True Blood: FX bite again

FX have announced they'll premiere True Blood's second season in the UK next February, soon after Channel 4 finish airing the first season. It seems that digital-only FX and terrestrial Channel 4 have a back-and-forth process going on between them, so if that continues will Channel 4 be showing season 2 next summer? It's just a theory of mine. Either way, the delay between US and UK broadcasts of True Blood are far too big. True Blood's one of those shows with a big, impatient, technically-savvy fanbase, so FX should try and shorten the gap if they can. Ditto Dexter.

For stat fans: True Blood's season 1 finale got 176,000 viewers on FX last year, averaging 292,000 across the whole season.

PARADOX 1.2

[SPOILERS] I'm not sure Paradox is conducive to weekly reviews, as episodes are almost exclusively plot-driven and there's not much opportunity to explore the thinly-drawn characters. This is just an hour spent watching four people solve a life-or-death puzzle against the clock; decent entertainment if the puzzle's worth the effort, but there's not much to say beyond that.

In episode 2, the Prometheus II satellite has downloaded another eight images of an impending disaster -- including a manhole cover, a pigeon, a drowned teenager, a dirty car registration plate, and the dead body of DS Holt (Mark Bonnar) himself! The MoD authorities decide to keep Holt's image a secret, and DI Flint's (Tamzin Outhwaite) team are called back to solve this latest mystery. And so begins another episode of reverse-Casualty, pretty much. It helps that there's fun to be had in seeing how the disaster comes together, even if the audience are given more information because we actually spend some time with the key players headed for catastrophe (here, an asthmatic child-abductor and pigeon fancier.)

The thing is, so much time and energy is spent on the plot there's not much time for anything else. You can't get invested in the characters (the investigative team or the victims) because neither get much screentime that isn’t focused on the fact there's a ticking clock of doom hanging over their heads. 24 deals with a similar problem by only having one overall threat to tackle over a whole year, so it has opportunities to spend on developing the people involved in the situation. In fact, I had originally assumed Paradox was going to cover one big disaster told over five episodes, which may have been a better way to go. Instead, each hour is entirely consumed by preventing that week's terrible future, so don't expect much acting beyond stern faces, skeptical rants, and unnecessary brooding or bickering.

Still, this was better than last week's premiere, mainly because the threat was less predictable and everyone acted fairly logically as they tried to prevent the future. It also helped that part of the threat was the life of Holt himself, even if he was kept in the dark about that fact. The combination of swelling pace and a thumping soundtrack did a great job of making the last ten minutes tense and exciting, too. But there are some general concerns that tarnish successes; from the fact it makes little sense Flint's team are on their own (when the validity of the photos has been proven), the pointlessness of those hard-faced MoD civil servants (seriously, what are they there for?), the team's sometimes irritating frostiness around each other, and King's penchant for skulking around and being cryptic about his theories.

Overall, there are only three episodes left, so it's no big commitment to stick with Paradox till the end. It doesn't bore me, which is the main thing. But this episode has already lost 1 million viewers (down to 2.94m from 4.13m), so it's clearly boring other people.


1 December 2009
BBC1/BBC HD, 9pm

written by: Lizzie Mickery directed by: Simon Cellan Jones starring: Tamzin Outhwaite (DI Rebecca Flint), Emun Elliott (Dr. Christian King), Mark Bonnar (DS Ben Holt), Chike Okonkwo (DC Callum Gada), Lee Worswick (Jack Barclay), Hannah Godfrey (Michelle Barclay), David Crellin (Don Barclay), Jennifer Hennessy (Shelley Barclay), Abigail Davies (Amelia James), Lorcan Cranitch (Simon Manning), Adam Foster (DC Rob Ritchie), Chris Finch (Danny Simpson), Asha Kingsley (WPC), Dominic Gately (Fireman) & Justine Adams (Woman)

HEROES 4.12 - "The Fifth Stage"

[SPOILERS] The mid-season finale rocks up with a non-shock the producers gave away weeks ago (in a desperate bid to build some interest), and the usual assortment of fun, diverting, dumb moments. There's been nothing offensively bad about this fourth season, though, and nowadays expectations are so low that episodes slip by having entertained you for an hour. It's only when you stop to think about Heroes that the nitpicks and silliness begin to stack up, so best stick your brain in neutral and watch the pictures...

"The Fifth Stage" saw Claire (Hayden Panettiere) and Gretchen (Madeline Zima) arrive at the Sullivan Brothers' carnival, where they're greeted by Samuel (Robert Knepper) and given his smarmy conman routine to try and persuade her to stay. You know, the spiel about family and acceptance that he gives every other week. But given the fact Samuel still doesn't know his earth-moving powers are increased by the presence of other "specials", I'm not sure why he's so committed to swelling their ranks in this way. This was assumedly a style of recruitment Joseph would never have made standard practice, as he knew the danger that could arise if too many people with abilities surrounded his brother, so I guess it's just bad luck that Samuel's endangering everyone unwittingly? Damn, I'm thinking again...

While Gretchen is skeptical about the carnival, after seeing the staff exploiting their powers to trick people out of their money. The only evidence of this is that one stall holder prevented a bad-tempered man winning a prize, but allowed a cute girl to win -- which doesn't seem so bad to me (or Claire), but Gretchen's very principled it would seem. Claire's eventually persuaded to join the carnival on a trial basis, thanks to a combination of Lydia (Dawn Olivieri) literally illustrating her desire to become "The Indestructible Girl" with a tattoo, meeting reformed nemesis Eric "Puppetmaster" Doyle (David H. Lawrence), and seeing Samuel tell stories to a group of kids before bedtime.

The more interesting storyline followed Peter (Milo Ventimiglia), who went in search of Sylar (Zachary Quinto), armed with the Haitian's (Jimmy Jean-Louis) abilities of power-dampening and mind-erasure, determined to get his brother Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) back --- mind, body and soul. This led to another Peter/Sylar fist-fight, minus any super-powers (although Sylar somehow managed to shape-shift in Peter's presence to surprise him in an elevator), and a gruesome, unsubtle scene of Peter literally crucifying Sylar to wooden beams with a nail gun to entice Nathan to the surface.

Thank heavens for Pasdar (an actor who's far too good for the likes of Heroes), as he managed the impossible and made Nathan's farewell rather tender and emotional as the two Petrelli's said their goodbyes on a rooftop, with Nathan determined to commit suicide in order to end his existential suffering. It was a moment that almost worked perfectly, but was swiftly spoiled by chintzy special-effects of Nathan falling to his death in cheesy slow-motion. And then the fact Sylar simply walked away from this fall, the victor of this extended battle for his body, left you puzzled that Nathan's plan was so one-sided. Did he know his jump would only result in his death and not Sylar's? And why would that be the case anyway? I see no reason for Nathan dying if Sylar didn't, as they share the same body. Oh well. A major character has died and it didn't really land the gut-punch it once could have -- and am I alone in thinking Pasdar could be back anyway, considering the fact his real body is in cold storage? There's bound to be someone around who can resurrect the dead, or can transfer their spirit into a dead body to allow Pasdar the chance to play a different character. I guess it depends how well his career continues after Heroes.

There really wasn't much else going on in this episode, although Mr. Bennet (Jack Coleman) and Lauren (Elisabeth Röhm) shared a scene where he revealed that they had a sexual relationship before she "Haitian'd" herself Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind-style. Hey, don't sweat it Lauren, this romance was news to everyone watching up until a few episodes ago, too! Incidentally, doesn't the existence of the Haitian opens people up to abusive mind games? I mean, Lauren only has Bennet's word that they were once close lovers. I wonder how many Company relationships were started by employees convincing each other they were once madly in love but the Haitian got drunk and mind-wiped them at the Christmas party?

Overall, "The Fifth Stage" wasn't much of a mid-season finale, as nothing was particularly shocking or exciting enough to have you counting the days till its January return -- although I quite like the addition of Eli (Todd Stashwick), Samuel's new right-hand man who has the power to multiply his body. But this entire season has been more measured and deliberate than Heroes has ever been before, trading season 1's pace and season 3's craziness for something more slow-burning. It's worked quite well, but those who fell in love with Heroes because of its high-tempo and jaw-dropping surprises are probably a little bored, while those with patience are being given too much time to notice the undertow of silliness and directionless characters (like deaf Emma, who is yet to factor into the story in any meaningful way.)


30 November 2009
NBC, 9/8c

written by: Tim Kring directed by: Kevin Dowling starring: Jack Coleman (Mr. Bennet), Hayden Panettiere (Claire), Adrian Pasdar (Nathan), Zachary Quinto (Sylar), Milo Ventimiglia (Peter), Jimmy Jean-Louis (The Haitian), Robert Knepper (Samuel), Madeline Zima (Gretchen), Elisabeth Röhm (Lauren Gilmore), Dawn Olivieri (Lydia), Cristine Rose (Angela), Todd Stashwick (Eli), Bryan Krasner (Burly Guy), David H. Lawrence (Eric Doyle) & John Lee Ames (Game Operator)

BBC America: New for New Year

BBC America have released details of their plans for January 2010. This includes the premiere of teen-comedy The Inbetweeners on 25 Jan (recommended), fantasy-drama Demons on 2 Jan (best avoided), reality show Last Restaurant Standing on 5 Jan (arguably more popular in the US than it is in the UK), the return of smash-hit motoring magazine Top Gear on 25 Jan, and a new series of chatshow Friday Night With Jonathan Ross on 22 Jan.

American fans of Ashes To Ashes will be sorely disappointed that BBCA still haven't set a premiere date for series 2, which was forced to make way for Primeval last summer and now appears to have been forgotten about!

The full press release can be read below:

RING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH U.S. PREMIERES OF TOP GEAR, THE INBETWEENERS, LAST RESTAURANT STANDING AND FRIDAY NIGHT WITH JONATHAN ROSS

TOP GEAR SEASON 13 – U.S. PREMIERE
Top Gear skids, roars and explodes its way back to BBC AMERICA with a new season of man versus machine experiments, exhaustive road tests of the latest cars, weekly power tests featuring the world’s most exotic super-cars and a surprise revelation. Their adventures this season include testing the new Lambo Murcielago, a terrifying French ice race, filming their own Volkswagen commercial and in a television first, the mysterious Stig reveals his true identity. All the Top Gear faves are back including Star in a Reasonably Priced Car featuring celebrities such as Jay Leno, actress Sienna Miller, Stephen Fry and Olympic Gold sprinter Usain Bolt.
Top Gear premieres Monday, January 25, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

THE INBETWEENERS – U.S. PREMIERE
Written and created by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris (Peep Show, Flight of the Conchords) and named the best new sitcom of 2008 at the British Comedy Awards, The Inbetweeners offers a painfully funny take on the squirming humiliations of teenage life. It begins with the new kid in town, Will (Simon Bird), who has unwillingly had to move, change schools and, as a result, make new friends. He soon meets Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison), who are neither that cool nor that credible. The four friends get drunk too quickly, ride roller coasters and crush on the girl next door. Simon’s the first to throw Will a line—reluctantly agreeing to show him around school. He then meets Jay, who’s constantly lying about his sexual conquests and daring feats, and Neil, who’s really just out to lunch and often the butt of cruel jokes. The four of them will together try to make it through the trials of growing up in middle-class suburbia.
The Inbetweeners premieres with back to back episodes Monday, January 25, 9:00p.m. ET/PT. All future episodes premiere on Wednesdays, 9:30 p.m. ET/PT

DEMONS – U.S. PREMIERE
The battle against the dark underworld of half-lives, monsters and in-humans lie deep beneath the streets of modern-day London in the U.S. premiere of Demons. This contemporary spin on the character of Van Helsing features Luke Rutherford (Christian Cooke) as an average teenager, but with the arrival of his dead father’s best friend Rupert Galvin (Philip Glenister, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes), Luke’s life is about to be flipped upside down. Galvin is a straight-talking, headstrong American who has come to tell Luke his secret destiny - he’s the real-life great-great grandson of Abraham Van Helsing, the vampire hunter in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Luke’s destined to inherit the family mantle as a warrior in the coldest of cold wars against the supernatural entities behind every myth and legend from vampires to werewolves and all things that go bump in the night.
Demons premieres Saturday, January 2, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT

LAST RESTAURANT STANDING SEASON 3 – U.S. PREMIERE
World-renowned chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc with his industry experts Sarah Willingham and David Moore return to BBC AMERICA with another season of Last Restaurant Standing in which nine couples battle it out for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to open a restaurant with him. But in the current economic climate, Blanc is searching for a couple who proves they can tough it out in the harsh realities of working in the restaurant trade. The couple must have strong ideas, impeccable cooking skills and strong partnerships to win the ultimate prize. From their first meeting with Blanc the couples are in at the deep end facing a series of increasingly tough challenges like pitching their restaurant ideas, running a famous UK chain restaurant, making dishes to sell at a farmer’s market and even serving afternoon tea for 100 guests, to test the creativity and practical skills they need to get keys to their own restaurants. But getting the keys is only a start. Tough times on the high street means Raymond Blanc is not in the market for dreamers, and the pressure is on to show him they have what it takes to survive.
Last Restaurant Standing premieres Tuesday, January 5, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT

FRIDAY NIGHT WITH JONATHAN ROSS – U.S. PREMIERE
Friday night’s are back with a new season of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Jonathan Ross, one of the BBC’s best known personalities, continues blending humor and pop culture every week with America and Britain’s brightest A-list celebrities and musical performances. Last season, Jonathan welcomed Ricky Gervais, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Gerard Butler, Shakira and Jay Z as well as musical legends Barry Manilow and Barbara Streisand and this season continues the excitement with exclusive interviews and guest musical performances.
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross premieres Friday, January 22, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT

MOVIES
THE BIRDS – BBC AMERICA PREMIERE
Alfred Hitchcock's most popular film, The Birds, is a powerful, terrifying study of paranoia and hysteria in the wake of unexplained chaos. A beautiful, strong-willed socialite (Tippi Hedren) travels to the coastal town of Bodega Bay to hook up with a guy (Rod Taylor) she’s only just met. Once there, however, bizarre things start happening and the birds start behaving strangely.
The Birds premieres Sunday, January 3, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

PYSCHO – BBC AMERICA PREMIERE
Nominated for four Academy Awards, Psycho, made people think twice before stepping into the shower and Psycho remains one of the most shocking and frightening movies of all time. Anthony Perkins delivers a chilling performance as the nervous but amiable proprietor of the Bates Motel whose trouble with his mother and obsession with a beautiful guest leads to murder. Janet Leigh earned an Oscar nomination for her supporting role as the ill-fated traveler.
Psycho premieres Sunday, January 10, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

VERTIGO – BBC AMERICA PREMIERE
Silver screen legend James Stewart with Barbara Bel Geddes team with the Master of Suspense to play a detective who falls in love with a tortured, beautiful woman (Kim Novak) he is hired to follow. The detective lapses into obsession and desperation against the backdrop of a haunting San Francisco.
Vertigo premieres Sunday, January 17, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

REAR WINDOW – BBC AMERICA PREMIERE
Academy Award winning screen legends James Stewart and Grace Kelly star in the story about an injured photojournalist confined to his tiny, sweltering courtyard apartment with nothing to do but look out on his unsuspecting neighbors through the film's titular portal. It's all harmless voyeuristic fun until during one hot, restless night he thinks he witnesses a man murder his wife. Grace Kelly plays the fashionista girlfriend who helps him solve the crime.
Rear Window premieres Sunday, January 24, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

STUNTS
KITCHEN NIGHTMARES SUNDAY
Gordon Ramsay heats up the kitchen both sides of the pond by helping struggling ventures all on the brink of collapse. Kitchen Nightmares Sunday features the newest shows with five back-to-back episodes.
Kitchen Nightmares Sunday airs Sunday, January 3, starting at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT

DEMONIC SUNDAY
Catch up on the first three episodes of Demons as Luke (Christian Cooke) and Rupert (Philip Glenister, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes) battle good and evil with monsters, vampires and all creatures that go bump in the night.
Demonic Sunday airs Sunday, January 17, starting at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT

GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNING TOP GEAR MARATHON
Gear up for a new season of Top Gear and relive the adventures and laugh-out-loud moments
from seasons past. Top Gear Marathon is just in time for the new season of Top Gear which
premieres the very next night.
Top Gear Marathon airs Sunday, January 24, starting at 1:00 p.m. ET/ 10:00 a.m. PT

ALFRED HITCHCOCK MOVIE MARATHON
Enjoy a Sunday marathon of Alfred Hitchcock’s most thrilling and terrifying films, including Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds, starting first thing Sunday morning and continuing deep into the night.
Alfred Hithcock Movie Marathon airs all day Sunday, January 31

BBC WORLD NEWS AMERICA - NEW YEAR’S DAY SCHEDULE
Please note that BBC World News and BBC World News America will not air Friday, January 1.

ONGOING PREMIERES
Other series that continue to premiere new episodes in January include:
Tuesdays: Britain’s Missing Top Model
Wednesdays: Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares
Fridays: Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Saturdays: The Graham Norton Show

BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies, life-changing makeovers and a whole new world of nonfiction. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. BBC AMERICA is distributed by Discovery Networks. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 65 million homes.

FLASHFORWARD 1.10 - "A561984"

[SPOILERS] What makes a great episode of FlashForward? Well, considering the fact it still has a tough time making us care about anyone on a personal level, it's primarily whenever the show gives us big answers or bigger questions. The mid-season finale certainly delivered in terms of surprises, unpredicted development, some straight answers, and a decent cliffhanger, but it still didn't really connect on an emotional level. Nevertheless, "A561984" offered so much information that it all went down very smoothly...

The first surprise was seeing Lloyd (Jack Davenport) and Simon (Dominic Monaghan) hold a worldwide press conference and take the blame for the blackout, having been conducting a cutting-edge experiment at the exact time the event occurred. Assumedly they'll now be sued and financially ruined? Lloyd's a clever guy, but he has no common sense. Simon's actually not convinced they're to blame for the blackout, but Lloyd is adamant and determined to offload this burden in public. Needless to say, the news is greeted with a lot of anger and Lloyd becomes an immediate hate-figure, while Simon scurries to the FBI and offers Wedeck (Courtney B. Vance) his expertise in proving the blackout wasn't their fault. Wedeck reluctantly agrees to egomaniac Simon's help, as it's only matter of time before Mosaic is shutdown now culprits have stepped forward and promised no further blackouts will occur.

Adding to the mystery, while Simon recognises the FBI's aerial shots of those enormous towers in Somalia as something he theorized in 1992, such equipment has never been built to his knowledge, and the photo predates his idea by a year! Was someone else simply ahead of the curve, and has been willing to stay anonymous rather than bask in glory? That's what the FBI believe, and hypothesize that the enigmatic "Deacon Gibbons" is probably the man they're after. But, hey, he's an alternative theory for you all -- did someone, perhaps Gibbons, simply hop back in time with Simon's unmade invention, to use the technology to prevent a forthcoming global catastrophe? I'm just throwing this stuff out there. There's too much discussion about many-worlds theory and parallel dimensions to ignore the possibility that FlashForward's universe is actually a divergent reality someone created by altering the timeline in 1991.

In the major storyline, Benford (Joseph Fiennes) and Demetri (John Cho) arrive in Hong Kong to find the mystifying Persian lady who called Dem to warn him of his murder on 15 March. It's an unofficial mission that Benford accepts responsibility for, angering Wedeck nevertheless, and when they eventually track down their mystery caller, Nhadra Udaya (Shohreh Aghdashloo), she gives them a worrying addendum to her warning: that Demetri's killer will be his best friend Benford. She even proves her prediction by telling Benford the serial number of the murder weapon, his own Burea-issue handgun. Sadly, nobody thinks to ask how Nhadra knows all of this, but we do see her office has a similar wall of "clues" to the one Benford's piecing together in Washington? To my mind there's only one possible explanation for Nhadra's knowledge: she, like Gibbons (whom we see in her office in the closing scene), is a time-traveller and has painstakingly pieced together the events of 2009 for some reason. Any advance on that?

Like I said, FlashForward still isn't a show with character you feel particularly invested in, but there was better chemistry between Olivia (Sonya Walger) and Lloyd in this episode -- and it helps that Benford has proven to be so dull that I'm actively willing them to get together, just to make Benford cry. The scene where Lloyd realizes that, under slightly different circumstances, he may have met Olivia while he was at Harvard (but instead met his wife), was especially good work. And, again, it reinforces this idea of a "multiverse", which I'm now convinced is the explanation behind FlashForward on some level.

"A561984" leaves us with plenty of tantalizing notes: Benford and Dem's relationship now has a level of mistrust built-in (what will Dem do to make Benford want to kill him?); Simon will probably become the FBI's resident quirky scientist, determined to pin the blame for the blackout on someone else to save his career; Nhadra is in league with the chess-obsessed Gibbons (so why was she helping Dem by warning him about his murder?); Zoey (Gabrielle Union) went to see Dem's parents, and it was revealed that their shared vision of a wedding was actually Dem's funeral; and Lloyd's son was kidnapped by fake paramedics while being transferred by ambulance (who didn't see that coming, given how friendly-yet-shifty those medics were?)

It worked well as a mid-season finale, it has to be said. There was more than enough developments you keep you happy, and quite a few were surprising enough to lure you back for more. Indeed, the saving grace of FlashForward has been how it's had a steady stream of enticing reveals up it sleeve, ready to put them into play just when you grow exasperated by its haphazard plotting and generally bland characterizations. Sadly, audiences are falling away fast (on both sides of the Atlantic) and I somehow doubt ABC will be keen to greenlight a second season if the ratings continue to dwindle and the critical response remains very mixed, at best.

But I'm still watching. It's not great TV, but it's not totally boring, and the premise has its hooks firmly embedded in me now. I need to see how this ends, and it's fun to theorize about. I think the CIA are somehow involved, perhaps in league with that Jericho outfit, using technology created by Gibbons and financed by a cabal of rich Arabs who are perhaps related to Nhadra's character. I just wish I liked the people as much as I like the concept.


30 November 2009
Five, 9pm

written by: David S. Goyer & Scott M. Gimple directed by: Michael Nankin starring: Joseph Fiennes (Agent Mark Benford), John Cho (Agent Demetri Noh), Brian F. O'Byrne (Aaron Stark), Zachary Knighton (Bryce), Courtney B. Vance (Agent Stanford Wedeck), Sonya Walger (Dr. Olivia Benford), Genevieve Cortese (Tracy Stark), Barry Shabaka Henley (Agent Vreede) & Peyton List (Nicole)

DEXTER 4.10 - "Lost Boys"

[SPOILERS] There's no denying the writers have softened Dexter Morgan's (Michael C. Hall) image over the past two seasons. I can't imagine the serial-killer we first met in season 1 being quite so eager to save a little boy's life, but the writers clearly want (or need) their character to evolve and grow -- partly to reflect changes in his lifestyle (his humanizing through marriage and fatherhood) and partly because it's easier to imagine the show continuing for longer if Dex is, ultimately, a heroic figure with fewer barbs. If you hate how the series has gradually turned its lead into a moral vigilante superhero, then you'll probably roll your eyes at some turns "Lost Boys" takes, but if you're happy to see Pinocchio slowly becoming a real boy over time, then it'll be easier to swallow...

"Lost Boys" finds Dex on the tail of Arthur (John Lithgow), intending to end his tyranny and, ultimately, protect his oppressed family by adding him to his list of victims. However, Arthur's movements take a curious turn and he abducts a young boy called Scott from a local arcade, disappearing before Dex can stop him. A bit of detective work leads Dex to deduce that the "Trinity Killer" is improperly named, as Arthur's kill cycle actually begins by abducting and killing young boys (a fact missed by Lundy). The kidnapped kids effectively play the role of a young Arthur himself -- innocent and pure before his family were all killed in a tragic domino tumble of accident-suicide-murder.

The last four episodes of every season are always great fun on Dexter, as they've all involved someone realizing Dex's secret -- but here the tables are flipped as it's Arthur who's aware "Kyle" is close to unmasking him. Of course, he's unaware that matters are more complex, as Dex can't just point the finger at Arthur once Scott's abduction becomes headline news, as explaining exactly how he came to that conclusion would be impossible if he wants to maintain his cover. The reason given for why Dex can't leave an anonymous tip-off wasn't adequately explained for me, but I'll assume Dex just can't have Arthur arrested and allowed to spill the beans about benevolent divorcee Kyle Butler. I mean, how would he explain all that?

So, "Lost Boys" was effectively a one-man search of Miami, with Dex having to balance his work commitments while sneaking away to try and locate where Athur's holding Scott captive. To do this, he enlists Arthur's son Jonah (Brando Eaton), who's frightened but keen to escape the "whale" he lives in, and starts searching various homes Arthur was researching online. Indeed, Arthur is keeping Scott (whom he renames "Arthur") in a bomb shelter of a new home garden, forcing the boy to play with an antique train set, wear '50s-era pajamas, and eventually eat a pot of ice cream he's poisoned. His aim being to bury the boy in the concrete foundations of a build site (preserving a symbol of his former innocence like a fly in amber?)

For once, the subplots were worth watching and quite tense and exciting in their own right. Ace reporter Christine (Courtney Ford) came under the suspicion of Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) as the person responsible for shooting Lundy dead, so she finally agrees to Christine's request for an interview about her ordeal. However, she instead uses the one-on-one interview to try and rattle Christine by presenting her with crime scene photos of Lundy's corpse and lightly questioning some peculiarities about the speed she got to the crime scene. As Angel (David Zayas) watches on a monitor, they both spot Christine's guilty body language and odd reaction, before finally matching her DNA to that of the Trinity Killer using her toothbrush.

Interestingly, in the scene where Christine goes to Arthur and reveals to him how close the police are to uncovering her crime, we're given a few nuggets of information that raised my eyebrows. Primarily, it turns out Christine was acting alone when she shot Lundy, so she's not in cahoots with her estranged father as widely predicted. Instead, it was all a bizarre effort to keep her dad safe from exposure, as she's always suspected he's a killer -- having witnessed one of his bath tub kills as a little girl (a hazy memory she explained away as a dream, until Arthur's latest "blood bath" killing occurred in the same house, exactly 30 years later.) No concrete reason is given for why Christine wouldn't call the police about her suspicions at that point, but it's inferred through Courtney Ford's twitchy performance that Arthur's been a negligent father but helping him get away with murder was a twisted way of earning his love and respect. I can just about go along with that, I guess. Just.

The episode ended with Christine arrested (and no doubt set to reveal her father as Trinity, as she's an easy nut to crack), and Dex managing to rescue Scott from a hole full of concrete, but unfortunately letting Arthur disappear into the night (his cry of "Arthuuuur!" was a little OTT though, wasn't it?) Right now, it's interesting to try and predict where the final two episodes will take us -- if the cops are pointed in Arthur's direction by Christine, surely his family will mention the mysterious "Kyle Butler" at some point and lead the investigation back to Dexter? History says that Arthur is destined to find himself on Dex's kill table before the finale, so will Trinity effectively vanish forever in the police's eyes when Dex disposes of his body? Isn't that too much of a disappointing end for the investigation storyline? The show has always found a way for the Miami Metro to mistakenly believe the season's case has been solved by them? And Deb's extracurricular snooping into her father's CI files reared its head again, so it feels likely we're being primed for her to discover her brother's related to the Ice Truck Killer.

Overall, I was sufficiently gripped and entertained by "Lost Boys", which was a tight and involving hour of television. It helps that I'm prepared to cut the show some slack in how it writes Dexter's character, too; so while I'm sad his grey areas are turning whiter over time, I'm viewing it as a necessary development to prevent stagnancy. Of course, if the show goes too far into rehabilitating Dexter into the perfect family man, or treating him as a proactive defender of innocents beyond children he identifies with, I may have to reconsider things.


29 November 2009
Showtime, 9/8c

written by: Charles H. Eglee & Tim Schlattmann directed by: Keith Gordon starring: Michael C. Hall (Dexter Morgan), Julie Benz (Rita Bennett), Jennifer Carpenter (Debra Morgan), Desmond Harrington (Det. Joey Quinn), Lauren Vélez (Lt. Maria Laguerta), David Zayas (Sgt. Angel Batista), James Remar (Det. Harry Morgan), Christina Robinson (Astor Bennett), Preston Bailey (Cody Bennett), Sarah Grant Brendecke (Nanny), J.R. Cacia (Officer Gordon), Kathy Christopherson (Jill), Brando Eaton (Jonah Mitchell), Courtney Ford (Christine Hill), John Lithgow (Arthur Mitchell), Kavita Patil (Doctor) & Katie Grant (Woman)

Torchwood: back for fourths

The Children Of Earth five-part special was so successful that... they're not going to do it again. Well, for now. Instead, the BBC are bringing Torchwood back for a fourth season of 13 episodes. John Barrowman made the announcement as a guest on Steve Wright's afternoon radio show. I'm glad, really. I liked COE, but I don't think it filled five hours that brilliantly, and I much prefer the idea of 13 individual stories (with a few two-parters, say.) Maybe we'll just get five-part specials whenever the Torchwood team need a break? It's a good way of allowing busy actors like Barrowman to do other things, without being indefinitely tied into Torchwood every single year.

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: December 2009

Considering the fact everyone will be descending on the shops to buy Christmas presents this month, it's not the best month for DVD/Blu-ray releases in the UK -- or is it just me?

7 DECEMBER

G.I Joe: The Rise Of Cobra
Gavin & Stacey: Series 1-3
Harry Potter: Year 1-6
Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince
Inglourious Basterds
James May's Toy Story
Terminator 1-4 Box-set
The Hangover
The Tudors: Season 1-3
The Tudors: Season 3

14 DECEMBER

Big Bang Theory: Season 2
Breaking Bad: Season 1

21 DECEMBER

Final Destination Collection
The Final Destination

28 DECEMBER

An Englishman In New York
District 9
Family Guy Presents: Something Something Something Dark Side
Life: Season 2
Misfits: Series 1
The Hurt Locker