New episodes of Fringe are always a reason to celebrate. The latest signalled Fringe’s move to Friday nights – notoriously bad for many shows (I still miss The Sarah Connor Chronicles! Especially as The Cape with Summer Glau is pretty much unwatchably bad!)
In a knowing nod to this, the episode was called The Firefly (Joss Whedon’s prematurely axed space western which I must admit I was not greatly into although I enjoyed the movie) and featured the return of the observers and guest starring Christopher Lloyd. We had plenty of soul searching for Walter as the observers told him they were there to put right something his incursion into the alternate world had caused. This was later revealed to be the death of Christopher Lloyd’s son, who shortly before his death in 1985 was brought to 2011 by the observers to speak to his now elderly father. Hmm, time travel, 1985…where is my flux capacitor Doc?
Peter and Olivia continued the conversation from last week about Olivia’s feelings over her double living her life after a book is delivered from Peter obviously meant for her. No neat answers thankfully, this is an issue to run and run. The rather ominous ending had me worried, and overall I found the episode a little slow. Unlike many fans, I don’t especially care for the observers. Too weird and contrived for me.
A new legal show that I only gave a go because I like Sarah Shahi, Fairly Legal was fairly good. In a week where Harry’s Law also started though, I’m wondering how many fairly light hearted legal shows we need. It was also a little odd that they both had THE EXACT same case – young black kid with bright academic future gets involved in crime and our heroine must save him from jail, even though he is guilty. Sarah Shahi is a bright and breezy star and the support cast was fine, but it’s no Good Wife!
I used to love Bones. I have read all Kathy Reichs books (although the series is a totally different animal). I liked the first few years very much and found the characters amusing and I cared for them. However for the last couple of seasons the tedious will they/won’t they aspect has ruined the show for me. OK, ruined is a bit strong, but it has put me off big time. When they focus on the always gruesome crimes (I’ve learned not to eat my dinner in front of it!) I enjoy the procedural element.
This week’s episode was not especially noteable apart from the opening – probably one of the most disgusting for a while! We had more Brennan/Hannah boringness after Brennan revealed to Booth the other week she had feelings for him. I was so busy rolling my eyes, I can’t remember if she put them into present tense. I think she did as it was one of the best episodes – the one where she saw the victim as herself, a doctor who lived for her work. (The one Veronica Mars’ dad popped up in for no good reason) Anyway, Booth and Hannah are happy but unfortunately I am pretty sure they are going to make it all about the romance again soon. *sighs* If only it stuck to the forensics! Even the usually clinical and businesslike Clark was all touch feely this week.
No Ordinary Family is enjoyable fluff, and this week’s episode was a pretty good one. Jim played Die Hard at the police station (Joanne Kelley from Warehouse 13 popping in as an IAB officer), while Stephanie and Katie were locked in at the lab with Katie’s secretly powered up boyfriend and Rebecca Mader as a scheming shape shifter. The kids got to play Breakfast Club in detention at school. I find Jim the least interesting of the family (sorry Michael Chiklis, I agree how does a pretty unattractive guy like you get a wife like brainy scientist and total babe Julie Benz?) but the Die Hard stuff was ok. The shenanigans in the lab were the most intriguing, especially when the scheming Brit shape shifted into Katie! Meanwhile JJ and Daphne found out more about their classmates.
No Ordinary Family looked like it could have been a one joke series, but they have done a pretty decent job of making the characters’ situations interesting. I’m a fan of Julie Benz (Darla! Rita! Let’s hope she lives on THIS show!) and I love Katie(Autumn Reeser) whose fangirl ways were teased this week when we found out her favourite X Man and her knowledge of Battlestar Galactica!