suspect she'll still harbor feelings for him), at the very least we know that she'll stick with her new friends as opposed to backpedaling into her academically-focused life. She's put too much into it to do otherwise. Down the line, she may even attempt a relationship with Nick, but more on this later. Suffice it to say, the next few episodes should be an interesting trip for us, and a gut-wrenching one for Lindsay.

On Daniel, I am rather mixed. It's not clear if he knew that Lindsay was hosting the party only to impress him, but some glances he gives her, and actions toward her, seem to suggest that. At the very least, he should be aware enough to realize when he lays his head on someone's shoulder, that could be misconstrued as flirting. I don't know if Daniel is intentionally using Lindsay, but even if he is, I don't think it's being done maliciously. If anything, I think he just wants Lindsay to live life a little. If this is his intention, though, he is going about it the wrong way, and at the end of the episode, when he and Kim are leaving the party, there is no indication he feels bad that Lindsay caught the two of them making out on her bad. I'm not overly impressed with his actions, but perhaps they'll be expanded on as the series goes on.

Nick, throughout the episode and the pilot, has been nothing but kind to Lindsay as she's adjusting to her new friends. Showing her his drum set and telling her to pursue her passion was well-done, and here, trying to comfort her outside initially started out well. I do believe the hug was purely well-intentioned, and his actions thereafter due to the placebo effect of being drunk. I do feel he felt quite bad about what he did, indicated further when he attempts to have Sam apologize for him. We know already, though, that Nick is a gentle soul, even if he does make mistakes. When Millie began playing a hymn during the party, Kim openly mocked her. Despite being Kim's friend, Nick joined in with Millie and sang with her, standing up for her when no one else would, and urged others to join in. All-in-all, I hope that Nick is able to apologize properly to Lindsay, because despite all the fuss over Daniel, Nick seems a far better guy.

Millie is someone we don't know much about, but what we do know makes her character a mixed bag. The bad: She is quite judgmental toward those who don't live life the way she does (somewhat similar to Neil, actually), which may be due to her strict religious upbringing. She simply cannot understand why Lindsay would want to throw a party or drink. Now, it's perfectly okay to believe in the straight-edge lifestyle (I myself didn't drink until I got to college), but when she starts pushing that belief in other's faces (as she tries to do at the party), it comes across, rightly so, as annoying. Millie's a sweet girl, and I hope Nick sticking up for her opens her eyes to the fact that what people do to themselves is their choice, and not one that she has the right to dictate. Though I do give her some kudos - she did not call the police on Lindsay, and instead stuck around at the party to make sure things went okay.

To finish off the freaks, though, we have Ken and Kim. Ken, we still don't know a whole lot about, as he's not much of a talker. He did, though, seem to bear no ill-will toward Sam when he revealed that the beer was non-alcoholic, and despite his deadpan, gruff exterior, seems mostly a nice guy. Kim, I'm torn on. Well I can imagine a man being oblivious to how girls take his actions, Kim should have known perfectly well that making out on Lindsay's bed with Daniel was not okay. In fact, I suspect that Kim knows Lindsay has a crush on Daniel, and has known from the beginning. Given that she and Daniel are dating on-and-off, I can understand the jealousy, but the passive-aggressive attitude she displayed at the end of the episode just struck me as catty. I don't much like her character, though I do hold hope that she can become more accepting toward Lindsay as the series drags on.

Sam was pretty on point this episode. While he didn't tell his parents about the party Lindsay was planning, he did, with the help of his friends, work hard to ensure that people at the party would be safe from what he believed to be the dangers of alcohol. Personally, I think it was wrong to switch out the kegs, but I understand fully the reasoning behind it. He is opening up slightly more to Cindy, and if not for Neil's announcement of police, who knows what he might have revealed.

Neil here showed a maturity which I would not have expected from him (though possibly it has something to do with being raised Jewish). Though awkward as it may be for both parties, he is perfectly able to handle a conversation with Lindsay, and more so, able to speak to liquor store owners and get non-alcoholic beer out of it. His crush on Lindsay is cute, and he was a big help to her insofar as clearing the party, so while a relationship is not likely to happen (given age differences, not to mention a plethora of other things), he did show a very mature and sweet side. I think if he had been five years older at least, he could have had some chance. Nonetheless, Lindsay saw him in a different light, and I hope that she remembers he is there for her if need be going forward.

Looking back, that's quite a lot of thought put into this episode, but then again, I felt this episode had a lot packed into it. Overall, I was skeptical a typical house party episode would hold up a match to the pilot, but it did, and did it well. The emotional drama in this episode was high, and Cardellini, the actress portraying Lindsay, was as spectacular as I'd have expected. Insofar as other call-outs to good performances, Martin Starr (Bill) and Sarah Hagan (Millie) did extremely well in this episode, and hope to see them continue to shine.

This was a fantastic episode despite my initial beliefs, and, like the first one, is getting my highest rating.

Quote of the episode:

Jeff Russo [during student assembly]: Now, I know what you're thinking - Mr. Russo, you don't understand. If I don't drink, I won't be cool. Well, you know what I say to that? Maybe if you don't drink, you will be cool."

Rating: Superb


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The Streets of San Francisco SE01 EP00 - "The Streets of San Francisco"

The Streets of San Francisco is one of the many shows from the 70's I was not aware of until I began constructing the list of shows for me to review. In fact, it was my mother who brought this show to my attention. This first episode is a television movie pilot, designated SE01 EP00 on IMDb (much like the debut episode of Murder, She Wrote), and runs one hour and 39 minutes. 

Episode Name: The Streets of San Francisco

Original Airdate: September 16, 1972

As expected, San Francisco is not the safest place to live. A child named Joe Ramsey has been abducted and likely killed, with almost no leads for the police to tackle (aside from a single red boot). A Donner woman has been mutilated, but they at least found two boots, quipped the police captain. The media is of course going wild over it, and are connecting the murders and abductions. And the job for the San Francisco Police Department gets no easier when a body of a young woman is found floating in the bay by a jogger and his dog.

We meet our main characters, Lieutenant Michael Stone, a veteran police officer, and his partner, Assistant Inspector Steve Keller, a 28-year old Criminology major, when they arrive on the scene. Suicide is ruled out quickly due to where the body was found, and around the neck of the girl is a business card for one David Farr, attorney at law. Upon contacting and meeting with Farr, it is evident to Keller that he is clearly hiding something - the extent to Farr's involvement, according to Farr, is that he bailed the girl, Holly Berry, out of jail the week prior and insofar as family members, she mentioned to him a brother (who is at a halfway house) and an uncle. From the coroner, they learn that Berry didn't drown - she died due to a blow from the carotid artery.

Stone and Keller check out her apartment, and learn that Farr was seen there in her apartment by the landlord, and more so, he had her key. He also saw someone who called himself her uncle, not so much interested in Holly, but in her brother, Delbert.

From flashbacks from Farr, we learn that he was quite more involved then he said - he and Holly met at a party, and she later went over to his place, and they became quite entangled. Stone and Keller contact Farr again, and he tells them more. When he bailed her out, he didn't take her home, but to a hotel, as Holly insisted someone tried to run her off the road, due to something her brother saw in the truck of his vehicle. Farr didn't believe her, but still dropped her off at a hotel and went back to her apartment to pick up some clothes for her. After leaving them in her room, he left, and hadn't seen her again.

Stone and Keller don't believe Farr's story about the mysterious attempted killer at all, and Keller definitely suspects Farr to be the one who murdered Berry. The hotel manager let them know that he heard an argument from the room he put them in between a man and a woman, but could say nothing else. From Farr's neighbor, they learn that Farr is a green belt in Karate, and Keller goes to check out that angle.

From the karate master, Keller learns that Farr complained about losing his keys the last week, and finds out that Farr has a boat, which they didn't know of before. Keller and Stone run into Farr a few additional times, and it becomes clear to Farr that he is the main suspect of the murder. He calls Stone and threatens to file an harassment suit against them when he finds out Keller has been snooping around his boat. Farr claims the brother is the key to the case, and lets Stone know that he intends to find him and discover what he saw in the trunk of the mysterious man's vehicle.

Stone and Keller go to the yacht club, and speak to two attendees, and learn that Tuesday night, they saw two figures get onto Farr's boat, whom the two suspect is Farr and Holly. Stone then has a warrant put out. Farr contacts the band Delbert, Holly's brother, is in, and sets up a meeting via a band mate for the next night. Back at the station, Stone has suspicions that Farr is not the one they're after, and is more interested in locating Berry's "uncle," who Stone suspects has far more to do with this case then they realize.

Inside Farr's boat cabin, though, they discover Berry's yellow belt buckle, and an arrest warrant, along with an APB, get put out on Farr. A person fitting the description of the uncle was seen near Farr's boat in the week prior, making Stone wonder even more what his connection to the case is, and reaffirms his belief that he is an important piece of the puzzle. When they find out that this man has been four of the same locations as has Farr, this further cinches it.

Finally, Farr is able to meet Delbert, Holly's brother, who is jacked up on drugs, but is able to speak. He saw something which he wouldn't name in the back of a car, and was planning to blackmail the individual, using his sister as a go-between. This plan fails when the man kills Holly. Farr then calls Stone and Keller from a phone booth outside, letting them know he found Delbert. While he is on the call, Delbert is killed. Minutes later, the same man attacks and abducts Farr.

The police arrive after the man leaves - as there was a pileup on the Golden Gate Bridge, though, they conclude that he can't get far. The identity of the man, they discover, is Gregory Praxas, an actor. Farr wakes up in a vaguely satanic dungeon. Praxas, seemingly pretty crazy, torments him a bit, but before he can do much more, Stone and Keller arrive at his place.

The conversation starts out well enough for Praxas, who calmly denies knowing Delbert Berry. When asked what he did the night before, he claims he went to dinner late, and came back home around midnight. The location where he went to eat, however, was across the Golden Gate Bridge, which was closed at the moment, tipping Stone and Keller off.

Praxas attempts to kill Farr, but is stopped by the two officers working together, and is eventually shot multiple times (evidently crazy enough to believe himself invincible). After the threat is neutralized, they discover what was in the back of his trunk, that set off this whole event - a little red boot, the same type that Joe Ramsay, the child who was abducted and killed prior to the episode, was wearing. They also found many mementos, various pieces of clothing, and deduce that many of the unsolved murders in San Francisco were of Praxas' doing. 

Stone and Keller visit Farr's hospital room, and give him some pictures of Holly they think he might want to keep. Keller apologizes for misjudging Farr, and leave Farr to mull over the past few weeks.

Steve Keller (Douglas) and Michael Stone

I have mixed feelings over this pilot.

While I understand the reasons behind an hour and a half pilot, in this case, I feel it didn't work as well as one would hope. Portions just dragged on, and while a few scenes stood out, the plot as a whole wasn't one I really felt invested in.

Michael Stone and Steve Keller make an interesting pair. Stone has almost a grandfatherly, genial attitude about him, and while he is not averse to being gruff toward suspects, most of the time has a calm, yet stern, demeanor. Keller, on the other hand, is a younger college grad who comes across as a bit of a hothead. It's a role that a young Michael Douglas seems to excel in. I also hope that we see more personal life from each of the two officers - we learn that Stone's wife has been dead for some time, but that's about the extent to it. Being a 70's series, I can't really see these characters changing personalities too much over the course of the show, but it'd be nice to see such.

The 70's atmosphere is something I sense will take some getting used to. The music itself was quite the throwback, not to mention the hair and clothes styles. I've seen a fair share of Starsky and Hutch episodes, though, so the learning curve shouldn't be difficult to overcome.

For the flaws, though, such as the somewhat sluggish plot (which may be solely because this was an hour and a half as opposed to the average 50 minutes), can be let go, given this was just the pilot. There's room to improve, and the final 15 minutes, which I felt were quite thrilling, definitely shows what they're able to do with this show. Because of that, I'm rating this above average, though it is a close call. Hopefully as the show goes on, it can pick up some steam this pilot more often than not lacked.

Rating: Above Average

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Judging Amy SE01 EP04 - "Victim Soul"

Episode Name: Victim Soul

Original Airdate: October 5, 1999

Characters:

1) Amy Gray

2) Lauren Cassidy

3) Vincent Gray

4) Maxine Gray

5) Peter Gray

6) Gillian Gray

7) Bruce Van Exel

8) Judge Greta Anastassio

Introduced: 

1) Chris Osborne

2) Susie Nixon

3) Judge Fowler

The General Attorney sends a case to Amy, which she is in no position to decline, about a ten-year old comatose boy named Thomas Bell under the custody of his grandmother who touts him as a saint, with the ability to heal the sick and wounded. DCF claims that the constant exposure to outside factors are damaging to the health of the child. Reluctantly, Amy goes to see the child, and is informed that some of the wounds on his hands (appearing to be stigmata) were inflicted by an outside source, and not God.

Maxine, now back at work for DCF, goes head-to-head with her supervisor, one Susie Nixon, who is working hard to remove an underfed child from her mother and place her in foster care. Upon examining the case and meeting the child in question, however, Maxine recommends a different route - mandatory counseling for the mother and child, along with followup visitations from DCF. Susie disagrees completely, and ignore's Maxine's report.

Vincent, while in a hardware store with Lauren, meets Chris Osborne, a slightly-older painter and wood-worker, who entices Vincent to come over to her place. When there, she offers Vincent a job - write catalog descriptions of her work, which he takes without issue. She also lets him know, quite openly, that she is interested in dating him.

The media all over the case, Amy is forced into a difficult decision after hearing from both physicians who feel that the child is being harmed, and from a priest who claims that Thomas inspires faith in people, and that alone helps them to heal. The day of the judgment, though, Amy is approached by Attorney General Victor Pascal, telling her that the state is withdrawing the petition. After some veiled threats from both of them, Amy drops the case, allowing Thomas to stay with his grandmother. It later seems as though that is not the final call she wished to make.

Maxine approaches the mother of the case in question, and informs her, rather harshly, that unless she wises up, she is in serious danger of losing her child. Judge Fowler, who has worked with Maxine many times in the past, hears both from Maxine and Susie on their disagreement over the case. He chastises Maxine for abrasively speaking to the mother (who has since sued DCF), but lets it known that because of the lawsuit, the child will be allowed to stay with her mother. Maxine is told after Susie leaves that while Susie may be more a radical when it comes to placing children in foster care, Judge Fowler is not, and insists that Maxine have faith in the system.

The next morning, Vincent meets Chris' daughter, either late high school or early college age, which opens his eyes about Chris' age, which he hadn't either noticed or considered. After an open conversation to Chris about this, he agrees that he wants to date her, but now "might not be the best time." They agree to see each other again that weekend.

Maxine ponders over Vincent's new relationship, and asks Amy to find out what's going on. Beforehand, though, Amy decides to watch Lauren sleep, lightly stroking her hair in thought.

Amy confronting Attorney General Victor Pascal

Victim Soul is a decent episode, but a definite downgrade from Trial by Jury. While the case forced upon Amy is interesting enough, the fact she is not allowed to determine the outcome due to the Attorney General is greatly bothersome (both to us as an audience and Amy as a character). This mixed with the stress of the media following her every move and her daughter telling her that if she removes the child from the home, she'll go to hell, Amy has quite a trying time.

Vincent has a bit more luck, finding a wonderful lady whom he is attracted to deeply. The Graduate reference notwithstanding, it's obvious that he quite enjoys her company, and when he opens up to her about his early success in college and subsequent meltdown and European journey, it's clear to see he's comfortable sharing that information. Even after meeting Lori, Chris' college/high school-aged, Vincent is willing to continue the relationship without too much worry.

Maxine's conflict with Susie was quite interesting, and perhaps my favorite subplot of the episode. Maxine's belief that there must be very compelling reasons to remove a child from a family flies in the face of Susie's belief that even when other alternatives may exist, it is always best to move the child into foster care. The conflict is unique, and shows no sign of subsiding in future episodes, as Susie remains Maxine's supervisor. Judge Fowler, on the other hand, seems a decent person, and while I am unsure if we see him again, I placed him in the characters introduced just in case.

Lastly, Bruce, upon being chided by Amy, opens up briefly to her. His calm, distant composure has mostly been consistent, and while it's slowly disappearing, I too would like to see more of Bruce as a friend as opposed to a cold court services officer. Slowly, yet surely, I expect him to open up.

The episode was okay - Amy's case was decent, but the segment as a whole was just barely above average. Vincent meeting Chris was good for the character, but I get the feeling that Chris won't be around for too long. The highlight, I feel, is Maxine and her argument with Susie over the direction of their case - both sides make compelling points, and more importantly, you can tell both sides are trying to do what they feel is best for the child, albeit in different ways. Of this conflict, I am highly interested in seeing more. Overall, though, the episode was average.

Rating: Average 

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Mutant X SE01 EP02 - "I Scream the Body Electric (Part 2)"

Episode Name: I Scream the Body Electric (Part 2)

Original Airdate: October 13, 2001

Continuing from where we left off, Brennan has been abducted by Mr. Thorne, and is being subjected to torture, embedded with a subdermal governor - he can use his powers, but only when Thorne and Eckhart allow him to. Otherwise, he receives a painful shock, courtesy of Thorne. Emma, meanwhile, is taught by Shalimar how to focus by doing yoga-esque stretches. Adam sets up another safe-house for the new mutants (such as Alice, Ruby and Vince) as additional precaution since he now knows Breedlove is dead and Eckhart is running Genomex.

Ruby, however, is also abducted by Thorne, and is compelled to reveal the location of both his book store and safe-house along with the new location, which he does (lest he is tortured). While all of the mutants are gathered at the new safe-house, and are being handed out new identities by Jesse, Genomex agents, including Thorne and Brennan, attack. While Jesse is unable to prevent the agents from taking the mutants, he is able to phase through the floor when Brennan delays attacking him, possibly intentionally.

After relaying a story in which Emma located her parents when she was five years old by envisioning them, Mutant X attempts to use her abilities to locate the kidnapped mutants, and determine the location where they are being held. At first, Emma struggles, but using the exercises Shalimar taught her, she is able to focus and locates Brennan and the others.

Eckhart is displeased with both Brennan and Thorne, as he desperately wants to capture Emma (in part due to her extraordinarily useful powers), and when punishing the both of them, it's revealed that Thorne too has implanted a subdermal governor, though he later tells Brennan he volunteered, and is not being forced by Eckhart.

Emma shows up at Genomex, and allows herself to get captured and placed with the abducted mutants, while Jesse disguises himself as a Genomex guard and Shalimar and Adam battle their way to the control room, which allows Adam to both deactivate the subdermal governors and insert a virus into the system. Shalimar leads two additional guards away from the control room to keep Adam safe, which causes Eckhart and Adam to run into each other, their mutual disdain for each other obvious. Adam is able to disappear safely, though, when Eckhart finds out about the virus, distracting him.

Meanwhile, Jesse locates the mutants and lets them know they can now use their powers without fear of getting hurt. Brennan releases the lot of them, and goes after Thorne for revenge (as Thorne had few qualms torturing him earlier) - it's rather lackluster, though, as Thorne simply bolts once he determines that Brennan has full use of his powers. Shalimar and he head back to meet up with the rest of Mutant X to leave Genomex. 

Both Emma and Brennan are then inducted into Mutant X, and are given their rings which signify they are now members (along with displaying their DNA, for some reason not expanded on). We end with a group shot of the five, showing the team is now complete.

From left to right: Shalimar, Brennan, Adam, Emma and Jesse

This episode at times felt rather quick-paced, though it's probably mostly due to the extended fighting scenes that didn't necessarily forward the plot (though it did showcase how this show can fairly be compared to The Matrix). That's not to say that this didn't tidy up the events of the last episode well, though - actually, I thought they did pretty good.

While I would hope that it's not as easy to gain entrance into Genomex by disguising oneself as a guard, most of the action in Genomex was acceptable (albeit as previously stated, some of Shalimar's fighting scenes didn't seem overly necessary). Brennan, being controlled by Thorne and Eckhart, shows his true colors by defying them at every turn, evident when he intentionally attacks Jesse slower than he should have, allowing him to escape.

The meeting between Eckhart and Adam was deeply appreciated, as their different way of perceiving Genomex, along with their bickering jabs toward each other, shows a decent chemistry between the two, and I am curious as to both the origins of their conflict (as Adam stated last episode he used to work for Genomex) along with how the conflict will be expanded and concluded on.

Speaking specifically of Adam, we find out that Adam is the individual who located and, in Shalimar's own words, "saved" her when her abilities were first causing her to feel like a freak. The chemistry between the two also seem obvious, though as Shalimar (best to my understanding) is in a relationship with Jesse, it's not quite clear what's going through her mind. Quite possibly, what looks like flirting on her part to me may simply just be the way Shalimar is.

Lastly, on characters, we didn't see a whole lot of Jesse this episode, or hear much from him, but we do find out what we may have suspected - he is quite forgiving and more so, had a good heart. Jesse believes that Brennan had no intention to hurt him during the raid from the get-go, and defends him from both Adam and Shalimar. He is, to the core, a good and gentle soul, and I hope his character doesn't experience any shift away from that as the show goes on.

As for the bad, well, some of it has been mentioned, mainly the fight scenes, combined with that awful early 2000's techno music (which is quite grating). Some of the cuts seemed a bit off, and some of those scenes were pretty short. The episode felt quicker, but I suppose the pilot would feel a bit more "busy" than later episodes.

Actually, all-in-all, I was happy with this episode. We saw confrontation between Eckhart and Adam quicker than I expected, and it went pretty well, especially with Adam coming out on top and throwing Eckhart for a loop. Thorne, though he run away at the end, intrigues me still, and I do hope he pops up again (it's not clear in this episode if he is simply running away from Brennan or running away from Genomex as a whole). His character is slightly more complex than I originally pegged him for, so I'd not be averse to additional appearances.

Simply put, this was a good conclusion to the conundrum set up at the end of the last episode, and if episodes continue in this way, I think the first season at least could prove to be promising.

Rating: Above Average

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Murder, She Wrote SE01 EP01 - "Deadly Lady"

Episode Name: Deadly Lady
Original Airdate: October 7, 1984

During a particularly grueling storm, Jessica Fletcher hears about a yacht out at sea, which Ethan Cragg (a friend of Jessica's who happens to be a captain) will be unable to reach until the next day. The morning next, after a jog, she meets a man named Ralph, weeding her gardens. Hungry, but not comfortable with handouts, he offers to work around her place as long as she can provide him food. After he claims he's been "hoboing around" for most of his life, Jessica deduces he's lying, partly because his clothes look quite tailored along with the fact there is an imprint of a watch still on his wrist, an expensive watch at that. Ralph admits that his excursions of being a hobo are recent, as his company retired him recently, but is still all-the-willing to help around the house.

Before details can be ironed out, Sheriff Amos Tupper calls Jessica and let's her know that the yacht has come back in, but she may want to get down there due to the possibility of murder. Jessica does so, and meets four women, the daughters of one Stephen Earl: Nan, Maggie, Lisa Earl Shelby, and Grace Earl Lamont. They tell Jessica that the night before, their father got thrown overboard during the storm, and they were unable to do anything about it. Clear-cut, they insist, though Sheriff Tupper is holding off on the Coroner's Inquest for the time being, due to the fact that the estate is worth 100 million dollars to be split among the four daughters. Tupper first wants to find the body of Stephen Earl before moving forward. He is convinced foul play is involved, while Ethan feels it's clear what happened, and believes the girls. Grace lets Jessica know that there was little love lost between Stephen Earl and his daughters, for he broke up Grace's own marriage along with meddled in Nan's private affairs, ending her conversation by saying "There's not a one of us sorry to see him dead."

Jessica shaking Maggie's hand

Nan Earl

Grace Earl and Lisa Earl Shelby

Jessica returns home, and bonds briefly with Ralph over her deceased husband (Ralph's wife had died years prior) and lightly chides him for calling Paris, Kentucky. Jessica gives him her husband's old pipe, insisting it's better to be used as opposed to gathering dust in her house. Meanwhile, Lisa's husband Brian flies in, and demands an immediate Coroner's Inquest to speed the release of the money.

It is after Ralph leaves for the night that Jessica realizes something important: at the location and time in which the girls claim their father was thrown overboard, their vessel would have been in the eye of the hurricane - the weather would have been dead calm, and certainly not strong enough to throw a man off the ship. She confronts the girls (Nan is absent, though Brian is there), and Maggie admits to killing her father not the night before, but two nights ago. Maggie claims she shot him twice in the chest after an argument, and she is then taken into custody. A preview of the next morning paper reveals another shock - the picture of deceased Stephen Earl looks exactly like Ralph. She confides this to Ethan, but going back home, she is unable to find Ralph, and leaves Ethan thinking Jessica dotty.

The next morning, the body of Stephen Earl is found, and as Jessica suspected, is the same individual who called himself Ralph. Lisa and Nan identify the body as their father. More so, just as Maggie said, there are two bullet wounds in the chest. To Lisa's disbelief, Terry Jones (formerly engaged to Nan, but walked out on her) comes back to comfort Nan. Lisa personally feels his arrival is suspicious. Brian and Lisa bicker over her father's death, Brian more concerned with Lisa getting a larger chunk of the estate's money.

At the police station, they inform Maggie that her father's body has washed up on the beach, which shocks her, as she reveals that she did not actually kill him - the whole thing was a ruse between Maggie and her father to unmask Terry Jones as a fortune hunter to Nan (whom her father was very suspicious of), and that her father left the yacht on a raft, alive the last time she saw him. Maggie is then released and cleared of the charges. The only thing left, in Jessica's mind, is to determine who murdered Stephen Earl.

Jessica speaks to Terry Jones, and lets him know that he heard of Earl's death not that morning, but the day before, when Stephen Earl called him from her house, claiming to be a reporter. He flew in the previous night after hearing that, and met Nan in Portland (explaining why she had been absent the previous day when Maggie gave her confession), who was told by Maggie about the plot to reveal him. Terry adamantly insists he loves Nan, and did not murder Earl.

On the beach, Jessica locates pink heeled-shoes partially exposed, and believes them to be owned by Nan. Sheriff Tupper and Jessica check in with Nan, and she says the shoes are her's, and tries them on, confirming the fact. Tupper wants to take her in, though Jessica believes her not to be guilty, and tells the both of them to keep the evidence confidential, so she can smoke out the killer.

Maggie, celebrating with Grace, Lisa, and Brian, run into Jessica at the hotel, who reveals that Nan has been arrested for the murder of their father. She suggests that one of the girls lost the aforementioned shoes there, which Lisa in particular takes offense to. Grace allows her to search her room, as does Maggie, but insists she doesn't wear pink, so the shoes weren't her's. Jessica speaks to Maggie and lets her know that she is off to sleep, and hands her a baggie for her to give to the sheriff the next day.

That night, a figure breaks into Jessica's house - Jessica is waiting, though, and catches the individual, who happens to be Maggie. Maggie slipped, mentioning she didn't wear pink, while Jessica never mentioned the shoes were pink. More so, the framing of Nan was obvious to Jessica - when Nan tried on the shoes, Jessica took noticed of her unvarnished feet, extremely unlikely if Nan had to walk half a mile across a rocky beach. Maggie makes to kill Jessica, but Jessica reveals that her confession was caught on phone, and Sheriff Tupper heard it all.

Jessica sees off Nan, and goes deep sea angling Ethan afterwards.

This was a very fine episode.

The plot, especially the four daughters, all of whom could equally be behind the death of their father, was good fun, the conclusion as unexpected as one might hope (though not handled quite as well as the pilot, though I suspect few will be). That said, the final confrontation between Maggie and Jessica, in Jessica's dark living room, was a fantastic scene, and the first in which Jessica has been in any real danger (at least based on what we've seen - Giles in the first episode had no intention to cause Jessica harm).

Sheriff Tupper and Ethan Cragg seem good characters, and while we don't know much about either one yet, I find it interesting that Tupper stated he's asked for Jessica's help before, which we've not seen, meaning that the undetermined time between this episode and the previous one is longer than one might initially think). I am guessing that as both of these individuals live in Cabot Cove along with Jessica, this will not be the last time we see them.

We also get a glimpse of Jessica's deceased husband, Frank, during her conversation with Ralph/Stephen Earl, and it's clear that Jessica still harbors feelings for him, and try as she might, appears to have great difficulty talking about him. Whether or not we learn much more about Frank, I don't know, but I wanted to note it.

Lastly, while Lansbury was as fine an actress as ever (and I suspect she will continue being the fantastic actress she is as this series progresses), I was also impressed by Anne Lockhart, who played Grace. Most of the time, actors and actresses don't catch my eye if they've a solo appearance in a series, but she was quite memorable to me, and reminded me of an almost Velma-ish character (from Scooby-Doo) - those glasses looked pretty good on her also, which didn't hurt anything.

Deadly Lady is a fine second episode, and going back to Maine is a nice change of scenery when compared to New York City. I don't know if she's in Cabot Cove to stay, but time will tell. A very solid story, well-acted all around, and good conclusion, leaving this a positive rating in my eyes.


Rating: Above Average


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