Gossip Girl 4x02

“The life of Serena van der Woodsen is like the most complicated Jane Austen novel,” sighs Juliet, Nate’s new blonde, 24-hour life coach and Gossip Girl stalker. (A nice little self-referential chuckle from the writing team can be heard across the Upper East Side.) Soon Juliet is setting up Vanessa with Dan, allegedly to help Nate win Serena back. Meanwhile, Serena and Blair are enjoying their last fairy-tale moments in Paris. Just when Blair is taking off to her date with Prince Louis Grimaldi of Monaco, Lily calls Serena to identify a body found in the Seine with Chuck’s wallet. Chuck is actually very much alive. He has moved to Paris with his savior Eva, where he is beginning a new life as Henry Prince. (Oh, how ironic! That Henry with the many wives and countless lovers, he?) On her way to her Monégasque Prince, Blair’s taxi cab almost knocks Chuck off his feet. Serena picks up on the lead and is able to trace him, but he shuts the door in her face. Confronted with Blair and Serena in Paris, Chuck boldly signs over his Empire Hotel to Lily and dashes of with Eva to London. Then Serena comes back to New York only to find Dan and Vanessa all chummy in the Humphrey’s Dumbo loft, Nate and Juliet holding hands, her mother and Rufus in the nursery, plus Milo, Georgina’s baby. In just one summer everything has changed. For her part, that devious Juliet is talking on the phone with someone about some plan, apparently involving Chuck. So far, the guest stars are a nice distraction from the usual soap drama, and of course Katie Cassidy (Juliet) and Clémence Poésy (Eva) are pretty eye candy. As glorious as the Parisian backdrop has been these first two episodes this season, though, New York is still the Big Apple of my eye!

BBC Oceans: Southern Ocean

In the second installment of BBC’s nature documentary Oceans, Paul Rose and his team of marine explorers travel to Tasmania to investigate why certain parts of the Antarctic Ocean are warming twice as fast as the rest of the world’s oceans. The Southern Ocean may offer a glimpse into the future of life on Earth – the impact of global warming and climate change. The most evident sign of this phenomenon is the decimation of Tasmania’s giant kelp forests over the past decade to mere patches of hardly five percent their former size. The rise in sea temperatures is itself a major cause, but the team discovers that another perpetrator is the sea urchin – an invasion that has devastated the environment into a barren rocky wasteland. The disappearance of these forests threatens the rich biodiversity normally sustained by kelp and endangers the habitat of the elusive weedy seadragon. We learn that a shift in the East Australian Current brings warm water from the equator farther south than before. Part of a solution to the problem may be the reintroducing of rock lobsters (crayfish) as they prey on sea urchins.

The Antarctic Ocean not only offers a glimpse into the future, it also offers a glimpse into the past. A network of sea caves, namely, contain fossils of ancient shell fish who lived some 300,000 million years ago, which are identical to specimen found across the ocean in Antarctica. Tasmania, in other words, broke off the Southern Pole. Furthermore, strong currents and roaring storms have taken many victims so that the ocean bed is littered with thousands of shipwrecks off Tasmania alone. In the southwestern Sunken Valley, tannin in the surface water from the peat soil filters sunlight, which allows creates to thrive in conditions otherwise found over a thousand feet deep, such as sea whips and sea pens. The team, moreover, discovers that Maori octopuses get stranded by the dozens every year in the secluded Eaglehawk Bay as the access to the open sea is blocked off by a small strip of land. As an extra treat the team dive with fur seals that were once hunted to the brink of extinction, but are now recovering in vigorous colonies on Tasman Island. As informative as the program is, the Cricket is still annoyed by the so-called “human dimension” of the show. More marvelous marine life, please, and less talking heads.

Mad Men 4x10

Finally the moment I have been waiting for, Beatlemania! Sally shrieks with happiness when Don got her surprise tickets for The Beatles concert at Shea Stadium. (It is now August 1965.) When Joan tells Roger she is pregnant and he must be the father, his response is typically condescending and chauvinist. Joan, though, is such a strong woman, she tells him she will take care of it herself. They visit his doctor for a referral; he reprimands Roger for taking advantage of Joan; but recommends a clinic in Morristown, NJ. Roger toys with the idea of keeping the baby, he’ll support her, but again Joan remains strong and tells him she will handle the situation – on her own. Later Roger has dinner with Lee Garner, his contact at Lucky Strike. Roger’s firm has represented them for thirty years, but now the board is terminating their relationship. He begs and pleads for thirty days to convince them and eventually Lee caves in, even though he is certain the decision has already been made.

It is interesting to say the least to learn about Lane Pryce’s relationship with his father. Lane was expecting his son to visit him from London. Instead his father arrives to bring him to London, which Lane declines politely. He does invite his father to dinner and asks Don to join them. Afterwards Lane takes them to The Playboy Club, and introduces them to an African-American waitress Toni, his Chocolate Bunny. He is infatuated. Later he tells his father he will not return to London because of her. His father hit him on his head with his cane, steps on his hand and orders Lane comes to London.

Meanwhile, the North American Aviation account, which Pete brought in three years ago when Don went missing in California, is promising to bring in more revenue as the executives wish to promote their cutting-edge defense technologies. Then two FBI agents show up at the Francis residence, claiming to perform a background check on Don who has applied for a security clearance. For forty-five minutes they drill Betty about his integrity, military history, loyalty to the country, allegiance to political clubs, and so on. Distraught, Betty calls Don complaining he did not warn her in advance. He breaks out in a nervous sweat but is grateful she did not break his cover. His past and his fake identity are catching up on him.

Don’s new secretary Megan explains she filled out the application with the standard employment information and had him sign it. The only other person alive who knows Don Draper really is Dick Whitman is slimy Pete. When Pete explains the application is part of their new NAA project, Don panics and even suggests he will leave the firm. Snailface Pete is actually supportive and offers to speak with a contact in the defense department. Later that evening Betty tells her husband about the interview with the agents. She says she does not want any secrets between them, but she does not reveal Don’s real identity to Henry. The next day, Pete wonders out loud why he needs to protect Don’s secret. But Don demands he cancels the $4 million account. What’s in it for Pete and how long until he will blow Don’s cover?

Then Faye stops by Don’s office and notices he has a fever, she takes him home. Don gets an outright panic attack when two men approach him in the hallway. He confides he is tired of running and briefly tells Faye how he came to adopt Don Draper’s identity in Korea. At the next meeting Pete informs the partners that he has made an incorrigible error that lost them the NAA account. Roger bursts out in anger. Cooper tells him to apologize. Lane announces a leave of absence. Then Joan asks about the shape of the current accounts and Roger gives a “thumbs up” for Lucky Strike. Just as we thought things were getting better with Don and the firm, they throw us these incredible curve balls! Hence the episode’s title, “Hands and Knees.”

Breaking Bad 3x13

Walt and Gus have agreed to meet in the New Mexico desert. Mike has had to do a lot of cleaning up after Walt plowed his car into the two dealers. Gus is incensed that Walt intervened to save Jesse, “some worthless junkie.” Walt offers Gus two options: kill him and Jesse, or continue their business arrangement as if nothing has happened. When he returns to the superlab, Walt is unpleasantly surprised that Gale is back as his assistant. At some warehouse, four Mexican gangsters are holding the owner at gunpoint. Mike the goon outmaneuvers them all. Apparently the owner supplies chemicals for manufacturing the meth – and the Mexican cartel is trying to find a weakness in Gus’ business. For his part, Gus visits Gale to inform him that Walt is dying of cancer and, in the event of his death, hopes Gale can take over the lab. He urges him to learn Walt’s system for cooking crystal the next day. The next morning Mike probes Saul where he can find Jesse. Saul pleads he cannot tell him that, but that he might have accidentally left a note with his whereabouts, some trailer park in Virginia.

Saul then drives with Walt to an arcade, allegedly to talk about some money laundering scheme, but really because at least that place won’t be bugged. Jesse is already there. In very few words, Walt explains they need to get rid of Gale. Jesse suggests going to the DEA for witness protection. Walt intimates without Gale, they are the only one who know how to manufacture the pure blue meth. All Walt needs from Jesse is Gale’s address – with Gus’ men continually trailing him, Walt cannot be seen following Gale home. Later, Jesse calls Walt with the address, but again begs him to go to the police instead. Just when Walt is leaving his house, one of Gus’ men drives up telling him to come to the lab. Mike’s already there – and Walt knows this is the end. Panicking, he tries to wrangle his way out of the situation to no avail. Walt offers them Jesse. He calls Jesse, but instead of arranging a meeting, he quickly tells Jesse he has a twenty-minute lead. “They’re going to kill me,” he explains, “Jesse, do it now!” Now held at gunpoint himself, Walt tells them Gale’s address – enough for them to know his plan. “Your boss is going to need me,” he proffers. Jesse reaches Gale’s house, he shoots his gun and the screen goes black. We have to wait until the next season to find out if Jesse screwed up again or if he did kill Gale. What a cliff hanger! And what an astounding season finale!

I have been having some difficulties figuring out when the dramatic events are supposed to take place. There was a reference to Fanny-Mae in the first season, to the subprime mortgage crisis in the second; Skyler was several months pregnant in the beginning and gave birth to Holly in season two; Combo was killed in season two also, and in the third that was just two months ago; later Walt asks Skyler what she imagines has been paying for all the bills for the six months. So, while we have been watching the series for three years, only a little more than half a year has passed in dramatic time. Thus, the events must all take place in 2008.

It was clear from the beginning of this season that Tuco’s cousins were going to play a big role in this season’s story arc. At first I found their cartoonish appearance bothersome, but the shootout with Hank offered a highpoint in terms of nerve-racking action. The failed assassination also provided a marvelous twist in Hank’s plot that started with the panic attacks about his promotion in El Paso. In the aftermath, his wife Marie became a more well-rounded character than she had been so far. The supporting cast including Gus, Mike and Saul were excellent as well. Skyler’s gradually shift, from a complaining, cheating mother and wife, to a more involved and understanding partner was immensely rewarding. Nevertheless, the real kudos go to Walt and Jesse. Obviously the show revolves around them, first and foremost, but it is because their characters are so engrossing what makes Breaking Bad one of the best drama series of the moment. It is going to be a long wait for season four. (Mind you, I finished this season early in July!)

Dexter 4x07

We are just over halfway season four, and the seventh episode is appropriately titled “Slack Tide” – the stillness between ebb and flood. While sailing with Deb, Rita and the kids, Dexter gets called to a crime scene: a female arm found inside an alligator. Through fingerprints, they are able to identify the woman as an illegal immigrant who was working as a cocktail waitress and model. Since her photographer, Jonathan Farrow, was previously accused of rape and known for his violently disturbing images, he is immediately suspected. During interrogation he is defiant and even offers to roughen Deb up a bit. Dex moves him to the top of his list. Miami Metro cannot get a search warrant, due to lack of probable cause, but Batista has already found the names of three other models who have gone missing. Dex searches Farrow’s studio for clues and finds indications of blood and a finger nail that fits the severed arm. Enough evidence for Dexter.

Meanwhile, cute Christine continues begging for an interview with Deb, but Dex brushes her off. Debra is more interested in returning to the “Trinity Killer” and honor his memory. She only pitches the bludgeoning cases, afraid the rest will sound too crazy, and LaGuerta gives her permission to resume the investigation. Although no longer much of a priority for her, Deb is still interested talking to former informants of her father to find out about his affairs. She hears that he actually picked up snitches based on how good they were in bed. She tells Dex about it and he advises her to let it go. He takes his mother’s file and puts it through the paper shredder. At the last minute he takes out her photo: he can’t bring himself to let her be cut up again. Quinn has been having beef with Dex ever since Dex saw him steal money from a crime scene. He’s been getting on his case, wondering where Dex is all the time, even tailing him. I hope they’re not going to take this the route of Sgt. Doakes.

Dex joins Arthur for a trip to the woods. “Two serial killers go for a ride,” Dex quips to himself, but this isn’t a start of a good joke. It would be the perfect opportunity to kill the “Trinity Killer,” but Dex still feels that he can learn more from Arthur about living a “normal” life. Instead he finds that Arthur has dramatic mood swings, gets agitated easily, but is unable to kill a deer that leaped in front of his car. Dex also learns from Arthur that parents should prepare their children for their future, pushing them out in the open, and encouraging their hobbies, which will also offer the parents time off. Cody is happy to join the young sailors club, but Astor doesn’t like any of Dex’ suggestions. It does score him brownie points with Rita for his involvement. But, now he has to take Cody and his friends out on a camping trip. At night, Dex sneaks out and catches Farrow for his vigilant ritual.

The “Trinity Killer” seems to be punishing himself. First he provoked a fight in a dark alley behind a bar. Now he’s planing the wood he and Dexter fell on their trip. But what is he making? He said he was going to use the wood for his next Four Walls build, but why bring that to his own garage? Arthur is actually making a coffin, but for whom? The morning after murdering Farrow, Dex arrives at work to find that Batista and Quinn have arrested Farrow’s assistant for the murder of at least the latest model. Their case is airtight (which I find a little contrived, just a weekend has passed...). But what was bound to happen one day eventually did: Dexter killed an innocent man who did not even attack him! Slack Tide is over. Dex has been putting off killing Arthur, instead spending his time murdering Farrow.

Benidorm – Series 3

When we last saw the vacationers at Benidorm, Madge was about to get married to Mel. Geoff tried to drop in on the wedding ceremony with a parachute, but instead he kicked Mel in the head before flying off. Mick was arrested for punching Mel in an attempt to revive him. Now Janice and Madge are rushing to the hospital. What they don’t know is that they’re driving with a murderer, and that Janice’s stalker is close behind. In the end, Mel has to hire a helicopter to save his bride-to-be as well as half of the other vacationers off the hotel roof. I can’t even begin to describe all the hilarity involved! Everyone swears never to return to the place, but they are offered a free week’s vacation next year. So, now the sun and fun are back when we return to the all-inclusive vacation resort in Benidorm. And everyone is here again: the Garveys (Mick and Janice, their children, her mother, plus Mel and ‘Tell’s baby Coolio), Gavin and Troy, Donald and Jacqueline, Geoff and his mother. Well, actually, not everyone is back, Martin arrives without his wife Kate. But he brought a new friend called Brandy. It’s hilarious! What a bimbo! She lies and she cheats, and keeps leading Martin on. She sleeps with Latin Lover Mateo, so she can get his swipe card with entrance to all the hotel rooms. We later learn that she’s working with a con-artist to rob everyone blind. Martin is merely her mark. She practically steals the shirt off his back and in utter desperation he calls Kate back in England. She arrives with a vengeance the next morning! Also on the scene to save Martin, is his posh mother, who’s mad as a hatter.

Entrepreneurial as he is, Madge’s husband Mel has set up a mobile chair shop right in Benidorm. The grand opening goes completely awry because he used so many light bulbs that the shop goes up in smoke! He then gets the idea of buying an island off the coast so he can develop his empire there. He’s sent on a wild goose chase, so to speak, when he’s told the island is owned by the “Dovez.” (Get it? A local mispronunciation of “doves.”) Mel’s also set up by the con-artist with promises of big money. The gay couple Gavin and Troy are like the two grumpy muppets up in the box seat, always offering a running commentary of the goings on. Troy is gay simply because he likes cock, but Gavin thinks he’s gay because he’s intellectual, artistic, sensitive – he’s certainly sensitive about his weight. They are a lovely couple, the nicest people of the group. I was sad when Gavin thought Troy was having another lover. Fortunately, it turned out to be Troy’s son from before he came out of the closet! Geoff’s mother thinks her son is gay because he never had a proper girlfriend, while he’s out trying to score an internet date – not realizing he’s chatting online with a tranny. When they finally meet, he’s so shocked he can’t move! Donald and Jacqueline continue inviting folks over for their swinger parties, never realizing how awkward their sexual insinuations are or how untimely. There are so many high points, it is impossible to describe them all. Certainly a favorite moment is when Madge is performing karaoke completely high on ecstasy pills she mistook for diarrhea tablets. It’s a hoot! Truly, try to watch this show, your Cricket gives warm recommendations.

Weeds 6x05

What is Karma Boomerang? That’s when shit hits the fan for all the bad things you’ve done before. Nancy and Andy were walking out of the alternative medicine supplier’s house when two cops stop them. Their minivan is registered to a license plate with $6,000 worth of parking violations. They lie that the car isn’t theirs – and eventually get away with it. But now they don’t have a car – plus, what’s worse, Andy had unthinkingly registered the car under Shane’s name. The Botwins need to pack up and leave again. “Goodbye Seattle,” Nancy sighs, “It never even rained. What a rip-off.” Meanwhile Doug is literally digging his own grave pleading to god for a miracle – one of those hilarious and deeply troubling moments. “This sucks so much,” Doug cries. Then Andy’s cell phone rings (to inform Mr. Botwin that his car’s is experiencing loss of tire pressure), “remind me where I lost my car,” Cesar replies. The comedic scenes that ensue are too good to summarize without ruining the fun: Nancy has to plea Andy to stay with them, even though she has nothing to offer him; Silas has to leave college and steal his date’s car; Shane’s mommy group inform the authorities to check on little Stevie’s living conditions; Nancy’s co-worker Latrice steals all her drug money; Cesar and Ignacio duct-tape Doug in their car; and that doesn’t even cover half of it. So, what is going to happen next? Will Nancy keep running from Esteban or will she confront him? How long will she be able to keep bringing Andy and Silas in tow? Terrific show!

Gossip Girl 4x01

Oh, my freaking Gossip Girl! We are back – and how much have I been pining to find out what has been going on with Serena and Nate, Blair and Chuck, Dan and Vanessa, Jenny and Eric, Lily and Rufus, and Georgina, too! Last we saw the Upper East Side elitists, Jenny was banned from Manhattan, Serena and Blair were off to Paris, and Chuck was shot down in some dingy Czech alleyway. So what’s new? Well, Serena has been enjoying her newly single summer of love in Paris with Vespa boys and bartenders, Blair and Balenciaga. But their rivalry flares back up when Blair is courted by a Grimaldi prince of Monaco and Serena’s accepted at Columbia. Nate has been spending his summer victoriously enjoying endless throngs of sexual conquest, but opens up about his broken heart to an intriguing new woman in his life, Juliet, but things aren’t what they seem – she’s been stalking Nate via Gossip Girl. And when Vanessa shows up at the Humphrey’s Dumbo loft all the baby mama drama bursts in the open. Georgina takes the baby to Lily and Rufus, with a fake paternity test in tow, and makes Dan sign the birth certificate. As for Chuck, he has been M.I.A, since May, hasn’t kept in touch with Lily or his Empire business. Lily gets a call from France that his body has been found shot dead in Paris. Oh, the drama!

BBC Oceans: Sea of Cortez

In 2008, BBC Two ran an eight part nature documentary series about the world’s oceans. The first episode is about the Gulf of California, or Sea of Cortez. The story begins with the near disappearance of hammerhead sharks in the region – wiped out by commercial fishing (mostly for shark fin soup marketed in Asia). But sad as that certainly is, a sea of change is taking place naturally. The dolphin population has increased, and sea lions are thriving after the local colony has adapted to fishing in deeper waters now that the sardines have thinned out. More threatening is the growing presence of the cannibalistic predatory Humboldt squids, who’ve mastered hunting in packs. Yet that presence has attracted large numbers of sperm whales who no longer need to migrate (at least not the females) in order to survive. The program also includes images of the hydrothermal vents along the San Andreas Fault, as well as the wreckage of Chinese vessel once smuggling immigrant workers to the us now becoming an artificial coral reef. The team includes expedition leader Paul Rose, maritime archaeologist Lucy Blue, maritime biologist Tooni Mahto, and environmentalist Philippe Cousteau (the grandson of Jacques Cousteau). While I mean no personal offensive – Mahto and Cousteau are definitely photogenic – the show focuses too much on them rather than on the beautiful wonders that are the program’s subject.

Mad Men 4x09

Mad Men, your Chirping Cricket contends, is the best drama show on television this past decade. For that alone the show deserves all the Emmy’s they can get. The buzz is that the episode “The Suitcase” (4x07) is certainly worth nominations for Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss for their stellar performances. That episode was intense and the interaction between Don and Peggy phenomenal. But this week’s episode, to me at least, was so very much more fulfilling emotionally. It satisfies on all levels, the writing, the acting, the directing, the cinematography, the subtle score – and let’s not forget the costumes and the sets, which are always pitch perfect. If there was any hesitation in your mind that Mad Men isn’t the best show on tv, this one should cast all doubts aside. After an episode that was about men, this week’s title is “The Beautiful Girls,” and that’s obviously for a reason. It’s all about women: Peggy and Joan, Faye and Joyce, Betty and Sally, and poor Miss Blankenship – and interestingly it is not about Bethany. Let’s review.

When your world is falling apart, how do you know when you cross from lubricated to morose? Joan seems to know – and Roger has crossed that point. She’s not amused that he keeps flirting with her at work. Roger needs to hear from his secretary that Joan’s husband Greg is being shipped off to Vietnam. He has always regretted he didn’t marry her, that he let her go. He gets her a full massage, manicure and pedicure at home, but expects to take her out for dinner in return. “You’re incapable of doing something nice without expecting something nicer in return,” Joan retorts. Nevertheless, she agrees, and he confides that all his good memories are with her. On their way back home, Roger and Joan get robbed at gun point – a poignant reminder of the plight of the poor, and of the civil rights movement – because the mugger is black. In their nervous excitement, Roger and Joan have sex under a stairwell. He tries to apologies the next day, but she tells him she’s not sorry, yet reminds him they are both married.

Peggy’s counter-cultural friends, lesbo Joyce and Abe, the self-righteous artsy-fartsy leftist, are back in the picture. Peggy is worried about hiring new copywriters, because it will bring in more men to compete with. Abe, ironically, is a writer, but he is merely trying to convince her that the corporate world is killing her creative soul. When the subject turns to the civil rights movement, Peggy replies that women face discrimination in the workforce, too. Abe doesn’t get it and jokes they should have “a civil rights march for women.” She admits she feels criticized – and he defends himself by saying, “This is discourse!” (Sorry, Abe, but you can’t say that to your date.) He later stops by at the office to show her an article, “Nuremberg on Madison Avenue,” eager to hear her thoughts about it. He’s pushy and abrasive. When he realizes that he insulted her, all he can say is, “I guess I read you wrong,” and sighs, “you look so earnest.” How can you come up with dialogue like that, it’s amazing!

Don finally has a mid-summer afternoon tryst with Faye – and he is much more clear-headed and sober than before. He even allows Faye to stay in his apartment when he heads back to the office. He gets called out of a meeting, because his daughter Sally ran away from home and took the commuter train all by herself (until some lady saw her and brought her to Don). Not willing to go through the trouble of picking up her daughter, Betty agrees to stop by the next day – when she happens to be in the city anyway – and so she doesn’t have to deal with her rebellious daughter for a day. No sooner does he return to the meeting then he is called out again, this time because his secretary Miss Blankenship has died in her office chair. Don then asks if Faye can look after Sally for the rest of the day. Perceptive as she is, Sally later asks her father if he is going to marry Faye and he implies that they may see each other again. She wants to stay with her father, she hates it there, with her mother and that Henry Francis. At night, Don wants to write in his journal, but closes it – an interesting commentary on last week’s overbearing voice-over diary entries. (Not that again, please, we don’t need voice-overs to inform us of the subtext; we’re smarter than that, thanks.)

Next morning, Sally makes Don French toast in the morning – accidentally using rum instead of maple syrup. He takes the morning off to go to the zoo with her, but when Betty arrives to pick her up, Sally has one of her fits again. She is so much like her mother – and still, or rather precisely because of that, I love her to pieces. I also love the implicit ambush by Faye, Peggy, Joan and Megan in the background, when Betty is confronted with her lack of parental skills. Don is not faring much better and even asks Faye to talk to Sally. What his daughter wants to know is that her father still loves her, even though he is no longer living with her mother, but he cannot say those words. He is incapable of expressing his feelings – at least not verbally. That, in fact, is the great irony of the show: the man who knows what everyone wants and who knows all the right words to convince them into buying it, that man cannot communicate emotionally. Still, for Don and Betty, the divorce is hitting home – on all fronts. “Jesus, what a mess,” Don sighs. Even Faye is upset. She feels Don put her through the test, and she failed. She just isn’t good with kids, but he soothes her it wasn’t her fault what happened with Sally. The episode ends with the elevator doors closing on “The Beautiful Girls,” Joan, Peggy and Faye – the women of Don Draper’s professional life.

Breaking Bad 3x12

The third season is slowly drawing to its close – and to drive home the point how awful crystal meth really is, we’re shown Wendy the whore turning tricks outside “Crystal Palace.” After she’s given enough guys head in their cars she buys her meth from the dealers who had Combo killed by Andrea’s kid brother Tomas. From his car nearby, Jesse is plotting his next move. He’s seething with vengeance. Now that Jesse’s found out his friend Combo was killed on orders of rival drug dealers by the kid of his new girlfriend, he’s seething with desire for vengeance. They’re even selling the same blue meth, so they must work for Gus, too. Jesse asks Walt to give him ricin, a slow-acting, untraceable poison, but Walt tells him they are not murderers and that their death will accomplish nothing. Without Walt’s help, Jesse tries to employ Wendy in his plot. After Walt inform Saul about Jesse’s plan, Mike the goon pays him a visit and urges him not to take any half-measures when it comes to Jesse.

Meanwhile, Skyler is willing to go ahead and help launder Walt’s money with their car wash scheme, but he keeps shooting holes in her plans. He is trying to use it as a means to move back in with his family. If she gets involved, they must seem reconciled, he argues. They agree on four family dinners a week. At the hospital, Hank still grumbles that he won’t leave until he can walk again — implying that everyone who can’t use their legs should be hospitalized. Unwittingly he insults Walter Jr. Marie bets that she can arouse him with a hand job, and Hank agrees he will return home if he gets an erection – sure that nothing will happen. Later, she wheels him out of the hospital, smiling victoriously. These human moments make this show truly emotionally gratifying. This season especially, it seems a lot of thought went into character development. Still, it’s the main plot involving Walt and Jesse that offers the dramatic action of the show.

Before Jesse can get to the rival dealers, Mike orders him to come to Gus. Walt is already there – and so are the dealers. Gus intimates that he would have killed Jesse, if it wasn’t for Walt. Jesse refuses to budge because Combo’s death wasn’t just turf war, they use kids. To keep the peace, Gus agrees they cannot use children anymore. Jesse shakes hands with the two dealers. That night, Andrea gets a call from her grandmother. She rushes with Jesse to a playground where they find Tomas dead body! The next day, unable to catch Jesse on his cell phone, Walt hears the news on TV. He rushes out without saying a word. Jesse’s already waiting for the dealers to show up at their usual corner. High on meth, he grabs his gun, and walks up to them when they arrive. They pull their guns too. Right when the shootout is about to start, Walt plows his car into the dealers and kills them both! “Run,” Walt says. Unbelievable!

Dexter 4x06

Arthur Mitchell is a husband, father of two, school teacher, church deacon and charity worker – an exemplary citizen of his community, living the perfect life – by day, and a serial killer by night. Dexter is inching closer and closer, but is too intrigued by Arthur’s seemingly happy family that he cannot take his life just yet. He wants to learn from him – plus the “Trinity Killer” finished his latest cycle. So, the urgency is gone – as long as Miami Metro won’t catch the killer first. Eventually, Dexter introduces himself to Arthur as “Kyle Butler.” Arthur invites him to his charity building project, Four Walls. At his own home, Rita demands that they see a therapist to talk about his compulsive lying. The therapist in a way berates Rita for expecting that Dexter would change, if she thought he lied, cheated, and used drugs before. Rita remains distant and Dex doesn’t know what to do. Taking a lead from Arthur, he buys Rita and the kids present. Rita just schedules another session. There, Dex talks about his mother’s murder and confesses that he is afraid Rita will leave him, too, if he opens up emotionally. I am still disturbed that I empathize with Dexter, and continue to find Rita unsympathetic.

At the latest crime scene, Dexter discovers a smudge on the wall. The killer deliberately had his victim point at it. Later, Masuka discovers two strains of DNA – from the ash as well as the saliva – and they are related! Dex researches Arthur’s family history, and learns that his sister Vera died in a bathtub accident, his mother Marsha jumped to her death, and his father Henry was beaten to death in an alley: Arthur is recreating his family deaths with his ritualistic cycles! Dex finds an excuse to visit Arthur’s home and notices Four Walls trophy plaques all in locations where the “Trinity Killer” struck. Arthur also keeps an urn with Vera’s ashes. He is hiding in plain sight. Arthur is angry to see “Kyle” near Vera’s urn, but calms down and confides that his family saved him. He had to jump in with both feet. As a present he gives “Kyle” a framing hammer, the murder weapon of his last victim! It is engrossing how Dex is looking up to Arthur. Clearly cracks are appearing in Arthur’s perfect family.

Meanwhile, Miami Metro has arrested Johnny Rose’s girlfriend, Nicky. She shot him after reading about his syphilis. During the interrogation she admits they were responsible for the “Vacation Murders,” but denies they shot Lundy or Debra. Deb wants an answer and confronts Nicky in her cell, but she still denies she shot Lundy and her. Then Deb discovers that some of Lundy’s evidence was taken from his hotel room. She suspects that Nicky is telling the truth – and that the “Trinity Killer” must have shot them because they were getting too close. Angel and Maria are still struggling with their relationship – and the possible career consequences. Maria would hate to see Angel leave homicide, so she requests a transfer to press liaison. Now it’s Angel who doesn’t want her to sacrifice her career for him. So they sign affidavits that their relation has ended. They’re told that there will be severe consequences if they continue this charade. Although Quinn has managed to keep Christine from talking about his work, she does ask him to arrange an interview with Deb. She wants to run a hero piece on her. All her charm fails to convince Quinn as he refuses. Other highly entertaining episode – I cannot wait for the next one!

Spooks – Series 4

Over the course of the past three seasons, MI5 has lost essential members of the team – Helen (tortured to death), Tessa (who ran phantom agents), Tom (decommissioned), Zoe (forced into exile), Danny (killed by an Iraqi extremist). Fortunately, the new recruits so far have been excellent, too – Sam Buxton, Ruth Evershed, Adam and Fiona Carter, Zafar Younis. It’s a great test of our loyalty as viewers when our favorite characters are continually replaced, but it has worked wonders thus far. Now, the team is grieving Danny’s death, and in the middle of the funeral service a bomb explosion hits central London. An environmentalist group called Shining Dawn threatens to set off explosions every ten hours unless and until their leader Malcolm Monroe is released. The first lead is shot dead after giving merely half a clue to the team. Ruth visits a sympathizing Professor Curtis, and spots a man with a gun in his garden, while trying to convince him of the error of his ways. Following up on a few more clues, their next lead gets a text message to clear out before her place is raided. Clearly there’s a mole inside MI5, but who? The Grid (their headquarters at Thames House) is overrun by newcomers, including CIA agents, lead by Richard Boyd, and a British agent formerly working in Washington, called Juliet Shaw.

With just minutes to spare the team trace the location of the next bomb in a train station and are able to disengage it in the nick of time. They have bought themselves another ten hours to bring down the operation. Then things go awry, as the terrorists take Zafar, and Adam is faced with losing another colleague on his watch. He’s able to make some makeshift firebombs and forcefully get the whereabouts of the next bomb. Again it’s defused within mere minutes before going off. Now they have an eye-witness, Natasha, who saw one of the bombers at the train station. Meanwhile, Harry offers his resignation to the Home Secretary, forestalling any attempts by Juliet to blackmail him with their shared past. Is she the mole? Or is it that American agent Boyd, who seems unpatriotically disengaged. (Mind you it’s 2005, and Dubbya Bush is still in office.) With Tash’s help, the team are able to trace the bomb-maker. It is Juliet who informs the team that the same man was once arrested in the U.S., but let go, by none other than Boyd. With his cover blown, Boyd chases after Tash, while the team tries to decode the password on the next bomb, with help of Professor Curtis. After all is safe, Boyd and the bomb-maker are arrested, Juliet is promoted to National Security Coordinator.

The remainder of the fourth season deals with issues such as racist violence promoted by the far-right extremist party The British Way; an illegal immigration ring from Istanbul involved with smuggling Al-Qaida terrorists into Britain; the death of a former MI5 agent; a released terror suspect linked to a thwarted attack on Heaththrow, maintaining contact even from within prison; an act of treason to safeguard the public health service from being taken over, stripped and sold off by a Russian billionaire capitalist; pressure from the CIA to share information about potential terrorists; and the discovery of evidence that the British government planned Diana’s death. Exciting as the action is, it is the personal drama of the lead characters that make this series so enjoyable. Adam and Fiona continue to struggle maintaining a healthy family life for their son. To make matters worse, their past in Syria is coming back to haunt Fiona one day, when a Syrian woman recognizes her on the street, and then later when the Syrian Foreign Minister visits London. For his part, Adam is forced to throw a terrorist off a balcony, to shoot an innocent bystander in the leg with a crossbow, to stand by watching the assassination of the Bahar crown prince. But worst of all, he has to watch his wife die in his arms after she got shot by her Syrian double-agent ex-husband who was presumed dead.

Harry continues to grapple with the responsibilities of his job, particularly where to draw the line between defending national security and protecting the innocent. His new superior, Juliet Shaw, is much more ruthless in that respect, something that becomes very clear when a former MI5 agent is assassinated by her officers when it transpires he is about to publish a tell-all memoire on the internet. In another instance, Adam quips to a troubled Harry, “We’re spooks, Harry, not philosophers.” Juliet also has no qualms about sanctioning the elimination of a foreign government official. “Hardly a legitimate government,” she retorts. Harry at one point made a judgment call. Unfortunately, he was wrong. He released a man demanded by the U.S. for extradition, feeling there was insufficient evidence that the man was dangerous. But then two surveillance officers were killed. Harry had to be taken off duty. He is, however, reinstated even before a disciplinary meeting. Then there is a new recruit, Jo Portman, whom Adam stumbled upon on one of his stake-outs, and then helped save the life of one of his charges. A little contrived, in that she has no formal training to be a spy. Fortunately, they don’t downplay her ignorance and even make a show of all the background reading she needs to catch up on. Still, a great series – it comes with the Cricket’s chirping recommendations.

Weeds 6x04

Things are on a roll on Weeds! The Botwins, in their new identity as the Newmans are getting settled in Seattle. Nancy is starting to make some money selling hash at the hotel with the help of the concierge. As was to be expected, the patronizing French chef eventually has to admit that Randy Andy can bake some mean duck liver croquettes. He gets promoted to sous chef, but not before undergoing a spanking rite. Then we have Silas, who starts hanging out on campus to score some chicks. He’s such a charmer, he’s having the time of his life – and before we know it we’re treated on some lovely titties! For his part, Shane is seeking comfort in a mommy group, doing aerobics in the park, and cooking up some sorry story that his baby momma died in Iraq. Things go south for Nancy, Nathalie, Nance, Nat, when her filter bag break open in the washing machine as she was making ice hash – her colleague believing she was cleaning up some perv’s defecation-sex mess. With no money, she needs to barter vegetable oil from the kitchen in exchange for new trimmings. But her luck runs out when they get caught by two cops with bags in hand! Meanwhile, funny guy Doug is questioned by Esteban’s goons, Caesar and Ignacio, but he has no idea where the Botwins are. They follow a lead which only brings them to a bum who found Andy’s cell phone and Doug all the while pleads with them not to kill him.

Entourage 7x10

Just when you think things couldn’t get any worse, for Vince and his Entourage, they do. Ari had hit his all-time low when he scolded Amanda Daniels in front of his wife and the NFL executives. But his life is taking yet another turn for the worse when his wife no longer wants to talk to him. The tension is palpable. Still, he is planning a big surprise party for her fortieth birthday. Even John Cleese is invited, and Christina Aguilera is going to sing Mrs. Ari’s favorite song, “Beautiful.” For his part, Turtle is hoping to get enough money to keep Mark Cuban from purchasing Avión and ruining the family company. But when all else fails, he is able to convince Cuban to invest in the business with no strings attached. Meanwhile Vince is gone missing. Scott is the last person to see him at 4 a.m., when he caused a raucous looking to score some coke. He misses an appointment with Ari and instead shows up drunk at Sasha’s promotion shoot for her upcoming fiveway gangbang flick The Cumback. (Wink-wink, nudge-nudge, get it?) He has an argument with Sasha’s ex and demands she quits doing porn. She won’t let him control her life and he walks out on her.

Then he arrives at the mansion, where Drama has arranged an intervention. Eric is there, Turtle, Scott, Billy Walsh, and even Ari (despite his marital crisis). Vince tells them, “I know you all need me, but I’ll call you when I need you,” and runs away. He ends up at Eminem’s party at the Roosevelt Hotel doing lines. He’s chatting up chicks to sleep with him, and telling off everybody else, insulting Mina Kelly in the process. He refuses to leave when the bouncers tell him there have been complaints about him. Johnny barges in, looking on as Vince gets into a fist fight with Eminem and his entourage. When he later tries walking out of the hospital telling everyone he’s fine – his face is battered and bruised badly – a police officer shows him the bag of cocaine they found on him. Vince is definitely not fine. Ari’s not fine either, as his wife tells him she needs a break. For his part, Scott informs Eric he’s planning a coup at their agency, and after a run in with Sloan’s father, Eric is in, too. This truly was one heck of a great episode, and a fun season. Too bad this was the finale – and too bad there will only be one more season next year. Can’t wait!

True Blood 3x12

Alright, Eric and King Russell are charring in the sunlight, while Sookie’s fairy blood is running out. Eric is having a visitation of Godric’s ghost, begging him to show forgiveness. Inside Fangtasia, Sookie is having some kind of close encounter of the fairy kind with a shining chandelier in the woods. When she comes to she uses her power to flash a light bolt from the palm of her hand to break the silver handcuff and drag Eric back in, but leave Russell smoldering outside. I have to admit, that was a nice opening of the season finale. Sookie guards the king during the day, tied with silver chains to a stripper pole, and drains Talbot’s bloody remains down the sink when she grasps that the king is hoping to use her blood to bring his lover back. (Why is it that the king can stay awake, while Bill, Eric and Pam need to sleep?) Russell does put a thought in her mind: can you ever trust a vampire?

The king admires Bill’s restraint and intelligence, but implies that most other vampires would not be able to control themselves after tasting her blood. If it were up to Fellowship of the Sun freak Steve Newlin, of course, you should never trust a vampire, and Russell’s cold blooded murder of a new anchor on live TV shows as much. Nan Flanagan, that hypocritical Vampire League spokeswoman with a penchant for sucking ladies, counters that you cannot generalize from the actions of one mad man. Bill later explains that he will kill all vampires who know that Sookie is a fairy – and will even protect her from a distance if she won’t let him near her ever again. He loves her like he has loved no one before. Eric, though, informs her that Bill was sent from the start to procure her on the behest of Queen Sophie-Ann – and even set those rednecks on her so he could save her and give her his blood. Sookie rescinds her invitation when Bill admits it’s true. He returns home where he attacks Sophie-Ann crouching-tiger, hidden-dragon style.

Sam finally has the guts to tell Tara he is a shape shifter. She freaks the hell out. She’s had enough of all the supernatural stuff happening around her lately, vampires and maenads and werewolves. At the end of the day, she drives off in her car to leave Bon Temps and start a new life. Sam, though, discovers that his brother is missing and his safe is cracked. Tracing Tommy into the woods, Sam raises his gun and when his brother refuses to give him the money, he fires. (And as heartless as it sounds, all I can say is: good riddance. Sam’s whole subplot this season was tiresome.) Hoyt has rented an apartment so he can live together with Jessica, despite his mother’s grievances. He tells Jessica he would like to marry her. Meanwhile his mother is buying an anti-vampire rifle. For his part, Jason has taken it upon himself to protect the Hotshot community, after Felton killed his father Calvin and drove off with Crystal and a box full of vampire blood. Lafayette is still hallucinating and finds some weird comfort learning from Jesus that he’s becoming sensitive to the magic around him – and Jesus himself is a witch (but we already guessed that).

At night, Bill and Eric bring Russell to a construction site of Alcide’s father, and dump the king with silver chains in a bath of cement. Bill takes the opportunity to kick Eric in another pit and pours cement over him as well. (How is it that Eric is able to return, but Russell won’t?) Sookie visits her grandmother’s grave, to be with the one person who loved her unconditionally, feeling all alone on this earth. Then her fairy sisters, and an odd bare-chested fairy brother, invite her to join them to their world. With nothing left to leave behind, Sookie steps into the poltergeist light. In all, this hardly felt like the end of the season. So much has been set up for the fourth season, it’s like we are already there. I’ve given up on worrying too much about all the subplots that have nothing to do with Charlaine Harris’ original. Overall, I guess this season was a little better than the second, but not as enjoyable as I remember the first was.

Mad Men 4x08

“They say, as soon as you have to cut down on drinking, you have a drinking problem,” Don intones, while we watch him dive in a pool for a swim. It is a healthy rebirth, like a baptism in the River Jordan. Still, his health is poor and his mind a jumble. It is June 1965, and the Rolling Stones score a hit with “I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction).” (For you history freaks, yes, that single was released in the U.S. in June 1965.) The song is an interesting choice, what with its blatant frustration over commercialism on the radio and on tv. The lyrics, too, remind us of Don’s white shirt, his cigarettes, and his failure to get “girl reaction.” But times are a-changin’ for our mad ad man.

At the office, Peggy feels like (the famous anthropologist) Margaret Mead, observing the boys club’s odd behavior around the candy bar vending machine. When Joan demands that they keep it quiet, the new kid Joey tells her off, calling her a Shanghai whore walking around like she is trying to get raped. He later draws a sketch of Joan and Lane having sex and sticks it to her office window. His sexism is unnerving. Joan is already on edge because her husband Greg (the man who raped her in the office to vent his own insecurities) is leaving for basic training before being shipped out to Vietnam. She has no friends and no one else to talk to beside him.

Since Ken Cosgrove brought in Mountain Dew, Don wants to bring in more creative talent, especially after their ad concept was rejected – and he asks Joan to hire Joey full-time. She tries to tell him about Joey’s inappropriate behavior (generalizing her own experience as if it is office-wide, which only Peggy notices), but Don brushes her off with the old “boys will be boys.” Joan, as always, wants to fight her own battle at the office, but Peggy feels drawn in as she has long been upset by the boys club’s misconduct. Don encourages her to get some respect for herself and she demands that Joey apologizes to Joan. When he refuses, she outright fires him. Joan is none too pleased, “All you’ve done is prove to them that I’m a meaningless secretary and you’re another humorless bitch.” There is truth to that, but what is really going on is that Joan feels outmaneuvered.

Betty informs Don that he cannot have the children this weekend, because it is Gene’s second birthday. When her husband is having a business diner with a political aide at some fancy restaurant in the city, he brings Betty along, who notices to her great consternation that Don is sitting there with his date Bethany van Nuys (the actress Anna Camp who also played the wife of Fellowship of the Sun freak Steve Newlin on True Blood). Only now does it dawn on me how similar their names are, Beth and Betty. Betty cannot hide her distress seeing Don with another blonde, while Beth cannot help smiling about their resemblance. It is awfully gratifying seeing Betty argue with that Henry Francis of hers in his car on the ride back home. Don is taking too much space in her life, he worries. And then the scene cuts to Don and his pretty blonde Beth kissing in the back of a cab. She even goes down on him!

It does not take long before Don is kissing another blonde in a cab! This time it is Faye Miller. He had asked to discuss her research over dinner, but she pushed him for a proper date (although that is strange, because she has been pushing him off all this time). Earlier, he overheard her breaking up with a man. So, he confidently suggests dinner on Saturday. Meanwhile, Henry called Don at the office asking him to collect his boxes still stored in the garage – on Saturday, because it is Gene’s birthday on Sunday (an implicit way of saying Don is not welcome at the party). At his date with Faye, Don shares his run-in with Betty and Henry, and that he feels unwelcome at his son’s birthday. She encourages him to go nevertheless. Their cab ride home is in marvelous contrast to his ride with Beth. They kiss, but he drops her off with a cool, “that’s as far as I can go right now.” Of course, his rejection only makes him more attractive to Faye. Next day, Don does attend his son’s party, literally bringing a plush elephant in the room. Betty stares at him, and it is unclear whether she is confident that she is better off now, or if she is wondering if she should have stayed with him.

Breaking Bad 3x11

Hank, who cannot take a single step in the electromechanical lifter, is going to need a whole lot of medical treatment to revalidate and Skyler is more than happy to foot the bill – with Walt’s illicit income. Skyler even joins Walt to the law office of sleazy Saul; she is a bookkeeper herself after all; plus she hasn’t signed the divorce papers, so she cannot be forced to testify against her husband. She isn’t impressed with his laundering schemes. Instead she suggests Walt buys the car wash where he used to work, a believable story. But Saul explains they need someone inside who they can trust as an accomplish in the scheme. Back in the hospital Hank tells Marie he won’t leave until he can walk out himself – it isn’t up for debate.

Jesse was planning to turn his Narcotics Anonymous session into his new market, but his buddies cannot get themselves to sell to recovering addicts. Jesse wants to show them how it’s done and approaches Andrea, the latest addition to the group. But when he learns that she is living with her grandmother and her five-year old son, he, too, cannot bring himself to pitch his meth. Andrea also has a younger brother, who she refuses to talk about. But later she confesses her brother Tomas got involved with a gang as a kid and was required to kill a rival dealer as an initiation. Jesse soon enough realizes what has happened: Tomas killed Jesse’s buddy Combo! The next day, Jesse checks out the corner where Combo was shot, finds Tomas on his bike, asks him for some meth, and spots the black car with the dealers inside.

This episode was simply astonishing. I barely breathed, afraid to miss any detail. The second half of this season is definitely making up for the subdued beginning. Seeing proud and manly Hank incapacitated and embarrassed in the hospital, while his wife wants nothing but to care for him at home, is heart wrenching. Meanwhile Walt keeps hoping against all odds that Skyler will come round and understand his intentions. He sees signs everywhere and she disappoints him every time. Yet step by step, she is coming to terms with the situation. Jesse is such a trouble magnet! The revelation who Tomas is, one of those intangible and inexplicable coincidences – like Walt happening upon Jane’s father the night she died, the day before the airplane collision – is yet another example of the stellar writing of the series’ team.

Dexter 4x05

Dexter rushes to the scene where the paramedics are just about to rush Deb to the hospital. Frank Lundy’s lifeless body is still lying on the ground. Dex is frantic – if his sister dies, he’ll be lost. They’re suspecting it was another case of the “Vacation Murders,” but Dex is sure it’s not. Why kill Lundy and leave Deb alive? Christine arrives, offering support to a reluctant Quinn, but Batista jumps on the occasion urging her to print a story on the “Vacation Murders” suspects, and that the man, Johnny Rose has an untreatable case of syphilis. Before going to the hospital, Dex snatches some of Lundy’s evidence on the “Trinity Killer.” Once Deb comes to, Dex immediately asks her police-type questions. Then Anton rushes in and she tells him it’s over. She slept with Lundy. After she’s released (remarkably fast for someone who just got shot), she stays with Dex and Rita. She cannot be on her own now that she broke up with Anton. Admittedly, I am rooting for Dexter to get his hands on this sick psychopath who kills innocent people in cold blood to satisfy his morbid urges – easily ignoring Dex is just as terrible, despite his vigilant Code.

Meanwhile, Rita received a call from Dex’ landlord, despite the fact he told her he gave up the lease. She caught him lying – again. He tries talking his way out of it, but she puts it off, because of Deb. Dex worries that he will lose control over his Dark Passenger if he can no longer compartmentalize his different personas. Later, Dex finds Rita in his apartment. She was afraid he was using drugs or having an affair (again), and is perturbed how easy it is for him to lie. We should sympathize with her – if only she knew who the real Dexter is behind the mask – but I can only wish she stops bothering him. I start rationalizing his behavior, understanding that he cannot help being the monster that he is, and admiring his efforts to reign in the worst. Then there is Batista, who is upset to learn that LaGuerta officiated their relationship as office policy requires. Top brass, moreover, decides it’s better to transfer Batista to avoid complications if ever the two need to stand witness in a case. I still find their cat-and-mouse game a little tiresome. I am glad, though, that Quinn returned to his cutie Christine – and laid down some rules about their pillow talk.

For his part, the “Trinity Killer” has purchased a new framing hammer and then stakes out the building by pretending to be an interested renter. Dexter has been going through Lundy’s recordings and still has no clue how to recognize the serial killer. Then he realizes Lundy’s last tape must have been on him when he got shot and must have been taken into police evidence. He handily snatches it from custody. Now he has Lundy’s description of the chance encounter he had, giving Dex enough to recognize the man who shot his sister. When Dexter comes to the site, the “Trinity Killer” is already hammering his ritualistic way. Dex is too late, but is able to follow him to his house. Surprisingly, the “Trinity Killer” has a wife and family to greet him happily. “He is ... like me,” Dexter mutters. How marvelous this show is! We’re not even halfway through the season. The “Trinity Killer” has completed his cycle. He can return to the safety of his “normal” life, confident there is no evidence to implicate him. Or is there?

Inglourious Basterds

Apparently I am one of the few people who didn’t enjoy Quintin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (2009). I am not a big fan of his films to begin with. This is another piece of genre blending filled with cinematic references, particularly to Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone, what with the opening words, “Once Upon a Time ... in Nazi-Occupied France,” dramatic music based on the theme of “Für Elise,” a panoramic shot of the French countryside, then a close-up of a man’s face. I’m already annoyed. The various plots are frightfully contrived and the dialog is too smart for its own good. For no good reason, we get other references to WWII films, like Where Eagles Dare, some unnecessary Marvel Comics lettering, unwelcome voice-overs, Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, Leni Riefenstahl, Max Linder, and on and on. The main story is an indulgence in an alternative reality, there are jokes about situations that aren’t funny, there is no moral core, violence is a means to solve problems, and Jews perpetrate atrocities as awful as their enemies. The characters remain flat – Brad Pitt’s First Lieutenant Aldo Raine is particularly distracting with his faux-Tennessee drawl jabbering about Nazzies. The only redeeming quality is Christopher Waltz’ performance as SS Colonel Hans Landa, who is fluent in German, French, English, and Italian, and has a knack of making polite conversation even when he’s interrogating. In brief, the movie is about two plots to eliminate the German high-command, including Hitler, Goebels, Göring and Bormann, while they attend a premiere at a Parisian cinema theater. And apart from Alder carving a swastika in Landa’s forhead, that’s it. The End. History has been rewritten.

Becker - season one

Long before your cricket started chirping, Becker was one of my all-time favorite sitcoms. They are showing reruns on Dutch TV that reminded me how funny this show was. I don’t even know why they cancelled it. Did no one ever watch it? If you did, you know why I like Ted Danson’s character: John Becker is a mean, grumpy son of a bitch with a mouth that never stops (so egotistical he thinks the whole universe is conspiring against him), but somewhere underneath all the biting sarcasm and misanthropy there’s a real lovable son of a gun with a heart of gold. He may call his patients names, but all he wants is for them to enjoy a healthy life. (Interestingly enough, one of his patients is the actor who’s playing Roger Sterling on Mad Men now.) There’s a kid who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion, and Becker is at his affable best around him, answering questions about life and even paying for his medical treatment because his single mother cannot afford it herself or letting the kid sleep over his house. Becker is a loner, with two failed marriages, and a long line of women who refuse to talk to him. His ex-wife used to call him “angry man.” “Oh, yeah, what was your name for her?” “Castrating bitch from hell.” One day a colleague thinks he’s giving her a booty call, but when she comes to his place, all he can do is talk about one of his patients. His blind date from hell happens when one of his patients sets him up with her niece, mind you, a gorgeous blonde. She comes late, because her country-and-western line-dancing class ran late, she is into aroma therapy, considers herself a romantic person, saw Titanic fifty-three times, and suggests they go to a karaoke bar after dinner. He tells her, “Now, Kelly, if we were the last two people on this earth, that would be the only thing we have in common.”

The supporting cast is terrific, too. At Becker’s office there’s Margaret. You never know why she doesn’t quit, but somehow she appreciates him. She berates him when he’s spouting mean-spirited comments, but she always trusts his medical opinion. And perhaps my favorite character is Linda, a pretty airhead who never stops talking gibberish. You never know why she isn’t fired, but you gotta love that gal. She even sells cosmetics on the sly in the waiting room. Still, one day Becker cannot figure out why one of his patients has been suffering from fatigue, because all the test results come out normal. Then Linda points out how strange it is that he still has a tan, even though he’s been back from Bermuda for six weeks and he works in a bank. It’s the one clue Becker missed: hyperpigmentation is a symptom of Addison’s disease. Then there’s the diner where Becker hangs out, run by Reggie, who rather chats than serve her customers. She’s always looking for a date, which is strange, because she is adorable. Secretly, she grows into liking Becker, connecting over failed dates, their mutual hatred of Valentines Day, and appreciating his blunt honesty. Among the regulars, there’s Jake, who supposedly works at the newsstand inside the diner, but you hardly ever see him work. On one of these mornings that Becker is telling him off, Jake replies, “John, I’m blind, I’m poor and I’m running a newsstand in the Bronx. God gave me the finger long before you ever did.” Bob, that slick perv who never scores and talks about himself in the third person, first shows up halfway through the season scolding Reggie for ignoring him in high school, and now it’s his turn to scoff at her for running her recently deceased father’s diner. He knows he’s dreaming the impossible, but with him doing better and her doing worse, he feels he is that much closer to the moon. When a customer leaves her two tickets to a hockey game, Jake and Becker both beg her to take her. In the end, she lets them decide who will join her – and to tease her, they actually give Bob the ticket! There are also the fuzzy outdoor shots. I know it’s the Bronx, but it’s New York, and it makes me feel like home!

Shameless – Series 3

Now, nobody’s saying that Chatsworth Estate is the Garden of Eden, but it has been a good home to Frank Gallagher and his family. With Fiona and Steve gone, all parental responsibility falls on thirteen-year old Debbie. It’s New Year’s Eve, and while everyone is ringing in 2006 in the pub, Deb is approached by a primary school teacher. Her younger brother Liam is about to be expelled for denouncing god in his Roman Catholic school. Deb worries a home-visit by the teacher will lead to intervention from social services that will tear the family apart. Naturally, she cannot count on her father, so she shaves off Liam’s hair, and tells the teacher he has cancer. Danger averted. But the sad news spreads fast, and soon the local pub is running a charity collection for Liam, a news paper reporter gets involved – and meanwhile, the Gallagher kids have to pile up the lies to avoid telling the truth. Frank is upset to learn in the pub that his son has cancer. Even his ex-wife shows up, threatening to take Liam with her. Then Frank overdoses on liquor, cocaine and horse tranquillizers. It would be sad if it weren’t so funny! Alter in the season, one of the most hilarious scenes happens when Frank is rendered completely sober by a new drug. He appears reflective and even quite intelligent, wondering why Sheila would add to her problems by marrying a mess like him.

Lip is still shagging around, but meanwhile tries to be a good father to Mandy Maguire’s baby. Except that the Maguires are a fearsome Irish criminal family, who refuse to accept him. He earns something of their respect, though, by standing up to them. But they use any excuse to ban him from seeing his baby girl. Ian continues exploring his homosexuality after breaking up with Kash Karib, the owner of the local grocery store. Carl still hasn’t had a girlfriend. All he can do is spy and eavesdrop – and telling Lip’s girlfriend she got the crabs because Lip’s sleeping around! But he finally gets his way with a girl after he shows her his weed plantation in the attic. I wish we would get to see more of that sexy fox, Karen, Sheila’s daughter. She’s pretending to be a lesbo, just to get a job at The Jockey. Sheila is ecstatic to find out her daughter is gay. She invites Karen and Jez over – leading Frank to suggest all three women to do a floor show. But in the end, Karen admits to Jez she’s straight.

Neighbor Kevin gets a serious tip for a horse-racing bet, but Frank screws it up by telling just about everyone on the estate (including a bookie), and so ruining the odds. Kev’s sister begs for a place to stay, she’s finally found what she’s good at and just needs a room. Frank offers her one at Sheila’s only to find out she’s prostituting herself, to Sheila’s great delight. On his 35th birthday, Kev’s mother commits suicide – and if that wasn’t bad enough, his estranged wife Roxy attends the funeral fresh on parole. Veronica is seething with jealousy. Instead of consoling Kev, Vee threatens to leave him. Veronica’s brother Marty is dating a woman Sue, who lodges with the Gallaghers but refuses to contribute to the already tight financial situation. Later we learn she’s seriously in debt for about £12,000. Veronica’s mother Carol is promiscuously maintaining affairs, until she brings home a nudist with a penchant for freaky sex. Yet she gets enraged when she discovers her late husband had an affair with her best friend Lillian some thirty years ago.

In the season finale, Frank and Sheila finally get married, but not before some troubling events ensue. Sheila tells Frank that she has been married before, not only to Eddie Jackson (Karen’s father), but also to some bloke named Sheldon. Veronica then learns that Sheila buried Sheldon in the backyard, (because she couldn’t attend a funeral due to her agoraphobia), with his gold jewelry still on him. Always desperate for money, Vee and Frank dig up the body only to discover Sheldon was stabbed to death with fondue forks! Frank freaks out in a paranoid panic that Sheila is going to kill him next, while Vee is told the gold is all fake. Sheila admits she killed Sheldon because he used to beat her and burn her with his gold medallions. She fears Frank no longer wants to marry her and turns herself in to the police. Meanwhile Frank learns the truth from Kev and Vee, and also finds out that Sheila has opened a joint account in their name. He rushes to the police station to keep her from turning herself in, and asks her to marry him again. When Kev congratulates him at the wedding, Frank shrugs that the marriage isn’t legal anyway, because his ex Monica still hasn’t signed the divorce papers!

True Blood 3x11

So, Eric has imprisoned Sookie in his basement. Bill tries rescuing her, but Pam restrains him with the vampire version of pepper spray: colloidal silver. It is one of Eric’s human lovers who releases Sookie and together they overpower Pam with a silver chain. Meanwhile, Eric tells King Russell that they are even: Russell killed the people he loved, and he has had his revenge by killing the person Russell loved. Eric explains that Sookie’s fairy blood allows vampire to become daywalkers. Russell is thrilled. At Fangtasia, Eric and Russell drink from Sookie, while Bill looks on enraged, tied to a chair with silver chains. Eric walks into the sunlight, followed by Russell a few minutes later. Already charred, Eric handcuffs Russell. “Be brave,” he says, “we’ll die together.” Okay...

Hoyt and Jessica are back together. She confesses that she enjoys drinking human blood and has killed someone while they were on their break. He tells her he loves her and doesn’t care. He offers her to drink his blood. Jason struggles with the news that his girlfriend is a werepanther but eventually accepts her. After their trip on vampire blood, Lafeyette still has delusional visions and asks Jesus to leave. What is this weird voodoo stuff about? Still drunk on Jack Daniel’s, Sam throws out all the customers at Merlotte’s. Only Tara stays behind – and they have sex again. It is all a little uninteresting. Unfortunately, this episode did not live up to the expectations set by last week’s. Because of Labor Day weekend, the season finale is next week. It better be good.

Mad Men 4x07

Despite the backdrop of the rematch of Cassius Clay vs. Sonny Liston (May 1965), this was a rather quiet episode, focused almost entirely on Don and Peggy. It is difficult to tell, though, if it was a good or bad one. Don did not like the proposed Samsonite commercial Peggy and the guys from creative acted out for him. He sends Peggy back to the drawing board, while the office empties out to watch the fight. It is her birthday, her boyfriend Mark is waiting for her at the Forum of the Twelve Caesars restaurant, and she finds a birthday present from Duck Philips – business cards for “Philip-Olson Advertising.” He got fired and is hoping she will start up a new company with him. “I’m falling apart,” he concedes after she asks if he has been drinking. Don decides to skip the fight and asks Peggy to stay so they can work on the Samsonite commercial. She calls the restaurant to tell Mark she will be late. Don does not like Peggy’s revisions and comes up with an idea to tie in the commercial with the fight, but he doesn’t yet know how. Then Mark calls Peggy again, upset that she keeps him and her family waiting. Not knowing it is her birthday Don says she should go, but she hesitates. She was expecting a romantic dinner and instead she accuses Mark of trying to “score points with a bunch of people who drive me crazy.” She cancels on him and they break up. It did not feel right to her anyway and work is more important to her.

She scolds Don, though, for never appreciating her work. He shouts angrily that “that’s what the money is for!” Still, he takes her out for dinner, and later they listen to the fight in a bar. She’s self-deprecating that everyone believes she slept with Don. They make jokes, she sighs, “like it’s so funny because the possibility was so remote.” Even her mother thinks Don was responsible for the pregnancy she aborted. They return to the office, where they find Duck wandering around drunk. He gets into a fight with Don – believing like everybody else that Don and Peggy are having an affair. Peggy tries to encourage Don to drink less. “I have to make a phone call, and I know it’s gonna be bad,” he says by means of an explanation. Earlier, he had received an urgent message from Stephanie in California, but he is afraid to return the call. He knows what it means, Anna passed away. Don falls asleep in Peggy’s lap. When he wakes up he makes the call and cries when his fear is confirmed. Peggy is staring wide-eyed at him. He can only say that someone close died, “the only person in the world who really knew me.” She tries to console him, but he insists she goes home to sleep. Instead she takes a nap in her office. Later that morning Don shows her his concept, based on Clay’s victory over Liston, predicting that the photo on every newspaper will become iconic. “It's very good,” she admits. They briefly hold hands and then Don tells her to “Go home, take a shower, and come back with ten tag lines.” While the whole episode takes places over the course of less than a day, much has happened: Don lost Anna and Peggy lost Mark, but they have gained a sense of trust sharing their loss; they have grown closer, but without the sexual tension that normally surrounds Don Draper; he has had an idea that may become their next big advertisement. In short, this has been the pivotal moment of the season.

Breaking Bad 3x10

Jesse continues complaining about the working conditions in the state-of-the-art underground laboratory. They have to clean and maintain their own equipment; they have to bring in their own food and drink; and relative to the street value their income is low. Jesse’s been talking to his buddies about dealing on their own again – and skimmed half a pound of meth at the lab. He thinks he found a new market: his rehab group meetings. Right away Walt notices their net total is off by half a pound. After Jesse leaves, Walt gets all worked up about a fly in the lab. He breaks a lamp, balances on the outer rail of the catwalk, and – you guessed it – falls off, nearly breaking his neck! When Jesse returns the next morning, Walt’s gone compulsively obsessive about it. He’s been chasing the fly the whole night, he has reversed the air ventilation, and refuses to cook until they’ve dealt with the “contaminant.” Jesse points out they are making poison for “people who don’t care.” Still, the situation goes completely out of hand. Walt even locks Jesse out and Jesse turns the power off in retaliation.

Eventually, Jesse goes to the pharmacy and buys every possible insecticide and fly swapper he can find. Walt settles on the fly strips. Jesse also bought sleeping pills which he later puts in Walt’s coffee. Jesse starts talking about his aunt who also had cancer, which leads Walt to reflect that he’s lost the perfect moment to pass away, before Skyler found out. Finally, finally, after climbing atop a ladder stack atop two steel carts, Jesse finally kills the fly. Walt’s already fallen asleep. So, Jesse cooks on his own. Before leaving the lab, Walt warns Jesse he won’t be able to protect him, if Gus ever found out about the missing meth. Jesse responds that he never asked him to. Ironically, when Walt goes asleep that night, there’s a fly in his bedroom. Even though this episode has the feel of filler to postpone the season’s climax, the writing is so stellar I was glued to the screen. It’s clear that Walt fears for his live now that he’s learned how ruthless Gus is (who’s been responsible for the deaths of cartel lord Bolsa and at least one Cousin, and for the shootout that nearly killed Hank) – one more mistake and Walt may end up dead, too.

Dexter 4x04

Well, Dexter blamed his act of vandalism on stress, and Rita bought it. She’s taking the kids for a couple of days to attend a wedding, leaving Dex free – to stalk his next victim: officer Zoey Kruger, who got away with murdering her husband and daughter by planting evidence to blame some drug dealer. He gets her file to scrutinize the crime scene and learns that the dealer was later killed in a supposed gang incident. Dex notices that Zoey is having an open house and visits to investigate the site. She flirts with him blatantly, while he is hoping to find some stray evidence to implicate her, especially the protective gloves he’s sure she wore. He finds nothing in the fireplace, but then sees the garbage disposal in the sink. Pretending it’s broken he offers to fix it, and does find a bit of glove while rummaging through its contents. At his lab, he finds gunshot residue and blood on the glove, enough to prove she is guilty. Zoey, being a police officer herself, has discovered who Dexter is and that he has recently checked her file. She warns him to lay off. Playing on her desire for control, Dexter requests the files on the drug dealer who allegedly killed her family, knowing it will tick her off. Zoey tails Dex and when she gets a chance threatens to kill him and then bluffs that he should tell his superiors what he thinks. That night, Zoey breaks into Dexter’s house, but he’s lying in wait for her, and after a brief struggle he subdues her. He performs his morbid ritual in her daughter’s room. They reflect on their similarities, feeling trapped in their family life, but Dex discovers he never wants to lose them.

Meanwhile, Quinn has definitely run into trouble with his pillow talk, because cute Christine has published an article about retired FBI Agent Lundy returning to Miami on a serial killer case. He confronts her about it and ditches her, telling her she never had him anyway and to go look for another source. Worse, the “Trinity Killer” reads the article, too, when researching his next location in the library. For their part, Deb and Lundy are hoping to find a clue to catch the “Trinity Killer” before he strikes again. In every previous case, he killed a young woman in a bathtub, then forced a married woman to jump off a building, and ended with bludgeoning a married man. Deb and Lundy are running through all bludgeoning incidents from thirty years ago within the right timeframe. At night, the “Trinity Killer” is provoking a fight with a drunk in an alley behind a bar, calling him names and getting a few punches and kicks. Deb and Lundy have traced the location where they believe the serial killer will strike again, but their conversation steers towards their feelings for each other. She gets upset and dashes off. When Lundy is investigating the location where they think the “Trinity Killer” will bludgeon his third victim of this cycle, the serial killer just walks out the building and recognizes Lundy. He deliberately bumps into Lundy, who senses something in the encounter.

In a way, I am glad Rita was away this episode, because I am starting to find her a tad unsympathetic – which only goes to show that I am now siding with a lying and cheating serial killer. My initial scruples about watching this show have gone entirely! At the office, Maria wants to make her relationship with Angel official, as policy requires, but he is reluctant to define what they have, wanting to keep it private. Angel confides to Dex about his relationship with Maria, and asks for advice. Dex commiserates that making it official will define what they have. “Next thing you know, you’re moving in, your life is gone, it’s just kids and neighbors, painted mugs,” he offers. Later, Maria also asks Dexter for advice about her fling with Angel. He tells her not to let anything to chance – meaning she will follow protocol and make the relationship official. Deb finds that her relationship with Anton gets even more strained, as he notices how her voice goes up a notch and how she twists her hair when she is talking to Lundy. She tells him he has nothing to be jealous of, but it’s clear she’s rather trying to convince herself. It doesn’t take long before Deb knocks on Lundy’s hotel room door and kisses him when he opens. After their tryst, talking about Deb’s guilty feelings for cheating on Anton, gun shots are fired, flooring them both! “Stay with me,” Deb mouths to Lundy’s lifeless body. Will they survive? Wow, what a terrific show!

Labor Day Weekend

Your Cricket is having a bbq.

Have a nice weekend!

xoxo

Weeds 6x03

With this week’s episode, Weeds is finally going back on track! Now called the Newman family, they cross a picket line and lands scab jobs at an upscale hotel in Seattle. Nancy, as Nathalie, is doing the dirty work as a cleaning maid; Andy, as Randy, is working in the kitchen as a dishwasher; Silas, as Mike, is a bellhop, working on the side reading in his underwear for an older man; and Shane, well he just babysits his baby brother Stevie Ray and steals a fancy stroller. After their first day of work, they learn that the local drug dealer is on strike, too. Nancy gets her hands on cannabis clippings from the alternative medical supplier, and cooks her own hash in the hotel’s laundry machine. The Newmans are back in business! There are some nice guest performances, too, for instance, by Peter Stormare (who also played in Entourage, and countless films) as the pretentious French chef who patronizes his dishwasher. When Andy asks where he learned to cook, the chef deadpans, “In your mother’s vagina.” Meanwhile, Esteban’s goons, Caesar and Ignacio, are looking for Nancy, or rather, little Stevie, but haven’t gotten any farther than her old house in Ren Mar where they bump into Doug! I missed that guy, he’s so funny! So, yes, the laughs are back. We’re on a roll. New beginnings!

Entourage 7x09

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