The X-Files 01 x 03: “Squeeze”

May 312009
 

I’m re-watching some of The X-Files series over from the beginning and trying post a write-up about one episode a week.

We get our first Monster of the Week (MotW) episode with number three, which introduces us to the freaky character, Eugene Tooms.

Mulder and Scully are called in to investigate serial killings, where there appears to be no way the killer could have gotten in or out. Plus, all the victims have had their livers extracted. Dum, dum dum.

What their investigation reveals is a mutant (ie, monster) who can contort his body to squeeze through air ducts. He awakens every 30 years and feasts on five livers then goes back into hibernation.

The X-Files: ToomsTooms is one of those characters that still makes my skin crawl. His mannerisms are borderline perverse. Add to that the way he wriggles into “locked” areas and you’ve got one downright creepy dude there. They even got a contortionist to climb into the top of a chimney to better illustrate Tooms’ wriggly ways, which of course I loved seeing!

Most of all, it was the expressions, body language,  and soft, eerie voice that I think made this character succeed. Doug Hutchison did such an amazing job with that, I  have a hard time watching him in other things and not thinking about Tooms….

Yet, Mulder stole the entire episode with one line. Mulder and Scully discover Tooms’ nest. Mulder touches the bile, not realizing what it is. Then he delivers a classic quote that demonstrates the twisted humor of the show well:

“Is there any way I can get it off my fingers quickly without betraying my cool exterior?”

And I guess that’s that for this fangirl recap.

The X-Files 01 x 02: “Deep Throat”

May 242009
 

I’m re-watching some of The X-Files series over from the beginning and trying post a write-up about one episode a week.

Episode two brings us back into a reoccurring focus throughout the series, military cover ups. Good stuff. I think this kind of things appealed to me more from having grown up at West Point.

In this one we find out that a test pilot had some sort of psychotic breakdown. The military took him away and his wife declared him missing.

As the episode begins I couldn’t help but notice that Scully had a haircut since the pilot episode. And the color is lighter. I also zoned in on the colors and styles of her suits in these earlier episodes. A lot of the jackets were double breasted plaids in light or bright colors—oh and shoulder pads, naturally. Such an 80s feel.

Anyway, back to the plot…

The X-Files: Deep Throat Deep Throat makes his debut in this episode by approaching Mulder in the bathroom of a bar and warning him to stay away from this case. Mulder of course will have none of that and off to Ellens Air Base they go.

There they find another test pilot that was returned to his wife, only he’s not right in the head. He keeps plucking out his own hair in a creepy makes you raise your eyebrow in wonder kinda way. Eventually the missing pilot that started them on this case is returned to his wife. However, certain information has been extrapolated from his brain, making him seem somewhat a shell of himself to his wife.

My favorite part of this episode is when they stumble upon Seth Green’s entertaining stoner character. He informs Mulder of the location of the test flight site—a place Mulder presumes has crafts made of UFO technology.

This juicy nugget is of course too much for him to resist and he finds his way into the testing area just in time to see a triangular craft fly over him. It hovers over him and shines a few lights, creating a classic X-Files image, I’ve featured up top there. Yeah, good stuff!

Of course the military guys have to cover things up so they capture him and suck that memory from his mind too.

In a crazy cool move by Scully, she holds a base security guy at gun point and demands an exchange for Mulder’s release.

Deep Throat makes an appearance again at the end, reminding Mulder that that he can be of assistance to him, but only if it furthers his own cause. This makes it a beginning of a troublesome relationship of spotty “help,” but hey, at least it’s something. In this scene, there is also an amazing moment when Mulder asks if they are already here. Deep Throat’s response, “Mr. Mulder, They’ve been here for a long, long time.”

That’s that. End fangirl ramble.

The X-Files 01 x 01: “Pilot”

May 212009
 

I’ve been in such The X-Files mood lately that I’ve started watching The X-Files series over from the beginning. I’ll try to post a write-up about one episode a week—at least while this re-watch mood lasts. :P

The pilot episode starts off with a girl running in the woods. She falls and a man approaches her and picks her up. Leaves swirl around them and there is a bright light. She turns up dead the next day.

Welcome to Oregon.

This episode makes for a great foundation to the series overall. We learn that Scully is placed as Mulder’s partner to record what’s going on there with constant field reports. She is a medical doctor who chose to join the FBI instead of becoming a practicing physician.

Mulder is an Oxford grad with a study in psychology. He made a name for himself with his knowledge of the occult and serial killers. However, after hypnotic regression, he learned of the strangeness around his sisters abduction, and dove deeply into the X-Files, pursing anything and everything that may hold some sort of clue for him. It was then that people started calling him Spooky.

We also learn some little quirks, like Mulder eats sunflowers seeds, plus his love for slide shows. Hah!

Something interesting I noticed this time around was that I found that Scully trusted Mulder quickly in this episode and became a bit passionate about the case and his unconventional methods. Perhaps it was the startled fear of what was going on in this small town that came upon her. Having marks (albeit mosquito bites) appear on her own back only aided to that fear. I just found it interesting because by the next episode, she flips back to the Scully we know and love as the prove it to me girl.

This episode also introduced us to the Cigarette Smoking Man, government conspiracies, alien abductions, implants, and so much more!

Yes, a remarkable beginning to one amazing show! How I do love The X-Files! :)

Here’s a trailer that launched the series:

Breaking Bad Minisodes

Mar 012009
 

For those itchin’ for a Breaking Bad fix before season 2 premieres on March 8, AMCtv site has a few minsodes you can check out.

From the AMC blog:

Watch Hank and Marie as they celebrate Valentine’s Day in the bedroom in “Good Cop, Bad Cop.” View a flashback to Hank and Marie’s wedding as the groom discusses with Walt his last wild night as a bachelor in “Wedding Day.” Go inside Jesse’s band TwaughtHammer as he and Badger make a behind-the-music documentary, and sing along to the full music video for their song “Fallacies.” Finally, watch Marie discuss politics and patriotism in her personal video diary, “Marie’s Confession.”

My favorite one, which they don’t even mention above, is “The Break-In“:

Man, I love this show! :D

From yogurt to pickles, plus a handful of cocktails too

Feb 022009
 

Eating pickes on Burn NoticeI finally caught up on Burn Notice this weekend. I can swear that now that Bruce Campbell is being featured more predominantly than before, he’s getting a little cockier in his role. In this last episode, “Hot Spot,” they don black suits and white shirts. While the others are taking that sorta tougher expression, Bruce wears a smirk. He’s also jutting that chin a little more than before, which personally I have to say is awesome to see. :)

Another thing I find myself watching for are food and drink quests. Bruce’s character, Sam Axe, is all about the booze. Whether he’s drinking something, reaching for one, or just talking about it, alcohol is never far from the foremost thought of his mind. There are also jokes in the show about the state of Sam’s liver. :P

The food quest is all Mike‘s (Jeffrey Donovan). It’s about his love of yogurt. Blueberry I think was the flavor mentioned before. When everyone is at Mike’s place, they can often be seen eating yogurt. It’s become an ongoing joke that people keep eating his last yogurt. Even Carla (Tricia Helfer) camped out uninvited at his place, waiting for his return. And what did she do? She ate his last yogurt, of course.

Funny thing that happened in this last episode. They were standing around in the kitchen snacking on a jar of pickles. Are pickles now the new snack of choice at Mike’s place? I guess we shall have to wait and see.

Hail to the king — Bruce Campbell

Jan 262009
 

A friend sent me a link to this an article over on Wired‘s geekdad blog: Someone at USA Network Finally Understands Why We Watch Burn Notice

In case there was ever really a question there…we watch for Bruce Campbell of course! And yes, I do love that his role has been beefed up. Bruce is starring in Burn Notice indeed!

In Treatment

Apr 042008
 

Home, lounging on the couch yesterday, I decided to check out shows on demand. I’d remembered somebody mentioning HBO’s In Treatment to me and thought I’d take in an episode or two to see what it was about.

Gabriel Byrne plays a psychoanalyst, Dr. Paul Weston, who practices out of a home office. There are five episodes a week, each focusing on one patient. Monday is Laura, the woman who thinks she’s in love with Weston and trying to figure out if she should marry or break up with her boyfriend, Andrew. Tuesday is Alex, the high strung Navy pilot who aims to be the best of the best but finds himself floundering after a bad mission and a heart attack. Wednesday is Sophie, the Olympic gymnast hopeful who has two broken arms from a bicycle v. car accident. Thursday is a married couple, Jake and Amy, who are trying to decide on whether to keep a pregnancy or terminate it. The week ends on Friday with Weston’s own session as a patient with Dr. Gina Toll (played by Dianne Wiest), who he pulled out of retirement after not having seen her for a decade.

I watched week 1, which gave me some insight into each storyline. It was Sophie’s that spoke to me most. And I liked Alex’s story too. Plus, Dianne Wiest is amazing so seeing her in action is always wonderful. I also love seeing Michelle Forbes in this as Weston’s wife, Kate. It’s nice seeing a softer side to her rougher edged role in BSG.

I really didn’t care for Laura’s story. I watched her week 1 & 2 sessions and found that the plot there is just not speaking to me at the moment. Perhaps after I’ve explored the others. The concept behind Jake and Amy’s is intriguing, although I didn’t really enjoy watching them much either.

I ended up watching all nine weeks of Sophie’s treatment. I liked watching her reactions and seeing how she pieced things together. I also enjoyed seeing Weston direct her into situations that would force her to talk about what she needed to really discuss.

All in all, I’m fascinated by this show. I like bouncing through the weeks that are available on demand and following the characters that interest me. Next up? Hmm. Maybe the Navy guy. Hold off on The Byrne/Wiest stuff to later? I really don’t know yet. Guess I’ll just have to wait and see what inspires me when I have time to watch again…

The Blue Planet “Deep Sea”

Feb 212008
 

These are clips form a BBC series called The Blue Planet. This particular program is called “Deep Sea.” It’s pretty fascinating stuff. I love watching things about life that far underwater. :)

Part 1:

Part 2:

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles “Heavy Metal”

Feb 042008
 

Just finished watching tonight’s episode of Terminator. Some things were a little slow this time around. However, all I really want to say about it is that I love, I mean LOVE that Garret Dillahunt is playing a cyborg. The show just notched up a peg by that casting maneuver. Sweet… :D

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Jan 212008
 

Terminator: The Sarah Connor ChroniclesI wasn’t really sure what to think when I heard about this show coming out. Bionic Woman was kinda campy in a way that I can only describe as off. Not exactly sure why I was relating the two, but there you have it. I chock it up to having a spaz moment. :P

I just watched the two part premiere of Terminator on my computer. Watching TV (or movies) this way is annoying since I don’t have a remote and the volume is always extreme in its ranges. Plus, I’d much rather watch it on the bigger screen my TV has. I missed the show when it aired though. I didn’t even realize it was on. Go me for yet another spaz moment there. Luckily we can catch it online.

The show is set after the second Terminator movie ends, which is great for me since I never did see the third one. It begins with Sarah and John trying to keep low to evade the cops. They quickly end up on the run again when it turns out that the machines are back. This time around, help shows up in the form of a machine played by Summer Glau, who of course excels at playing quirky characters. I have no doubt that she will do fine in this role. I am also happy to see Richard T Jones as agent James Ellison since I miss seeing him on Judging Amy. I actually think all of the cast are well chosen at this point. I’m very intrigued to see where the show will go from here.

Here, I’ll leave you with this amazing image of Glau as a cyborg:

Cameron

And well, I guess that’s all I have to say about that for now. Hah!

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