Small Screen Season

Nathaniel. Home again from a relaxing weekend offline. My last for the next six months as it's all prestige movies and Oscar hoopla from now until March.

I've had a lot of fun writing up True Blood during the summer (finale writeup tomorrow). I have no intention of turning the blog into The TV Experience but a little variety never hurt anyone and I might add a briefer small screen column -- possibly with guest bloggers on occasion-- or maybe just continue with the odd "TV at the Movies" episode. I'm cancelling HBO when True Blood ends. Why? Budget reasons and a clear lack of interest in their slate of original programs. I never thought I'd say the latter but it's too man-centric for me now, as if their entire programming directive is "get me more Sopranos / Entourages ... literally. put them in period garb or relocate the action. whatever". I miss the Sex & The City / Six Feet Under / Sopranos days when the network felt more equal opportunity thrilling and more original ... as if their goal was to corner every market that was demanding quality television. The point: I have a lot of DVR openings now given cancellations, loss of interest in longrunning shows, delays, etcetera... so I may take a deeper looker (offline) at the new season offerings -- which basically start tomorrow with RINGER -- than I normally do.

Christian Borle, Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston in SMASH (2012)

The new show I'm most interested in is Smash, the first television series (to my knowledge) that's ever used Broadway musicals as its topic. In one of those daydream fantasies where one imagines oneself a tv creator this is always the topic I dreamed up for MY series that I would direct and produce (fantasizing remember... I do neither of those things). I imagined just such a show so many times. I wish they had gone with Broadway musical stars in the major roles (it'll be weird that Glee uses more of them given the respective topics) but Katharine McPhee (from American Idol) has a good voice and I'm intrigued to see how Oscar winner Anjelica Huston will fare in the key supporting role -- can she finally win the Emmy that's eluded her for the past 22 years despite frequent nominations?

But Smash doesn't premiere until 2012 so here are some shows I'm considering sampling -- which usually means just the first episode unless it's very intriguing --  primarily chosen for topics or actresses I like. As I do. 

CLICK AHEAD FOR THE LIST AND READER POLLING -- I'm curious about your watching habits from none to too much.

Click to read more ...

True Blood 4.11 "Soul of Fire"

The penultimate episode of Season four played just like a Season Finale with nearly every storyline reaching conclusion. Or at least like one of those season finales that precedes a haunted stand-alone episode. I'm thinking of Buffy's Season 4 two-fer "Primeval" and "Restless" where all the story threads are sewn up but then the heroine begins to fray in mysterious ways.

Show me future."

Soul of Fire
Not that True Blood is Buffy's equal, I hasten to add. Nor could Sookie fray in mysterious ways since her dramas are always "who to sleep with?" related and never any deeper. Even her "what am I, exactly?" identity crisis resulted in no character growth or behavioural change. And anyway, the pre-credits twist (glorious!) punishes you for thinking things are sewn up and tidy. Did I just negate these first two paragraphs? Uhhh, damnit. May I glamour you and wipe them from your memory?

The penultimate episode begins with the great album cover ready shot of the four lead vampires in black leather ambush gear heading for Moon Goddess Emporium and we stay there for nearly all of the episode with all eyes on Marnie. She admits that she likes it that way... and so does Fiona Shaw, don't you know.

THERE'S MORE...

Click to read more ...

Links: Hugh Jackman's Bow, TV Series Low, The Telluride Show

Towleroad I'm sounding off on what's available in the multiplex this weekend. More on the French thriller Love Crime here at TFE soon.
Los Angeles Times Telluride lineup, just announced, with premieres of The Descendants and Albert Nobbs. The festival will pay tribute to Michael Clayton... er, I mean George Clooney and Tilda Swinton, separately.
Empire god, that took long enough. Our first shot of Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier in My Week With Marilyn.

What'cha think?

Liz Smith has some ideas for the James Franco replacement in Broadway's Sweet Bird of Youth; Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be a totally interesting choice. Good one Liz. The less said about her other suggestion the better.
Guardian It's true. David Lynch has finally opened a real Club Silencio. I'd love to visit but I'd probably be deeply unnerved if anyone whispered "No hay banda" while I was inside.  
My New Plaid Pants continues to gawk at Garret Dillahunt "under-rated hot piece extraodinaire" (...and under-rated actor, too!)

Sing out Louise Hugh!

Playbill ZOINKS. Hugh Jackman may perform an 8 week concert series here in New York with songs from classic musicals as he waits for Wolverine to begin actual filming. OMG. Wouldn't it be so weird if Jackman and Kidman were both on Broadway at the same time? It'd be like an Australia reunion.
Back Stage talks to Ginnifer Goodwin about her new role as Snow White in the series "Once Upon a Time" (I'm losing track of all these new television shows that are using fairy tale or classic kids lit templates only modernized. Seriously, how many are there. 3 or 4 this fall season right?)

AV Club has an interesting topic question: what's the worst episode of a great series? I definitely kinda sorta agree with their Mad Men choice... but i'm struggling to remember the episode of Firefly they cite.
Stale Popcorn on the now four year old gay indie Shelter. I'm linking up because Glenn and I share nearly exact feelings about this one and how it immediately calls to mind gay film trajectories, like the utter tragedy that is Todd Stephens post Gypsy '83 career.
I09 salutes Daryl Hannah as an alien insect queen. I have never seen this but now I must. It's post Kill Bill even. Her brilliance there obviously didn't up the prestige level of her offers.

And finally thanks to Movie|Line for alerting us this piece at Saving Star Wars. They're right. The George Lucas of the 80s would HATE the "barbarian" George Lucas of 2011. Stop destroying your culturally significant 70s film with all these tweaks and changes for continuous profit. You have enough money. In fact, few people have ever had more. Of course maybe Lucas would stop pissing on his legacy if the fans would stop rewarding him financially for doing so and bitching at him for pissing on it. It's a vicious cycle. And trust: the fans make a big fuss but they buy all the new altered editions. Stop doing it!!!

True Blood 4.10 "Burning Down The House"

when you came in the air went out and every shadow filled up with doubt ♫  I think I'll miss the theme song most of all when True Blood goes bye-bye in a couple of weeks. We're nearly at the end of Season 4. You can tell because things get crazy crazier craziest craziestest (where we are now) before the wrap. Finales have a way of bringing most of the characters back together where they should be. Quoth Tara when Sookie, Jason, Lafayette and Jesus arrive at the Moon Goddess Emporium where ⅘ of the cast is by the time the credits roll...

Reinforcements!"

They've arrived to save Tara and assorted humans from being blown to smithereens when the vamps arrive to take out Marnie once and for all. But I've jumped ahead since we're doing this wrap up quickest-like.

"Burning Down The House"
The episode begins with an assassination attempt at the Dorchester, as possessed Eric and King Bill fight it out until Sookie finally intervenes with her fairy powers, saving Bill from death and accidentally curing Eric's amnesia. Nan confronts Bill about it later with the very sensible question:

What's the deal with your little dairymaid and her lightning trick?

Since Bill doesn't answer her, I will.

You see Nan it's like this. Sookie's powers are now True Blood shorthand for "We've written ourselves into a corner and plus we can't kill off the main characters so here is a blast of fairy dust power which Sookie doesn't understand and which we don't either but it sure helps us to advance the plotline!"  Done!

With Marnie/Antonia's assassination of Bill foiled, Nan and Bill go to war over what to do next "Bill. Image!" Nan reminds him and the glamouring of the town begins so that they'll forget all the bloodshed; what happens at the Dorchester stays at the Dorchester!

FORGETTING. We soon realize that dead necromancer Antonia who was possessing Marnie doesn't want to remember the bloodshed either. ZOMG, it's Marnie who is now running the show!!! Jason, as it turns out, would also like to forget the previous episodes fucking/fighting mess . Jessica doesn't appreciate his request to be glamoured, continuing her delicious character arc in Season 4 to embrace her inner vampire. "Fucking humans. I'm going to go find somebody to eat."

Feel Her Vibrations!

In other important developments: Sookie still loves Billzzzzz and Eric isn't happy aboutzzzzz; Terry stages an intervention to help Andy with his V addiction; Holly the witch (Lauren Bowles) continues to be a great addition to the cast and convinces Tara to trust her own fury - "There aint no spell that can't be undone if you got the juice" -- and lord knows Tara is overflowing with fury juice!; Tommy dies from internal bleeding (or too much skin walking?) which sets Sam and Alcides on a vengeance spiral against wolf-pack leader Marcus who is now hitting on Alcides ladyfriend (though no one knows this yet); 

But most of all Episode 10 is about Fiona Shaw's awesomeness and her delicious vocal control -- weird Spanish accent aside -- in displaying all those internal psychotic breaks and shifts from Marnie to Antonia. She's continuing the slow morphing from meek dim Marnie to superior why-do-people-question-my-awesomeness Marnie? Which results in all sorts of great line readings like the self righteous/needy "I have put my soul at risk to destroy the night beasts for you" and the delightfully boasty "We've got our very own vampires in the ladies room!" and the grinning madness "Have you ever seen me so happy?"... well, yes Fiona, like that time you were an even bigger loon in Black Dahlia; That Cheshire grin is scarier than any Jack-o-Lantern that's every come before. 

Line Reading Hall of Fame

Fate brought us together to fight evil. Did you really think no one was going to get hurt?

At episode's end Jesus has broached Marnie's protection spell, but not her dark heart and he's relayed the new sit'ch back to the other reinforcements. Marnie is the Big Bad, not Antonia the dead ghost possessing her. But then Marnie suddenly teleports everyone ... where? Cue the vampires arriving to blow shit up. Cue: credits.  

Body Count: 1 nameless vampire and 1 skinwalker (Goodbye Tommy! Goodbye rich comic opportunities for other actors to pretend to be him pretending to be them. Sniffle); Sex Scenes: 0 (what!?!); Best Sookie Moment: "I never promised that." Anna Paquin is good with the hard honesty and cleft heart; Funniest Moment: Nan's inner 5 year old tyrant comes out, every vampire pissing her off. "True Death for you, too!"; Episode MVP: Marnie; Episode Grade: B+

Previously on True Blood
4.1 "She's Not There"  MVP: Marnie; Grade: C
4.2 "You Smell Like Dinner"  MVP: Eric; Grade: A
4.3 "If You Love Me Why...?"  MVP: Eric; Grade: B+
4.4 "I'm Alive and On Fire"  MVP: Sookie; Grade: B+
4.5 "Me and the Devil"   MVP: Arlene; Grade: A-
4.6 "I Wish I Was the Moon"  MVP: Pam; Grade: B
4.7 "Cold Grey Light..."   MVP: Jessica; Grade: B- 
4.8 "Spellbound" MVP: The Fortenberrys (Hoyt & Maxine); Grade: B+ 
4.9 "Let's Get Out of Here" MVP: Sam; Grade: B 

My Missing Whedon: "Angel"

This morning I read all 3,040 words of "Angel by the Numbers" an essay by Dan Kerns, who started on Joss Whedon's vampire series Angel as Best Boy and worked his way up to Gaffer. I discovered the article through Whedonesque and I heartily recommend it. During the reading I consumed ½ a cup of coffee (I've successfully narrowed down my daily consumption to 2 cups!), ignored the urge to pee twice, and thought of 4 other television shows: my beloved Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which sits comfortable at #1 of my all time favorite tv shows), one-of-a-kind Firefly, fascinating but uneven Dollhouse, and the non-Whedon series Dexter because "Darla" (Julie Benz) was mentioned and I just watched the first three episodes of Season 5 and it's just not the same without her... (and maybe it's the kind of repetitive series that should've wrapped with Season 4?)

Buffy, Angel and Faith.

Before I move on to work on 4 pending articles, I feel the need to admit that I've only seen 19 episodes of Angel, despite seeing literally every other episode -- even the unaired ones including the aborted Buffy pilot where Willow was not Alyson Hannigan (!) -- of every other Joss Whedon series and all of his movie work, too! Hell, I've even seen that animated sci-fi bomb Titan A.E. (2000). I've never understood why I couldn't work up much interest in Angel as a series but perhaps it was the procedural stand-alone nature of the early episodes which are the bulk of what I saw. Maybe I was just angry that Buffy received only 1 spinoff and not 2 (At least twice a year I impatiently dream of a 4 season run of "Faith the F*cked Up Vampire Slayer"). Of the 19 episodes I remember only about 6: the one where Oz visits to give him the Ring of Amara, the one where Willow drops in to restore Angelus soul, and any of the times that Eliza Dushku stopped in for a little big city ass-kicking. You get the picture: Crossovers! I tried again 2 times in later seasons and could not understand what the hell was going on.