Yes, I haven't blogged here for quite some time. Been busy. :)
But, in the spirit of the TV season...I'm very very happy that my two most favorite shows have been picked up for another season! Fringe is getting a season 4 (though this has been known for a while), and now Chuck is getting a series-ending Season 5...awesome.
I'm not going to go into details here, but it's no secret at this point that Fringe's 3rd Season started with a bang, but ended with a whimper. The fact of the matter is that sometime about episode 16 the writers clearly started running out of ideas and the show consistantly returned to annoying concepts. The Soul Magnets / Bell return was cringe-inducing, and the final three episodes regarding the end of the Universe were surprisingly filler-filled and had what I could call a very unsatisfying conclusion. Still everything else about the show this season was top-solid...so I'm quite psyched that we're going to see a season 4 (even if the prospects of a s5 are low).
Now Chuck has consistantly had more problems this year. Most episodes haven't been bad, but they haven't been good either. And while there have been a few standout episodes, there haven't been as many. Chuck is now certainly a show in decline...but despite that it's great to see that it's going to get a series-ending 5th season to (hopefully) go out with a bang.
Chuck's problems are much deeper than Fringe's though. While Fringe suffered from too much padding near the end (and cringe-worthy plots), Chuck's problem is the change in dynamics. And this goes right back to Season 3 and Chuck becoming a 'Real Spy', which was made even worse when Morgan also became a spy.
Chuck was always cool because he wasn't a spy, but when it was necessary he proved that he could consistantly pull through when it was needed. Sure he was unorthodox, and goofy, but his heart was in the right place. But now, as a real spy, his goofiness no longer seems funny--it makes him seem stupid and out of place. And throwing Morgan, who is ten times worse, robs most of the menance from the show as the situations often get too unrealistic and goofy to take very seriously. The bonding of the team has improved, and that's a plus side, but the dynamics don't fit right anymore and the writers have never really adjusted to that. There have been some obvious course-correction attemps (Chuck is no longer quite so super-powered...he now can loose fights even when flashing, for example), but really none of those have helped.
Still, Chuck vs. the Push Mix was one of the best episodes of the show and that alone makes S4 worth it.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Fun with Books!
I haven't posted here in a bit...many reasons (many still apply). But, as an aspiring writer (admittedly with little ambition at the moment) I've always enjoyed reading. Except in recent years, I've barely done any reading at all. And while this isn't a new years resolution, it's something I've consciously tried to change. In the spirit of that, I've purchased quite a few books last month (mostly cheap) and I've started going through them slowly but surely.
At this point, I've read:
Flood, by Stephen Baxter
Hull Zero Three, by Greg Bear
and Consider Phelbas, by Iain M. Banks.
I might go into a little bit more about this a little later, but man all three of these books (each Sci-Fi, but each quite different from the other) are depressing as hell.
Of the three Consider Phelbas is by far the best, and perhaps the best well known (it's the first Culture novel). It's also the most action-packed of the bunch, telling the story of a single mission by a determined and drive main character in the midst of a galaxy-spanning war. Interestingly, considering this is the first Culture novel, the main character (whom I'd say is an anti-hero) is an enemy of the Culture itself and as such much of the setting is told through his view of things. Very good book, with some admittedly stupid sections, and a devistating dark ending where it becomes clear just how hopeless the main character's mission was all along, considering just how many people he killed in the process of completing it.
Hull Zero Three is a dark sci-fi book set on a mysterious generation-ship gone wrong. It reminded me very much of the movie Pandorum in places; but this is still more of a sci-fi story with some horror elements. The story itself gets dark and twisted, as the main character, Teacher, begins to understand (but never fully) who, and what, he is and what the implications of that are. Another book with a very dark ending, one that I didn't really like honestly.
Flood is a more technical oriented sci-fi book about the end of the Earth, after cracks in the Earth's crust cause a massive subcontinental ocean to spill to the surface in an event which will eventually raise the ocean levels by kilometers--effectively plunging the entire world into the water. It is a rather cold, clinical effort, where the characters are more witnesses to the horrific events as civilization collapses over a period of 50 years, leaving very little hope for humanity's by the end of the book. The book reminds me too much of 2012...without the nice glimmer of hope at the end.
Next up for me, is Ark, the sequel to Flood, which jumps back in the story a bit to tell about a different group of 'survivors' trying to survive the flood (by a effort to colonize another planet). After Flood, I'm not entirely sure how much I want to read it...but we'll see.
Oh, and I forgot about another book, David Weber's Out of the Dark. This one is a war story told about the invasion of Earth by an alien species bent on conquering the planet as part of various manipulations of a larger alien hegemony of worlds that believe humans are too dangerous to survive. The book is very much in the style of John Ringo, telling various tales of human inguinity as they try to fight off their attackers, who just can't understand human psychology and therefore cannot predict their actions. It's actually a very good book, until the end when Dracula and his vampires show up to save humanity in the last 20 pages of the book. Dracula. Vampires. Yeah, I couldn't believe it and it's so out of tone for the rest of the book that it completely ruined the otherwise good story for me.
At this point, I've read:
Flood, by Stephen Baxter
Hull Zero Three, by Greg Bear
and Consider Phelbas, by Iain M. Banks.
I might go into a little bit more about this a little later, but man all three of these books (each Sci-Fi, but each quite different from the other) are depressing as hell.
Of the three Consider Phelbas is by far the best, and perhaps the best well known (it's the first Culture novel). It's also the most action-packed of the bunch, telling the story of a single mission by a determined and drive main character in the midst of a galaxy-spanning war. Interestingly, considering this is the first Culture novel, the main character (whom I'd say is an anti-hero) is an enemy of the Culture itself and as such much of the setting is told through his view of things. Very good book, with some admittedly stupid sections, and a devistating dark ending where it becomes clear just how hopeless the main character's mission was all along, considering just how many people he killed in the process of completing it.
Hull Zero Three is a dark sci-fi book set on a mysterious generation-ship gone wrong. It reminded me very much of the movie Pandorum in places; but this is still more of a sci-fi story with some horror elements. The story itself gets dark and twisted, as the main character, Teacher, begins to understand (but never fully) who, and what, he is and what the implications of that are. Another book with a very dark ending, one that I didn't really like honestly.
Flood is a more technical oriented sci-fi book about the end of the Earth, after cracks in the Earth's crust cause a massive subcontinental ocean to spill to the surface in an event which will eventually raise the ocean levels by kilometers--effectively plunging the entire world into the water. It is a rather cold, clinical effort, where the characters are more witnesses to the horrific events as civilization collapses over a period of 50 years, leaving very little hope for humanity's by the end of the book. The book reminds me too much of 2012...without the nice glimmer of hope at the end.
Next up for me, is Ark, the sequel to Flood, which jumps back in the story a bit to tell about a different group of 'survivors' trying to survive the flood (by a effort to colonize another planet). After Flood, I'm not entirely sure how much I want to read it...but we'll see.
Oh, and I forgot about another book, David Weber's Out of the Dark. This one is a war story told about the invasion of Earth by an alien species bent on conquering the planet as part of various manipulations of a larger alien hegemony of worlds that believe humans are too dangerous to survive. The book is very much in the style of John Ringo, telling various tales of human inguinity as they try to fight off their attackers, who just can't understand human psychology and therefore cannot predict their actions. It's actually a very good book, until the end when Dracula and his vampires show up to save humanity in the last 20 pages of the book. Dracula. Vampires. Yeah, I couldn't believe it and it's so out of tone for the rest of the book that it completely ruined the otherwise good story for me.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Just a reminder...
Now I know people really don't read this blog. And my goal with this has never been to earn page views or get any form of recognition. That's why posting here is occasional at best, and I rarely proof reed what I post here. However, there have been a few occasions where it seems possible that people HAVE been coming to this site--rarely at best. And because of that I just wanted to put this out here.
The purpose of this blog is simple: it gives me an opportunity to practice a different form of writing style than what I'm used to. It's also intended to try to practice writing, and practice at being more accurate the first time, so I do limited proof reading. The idea being to make a serious attempt to do things right on the first draft, while still maintaining a reasonable writing speed.
For those one or two people who have read the site at one point or another...feel free to make fun of me.
The purpose of this blog is simple: it gives me an opportunity to practice a different form of writing style than what I'm used to. It's also intended to try to practice writing, and practice at being more accurate the first time, so I do limited proof reading. The idea being to make a serious attempt to do things right on the first draft, while still maintaining a reasonable writing speed.
For those one or two people who have read the site at one point or another...feel free to make fun of me.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Fringe S6E7 - The Abducted
After last weeks merely 'good' episode, Fringe returned this week with another great hour of television. I'll have to admit that my anticipation of this episode was pretty damned high, and I wasn't disappointed even if the previews lied a bit about what was going to happen. And, after last week's exposition dump, this episode features a good, creepy, investigation and some great character interaction. And, like ever good episode, it leaves you longing for the next episode...which with the Thanksgiving break we have 2 weeks to wait for. Bastards!
Interestingly, Olivia's quest to return home took a back seat to the Fringe investigation of a young man by the Candy Man...a man who would kidnap and destroy the lives of young children for some unknown purpose. It's an investigation that hits home for the Fringe Division, as Broyles son was a previous victim, leaving everyone on edge. And while Henry was back, his role was much smaller this time and didn't have as much opportunity for the character. Too bad, as his character was the highlight of the first episode of the season.
Again, avoiding spoilers it's hard to talk about specific details. But I will say that the investigation was probably one of the most logical that Fringe has done in a while...oftentimes the show relies on 'fringe' tech or science to solve cases which stretch reality. This one was all about solid detective work and following leads. It also showed an opportunity for Olivia to show her chops more than once to Fringe Division, to her partners, and to Broyles.
There is a lot to like about the third season. Everything is more 'dense', and everything has context. This really adds a lot even to the seemingly unrelated cases...but it does have a side effect in that the cases themselves become less important to the plot of the show as a whole. This was noticeably true tonight...don't get me wrong it was great...but it was also a bit more simplistic (something that has become a bit of a trend in the third season). Personally i think it's a good move; the third season shifts the focus to the characters and is better for it. Lets face it, Fringe's greatest strength is located in it's characters and anything that shows them off makes the show better.
So, at this point I'm going to get into some spoiler territory...I want to do some speculation.
OK, so Olivia escaped, but was drawn back just like the last time she tried. I was wondering if that would happen--since both other times she got pulled back quickly after transferring. I was wondering if she would get pulled back, and if not how they would explain that...but now it's obvious that this is something relating to the mechanics of traveling between universes. And this makes her return even more difficult than before.
There are a few precedents for what happened...Walter's discussion about the car on the flag pole. The building of equal mass being forced to the other side to replace one moved to 'our' universe. Even Walternate being able to return home easily after finding Peter...obviously there is something of a rubber band effect happening. And my guess is that Olivia was being forced back because their Olivia is still there. This is probably something she can learn to master, I think, but it's a process that must be overcome when transferring and that is something she hasn't figured out yet.
So, now Peter knows the truth. I was hoping that he had known, but it had become more and more obvious that he was fooled and if there was any doubt left it's gone now. And the previews suggest that events in EP8 will pick up immediately after the end of this episode; with Peter trying to find evidence of the lie that Olivia is not 'his' Olivia.
Interestingly, it suggests that the pattern of alternate-universe shifting isn't complete yet. Will Olivia make it back at the end of the next episode? I'm thinking so...but I'm also becoming more and more convinced that Alt-Olivia will HAVE to get back (or be sent back) for Olivia to even have a shot at returning. And, now that Peter knows the truth, he and Walter will have a common goal.
Past that, there is a possibility that EP 9 will be another 'over there' episode, one with a more continuous string. And there is even the possibility that another switch might occur (though I doubt it). I'm also thinking that Alt-Fringe might have something to do with Olivia's survival there...Walternate certainly has no mercy in him, but they've gone out of their way to show Charlie, Lincoln, and Broyles as good men...and I think Broyles is going to feel obligated to help her out once he figures out what they are planning on doing to Olivia. Which, I assume, will involve a horrible death and a dissection, as they try to figure out just the stuff in her brain is and what effects it had on her.
My other guess is that a large amount of the pieces of the ancient device will have already been recovered either before, or during the next episode...I don't see the show turning into a treasure hunt. But, some idea of what Walternate is planning is almost essential at this point. What his interest in Olivia is made perfect sense in the context of the show, but his plans for Peter are much more murky. It's almost a shame, really, Walternate has always been portrayed as a villain...it's almost a shame that he's not more conflicted like Broyles.
But I did watch the preview...obviously Peter is going to find something early on..and Olivia is going to catch him in the act. But after that it gets more murky. Actually, on second thought...while this is an 'over here' episode, it is clear that Walternate and Alt-Broyles are definitely in it. There seems to be a shot of Bolivia at the typewriter place (which suggests that she doesn't get caught). It almost looks like Broyles may be forced to do something much more drastic to save Olivia. And there is a shot of a character that I don't really recognize (but could be an observer? hell I don't know). And there is another shot that almost looks like Bolivia is holding Olivia at gunpoint. And another that looks like the Fringe Team might finally uncover the typewriter room.
One thing I'm kinda hoping is that Bolivia turns out to be a 'good' guy...she's done some pretty despicable things. And while it's kinda hard to tell, I never got the impression that she was so cold or callous the small times we saw her in the second season. It was nice to see her show some compassion and regret for what is happening; as she is in the best position to know that her alternates are really not 'monsters' she's been told to believe. I'm also hoping that even if Olivia gets home, we'll still continue to see a lot from the other universe...hopefully Olivia will develop the full on ability to transfer by the end of this which allows for stories to continue on both sides. It would be a shame to loose Charlie and Lincoln if nothing else.
Now, will all of this happen in the next episode? Maybe they will spread this out more, honestly I don't know...but I can't wait to find out.
Interestingly, Olivia's quest to return home took a back seat to the Fringe investigation of a young man by the Candy Man...a man who would kidnap and destroy the lives of young children for some unknown purpose. It's an investigation that hits home for the Fringe Division, as Broyles son was a previous victim, leaving everyone on edge. And while Henry was back, his role was much smaller this time and didn't have as much opportunity for the character. Too bad, as his character was the highlight of the first episode of the season.
Again, avoiding spoilers it's hard to talk about specific details. But I will say that the investigation was probably one of the most logical that Fringe has done in a while...oftentimes the show relies on 'fringe' tech or science to solve cases which stretch reality. This one was all about solid detective work and following leads. It also showed an opportunity for Olivia to show her chops more than once to Fringe Division, to her partners, and to Broyles.
There is a lot to like about the third season. Everything is more 'dense', and everything has context. This really adds a lot even to the seemingly unrelated cases...but it does have a side effect in that the cases themselves become less important to the plot of the show as a whole. This was noticeably true tonight...don't get me wrong it was great...but it was also a bit more simplistic (something that has become a bit of a trend in the third season). Personally i think it's a good move; the third season shifts the focus to the characters and is better for it. Lets face it, Fringe's greatest strength is located in it's characters and anything that shows them off makes the show better.
So, at this point I'm going to get into some spoiler territory...I want to do some speculation.
OK, so Olivia escaped, but was drawn back just like the last time she tried. I was wondering if that would happen--since both other times she got pulled back quickly after transferring. I was wondering if she would get pulled back, and if not how they would explain that...but now it's obvious that this is something relating to the mechanics of traveling between universes. And this makes her return even more difficult than before.
There are a few precedents for what happened...Walter's discussion about the car on the flag pole. The building of equal mass being forced to the other side to replace one moved to 'our' universe. Even Walternate being able to return home easily after finding Peter...obviously there is something of a rubber band effect happening. And my guess is that Olivia was being forced back because their Olivia is still there. This is probably something she can learn to master, I think, but it's a process that must be overcome when transferring and that is something she hasn't figured out yet.
So, now Peter knows the truth. I was hoping that he had known, but it had become more and more obvious that he was fooled and if there was any doubt left it's gone now. And the previews suggest that events in EP8 will pick up immediately after the end of this episode; with Peter trying to find evidence of the lie that Olivia is not 'his' Olivia.
Interestingly, it suggests that the pattern of alternate-universe shifting isn't complete yet. Will Olivia make it back at the end of the next episode? I'm thinking so...but I'm also becoming more and more convinced that Alt-Olivia will HAVE to get back (or be sent back) for Olivia to even have a shot at returning. And, now that Peter knows the truth, he and Walter will have a common goal.
Past that, there is a possibility that EP 9 will be another 'over there' episode, one with a more continuous string. And there is even the possibility that another switch might occur (though I doubt it). I'm also thinking that Alt-Fringe might have something to do with Olivia's survival there...Walternate certainly has no mercy in him, but they've gone out of their way to show Charlie, Lincoln, and Broyles as good men...and I think Broyles is going to feel obligated to help her out once he figures out what they are planning on doing to Olivia. Which, I assume, will involve a horrible death and a dissection, as they try to figure out just the stuff in her brain is and what effects it had on her.
My other guess is that a large amount of the pieces of the ancient device will have already been recovered either before, or during the next episode...I don't see the show turning into a treasure hunt. But, some idea of what Walternate is planning is almost essential at this point. What his interest in Olivia is made perfect sense in the context of the show, but his plans for Peter are much more murky. It's almost a shame, really, Walternate has always been portrayed as a villain...it's almost a shame that he's not more conflicted like Broyles.
But I did watch the preview...obviously Peter is going to find something early on..and Olivia is going to catch him in the act. But after that it gets more murky. Actually, on second thought...while this is an 'over here' episode, it is clear that Walternate and Alt-Broyles are definitely in it. There seems to be a shot of Bolivia at the typewriter place (which suggests that she doesn't get caught). It almost looks like Broyles may be forced to do something much more drastic to save Olivia. And there is a shot of a character that I don't really recognize (but could be an observer? hell I don't know). And there is another shot that almost looks like Bolivia is holding Olivia at gunpoint. And another that looks like the Fringe Team might finally uncover the typewriter room.
One thing I'm kinda hoping is that Bolivia turns out to be a 'good' guy...she's done some pretty despicable things. And while it's kinda hard to tell, I never got the impression that she was so cold or callous the small times we saw her in the second season. It was nice to see her show some compassion and regret for what is happening; as she is in the best position to know that her alternates are really not 'monsters' she's been told to believe. I'm also hoping that even if Olivia gets home, we'll still continue to see a lot from the other universe...hopefully Olivia will develop the full on ability to transfer by the end of this which allows for stories to continue on both sides. It would be a shame to loose Charlie and Lincoln if nothing else.
Now, will all of this happen in the next episode? Maybe they will spread this out more, honestly I don't know...but I can't wait to find out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)