Just Here

On last night's iZombie, Teryl Rothery (Dr. Frasier) and Barclay Hope (Colonel Pendergast) played the victim's parents. And, this isn't even the first time they played a married couple: In the CW's short-lived Hellcats, they both had recurring roles as the parents of Ashley Tisdale's character.

Some sort of printed circuit board with a chip attached. It looks like Root inserted it in that locked briefcase from an earlier episode. (But the scene flew by, without much exposition.) Also, NYC's pneumatic tube mail system did actually exist. Yes, though his left hand took a beating.

Skipjack demanding $1000 a week? That's easily $25,000 to $30,000 in today's money. (The BLS' Inflation Calculator only goes back to 2013.) They finally make Nancy (Jessy Schram) interesting -- drugging Siringo, stabbing Skipjack, and going after Lizzie -- but then they go and kill her off. Would have preferred something less one-dimensional, such as Lizzie convincing Nancy that it was self-defense, with Nancy becoming friends (or more than) with Lizzie. But, at least Lizzie got a cute new friend.

90 Second Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVTdizy0Wds More promo videos are available on the show's YouTube channel or Hulu. So, next year NBC has to give Mitch Pileggi his own summer TV series, right?

Replied to DeLurker about Winston Duke in the "Cast in Other Roles" thread (which seemed the most appropriate).

Winston Duke may have lacked TV acting credits, but he's not lacking in training: He has an MFA from Yale's School of Drama (Class of 2013), and an undergraduate degree from SUNY Buffalo. Also noteworthy: He was born in Trinidad & Tobago.

Showcase, on their blog, recently posted a casting announcement (April 8th), with a small hint of what's to come for the final season:

Via Mallozzi's blog: Character breakdowns Between the trailer and the character description, "One" definitely seems to have some Shepherd (Stargate: Atlantis) vibes. And, then there's "Five," the "relatively innocent" "mechanic" and "colorful mascot" of the ship, which, unsurprisingly screams Kaylee from Firefly, who was played by Jewel Staite, who Mallozzi & Mullie, really, really like (GateWorld interview*) and cast her on Stargate:Atlantis, where she was eventually made a series regular, not to mention having her character paired with McKay. *From the GateWorld Interview.

For more background, here's the Wikipedia entry for the comics. Dark Matter was originally intended to be a TV series, but when that spec did not get any traction, Mallozzi and Mullie turned the project into a limited comic series, as a way of promoting the project.

One Minute Trailer: "From The Writer-Producers of Stargate" -- Oh, promo monkeys... Initial Press Release: Casting Announcement: Mallozzi's blog has character breakdowns for each of the main characters, which I've listed as quotes in each of the character threads.

Press release for the season finale ("Two Graves") is now available on ABC's media website. There's not much of a description, but the guest star list has a notable return: Victoria's mother, Marion Harper, played by Adrienne Barbeau.* -- Perhaps, there's a case of the "estranged mother of my enemy is my friend," and Emily uses Marion to get some final revenge on Victoria? (Edit: Given the Madeline Stowe interview that Melvindriet posted, then scratch this theory.) Christa B. Allen is also listed, so she will be back for the final two episodes ("Aftermath" and "Two Graves"). Same with Courtney Love's assassin character. Also of note, a minor recurring pastor/priest (played by David Moses) returns, and there is a "Surgeon." -- So, maybe someone dies or "dies" on the operating table? And/or is given last rites? *And, if Emily/Amanda does fake her death at the end, there's an "Escape From New York" joke to be had, somewhere.

The basic rule, at least here in the States, is that defamation is only actionable while the victim is still alive. Once they're dead, it is essentially open season. (See this Jonathan Turley blog post for a thorough summary.)

Heh. Looking at census population totals (via Wikipedia), Fall River jumped from 74,398 in 1890 to 104,863 in 1900, so a declining population won't be an issue. (The city was a booming mill town during this era.) Though, at that population size and given the era, a homicide rate of more than 2 per 100,000 per year would probably be quite unusual. So, if the body count turns into a cluster of homicides, that could attract additional attention from the press and law enforcement, absent a Sunnydale Syndrome situation.

Jessy Schram* as a burlesque (or whatever that was) dancer?... I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about that. So, the body count and the whack count continues to grow, with the dead writer. Then there's Lizzie and Adele kissing, sending Lizzie into the potential depraved/psycho lesbian/bisexual trope categories. Tread carefully, Lifetime. (Oh, who I am kidding.) And, I hate that they spoiled Adele's fate in the previews for the next episode. I guess I'm mainly here for Christina Ricci, but for some reason, I'm re-imagining this series in my mind as the "The Scarlett O'Hara Chronicles," with Lizzie as a more ruthless version of Scarlett O'Hara. ("If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again.") *Who I always associate first with Hannah from Veronica Mars. (edit: it's Christina Ricci, not Christine )

Featurette: "What To Expect In Season 2" via io9

I wrote it down as "those meds." But anyway, this was my favorite line, too, even though, on one level (mental illness not funny), that line was so wrong, which just shows how far Cassie has come this season.

And the Nikita casting train continues: Peter Outerbridge as the other Dr. Jones. I hope we get to see both Jones interacting next season. Cassie definitely earned her B.A. (badass) degree this episode: Participating in an enhanced interrogation, slapping Jennifer, shooting Ramse, and laying on the snark, too, all while wear black. Overall, a good season finale, with actual answers, including who the "12 monkeys" are, and no cheap cliffhangers. (edit reason: wrong name)

There definitely did not seem to be a good plan for Iris' character development. [/understatement] What I would have liked to have seen is seeing Iris have an epiphany moment about becoming a journalist, e.g., wanting to help Barry find the truth about his mother's death and free his father, and/or finding about her mother (which is currently a big empty plot point). Perhaps we could have seen this moment in a flashback where Barry and Iris agree to help each other with these issues. And, along the way, see Barry excel in science, pointing him toward the CSI path, while Iris had the people and investigatory skills, leading to a journalism career.