A Farewell to SGU

It is with a heavy heart that I return to blogging. After nearly a year of absence and a posts left unfinished, I return on the day that will, at least in my mind, mark the end of great science fiction television.

It hasn't been long that I've been a Stargate fan... just a little over two years now. But Stargate filled a void that I wasn't always conscious that I had, the one for great science fiction. For the last 14 years, the Stargate franchise has been giving fans just that. Like I said, I wasn't watching 14 years ago, but in the last two years, I've managed to cram in 14 years' worth of television, and those last two years have made me a passionate fan.

Simply put, I love Stargate. I've become a diehard fan, because the Stargate franchise offers me everything I want in a TV show and everything I want in a Sci Fi show. For me, it is the epitome of awesome science fiction, and I'm not sure I can think of a better way to put that.

SouthLAnd Season 2, Ep 2: Butch and Sundance

Unfortunately, life's been rather busy lately, hence my lateness on reviewing the newest episode of SouthLAnd. It's been nearly a week, and I finally have a chance to sit down and put my thoughts to paper. Boy oh boy do I have a bunch of them. I'm looking at the notecard I was scribbling all my notes on, and it's covered front and back with my almost legible chicken scratch.

Stargate Universe Season 1.5 Trailer

This might be the best trailer for anything ever! No, seriously, absolutely amazing, omgwtfbbq!!!

I. Cannot. Wait.
EDIT: Is this... Michael Shanks?



WOW! April 2nd cannot get here fast enough!

The Return of SouthLAnd!! Season 2, Ep 1: Phase Three

It is with a great deal of excitement that I sit down to write this blog post. It's my first write-up of SouthLAnd in almost a year, and I couldn't be happier sitting here after watching the first new episode of the show in almost as long. I've spent the last several weeks positively giddy with anticipation, and all that waiting has finally paid off.

After an intermission that felt like it would never end, it is my pleasure to say that the best "cop show" in history is back on the air. After its short first season (all 7 episodes of it), NBC canceled the show, citing that it was too expensive to continue producing. I ranted at length about NBC's lack of intelligence in previous blog posts, but really, their idiocy turns out to be TNT's gain. And it works to the benefit of fans of great TV everywhere.

SouthLAnd is back, and it is better than ever!

Brian J. Smith on SGU

Good evening, folks. I figured I'd take a few moments away from the work that has consumed my life for the past week and put up a blog. And, well, it's SGU - I'll always find the time for that!

I've recently become acquainted with Curt, the awesome gentleman who writes the Show Patrol blog for chicagonow.com. Yesterday, he posted a positively fantastic interview with Brian J. Smith, who plays Lt. Matthew Scott on the show. Brian weighs in on some of the "bigger issues" plaguing the show including fans' reaction to his character, fans' reaction to the show in general, some juicy little spoilers for both the second half of season one (returning in April!!) and season 2, with some bonus classical music discourse to boot! Plus, he really digs into the psychology of his character - his attitudes, the effects of his past on his present, the way he makes decisions, including some of the very same things I mentioned in my Why I Love SGU post from a few months back (including his defining moment)! Brian also goes into some detail surrounding the motives and repercussions of the very controversial scene from "Air, Part 1," an explanation that is actually very logical, and one that I hit myself for missing almost entirely!

Did I mention the interview hilarious?

And I can't wait for this mysterious episode called "Faith"... sound amazing.

You can check out the interview by clicking here (<-- click there). I highly recommend it; it's a great read.

SGU Renewed for Season 2

OK, so I should be in bed right now, but my phone has been going crazy with people telling me that Stargate Universe was renewed for a second season! Now, I've long suspected that it would be renewed. Aside from the fact that it's a great show - the best on TV currently - it pulls in some great ratings. In fact, I've seen rumors online that the strong ratings from both SGU and Sanctuary have propelled SyFy to the 4th highest rated basic cable network. Pretty impressive.

Stargate Universe - Justice

Welcome to my first ever episode writeup for Stargate Universe. I'm very excited about this, especially since this episode was so damned good. And we will get to that in a second. First and foremost, SGU is now on hiatus for a very long time. Until April-ish in fact, which is almost 5 months away. This is rather distressing, as the ending to this one definitely left me wanting - no, needing - to see what else is in store.

But, fear not, the Hiatus Project is here. For the next few months, every Friday night, we'll be meeting up for a group chat during regular SGU time (9:00 EST). Hang out with cool people, learn the SGU drinking game from the queen of the game, maybe even a few special guests. If you're interested, head over to Colonel_Ez's blog for full details.

Onto the show. I'll try to keep the spoilers to an absolute minimum.

Heroes Vol 5 Ep11 - The Fifth Stage

I'll keep this one brief. I have more important things to get to. Namely, Stargate Universe. I'm merely passing time until midnight when Hulu posts the new episode.

Sorry for the delay on the review. Heroes has kind of taken a back seat to all the other, better shows on TV right now. House, Lie to Me, Cougar Town... SGU (of course). Pretty much everything else I watch. I dunno what it is exactly, but the show is losing me. While watching, I'm quite excited about the events going on, but in between episodes, I couldn't care less. Perhaps it's because I spend so much time thinking about SGU and contributing to its online community via Twitter and the upcoming hiatus project in as many ways as I can find.

Wait, wait, I'm here for Heroes.

Heroes Vol 5 Ep 10 - Thanksgiving

I'd like to start this out by saying that next week, I am going to start doing a weekly write-up of SGU in addition to my usual Heroes shindig every week. SGU is by far better, and I feel it's about time to give it even more space on this blog.

Perhaps at some point today I will write a blog entry that does not in some way involve SGU... but then again, probably not.

Anyway, back to Heroes.

New Episode of SGU Next Week "Justice"

Alrighty, folks. With the first part of Why I Love SGU out of the way, I'm going to dive into some previews. Like I said in that post, SGU will not be on tomorrow. :-( <-- sad panda face

Next week we pick up with the mid season finale, called "Justice." Somebody is murdered on board the ship. I'm pumped up about this episode already. Can't freaking wait. Check out SyFy's cool trailer below. Make sure you tune in next Friday on SyFy, 9/8c - this is going to be a can't miss episode.

Why I Love SGU, Part 1 - The Characters

I just finished watching "Time" the best so far of the young SGU series, a series that seems to get better and better with each passing week. I believe that at this point I anticipate Friday night SGU more than I even anticipate Mondays with Heroes and Lie to Me and House. This show is that good.

Better even than October Road? ... Yeah, I think so.

There are so very many things the show does right, it's hard to name them all. But let me try for a while here. I intend for this to be an absolute doozy of a read, so hang in there!

TV Shows in Limbo

All over the web, articles are popping up talking about suspended production on all manner of TV shows, including some shows that I happen to like a lot - funny enough, all the shows of which I think highly enough to write about in this list are all on one channel.

ABC.

Word of advice to ABC. Don't get all NBC on me and start canceling good shows. Don't do it. That would make you idiots. I promise.

A Quickie About SGU

Ok, folks, for reals this time. I just finished watching the newest episode of SGU, called "Time." I believe it is probably the best episode of anything ever. As one guy on Twitter put it: "All right, I'm converted- this latest SGU? Rocked my socks off, blew my mind & possibly cured cancer- it was that brilliant"

It really was that brilliant.

Anybody even remotely interested in anything Sci-Fi needs to watch this show. It's already great, it's getting better, and it's very quickly becoming my favorite show on TV.

I'm working on a write-up of SGU thusfar, which I hope to have published later this weekend. Check back, it's gonna be a long one.

An LOL For Your Day

Today, I am bored. As a remedy for anybody else who shares in my boredom, I give you this:


see more Lol Celebs

Southland, Ahoy!

Thanks to Twitter, I've discovered that there's an entire community that has been in existence fighting to save the coolest cop show around. It's kind of refreshing to know that I wasn't the only one on the planet who thought the show was TV equivalent of a double-decker sundae topped with yummy strawberries. And whipped cream. On a hot day in the dead of summer. Now I'm just making myself hungry.

In any case, Ben McKenzie, the man behind Ben Sherman (my favorite character from the show), did an interview with Twitter's @TVShowGirl where he discusses what it was like transitioning between stations, what's coming up in future episodes, and even dressing up like Jay Leno for Halloween (no, really... it even includes a bloody hands joke!).

Check it out. Good stuff (and mostly hilarious too).

Stargate Universe Revisited

As I mentioned in my last post, I have recently become quite addicted to the shows in the world of Stargate. I still have yet to test the waters in Atlantis, but I'm making strong headway into the original SG-1, and I've completely caught myself up on the current episodes from SG-U. I must say, as much as I love SG-1, There is something remarkable about SG-U that has me quite literally hopping up and down in anticipation of the next episode.

Here's why: We can officially add this to the very short list of shows with characters I truly love. Very few times can I say that I was sitting here watching the show shouting at the screen (it's like what most people do with football) or that I had to get up and pace because the show was making me nervous.

Though I still have a little over 7 seasons to go in SG-1, I do feel pretty comfortable saying that I'm going to like SG-U better... much better. See, while there are some pretty awesome characters in SG-1, a truly memorable lot, SG-U seems to be almost entirely focused on the characters. We get back stories, we get relationships, rivalries, and camaraderie.

All this on the backdrop of being stuck on a spaceship that seems capable of taking care of the people on the ship without allowing them to leave or get home. And this is where the show succeeds in my opinion - the stuff about the Stargates is really just a backdrop for the characters and their interactions. It reminds me of The Mist, in that the people can survive, so the story becomes one about the people and their natures. My favorite kind of story.

In any case, my favorite character of the bunch remains Lt. Scott. His arc even in the first 6 episodes is just fascinating and a pleasure to watch. The character has a lot of back story that can be built upon and expanded, and I positively can't wait. Also, Dr. Rush continues to get ever more complicated. His motives are questionable, but his ends seems to work for the benefit of everybody on the crew. Like Scott, I cannot wait to see how his character evolves.

One character that I didn't mention in my first post on the show was Colonel Young, and shame on me, because he is the gravity and the maturity that really keeps the show level. He's obviously a seasoned soldier, and the weight he lends the pieces of the story on board the ship really makes it all seem so... plausible. His back story, though, is what really got me on his bandwagon. It's kind of heartbreaking, and they really dig into it in the episode entitled "Earth." This also happens to be the basis for the biggest OMG moment I've had watching TV in quite a while. It was the cliffhanger ending of the show, and it had me staring slack-jawed at the screen for many a minute after the credits had concluded.

In any case, This show has definitely been added to the weekly must-watch list - right up there with House, Heroes, Cougar Town, and V (and Southland in January :-). Check it out if you get the chance.

Southland Coming in January

Some positive news for your evening.

We're slowly getting details about Southland's return on TNT. Here's what I know so far.

Southland will be returning in January on TNT. They will be airing the entire series so far (season 1, which we saw on NBC, and the episodes that were filmed for season 2 prior to the cancellation) before moving into new episodes. So, for those of you who are new to the show, tune in and find out why it's easily the best cop show on TV. One of the best shows in general, actually.

Mark it down folks, Tuesday January 12, 10/9c. And while you're at it, check out TNT's new website for the show. There's nothing up quite yet, but I bet there'll be some cool stuff soon.

And, there's a fan club too for you to feast your eyes on. Slash on over.

Heroes Vol 5 Ep 7 - Once Upon a Time in Texas

Welcome back to Texas. When we last left Hiro two episodes ago, he had gone back in time to save the one person he'd found in the world to love: Charlie, the girl from the diner with the encyclopedic fountain of knowledge in her head - which turned out to be a power. If you recall, she was killed by Sylar once he figured out she had a power.

In this episode, we pick up with Hiro as he arrives just in time to see Sylar enter the diner. He ends up saving her from Sylar only to have her start to succumb to her aneurysm. He makes a deal with Sylar - save Charlie, and Hiro will tell Sylar all about how he dies. Sylar saves Charlie by removing the aneurysm and Hiro tells Sylar that he will kill many people, but he will ultimately die alone; no one will mourn his passing.

So, Charlie is saved, but she's mad because she thinks it was selfish of Hiro to save her and risk the lives of thousands of other people.

I should mention that along the way, he meets both his past-self and Ando (it was nice to see Ando again). Both humorously commented upon his lack of a sword, a great throwback to those of us who've been watching since season 1.

The other big story was involving Noah. At this point in season 1's arc, he was investigating the future-painter who had drawn pictures of Claire's murder. We all know that part of the story, but what we didn't know was that during his investigation, he was being tempted by his partner. She was in love with him and wanted him to have an affair. We see him struggle throughout the episode with his devotion to his family and his obvious care for his partner - the biggest factor of that was that he didn't have to lie to her the same way he did with his family. In the end, he does the noble thing and declines her offer. Out of respect to his decision, she has the Hatian wipe the feelings and memories from her mind. This tale was particularly poignant in that we know what ultimately happens to Noah's family, and his blind hope that they can have a normal life here is uncomfortably sad.

I know that many people will disagree with me, but I thought this was a great episode - really well thought-out. The way the stories of Hiro and Noah parallel each other (and even intersect briefly) was fascinating, and the stories were, in their own ways, heartbreaking. I know it wasn't a balls-to-the-wall episode like we've seen in the last few weeks, but this was a welcome rest with some truly great character development.

But... where would I be without mention of Samuel??? The pieces of his plan are very slowly starting to come together, and we are starting to see why he is this season's very bad dude.

Back in the second episode of this season, he convinced Hiro that he needed to go back in time to fix all of his mistakes. Hence this whole save Charlie thing. Samuel uses Arnold, the almost dead time-traveler who works at the carnival, to send him back in time to monitor Hiro's progress. Which leads us right to... the cliffhanger ending!!

Charlie meets Hiro at the bar (where Hiro has just had a conversation with Noah) and says she's ready to travel the world with him. She disappears outside, Hiro following moments later.... only to find Samuel standing there. He confesses to having kidnapped Charlie, angering Hiro who travels back to present day. Samuel is impressed that Hiro has regained control of his powers, but all Hiro cares about is finding Charlie. In the process of looking for her, he finds Arnold, dead. Samuel confesses to working him to death. Arnold had the same brain tumor that afflicts Hiro, and Samuel's finally caused him to give in. His last act, according to Samuel, was to trap Charlie somewhere in time. The only way Samuel will tell Hiro where to look is if Hiro helps him undo a mistake he made eight weeks ago.

We see Samuel, apologizing to somebody. The camera turns, and we who I thought might have been Samuel's dead brother Jacob. But no, that's not it. It's actually the dead body of Mohinder. And suddenly, the question is answered as to why he has yet to be in the show.

Ka-BOOM. The show just got amazing. Maybe some more answers next week?

Anyway, best and worst time.
Best: Samuel killed Mohinder?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Hey, hey hey goo-ood bye!
Worst: Where is Ando? I kinda miss that dude!
Best Line: "The course of true love never did run smooth. It's a messy business, friend" -Noah, to Hiro

Where is Southland?

So, readers of this blog may remember that last year, I was thoroughly enjoying myself watching NBC's Southland - a real and gritty show about Los Angeles cops, a show about people with little fluff to speak of. In any case, the show was supposed to have its season 2 premiere in late September. NBC decided to push the premiere back to October 23, citing wanting to not get the show lost amidst the umpteen hundred other shows coming out in September. That seemed all well and good, but October 23 came and went, and I still have not seen the premiere for my favotire damned cop show. Dammit.

Nobody seems to have any news about a new proposed start date, at least not that I can find.

EDIT - Well, I found it. Please forgive me while I jump up and down and throw a tantrum. NBC has axed the show.

Insert tantrum throwing here along with many, many very bad words directed at the IDIOTS in charge at NBC. IDIOTS! $%@$#%$@^@%^@%^@#$%@#$%@#$^^%&@#$%&#$%@#$!$%.

I am mad beyond words at the moment, so truly mad. I hate, hate, HATE it when I get emotionally invested in a show then it is canceled. Southland, Arrested Development, October Road, and countless others over the years. This is why I stopped watching TV in the first place. They can leave senseless drivel like Law and Order on the air, but theyfinally come out with a real cop show with real characters... and they ditch it after giving it a small go. Pardon my French, but FUCK THAT.

It is slightly heartening to see that NBC appears to be shopping the show around to some cable networks, so maybe we'll get to see the show on a network with the cajones to make it work. In the meantime, fuck NBC. I knew there was a reason that I stopped watching shows on that network a looooooong time ago.

So, on the off chance that somebody from the show happens upon this blog, I'm rooting for ya.
If somebody from another network happens to read this, pick this show up - it's gold!
If somebody from NBC sees this, eat shit.

That is all.

EDIT - We will get to continue watching Southland, as TNT has picked up the broadcast rights from the dingbats over at NBC. Look for it to come back sometime in January. Thanks to Jason for finding that for me!

A Bit About Stargate

My friend Randy has been devoting time recently to introducing me to this TV show called Stargate SG-1. I had decided prior to sitting down and watching my first episode that it wasn't going to be particularly good and therefore a waste of time. Lo and behold, It took about half of that first episode for me to be completely engrossed. The show is smart, it's funny, and it's got some great story. It's been almost a week since the last time I watched it, and I think I'm going into withdrawal.

I was browsing Hulu today, and I happened upon the newest of the Stargate series called SG-U... or Stargate Universe. The first episode was a 2-parter, an hour and a half long, and damn is it fascinating. I haven't caught myself up on the 10+ years of SG-1, nor have I even started my venture to Atlantis, but Randy has filled me in on enough of the story to have a pretty good idea of what's going on. I fell right into this new story and these new characters, and I now have a new weekly must-watch show. Can't wait to get back to it and jump into the second episode.

I'm not sure what it is about the Stargate series, but they seem to always find some really good actors to fill the required roles. The acting in the newest iteration is sharp and intelligent, the folks really bring the on-screen personas to life. Of particular note are Brian J. Smith as Lt. Matthew Scott (and I say that for more than just the fact that he shares my name - coolest name ever!! :-) and Robert Carlyle as Dr. Nicholas Rush. Just from the first episode, I can tell that there is a lot more to these two than meets the eye, and I'm quite excited to see what happens with them. In particular, the dynamic between the two characters is fascinating,and I find myself hoping the show devotes plenty of time to exploring it.

Storyline-wise, so far as I can tell, this is a natural evolution from what I know of the past storylines, and it's ridiculously fascinating to put the missing pieces together in my head.

So, anyway, there's my two cents on the matter. I highly recommend it to anybody who is looking for an entertaining watch.