REPOST Summer TV Rewind: Wonderfalls 1.08: "Lovesick Ass"

One of the very first posts I wrote here on MTVP back in August, 2009 was a Classic TV Recap of my favorite episode of "Wonderfalls," called "Lovesick Ass."

You can find it in its original habitat here, or I've copied and pasted the whole thing below for added convenience! This is a deeply personal post, and I don't think I could write anything better about the episode than what I already said almost four years ago. So enjoy!

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"Smitten and eager are bad. Now you know what you get with smitten and eager? Romance. Relentless, treacly, manufactured romance. That kind of romance never ends well.”
-Jaye

So, even though I’ve watched this episode of "Wonderfalls" plenty of times, I still find it difficult to figure out where to start when writing about it. The reason, I think, is that I identify with Jaye Tyler…a lot. I get her struggles, and I get her point of view. There are scenes in "Wonderfalls," and this episode in particular, that feel extremely, almost painfully, real to me. After processing my thoughts on the episode, however, I think I’ve come up with a few tidbits- some serious, some less so.

Every time I watch an episode of "Wonderfalls" (or any Bryan Fuller show, for that matter), I pick up on little nuances that I didn’t notice in previous viewings. My rewatch of "Lovesick Ass" was no exception, right from the very first scene, where Eric is installing a satellite dish on Jaye’s trailer. Eric’s ulterior motive to helping Jaye with the satellite dish greatly amuses me, and, honestly, I’m not sure why I didn’t pick up on it before. Eric, in addition to just being a helpful and nice guy, is hoping that installing the satellite dish will lead to an invite over to Jaye’s place some time to watch TV. It’s really a very cute exchange between the two of them. Jaye says that she only has one, very small TV, and Eric smartly replies that’s just fine because they can sit close together. Before this rewatch, I just sort of took this scene for what it was. Eric would do anything for Jaye, and Jaye’s drooling over Eric, but too afraid to do anything about it. Eric’s extra motivation gives the scene and the character more depth. It makes Eric seem less “whipped” by Jaye, for lack of a better, less misogynistic term. And it makes me chuckle.

I especially like how the climax of the episode plays out. The perceived threat to Eric (the creepy kid has taken him to the cabin by the lake…oh no!) is quickly neutralized. Eric easily grabs the baseball bat away from Peter, and we see that this episode is not going to take the shape that we might have thought. It’s not going to be a suspenseful thriller, it’s going to be about a kid talking out his feelings about his mother’s death and a guy talking out his feelings about (sort of) unrequited love. We don’t escape the episode without at least a little more Peter-induced mayhem, though! The scene near the end where it turns out Peter is a bit of a pyro and Eric’s car suddenly goes up in flames never fails to get a laugh out of me, just because of the way it’s shot. The flames are so sudden and engulf the car so quickly. There’s a scene in the pilot (or “Pie-lette”) of "Pushing Daisies" where a truck catches on fire in much the same way, and that never fails to make me laugh either. Bryan Fuller has said, in the DVD commentary to “Lovesick Ass,” I believe, that had "Wonderfalls" continued, Jaye eventually would have been institutionalized for hearing the voices of the Muses, and while institutionalized, she would have run into Peter again. I definitely would have liked to have seen that play out. One of the many reasons why "Wonderfalls'" way-to-early cancellation is so tragic (in the TV show cancellation universe, not in the overall grand scheme of things- I do have some perspective, I promise!).

A line in this episode that really stood out to me is when Peter, in his frustration at Jaye not returning his affection, says that he’ll “teach [her] how to love.” In a sense, that’s exactly what he does, only Jaye’s love isn’t exactly directed at Peter. Peter’s “kidnapping” of Eric motivates a panicked Jaye to hotwire Eric’s car and trek all the way out to the cabin by the lake because she’s afraid Peter will hurt Eric. She does truly care about Eric, even if this is the only way she is capable of showing it. Best of all, Eric clearly recognizes that and truly appreciates the gesture, even if it does slightly baffle him. Jaye still has a long way (and several episodes) to go before she begins to work through her issues and believe that she could be a good thing in Eric’s life as opposed to a source of pain, but it’s Peter who set her on that path. At the end of the episode, Jaye asks Eric why he would want to waste time trying to be in a relationship with someone as avoidant and messed up as she is. He replies, “Because you make me happy.” And isn’t that really what life, and love, are all about?

Summer TV Rewind: Lost Girl 1.09: "Fae Day"

“I’m willing to bet the Goblin Disposal Agency is closed today.”
-Bo

“Fae Day” gave us an interesting look into an aspect of Fae culture that we hadn’t really seen yet – a celebration. The episode takes place on La Shoshain, which is apparently the holiest day in the Fae calendar. It’s a day when Fae do no work, use no electricity, and party down. It’s supposed to be a serious remembrance of the Blood King’s sacrifice to end the Great War, but like I said, it’s pretty much just an excuse for the Fae to party. The party atmosphere is short lived, though, when a Banchee’s wail signals that a death is immanent. The characters spend the rest of the episode trying to work out who is going to die, then trying to prevent that death. Meanwhile, Kenzie gets close with the doomed Fae. It’s another Hale-less episode, which makes me sad, because Hale does like to party, but the good dose of mythology that we get does something to make up for it.

Kenzi drags Bo out for a night on the town (well, night at the Dal), and to Bo’s horror, not only is the Dal crowded, but it’s a Fae holiday. Trick explains what I mentioned in the intro – it’s La Shoshain, and it’s supposed to be a super-holy holiday for the Fae, but it’s mostly now a big party. The fun comes to a grinding halt, though, when a Banshee, who is working the party as a harpist, suddenly lets out a bloodcurdling scream. It’s a wail, which we soon learn heralds the death of someone from one of the five noble Fae families. Trick kicks everyone but Family members out until they can figure out who is supposed to die. That job falls to Bo and Dyson. They have to go to the Banshee’s place of employment and force feed her a liver shake to get her to say who is fated to die. It’s incredibly gross, but apparently the iron in the liver is required to cause a reaction that will allow the Banshee to retrieve the name from her subconscious.

The name of the person fated to die is Sean Kavanagh. He’s fairly young (appears to be in his 30’s), and Kenzi has taken a liking to him. They’re hanging out at the Dal and getting along well when Bo and Dyson return and Dyson announces that Sean is supposed to die. Kenzi decides that Sean needs to make a bucket list. The first thing on Sean’s list is reconciliation with his younger brother, Liam, but that turns out to be much easier said than done. Bo agrees to help, and she finds Liam at some offices that are being rather hastily cleaned out. As she enters the offices, a guy screaming about being cheated is leaving. Liam has no interest in granting his brother’s dying wish, in fact, he’s looking forward to reading the obituary. When Bo and Dyson confront Sean about this, they finally get the full story. When they were younger, Sean accused Liam of stealing $30,000 from their father. Liam was kind of ostracized from the family then, and he decided to join the Dark Fae, even though the rest of the family is Light.

Bo and Dyson resume trying to get Liam to speak with Sean, and Kenzi tries to get Sean to live a little. They play a game of darts at the Dal, and Kenzi encourages Sean to talk to a waitress he’s had his eye on. That doesn’t work out well, so Kenzi ups her game. After an incident where a huge chandelier almost falls on Sean, Kenzi decides that they need to engage in some grand theft auto to feel alive. Kenzi hot wires a sweet sports car, and they drive off. Kenzi and Sean end up at Sean’s father’s estate, and Sean tells him that the Banshee wailed. Sean’s father is most concerned about whether or not all Sean’s affairs are in order. Sean leaves in a rage (he was hoping his father would show some emotion), and Kenzi realizes that Sean’s father has been squandering the family money on gambling. Back at Liam’s (soon to be former) office, Bo confronts Liam. Liam admits that Sean is about to die because he, Liam, put a hit out on him.

Bo demands to know who Liam sent after Sean, but back at Bo and Kenzie’s apartment, it’s all too apparent. A goblin bursts into the apartment and looks ready to attack Sean and Kenzi. After kissing Sean, Kenzi tells him they need to fight. Luckily, Bo and Dyson arrive at the apartment just in time to break up the party. Dyson gets hit in the throat by the goblin, but he still manages to shoot it. Once the danger has passed, Bo tells Sean about Liam ordering the hit. Dyson tries to convince Sean to let the Fae authorities deal with it, but Sean leaves, armed with a crossbow.

Bo takes a really stupid step to try and resolve the whole family grudge. She finds Sean and Liam, and she invokes “Agallamh,” which is a special kind of peace talks that can only happen on La Shoshain. The stupid part is that after she invokes Agallamh, she learns that if Sean and Liam don’t reach an accord, she, Bo, has to kill herself, thanks to the rules of Agallamh. The negotiations don’t go especially well at first, so Bo calls in the big guns and gets Kenzi to go bring in Sean and Liam’s father. Bo swears Sean and Liam’s dad into the Agallamh circle, and she has him admit that he stole the $30,000 himself to pay off gambling debts. Liam then forgives Sean and calls off the hit. All appears to be well, but then, out on the street, the guy who was yelling earlier about being cheated by Liam approaches. He tries to shoot Liam, but Sean takes the bullet and is instantly killed. How’s that for irony?

Throughout the episode, Dyson and Trick have some secretive conversations that impart some important information about Bo’s mother and Fae culture in general. In a conversation early in the episode, we learn that Lou Ann, the death row inmate Bo was trying to save in the last episode, was the midwife who delivered Bo. At the end of the episode, Trick and Dyson are having another conversation about whether or not Bo is ready to know the truth about her history. Dyson thinks she is, Trick thinks she isn’t, so of course Trick wins out. Dyson then offers a toast “to the Blood King.” Meaning that Trick isn’t just any old Fae Elder. He is actually the Blood King. Who would have thought?

Summer DVR Dump: Merlin 5.10: "The Kindness of Strangers"

“But if she can truly help me protect Arthur from Mordred and I refuse to go, would all not be lost then, too?”
- Merlin

We begin again at night in the woods. A man is running, being chased by dogs. Morgana comes into view and with a little magic the man is apprehended. It turns out his name is Alator and we’ve met him before. A few seasons ago Morgana kidnapped Gaius and used Alator to discover Emrys’s identity (or at least that was the plan. Alator reneged on his deal with Morgana). But she’s persistent so she’s going to find out what he knows whether he likes it or not.

The next morning, Arthur and Gwen head out to the forest for a picnic and as Merlin is setting up the plates and blanket and everything, Arthur tosses a water skin in Merlin’s direction. It flies over his head and goes off to get it but finds marks on a tree. After returning to Camelot, they find refugees from Oden’s land in a town called Helva. Magic was involved and it sparks some curiosity I Merlin. If Morgana was there, why would she attack her own kind? It becomes clear when he returns to the woods and finds an overturned cart and a document bearing Alator’s signature. She’s up to her old tricks again. Back in Morgana’s hide out, she taunts Alator. Sure he’s trained to resist all kind of physical torture but psychological, he can’t separate his mind from his mind. She pulls out a snake (I’m pretty sure she used it on Merlin at one point) which causes extreme pain.

Back in Camelot, Arthur wants to surprise Gwen with breakfast in bed. But being all royal and what not, he can’t do it so he sends Merlin to fetch the food and flowers. He’s out in the woods gathering said flowers when a woman stops him. She’s clearly got magic (as she knows his real name) and she asks him to meet her that night I some ruins if he values keeping Arthur alive. Merlin delivers breakfast (sans flowers) before heading off home to Gaius to show him the drawing of the mark on her wrist. Gaius says she’s a powerful priestess and he fears that Morgana has already learned Merlin’s identity from Alator and this woman is just the bait to draw Merlin into a trap. Merlin doesn’t believe she means him harm. But he sort of promises Gaius he’ll drop it. This doesn’t stop Gaius from going to Arthur and warning him about the woman. So Arthur interrupts some knightly horseplay in the armory to give Mordred a little side task. The woman may not be all she seems as she calls the bird that usually carries messages to Morgana (and while casting whatever spell she’s working, specifically mentions Morgana’s name). That evening, Merlin is rather sullen and Gaius asks if he still plans to go see the woman. Merlin denies it but of course he’s going.

He finds the woman and after he learns that Alator is her master and she is trying to warn him of the coming battle, the knights happen upon them. Merlin takes them out with magic and promises to find the woman when he can. Meanwhile, her letter arrives and we see she really is on Merlin’s side. Unfortunately, Morgana’s men find the letter and they head off to hunt her down as Morgana kills Alator. She figures she can break his acolyte easily. Arthur ends up chastising the knights for failing to capture an old woman. He sends them out to double patrols and Gaius ends up apologizing to Merlin for ratting out the woman to Arthur. Merlin heads off and he starts following her trial marked by magic burned into trees when Percival finds him. The knights can’t let him leave until the sorcerer is found. He does manage to slink off the next morning before dawn. Well, after getting caught by Mordred who lets him go. I really have to wonder if Merlin’s attitude towards Mordred is part of what ultimately drives him away from Camelot (sorry, minor spoiler there).

As Merlin takes off again, Morgana and her men pick up the woman’s trail. So now it becomes a race against time. Merlin gets to the woman first but they’re interrupted again, this time by Morgana’s men. They fight the men off but Merlin is wounded. The woman says there is a watchtower nearby that should be safe. Morgana arrives on scene to find the blood trail. She’s getting excited now. Merlin and the woman make it to the tower but Merlin is growing weaker. She explains that she’s helping him because she believes if Merlin dies, Arthur cannot bring about the new world they all hope for. She gives him a box which contains a prophecy. And she warns that Merlin cannot trust Mordred. See I really think if people just gave Mordred a chance, he’d be fine.

Anyway, the woman knows the end is near and sends Merlin up to the roof. She keeps his sword to face off against Morgana but it is not as a defense. She will not reveal who Emrys is or where he is. She runs herself through with the sword before Morgana can do anything to do her. They burn her body and as night falls, Merlin tries to call the Great Dragon to him. He passes out but his magic was enough. The dragon saves him (including healing his wound) but the creature has grown old and tired. Merlin offers to heal him but there are some things that shouldn’t be meddled with, including the cycle of life. The dragon tells Merlin to remember him when he’s finally gone. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the Great Dragon to be honest. Merlin gets back to Camelot and Gaius reads the prophecy. Arthur will meet his doom at Camlaan.

And if that isn’t bad enough, the knights carry in one of their own with skin grown over his entire face. Gaius has seen it before. It’s a warning and a declaration of war. Morgana means business. It would appear Arthur may be journeying to his death sooner than he would think.

Time for Twelve Part Deux: Presenting the Next Doctor

Yesterday, with much fanfare, the BBC announced on a globally simulcast live TV special that 55-year-old Scottish actor Peter Capaldi with be the Twelfth Doctor. Capaldi will take over the role from Matt Smith during this December’s Christmas special. Capaldi is by no means a stranger to the Whoinverse. He played Roman dad Caecilius in the fourth series episode “The Fires of Pompeii.” He was also coldly calculating bureaucrat John Frobisher on “Torchwood: Children of Earth.” Capaldi is most known, however, for playing foul-mouthed political fixer Malcolm Tucker on “The Thick of It” and its spinoff movie “In the Loop.” Neither of us have seen either of these, but it’s starting to seem like it might be a good idea, because Capaldi’s performance as Tucker seems pretty epic. Capaldi is also old friends with late-night host Craig Ferguson, as they played in the same punk band as teenagers in Glasgow. We can’t wait to see what hijinks ensue when Capaldi makes the American late-night show rounds to promote the new series, as Ferguson is also a massive “Doctor Who” fan.

Here at MTVP, we are decidedly cautiously optimistic about this casting choice. Capaldi is a respected, talented actor, and we have no doubt that he’ll bring as much to the role as he’s able. Just his performance in “The Fires of Pompeii” alone shows his talent at both comedy and drama. Capaldi is pretty much a life-long “Doctor Who” fan, which only bodes good things for his tenure. Capaldi brings gravitas and a little darkness to the role while still possessing the ability to make the most of the lighter moments, too. The BBC posted a video of Capaldi introducing himself to the fandom, and it suggests great things ahead. The only thing that stands in Capaldi’s way is the general writing quality of the show right now, which is arguably not up to par. The mischievous grin at the end of the video embedded below shows a spark that hasn’t really been present for much of the Moffat-era of “Doctor Who.”



One of the great things we’ve enjoyed about the modern era of Doctor Who is that with each new Doctor or Companion comes a new relationship, whether it be platonic or more romantic. We are not ashamed to say we are Ten fans, but Nine and Eleven have each had their fair share of interesting relationships with the (mostly) women taking up residence in the TARDIS. With Nine, we saw the wonder-filled time traveler, who while easily the smartest man in the room, just had this child-like quality about him that drew you (and Rose in). We like to think that Nine just enjoyed Rose’s company as a true companion, a friend. And it appeared that Rose was the one who first developed any sort of non-platonic feelings for the Doctor.

By the time Nine regenerated into Ten, we started to see him form a deeper connection with Rose, so much so that he actually cries when he loses her in the parallel world. We don’t think he intended to fall for her, but she brought out the good in him and he needed that. But a part of him no doubt felt like losing Rose was a just punishment for the atrocities he committed to end the Time War. And thus, he spent the next two series struggling to come to grips with losing her and trying to get her back. There’s not that much to say about Ten’s relationship with Martha as she was the typical rebound relationship. Unrequited attraction from the Earth girl as the Time Lord sought out the one he’d lost. Though, to be fair, Martha was the only one who really had any outside ambition beyond traveling with the Doctor. Perhaps the most interesting platonic relationships was Donna. We both agree that she was extremely unlikable in “The Runaway Bride,” but she was a joy in series four, and it was the first you really saw in the modern era both the Doctor and the Companion really needing the other to find their self-worth and to keep each other in line. It was a shame the way they ended her character arc.

Of course with Eleven, he latches on to Amy and Rory early on and it would appear, he loses some of that mopey quality over Rose. He’s got pals he can go on exciting adventures with and just have fun. However, it appears he had a more mature relationship with River than any other companion in the modern era. Probably because Alex Kingston is so much older than Matt Smith, but River brought a sort of mature quality that clearly said “suck it up and move on, sweetie”. And he did. We are skeptical as to whether being with Amy and Rory alone would have been enough to make him act his age a bit more.

With Twelve, we are hopeful that the slightly flirty relationship Eleven and Clara established will morph into something more paternal, rather than continue on the road to romance. Because let’s be honest, it would just be creepy if Twelve was still flirting with Clara, who is so very young by comparison. Although, it will be a challenge to make the transition of the relationship believable. You never really saw that big of a jump with the previous regenerations. But as we said earlier, we are cautiously optimistic that (barring Stephen Moffat mucking it all up as he bows out) Twelve will bring a new gravitas and depth to the iconic Time Lord and his companion.

As intelligent (or at least we like to think so, considering the multiple advanced degrees we possess between the two of us) female fans of “Doctor Who” and geek culture in general, some of the fan reaction to Capaldi’s casting has been genuinely disquieting and disappointing. A number of the commentariat have said things along the lines of “Yay, since they cast an older guy, those annoying Tumblr fangirls will quit, and we won’t have to listen to them anymore or be bothered by their cooties.” Geek culture is supposed to be a place where everyone is welcome. To loosely paraphrase Wil Wheaton, it’s a place where we come together to unabashedly love what we want to love in the way we want to love it. To suggest that female fans are only in it for the attractiveness of the Doctor and are that fickle goes against everything geek culture is supposed to stand for, and people who have made such comments should just plain grow up. While there may be some fans who abandon the TARDIS as Peter Capaldi takes the helm, we will be staying right where we are, waiting to see where this crazy ride takes us next. We are excited to see the way the relationships grow and change and how he handles the serious and the funny.

My Morning with the Dwarves

As anyone who reads this blog knows, we here at More TV Please! are big fans of geek culture and nowhere is that more appreciated than at comic conventions. Yes, we all know about San Diego Comic Con (which we are endeavoring to attend next year), but there are plenty of smaller cons around the country. Living in a major city, I am lucky to get a few decent smaller events now and again. My first trip to Boston Comic Con was about 3 years ago when I first me the absolutely adorable Amber Benson. This time around, I caught wind of the con because bad ass Eve Myles (aka Gwen Cooper for all you Torchwood fans out there) was going to be in attendance. Unfortunately, Eve had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts with filming (yes, I am happy she’s gainfully employed thank you!). But, I still had a reason to attend the convention this year. Shortly after it was announced Eve would not be able to make it, two of the dwarves from The Hobbit were listed as attendees. Sadly, Richard Armitage was not able to come (I’ve had a thing for him since his Guy of Gisborne days on Robin Hood). But we did get the ever dashing Aidan Turner and Dean O’Gorman.

I’ll confess I’m more familiar with Aidan’s work, seeing as he was the lead for the first three series of the UK version of Being Human (till they *spoiler*offed his character so he could go off and be a dwarf instead of a vampire*spoiler*). But I have to say, Dean interested me, too I haven’t quite figured out if he was on the version of Young Hercules that starred a very young Ryan Gosling or not. Amazon was of little use and IMDB was equally as unhelpful seeing as a bunch of the same people showed up in the different versions listed. Anyway, I was determined to go and meet these lads. And, like any good con goer, I had to fork over a sizable chunk of money to gain admittance and get the desired momentos (read: autographs). Yes, I got a photo op too so my bank account was a little sad after purchasing tickets and everything I needed.

The con was running for two days and the boys were going to be there for both. But I assumed that the second day would be less busy and stressful. I was only half right. According to some guards I met on the way in, they had over 8,000 attendees the day before. I wouldn’t be surprised if that many showed up on the day I went, too. I honestly didn’t remember BCC being so huge the last time I went. But I will say this, it is definitely more geared towards comics than other conventions I’ve attended (namely Wizard World). The lines to get in were somewhat organized in that if you had a pre-purchased ticket, you got in a littlee faster than if you had not icket at all. But inside was insanity. There were no maps to guide to where things were and the maps they did have were highly unhelpful. They didn’t tell you where things like the autograph booths were or where to go for getting photo ops taken. But with a little guesswork and my boyfriend asking questions, we managed to find where I needed to be to get my autographs from Aidan. I would have gotten one from Dean but at $40 a pop, I couldn’t in good conscience shell out $120 just for autographs (Jen got a lovely one from Aidan too).

Once in line for autographs, I met a few interesting people. Some were relatively calm and normal. Others were kind of spazzing out about meeting the guys. I did get a little excited but all went well. Aidan was lovely to talk to. We chatted mostly about Being Human (as that is what Jen and I had him sign). He was surprised we were still getting it in the states. And he missed the show, too. As he was signing my box set, we were chatting about the look on his face on the cover art which distracted him enough to sign “lots of blood!” instead of “lots of love” as he’d intended. I didn’t mind though. It was sweet and endearing. And makes for a quirky story! Plus I mentioned I’m a lawyer which he thought was pretty cool and he said his next project is the Mortal Instruments movie (where apparently he plays a werewolf. I think he’s making the supernatural rounds). Once I was all autographed, my boyfriend and I wandered around a bit to check out some of the costumes (which is always a lot of fun. I saw some Weeping Angels and a Silence as well as a TARDIS and a couple of Eleventh Doctors) before finding somewhere to sit down. I thought I’d worn sensible shoes but they’re still new and killed my feet. So I got in line for the photo ops and sat for a while until the guys were ready to transition to that phase of the day. A lot of the same people from the autograph line were in attendance at the photo op which isn’t surprising. The photos took maybe 15-30 seconds but it was enough time to say hi again to Aidan and get a hug from both he and Dean. I have to say, for dwarves, they are tall! I was literally dwarfed by them (see what I did there?). But they were still very kind and seemed genuinely excited and gracious to be meeting fans from all over and of different ages. Jen and I both agree that it always makes for a better experience when the celebrity guests are genuinely happy to meet fans and interact with the public. It really makes the entire vent worthwhile and memorable.

Aidan and Dean held a Fan Q&A in the evening but given my foot situation, I decided it was best to just head home once I’d obtained my photo op print. While I enjoy watching panels and think it can be fun to be a part of them, I wasn’t all that keen on sitting through an hour of fan questions. Sometimes you get lucky with what people ask but most of the time, it’s rather lame questions. But, all in all, I had fun. I came home smiling and rather longing to watch the early series of Being Human, just so I could enjoy Aidan’s acting. And hey, I may even have to rewatch the Hobbit just to see the boys in their Middle Earth garb.

The Newsroom 2.03: "Willie Pete"

“I really thought we were done with the Mission to Civilize.”
-Charlie

“Willie Pete” pretty much just continued the storylines that were set up in the first two episodes of the season. It didn’t really have one big news event to give the episode something that would let it stand on its own. There was a reference to when people booed a gay soldier at a Republican presidential primary debate, but that’s not on the level of the Tucson shootings or killing Osama bin Laden. Was late 2011/early 2012 just a bad time for news. I can think of a ton of news that has happened in the past six months, but none of that will likely make it to the show until season 3. Well, maybe Sandy Hook could potentially make it to season 2, but that would be cutting it close, and I think Sorkin has already said that this season will end before Sandy Hook.

The biggest development in this episode is that Will has returned to his “mission to civilize” with a vengeance. This time, his mission centers around Nina Howard at TMI. She knows two very potentially damaging things about Will and News Night. First, she knows that Will was high on the night of the Osama bin Laden broadcast. Second, she knows that Will didn’t have the flu during the 9/11 tenth anniversary broadcast. Mackenzie and Charlie think that Will should just not say anything to her, thereby not giving her the confirmation she needs to run either of these stories. Will has other ideas, though. He wants to appeal to Nina’s better nature and ask her to not run the 9/11 story in particular because of some sacredness that 9/11 possesses.

Will wines and dines Nina in the AWM executive dining room. He even makes sure they have the dining room all to themselves, and he orders her a mimosa (having learned from Facebook that it’s her favorite drink). Will doesn’t really have to explain himself much at all to get Nina to agree not to run with the 9/11 broadcast story. He just has to tell the truth about the fact that Charlie was the one who took him off the broadcast. Will also brings up the idea that they should date, but Nina thinks it would be unprofessional. Since when did that ever stop anybody on “The Newsroom?” Anyway, later, Will and Charlie figure out that the exchange about telling the truth means that Nina must have somehow known the truth to begin with. This means that Reese is still up to his bugging/wiretapping tricks. Charlie and Will try to confront Reese with the recorder that has Reese admitting to wiretapping, but they accidentally delete the incriminating recording, and Reese just laughs at them. It was nice to see Will not win for one.

Anyway, on the campaign trail, Jim is still on the Romney bus, and he’s kind of hating it. Every day, he tries to ask the tough questions, and he asks for 30 minutes face to face with Romney and he keeps getting denied. It’s gotten to the point where he’s really irritating the rest of the press, because they don’t want to have to deal with the conflict every day. They’re content with the regurgitated talking points that they get as long as it keeps the peace. He spars a bit with fellow reporter Hallie (played by Grace Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep and younger sister of Mamie Gummer) who vacillates between wanting to be obedient and wanting to really press the Romney staffers on women’s’ issues. Apparently she started her own blog so she could report on women’s issues the way she wanted to, but she’s kind of grown complacent on the campaign trail. Eventually, Jim has had enough and in a big classic-style Sorkin speech he demands answers from the staffers and asks the rest of the press corps to stand with him and demand answers too. Only Hallie and one other guy end up standing, and all three of them get thrown off the bus and left by the side of the road.

Back in New York, other than the Nina stuff, the Operation Genoa investigation continues. Mackenzie and Jerry have lunch with a potential source, but Mackenzie (and Charlie too) are still skeptical. Jerry gets a team of lower level staffers, including Maggie, together to work on getting more trustworthy underpinnings for the story. They’re going to look at tweets from the region of Pakistan in question when Genoa allegedly happened. They get a translator to translate the Pashtun, and this translator will apparently only correspond by fax because he likes to pretend it’s 1985. The sporadic faxes coming through with translations does add a bit to the drama of the sequence. For what appears like days on end, nothing comes of all of the team’s efforts. Mackenzie is just seconds from shutting down the whole thing when the fax machine finally gives them what they want. Tweets that seem to be describing Genoa start coming through with a vengeance. Jerry appears to be vindicated, but as we know from the season premiere, it can’t last. In this case, I think all the foreshadowing might have lessened the impact of the moment. We can’t revel in the team’s success, because we already know it’s going to turn into an epic failure.

In addition to working on the Genoa investigation, Maggie is also preparing for her trip to Uganda. She’s gotten a bunch of vaccinations, and she’s also on Mefloquine, an anti-malarial. There’s an undertone that the side-effects (hallucinations and nightmares) might get to Maggie at some point. Mefloquine is no joke, as I know from personal experience when a former roommate of mine experienced severe respiratory problems after it reacted with her asthma medication following a trip to Indonesia. The Mefloquine hasn’t really even ramped up in her system yet, and Maggie is already jumpy and freaking out. It’s not attractive. Mackenzie tells Maggie that there’s been a little snag with the Uganda trip. Maggie will only be given clearance to go to Uganda if she does a human interest story in addition to what she was originally planning to report on. Maggie agrees, and the trip goes forward.

There’s also a small plotline in this episode involving Don and Sloan, who make a superior paring to Don and Maggie for sure. Sloan asks Don’s advice on two things. First, she told her viewers on the air not to buy a particular stock that was doing well for moral reasons, and her EP was upset about that. Second, she thinks she might have been the person who leaked that Will didn’t have the flu. Sloan ends up standing up (with Don’s support) to both the EP and to Will. Surprisingly Will’s not mad, because he quickly figures out that Sloan wasn’t actually the leak. The scene where Sloan is trying to come clean is when he and Charlie figure out that Reese is still eavesdropping, actually. Unfortunately, the whole mess just serves to undermine Sloan (she has to tell everybody about her date with Nina’s book agent). Because we can’t have any female character in an Aaron Sorkin show who isn’t a flighty mess.

Summer DVR Dump: Continuum 1.09: "Family Time"

“My name is Kiera Cameron. I have a little boy and a husband I’ll likely never see again. And if I don’t do everything right while I’m here, they may never exist. And the only friend I have, I lie to him every day but I hate it.” - Kiera As we enter the penultimate episode of this season, we finally get some backstory on my favorite would-be terrorist. Kellogg is on the run with his sister, Laura, and he is kind of freaking out. They’re being chased by CPS and he is flipping out on her that he thought she was just going for a job interview. But she stole some detonators. And she’s still involved with Liber8. Kiera tracks them down and basically makes the building collapse on them. Kellogg doesn’t want to leave his sister (she’s stuck under a pillar and obviously dying). He really has not had it very good lately. Watching his grandmother get shot in front of him, losing his sister. Part of me hopes some of the other characters get fleshed out a little more next season. In the present, Kiera and Carlos are heading to the country to check out a suspicious order of ammonium nitrate. Lo and behold, the alleged buyer is Rolland, Alec’s stepdad. After Alec brushes off his surprise at Kiera’s presence, he shows her his set up while Rolland shows Carlos the invoices for the fertilizer they bought. Alec gets kind of grumpy when Kiera starts scanning him (she finds a revolver in the barn). Begrudgingly, after he shows Carlos the invoice for 1/3 of what they think was purchased, Roland leads Carlos to the barn. Kiera and Alec join up with them, as does Julian. In short order things go from bad to worse. They find the extra fertilizer in the barn in a van and Julian’s gun-toting buddies show up and take everyone hostage. Kier and Carlos almost get the situation under control until Julian uses Carlos’ gun to shoot Carlos. And this is maybe why we need some actual gun control. Teenage boys with shotguns does not a good situation make. Kier and Carlos end up locked in a pantry and Carlos is really not doing so hot. The more he’s moved, the faster he bleeds out. Alec at least gets his dad to convince Julian and his pals to send in first aid. And it turns out sort of useful in their escape attempt. While Hoyt (one of Julian’s friends) rambles on about how Rolland was wrong about the revolution, Kiera and Carlos make it to the car. Unfor5tuantely they get caught. While the boys are distracted recapturing their injured hostages, Alec’s mom grabs a cell phone and dials 911 so at least the police know there is a situation. Unfortunately, as Hoyt decides they’ll tie up the hostages and leave quietly and call and ambulance from a payphone, sirens fill the air. They’re now going to start the revolution right then and there. Julian starts to take charge. They’re going to create a diversion by blowing up the propane tank instead of the bomb to trick the cops. Obviously there’s the little snag that all five witnesses now know the getaway plan but Julian won’t’ kill them. It’s not what they’re about. Outside, SWAT and HRT have arrived and they work up a profile on Rolland, noting he’s clean but has been holding anti-corporation rallies. The boys collect all the firepower they have inside and Alec offers to go the pistol from his geek lair. One of the gun-toting boys (who think they’ll be heroes…yeah he’s pretty naïve) goes with him. Alec uses Kiera’s suit to zap his captor and patch Kiera in to Inspector Dillon. Unfortunately, the kid wakes up before Kiera can tell them that Rolland is a hostage, no the leader of the insane brigade. Carlos is really not looking so hot. He’s all pale and clammy and sweaty. And Kiera actually tells him part of the truth for once. But she’s got a plan. Alec grabbed her suit from his workshop and under the guise of bringing more towels to stop the bleeding, slips it to her. Her plan now becomes taking out the kids and get Carlos help. HRT calls the house and Julian says that he is Rolland and that everyone is alive. Then Hoyt starts yelling about how they aren’t afraid to die and no one ever listens to them. And then he threatens to kill everyone if he sees a cop anywhere near the house. Julian shoots the phone and the plan starts going to hell. Kiera takes out the kid guarding the pantry and the jumpy kid that accompanied Alec to the barn. Hoyt and two others go on the offensive and start shooting at the SWAT guys as they approach. I’d say 90% of these guys are going to be dead by the end of this. Kiera follows Julian to the propane tank but he sets it off before she can stop him. Granted, Hoyt and the bomb are really her interest. Back at the house, Alec has called Dillon to let him know the house is clear and SWAT moves in. But Julian comes back, saying he wants to take his dad with him. We get a sort of tense standoff between Julian and Alec leveling guns at each other. But it looks like things may be working out when Rolland convinces Julian to stop the violence and give him the gun. In hindsight, Rolland probably would have been safer not taking the gun since the sniper on the roof shoots him. Julian takes off and Alec and his mom freak out as SWAT busts in. Meanwhile, Kagame and Sonya are watching all of this unfold and Kagame says there is nothing they need to do but that Theseus is starting. Julian is now on the run and Kagame calls him, so they will be meeting up soon. Carlos makes it through surgery so at least he’s going to make it. And Kiera, instead of going home, ends up on Kellogg’s yacht, apologizing for his grandmother and his sister. She seems to always been there when he suffers significant loss. But he doesn’t blame her. Hell, he even forgives her. They have a connection that not many other people will ever understand and maybe they should live for the now because the future they left may never exist. I’m not surprised this close to the end of the season we got to this point with Kiera and Kellogg. It’s been building and I’m happy to see it reach this point. The finale is going to be epic.