The Week In TV 15/01/2012
30 Rock, Season 6, Episode 1: Dance Like Nobody’s Watching
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I think 30 Rock has declined rapidly in quality since its fourth season, too often reducing its characters to one-note stereotypes and failing to push the format in the same way as something like Community does on a weekly basis, but the sixth season opener was something of a return to form. Frequently hilarious, the bulk of the episode rested on both Liz and Jack acting out of character (she happy, he sentimental), and for a show that has sunk into something of a rut in its depiction of its leads, this was a welcome change with a lot of comic mileage. The show opens with another one of 30 Rock’s crack shots at reality television, Jenna now playing the Simon Cowell figure to a group of young kids singing on stage. It’s a huge cash cow for NCB, but one that Jack nearly undermines when his – mostly deadpan – love for his daughter means that, for a moment, he’s unable to see the bottom line. Of course, it’s not long before Jack’s dewy-eyed look of pride is dismissed when he interprets his daughter’s first words as “money” rather than “mommy.” Liz’s transformation has a bit more to it, though, as she returns from her Christmas break in a wonderful mood. Her newfound optimism and refusal to get worked up about her staff’s personal dilemmas breeds suspicion in Tracy, who’s convinced that she’s a drug addict. Luckily, Jack, who professes to know Liz better than she knows herself, discovers that she’s actually been dancing in oversized clothing with a group of middle-aged people, and it’s this that has been the case of her sunny temperament. What pushes the episode into being better than a few good laugh lines, however, is the end, in which we learn that the real reason for Liz’s happiness is a new man in her life. Now, I’m just as unwilling to see Liz find fulfilment from a boyfriend as anybody else, but the way this twist produced not only a fairly decent cliff-hanger for next week, but also forced Jack to recalibrate how he sees his friend and business partner was well-played. A minor storyline involving Kenneth believing that the Rapture was upon us didn’t hit home quite so much, but there were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments elsewhere, most of them courtesy of Jane Krakowski, who treads that fine line between endearing and narcissistic so very well.
Fringe, Season 4, Episode 8: Back To Where You’ve Never Been
Unlike a lot of viewers, I’ve actually enjoyed the time spent in this new iteration of Earth-1, but there’s no doubt that “Back To Where You’ve Never Been” benefited from being largely told from the perspective of the one character we really know, Peter. After trying to persuade Walter to help him travel back to his own timeline, Peter sees no other alternative but to travel over to Earth-2 and ask Walternate for help. With the help of Lincoln, Peter crosses over using the “soft spot” at the opera house, but quickly finds himself in hot waters when it becomes clear that Earth-2’s government has been infiltrated by shape-shifters. Although it’s no surprise that Walternate isn’t behind the shape-shifter invasion, and - actually - that the mole would turn out to be Broyles, it sets things up nicely for a reconciliation between the two worlds. Much of what worked here relied on Peter’s preconceptions of people that, in fact, he’s never actually met before. So just as he knows to trust Fauxlivia with the theory that someone within the government is trying to have him killed, so he realises that Walternate (or at least this version of the character) may not be the man he thought he was. Both moments were moving, although there’s an argument to be made that they’re also moments that trade on past character interactions rather than anything new the show is building in its fourth season. Still, I’m enjoying the whole musical chairs approach the show has taken this season; the actors are certainly good enough to show the subtle differences between the various iterations on their characters. And whilst I’m tempted to say that the absolute highlight of the episode was the meeting between the two Lincolns, there’s no denying that the final reveal - that in every possible timeline, Olivia dies - pushes things forward into what will doubtless become the season’s major story arc.
The Good Wife, Season 3, Episode 12: Alienation Of Affection
Continuing its strong run after a slightly disappointing start to the series, The Good Wife hits it out of the park with an episode largely confined to the corridors of Lockhart Gardner and the power plays within, but that remains as tense and entertaining as any number of its episodes that act on a larger scale. In a nifty opening sequence, Diane, Will, Alicia, and David Lee are served by genial guest star Bryan Brown, sued by an ex-client who claims that the firm encouraged a split during divorce proceedings that the wife brought against her husband. It seems like a bogus claim, until we learn that David Lee hired a stripper to seduce the husband in order that he might convince the wife that her husband wasn’t worth reconciling with. And things become more serious when we discover that this suit is merely a disguise for another, more serious one, in which a company that the husband was forced to cede to his wife, was then sold, again under the guidance of Lockhart Gardner, at a loss, and is now raking in millions. The show has always excelled at deposition scenes, and this week’s episode was particularly fruitful in that respect, constantly throwing kinks into a case that initially appears straightforward. This sense of momentum was helped by some movement on Will’s case, as he finally hires a lawyer (the wonderful Carrie Preston) to represent him, and who applies pressure to a creepily robotic Wendy Scott-Carr by leaking the names of the judges Will allegedly bribed to the press. Now, this is all well and good, but it’s when The Good Wife marries its (admittedly superbly mounted) procedural elements to the relationships between its characters that it truly excels. And so we saw a continued thawing of the friendship between Alicia and Kalinda, and a welcome return from Carey, who finally appears to have put any bad feelings behind him. All of this and an above-the-requisite number of “Diane being fierce,” and “Eli being put-out” moments made for an excellent all-rounder of an episode.
Pan Am, Season 1, Episode 10: Secrets and Lies
Winging its way towards almost-certain cancellation, Pan Am returns with another bumpy episode with just enough good moments to keep you coming back each week. The excitement of the previous instalment’s cliff-hanger ending – in which Kate shoots and kills somebody in London – comes to a relatively grounded resolution, although I suppose the show can always revisit this plot point if it needs to. Rather than spinning things out, Kate must instead pass a polygraph test (just a matter of asking yourself an internal question, apparently), which, in turn, acts as another test of how much pressure she can take before she cracks. Of course, a pat on the back from her handler is all it takes for Kate to willingly come back to the fold, which is hardly a surprise since the espionage element is one of the show’s real highlights. Unfortunately, the rest of the episode was left to playing out stories we’ve seen coming for months, namely Bridget’s return and Laura’s realisation that she has feelings for Ted. The fact that both seemed to hinge on some pretty heavy coincidences, namely Ted’s planned proposal to his childhood sweetheart so that he can get into her pants and Bridget’s no-strings-attached release from British Intelligence and an easy transition back into Pan Am, didn’t help matters. And although I rather like Bridget when she’s paired with, say, Kate, there can’t be a person out there who’s rooting for Dean to get with her rather than Collette. Even more ridiculous, but inherently much more fun, was Maggie’s sudden leap up the career ladder, managing to get a vitriolic piece about a certain congressman she’s been shagging published just as she realises that he might be a nice guy after all. Again, the show is much better at doing light-hearted – the through-the-door flirtation between Maggie and her new man might have been familiar, but it didn’t stop it being cute – and fumbles when any depth is required.
Revenge, Season 1, Episode 12: Infamy
After last week’s fireworks, Revenge settled into a familiar groove this week with a satisfying – if slightly predictable – revenge procedural. The focus of Emily’s tunnel vision was Mason Treadwell, an author who sold her father down the river to print a version of the David Clarke story backed by the Graysons’ money. What follows is fairly familiar; as soon as we hear of Mason’s “only copy” of his new book, we pretty much know that it’s bound to go up in flames. However, the show finally manages to make good use of Amanda by having her rattle Mason in a heated interview, thanks to an earpiece whereby Emily is controlling her every move. The result might be signposted, but the route getting there is relatively intricate, and there’s no denying the pleasure in seeing Emily (wearing her Hooded Top of Crime) torch a beautiful home in slow motion. This episode also laid much of the groundwork for Emily and Daniel’s engagement, something we’ve know has been coming since the pilot. But by having Daniel’s prime motivation for wanting to propose to Emily be access to his trust fund so that he can help Victoria during the divorce proceedings, the show gives a story that he already thought we knew a couple of interesting kinks. Less successful are the romances of Jack/Amanda and Declan/Charlotte. The former is so obviously a placeholder until the show finds a way to make Amanda into its next Tyler, and Amanda’s feelings for him are so obviously coloured by her relationship with Emily, that it’s difficult to invest much in Jack’s need to loosen up, or the dirty weekend the pair have together courtesy of the tips jar. Declan and Charlotte have always been somewhat surplus to requirements, although were thankfully relegated to only a couple of scenes this week. Of course, the big reveal – that Charlotte is Emily’s half-sister – was appropriately shocking enough to make me think this is an opportunity to have the character act as something other than the righteous girlfriend/daughter.
Switched At Birth, Season 1, Episode 12: The Tempest
Another strong, thought not unproblematic, episode of Switched at Birth, which performed so well during the summer that ABC ordered another twenty-two episodes to tack onto the end of Season 1. And whilst that gives the writers more time to spend on its strongest storylines, it also means that we’re likely to get more of the less compelling material. One of the best decisions the writers ever made was pairing up Bay with Emmett, which again provides much of the dramatic meat of “The Tempest,” with Bay desperately trying to win over her boyfriend’s mother, Melody. The conflict between the “bad influence” girlfriend and the mother concerned about her son’s falling grades has been played out several times before, but, as always, the show manages to find new angles on familiar formulae. Here, we have an incredibly tense, awkward family meal, where Bay’s attempts to follow Melody’s rapid signing lead to a conflict, with Melody cruelly mocking her attempts to fit in. Other shows would happily have a key supporting character act in such an unprecedented way in order to create a dramatic moment, but what makes the show good is its willingness to see things from other perspectives. So, whilst the scene worked dramatically, its repercussions, with Regina defending her friend to Bay, and with Melody revealing her reasons for not wanting Emmett to take speech therapy, were actually even more successful. Daphne’s gradual descent from the “good girl” of the pilot is also something the show seems to be handling well, as we see her first quit the basketball team in defiance of John’s wishes, and begin a new friendship with Simone, who is pretty obviously Not Good. Katie LeClerc is great at playing this kind of subsumed anger, and it’s all the more interesting for the fact that it’s throwing her up against other characters (in particular, Toby), and that nobody around her really seems to realise just how lost she is. What I didn’t like, and what I think the increased number of episodes won’t help, is the focus on Toby’s activities as a petty criminal. I like Toby and Wilkie, but mainly when they’re supporting the more well-developed characters around them; their actions this week creating a fake ID business weren’t compelling outside of it getting Daphne into a bar. I’m pleased that the show feels the need to branch out a little more, but it also needs to find ways to make these sorts of storylines (and I’d also put Kathryn’s idea to write a book into this category) as interesting as what’s going on elsewhere. What worked this week was great, a testament as to why the show was so well liked last year, but it still needs to lose a few of its rougher edges.
