This week I had a friend call me to discuss a show we both watch. The episode they had just seen was pretty depressing and they wanted to talk about it with someone. And I know how that might seem to some people–even some of our readers might be rolling their eyes. But dang if that isn’t why I love TV. And why I love doing this piece each week.
Because no matter how “good” or “bad” or “serious” a show is, chances are you watch it because it affects you in some way. Because it makes you care. Remote Uncontrolled is a space for us to show you how and why we care. It doesn’t matter what the show is—if you like it and you’re involved in it, talk to us. We’ll listen.
Dennis
Brothers & Sisters: “Time After Time (Parts 1 and 2)”
I haven’t felt the need to write much about this show this show until now, and that says as much about this mediocre season as it does this compelling, 2-hour flashback episode. I thought Cody Longo, Anna Wood, Kasey Campbell, and Kay Panabaker did well as the flashback Walker kids, and (what else is new?) Sally Field held her own as an ever-emotional, present day Norah . It’s just nice to see the whole (thus far lame and plodding) mystery with mustache-twirling Dennis (they really had to use that name?) York finally start to make sense and (fingers crossed!) begin to end.
Damages: “All That Crap About Your Family”
I’m happy to see the writers are remembering season 1, namely the death of Ellen’s fiance and the role Frobisher played in it. It was nice to see Noah Bean back as David, even it was just a city street-wandering ghost. And perhaps the random Frobisher side storyline, will have a point after all? Arthur did manage to hint to Craig Bierko’s actor Arthur doppelganger (for some reason this storyline reminds me of Parker Posey imitating Gale Weathers in front of Gale Weathers in Scream 3) of his order to off Ellen’s betrothed. I’m starting to hope DirecTV and Damages can work out a deal for a fourth season, as this show continues to improve from its season two misdeeds (even if I was able to predict this entire episode, from Tessa being Joe’s kid, to Marilyn not telling him she was his kid before he had her killed, it was still interesting to watch it play out). Here’s hoping if there is a season 4, Tara Summers’ poor Alex Benjamin gets her revenge for being Patty’s most emotionally abused minion in all three seasons.
Ugly Betty: “The Past Presents the Future”
Hallelujah! Henry and Betty weren’t soulmates after all! Henry showed back up with his temper throwing child in tow (not much of a surprise, since she is Charlie’s kid too), and they realized they were just two different people now. It seems the show is now priming Betty and Daniel to end up together in the series finale. I’m not sure if it’ll really happen or if that’ll be good, but I’ll check the episode out nonetheless. If the writers can end the show as perfectly as they’ve done with Justin and Austin’s gay teen romance or as well as they’ve done with Betty’s trip down Former Love Interest Lane, it’ll be a beautiful end for Betty.
Parenthood: “The Big ‘O’”
I gotta say I could never get into Gilmore Girls. Now, it was one of those shows that I always respected people who watched it (see also: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dexter, Supernatural and Project Runway), but I just never dug it. I always wanted to like Lauren Graham. Even when she guested on Studio 60 I was psyched she was going to get some snappy Sorkin dialogue. But then it turned out she was doing a glorified cameo as herself, and well, that show sucked anyway. Finally, though she gets a good showcase here! I’ve noted it before, but I constantly find her to be the most interesting part of this show. As Jason Ritter asks her out via a note, while she’s tending bar, I was as interested in how’d she react as his character probably was. Speaking of Ritter, this show has a way with guest stars as he and Minka Kelly (reunited with Friday Night Lights writer-producer Jason Katmis here) demonstrate. Ritter and Lauren Graham are a cute May-December pairing (rejoice! Nary a “cougar” mention in sight), and Kelly helped give previously bland blonde wife Monica Potter her moment to shine as well. Glad to here ratings for this have improved, because it’s certainly growing on me…
Justified: “Long in the Tooth”
I like how this show blends comedy and crime. Alan Ruck (always Ferris Bueller’s pal Cameron to me) was a bad guy who decided to be like Hermey the Elf in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (seriously) and become a dentist. Unfortunately he decides to rip some guy’s teeth out without novocaine (the most traumatizing TV scene in a long time) and back on the run he goes. Between these interesting guest stars/characters and supporting players (Rachel got to try on the hat!) the declining ratings of this gem are just not… (here it comes!) justified.
Zoe
Bones: “The Parts in the Sum of the Whole”
There’s so much to say here and it’s admittedly hard to form a reaction because so much of how I feel about this now depends on what will happen with it later. I’m just flailing about in a sea of “I take this a little too seriously” emotion. I guess I’ll try to break the episode down into the two major components.
The flashback: I was pretty meh about. Oh, there were parts that I liked (Zack!) and parts that I was eh about (the bringing of the team together) and parts that I really hated (cutesy references to the future) and overall it was just sort of ok. The suspension of disbelief that this hadn’t come up with Sweet already was also too much. The flip on the whole Bones/Booth hate each other thing was….complicated. I liked how it got them to the bickering pair we saw at the beginning of the series, but didn’t like that they didn’t have sex. I’m a huge advocate of the realistic and, frankly, Brennan’s character? Would have had sex with him. Which brings us to…
The conclusion: On the one hand, a round of applause for David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel who act crying and sad and heartbreak, but still being in love, so well. And kudos for the show for ripping off this band-aid in a non-finale episode (less kudos for not ripping it off a season or two prior). The reasons both characters gave were both in character and depressingly realistic. It makes sense. It works. But the fallout from it will be what really matters. If I feel like the writers have a plan for what’s next, I’ll be ok. Unless that plan is a forced love triangle. Guess we’ll wait and see.
Robert
Stargate: Universe: “Space”, “Divided”
When SGU went on break earlier this year, it left us with a big cliffhanger as Rush ended up stranded on a desolate planet as the Destiny jumped back into faster-than-light speed. With the show’s central conflict between Rush and Young put to rest, it seemed like a turning point for the show, but now that the show’s returned for the second half of its pretty-great first season, things are not as they might have seemed. After Destiny’s run-in with an advanced race of aliens in “Space” (which I wasn’t looking forward to but ultimately liked how it was treated), there’s a noticeable difference in the characters across the board. Allegiances are being tested, tables are turning and the attempted mutiny in “Divided” almost left the ship without a commanding officer, but cooler heads prevailed and now our characters have to decide where they go from here.
Also, since I didn’t mention it before, I think it’s worth pointing out the daring of “Time” from earlier in the season. I won’t spoil it, but when a show has the guts to pull off an episode like that, then go to closing credits and leave it up to you to put the pieces together (yes, really, you just have to see it for yourself), that’s some pretty great viewing.
V: “Pound of Flesh”
Speaking of guts, compared to last week, here’s an episode I can get behind. A Visitor takes advantage of his fellow aliens’ Bliss-inspired trance and blows himself up in a crowd, forcing Anna to begin a purge of any Visitors that show signs of emotion. In the meantime, Ryan and Erica form a plan to tap in to Anna’s Bliss transmissions and use them against her, but that means someone’s got to find their way aboard the mother ship, and since Ryan is a V, he’s the first choice to go. What he doesn’t tell anyone is that his wife Valerie is preggers—a fact that Georgie inadvertently discovers while visiting in Ryan’s absence.
When Ryan gets fingered on his mission and is subjected to Anna’s “no-personality” tests—which he promptly fails—he discovers that the Visitors doing the testing are on his side, but the testing delays his return. As Anna’s signal is pirated and the worlds learns “JOHN MAY LIVES”, Georgie takes it upon himself to go up to the mother ship and find Ryan, but in a surprise turn of events, they arouse suspicion and only Ryan makes it out. It’s all just enough cloak-and-dagger to make things interesting and keep me wanting to see the next episode. Plus, how cool is it that this show digs deep for its sci-fi cameos, like Lexa Doig from Andromeda and Nicholas Lea from The X-Files?