The Week In TV 05/02/2012
30 Rock, Season 5, Episode 5: Today You Are A Man
After four episodes that seemed like a solid return to form, this week’s 30 Rock was a little more ho-hum. In a neat mirror to Alec Baldwin’s contract negotiations offset, Liz and Jack enter into a negotiation-off, with Liz learning from an old tome written by Jack himself back in the 80s about how to overcome your opponent. And whilst Liz is finding – amusingly – her own self-worth by baiting Jack with such techniques as the “power business whisper,” Kenneth is also learning his true worth when he not only switches roles with Kristen Schaal’s wonderfully-titled Hazel Whatsername, but contemplates leaving the page programme altogether. As Tina Fey says (not without an air of smugness, it must be said) in a direct-to-camera address at one point, “There’s still room for growth in this friendship.” She’s not necessarily wrong, and the episode does end with Kenneth fleeing his prescribed role as dogsbody, but for a show based around repetition, and finding nuance to already-established dynamics, I think this might be a long shot. Less successful, was Jenna and Tracey’s foray into the world of bar mitzvah entertaining, which causes them to question the motives behind their unreasonable outbursts. This was a nicely executed episode of 30 Rock, with stories that all tied together nicely and which featured some funny moments – Liz’s callout to the “poetry” of Jewel was particularly inspired – but after the last few week’s newfound fizz, this fell ever so slightly flat.
Alcatraz, Season 1, Episode 4: Cal Sweeney
The flashback element to Alcatraz is quickly becoming its strongest element, building a mythology that is all but absent from the present day sections. This week’s prisoner-of-the-week is Cal Sweeney, a bank robber who is looking for the same key that Jack Sylvane was seen holding in the pilot. Madsen and Soto’s pursuit of the suspect isn’t particularly involving, especially since Sweeney’s habit of breaking into safety deposit boxes, tracking down their owners and insisting they reveal the importance of the items they keep inside them doesn’t make much sense. Much stronger are the scenes back on Alcatraz, which feels like genuine world-building rather than the lame-footed procedural that hogs up the majority of the episode’s length. Tiller is shaping up to be a much more interesting villain than either Madsen or Soto are shaping up as the good guys, and his power play with Sweeney has more punch precisely because it doesn’t need to lean on car chases, bank robberies or any sense of unravelling mystery to stand out. Perhaps if the writers worked a bit harder at making the procedural elements of the show more convincing, or were to show rather than intimate, this might make for compelling TV, but so far this is slow burn television of the boring kind.
Fringe, Season 4, Episode 11: Making Angels
Season 3 ended with a tantalising option, throwing both Earth-1’s characters and their alt-counterparts together that suggested fireworks for the season to come. But this never really happened, with the characters of Earth-1 occasionally crossing over to Earth-2 for comedic rather than dramatic effect (such as the highly amusing Lincoln Lee-off a few episodes back). Now, for the first time we get not only Fauxlivia building bridges with Walter, but Earth-2’s Astrid crossing over to meet her alternate self following the death of her father. Obviously Walter’s troubled relationship with Fauxlivia (and, again, how good is Anna Torv at playing the two sides of this character?) raises questions about her Peter-less sojourn on Earth-2 in Season 3, but the gentle back-and-forth between the two was unforced and, finally, rather touching. Of course, Fringe has never struggled in creating small, touching moments between its characters, but nothing came close to the wonderful relationship between the two Astrids. Earth-2’s Astrid, somewhere on the autistic spectrum, is concerned that her father was disappointed because she was unable to express her love in a way that he could understand. “Our” Astrid consoles her by saying that she’s not close to her father either, conflating the two when, as we learn in a neat coda to the episode, she has a loving relationship with her doting dad. If this provided the spine of “Making Angels,” the procedural element was covered by a mathematician who, using a device seemingly lost by the Observer - September - that rescued Peter from the lake is able to see the miserable futures of the people he encounters and offers them a painless death. Fringe has never been afraid to tackle religion in and amongst its science-fiction elements, very affectingly as in Christopher Lloyd’s guest stint last year, but something didn’t quite gel here, the murderer’s spirituality seeming to come as a logical extension of his actions rather than the origin of a more complex set of emotions. Presumably, however, the Observers’ realisation that Peter has not been erased from the current timeline will have repercussions down the line, so I’m prepared to give the storyline a pass on this one.
Glee, Season 3, Episode 11: Michael
One of the more positive aspects of Glee’s third season has been its focus on the hopes and fears of its characters as they prepare to leave Lima, Ohio for college, or New York, or whatever their futures might have in store for them. This being the case, an episode that seems primarily concerned with this particular theme manages to be the strongest episode of the season yet. It’s still Glee, so it’s still a mess, but it feels that little bit more cohesive, a little less condescending, and it hits high notes not just in terms of spectacle, but also in terms of its quieter, character-based moments. It is also, very easily, the best “theme” episode the show has attempted since “The Power of Madonna” back in Season 1. The bulk of “Michael” rests on the return of Sebastian, every bit as moustache-twirlingly evil as Tyler on Revenge. When a Slushie aimed at Kurt – and containing “rock salt” – hits Blaine and he is temporarily blinded in one eye, the show gives the Glee Club their first proper rivals since…well, it’s ham-fisted attempt to force Jessie St. James to do a complete 180. Blaine is one of the more problematic elements of Glee. Introduced as a sort of gay genie, helping Kurt find pride in his sexuality and hold his head high down the corridors of a high school populace whose prejudice was peculiarly reductive, landing him as a character proper within the show’s universe has been problematic. What was charming before swiftly became smarmy when the writers refused to do anything with him besides give him a lot of solo numbers, so placing him out of action for much of this week was a wise move (and the less said about the “Ben” number the better). By giving the Glee Club something to fight against, it provides the journey to Regionals with more narrative drive, and Artie’s refutation of Will’s patronising “It Gets Better” routine felt refreshingly true to the show’s occasional glimpses of its hardscrabble beginnings rather than the self-congratulatory celebration of “difference” it has become. “Michael” also saw a return to Glee’s latent predisposition towards misery, and genuine triumph, as Kurt is elated to have made the finalist list for NYADA, whilst Rachel – terrified that she might have to rethink her future – sobs in Kurt’s arms. Both moments felt true to the characters as depicted on screen, which is all-too rare on Glee these days, and as such worked wonders. Quinn’s sudden acceptance into Yale might be pushing things slightly, but her performance of “Never Can Say Goodbye” was nicely understated and fit in neatly to her character arc this season. Props too for the episode’s other two duets this week, both Sam and Mercedes’ pared-down rendition of “Human Nature” and Rachel and Finn’s “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” examples of how enjoyable the show can be when it attempts to fit the songs to the story. If the episode got anything really wrong, it was leaning on Michael Jackson as some sort of hero, fighting for what he believed in, which I struggle to believe a group of eighteen year-olds could really get behind, and its music video recreation of “Scream” was largely pointless. But, more than any episode lately, I enjoyed “Michael.” There were niggles and frustrations as ever, but they didn’t distract from the bulk of the story, which was actually pretty good.
The Good Wife, Season 3, Episode 15: Another Ham Sandwich
One of the most honest-to-goodness best episodes The Good Wife has ever pulled out, an exciting, unpredictable denouement to what has been one of the strongest long-form plot arcs in the show’s history. As the States Attorney’s office places Will on the stand in front of a grand jury, we watched as Wendy Scott-Carr’s increasingly desperate, malicious line of questioning was made to crumble. As predicted, Kalinda has been double bluffing her way through a relationship with Dana in order to feed her forged documents that seem to prove Will’s culpability, only for Will to reveal their fraudulent nature in court, all the while linking his case to Peter at every possible juncture. Of course, Wendy’s hard-line approach fails to ruffle the feathers of either Diane or David Lee, but when she subpoenas Alicia and asks her to reveal that her and Will have been having a sexual relationship, we know that she’s crossed an already blurry ethical line, especially given that should Will be indicted, the transcript of the hearing will be part of the public record. If Alicia’s dignified exit from the courtroom – “You are out of control” – was the sort of pitch-perfect kiss-off that the show does so well, it was Carey and Peter’s more muted outrage that really did for Wendy Scott-Carr this week. Elsewhere, Eli is involved in another somewhat silly B-story involving Stacie Hall, both bidding for representation of a GLAAD-style corporation which nevertheless served to reveal Stacie’s representation of Eli’s ex-wife after an amusing hate-fuck with a whipped cream precursor. Not only will this hopefully see Eli incorporated more fully into Lockhart Gardner affairs, but it will also see the return of Parker Posey, so I can only count this as a very good thing indeed. My one slight concern is that now Season 3’s juiciest storyline has wrapped up, I’m intrigued as to what the back half of the season has in store for us, but with this season’s expert upping of the stakes and detailed handling of its characters’ loyalties, I’m willing to bet that the writers have something even more explosive up their sleeves.
Gossip Girl, Season 5, Episode 13: G.G.
At this point, it’s fair to say that Gossip Girl’s fifth season has been an out-and-out disaster. The show’s candle burnt brightly five years ago, but has become increasingly less relevant, its claims of sexiness and modernity seeming increasingly old hat as it clung to its tired template. Season 4 marked an unexpected burst of creative energy, finding a pleasingly hissable villain in Juliet, and embarking on unexpected, interesting territory with both its Dan/Blair pairing and Lily’s relationship with her children. Season 5 has seen a downturn in quality even by the admittedly modest standards this show has set for itself. By insisting on keeping Blair and Chuck apart, the writers have thrown away their single best character in an ill-advised relationship that has seen “Queen B” throw over the man she’s in love with for fear of incurring God’s wrath, entering instead into a loveless marriage as the new Princess of Monaco. It’s a depressing end for a character so well-loved and so well-played by Leighton Meester’s perfectly calibrated performance, and a turn of events made all the more infuriating because the show will work just as many plot mechanics to break up Blair and Louis as it did getting them together. This, Gossip Girl’s 100th episode, should mark a triumph – after all, not many teen dramas make it this far – but instead it marks the depressing nadir of a once-fun, once-smart show destroyed by its own insularity. Must we really suffer through another storyline involving Nate and some supposedly decent girl he picks up on the side of the road? Has Serena fallen back in love with Dan because she genuinely cares for him, or simply because she’s been through every other cast member? Notoriously bad at introducing new characters, Gossip Girl is left with precious few options. The only spark of life came from the cartoonishly, delightfully wicked Georgina Sparks, back to wreak revenge and utter lines like “Jesus owes me one” whilst pulling up her stockings underneath an altar boy’s outfit. The reveal, that she’s taken on Gossip Girl’s mantle (I refuse to believe that she’s been Gossip Girl all along), might at least provide a bit of narrative drive in the back half of the season. If not, I can only imagine that the fallout from Blair running out on her wedding will be even more tedious than that long walk up the altar the writers took to get her there in the first place.
Ringer, Season 1, Episode 11: It Just Got Normal
After a hiatus of almost two months, it’s difficult to know where things were left with Ringer, but fortunately an especially long recap and the show’s thick-as-treacle approach to storytelling go some way towards rectifying this. For once, the focus was more on Siobhan than Bridget, which should make for a pleasing alternative, but Ringer is still just as insistent on keeping her motives murky as ever. Her reappearance in New York, added to the fact that she’s just witnessed her best friend murdered before killing the man who did it should raise the dramatic stakes slightly. Instead, peculiarly, Siobhan doesn’t do a great deal besides try to hack into Andrew’s computer so that she can prove he’s guilty of fraud (or something). We get a promising glimpse of Siobhan staking out the flat – and stealing Bridget’s ring whilst she’s in the shower – but it never materialises into anything substantial. Slightly more interesting, although no less bonkers, is Siobhan approaching Henry and telling him that she’s still in love. With any luck, the show is edging towards Siobhan telling Henry the truth, otherwise these half-baked admissions – peppered with denials from a confused Bridget – don’t make a lick of sense. At least we seem to have something approaching confirmation that Juliet was indeed raped by her teacher, a plot point that Ringer is handling with exactly the same level of delicacy as it did Malcolm’s heroin addiction. Whilst the hackneyed family dynamics are frequently – and somewhat incredulously – the show’s strongest moments (and who didn’t love SMG going full Buffy and punching that teacher in the face?), it might help if the storyline was presented in a more balanced manner. The two month break doesn’t seem to have weathered any of the show’s problems, it’s still aggressively mediocre but nevertheless grimly watchable, in part due to its elements of unintentional high camp.
Spartacus, Season 2, Episode 2: A Place In This World
Possibly the most impressive pulled-together episode of TV this week, both conceptually and in terms of recalibrating the series as a whole. Following last week, which paved the way for an uncertain future, this week saw those granted freedom questioning new, and unseen, forms of slavery and entrapment, whilst those in power found their own ostensible freedom penned in at every angle. Spartacus and Crixus’ hunt for Naevia leads them to an old acquaintance of Batiatus, who gives them little to go on, but his house does grant Spartacus with a new band of recruits, ones that he hopes to motivate through want rather than submission. Key amongst those is Tiberius, a former body slave whose position of relative power is obliterated by Spartacus’ slaughter and who seeks murderous revenge. Rather than retaliate, Spartacus hopes to fashion Tiberius’ rage into something useful, much in the same way that he cultivates Crixus’ likely fruitless quest to find Naevia. The limitations of power are seen elsewhere, as Ilithyia - now all but hidden away in the ludus - finds herself continually flummoxed and outwitted by Lucretia’s newfound “blessed” status, which - as we discover by episode’s end - is yet another power play from someone whose mind isn’t as damaged as it first appeared. “A Place In This World” is an episode title that also offers thematic resonance to Oenomaus, who has returned to the pits following the events of “Kill Them All.” The flashbacks to his beginnings in the ludus, and the bent teachings of Titus, act as the kind of character study that has all but vanished from this kind of serialised storytelling, but also work as a commentary on actions elsewhere, meaning that Oenomaus’ story arc never feels removed from the main story. Indeed, his return to the ludus, guided by Ashur and Lucretia, was a wonderful way to end things. If I had a concern, it was that Glabus’ power plays are a little less compelling than they perhaps need to be at this point, since his rivals aren’t as well drawn as the rest of the supporting cast, but overall this was a polished, exciting example of the best this show can offer.
Switched At Birth, Season 1, Episode 15: Expulsion From The Garden Of Eden
If there was one character on Switched At Birth who was in need of more definition - apart from the mysterious Simone - it was Angelo, who heretofore has acted primarily as a catalyst for events back at the Kennish/Vasquez home. This week, the show throws us another expected curveball in an unexpected way, just as it did in its earlier reveal that Regina knew about the switch. As suspected, Angelo isn’t all that he appears to be. He’s wanted in Italy for assault, but the man he assaulted is the same man who admitted to sleeping with Angelo’s fiancée the night before their wedding. How much of the truth Angelo is telling us is left to the audience to decide, as Bay and Regina lean towards sympathy just as John and Kathryn choose to see his actions in the worst possible light. His arrest, expedited by Adrian’s call to the police, should prove for some interesting fallout next week. It also has repercussions on Bay and Emmett’s relationship, as the two discuss sex in an adorable conversation where Bay confuses the sign for “virgin” with that of “vegetable.” But just as the previous weeks have shown that Bay is unable to understand certain facets of Emmett’s life, so he too comes up against difficulties in his ham-fisted attempt to help her see Angelo in a different light. It’s unfortunate that Emmett’s move to live with his father appears to have occurred with little resistance from Melody (although this could be something the show is saving for later), but there’s a lot to enjoy about this new living arrangement, not least his liberal father and his awkwardly off-the-wall girlfriend. With refreshingly little time spent on the upcoming court case, this was maybe the strongest episode across the board since the show has returned, even if others have featured stronger individual moments.
