Burn Notice 4x09

Finally Vaughn is back (that middle-ranking spy from “Management”)! Michael is hoping he will arrange a meeting for him with that terrorist Simon, so he can find out more about the coded bible. But Vaughn tells him “no.” He wants the bible for himself. Then Michael is asked for help by two FBI agents tracking down a material witness who’s supposed to stand trial against some Turkish criminal. Except for some two-way radio contact, Michael is on his own on this job, facing an assassin and a hit team, all while a hurricane made landfall in Miami. Meanwhile, Vaughn pays Fiona a visit. He offers her a tempting deal: if she gives him the bible, Vaughn will make sure Jesse gets his old job back and won’t find out who got him blacklisted. She later tells Michael about Vaughn. She trusts that he will do the right thing, even though she hates the way he’s using Jesse. Now Michael has to ask the FBI agents to do him a favor, threatening Vaughn. He relents, but not without warning Michael how dangerous Simon is. In short, this episode was mostly about Michael; the action was fairly tame and the interaction with the assassin was rather lame; but the deal with Vaughn got him one step closer to learning more about his burn notice.

Entourage 7x05

Vince is hitting on porn-star turned actress Sasha Grey without knowing who she is. His entourage turns the conversation to anal sex, her specialty, and they urge Eric to try it before marrying Sloan. Drama is down in the dumps again after finding out he got passed over in favor of Bob Saget (Full House, Home Videos). The network has been waiting for a chance to reconnect Saget and Stamos. Turtle gets Vince involved in his new business venture promoting Avion tequila Stateside – despite Eric’s disapproval. Ari faces another marital crisis because he cannot stop thinking about Lizzie Grant stealing his clients. At the office he declares war and goes into full-on damage control, arranging meetings with Myke Tyson, Jessica Simpson and Andrew Sorkin. Then he learns Lizzie is working for his archrival Amanda Daniels. Worse, she’s kept a journal of the past half year! Director Randall Wallace complains Vince showed up at a meeting with a porn star reeking of tequila. At night, Eric and Sloan reluctantly attempt anal sex, but give up. Yes, the episode was really as trivial as it sounds – and not particularly funny either. Let’s hope this was just an irregular mid-season dip.

True Blood 3x07

So, Tara has rescued Sookie from the King’s clutches. But Sookie won’t leave without Bill, who’s been tortured by his maker Lorena. Now Sookie impales Lorena. It’s a disgustingly bloody scene. Sookie is bleeding from Lorena’s attack; Bill is covered in wounds; and Lorena’s guts area spilling all over the slave quarters. Tara and Alcide urge Sookie to get away, but Debbie and Coot try to stop them. After a heated argument and struggle with his ex, Alcide kills Coot. Dashing off in his truck, Alcide kills one of the pursuing werewolves. In the back of the truck, Sookie hopes to save Bill by giving him her blood. It rouses a passionate rage to feed on her. When Tara later finds out, she throws Bill into the sunlight (he sizzles but doesn’t burn), and rushes a ravaged Sookie to the hospital. There, the doctors are puzzled to find Sookie has no blood type and responds violently to type O.

Sookie has fallen into a coma and dreams of a mysterious woman named Claudine, who takes her to a fairy world where scantily dressed men and women dance around a pool nearby a cemetery. When she drinks from the bright shining pool, Sookie says it’s the best thing she’s ever tasted. Then suddenly darkness descends on the fairy glen. Everyone dives into the pool, screaming and yelling that they have never seen a vampire before. Begging her to join them in the pool, Claudine warns Sookie never to let Bill “steal her light.” In the hospital, Jason has allowed Bill to give Sookie a transfusion of his blood. She comes to and screams at the sight of Bill!

Meanwhile, Eric cannot get Queen Sophie-Ann to say why she is so interested in Sookie, but draining her human lover, Hadley, gives him all he needs to know. Hadley whispers in his ear so we can’t hear. It should be obvious by now, though, that Sookie’s a fairy, just like Claudine. The Magister has been unsuccessfully torturing Pam in the basement of Fangtasia. Sophie and Eric arrive, admitting that they sell vampire blood. Then Russel walks in disavowing any allegiance to the Vampire Authority that the Magister represents. He even decapitates the Magister, after he wed Russell and Sophie under the threat of death. For his part, Jason is still dreaming about Crystal. “Never really thought I was smart enough to get depressed,” he sighs to Hoyt, who is still hurt about Jessica. And Sam finally convinces his brother Tommy to quit dog fighting for their parents.

We’re just halfway through the season, so I wonder what else is going to happen, as saving Bill from Russell’ Edgington happened toward the end of Charlaine Harris’ novel. Quite a few changes have been made to the original plot. The fanatical Fellowship of the Sun hasn’t returned. Eric hasn’t saved Sookie’s life by sharing his blood, and they haven’t shared an intimate moment. Bill merely ravages Sookie on his mad feeding frenzy, but hasn’t raped and mangled her. I’m not sure whether Tara killed Franklin, as the series keeps changing how vampires die their final death, but her whole subplot is new to the show. Overall, though, I find the season engaging enough even if it’s not always breathtakingly fascinating – what with all the distracting minor characters. Let’s see what will happen in the second half of the season.

The Box

The premise of The Box (2009) is fairly simple, as you probably know even if you haven’t seen the film: Would you accept a million dollars knowing that by accepting it you will cause the death of somebody, anybody else? It sounds simple enough. Most of us would probably say “yes.” But think of the altruism coefficient (or rather the opposite): if too many people are unable to sacrifice their individual desires, humankind would not survive. That is the message that comes late in the movie. Few of us can see beyond the temptations dangling in front of us and cannot foresee the consequences of our actions. Profound as that sounds, it is at this point that the film unfortunately fails – offering no other resolution than the rather Stoic moral of resisting temptations. In that respect, the movie smacks of Puritan Protestantism. Nevertheless, the story is a real thriller with a dash of science fiction and a hint of horror – and it is unsurprising that the short story on which the film is based (“Button, Button” by Richard Matheson) has also been adapted for The Twilight Zone.

The Lewis family receives a box with a red button under a glass hemisphere and a note that Mr. Steward will call upon them that afternoon. Arthur Lewis (James Marsden) works for NASA, where he developed a 360-degrees camera, but is notified that his application for the astronaut training program is rejected. His wife Norma (Cameron Diaz), a private high school teacher, is informed that faculty will no longer get a tuition waiver for their children. With these setbacks fresh on their minds, Mr. Steward’s offer of a million dollars is a tantalizing temptation. They have one day to make their decision – and after much deliberation, Norma pushes the box’s button to accept the money. Steward arrives to deliver the cash and retrieve the box. He tells them it will be reprogrammed but they do not know the person who will next receive the same offer. Meanwhile, NASA employee Jeffrey Carnes has shot his wife point blank. From that moment, events take weirdly mysterious turns in their life. People show up with secret messages and nosebleeds. Steward seems to know their every move.

It is 1976, Lynyrd Skynyrd is at the height of their fame, President Ford is on television, and the Viking mission is broadcasting images from Mars leading to speculations about life on Mars. Arlington Steward (Frank Langella), it transpires, was once hit by lightning while working at NASA’s Langley Research Center. Considered dead, he revived, regenerated at ten times the normal speed, his cell degeneration halted (implying he no longer ages), but his face still displays a scar the shape of the Face on Mars. He is now a vessel for “those who control the lightning” – apparently divine or extraterrestrial beings who are putting humankind to some twisted test. There are references to salvation and eternal damnation, to Sartre and 70s culture in America. There are drones moving like zombies who apparently do Steward’s bidding. With all these conspiracies, plot twists and complications abounding it is disappointing that so many threads remain dangling at the end. With a different ending, I would have said it’s a good movie, but as it is I felt we were bombarded with questions but received unfortunately few answers to anything.

Mad Men 4x02

Freddy Rumsen is back! Not only has he been clean and sober for half a year, he’s bringing the $2 million Pond’s Cold Cream account. His only request is that Pete Campbell cannot get near the account. Soon Freddy argues with Peggy over the creative direction of the Pond’s advertisement. Pond’s wants to use an older celebrity, but she suggests Elizabeth Taylor, as young women don’t respond to beauty advice from older women. It is Christmastime, 1964, Don has his secretary buy presents for his children, and the office is all a-bustle with excitement. Even at his apartment his flirty neighbor is busy preparing early in the morning for a party. Lee Garner Jr. of Lucky Strikes has invited himself to the party at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. And so, despite the firm’s dire financial situation, Roger asks Joan to turn the party into a “Roman orgy.” Back at Don’s apartment that night, his neighbor Phoebe is already cleaning up after her party and has to let him in as he’s too drunk himself. He tries flirting with her, but she tells him to be a good boy. The big office party is the next day. Lee Garner pressures Roger to put on the Santa suit, and he reluctantly agrees to please their most important client. Santa hands out cartons of Lucky Strikes to everyone, but gives a Polaroid camera to Lee. After the party, Don arrives home drunk again, without his keys. He calls his secretary, Allison, who finds and brings them. “My goodness,” she giggles after they have sex. She’s all smiles the next day at the office, but Don’s stiff demeanor sobers her up. While I sympathize with Don, he’s starting to lose his charm and becoming pathetic.

Meanwhile, that creepy kid Glen (who once had a crush on Betty), has been trying to bond with Sally over their shared experience of their parents’ divorce. To encourage Betty and Henry to move out of Don’s house, Glen breaks in with a friend and empties the fridge all over the kitchen. I’m not sure what to make of Glen’s reappearance. It seems a little contrived. Is Glen going to be Sally’s love interest? (Parenthetically, Glen is played by Marten Weiner, the son of the show’s creator Matthew Weiner.) Then there is the situation with Peggy and her boyfriend Mark. He begs her for sex. “I want to be your first,” he says. So she hasn’t told him yet she slept with Pete Campbell and Duck Philips before. He talks some nonsense about Swedes making love right away. She asks him to leave. At the office, Freddy notices she’s testy about marriage. He advices her to hold off sex, if she wants to marry Mark, but not to lead him on. Afterwards, she goes to bed with Mark. “Do you feel different,” he asks. She doesn’t even answer. I don’t know what to make of Peggy and Mark either. For now their relation is hanging in the air like an afterthought. I do not know this Mark, and thus want better for Peggy, for she deserves the best. Maybe Duck Philips wasn’t so bad after all. There was also an interesting discussion about the dangers of Medicare, entirely appropriate for the present day: “They won’t stop until they ban personal property.” Hilarious! As always, it’s the characters that make this show so enjoyable, and by now we’ve gotten to know them so well, that scenes barely have to explain anything. A gesture or glance can be enough to remind us of some previous episode. Brilliant!

Breaking Bad 3x05

In a flashback all the way to the beginning, we see Walter White giving all his savings to his former student Jesse Pinkman so as to buy an RV (recreational vehicle – i.e., the camper van they will soon use as meth lab). Instead, Jesse burned most of the money with his buddies Skinny Pete and Combo at a strip club. Early in the morning, Combo offers Jesse a quick deal for the remainder of the money. Jesse’s too hung-over from liquor, drugs and strippers, to realize they just stole the van from Combo’s mother. Back in the present, DEA officer Hank Schrader is humiliating himself in front of his wife and partner by tenaciously pursuing the “Heisenberg” figment of an investigation. He has basically searched for every single RV of the make he saw on the ATM’s security tapes. Except for one, of course, the one Jesse stole, but that Combo’s mother never reported. Now Combo’s been dead for two months – killed on the street by rival dealers. That is, in the end, what Hank learns. Plus, at Mrs. Ortega’s house he finds a picture of Combo at the strip club – with Jesse. For his part, secretive businessman Gus Fring finally has his chance to appeal to Walt’s weaknesses. He shows him the state-of-the-art underground laboratory (concealed by an industrial laundry facility) which he has built for him. And he tells him a man provides for his family even if he’s not loved, because that is simply what a man does. It’s the clincher of the deal!

Walt’s wife Skyler is starting to have second thoughts. Maybe Walt did change after he was confronted with death, maybe he did it all for the good of his family, maybe he’s a good father to their children. But then her divorce lawyer hammers in the nail. “You may not have married a criminal,” she tells her, “but you are married to one now.” And she urges Skyler to leave the house, because she is accessory to Walt’s crimes, she’s culpable. When she comes back home, Walt’s gone and signed the divorce papers. At the law office of sleazy Saul, Walt and Jesse have a confrontation. Walt hands Jesse his half of the money from the deal with Gus. Then Walt tells them he’ll be earning $3 million by working for Gus for three months. Jesse’s out of business. They have become competitors now on the same market, rival drug dealers – and Hank’s already onto Jesse. This is going to be interesting! Things have really picked up and our patience has paid off. The season has gradually built up the dramatic tension and the audience is now reaping the rewards. What is going to happen with Tuco’s Cousins? Will Hank trace Jesse through the van? Will Skyler come to accept Walt’s choices or will all his efforts be for naught? It’s impossible to stop watching this show now. You just have to know what will happen next. Excellent!

Dexter 3x11

Dexter decided it was time to get rid of Miguel. Then we learn that Miguel sent the “Skinner” to him – promising that only Dexter knows where Freebo is. As he’s getting out of his car at night, someone throws a sack over his head and tosses him in the trunk! Dex is telling himself this isn’t how it’s gonna end. He’s able to untie himself. When the trunk opens he punches the guy it the face. It’s Vince Masuka, the pervy forensics expert! He and the guys kidnapped Dex for his bachelor’s party! Ahahahah! Terrific!!! And the party is pervy, too! Topless dancers and all. Miguel is there as Dex’ supposed Best Man, giving a speech about friendship, trust and forgiveness. Big party or not, next morning everyone needs to get back to the Ellen Wolf case as well as the “Skinner” investigation. Lt. LaGuerta is staring right at the only lead she has for finding Ellen’s killer: a dark SUV with big headlights, the same Miguel is driving. She just can’t believe it. He’s her friend. It’s so cute to see Sgt. Batista with this new, gorgeous girlfriend, Det. Gianna!

Deb and Dex have a conversation about their father, and Dex accidentally lets slip Harry had an affair with one of his informants (he just manages not to mention it was his own mother). Deb can’t believe it: her father slept with a “snitch,” just like she has with Anton. She’s very emotional about it, and right then she has to go over Anton’s statement – another emotional situation. But it doesn’t seem to give her any more information. So Deb and Quinn return to the crime scene hoping to find another clue. They don’t have cell phone reception at the place, Deb asks Quinn for change to use a payphone, and then she remembers Anton told her the “Skinner” took his phone and small change. Putting two and two together, she realizes George King must have been using the payphone. Another lead! They check the phone record, from which they learn the guy had been talking to a lady in New Jersey, whose Miami garden he’s landscaping. So, he knows it’s empty – a great hideaway from the police. When they get there and find the guy, he flies out before they can catch him. Later, Deb and Dex talk some more about their father – and Dex has a moment of clarity, Deb should be his Best Man. He trusts her more than anyone.

LaGuerta invites Miguel home to talk, she says. But in an unguarded moments, she walks out and takes a sample from Miguel’s trunk – so that Dex can later test it for hair or other DNA evidence. Of course it checks out. When LaGuerta explains what it means (which he already knew, of course, but she didn’t know that), Dex tells her to give it time, build a solid case against Miguel. He’ll keep the secret. Meanwhile, though, Miguel is starting to suspect LaGuerta. He noticed his trunk was still open after he left her house, and he saw that she had accessed the system for Ellen’s DNA. In his own sneaky way, Dex anticipates that Miguel is now going to try to get rid of LaGuerta – and is able to get to Miguel before he gets to her. And so it’s time for Dexter’s usual ritual. “You’re a little freak! You think I’m done with you? You think this ends here? It doesn’t!” are Miguel’s last words before he dies.