tv echo

In "you had to see this coming" news... I just got my print issue of next week's TV Guide (with Scott Bakula on the cover) and there's an article on a new show debuting on the SyFy Channel on Sept. 12 called Z Nation starring Harold Perrineau, Tom Everett Scott and DJ Qualls. It's about - wait for it - human survivors of a zombie apocalypse. It focuses on a group of heroes trying to transport the only known survivor of the plague from NY to the last known functioning viral lab in CA in order to create a vaccine. However, the show's producer takes pains to point out that it's not The Walking Dead. Other differences? This show will show all kinds of zombies - fast zombies, slow zombies, underwater zombies, animal zombies, even baby zombies - and those zombies will evolve. Also, while TWD "is all about hunkering down in isolation and avoiding 'walkers' at all costs, the Z Nation guerrillas actually seek them out."' Those sound like fighting words to me. It also sounds like Schaefer really hasn't watched TWD or understood what TWD is all about. Also, if you have an important mission to escort a possible cure safely to a lab, it doesn't seem too smart to seek out zombies. BTW, you can see a trailer for Z Nation by searching YouTube.

AM and SS respond to Chris Evans' challenge (I burst out laughing when 'Falcon' flew away at the end).... Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan’s Ice Bucket Video Is the Cutest Yet by Victoria McNally Monday, August 25th 2014 at 5:46 pm http://www.themarysue.com/anthony-mackie-sebastian-stan/

I was going to put this in the media thread, but decided to put it here instead because it's very specific to the "Deep Breath" episode... Steven Moffat explains why he brought those particular monsters back to be Capaldi's first Who foes Nathalie Caron Monday, August 25, 2014 - 7:40pm http://www.blastr.com/2014-8-25/steven-moffat-explains-why-he-brought-those-particular-monsters-back-be-capaldis-first-who

Not much new, but some interesting info... TV THIS WEEK: Falling Skies' finale, Daleks return to Who, and more! Matthew Jackson Monday, August 25, 2014 - 3:35pm http://www.blastr.com/2014-8-25/tv-week-falling-skies-finale-daleks-return-who-and-more

I think this is new... 'The Walking Dead' Season 5 Spoilers: Rick Warns Gareth Of Dire Consequences In New Promo [VIDEO] By Tarun Mazumdar | August 26, 2014 11:14 PM EST http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/564032/20140826/walking-dead-season-5-new-promo-rick.htm#.U_yNhvldUuQ

What an unlikeable bunch of models. Tyra is always harping about different kinds of beauty and inner beauty, and then she always picks such ugly personalities for ANTM.

Sigh... Are the writers making this stuff up as they go along? Because it sure seems like it. I confess, however, I'm starting to enjoy the ridiculousness of this show and how stupid the characters act - although Barbie showed some signs of intelligence in not falling for his dad's fakery (something Julia failed to do). Junior is an idiot for trusting Big Jim. Does Big Jim have a magical aura that compels people to tell him secrets? Every time I see Big Jim now, I just want someone to push him off a cliff - one that isn't a magical portal. He's an egomaniac and an idiot - although he at least thought to bring paper and pen to the Dome perimeter to communicate (something Barbie failed to do). Julia is an idiot for being so willing to give up the egg for Barbie (and I can't believe I just wrote this sentence). Maybe if they had developed a more believable love story between Barbie and Julia, then I could buy Julia's desperation to save Barbie. As it is, I found Rachelle LeFevre more believable as a vampire in Twilight. The Dome taketh away and the Dome giveth back. Angie was murdered. Poor Junior - who's he going to obsess about now? Oh wait, there's perpetual teenager, Melanie (Drownsie). How convenient that Junior's mom knows Hunter, the computer guy working for Barbie's dad. Yes, they're allied through thehoundsofdiana, but of all the computer guys that could be working for Barbie's dad, there's this same guy? So then they can conveniently meet up with Barbie, who recognizes the red door (marked with his childhood hand print), and they can all return to the Dome together. When Barbie, Sam, Pauline and Hunter emerge from the portal through a lake, I thought, I've seen this before (people going through a portal and emerging in a lake) - but I can't remember where. Does anyone remember this 'trope' happening on another show or in a movie? If I were Hunter, I wouldn't stay by the lake with the man who brutally butchered a teenage girl. And I hope his computer was in a waterproof-tight bag. Speaking of Sam, Junior's mom sure got over finding out that her brother (or is it brother-in-law?) is a murderer pretty quickly. Her reaction was like she had found out he had stolen a car. One second she's all anguished "did you kill Angie?", with shirt grab. The next minute, she's all "you stay at the lake and look for Lyle" (presumably, so no one in Chester Mills knows he's back and strings him up on the nearest tree). With Pauline and Big Jim for parents, it's no wonder Junior is such a morally ambiguous creep.

This episode should be subtitled "Everyone Wants to be the Big Damn Hero". Tom - Are we supposed to root for Tom? Because all I see is an arrogant future dictator in the making. He thinks he knows what's best for everyone else. He apparently considers himself above the rules that apply to everyone else. And he's willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his aims, including deception, lying and cheating. Of course. history professor Tom is going to fly the alien ship, rather than experienced pilot Dingaan. Even though drawing straws is a stupid idea (nice to know anyone can learn to fly an alien spacecraft in about an hour), doesn't anyone wonder about the statistical odds of two Masons being picked in a 'random' draw? No, I don't think Tom fixed the drawing in order to go along to protect Ben - that was his rationalization. He always intended to go regardless of who else was picked because he felt it was his 'destiny'. But if it was really his destiny, then shouldn't he have trusted his name to be picked without having to rig the draw? Matt - After Dingaan (the pilot) and Cochise (the Volm who should really have more knowledge of Espheni ships) spend hours trying to figure out how to steer the beamer, 13-year-old Matt sneaks on board and finds the steering mechanism in about two seconds flat. He must've been watching episodes of Battlestar Galactica and Farscape before the 'skies fell'. It's also nice to know that Espheni learned ship building from the Cylons and the Pilots. Hal, Maggie and Ben - Hal should just walk away from Maggie and not look back. Spike-controlled or not, even if Maggie chooses Hal, he will never be able to trust her not to jump Ben in the future. Hal deserves better. Surely there's another single female somewhere out there among the last pockets of humanity. And so much for brotherly scruples - Ben kisses Maggie... again. Yes, it's the spikes' fault and we're supposed to sympathize with Maggie and Ben, but as Hal said, everyone has their own version of spikes (to explain their lack of self-control). Pope - What happened to the independent and rebellious Pope from previous seasons? He's turned into a weak, Randy Quaid-wannabe (see Independence Day). Lexi - I guess we're going to forget she murdered poor Lourdes now that she's seen the light. But did she return because she realized she was on the wrong side, or did she return because she had nowhere else to go once she learned she was marked for death? The Espheni must have a great color stylist. Lexi's wearing just the right shade of red gown to complement her white hair and all that gray, post-apocalyptic background. Also, nice of the Espheni to speak English to each other so Lexi could understand them when she was eavesdropping (didn't the show used to have the Espheni talk alien-speak with subtitles?). And why did the Espheni need Lexi in the first place? They're already winning the war. They would've been better off just killing her as an infant. 2nd Mass - So almost all of the rest of humanity is either dead or processed? And why was the Spanish broadcast on a 1776 megahertz frequency? The 1776 date is mostly significant to Americans. So were the senders Hispanic-Americans, or was this frequency the only one left in the world? If so, do we assume people in all other countries will recognize the significance of 1776? I guess Tom, aided by Lexi's alien super powers, is now going to save the day. Then Tom, like John Connor, will lead humanity out of the darkness. Later, he can re-seed the human population with mostly Mason DNA, starting with the remnants of the 2nd Mass (since Masons now seem to make up almost half of their survivors).

I would've preferred that they stick to three judges, and completely replace Len, Bruno and Carrie Ann. Len is a pompous asshole, Bruno is so overly dramatic it comes across as fake, and Carrie Ann always has these fangirly.reactions to the hot guys. When the same judges stay on popular reality competition shows for a long time, it seems that they get big egos, become more exaggerated versions of themselves, and become more interested in hogging attention than honest critiquing of the contestants. Get brand new judges who are experienced dance judges or dance instructors - people with real credentials. Four judges just means more air time given to the judging panel. As it is, during the previous season of DWTS, I only watched the dance performances and often muted my TV when the judges started talking - esp. given how they attempted to manipulate the viewers' votes. And now with the news of the new judge being Julianne Hough, I think I'm done with this show.

I'm really sorry to hear that Colin Salmon won't be returning to Arrow. I think they could've come up with a great story about Walter being an old friend of Felicity's father or mother, and that's how she came to work at QC. But I guess the EPs are too busy trying to inject as many DC characters into the show as soon as possible, before Gotham sucks them up.

Sometimes when I'm not sure if the problem is the writing or the acting, I do this imaginary thing in my head where I switch the actors playing the roles. For example, I imagine the Lance family dinner and Oliver-Laurel hallway scene, but with CL playing Laurel (saying Laurel's lines) and KC playing Sara (saying Sara's lines) - and see if my opinions change about those two characters. And they do. But then I imagine the Lance family reunion in Laurel's apartment when Laurel throws the glass, with KC and CL switching parts again, and my opinions don't change for that scene.

I'm joining the minority. I found this debut episode a bit disappointing and didn't care for the new Doctor. The beginning of the episode with the dinosaur was a bit silly and didn't improve. Also, Clara shouldn't have had a problem with an older Doctor. Even when Matt Smith's Doctor grew old in Christmas, you could tell she still loved him. As others have mentioned, the script was pretty heavy-handed throughout with its blatant pleas to Clara (really directed to viewers) to accept the older Doctor. I don't have a problem with the age of the new Doctor. I think Peter Capaldi is a good actor but he showed little on-screen charisma in this episode. David Tennant and Matt Smith had charisma as the Doctor, and I enjoyed watching both of them. It's not an age thing. John Hurt, Tom Baker and Christopher Eccleston were older Doctors and had charisma as well. Also, Peter Capaldi's Doctor and Clara had no chemistry. I'm not talking about romantic chemistry (I couldn't stand the Rose Tyler romantic beats). Even before Tennant and Smith, past Doctors have had a kind of 'companion chemistry' with their companions. But I'll give the new Doctor time to grow on me....

This is kinda interesting... Predicting the Next Five Superhero Franchises to Get Live-Action TV Shows By Paul on Aug 22, 2014 http://www.tvovermind.com/lists/predicting-next-five-superhero-franchises-get-live-action-tv-shows-238816

A few years from now, this show will be renamed Dancing with the Stars starring Derek and Julianne Hough...

Regarding the continuing "redemption" of Junior - furthered this episode by being the beloved son that his mother and uncle want to save, I read somewhere (don't recall where) that the actor who portrays Junior - Alexander Koch - is proving quite popular with young female fans... so maybe that's why they're trying to make him a good guy.

Wow, that's a great possibility - esp. given the Vegas location. Ironic, if true, because Donna Walker was the Queen of the Royal Flush Gang ... and Oliver Queen ;) -- http://dcanimated.wikia.com/wiki/Queen_(Walker_Family) Donna Walker was blonde and blue-eyed (like Charlotte Ross) and had a husband (King), a son (Jack) and a daughter (Melanie Walker, Ten). Melanie was also blonde and blue-eyed, and her abilities were: security systems expert, and hand to hand combatant. Sound familiar? For additional information on Ten: http://dcanimated.wikia.com/wiki/Melanie_Walker EDITED TO ADD: Even though they've already done the Royal Flush Gang on the show, there have been different versions of this gang in the comics. Alternatively, the EPs could do their own version of the Walker Family's Royal Flush Gang and call it something else (since the EPs are not following the comics strictly).

For Castle fans... ABC developing drama based on Derrick Storm novels from 'Castle' By Natalie Abrams on Aug 20, 2014 at 10:10PM http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/08/20/abc-castle-derrick-storm/

Some fan's pretty awesome cosplay outfit... http://www.blastr.com/2014-3-21/cosplay-we-love-straight-awesome-arrow-outfit

I didn't read the comments. I thought the poll results would be more of an 80-20 split.

Fall TV Preview - Wednesdays Posted by Oma bin at Thursday, August 21, 2014 http://www.spoilertv.com/2014/08/fall-tv-preview-wednesdays.html

Closer than I expected... USD POLL : Who should become Arrow's official Black Canary until the show is done? Posted by DarkUFO at Thursday, August 21, 2014 http://www.spoilertv.com/2014/08/usd-poll-who-should-become-arrows.html

Unbelievable... TV ratings: CBS' 'Under the Dome' most watched of night AUGUST 19, 2014, 10:28 AM http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-tv-ratings-cbs-under-the-dome-20140819-story.html

Even if the EPs come up with some motivation for Laurel to walk Sara's vigilante path, are they going to address the hypocrisy of being a DA during the day (someone charged with enforcing laws and prosecuting those who break laws) and a vigilante at night (someone who breaks laws)? Or are they just going to hand-wave away the legal and ethical obligations that come with being a DA?

JB as Malcolm Merlyn brings to the show what EBR as Felicity brings to the show - but in a different way. Let me explain. Felicity brings a light cheeky humor to the show, while Malcolm brings a dark cheeky humor to the show. Without them, we would've been left with a pretty humorless cast of characters headed by dour Oliver, bitter Laurel, sad Thea, wooden Roy, tortured Sara and serious Quentin - okay, maybe the occasional quip from Diggle. (To clarify, I am not talking about or comparing acting abilities at all, I'm only talking about the characters.)

Sean Bean is still mesmerizing to watch. I kinda wished they would've introduced the personal family drama later on in the series because it does seem to drag down the episode. I don't know if it's the writing or the acting, but Ali Larter's character is just so annoying. It shouldn't be that difficult to write a strong female character who clashes with the hero but is still likeable. Other TV shows do it all the time.