I'm with Coco

Not that I have anything against Jay Leno (in fact he seems like quite a nice guy), but it appears that NBC have royally screwed over both themselves and Conan O'Brien in this late night talk show shake up. To read Conan's full open letter to NBC head over here, it is both brutally honest and funny, and it highlights the fact that it can't still be called 'The Tonight Show' if it airs at 12.05am. This picture best sums up my feelings on the situation:

And last nights monologue:

Also here is an article about the creator of the above 'Im with Coco' image

Chuck season 3

Chuck returned last night with a double episode and there will be another one tonight so I will keep this brief and do a full recap tomorrow (spoiler warning just in case)

It is good to see this show back, especially as it came so close to being cancelled last season, with the scheduling meltdown that Leno at 10pm has caused NBC and that he will be returning to late night there is less panic regarding ratings this season as there are now more slots for scripted television. This Leno experiment failed on the part of NBC and it is good that they have realised that this is the case (though I really hope Conan doesn't get screwed over in the process. though it kinda already looks like he has). Regarding the first episode of this third season it is clear that new viewers were definitely in mind as 'The Pink Slip' was a reboot of a kind, re-establishing the characters, who they are and what their motivations are. I enjoyed this first hour but because of the exposition element of this episode, the next one was a lot more satisfying as an existing Chuck fan.

It was a welcome sight to see the team back together again, even with this added layer of angst that has been created by Chuck choosing the spy life over a life with Sarah. Though as the video on the USB drive that Sarah watched at the end of episode 2 shows, it is because of Sarah that he has decided to stay in the spy life as he has a 'gift' that can help people; this is something that she taught him. This scene makes up for any of the arguments and relationship debates between Sarah and Chuck in these first two episodes, though I must say that I think this is a show that, like the Office will not suffer if the 'will they/won't they' couple actually get together. Somebody commented over on Television Without Pity that they were worried that Chuck will end up like Seth in The OC, being quite self centred when it comes to relationships and I really hope this is not the case. Hopefully because Chuck has the spy world to contend with this will not happen, though I can see why this one fan would think this could happen after the repeated badgering that Chuck gave Sarah whilst on mission in episode 2. Chuck, the character has always been about Sarah but also how to be the best asset that he can be, this new intersect has made this challenge all the harder as it is his emotions that affect if he can flash and I'm sure that this will be both a blessing and a curse as to what kind of spy he will become.

Wow, for what was meant to be a brief comment on the new episodes I sure have waffled for quite a bit. One of the main things that I wanted to say was that I particularly liked the way the train station scene in Prague was shot and that there was the added bonus of the Frightened Rabbit track 'Backward's Walk' which was my musical highlight of the episodes (low point being Imogen Heap, not a fan). I look forward to tonights episode, especially if there are any more clues as to who Agent Shaw is.

All I need to find is a big jar of cheese balls and to work out what is exactly in 'jail juice'.

Lost season 3 rewatch

Season 3 began with several different stories taking place and with the characters in different locations, one included this:

    
  

Where the different characters are; Kate, Sawyer and Jack having been taken by the others are on a different island all together and after the hatch imploded those who were there when that occurred are also separated, scattered in the jungle or happily back at the beach playing family time. Hurley is also on his own having been set free by the Others as a messenger for what has happened to Kate, Sawyer and Jack. This separation is one issue that was raised when these episodes were first aired as an initial six episode arc in October, with episode 7 airing the following February. This scheduling experiment showed that Lost is a show that really needs to be aired in one block with little or no gaps being best for viewer satisfaction, much like a show like 24. When it comes to rewatching these episodes without the long hiatus they become less problematic but I still think these opening six feel somewhat disjointed.
This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy these episodes, in fact I liked the Kate and Sawyer scenes a lot and it was good to finally see them fully consummate their relationship- I've always much preferred the pairing of Kate and Sawyer over Jack, the chemistry between the two is the main factor for this. The introduction of Juliet was also well done, as a character she is one like Sayid who I always forget that I like so much until they have their own episode and show how brilliant they are and after rewatching this season I am sad that she is only going to appear in a handful of episodes in season 6.
Back on the main island; not a good introduction was to Nikki and Paulo who never seemed to fit in. One story that begun in these six that was important for the rest of the season was that Desmond after using the hatch fail safe key now has the ability to see in to the future, seeing flashes of what is going to happen. One such flash suggests that either Claire or Charlie are in danger and that Desmond has to save one of them. Also important to other season 3 stories is that now pregnant had an affair just prior to the island implicating that sterile Jin may not be the father to her baby. One character also fell to the smoke monster, that being Mr Eko who as a character I liked throughout season 2 but did not really miss his presence in the ensuing episodes/seasons. Not sure why, perhaps it was because it was the line that ended the six episode arc but I still love it when Jack says 'Damn it Kate, run!' My favourite sequence from these first six is definitely when Locke in his sweat lodge has a vision of Boone wheeling him through the airport, visually it was superb:

  

Why I have decided to look at the series in two parts is probably because the first six episodes seem to be discussed as a separate entity and because this is the season where the backlash seemed the most strong, it is also the season where they announced that there would be an end date after negotiations with ABC were successful, soothing the naysayers. This was also when Heroes first premiered and was the new TV darling although in hindsight that is a show that started strong and which hasn't seemed to recover since the writers strike and would also benefit from having an end date.

The season over riding theme was that of the Others and of one Benjamin Linus:

 

My highlights of this story and the rest of season 3 when rewatching include:

• The Ben centric episode 'The Man Behind the Curtain' (see above picture) was well executed making you feel equally sorry for and repulsed by Ben's actions and making you understand a bit more as to why he is the manipulative and insecure person that he is in the present. Heartbreaking scenes between him and his father on his birthday make his actions as an adult more understandable. Great casting for young Ben who we have seen since.
• The introduction of Richard who seemingly at first seems nothing more than one of Ben's many pawns, that is until we see him looking the same age in the 70s, still don't know his story fully but he is definitely one of the more intriguing characters. He was also responsible for revealing to Locke which other Lostie his father also had a hand in ruining. 
• The reveal that Locke's father is the man who conned Sawyer's mother when he was a child was one that I had guessed in season 1- I very rarely get this stuff so far in advance so was happy that it played out that I was correct. The scenes in 'The Brig' with Sawyer and 'original' Sawyer are also really heartbreaking and showed that Josh Holloway is a lot more than snark and abs.
• It was also revealed how Locke ended up in the wheelchair and he was dramatically thrown from a window eight floors up. The scene that follows of Locke being made to get in to his wheelchair also introduced us to 'don't tell me what I can't do' but this time spoken by the hospital worker.
• Another relationship link that had been hinted at in season 2 is that Jack's father is also Claire's father, this is revealed to be true in the Claire centric episode 'Par Avion'.
• Jack and Locke's relationship really hit the skids when John blew up Jacks ride home, not a good move for repairing friendships. Nor is blowing up the communication station. Or throwing knifes in the back of the person who will 'rescue' you.
• I'm not sure if I'm in the minority but I enjoyed the slightly more irreverent episodes like 'Expose' and 'Tricia Tanaka is Dead'. Especially the latter with the idea that there is hope for them all, even if it comes from starting an old VW camper- which will come in as a handy weapon later on in the season. We also get to meet Roger Workmen, if only they knew who's father he turned out to be.
• I had also forgotten that perhaps the best and the worst episodes in this season are back to back, these being 'Flashes Before Your Eyes' and the infamous Jack tattoo origins episode 'Stranger in a Strange Land'.
• 'Flashes Before Your Eyes' is probably one of my favourite all time episodes and really set up the new 'power' that Desmond has and what occurred when he turned the key. It was also a really nice twist on the flashback format, getting to see his life before the island with him having knowledge of his island life. From seeing him wake up covered in red paint (meant to look like blood), in Dharma like overalls and with a microwave sound that is reminiscent of a certain computer there were so many touches of brilliance in this episode. We learn a little more about what kind of man Charles Widmore is (that he likes art in his office by baby abandoning Australians), that he likes expensive scotch and that he really, really does not approve of Desmond being with his daughter. Seeing Charlie singing 'Wonderwall' "Because maybe you're gonna be the one that saves me" in this odd flashback hints at the reveal at the the end of the episode. Perhaps the most important person in this flashback is the jewellary owner Eloise Hawking, who as we now know is Daniel Faraday's mother and former island inhabitant. However in this episode she is just the woman who reveals to Desmond that he can't change what is meant to happen, that things have a way of course correcting, that he must go to the island and leave Penny, forcing him again in to reliving the moment that he runs away from the women he loves. This leads back to the present where Desmond reveals that it has been Charlie's life and not Claire's that he has been saving and that it doesn't matter what he does as it is going to keep happening over and over again, 'You're going to die brother'.
• That is exactly what does happen, but not until Desmond has saved him a couple more times and when his death will impact on the rescue of all the Losties. It is Charlie's death in Lost that is the one that I have been the most saddened by as he was my favourite character from the off. The manner in which they deal with his death is probably the best goodbye a character has had so far, from his episode 'Greatest Hits' which had me all misty eyed at the end to his actual watery demise, which had me double misty eyed I think that it was an excellent send off and gave his character the redemption he had been craving from the start:

 

• Other thoughts regarding the finale, the Jack flashback that was not a flashback at all had me fooled, even at the end when Kate stepped out of the car I inexplicably and stupidly said 'He knew her from before?!' to realise two seconds later what an idiot I was. This flash forward had many a puzzling things but mainly who is in the coffin? A question to not be revealed until the finale of season 4. As far as a Jack centric story this was by far one of my favourites and yes I can be quite critical of the Jack episodes. The only thing bad was the road kill that he had stuck to his face. The part on the bridge reminded me of two separate things, firstly with the newspaper and the car The Beatles song 'A Day in the Life' springs to mind: "I read the news today, oh boy" and "He blew his mind out in a car". The other cultural reference is that it makes me think of 'It's a Wonderful Life' standing on a bridge and contemplating death, though this time he isn't saved by an angel but an island that won't let him die. Tenuous yes but the first pop culture references that I think of when I see this part of the episode. I have to give props to Matthew Fox who really does play Jack as a desperate and broken man very well. I also love the hints about Jack being a hero and people recognising him, at this point we think that this is from rescuing the woman on the bridge, it turns out he is famous for something so much bigger.
• Other parts of the finale that I liked was that Hurley who had been told that he could be no use turned out to be the big hero on the beach, getting the VW camper, running over the Others and saving Jin, Sayid and Bernard who's chances of survival looked slim, especially as the would be rescuers of Juliet and Sawyer were unarmed. Also getting to see Alex and Rousseau reunited was good to see, though this happiness will be somewhat short lived in season 4.
• Overall, I really enjoyed season 3 despite my favourite character dying, With the contact to the freighter made at the end of this season and seeing that both Jack and Kate manage to get off the island and that Jack is such a broken man it sets up for season 4 very well. 

Photos courtesy of Lost-Media

Lost season 2 rewatch

Last night I finished season 3 of Lost but before I can write about this here are my thoughts on season 2 which I finished watching over the Christmas holiday (which is my excuse for not getting it up sooner). Here are the highs, lows and everything else that I thought is relevant from watching this season with full knowledge of what has happened since.
What occurred had much to do with this:

And with the hatch within which this computer resides. Season 2 of course focused on the hatch and opened up the Dharma world to both the Losties and the audience. The other area of focus was expanding the idea of who and what the others are and that there were other survivors from flight 815. My highlights from this season include:

• Interesting new characters: Desmond, Henry Gale (to become Ben Linus in S3), Mr Eko.
• Regarding Desmond, I had an automatic emotional connection to his story with Penny and I think this relationship is perhaps the strongest romantic one that this show has produced as you care immediately about the fate of them.
• Speaking of Penny the introduction of Widmore as a potentially shadowy figure sets the character up well for what we know about him now, especially that he will stop at nothing.
• Michael Emerson is probably the best addition to the cast that the show has ever had and it was a pleasure to watch him work his manipulative magic with Locke all over again. Seeing Sayid torture him was also interesting considering what is to follow (or rather what has already happened).
• Bernard and Rose being reunited got me all misty eyed and it was good to see that she was right in keeping hold of his ring for so long. It was also nice to see that someone saw Locke in his wheelchair at the airport, though like Locke Rose has a medical miracle thanks to the island.
• Death wise in season 2, the big ones were Shannon, Ana Lucia and Libby. With Shannon they did the classic TV trick of making you like the character even if you didn't all season before they bite it (see Marissa in The OC). The Ana Lucia and Libby deaths are still as shocking now as they were when I first watched it, and even though I was not that attached to either character it made me a little sad (probably because Hurley was so sad).
• The divide between Locke and Jack becomes irreparable after this season as both believe that they are doing the right thing but go about it in very different ways: "Why is it so hard for you to believe?" "Why is it so easy for you to?" This being what sums up their differences in simple terms (Man of Science, Man of Faith).
• Sawyer becoming a hero and once again the antagonist: not enjoying his hero status Sawyer enlisting a pride wounded Charlie manages a great con and gets all the guns returning to his position as the camps most disliked.
• 'Don't mistake coincidence for fate' is a theme that flows throughout this season, though is it fate or coincidence that led Locke to the hatch the night that Desmond was going to kill himself?
• One criticism of this season is that there are perhaps too many Kate and Jack flashbacks and it would be good if a couple of those episodes would be best served on other less fleshed out characters as by this point we know that Jack needs something to fix and that Kate likes to run.
• Though it was good to have some resolutions to some first season stories like what happened to Claire when she was taken (with this we also get a proper introduction to Alex, the daughter of Rousseau who had been taken 16 years previous- great casting as well), where the yellow plane came from, what the monster looked like and what caused Oceanic 815 to crash, Though with every answer that was given, in Lost tradition many more questions were thrown in the air and questions posed in this season have still yet to be resolved, one of the most frustrating being why was Libby in the mental institute?

Season 2 is my least watched season and that is one of the reasons why I enjoyed watching it again as there are some brilliant episodes and moments throughout and it really does set up the mythology of the show regarding Dharma and the Others for seasons 3 and 5. It isn't all brilliant but with the introduction of two of my favourite characters this season is definitely one which I have underrated and is one reason why I am glad that I decided to rewatch the show from the start.

Season 3 recap to follow with the aftermath of the what happens in the season 2 finale:

Photos courtesy of Lost-Media

Lost seasons 1-5 in 8 minutes 15 seconds

ABC have just released another promo much like they did prior to season 4 which summarises the events of the previous seasons. The first three seasons are covered in just over three minutes and feature some of the same comments as the previous video, with the bulk being devoted to season 5 which I guess is a harder season to sum in a short amount of time due to the time travel nature. It is definitely worth a watch if you don't have time to rewatch the entire run and is quite amusing in places. Talking of rewatching Lost the next episode I have is the season 3 finale and I will be posting my thoughts on season 2 and 3 shortly.

Thanks to the guys over at Dark UFO for the promo heads up

Lost- The last supper and four weeks to go

That's right, as pointed out in Doc Jensen's newest column there is only 28 days till season six airs (included in this is also an excellent interpretation of the following picture). With the season starting so soon, promotional material has been released including this picture of the cast in a 'last supper' type arrangement:

Yes doing the last supper is not necessarily a new idea (Battlestar Galactica and the Sopranos are two shows that have previously used such imagery) however it fits with the type of show Lost is and I'm sure that the producers knew that by releasing such an image would have fans debating over what the positions of each character means and of course they were right. Is it Sayid that is Judas or is it Kate? Is Jack 'doubting' Thomas? Which Locke is Jesus? What do the colour that each person is wearing and why can't we see Claire's top? I am not one is too hot on religious iconography and interpretation so I have enjoyed reading what others have been saying including Fishbiscuit over at Doc Arzt and of course the aforementioned Doc Jensen. I think it is a pretty cool picture though I do wish that it wasn't just the regulars who were on it, I miss Desmond already.
Also if this wasn't enough another 'last supper' image has been released with some people being in different positions (the six in the centre remain the same) at the table opening the debate up even more. In this second image it is somewhat disconcerting that everyone is looking in to the camera, what this is meant to mean I am not sure, but there is a knowing quality about it all.

So happy decoding, I'm looking forward to what they will release in the next four weeks before the big event.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everybody! 2010 looks set to be a very exciting year in the TV world and here is my list of what I am anticipating the most:

• The sixth and final season of Lost.
• Mad Men season 4: Cooper, Sterling, Draper, Pryce  
• The return of Chuck: after a great 'Save Chuck' campaign that worked lets hope that this season gets more ratings and helps the show stay on air. Early reviews implicate this as the strongest season yet and it starts with a double this Sunday 10th with another episode on Monday 11th.
• The Pacific on HBO, if it's anywhere near as good as Band of Brothers then this will be terrific (early signs say it is and the trailer is fantastic).
• Friday Night Lights continuing to be awesome and this year without the worry that it will be cancelled.
• Fringe returning strong and not getting cancelled would be nice too.
• The Daily Show and Colbert Report returning this week, I know it hasn't been off the air for too long but I really miss it when it is not on. Also I will be making my first trip to NYC this year so I'm really hoping to watch one of these being taped.

So in anticipation of Chuck returning here is a really good indepth interview that Zachary Levi did with Televisionary (he also quotes from The Little Mermaid which kinda makes me love him more):