Elementary – Using Direction to Elevate the Procedural
I wrote recently about The X-Files being restored, and why some procedural (or ‘procedural adjacent’) shows are more equal than others. While Elementary isn’t in the pantheon of Prestige Shows such as copycat-spawning LOST, groundbreaking The Sopranos, or even genre-and-plot-soaked cult fun of Dollhouse, I argue it sets itself apart from most current TV procedurals … Continue reading
House of Lies: Overview
Is that not one of the most ridiculous promo shots you’ve seen in a long time? Down to . . . is he holding a phallic, rolled-up affidavit!? Wait does that mean their ties . . . House of Lies – the smart, fast, fast-talking Showtime melodrama – recently began its third season. If you’re wondering … Continue reading
Odds and Ends: An Update
– That featured picture is me doing The Killingsworth. Here’s the Facebook album, here’s the website, and here’s the submission email. It’s open to anyone who wants to do it, and I’d be honored if you were to do your own and send it in! – I will be revamping this site design to make things … Continue reading
Lost Girl: Season 3, Episode 12, Hail, Hale
Last week I talked about how the episode raised more issues than the show could fully address, and how I was OK with that; it doesn’t have to deeply psychoanalyze the harmful effects of children absorbing gender stereotypes from their parents, it can introduce it as a well-turned joke and move on. This episode, though, … Continue reading
Lost Girl: Season 03, Episode 11, Adventures in Fae-bysitting
While Lost Girl – as a good supernatural drama should – raises and addresses issues from child trafficking to drug abuse, this episode raises at least a half dozen distinct issues it can probably never fully address. Still, bringing them into consciousness and allowing the fan base to dissect them is better than most shows … Continue reading
Luther: Series 2, Episode 4
My problems with Luther – especially the first two episodes of this season – were a little about what it does (serial killers targeting women in alleys and children in buses, as seen in every other torture porn and procedural ever), but mostly how it does it; that is, when it uses the shot composition … Continue reading
Lost Girl: Season 3, Episode 8, Fae-ge Against the Machine
I’d bet money the writers have a contest to see who can make up the most absurd challenges for their various Fae rituals. The Zambian cricket of good fortune may come into play later, but that doesn’t change how delightfully over-the-top it is. The absurdity and intricateness of the preparation are as important as the … Continue reading
Lost Girl: Season 3, Episode 6, The Kenzi Scale
While movies and TV have many similar conventions, episodic television has one great difference: commercials and episode breaks allow you to ‘cheat’ your timeline. Instead of showing how a character gets from Point A to Point B (whether literally showing or giving him/her a line about getting a phone call, etc), there are built-in fade-to-blacks … Continue reading
Lost Girl: Season 3, Episode 5, Faes Wide Shut
First things first: the episode has too much going on, on too few sets (more on this later). Too much mystery, too many plotlines; which may be a side-effect of the writers coming off an extended season into another shorter one. There are essentially four investigations going: Bo/Lauren/Kenzi into the goop death, Dyson/Tamsin into the goop … Continue reading
Sometimes Getting What We Want Turns Out Worse Than Not
“To me, the idea of wanting to defy death is just an inherent, almost mythological, iconic notion. It’s something we can relate to . . . a universal longing.” Marti Noxon The reviews are in, and they universally suggest Community‘s return is going to be like reuniting with your college flame to find out he has a … Continue reading
Mel Killingsworth - Film and TV blog 