Monday, March 24, 2008

Back when that show was called something else...

It's fair to say I'm not a fan of Torchwood. The first season had a couple of outstanding episodes, but mostly failed to live up to its promise. The second season has been generally better, but has lacked any particularly good episodes. The best episode was quite clearly the first one in which Martha Jones turned up, and that was because she brought some much-needed lightness to proceedings, and also reverted Jack back to the happy-Jack of Doctor Who, a character who is infinitely preferable to miserable-Jack as we see every other week. Sadly, things then proceeded to get rather morose in the following weeks.

However, one thing that was bothering me all through the second season was the feeling that I'd watched that show before. There was something about the premise that seemed familiar: a strangely-immortal character assembles a team of agents around him and helps the helpless against all manner of alien and supernatural menaces. Really, all that was missing was a similar, younger "Time Agent", preferably played by James Marsters, to appear and cause trouble, motivated by some mysterious relationship with the lead...

Yes, it is, in fact, "Angel".

In a similar vein, I have recently felt that my Sunday-night double bill has been rather lacking, what with "24" being postponed due to the writer's strike in the US. However, last week I was able to add the "Bionic Woman" remake to "Lost", and thus bring things back to a semblance of normality. Or so I thought.

It turns out that the "Bionic Woman" remake is pants.

Perhaps the most annoying thing about this show, though, is that I used to enjoy it, back when it was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", or "Dark Angel" or "La Femme Nikita". And, really, it should work the same way. I mean, all the elements are there: the super-powered ninja-chick heroine, the standard-issue absentee father, the mysterious government agency that probably aren't benign, the "mirror-image" villainess...

Speaking of "Lost", it has now gone on to it's mid-season break, a consequence of the writer's strike. And, frankly, I don't think I'll miss it. Allegedly, we've had a whole bunch of answers over the last several weeks. However, they are yet to answer the most important question of all: when are they going to get on with it? Seriously, we're eight weeks in, and a grand total of four days have passed on the island. Yippee.

There is, however, a shining light in "Lost", one character who might actually do something (anything, really) this season. I am surprised, though: I never really expected a US TV show would make their best character a former Iraqi torturer. It's an odd choice.

Still, I can't help but feel that "Lost" would have been a much better show if it had focussed on Sayid and Hurley, rather than on dull Jack (with his Messiah-complex that is compounded by his inability to actually do anything), or useless Locke (with his unresolved daddy issues - you'd think that arranging for Saywer to kill him might help matters, but no. He's just transferred his focus to Ben), or stupid Kate (remember how, ages ago, I commented that I liked the character? Well, forget that - I can't bring myself to like someone who is that dim).

On the other hand, the new "Terminator" series is absolutely fantastic. It has much of the feel of the movies, especially the first two, but also has reached a point where the characters aren't just running and hiding - they're actually being somewhat proactive in opposing the machines. Really good show.

I've also been watching "Life on Mars", which I didn't see when it was first on. That's another good show, despite being an obvious parody of real policing in the 70's. And the American version of "The Office", "Two and a Half Men", "Scrubs" and "South Park" are all solid as always.

So, really, TV isn't in too bad a shape at the moment.

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