RobertKnepper-related stories
Posted Nov 3rd 2009 3:00AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Heroes, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E08) As
promised, this week's episode of
Heroes took us back to the heydays of the first season. Back when this was a world of wonder filled with new and exciting characters and mystery. Their futures lie before them, and it all centered on Charlie, the poor waitress that Hiro failed time and again to save back then.
Now that he's working on his bucket list before he kicks it, the time has come to head back three years and try to undo her death by Sylar's hand. Which means we got to see HRG, Claire, Hiro, Ando, Sylar and even Isaac as they were three years ago.
The question was whether or not he could change the past and save Charlie, when he failed to before. Furthermore, could he do so without changing all the subsequent events that had happened. He'd already had a taste of success with Ando and his sister, but this sojourn had much higher stakes.
Continue reading Review: Heroes - Once Upon a Time in Texas
Posted Oct 27th 2009 3:00AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Heroes, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E07) We'll have to wait until next week to see Hiro try to save Charlie. This week, we stayed with Noah and Jeremy, checked back in on Claire and Gretchen, and saw how Matt was faring with his unwanted head-guest. And things didn't really go well for any of them.
The series is really finding a nice stride, for those of us left to enjoy it. I'm racking my brain trying to think of ways to inject a sense of excitement into the show to lure some of its wayward former viewers back. Who could they cast for an arc on
Heroes that people would have to tune in to see. Summer Glau? Jennifer Aniston? Bill Cosby (he has the power of slow dancing)?
They're keeping things pretty simple now, not stretching us beyond three storylines per episode, and the sense of excitement and wonder really is back in a way I've not seen since the first season. I'll not go so far as to say this is the
Heroes of old, but it's a helluva lot better than the
Heroes of lately.
Continue reading Review: Heroes - Strange Attractors
Posted Oct 20th 2009 1:55AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Heroes, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E06) If there was a theme this week, it's about nurturing and guiding people with abilities. We followed up with Sylar, now in the nefarious embrace of the Sullivan Brothers Carnival, as well as Peter and Hiro, and by extension Emma. The quest to save Hiro's life from the brain tumor that's killing him even affords Noah the opportunity to atone for his cold past by providing support to a former kid he and the Haitian had "visited" back in his Company days.
We got some very nice character moments this week. I like Hiro in the role of mentor to Emma, as it gives him a focus for his crazy optimism. Plus, we got to see how stopping time makes a magic show even more awesome -- I know that's the kind of crap I'd be doing with that ability. Screw saving the world, watch me make this woman vanish.
Continue reading Heroes: Tabula Rasa
Posted Oct 13th 2009 4:15AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Heroes, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E05) I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but sometimes I wonder if we don't have more people reading TV Squad than
Heroes has viewers. And so I want to keep reminding fallen fans who may have jumped ship over the past two not-so-great seasons that things are going much better this season.
There's a better balance in each episode than there's been. In the past few weeks, we've been sticking to mostly three storylines per week. This time around, we checked in on Peter, Claire and Sylar (after his unearthing last week). They're allowing the characters room to breathe and be themselves, rather than just rushing into the next adventure.
It was character growth and development that I'd missed the most, and we're finally getting it. Zachary Quinto was fantastic this episode, and even Hayden Panettiere showed an inkling of range. Oh, who am I kidding, she was as wooden as ever, but that's why we like her ... right? That kind of looks like a cardboard cut-out up there, doesn't it?
Continue reading Heroes: Hysterical Blindness
Posted Oct 6th 2009 1:19AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Heroes, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E04) What are you doing with your life? Are you happy with what you do every day, 40 or more hours a week? If not, then you're not truly living
your life, you're living someone else's. Only when you realize that this life is a gift and it's so much shorter than any of us can possibly realize, can you truly start to live for yourself. Take a risk. Do what you want. Do what makes you happy.
That's pretty heady stuff, but it was apparently on the
Heroes writers' minds tonight, because that's exactly what this episode was about. And it turned out pretty well. There were moments of true growth for several of our characters, some good and some probably not so good.
Continue reading Heroes: Acceptance
Posted Sep 29th 2009 1:20AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Heroes, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E03) Let's talk candidly. After all, it looks like you and I are the only ones left watching this show. Remember the good old days when
Heroes was the top-rated show on NBC and all the talk at the proverbial water coolers? It feels like it was only three years ago.
It's a shame that it looks like this ratings erosion is a permanent one, as tonight was a good installment. Unless things turn around immediately, it's a pretty safe bet this will be the last volume of
Heroes. They need to sneak in some stunt casting or film a live episode or whore the stars out to all the talk shows relentlessly if they want to save the show.
If they want to.
Continue reading Heroes: Ink
Posted Sep 22nd 2009 2:45AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Heroes, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E02) Things are definitely getting interesting again. I'm glad
Heroes went with a two-hour premiere, because it wasn't until the end of this hour that we had enough to really grab our attention again. As expected, Samuel Sullivan and the Sullivan Brothers Carnival are right at the heart of the mystery right now.
There's another mystery brewing at Claire's college. Or maybe there isn't. Could what happened with Annie be as straightforward as everyone seems to want us to believe? But now that's the least of Claire's problems, due to her little impromptu experiment.
This episode focused primarily on four main storylines, and it progressed very smoothly for it. It wasn't too confusing, and I came out if it with a sense of confidence that there's a plan for the season. I'm still not sure if it's accessible enough for new viewers, but you never know. Maybe people are smarter than I give them credit for.
Continue reading Heroes: Jump, Push, Fall
Posted Sep 22nd 2009 2:12AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Heroes, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E01) Volume Five - "Redemption"
A new volume and new faces ... on the show, that is. At this point, I think it's a bit of a pipe dream by NBC to think they can nab new viewers. And as much as I was hoping they'd make this as accessible as possible, things are still pretty hopelessly complex. The situation with Nathan/Sylar alone is enough to make any new viewer change the channel. Maybe see how
House is coping with
life in the asylum.
On the other hand, Robert Knepper has joined the cast as Samuel, the leader of the Sullivan Brothers Carnival, and I couldn't be more excited. No matter how ridiculous
Prison Break got over four years, Knepper was just deliciously villainous as T-Bag. And he's just as enigmatic on camera here.
Tonight's premiere is a two-hour extravaganza, including the first two episodes of the new season. Look for my review of the second hour in a separate post.
Continue reading Heroes: Orientation (season premiere)
Posted Aug 17th 2009 10:02AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, Lost, Heroes, Reality-Free, Gone Too Soon
Long-time readers of this site might remember the recurring feature "
Short-Lived Shows." While this column may bear a resemblance to that beloved early
TV Squad staple, there are notable differences. In particular, I'll be going much more in-depth about the show's fate, its cast, continuing fan support, and possible story continuations in different mediums.
Also, to make this column, a show must have actually been good. Shows that are canceled and deserve it certainly aren't "Gone Too Soon." They're perhaps not gone soon enough. Furthermore, a GTS could just as easily have been on the air for years before ending abruptly. If I'm sitting here wondering what happens next and now I'm never going to find out, that's gone too soon.
Which brings us to our first entry. HBO is known for groundbreaking television, but even they didn't know how much ground they broke with
Carnivàle in September 2003. On the surface, it was yet another brilliantly produced period piece, perfectly capturing the look and feel of the Great Depression era United States. Underneath, it was nothing short of the epic struggle between good and evil.
Continue reading Gone Too Soon: Carnivàle
Posted Aug 8th 2009 5:04PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Spoilers Anonymous, Reality-Free
This is
Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at
TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our
tips form or by emailing us at
tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at
(775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
Note that over the summer,
Spoilers Anonymous will be published every two weeks due to production hiatus for most TV series. Weekly columns will resume in August.
This week we have spoilers for:
90210, Bones, Brothers & Sisters, Chuck, CSI: Miami, Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, Greek, Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice, Heroes, Lost, Melrose Place, NCIS: Los Angeles, Scrubs, Smallville, and The Office. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
Continue reading Spoilers Anonymous
Posted Jun 5th 2009 8:00AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Spoilers Anonymous, Reality-Free
This is
Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at
TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our
tips form or by emailing us at
tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at
(775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
This week we have a light version of the column as more and more series are on summer hiatus so production is halted. Look for spoilers for:
Greek, Heroes, Lost and Nip/Tuck. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)Continue reading Spoilers Anonymous
Posted Sep 3rd 2008 8:20AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Prison Break, My Name Is Earl, Casting, Reality-Free
Don't get me wrong. I like Michael Rappaport. I've seen him in dramatic and comedic roles and he's equally impressive in both, but something just didn't work at all every moment he was on screen in Monday night's season premiere of
Prison Break. Maybe it's because everyone from Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell to William Fichtner and even Robert Knepper talks in this sort of subdued menacing whisper. And then here comes Rappaport all filled with bluster and his thick New York accent and that quarter smile that's always on his face.
I don't know what it was, but every time he spoke it pulled me right out of the fiction. I know
Prison Break isn't anywhere close to Shakespearean in quality or writing, but one thing it's always had going for it is the quality of the cast and their performances, making you believe all the ridiculous things that happen.
Continue reading Michael finds poor rapport with tone of Prison Break
Posted Aug 26th 2008 7:04PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Spoilers Anonymous, Prison Break, Reality-Free
If you've watched FOX over the summer or read the upcoming season and episodes' official descriptions, you surely know of the big bombshell that will be revealed in the season premiere of
Prison Break. It's clear that FOX wants its audience to know of that reveal before hand in order to lure some viewers back to the show and create a buzz around the show.
If you don't know what I'm talking about and don't want to know about it, don't read beyond the spoilers warning. I suggest you also stop watching FOX until September 1 at 8 p.m. and that you stay clear from anything
Prison Break related. Because, as I've said before, it's clear the network wants you to know and they are not hiding that reveal at all.
Beware: spoilers ahead!Continue reading What to expect in season four of Prison Break
Posted Aug 6th 2007 11:01AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Spoilers Anonymous, Prison Break, Watercooler Talk
Last season's finale of FOX's hit show
Prison Break introduced us to Sona, the Panama prison where Michael needs to serve time. When reviewing the last episode, TV Squadder
Paul Goebel asked a few questions: What the hell is going on at Sona? Was getting Michael to Sona the endgame in all of this? Will he be the guinea pig in some awesome government experiment? Can Bellick suffer any more humiliation?
The answers to some of these questions and more after the jump.
Spoilers ahead!Continue reading What to expect in season 3 of Prison Break
Posted Oct 9th 2006 11:04AM by Brett Love
Filed under: OpEd, Web, Celebrities
There is an odd list over at MSN where they pick
Fall TV's Hottest Hotties. It's strange because of the haphazard way they go about the list. Apparently 25 wasn't enough slots, so they have the entire cast of
Studio 60, and the cast of
Prison Break on the list. Now, I'll give you Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell, but when you say the "cast of
Prison Break" you are including Robert Knepper (T-Bag) and Peter Stormare (Abruzzi). They are both great in their parts, but hotties?
Another oddity is that David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel from
Bones are lumped together in the list. It's strange not only because she is the third hottest woman on that show, but also because later Jason Ritter and Lizzy Caplan from
The Class take up two separate spots.
As with every list like this, someone always gets left off. I would have liked to see Adrianne Palicki (Tyra on
Friday Night Lights) in there somewhere. She's cute and that show can use all the help in can get right now. And it is hard to argue with Anya from
Deal or No Deal. Unless you bring up that her only line on the show is "Hi Howie." Who is your favorite Fall Hottie?
Six Mad Men characters who are in limbo after the finale
Fact or Fiction: Big Bang, Brothers & Sisters and CSI
The TV Squad Podcast: Linda Purl talks about The Office, we talk spoilers, and more
