Posts with tag Victor Garber
Posted Apr 4th 2008 1:11AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Eli Stone, Reality-Free
(S01E10) The title of this episode was called "Heartbeat" because Eli's case involved a heart transplant -- two actually -- but "Reflections" might have been more appropo. Eli awakened in Nate's body and continued to find himself reliving his brother's life ten years before. And not on just any day, but the day that their dad died.
Overall, this was a particularly interesting episode because it seemed to lay the groundwork for where
Eli Stone is going. Since it's likely that the show is going to be renewed -- deservedly so -- the prospect of Eli getting that surgery which may correct the aneurysm that's causing his visions, may not be happening after all.
Continue reading Eli Stone: Heartbeat
Posted Mar 28th 2008 12:28PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Eli Stone
(S01E09) Boy, that George Michael cat is one helluva swell guy, isn't he? Now I'm not sure how many celebrities would feel the need to get involved in a newspaper story, but George got all Oprah and put himself out there for this girl he doesn't even know. As for how he wound up picking Eli to lawyer up and take the case? Would you believe it came to him in a vision? Maybe the case was in the vision, too.
In a way, this episode serves as a closing chapter in the first major arc of the
Eli Stone story. Sure, dangling threads keep thrusting us forward, like the unresolved issues regarding Patti's old stomping grounds and the earthquake of ... when was that now? Oh, that's right it hasn't happened yet. But this craziness all started with George Michael appearing to Eli in a vision, so there's a nice symmetry in the real deal serving a significant role as well.
Continue reading Eli Stone: I Want Your Sex
Posted Mar 14th 2008 12:00PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Eli Stone
(S01E07) I think the shift to a more balanced blend of done-in-one cases and linear plotlines suits
Eli Stone well. And with the continuing emphasis on "The Adventures of Keith and Matt," and the case of the foul ball murdering baseball player, the show is developing more of an ensemble approach a la
Boston Legal, rather than just showcasing Eli and his problems. Even the visions faded to almost non-existence tonight, and I think the show got better because of it.
Finally, after tonight's episode I get the character of Maggie Dekker and see the potential in her. The one-dimensional "annoyingly optimistic naive new kid" is starting to develop some real personality as well as showcasing some actual legal capabilities. This started last week when she nailed Eli as a poseur for becoming "good Eli" only because of his aneurysm. She's actually become a character I like, though I don't see why she had to cut and change her hair color. What's wrong with that hot blonde from
Veronica Mars up there?
Continue reading Eli Stone: Heal the Pain
Posted Feb 22nd 2008 1:01AM by Richard Keller
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Eli Stone
(S01E04) Is James Avery always a lawyer these days? Every time I see him he's either a lawyer, or a judge, or someone involved in law enforcement. Gosh, even in The Closer he's a medical examiner. And in other things he's been a general and a Chancellor and other characters of power. Well, I guess if you are going to be stereotyped in Hollywood it's best to be stereotyped as a person of authority.
Anyway, Avery was a guest-star on this week's Eli Stone as, you guessed it, a lawyer. But, he wasn't a member of Eli's firm. He was actually requesting the services of Jordan Whethersby to represent him in a case of same-race discrimination. You read right -- this was Jordan's case, not Eli's. This makes it the first time in the show's short history that there was more than one case shown on an episode.
Continue reading Eli Stone: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
Posted Feb 15th 2008 12:21PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Eli Stone
(S01E03) Okay, it looks like we have the formula down pretty well now. Eli's going to have some bizarre visions that will jeopardize his personal and professional life, but those visions will help him make decisions as to what to do. Could it be a brain aneurysm? Sure, if aneurysms can specifically name clients that he hasn't met yet as tonight's does. Instead of creating a compelling long-form narrative,
Eli Stone is going to be a typical legal dramedy with a few spot visions thrown in to mess with Eli's life. That's it and it's a shame.
Continue reading Eli Stone: Father Figure
Posted Feb 1st 2008 12:46PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Eli Stone
(S01E01) "Oh, Did I mention I recently found out I could be a prophet? Yeah, I was shocked too."
What better lead-in could a show about a guy who may be a prophet having visions of the future (or may just be plain crazy) want than the season premiere of
Lost? And in this strike-stripped era of reality television and reruns, any new scripted fare is bound to draw the reddened eyes of those sad and pathetic little viewers asking themselves why oh why did they watch the entire season of
Crowned.
But while I went into it expecting something different and interesting, I instead found a fairly standard legal drama with a gimmick. Sure, you could argue that
Pushing Daisies is nothing more than a standard mystery show with a gimmick, but the characters and charm of
Daisies can win out over that. So far,
Eli is missing that ingredient.
Continue reading Eli Stone: Pilot (series premiere)
Posted Oct 19th 2007 12:40AM by Erin Martell
Filed under: Ugly Betty, Episode Reviews
(S02E04) I felt like I was watching a bizarro version of Ugly Betty this week. Betty was a cheater, Justin belched, and the guy from Dawson's Creek was an insensitive jerk! What's next--Hilda dressing conservatively? There were several unpleasant surprises in this episode, but Gio's absence probably made some of the viewers happy. It's always difficult to watch the episodes where obstacles are set up for each character, but how else can there be a happy ending later on? Still, it took a while to get over the shock of seeing Justin wearing his Dad's leather jacket and hearing him say things like "Whatevs."
Continue reading Ugly Betty: Grin and Bear It
Posted Oct 24th 2006 11:08AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, FOX, OpEd, Justice
Finally! TNT&G loses a case! And the client--a kid, even--is wrongly accused! Unfortunately, it came too late for me. Last night, as I sat down to write my review of "Crucified", I realized that I loathed the idea of watching another episode of this show. Even though it has been on hiatus for three weeks because of baseball, I did not miss it one bit. As I watched, I realized that I hate this show. And I mean
hate.
But as an aside-- was the acting and the writing in this episode especially horrible, or what? The parents of the victim were given AWFUL, generic lines that they delivered without emotion ("Have you been driving my car again? I told you not to!") and the attorneys' dialogue between each other was way too expositionary. I think this episode was written to catch up new viewers.
Here's why I'm no longer watching/reviewing
Justice:
Continue reading Why I'm dropping Justice
Posted Oct 4th 2006 7:23PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, FOX, Justice, Pickups and Renewals
Jerry Bruckheimer's newest crime/law drama is not dead yet. Reuters reports that FOX has ordered up three more scripts for the series.
Justice, starring Victor Garber, has regularly finished fourth in its time slot on Wednesdays at 9 pm (even behind reruns of
Lost- ouch!). Late last month,
Fox announced it was putting
Justice and
Happy Hour on early hiatus ahead of the World Series. That didn't look promising for either show, but at least
Justice gets to take another swing at the viewers. No word on the fate of
Happy Hour.
Even though I really want to see Kerr Smith and Victor Garber be successful, they can do better.
Justice is already predictable... and enough with the handheld cameras!
Posted Sep 28th 2006 7:29AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, FOX, OpEd, Justice
(
S01E05) This is the last episode of
Justice for an undetermined amount of time. Earlier this week,
we reported that the show is going on early hiatus (along with
Happy Hour) in advance of the World Series. FOX says the hiatus doesn't mean the show is getting canceled or is even in jeopardy, but, quite frankly I think it could be in jeopardy. While I like the gimmick of making us wait until the end of the show to see how the crime was really committed, the procedural is becoming awfully formulaic. How are you guys feeling about this show?
Continue reading Justice: Wrongful Death
Posted Sep 27th 2006 10:09AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, NBC, FOX, CBS, OpEd, The Five, Justice, Heroes, Jericho, The Class
I tend to have very little patience with new television programs. I usually give them two or three episodes and then I tune out. I did that for
Desperate Housewives during season one and I still don't regret canceling my Season Pass to that show. And now, this fall, I am doing it once again. I get all giddy over new shows that I think have a great premise, and then I get bored quickly. Apparently I can't handle more than 5 seconds of bad television. Here are The Five: New shows that are already getting old:
Continue reading The Five: New shows that are already getting old
Posted Sep 21st 2006 3:01PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, FOX, OpEd, Justice
(
S01E04) I really enjoyed Tom Nicholson's (Kerr Smith) storyline in this episode. We get to see his weaknesses as he loses sight of his job when his relationship with a client clouds his judgment. Plus, someone else gets to try a case for once.
The episode opens with a man falling from a skyscraper and then the shaky camera work begins. This week's victim is Daniel Benson, son of legendary studio head Scott Benson. The victim's girlfriend, Molly Larusa, is missing. The two were dating in rehab, which is where Benson plummeted to his death. TNT&G fits into the equation because the missing girl's father is their client, Frank Larusa.
Continue reading Justice: Addicts
Posted Sep 14th 2006 7:12AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, FOX, OpEd, Justice
(
S01E03) Good opening sequence. We see a guy strangle a girl, then learn it's on a film set, and then we see it's a reenactment for smarmy
American Crime. A chick named Beth, who is about to be married, disappears after getting a ride home from a bartender, Jake Garcia.
Garcia has some good evidence against him. He lied to the police about giving Beth a ride home, her sweater is in his car, and so is her blood (which he says came from a cut to her foot). It looks like the cops are going to ambush Garcia at TNT&G offices, but Ron Trott (Victor Garber) turns the tables by parading his client in front of the media and offering a $1 million reward for the safe return of Beth, who may or may not be a runaway bride.
Continue reading Justice: Behind the Orange Curtain
Posted Sep 7th 2006 7:32AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, FOX, OpEd, Justice
(
S01E02) Oh my God. Did anybody else get dizzy while watching this? Maybe the target audience on this show is the MTV crowd. Jeez. All the handheld camerawork, quick edits and zooms made me queasy. That seemed new. Also new this week were the banners for different times in the case (i.e. 'Self Surrender', etc.). Kinda hokey and unnecessary. It also seemed like Rebecca Mader's appearance had been softened a bit since the premiere-- a positive change if you ask me. She seemed a little scary and inhuman in the pilot.
Continue reading Justice: Pretty Woman
Posted Aug 31st 2006 1:16AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, FOX, OpEd, Justice
(
S01E01) This show seems like a regular Jerry Bruckheimer, over-the-top procedural right up until the end, doesn't it? Just like on every version of
CSI, the attorneys on
Justice have all the coolest bells and whistles to help them do their jobs. Only this time, there's a twist at the end. We spend an hour watching a team of attorneys spin a case in their favor... and then we get to see what
really happened. I want to know what evil genius conceived of this show and I want to simultaneously shake his/her hand and slap his/her face for suckering me into an hour of television every Wednesday night. 'Cuz I'm hooked.
Continue reading Justice: Pilot (series premiere)
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