Critical Myth

I don’t doubt that it was an awesome location to investigate, and it seems very clear that the client was eager to have the team find something compelling. But it’s equally clear that the location was often creepy, and even the most seasoned investigators (to borrow an adjective) can fall prey to psychological effects. Whether or not that, and the nostalgia, factored into the final conclusions, I cannot say, but this wasn’t nearly as airtight a case in the presented form as they made it sound.

The review for Ghost Hunters 6.12: “America’s First Zoo” has been added to the archive.

This one is about on the level of the previous episode. I wouldn’t yet call this a slump, but my personal enjoyment of the last two episodes is slightly less than it has been. I’m actually struggling a bit to grasp exactly why that is. For some reason the last two episodes, while good, have felt just slightly more average than what I’m used to.

Peter and Neal have both been steadily working behind each other’s backs to solve the mystery of Kate and the music box. Peter is the first to find out, but instead of getting angry, he sets some ground rules. Neal can continue his investigation, but only if Diana is given access. Naturally, Mozzie is extremely resistant to having another Fed interfering with his business.

In any given episode of “White Collar” you’ll see a central story element that drives the humor and fun while also serving to highlight important character aspects. This time we get to see a bit of a role-reversal, with Peter going undercover and living the high life. It’s reminiscent of the format of the previous episode, in which Peter has to go on the run while Neal is on the other side of the law. It’s handled just as well, meaning that the potential of the idea wasn’t fully realized. The undercover bit occurs frequently on “White Collar”, and we usually see Neal take on that role. So it was nice to see Peter getting to have some of the fun for once, with Neal on hand to highlight the humor of the situation.

But as I said, having Peter go undercover is pretty obviously intended to put the focus on an element of Peter’s character. The situation causes Peter to casually re-think his direction in life. A lot of this is brought about by Neal, who is quite amused by the idea of Peter as the wealthy company man. Peter never takes the idea very seriously. And in the end, he takes note of the fact that he’d never have met Elizabeth if he’d taken a different route. It’s a bit obvious, but it’s good to see that Peter is proud of his life and his work with the FBI.

This episode serves as a good example of exactly who Neal Caffrey really is. Neal leaves nothing to chance. As a con, he’s learned to manipulate everything to achieve his goals. Neal is also good at manipulating people; guding the conversation in his direction, giving people ideas and making them think they came up with it, etc. Part of what makes him so great at this is his strong sense of empathy. This makes Neal’s interactions with other people feel like more than just shallow manipulation. As incredibly calculated and skilled as Neal is, he will often come to care about people. It’s an integral part of what makes Neal such a good person, but it could also become his greatest weakness somewhere down the road.

Major characters don’t often end up in major peril on “White Collar”, so Peter’s poisoning was a good break from the usual. It’s still not as suspenseful as it could be, but it’s a step in the right direction. I love the light-hearted fun, and it can be relaxing to watch a show where you can generally know that things are going to turn out OK in the end, but an actual sense of danger would serve the show well.

By the end of the episode, Neal learns about what Peter has been up to. He’s bothered, but the two men know that they can’t really get mad at each other, considering that they’re both guilty of the same thing. So they press forward. Peter shows Neal the music box, and the need for a key, which Neal then reveals to have had for a while now. And we cut to black as Peter and Neal open the box. So essentially, the episode is a setup for the following episode’s reveal. Now let’s just hope the contents of the box are worth the long build-up.

Rating: 7/10

Perhaps the most interesting thing to emerge out of this episode is the revelation that Don Draper was effectively hired by Sterling Cooper because Roger was drunk. It’s not only easy to believe, given what we know of Roger’s history, but it goes a long way towards explaining the uneasy relationship between the two men over the course of the series.

Of course, the point was to draw certain important parallels. Roger’s influence has been on the wane for quite some time, and as Lane noted in his conversation with Pete, many of the partners are seeing Roger as a liability. So it’s telling that Don is effectively following in Roger’s footsteps. Combined with his embarrassing performance at the meeting over the Life ads, and Don is all but squandering whatever goodwill might remain among his colleagues.

It feels more and more like the transformation of society taking place in the background is preparation for similar tumultuous change within the agency. Lane appears ready to stage a bit of a coup, and he’s lining up allies. The question is: will Don be a part of the new regime, or will he find himself on the outside looking in, a liability rather than the reason the agency exists? If he continues to sap away the goodwill of his former acolytes, then there’s no telling where his self-destructive journey may end.

Pete and Peggy are both displaying the kind of drive and purpose that breeds success, and they would ostensibly be on Lane’s side. But like so many of the people in the agency, Don knows a lot about their personal failings and past history. If they try to push him out, would he salt the earth on his way out the door? Or would he use all that information to force them to keep him around? It could get very, very ugly.

There’s little doubt that Don Draper is still disintegrating. The question now is whether or not the agency will come crashing down with him, or provide the new paradigm for his redemption. At the rate things are progressing, we may not know for another season or two.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Being a new viewer as of the second season, I didn’t know anything about Artie’s past, so I enjoyed this episode for that reason alone. It reveals quite a bit about his strength of character and continues to render him as more than just the source of quick and dirty exposition. It’s also good to see him working with Pete and Myka, since much of his time this season has been spent with Claudia.

But the real bonus in this episode was the return of H.G. Wells. I love what they did with the character, and how it has tossed some complications into a team dynamic that has already done so much to avoid stagnation. The character was very sympathetic in this episode, and it provided a nice counterpoint for Artie.

The real question, though, is whether or not Artie is right. If H.G. Wells was being honest, then Artie is being stubborn, acting out of a distinct lack of information. But there’s still a great deal of potential for H.G. to be manipulating the situation, and perhaps all the light shed on the Regents and the hierarchy behind the Warehouse system is meant to lay the groundwork for some sort of conspiracy. After all, who doesn’t expect H.G. to be working on a time machine again, in some attempt to save her daughter’s life?

But that seems just a bit too predictable, and I would rather they take the unexpected route. Why not have H.G. be completely sincere? Granted, it’s unlikely that they would keep her around forever, since they don’t really need to expand or alter the cast right now. But why make her a stereotypical villain? Of course, they still need to explain why McPherson would have gone through all that trouble to release her, and why she took the actions shown in the season premiere.

If there was one weakness in the episode, I thought it was Claudia’s subplot with Todd. What was the point of having Todd come back, only to be shuffled off again? I also thought that Claudia’s emotions were a bit over the top, especially towards the end. Considering that Claudia has been the breakout character for me on this show, I’m concerned. Others have noted that her character has been a little too overexposed this season, and it would be a shame to kill all that accumulated goodwill.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Guest Reviewer: Gregg Wright

I suppose it’s probably a good thing that I have no idea where “True Blood” is going. But it still manages to frustrate me. The main story of the season seems to be about the threat posed by Russell Edgington. Pretty much everything in the main plot has involved characters reacting to him. This has probably been the most interesting portion of the season for me. A lot of the sub-plots still feel purposeless, though I think the Lafayette storyline could benefit future storylines more than any of the other sub-plots.

My favorite parts of the episode involved Eric’s plan to take down Russell Edgington. It’s a solid plan that, at least up to the ending, seems to be working. Though I wonder, a little, why Edgington can’t just drag Eric back into Fangtasia. The sunlight doesn’t seem to be affecting him that much yet, so he should be strong enough. I can understand Sookie not trusting Eric, but it’s a little annoying that she has so little faith in Bill.

I really doubt that Eric will die, and I think it’s unlikely that Edgington will die just yet either. But as previously stated, anything could happen. This show is highly unpredictable, which I don’t always think of as a strength. The spontaneity of events makes it feel a bit more believable, but makes for a pretty messy story that doesn’t satisfy as much as I’d like. Although, we do have one more episode to go. So I’ll be interested in seeing how well they wrap things up.

Sam Trammell’s meltdown is pretty brutal to watch. Being a bit drunk may have something to do with it, but it seems clear that it’s more than that. He’s just tired of letting everybody walk all over him, so he’s fighting back. It’s understandable, but it leads him to say and do some pretty terrible things. Arlene and Tommy have been irritating enough in the past to warrant some backtalk, but Sam’s treatment of Terry was just despicable. Terry is one of the most inoffensive and likable characters on the show. I suppose there’s a good reason for the story to take this direction. But admittedly, I’m not enjoying it. I’m just not interested in where this is going.

I felt pretty bad for Andy Bellefleur in this episode. His breakdown and confession to Tara was one of the most genuine things I have ever seen on this show. It’s easy to side with him instead of Tara, especially after all the evidence of Tara’s self-absorption and blind rage. Tara just wants a villain to blame, and Andy becomes her target. It’s been made pretty clear this season that Andy didn’t cover it up for selfish reasons. The whole situation, including her bonding with Sam, serve to make an unlikable character even less sympathetic than before. Though it does seem that a lot of the characters have been on self-destructive paths this season, so a lot of what I’m not liking could be intentional.

I don’t think Lafayette’s hallucinations are solely a result of the V. I think it’s either a result of burgeoning abilities, or his brief psychic connection with Jesus. It isn’t getting much emphasis yet, but I really like the idea of Lafayette as some sort of sorcerer. Maybe this is a set-up for a great emphasis on this in season 4.

I’m still fairly annoyed with the Jason sub-plot, but at least this episode set up some potentially dramatic events in the finale. Jason’s love for Crystal put him right in the middle of a showdown between the DEA and a group of werepanthers. I wouldn’t mind getting to see some werepanthers in action.

Arlene’s attempt to abort what she believes to be Rene’s baby doesn’t work out as intended. I think Holly’s herbal method would have worked, if it had been a normal baby. I’m still not convinced that it’s Rene’s baby anyway.

I’m still pretty unsatisfied with this season overall. But this is such an engrossing show, I don’t know if I could stop watching any time soon, no matter how annoyed I get with it. My main issues still reside with the seemingly pointless sub-plots and the often dumbfounded choices the characters make. Eric and Bill are usually a refreshing contrast to the other characters because of the intelligent choices they make and the way they handle things. So I still like that element of the show quite a bit.

Rating: 7/10

****

My take:

I’ve come to agree with the overall thrust of Gregg’s recent reviews: this season has been overstuffed and overwhelmed with far too many subplots that seem to have nothing to do with the main plot threads involving Sookie, Bill, and Eric. And the prominence of Eric in the popularity of the show makes it very hard to believe that he would be killed. So the real question is how the writers intend to end the season without leaving all these plot threads dangling in the wind.

Listeners of the Critical Myth Podcast (available on my website and iTunes) know that our discussion panel has been struggling with “Haven” since the very beginning. I’ve tried to defend it, based on the information provided in the official commentaries from the Syfy website and other revelations from the creative side, but it’s hard to continue when all of those promises never seem to translate into results on the screen.

My greatest criticism has been the absence of consistent supporting characters that can represent the quirky and unusual personality of the town itself. The writers seem to be going for the long-term effect; given enough time and exposure, the episodic elements will form a gestalt that will reveal the character of Haven as a whole. But that hasn’t been happening on a sufficient scale.

This is one reason why I liked Jess and her relationship with Nathan. Not only did she seem to be designed to make Nathan more comfortable with his curse, but she seemed to represent a perspective on the Troubles that was otherwise lacking. And the Nathan/Jess, Audrey/Duke setup avoided the more conventional love triangle approach. But most importantly, Jess was something important: a supporting character that provided a touchstone to the undercurrents in Haven society.

So what do the writers do? They have Jess leave Haven, just as Audrey starts pushing Nathan to come out of his reserved and wooden shell. Which reduces Jess to a plot device: a character introduced solely to open up Nathan’s worldview enough for Audrey’s apparent benefit. Not only is the show now straying in a more conventional direction, but now the audience is back to having less insight into the Haven community as a result.

The result is frustration. The pattern has already emerged among the cursed, so it’s now a waiting game until the main characters recognize it themselves. In the meantime, there just isn’t enough personality to the show, the town, or the regulars to generate the kind of interest “Haven” desires. The irony is that the overwhelming impression given by the production and the tone of the episodes is that they’re getting the job done.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

Guest Reviewer: Gregg Wright

Well now I feel a bit stupid. I completely missed the fact that the woman Grant was meeting was Beverly Barlowe, villainous agent of “The Consortium” who teleported to who-knows-where back at the end of season 2. This certainly changes my perspective on things, especially after the events in this episode.

I can sympathize with Grant’s position on weapons, and in an ideal world, I’d completely agree with his stance. I don’t think America had much of a choice in the matter, at the time. Grant’s philosophy, though pure in intent, is what Beverly uses to manipulate Grant into helping them obtain technology needed to rebuild the bridge device. The DED device was just a red herring; a means to an end. Does Beverly still work for The Consortium in this timeline? I think it makes sense that she would be.

Unfortunately, this is probably the weakest episode of the season so far. The whole idea of the ex’s isn’t nearly as funny as it was intended to be. There are a few funny moments, of course. But on the whole, it just comes off as a bit stupid and irritating. The re-appearance of Stark is a jokey, disappointing, and ultimately kind of pointless. And I’m guessing it closes the door on the possibility of an actual Stark return.

Jo is having a really hard time. It’s almost hard to believe that Zane hasn’t started to wonder what the heck was going on with Jo by now. If this incident didn’t make him aware, I don’t know what will.

The end result still fits pretty closely with what I was expecting. This group, possibly The Consortium, seems to have an interest in altering the timeline. From what Beverly has said, it sounds like they want to do much more than just return things to the way they were.

The stand-alone elements of the episode were pretty sub-par, but the bigger story developments made it worthwhile. I seem to always enjoy the Deputy Andy scenes. Kavan Smith is still pretty hilarious in the role. It’s pretty rare to see such a sub-standard episode of Eureka, so I expect the rest of the season to be an improvement. I think the next episode is a mid-season finale. It looks to be pretty heavy on the myth-arc, so I’m looking forward to it.

Rating: 6/10

****

John’s take:

I actually disagree with Gregg’s assessment this time around. I thought the appearance of the various exes and other figures of significance served to reveal the deeply-rooted psychological issues holding back the Eureka Six. And this puts Carter, Alison, Henry, and perhaps even Fargo in a position to want to maintain the current timeline/reality, while Grant and Jo have reasons to want the original timeline restored. That potential conflict was already brewing all season long, and it sets things up beautifully for the “summer finale”!

Guest Reviewer: Gregg Wright

“White Collar” is always worth watching, but I’d put this episode slightly below the rest of the episodes that have aired this season. It’s a solid enough offering, and it picks up a bit in the second half, but it’s just not quite as funny or memorable as the usual “White Collar” episode.

The concept of Peter having to go on the run while Neal and his team are forced to work against him, while secretly aiding him, has a lot of potential. But they didn’t utilize it as well as they could have. Neal gets to make some jokes about the role-reversal, but the humor and the conflict could have been milked a lot more. The criminal plot of the episode was, frankly, a bit boring.

About halfway through the episode we end up at one of Mozzie’s many safe-houses. It’s an amusing concept, made funnier by Mozzie’s eccentric behavior and off-beat line delivery. I’d love to see more of Mozzie’s safe-houses in future episodes, if they’re as cool as “Tuesday” is.

It was nice to see Tiffani Thiessen back again on the actual sets. She may not have a lot to do on the show, but her presence has always felt like a natural inclusion to the character dynamic.

I’m liking Joe Morton’s character, Bancroft. Maybe it’s just because of Joe Morton, but I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him in future episodes. He’s warming up to the team already, and he seems like a good person to have as an ally, especially considering his status level at the FBI.

A lot of the time, “White Collar” will find a clever way of integrating the larger story arc into the stand-alone events of an episode, but they didn’t even bother this time. Instead, we get a brief scene at the end with Mozzie telling Peter that Garret Fowler, the main recurring baddie of season 1, was on the other end of the line when Kate called from the plane. Fowler had previously set up the deal between Neal and Kate at the end of season 1. In the call, Kate had told Fowler that Peter was there. Fowler asked why Peter was there, to which Kate replied that she didn’t know, and then said something about changing the plan (I still can’t quite make it out). And then, BOOM. So what do we make of that?

We already knew that Fowler was involved with whoever wanted the music box, and that he was integral in the plot to control Kate. And by using her, they knew they could use Neal to get the music box. I wish I could remember better how everything went down in the season 1 finale. The deal was that Neal would deliver the music box to Fowler, who would then deliver it to his superiors, while Neal and Kate would be given a new life. Had Fowler already lost the music box when he talked to Kate on the phone? It would make sense for Fowler to blow up the plane after not getting the music box. But I can’t help but think that someone else must be involved. Might the “mystery man” from episode 2 be connected to this third party?

Rating: 7/10

Guest Reviewer: Gregg Wright

If you’ve seen any of the trailers for “Centurion”, then you probably already have a good idea of whether you will like it or not. I am the type that, after seeing the first trailer, was immediately interested. I love R-rated sword-and-sandal epics, though I usually like them more when they include fantasy or sci-fi elements. This one was particularly interesting because of its director, Neil Marshall. He previous helmed the 2005 film “The Descent”, which I believe to be the best horror movie in at least the past decade.

“Centurion” initially appears to be a straight-up historical action thriller. The action itself is pretty satisfying. There is a noticeable amount of CG blood, but considering the $14 million budget, that’s very forgivable. The action scenes are well-choreographed and exciting. There’s a minor amount of shaky-cam and some fast editing here and there, but it’s shot pretty well overall. I was impressed. It’s getting rare to see such a well-made, R-rated action film these days. Nearly everything resorts to the kind of fast-editing and nauseating camera movement that I loathe.

The acting is pretty strong, all around. I haven’t seen much of Michael Fassbender before now, but I really liked him in the lead role of Quintus Dias, perhaps the most admirable character in the movie. Olga Kurylenko, who Americans will recognize from her recent roles in “Quantum of Solace” and “Hitman”, is also well worth mentioning. I suppose you could argue that she’s too good-looking or frail to fit the part, but I found her convincing enough. I also enjoyed Imogen Poots role as the semi-love interest. Her scenes with Fassbender could have been boring and out-of-place, but they ended up being a welcome break from the madness. Other stand-outs include Dominic West and Liam Cunningham. West plays the beloved Centurion commander of the Ninth Legion, and Cunningham gets a fair amount of screen-time as one of the more sympathetic Roman characters.

As I mentioned before, the cinematography is remarkably good. The ever-present blue tint to everything gets a little annoying, but it probably aids in creating the frigid atmosphere. I liked all the sweeping views of the landscape, which worked quite well with, what I think, were some cool opening and closing credits. Ilhan Eshkeri’s epic orchestral score doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s effective and adds to the excitement. It sets the mood for the film really well in the opening credits scene with the primary theme. The first trailer for “Centurion” actually utilized music from the score, which is something I wish more movie trailers would do.

Despite my overall enjoyment of “Centurion” as a piece of action-driven entertainment, I did have some issues. As previously stated, “Centurion” initially appears to be a thriller/chase movie about seven men on the run from an unstoppable enemy. For most of the movie, that’s exactly what it is. But throughout the film there is a noticeable attempt at making the movie into more than just a thriller. We’re given periodic narration from Quntius Dias that gives us a bit of insight into his motivations and fears. A relationship begins to develop later in the movie between Quintus and a Pict woman played by Imogen Poots. I really enjoyed these scenes, but was left wishing they’d taken that story much further than they did.

The point is, there are two stories being told in “Centurion”. One is a manly action movie in the vein of “The 13th Warrior”, while the other is the story of Quintus Dias himself, and his personal journey. “Centurion” feels like it’s trying to be two different movies at the same time. It actually works out pretty well anyway, but I think it would have been a much stronger movie if they’d focused more on one story over the other. If they wanted it to simply be an action/chase movie, they should have fleshed out the seven survivors more so we care more about them and their fight for survival. If they’d wanted the movie to focus more on the journey of Quintus Dias, they should have developed his character more and done a lot more with the story. We do get a certain level of closure for Quintus, but by the end you’re still left wondering what point, if any, the movie is trying to make. Maybe if the movie had taken a slightly different approach, I wouldn’t even be asking that question.

“Centurion” is an entertaining thrill ride with plenty of R-rated violence and no shortage of badass characters. There are a lot of ways in which the movie could have been improved, but I still feel pretty good about it overall. If you’re a fan of the genre, I would definitely recommend checking it out.

Rating: 8/10

Despite some of the set-up at the start of the episode, most of the time was devoted to the self-contained kidnapping case. I have to wonder if that was deliberate, designed to convince the audience that Michael gets in perilous situations all the time with minimal harm to himself and his clients. Because otherwise, it seemed to waste a lot of time that could have gone to complicating the Barrett situation.

The end of the episode was certainly exciting enough, and while it seems rather obvious that Michael will survive, it should be interesting to find out who took possession of that briefcase. A safe bet would probably be either Jesse or Vaughn, which would tie in nicely with the season/series arc. I think the final act of the episode supports the notion that Jesse’s desire to kill Michael was a red herring, and that they will simply be uneasy allies against Vaughn and “The Company”.

If there was one aspect of the kidnapping case that worked very well, it was the prison break ruse. Of course, it once again brings up one of my minor complaints about the series. Michael continues to be the go-to guy for these sub-legal operations, and it makes it very hard to believe that he wouldn’t end up running into an enemy that knows all about him or at least some of his recent activities.

Perhaps that is just a minor concern; perhaps this is something that has been addressed in earlier seasons, before I was watching the show. Certainly there are nuances to Michael’s history and interaction with “The Company” and “Management” that I simply don’t know. And perhaps that has something to do with the impression that Michael gets away with too much. If nothing else, there is still a lot left to understand about Michael’s burn notice.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10