Psychoville - Season #1

Psychoville - Season #1

BBC2
Comedy / Mystery

18th June 2009 - 30th July 2009
7 Episodes
Approx. 26-28 minutes per episode

Viewed: Nov 2012

C

First off, if given the option to go blu-ray or DVD, I'd go with the former option. I was very impressed with the picture quality of the blu-ray disc; images are crisp and superbly detailed and it comes packaged with the most pristine, crystal-clear photo-gallery that I've seen in a long time. The menus are easy to navigate and the discs also come with a reasonable amount of extras.    

Brought to us by the same people that gave us The League of Gentlemen, this creepy little number is not for the faint-hearted or squeamish so let's not beat about the bush; the humour, tone, atmosphere and sheer all round absurdity of the show is right up there with that cult classic. Like The League of Gentlemen, this is not really "laugh a minute / laugh out loud" humour because it veers far too heavily towards the dark side for that. But by drawing on the more disturbing side of human nature and exploring its more sinister side it is equally proficient at pulling the viewer into its quirky world. Many of us probably have these types of emotions and qualities lurking deep down within us anyway so seeing them played out and re-enacted on screen in such a bizarre fashion certainly appeals to our subversive side.

We have here a British-based drama, by the way, so, it has to be said, it cannot touch those big-budget US dramas when it comes to scope and scale. Seven, 30-minute episodes cannot compete with 45-60 minute affairs that weigh in at 12-24 episodes per season and are practically little movies in their own right! Still, we can enjoy Psychoville for what it is...

The title menus and all-round outer-packaging create that mysterious feel created by those creepy victorian puppet shows; also, with a fully made up clown and theatrically attired dwarf, brings in that weird circus / fairground atmosphere that has the outward appearance of wanting to be entertaining but which doesn't look quite right - as if hiding something dark and subversive underneath the surface. As mentioned, that's pretty much Psychoville in a nutshell.

The general structure of the first episode prepares us effectively for the season. Five eccentric characters each receive a letter that simply reads, "I know what you did." The sender is a mysterious black-gloved man who remains masked and whose identity remains hidden right up to the denouement at the end. There is a constant reference to blackmail but the conditions or terms of these are never discussed or made known. When each character receives the letter they are already deeply involved in twisted developments and dramatic events of their own so while the letter has obvious significance, it's really of secondary importance to the characters.

We trace the characters' lives by being shown sketches of their key moments in the form of 1-3 minute snippets. We flit backwards and forwards between the characters' stories by transitions that are marked by a burning film effect. When this occurs, we know that we are going to be focusing on a different character again and pick up on the action where we left off. The effect is that there are mini-cliffhangers within each episode but it also drives the story forward nicely. There are no hard-to-follow complications and  we always know exactly what predicament the characters are in. This adds up to making the series enjoyable and dynamic viewing.

Before moving onto the characters, a word about the content (mild spoilers ahead). Well, it's by the fellas who gave us The League of Gentlemen so expect the weird and the disturbing at almost every turn. It'll be the women, however, who will cause the most cringe-inducing moments of the show. Maureen Sowerbutts, in one scene for instance, takes a sausage from the plate of her fully-grown son and then masticates on it before shoveling the chewed up mush back into her son's mouth (no editing in sight); while Joy Aston, meanwhile, performs a makeshift blood transfusion that sucks almost all the blood out of her victim - as it then enters the body of a doll till the blood seeps from its eyes. If you can stomach these types of goings-on then you'll probably get a good kick out of the many other bizarre goings-on.  

Here are the five characters who receive those sinister messages from the black-gloved man (mild spoiler alert):

 Oscar Lomax (Pemberton) is an old and blind millionaire eccentric who enlists the help of "Tea-Leaf" (a petty thief on community service) to read to him. His story lies in his obsession to find the last "first-edition" Beanie Baby in order to complete his collection. He is a bitter, bad-tempered and repulsive old git who has nothing better to do than to try to track down that elusive toy. We warm to him due to these weaknesses and vulnerabilities but also because of his ludicrous out-of-touch opinions.

 Mr Jelly, like Oscar Lomax, is played by Reece Shearsmith. He always appears in a clown costume but hardly ever gets any work as a children's entertainer because his twisted and aggressive attitude frightens the kids. Mr Jelly's story revolves around his bitter rivalry with Mr Jolly (ex-doctor now children's entertainer), who amputated the former's hand during a routine operation AND stole all of Mr Jelly's routines. We appreciate this character for his hopeless attempts at turning his career around.

David Sowerbutts is the "man-child" played by Steve Pemberton. With learning difficulties but an encyclopedic interest in serial killers, along with a very strange mum and a misunderstanding about a murder that never happened, the two of them go off on a murdering spree of their own. We sympathise with this character because he is led on by his insane mother and is involved in situations beyond his understanding. Pemberton has a calmer, more restrained acting style than Shearsmith who can sometimes come across as a bit forced.

Joy Aston, played by Dawn French, is arguably the most disturbed character of the pack. Her problem is that she has formed such a close relationship with a doll that she starts to believe that it is human and that it is her very own baby! Anyone who suggests the doll is otherwise or if she's ridiculed for her unhealthy attachment, she reacts with the wrath of the devil himself. I had my doubts whether such a big name could fit in with the tone of the show but she has one of those faces and acting styles that plays the delusional, naive crackpot very well.

Robert Greenspan is a dwarf who is playing the role of one of the seven dwarfs in the pantomime production of "Snow White" in the glitzy seaside town of Eastbourne. Although he's probably the most normal of the five, this little fella's problem is that he's fallen in love with Debbie, who plays Snow White, and is mocked for it by the staff around him. The practical jokes and humiliation keep getting heaped upon him until an interesting twist leads him away from the theatre and into a dark wood with a mysterious cottage... The actor, Jason Tompkins, plays the role of a tormented soul very well.

--------------------------------------------------

These are just the five characters who receive letters, there are many other key roles that help to make the story fit together including: Micheal Fry (Tea-Leaf), the carer for Oscar Lomax; Mr Jolly, the rival of Mr Jelly; Maureen Sowerbutts, the manipulative mother of David; George Aston, the long-suffering husband of Joy who's forced to play along with the baby charade; Kerry, the dwarf who is trying to protect Robert from himself; Debbie, the dipsy actor who plays Snow White; and then there is the black-gloved man himself, the mysterious figure who links them all together.

In conclusion, the show is certainly worth giving a whirl (at the time of writing Season #1 and #2 can be picked up for less than £6 each on blu-ray from Amazon) and with plenty of added extras to keep your interest up it's a very good value package. In my opinion, the tighter first three episodes eclipse the later ones as the mystery and intrigue remain high in those whereas in episodes 5, 6 and 7 the plot loses its way just a tad and the puzzle doesn't quite pique the curiosity as much. Also, the musical interlude with singing and dancing in the waxworks is blatantly filler in my eyes; totally pointless and incongruous tripe. 

There are also just a few other niggles: I am not a fan of watching an entire episode filmed on one set (as if it's a play) and (seemingly) in one long take. To me, this just seems like a cost-cutting exercise and I felt put-out because I was so used to the dynamic format of earlier episodes. In this respect Episode 4 was a bit of a fail for me, despite the great performance of Mark Gatiss (He of The League of Gentlemen fame). Finally. stereotyping plays a large part in this series (eccentric old millionaires, creepy clowns, dwarfs mistaken for children, the doll springing to life, the Nurse Ratched type tormenting the patients... etc etc) and I think it fair to say the show is riddled with them. Therefore, although surely original, unique and watchable in many respects, the odd reliance on these stereotypes must be held against it.

Cracker - Complete Collection (S 1-3)

Cracker: Complete Collection 
(Seasons 1-3)

ITV
Crime / Drama

27th Sept 1993 - 1st Oct 2006
11 Episodes
Approx. 100-150 minutes per episode

Viewed: Jan 2012 - Oct 2012
C


This is another from the "Mixed Bag" selection so I'll be reviewing the entire three seasons in this review. It is possible to purchase each individual episode separately but it's best to go for the Complete Collection for value-for-money. First the boring maths bit...

This box set contains the three seasons of Cracker plus two extra stand-alone episodes commissioned later, meaning you get 11 episodes in this box-set. An episode length varies because some were first broadcast in two installments over two weeks while others were in three installments. Each installment was scheduled a one-hour slot but, with adverts and breaks, each one amounted to about 50 minutes in length. This made a full episode either a 100 minute affair or a mammoth 150 minuter. It does pay to know which type you're settling into because if you watch late at night and want to watch in one sitting those two and a half hour episodes can challenge your stamina. (Not that they're dull mind you.) To confuse matters, the last two "special" episodes were shown in just one installment and were each about 100 minutes in length.

Just like Sherlock, this show is a "crime of the week" type affair where the inept police are totally befuddled and confused as to how to proceed with a particular case. Enter the huge, roly-poly figure of the great criminal psychologist, Fitz. Very much like a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, our Fitz (played by Robbie Coltrane) has deductive and reasoning skills well beyond the mere mortals he has to work with. Both Holmes and Fitz are experts at deducing facts from studying a crime scene and both have supreme psychological profiling abilities but the main difference between the character of Sherlock and Fitz is that rather than focusing on the reading of people by studying their appearance and what they wear, the emphasis on the latter character is his interrogation of suspects when brought in for questioning. In this respect, it makes Cracker more grounded in realism and a lot more believable but, as we'll see, no less ridiculously melodramatic.

Fitzy-babes will stop at nothing to get the truth out of his suspects and when a suspect is finally hauled in, his interrogation techniques can make for uncomfortable viewing. As he tries to tap into the other person's weaknesses and as they are often accused of serious crimes such as murder and sex offences, taboos involving family members and sexual relations with various partners are explored resulting in conversations that often seem downright perverse. However, it's made clear that it's all part of the process for getting a confession and a necessary evil.

But what about Fitz as a person? Well, as a struggling but half-decent poker player and someone who likes to think he can read other people, I was drawn to Cracker not only because of the psychological element and how the protagonist attacks weaknesses, but also because in the promo material he is said to have a few weaknesses of his own that I could relate to. Being a "drunken excuse for a husband", a "lousy father" and a "gambling washout" may not quite be the terms in which I like to describe myself but I can, at least partly, identify with such things.

It was his penchant for gambling that I was mainly interested in because how, I thought, could such a "brilliant pychologist" - who can reason so well and understand so many principles - throw away and lose so much money at gambling? Surely, I reasoned, with such an aptitude for psychology he could not only avoid the casino games (where you're guaranteed to lose at, long-term) and move over to poker which gives the edge to, and generally rewards, the more skilled? This would also mean he could interact more socially with others AND engage in his put-downs when he tires of the ineptitude or incompetence of others around him (another trait shared with the character of Sherlock). But then, of course, there was the episode where he attends a gamblers' anonymous session where we see for ourselves the reason why he puts roulette above poker - he's one of those self-destructive type of gamblers who just love the buzz, the quick thrill and rush of winning and wants that feeling again and again. And that's a strong addiction.

Of course there are other characters who appear throughout all the seasons as well and these are family and close friends who mean a lot to Cracker and who have a bearing on how he conducts his life. However, after Episode 4 "To Be A Somebody" which is the best episode in my opinion, these people in his life start to become so heavily embroiled in the cases he is involved in that it pushes the credibility boundary a little too far. By the time we get to the end of Season #2 in "Men Should Weep" they throw everything including the kitchen sink at us! The beginning of Season #3 doesn't let up as the drama is laid on with such an enormous trowel and to such overly melodramatic proportions that realism goes out the window (or off the edge of a building if you will) - there are just TOO many dramatic events coming at us TOO fast and furious. In retrospect, this may have had something to do with the fact that the series was shown in installments and so needed plenty off cliffhangers to keep the audience coming back, but having all this going on in one episode in its entirety is a bit much.

On the subject of drama and characters and friendship, I was watching a documentary the other day on the history of the displaying of emotions through the ages. What struck a chord here was the idea that those who go overboard with their emotions on a regular basis tend, in some respects, to be more shallow than their more reserved counterparts who keep their emotions in check and who consequently appear more grounded. The logic behind this is that when the latter type of person truly displays outward feelings of emotion, they are somehow shown to be more genuine.

Now there was obviously more to it than that but, to me, this sort of logic helps to explain why Sherlock has the edge over Cracker when it comes to quality and depth. While Fitz has plenty of family and friends in his life to care about and to interact with, the choice of the writers to involve them so much means the drama and emotions run high - far too high. Sherlock, by his own admission has no friends at all and his relationship with his brother is stone cold to say the least. This means that, given Sherlock's situation and ability to detach himself from others, when he does have to make difficult decisions involving the lives of others - the situation comes across more genuinely and with more intensity and depth. So, yes, Cracker is a cracker for those who love their melodrama nice and thick like a rich cream cake but head for Sherlock for depth, sophistication and more class.

Sherlock - Season 1-2

Sherlock - Season 1 & 2

BBC1
Crime / Drama / Mystery

25th July 2010 - 15th January 2012
3 X 2 = 6 Episodes
Approx. 90 minutes per episode

Viewed: Sep-Oct 2012

B

This series, not being part of "The 32", springs out of "The Mixed Bag" selection and as such I will not specifically be doing a season by season approach to these as they vary in different ways. 

Sherlock, for example, unlike the more ambitious big budget TV series' that are coming out of the US is a comparatively more modest affair. This is one area in which the UK is left way behind by comparison and consequently less episodes are churned out per season. Blockbusting US titles can boast around 12-24 movie-quality episodes per season whereas we Brits on a tighter budget can usually muster up about six, if we're lucky. With Sherlock we get three! Thankfully, if you want to give this series a whirl right now, you can at least get two seasons worth - and that means a total of six; six 90 minute episodes that actually do a good job in grabbing you by the balls.

Sherlock Holmes, as we all know from Arthur Conan Doyle, loves to solve crimes and those at the BBC have made our eponymous hero no different. In fact, if he is not able to engage in this particular activity for a lengthy time, he starts to go a bit mental. Episodes are given the same titles that were given to the Conan Doyle stories but are given an up-to-date twist and all take place (with the exception of "Hound of the Baskervilles")  in good ol' London town. In addition he's placed right in the 21st century with modern technology to boot.

Menu screens and episodes are all wrapped up with an appropriately anthemic and sweeping soundtrack giving you that sense of anticipation that you're going to be watching something special and it's a catchy enough tune that you'll be humming many a time afterwards.

Each episode involves a "crime of the week" type scenario which is too tricky for the mere local metropolitan police to handle but not so for the supremely brilliant Sherlock whose keen powers of observation and deduction go beyond the super-human. This man can stare at a person or a corpse for just a few moments and then state virtually all of the pertinent facts about them in the blinking of an eye; rattling off the details like a man possessed. Simple clues like hairs on trousers, stains on the clothes, scratches on a phone or marks on the shoes or an item of jewellry are enough to inform him of such details as the person's exact whereabouts for the last 48 hours, what issues they have with rival siblings, who was looking at them on the train or where they went on holiday. The skill was well executed and proved an impressive party-trick at first but the novelty does start to appear contrived after the seventh or eighth time and does start to wear thin - although it's still interesting to follow.

Benedict Cumberbatch, then, does a fine job as the enigmatic Holmes and his machine-gun dialogue and quick-fire wit gets rattled off as smooth and as crisp as a cold bar of chocolate out of the fridge on a summer's day. But that's not to say that the sun permanently shines with such glistening radiance out of his bulbous proverbial. He is also a flawed character in that his passion for solving crimes and his driven attitude means that he has no time to form friendships; even John Watson, who he recruits as a room-mate, is seen more as an acquaintance and a sort of helper than a friend. Also, you can't help notice his immense arrogance, and it's his faith in his intellectual superiority that he has over everyone (with the possible exception of Moriarty) that makes him feel the need to utter put-downs at every opportunity. Still, these qualities, although negative, help to fill out the character of Sherlock and actually add to our appreciation of who he is and what he's about.And of course make us keep watching and coming back for more.

The pacing of the show is fast and gallops along at a quick tempo. Consequently there is no filler and the action never seems to drag like it can do in the epic that is Lost. As mentioned it's the crisp dialogue that partly accounts for this but the tight plot lines and the fact that every scene is germane also explains why the adventures are gripping. There are six stories to get your teeth into, all hinting at the ever-present spirit of Moriarty who seems to be responsible behind all the evil goings-on. The part of Moriarty himself (played by Andrew Scott) is hammed-up to extremes with the intonation in his voice going haywire to reflect his insanity but I guess an arch-nemesis of such calibre has to be played in such a wacky way.  Of all the episodes, I'd say only the second episode of the first season ("The Blind Banker") falls short of the high quality of the rest.

Martin Freeman (as Watson), Una Stubbs (as the landlady, Ms Hudson) and Mark Gatiss (as the brother, Mycroft Holmes) all put on stellar performances but it's the straight-faced performance of Gatiss that is a stand out for me. The actual plots and heightened drama does take realism to such extremes that it does become a tad far-fetched - but for fun and excitement, Sherlock is a good romp.

B

The Sopranos - Season #1

The Sopranos - Season #1

HBO
Crime / Drama

10th January 1999 - 4th April 1999
13 Episodes
Approx. 42-58 minutes per episode

Viewed Oct-Nov 2012

A



To a lot of fans of TV drama, The Sopranos needs no introduction. Along with The Wire, it's considered the dog's bollocks of drama shows for the small screen - but does it live up to the hype and can I, a mere amateur critic of TV dramas, agree with such sentiments? Let's find out...

For the uninitiated, The Sopranos follows the trials and tribulations of Tony Soprano; a mob boss who lives in the leafy suburbs of New Jersey with his wife and two kids. The series generally tracks the stresses and strains of Tony's life by following his interaction with other members of the mafia organisation on the one hand and through his family life, and all the usual baggage associated with bringing up kids and keeping a marriage together, on the other.

The Sopranos does indeed prove to be such compelling viewing precisely because Tony Soprano has to manage both a network of violent and volatile criminals in one half of his life and is forced to deal with typical family issues that we can all identify with on the other. Both, of course, add up to a whole which is an intriguing combination. Curiously, the kind of emotional investment Tony Soprano puts into his managerial role, and the type of pressures he faces, are really not dissimilar to any other passionate manager who is trying to run his own everyday business, it's just that his pressures tend to have life-threatening issues around them and he does tend to lean towards having severe anger-management problems. His family life also of course, as mentioned, involves all those things that most father-figures can identify with and contend with; the ball-busting wife and rebellious kids.
  
Unlike lesser TV series', although highly dramatic, events in The Sopranos are entirely plausible - the actions of the people are always credible and you never get the feeling that they are acting out of character. To my mind this element, along with the fact that the subject matter mixes an unreal world (that is alien to most of us) with the familiar world of family life, is what gives The Sopranos  that certain class that it has over others of this ilk. 

As the series develops, it's gradually made clear that these mobster are not really very happy people. True, they have the same kind of vulnerabilities and weaknesses that Mr Joe Average might have but it's their macho-culture, along with their own violent methods of serving out their own form of justice, that ends up eating at them internally and is their undoing. Along the way, we get an insight into how the mob operates and what the codes or rules are that they live by, but, again, it's the blurring of these rules that is their downfall: They have to appear loyal on the surface - yet underneath they often stab each other in the back; they have to appear to be in control - yet they can't appear to lose face or back down at the same time (something that is inevitable to the ordinary man); taboos are in place- yet they can't help bringing them to the surface to ridicule or discredit a rival. All this, it seems, addressing what it means to be a "real man" and bringing conflict to the fore but jeopardising friendships as a result.

Each episode begins with that car drive from Lincoln Tunnel to the New Jersey suburbs while the stirring "Woke Up This Morning"" by Alabama 3 is played in the background. But it's a different regular feature - his visits to the psychiatrist, Dr Melfi - that allows the story to unravel nicely. The whole season begins with an exchange between these two and it's through their meetings that we're reminded of key moments in Tony's life but also where we're given insights into what is really going on inside Tony Soprano's head. As we see, the more that is revealed and the more that the problems pile up, the more we begin to realise that life of the mobster is not all that glamorous or enviable after all.

Episodes, which usually last around 50-60 minutes, often have two main story-lines or strands running through them. For example in Episode 2 ("46 Long") there is the story of how Tony tries to get his mother placed in a retirement home running alongside Christopher's hot-headed plans to hijack Tony's Uncle Junior's trucks. Episode 5 ("College") follows Tony's travels with his daughter as she visits various colleges, while the secondary story follows the sexual tension between his wife and the priest as he spends the evening with her. Then there is Episode 9 ("Boca") where we hear of Junior's sexual exploits, much to the amusement of the rest of the mob, and also follow the story behind Meadow's school football team coach. Some episodes, in the middle of the season, like Episode 7 ("Down Neck") fill out details of Tony's childhood in the 1960s and give us details of key events regarding his dad's exploits - and answering why Tony is who he is today.

All these scenarios are as gripping as a grappling hook and will envelope you like a warm quilt on a cold night. The script is as sharp as a razor and the dialogue as tight as a snazzy drum. Personally, I did feel the need to have sub-titles running occasionally in the early episodes to make sure I "got it" and I also hit the pause button once in a while to mull over some of the key exchanges but I am very glad that I did. Although this can kill immersion at times, I felt it was a small investment to make for future enjoyment. I was also struck with the amount of Italian slang that the characters throw into conversations as well, a fact that kind of past me by first time I watched the series when subtitles were off. It's a useful tool though, if you care to take the time to google the word, for finding the meaning of such words. Incidentally, based on the viewing of Episode 1 of a certain rival series, all this is not as hard work as The Wire which certainly does require ongoing subtitles and far more pauses for the significance of certain dialogues to properly sink in.

Tony Soprano
When you consider he's a violent leading member of the mob who uses intimidation and threats to get what he wants, it may be strange to say that there is something that makes us warm to the man. Perhaps it's the fact that even though he knows he has to be seen to be in control, he acknowledges his vulnerabilities and weaknesses by opening up to his psychiatrist. In a later episode, during the life-threatening "car-jacking" scene I was shouting at the screen and rooting for him all the way! Despite the set-backs he also has a great sense of humour and I loved the way he was cracking jokes soon after recovering from that threat on his life in Episode 12.  

Carmela Soprano
If you're the wife of the capo of the mob and you're aware that your dearly beloved has committed terrible crimes, you have to have some inner strength of some kind I suppose. Although Carmela is a strong character and has done well to keep the family functioning with some degree of success, she does use her ball-busting qualities too liberally in my opinion. The long-suffering Tony gets it in the neck constantly even when it's clear he's stressed out and needs her to lay off a bit. She's very pushy with her kids and does tend to lose her sense of humour a lot.

Jennifer Melfi
You'd have to question the motives behind why anyone would choose to counsel a capo of the mafia but Melfi is the one who steps into those shoes. Her main connection with Tony is the Italian heritage, but she is often a victim of his wrath and is threatened with physical assault on more than the odd occasion. She often explores issues regarding his mother and his family and it's these home-truths that usually gets him angry - particularly as he feels guilt about putting her mother in a retirement home. She has some odd facial expressions and her lines are delivered in a strange drawl at at times but she's an essential and central character.

Livia Soprano
The mischievous, manipulative and downright creepy Livia Soprano is Tony's mother. At first I was undecided what her agenda was but by the end of the season you realise that she gets a kick out of stirring up trouble among her family; her "woe is me" act really is just a way of winding Tony up. She has more say in how her brother, Junior, runs the show than he'd like to admit. Towards the end, in Episode 12 ("Isabella"), her act becomes quite comical as she turns on the water-works more and more after "putting her foot in it" once again. On a serious note though, playing chess with peoples' lives doesn't sit too well with our Tony - check out the way he picks up that pillow in the final episode!!

Meadow Soprano
Last but not least, the final line-up of ladies in Tony's life is his young teenage daughter, Meadow. Unlike her brother, AJ, Meadow is academically minded and has thoughts of extending her education beyond high-school. She is aware of her father's business dealings and, during Episode 5 ( "College"), confronts him about whether he's in the mafia. Although he doesn't come right out and say it, he does reveal that he deals with "certain types" - and this truthful revelation does bring a level of trust to their relationship. Meadow has a lot of integrity and is a likeable member of the family.

Anthony Soprano, Jr
AJ is only just becoming aware of who his dad is. He generally has a low profile in this season and apart from the cancelled fight in the playground in Episode 4, his main contribution was in the episode where he got drunk on the sacramental wine and was forced to visit his grandma at the nursing home while expelled. Other than this and dropping the odd F-bomb now and again (and having his parents responding with a disapproving "Hey!" every time) - there's not really much else of note to say about this young chap. Unless his kind of vacant nature and unacceptable haircut is worth mentioning. The stretched photo opposite flatters him, he's more podgy in this season.

Corrado Soprano, Jr
With those huge glasses and that "butter wouldn't melt in his mouth" manner, the uncle of Tony Soprano looks like a sweet and innocent old man. Like Melfi, some of his facial expressions make him look comical, even as he always appears to be angry and hard-done-by - but like all capos, under that exterior, a dark side lurks beneath. After the death of Jackie Aprile, Tony submits to Junior and allows his uncle to become boss without a struggle. However Junior still believes he is being undermined and after hearing from the conniving Livia that Tony is seeing a psychiatrist, uses this knowledge as an excuse to exact justice.

Christopher Moltisanti
Although referred to as the nephew of Tony Soprano and with a strong bond between them, he is actually a cousin of Carmela and so not a blood-relative. Self-absorbed and tormented with the idea that the mob owes him something the hot-headed Christopher likes to take risks and is a bit of a loose cannon - check out his attack on the shop-assistant. He is driven by the desire to gain some sort of fame and recognition and is ecstatic when he sees his name in the paper. He has desires to be a writer for the screen (even though he is totally illiterate (or dyslexic). His self-interest and short-temper makes him an unpleasant and unlikeable character.

Pualie Gualtieri
Paulie and Silvio are Tony's right hand men and keep the machine oiled in the background. They are his advisors and run the most important errands but are also willing to be first in line to whack someone if necessary. They are very loyal to their boss and you feel they wouldn't cross Tony for anything. We get a flavour of Paulie's negotiating skills in Episode 3 ("Denial, Anger Accceptance") when he uses a small receptionist's bell repeatedly smashed to the head as part of his persuasive technique. Paulie is a more prominent figure than Silvio and is given a little more screen-time.

Silvio Dante   
Silvio Dante is Tony's rock but always appears to be sniffing at a strong smell lingering in the air. He also seems to have picked up this habit where he needs to take the posture of an intimidating doorman when he stands around. His swept back hair is ridiculous and seems to get higher as the season progresses. Like AJ, Silvio just doesn't seem to play a very prominent role in this season, just being the guy that's there at Tony's side but not really doing anything greatly meaningful or interesting.

Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero
Sal, or Big Pussy for short, is the third member of Tony's immediate circle and seems to be the one who helps out with the financial side of the business. Like Silvio, he doesn't have a big role to play or feature very heavily in the story strands until, that is, Tony's insider in the police force warns Tony that in the past Sal has been hitched up to a wire. Shortly after this, Sal starts to suffer severe back pains and is not seen again in the final two episodes - which does him no favours at all. 






To conclude, The Sopranos certainly does live up to the hype. It is a riveting series and the only time I felt there was any hint of filler was during the final episode when Artie Bucco, the chef, went to see the priest. But even that was very brief and only seemd to drag because they are two minor characters. This really is nit-picking.

Other nit-picking aspects might include some skewy editing and continuity errors during some scenes in Melfi's office along with some bizarre editing when Artie Bucco visits Livia in the hospital in the final episode. Also in the final episode I do find it hard to believe that Tony would tell Melfi about those FBI tapes AND that she would later let him back in while concealing a pair of scissors(!) for protection; not exactly very professional. However, these moments are so minor and serve more as an exercise in trying hard to find fault in a season that is essentially all positive and magnificent throughout. Season #1 of The Sopranos is Class with a capital "C".

A

Lost - Season #1

Lost - Season #1

ABC
Action / Adventure / Drama / Mystery

22nd Sep 2004 - 25th May 2005
25 Episodes
Approx. 42-46 minutes per episode

Viewed Sep-Oct 2012

B+



A guy wakes up from an unconscious state. He's battered and bruised but manages to slowly rise to his feet. He's in unfamiliar surroundings but it's a tropical forest or wood of some kind. An urge propels him forwards and he arrives on a beach to be confronted by the wreckage of a plane and the aftermath of the crash. People are running around hysterically, screaming and shouting while some are just dazed and confused. Being a doctor, Jack (for that is the man's name) runs around frantically helping the injured. Thus begins the 25 episode, Season 1, saga of the 48 survivors of the Oceanic Airline flight 815 from Sydney to Los Angeles.

When first broadcast, I remember loads of people being into this series but I resisted for a number of reasons: (1) The idea of having survivors stranded on a desert island just seemed lame and cliched - something that had been done to death in many various forms and guises already. (2) The premise seemed flawed and ridiculous: 48 survivors being stranded on a huge island and not being rescued just wouldn't happen in the 21st century. (3) The fact that the series was ridiculed for having its actors look like fully made-up models was a turn-off.

However, after researching for this blog, not only did Lost crop up as a major contender but it was beginning to be recommended with hard-to-resist regularity. Many people were quite adamant that it was the best TV series to own on blu-ray (the beautiful Hawaiian backdrop being the main clincher here) so I took the plunge and purchased the entire 6-season blu-ray collection. Straight off, I have to say I was not disappointed with the fantastic picture quality and would definitely chime in with those who sing the praises of the blu-ray option. But enough of the preamble; is the show actually any good?

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First off, I am happy to say that I was able to put all my prejudices to one side regarding the cliched and unlikely premise. Yes, the stranded-on-an-island theme has been done to death since Robinson Crusoe and, yes, 21st century technology would have meant they'd be located and rescued within days - but all that becomes secondary and unimportant as we get pulled into the characters' histories and back-stories along with what on earth is going on, on the island. We are, in other words, fully able to suspend are disbelief and get fully involved with the story because of the intense tone of the show from the off; often, also thanks to its use of intense cliffhangers during, and at the end of, each episode. It will certainly have you wondering how things "fit" and have you mulling over the significance of past events long after you've switched the TV off.

The "tease-factor",then, is certainly one of the show's strengths but you could at times take issue over the fact that they can take it to extreme lengths at times when a very long period of time can pass before the permutations behind certain dramatic events get resolved. Of course suspense is a good thing but for some viewers being kept in the dark for so long might prove a little frustrating. Let's have suspense and puzzlers for sure but let's not stretch our patience.

The absurdity of not being rescued then, is obscured and hidden effectively by the intense adventures the survivors have on the island along with the flashbacks of the lives of 14 of the 48 survivors. All of the stories, of course, involve high drama with pretty much every dramatic scenario you can think of being covered (Spoiler alert): we have a fugitive on the run after murdering someone and robbing a bank; we have a con-man who, when a young boy, was in the house when his mother was murdered by her lover and in the same room when the murderer shot himself; we have a wheelchair bound guy who can miraculously walk after the crash; there's the doctor who ratted on his dad after he botched an operation while drunk; there is the cursed lottery winner whose numbers prove very significant; the Republican guard who falls in love with the woman he's supposed to torture; there are prophecies of doom involving an unborn child; drug abuse; a brother and sister falling in love with each other... and the list goes on. (End of spoiler alert)  

The stories themselves do give the viewer a wider context of events and the show would certainly be dull without them (or would have to be less than half the length) but they do sometimes drag... and this brings me to my main criticism regarding the plot. The pacing of Lost can drag a little in parts; not only within the stories but also with events on the island as well - and I did find myself frustratingly uttering "get on with it" on a few occasions. For example, I inwardly groaned with the scenes involving the raft at the end (especially the tedious launch and setting off) which was obviously filler and bored me to tears. I'm happy to say though that, while sluggish on occasions, there was often plenty to keep me thinking and it was certasinly not a complete deal-breaker.

My other, minor, gripe would be with the way the characters would often be far too ready to jump to conclusions when things went wrong. A typical reaction, when anything untoward happened, would often be to apportion blame and to act aggressively and belligerently towards the assumed guilty party. This would obviously create conflict and animosity - an ingredient, of course, that a good drama should have - but it just seemed to be laid on too thick and edging  too close to soap-opera territory for my liking. Some even ended up looking a bit out of character. (Spoiler alert) One stand-out example of this would be how John Locke is treated after carrying the fatally injured Boone back to camp after being barely able to walk himself. True, he does omit a slight detail when giving an account of how Boone sustained the injuries - but he did do everything he could to save Boone. For this, he's thoroughly despised by the usually logical-thinking Jack and almost killed by the thoroughly loathsome Shannon. (End of spoiler alert.)      

The acting and the characters, like my overall impression of the show, were a bit of a mixed bag but let's do the rundown. (Images are from Wikipedia)...

Jack Shephard
Jack Shepherd is the doctor of the group and takes the role of the leader. He's a caring, quite likeable character and usually has everyone's best interest at heart. You might question his decision to torture Sawyer for the asthma pumps and he definitely over-reacted to a little white lie from Locke but he's generally an agreeable chap who does an all-round good job. He tends to compete with Sawyer for the alpha-male role of the group.

Kate Austen
Kate is a pro-active character who likes to get involved with all the goings-on. She has a dark past, is a devious character and doesn't do much to endear herself to the audience. She often puts on caring and understanding facial expressions but her flashbacks tell us that she's anything but and she hardly warrants sympathy. Her motives are, more often than not, out to serve her own personal interests.

James "Sawyer" Ford
This guy competes for the alpha-male role of the group and likes to show off his abs at virtually every opportunity. The audience are obviously supposed to dislike him because he loots from dead bodies, hoards and withholds vital supplies and is entirely motivated by self-interest. (He is a lot like Kate in this respect.) He's smug, smarmy, uncooperative and I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds his scowl just a tad annoying.

John Locke
The enigmatic and paradoxical John Locke is by far the most interesting character of the bunch. He is from a very humble background yet is transformed by the island into a hunting and tracking machine with the wisdom of Socrates to boot. His bass-like voice brings a calm and composed tone to the proceedings along with a refreshing contrast to all the hysteria that goes on around him. I like the fact that he is a bit of an outsider doing his own thing and his acting is top-notch as well.

Sayid Jarrah
Being the scientist or technician of the group, Sayid has a prominent role to play in trying to repair the receivers and equipment. The problem is, I find him as dull as dishwater. His flashbacks, involving his love for a captured enemy, are just as dreary and I just don't think he brings much to the table. His voice is monotone, he has a boring and emotionless face and despite the fact that he may have had an interesting life his whole character doesn't seem to have much depth or substance.

Charlie Pace
Unlike Sayid, at least Charlie has character. It's also quite hard to dislike the front-man of the dubiously named Driveshaft, albeit with his penchant for heroin and brief dalliance in ripping off rich young ladies of their father's prized possessions. His obsession with protecting Claire is quite endearing and check out the intonation in his raised voice when he gets excited and emotional.

Claire Littleton
Although pregnant for most of Season 1 and conspicuous by her absence during her kidnapping, Claire seemed to be a sidelined character who didn't really do very much. Other than being "the pregnant and kidnapped one" there really isn't much else to say. Her flashbacks had intrigue for sure but a fortune-teller prophesying doom and gloom is a bit old-hat. Maybe the fortune-teller stuff may have more significance in Season 2.

Hugo "Hurley" Reyes
He may be a huge, lumbering lump and bear the odd resemblance to the 1970s wrestler, Giant Haystacks, but Hurley is my favourite character. How can you not get a kick out of that absurd haircut and enormous chubby face? This roly-poly guy supplies most of the comic relief in the season but his resigned looks and his exchanges with Leslie Arzt up at the Black Rock are TV gold. But why they chose to take Hulk Hurley half-way up the mountain to get the explosives from Black Rock I don't know. 

Michael Dawson and Walt Lloyd
Michael and Walt are a father and son partnership but their relationship is under constant strain due to bonding issues as a result of being separated for some nine years. It's hard to sympathise with the dictatorial Michael at times because he seems to rule his son with an iron rod and treats him harshly. Walt is the pushed-around kid with something very mysterious happening to him at the end of the last episode.

Boone Carlyle and Shannon Rutherford
With complicated family issues and whatnot, this brother and sister partnership is not really what it might seems on the surface. Boone is a bit too belligerent for my taste and a tad too model-like and posy but he has an interesting loyalty to John Locke. His conniving, plain-looking sister, on the other hand, is the most loathsome individual on the island - with no redeeming features - and totally unlikeable. 

Jin-Soo Kwon and Sun-Hwa Kwon 
This husband and wife couple are vaguely interesting but the lingering scenes they're involved in don't really do them any favours in making the audience warm to them. Jin develops well as a character and starts to smile more as the season unfolds - when he's not with Sun - but Sun tends to often have a blank, serious expression on her face which makes her quite dull as a character. Perhaps it's her oppressive upbringing.

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As it stands, with its various twists and turns and cliffhanger moments, I'll be sticking with this series into Season #2. However, I will be hoping for less soap-opera type confrontations and less readiness, from the characters, to start quarrels and conflicts. In a show with 25 episodes I suppose it's hard not to have a few lingering sections or filler that slows the pace down and Lost - Season #1 did have a number of these moments but nowhere near enough for it to be a turn-off or a deal-breaker.

B+  

Dexter - Season #1

Dexter - Season #1

Showtime
Crime / Drama

1st Oct 2006 - 17th Dec 2006
12 Episodes
Approx. 50-54 minutes per episode

Viewed: Aug-Sep 2012

B



Dexter follows the adventures of a serial killer who works as a forensics expert for the Miami Police Department and who specialises in the field of blood analysis. To spice things up we discover that our eponymous hero was adopted at an early age and taught by his foster father to channel his violent tendency to kill things in a positive way; one that might actually benefit mankind rather than to cause it harm. In other words he slowly learns to live by a code whereby rather than kill people willy-nilly, he is only to kill those who have set out to kill others. His access to police intelligence and various records, of course, facilitates this process. We join proceedings when his foster sister is in the process of being transferred from vice-squad duties to the homicide department - so we have this little added complication as well.

(SPOILER ALERT) First off, do not expect a great deal of realism. Start questioning certain events with any degree of depth and you will certainly run into plenty of holes; not least when you consider how on earth Dexter is able to transport and dispose of bodies so easily and how on earth the Ice-Truck Killer is able to break into Dexter's home so freely, almost at will, and on so many occasions. Did it not occur to him to install a few microscopic hidden cameras to at least try to identify Florida's most wanted? The far-fetched factor, however, reaches sky-high when a dead body is located and exhumed from the bottom of the sea, cleaned-up and then placed back at the scene of a crime without anyone being remotely suspicious that the body had actually been moved. (END OF SPOILER). Set your nit-picking to one side and treat Dexter as a bit of fun and you'll eagerly be looking forward to each episode to see what absurd thing the ice-truck killer is going to brew up next.

With an alluring red and white colour motif present in the merchandising and permeating the main menus, each episode of Dexter opens with our man's morning routine. This is accompanied by a highly catch and springy tune reminiscent of those 1970s spy films and shows. After a wash, a shave and the consumption of his egg breakfast, with a smattering of tomato ketchup, he's on is way to work - whatever type of worh that might be.

Going about his business at his normal job means attending crime scenes that are invariably linked to the ice-truck killer. On the other hand, his alternative occupation involves knocking off the odd peado or oddball murderer which he does using his initial trademark attack of a syringe to the neck - to render them unconscious. With this hectic lifestyle going on it's surprising that he is still able to carry on a relationship with the previously battered and abused Rita.

Let's take a look at some of the important cast of characters, including our hero, and we'll see that they all come loaded with their own strengths and weaknesses...

Dexter Morgan 

For an over-the-top and outlandish show I guess we can forgive a few cheesy and hammy facial expressions. Still, for a character who is supposed to be devoid of emotions and has to pretend to have passionate feelings like love and affection, Michael C. Hall does a good job for a difficult role. A few of my favourite scenes involve his comical interactions with the suspicious Doakes. A great moment was when he feigned sorrow after being given bad news and was immediately told by Doakes, in an off-hand way, to cut it out.

Rita Bennett 
Dexter's girlfriend is recovering from a previous relationship where she was constantly mistreated and sexually abused by her violent ex-husband. She is annoyingly fragile, exceedingly needy and fairly weak in resisting her ex-husband's demands to enter the house and see the children. In fact, some of her efforts are so poor she often makes me cringe. Check out her bizarre looking pre-pubescent daughter who has the face of someone who might be in their 30s!

Debra Morgan
Dexter's foster-sister has the most appalling dress sense I've seen and I don't think I've ever seen an actor so awkward in such clothes. At first I just didn't think this character was very believable; although supposedly a rookie, she was soon solving the ice-truck killer case almost single-handedly and this didn't seem to fit. Then as the season unfolded, her character developed interestingly - particularly in the relationship with her brother. It will be interesting to see how this pans out in Season #2.    

James Doakes
At first, this guy appears to be a walking talking cliche machine with all the acting traits you've seen a million times before. Thankfully, he does become more interesting later on as he starts to suspect that Dexter might not be entirely what he seems. He also becomes the target of a powerful drug cartel after some of his wayward colleagues took the law into their own hands. Strangely, this storyline seems to suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke. 

Maria LaGuerta
Maria is in charge of the homicide division but is not entirely convincing in my eyes. Her flirtations with Dexter aren't professional and seem out of place. Her decision to unleash a man-hunt for the stadium porter (who she bizarrely thought might be the ice-truck killer) was a glaring mistake that even the most bone-headed viewer could have spotted. Her character lost even more credibility, of what little she had, after that. She becomes stronger when her position is threatened but even then she became a little too hot-headed.

Angel Batista
Angel is your bog-standard, by-the-book detective, who has difficulties pronouncing his Rs but we shouldn't hold that against him. He's generally there to move the plot along and to point things out. He has lots of issues with his estranged wife but this part of the plot doesn't really gel with the rest of the events and is just boring filler material. The quick recovery he makes after getting stabbed is nothing short of a miracle.

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These are the main characters that you'll see in every episode but there are also a couple of other folks who pop up from time. Also in the police department we have Vince Masuka, the Korean-American side-kick forensic expert who joins Dexter at the crime scenes. He mostly offers a comical angle on the proceedings by looking funny and cracking inappropriate jokes. Finally there is Rita Bennett's ex-husband, Paul Bennett. Looking like a washed up pop-star from the 1970s, this is the most detestable and obnoxious character in the show. He may not be one of the serial killers that Dexter wipes out but he is a guy you certainly wish would be - only "the code" prevents Dexter from getting rid of this particular piece of trash.

As mentioned, Michael C. Hall does a sterling job in playing a character with no real emotions but in places this sometimes doesn't really work. One of the most cringeworthy scenes doesn't involve violence or a murder at all, but when Dexter and Rita are sitting on the couch watching TV with Rita crying her eyes out and Dexter sitting there emotionless. Dexter looks over and notices her distress, remembers the she had given him a blow-job the other day and reasons that it might be the right time to reciprocate and so goes to perform oral sex. Now I may be way off here but someone who works as a blood specialist in the police forensic department and who is able to kill so many people and get away with so often has to have quite a high degree of intelligence, right? But this is just wrong on so many levels that it just didn't seem right at all.

The other slight criticism I have is that the drama is a tad overdone at times to an almost ridiculous degree. In one episode, Doakes has broken into the funeral of a gang-member and approaches the twelve year old daughter of the gang's boss and then loses his composure and very loudly, for all to hear, tells her that her dad is a cop-killer! A little unprofessional you may agree but maybe not particularly that heavy on the drama. However, when he goes out on the town with his police-chums later that night and his pals then suddenly don crazy clown masks in order to break into the house of the boss to wreak their own form of revenge, it does stretch believability to breaking point. Then, when one of them shouts back angrily to Doakes, "You fucked my sister!" you really have to wonder what the writers might have been smoking. Even then, this little scene is followed by another dramatic flashback scene involving the young Dexter and his foster dad.     

Nevertheless, despite stretching the credibility and laying the drama on with a trowel at times, Season #1 is a definite thumbs up and will certainly have you curious to know what might happen next in ensuing episodes. I certainly look forward to seeing how the brother/sister relationship develops in Season #2 and what plot-lines the writers might drum up next.

B

Grading System

Part of the nature of reviews is the inclusion of an "at-a-glance" symbol to show immediately what the writer's general opinion is of whatever is being reviewed. Most publications include either the star-system, number system or the letter system. I have decided to run with a letter system (A to E) which will be placed at the start of the review and which will feature at the bottom of the specification list to the right of the front cover.

Here is what each letter means:

INDEX - "The Mixed Bag" (3 Reviews)

Cracker
Season 1-3

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Season 1 (of 8)

Funland
Season 1

The Killing
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3

Psychoville
Season #1
Season 2

Sherlock
Seasons 1-2
Season 3 --->?

Spiral 
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3

The Twilight Zone
Season 1 (of 5)

INDEX - The X-Files (1 Review)

The X-Files

Fox

Drama/ Mystery / Sci-Fi

1993 - 2002

First Aired: 10th September 1993

9 Seasons (Complete)

20-25 Episodes Per Season

Total: 202 Episodes 


Season 1


-- ABANDONED --

INDEX - The Wire (0 Reviews)

The Wire

HBO

Action / Crime /Drama

2002 -2008

First Aired: 2nd June 2002 

5 Seasons (Complete)

10-13 Episodes Per Season

Total: 60 Episodes 


Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5