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Underlying Ideas & Conceptual Reintegration: Returning Television – Summer 2011

16 Aug

Human fallacy and the thematic machinations of animation rarely move hand-in-hand except in the process sometimes of summer. Affecting a change in structure especially within drama and comedy is tricky, especially if one is not sure about the outcome. Staying with the norm only can work so far before the entire concept has to be thrown on its head, not in terms of tone but in the breaking point of the characters and what they consider as normal.

Penguins Of Madagascar The leftovers continue with their intensive functionality despite a bit of overactive silliness. The episodes are not as much spy-oriented as they are situational with the exception of the mythology-based Uncle Nigel episode though that ends with the emasculation of Private. The best revolves around Rico when the other three compadres end up stricken by herring food poisoning. The pacing becomes more reminiscent of a “Tom & Jerry” cartoon while an episode with King Julian being moved to the petting zoo for a bit is nothing if not funny as the lemur provides the inherent balance of the show which still has a fresh functionality.

Burn Notice Heading into the summer, just as Michael Weston was about to insure himself within the FBI, his handler in Max turns up dead. In between maintaining different possibilities for his friends and dealing with everything from militia to Serbian smugglers, the trails keep leading in and out from who he thinks actually is trying to subvert his reintegration into the CIA despite the fact that the “company”, especially his new contact Agent Pearce, thinks his crew is a detriment to him. The notion of reveal, especially in Michael’s misguided focus and perception, threatens to undo everything this burnt spy has worked towards. While last season seems to indicate a lack of vindication on the burn notice, its possibility and the double-cross element here rises the story structure back to its necessary level to keep the series both critical and entertaining.

Futurama Finding new and interesting ways to interact the space-time continuum is timeless for these characters. Ever since returning, they have 10 years of odd technology and pop culture to catch up on. Unlike something like “The SImpsons” plus with the allure of basic cable, the series can go as far as it wants to but smartly keeps in touch with its core audience of smart but still dumb. The aspect of the Fry/Leela relationship is placed in a contextual space which allows it to grow but, as usual and to great avail, whether it be increasing his processing power to become godlike to cloning himself and drinking all the alcohol on Earth, Bender is still the man, or clunker (as he would enjoy).

In Plain Sight In approaching a life such as those of Marshalls, especially one as cantankerous as Mary, going from 0 to 100 might be a way of life. However in dealing with Mary McCormack’s real life pregnancy, the writers were thrown a curveball. Granted it gives more humor and a distinct push out to the female audience members but it also creates an interesting dichotomy which permeates through different episodes. Someone like Mary would look at all the options but she seems to just let it go like she did the moment of passion she had with the would-be father. While this might be explained later, it creates a paradox of character which in general changes the complete direction of the show. Whether it is for good or bad is simply in reflection more so of the ratings but from a character point of view, its possibility limits the options available.

Imagined Iconography & Reversal Notions: New Television Shows – Summer 2011

16 Aug

Re-imagining long set ideas and iconic characters can always be a challenge especially when operating in a world that is built on their inclusion. While studios will continue to do so based on brand recognition or acceptable eyeballs, pushing the envelope by creating new possibilities in storytelling is not unheard of, especially with basic cable truly allowing the edge to go farther.

The Looney Tunes Show The key in resurrecting the personalities of 40s created characters in the modern age is to restructure certain societal traits. The one thing that Warner characters like Bugs and Daffy have been able to do is overcome any of these political hiccups because their idiosyncrasies were so universal in the first place and not based on any popular personification. Daffy still is a braggart and Bugs is a little more clever though he gets his comeuppance when he goes too far. While many of the episodes are balanced within notions of high school reunions, vacations and selling valuable property, the most interesting creations revolve within the periphery elements. “Merrie Melodies” has translated into a music video structure which includes some great odes with rap based backgrounds by Foghorn Leghorn and Marvin The Martian. The intention is cool but doesn’t seem forced. The most enjoyable of all is the Road Runner cartoons now done in 3D animation. The use of this structure adds a whole new perception, especially in one later episode which copies the structure of Japanese Samurai anime with dexterous results.

Durarara Acquiring new tendencies of anime always requires a notion of real time relevance and late night viewing structure as necessary by Adult Swim. In associating this specific title, they move away from more legacy based material like “Cowboy Bebop” and “Ghost In The Shell” which function as stalwarts. This new entry involving a set of gangs motivated against each other by crowd sourcing and hunted by a headless woman on a motorbike suggesting to be The Reaper has wanton focus especially since the lead schoolgirl is also supposedly possessed by a demon of sorts which allows her to control others. This entire intent is not based in notions of monsters or effects but instead on a simple practical groundedness which takes a lot more control and pinpoint accuracy in terms of the dialogue and set pieces much like the recent “Eden Of The East”. Finding broader storylines over a longer time might be harder as cinema texture here is not overtly high but the intrique functions quite adequately.

Thundercats This new incarnation of the famed 80s series takes a more slick, mythology-based approach to appeal to an older demographic. Gone is the overacting of Mum-Ra and replaced with a more warrior culture that is destroyed from within. Unlike the castle fortress of the last inkling, here the Thundercats are nomads searching for their destiny. It is more “MacBeth” with inlkings of “Lord Of The Rings” than a simple story of a king. The Sword Of Omens is a mystery to be unlocked with a portal that others are trying to steal. Mum-Ra, like The Emperor in “Star Wars”, is shown with a dexterity of will and more of a reason to despise the Thundercats because of their mutiny against his absolute rule generations before. The music and minimal cinematic use except when needed shows an intensive control of the elements which serves the piece well.

Wilfred Making a show about a man on the verge of suicide who he sees his neighbor’s dog as a man in a dog suit has the possibility of getting old pretty quick but not when it almost points to a Tyler Durden mentality. The fact that the basement they chill and get stoned in changes its architecture most times is a motivator to that fact. Using themes of “pride”, “acceptance” and others shows a good control of emotions and triggers which underlay the ideas of where the show wants to go. The intent starts off light but, like most FX series, begins to show a sardonic short side.Wilfred might be a figment of his new friend’s imagination but it points to a breakdown of reality changing all possibilities with dire consequences and great television if done right.

Living Specific Structure Redefined: Returning Spring 2011 Television Shows – Review – Part III

29 Apr

Those drama/thrillers that survive their first season jumps require either a sense of foreboding or story structure that interrelates their true nature. Whether based in a heightened universe (as most are) or in dealing with the moral ineptitude of life, the following shows examine the life in-between.

Fringe As the idea of the collapsing of two universes continues to gain credence, the conception of the Olivia/Peter relationship falls into almost the pairing that can undo the universe. In creating this structure with the alternate Olivia (with a very soapy but plausible functional plot twist), the idea of what is the greater evil becomes much more defined. Why and how certain things will happen obviously works in congruence with the show’s mythology which is now so deep that it will be hard for first time viewers to actually impede into the world. For example, the supposed ghost episode is highly interactive in terms of the battle between two worlds and works exceptionally because of it but reflects into the reality that the show provides. The densely structured character work especially with John Noble and now, to a high regard, Anna Torv works exceptionally well without losing sight of what the series actually is: a journey.

Stargate Universe Playing with the idea of self interplays with how the true nature of man unfolds. While the beginning of this on “Universe” begins predictably enough, the evolution of what the show begins to explore extends its esoteric potential. The only hesitation with someone like Dr. Rush is that Robert Carlyle plays his genius with disdain for everything else that it almost overcomes what the young character of Eli Wallace wants to perceive. The idea of a life within the cyberstructure of the ship, which is explored in one episode, truly draws the characters out but the race to the finish line to at least structure some closure leads to a parallel story structure which, while interesting, tries to cram too much information into a short progression of time.

Batman: Brave & The Bold The key in creating a more interesting and core Batman is to go dark which might stagger the actual possibility of good ratings. “Brave & The Bold” understands the necessity to go the other way placing the animated ode at an odd angle between something like “Batman Beyond” and “Superfriends”. While undeniably tongue-in-cheek for its own good, moving in different style directions, both artistically and narratively, has served it well. While the form has provided screen-time from everyone from Hawkman to Superman to new introductions like BatMite, the most egregious at times are the ones that border on silly like Bat Boy which, like the full musical episode last season, may be a little over the line. Batman is an institution and being able to poke fun is definitive to its structure while maintaining a decor of ethos. That said, having other superheroes try to play Batman while the Caped Crusader is injured on an orbiting space station ,did have its great moments.

The Event Accelerating the possibilities of the show revolves around the fact of trying to create new narrative elements that are seen in a different way and create an awe factor. Despite a distilled production structure, this series seems to play the ideas by the numbers. Disappearing on buses after taking down the Washington Monument almost plays too B-movie. The character structures resound flimsy as well with the Vice President almost too cartoonish to exert any real threat especially against the head of intelligence and a bunch of co-opted CIA agents. While the inset of the season, especially with the presence of Hal Halbrook, seems to indicate a bigger mythology, the eventual crux of that story line fizzles especially in relation to Jason Ritter’s vendetta fueled lead who ultimately comes off as more weak than resolute.

Law & Order: LA When shake-ups brewed inevitable in terms of personnel shifting on the series, the question became how involved would an audience be in the changing of the overall structure. If this kind of action were taken at the end of the second season, it might have had more power. The reality is that TV shows are on a much more restricted timeline in terms of delivery progression. While the movement of Alfred Molina to the detective side after Skeet Ulrich’s character is assassinated creates a structure of rich drama, it is not used to utmost effect because the investment is not quite there despite best intentions. The character that represents the most possibility is Corey Stoll though his emotional turmoil hasn’t manifested to a boil. That is the story line to watch.

Natural Evolution Mindful: New Spring 2011 Television Shows – Review – Part III

26 Apr

The balance between drama and humor as well as the real world and animation forms the in-between element of what resonates with audiences in an overall fashion. Examining five more structures of possibility, certain ideas of shows continue to gestate, some with resounding consequences but others settling somewhere between the aspirations of what they are trying to accomplish.

Chaos An action series on a rogue CIA operative team (as envisioned by exec producer Brett Ratner) has possibilities. Entering into South Korea or angling arms dealers in Eastern Europe has viable DNA. While the team does create some interesting textures (especially in relation to Tim Blake Nelson’s assassin spy), the energy does not have the raucous chemistry needed for such as outing (like “Burn Notice”). This is not to say the function of the series is not burgeoning but with such lofty goals in terms of scripts (even using a base of Vancouver), the production value needs to resonate with the scope of the show. It does this more often that not obviously gleaning for a more rogue “NCIS” but striving with a sense of depth that does not quite take hold just yet.

Sym-Bionic Titan Taking leads from the mechanoid anime of the 80s and making it your own is not an easy task but creator Gendy Tartakovsky who found a new way of looking at the Star Wars universe is no stranger to challenge. Optimizing both 2D and very subtle 3D animation tools, he creates an adventure that is both familiar and new, bringing to mind some of the aspects of the old Gerry Anderson adventures. Granted the family dynamic that forms Titan between two orphans and an omniscent machine grounds the material as much as one can without falling into melodrama (which is a weakness that befalls “Evangelion” by comparison). Titan’s strength revolves in its use of pacing and cinematic structure without belittling its core younger audience yet it still commands respect from its older viewing crowd.

MAD This new interpretation of the landmark magazine comes at a crucial time in its evolution when the print medium it had worked with for so long is crumbling in inherent disrepair. The problem is that the long pane material that served its pages so well (even recently with “Mad Men”) is very difficult to imagine on-screen. Instead using cutouts similar to certain elements of “South Park”, it is able to play out as a more parody-style show. But unlike “Robot Chicken”, whose audience is up a bit later, MAD has to key in to a prime time “Clone Wars” demo which both helps and hinders. While certain parodies of “How To Train Your Dragon”, “Bourne Identity” and “Toy Story 3″ have potential, it is the shorter form spurts like the well-regarded “Spy Vs. Spy” that really shine in the format. Time and evolution of a certain style will tell.

Breaking In The continuing prevalence of using humor as an offshoot to spy hunting actually resonates fairly well within this context of a security firm who is hired by high-end clients to test their weakness. The undeniable goof is that most of this team despite their different skill sets doesn’t emote the kind of searing brain-busting skill needed to effectively close these kind of operations, save for Christian Slater who, finally on TV, seems very comfortable in his own element. His character Oz doesn’t overwhelm the proceedings but is easily the most watchable aspect on the show. The one distinction that is missing though is a sense of scope. Within a smaller context, the show has possibility but it needs a more far-ranging structure (somewhat like “Chuck”) to give the stakes a little more resonance. The intuitive element of the romance between hacker lead Cameron and street smart Melanie, which is thwarted with comedically rich but narrative reducing Dutch (played with relish by Smallville’s Michael Rosenbaum), has potential but ultimately doesn’t add the necessary texture of the story.

Human Planet While “Planet Earth” and “Life” made the animal experience very vivid, the idea of the human condition does not differ in too extreme of a way. The only drawback, despite the interesting notion of what is being seen, is that our understanding of human beings might be too familiar. The most extreme aspect involving the building of a massive treehouse by native locals who are naked is perhaps the most jarring but mostly because of the notion of technology staring them in the face. The other percolating elements such as monkey hunting and whale slaughter in less developed societies shows the primal nature that fuels us despite any notions of superiority. The human race is animals by nature but with a preconceived idea of family which brings us together. This point is solidified with the story of a Tibetan dad who takes his daughter and son on an extremely dangerous trek to simply attend school. That more than anything distinctifies the Human Planet.

Formula Structured Rectifications: Returning Spring 2011 Television Shows – Review – Part II

7 Mar

Maintaining a sense of pacing, style, wonder and general creative progression with continuing series is always a path of infinite choosing. With formula-based series like “Royal Pains”, “Justified” and “Human Target”, what made them interesting was the modulation of characters while keeping some elements of their lives a secret. The more one knows, the more the progression of what they will become waxes more defined. With comedies like “Hot In Cleveland” and “Robot Chicken”, the intensity maintains to the fact of how far you will go.

Royal Pains The tendency of a medical show on the road is the aspect that situations tend to dictate the kind of medicine needed. The interesting angle of The Hamptons is that everyone wants to keep a secret. Unlike the earlier intersections of the past two seasons with international dealings and the idiom of Cuba, the new conflicts of the show seem remarkably domestic. Granted Evan, Dr. Hank’s brother, seems to be coming into his own but the respective intentions of their overall experiences (despite their physician assistant’s upcoming nuptials) seem structured and hardly full of tension. The pervasive father/sons dynamic optimizing Henry Winkler has intrinsically run its course with no indicative place to go. While the show’s vibrancy in terms of character is much more eccentric than say “Off The Map”, its narrative progression hiccups in its returning texture searching for a more worthwhile third act.

Hot In Cleveland Despite the farcical interaction of the three leads initially cast led by Valerie Bertinelli, the inclusion of Betty White despite the inherent extremity of the situations plays heartily. While her intention seems to soften a little bit a couple of episodes in, the vigor of the comedy coming fast and furious from the elder partier is refreshing. Though the two-part episode featuring a spot by Susan Lucci seems a bit forced prompting a return to Los Angeles, Cleveland is where the show lives as long as the jokes continue. A great example of the series’ inherent tone personifies itself in the idea of White as a mob wife who in the first episode ends up in the slammer with Mary Tyler Moore as a rival where things get catty. The grand element of these types of shows on TV Land is that you can bring in all the old cronies (like John Schneider from “Dukes Of Hazzard”) into any episode and it still targets the core demographic of the channel.

Human Target The relevance of Christopher Chance angles in allowing him to be an all encompassing superhero with a quick wit and no faults. This season introduces a seductive and all-together unknowing boss who enters into situations without a full perception of their possibilities. It is because of this gumption that she starts to unravel the team. The boys club with the three prism of brutality involving the braun (Chance), the instinct (Winston) and the brains (Guerrero) is tailor-structured as a modern day A-Team but with the addition of Ames (another female – who is a wonderful foil to Guerrero in a much different way in comparison to a similar egghead situation on “NCIS: Los Angeles”), there seems more of a balance of brevity which takes away from the peril of the situation. Like at the end of the Timothy Dalton era where James Bond changes his intent of focus in his job from professional responsibility to personal vendetta, the change of priority is interesting but is not as compelling as the original mission stories.

Robot Chicken The irrepressible ideal to bring the comparisons between “Family Guy” and “Robot Chicken” are undeniable simply because the crossover element is specifically created (more recently than not because of their consecutive “Star Wars” homages). What is becoming noticeable is the increasing prevalence of strong, darker and more adult themes in both shows. After surface gags have sufficed for so long what would seem to make sense to the creators (specifically director Chris McKay here) is the certain pop culture references that interact with modern society have to be turned against each other. The result, beginning with the premiere episode’s ode to “Saving Private Ryan” and continuing through many requisite skits reflects a sense of brutality that is much more prevalent than before. Oddly enough still the most satisfying bits are the humping robot because he is a throwback to the less cynical moments. The best bit so far though is the Keebler Elves trying to stop the Cookie Monster in an “Braveheart”-type stand off followed by the requisite trial where his mother attacks the judge. The comedy is funny to be sure but the underlying context moves darker and darker with decidedly mixed visions.

Justified After the inherently resolute finish with last season’s Crowder incident, the specific vision revolving around the price on Marshall Givens’ head would seem to be a resounding voice in terms of dealing with second season structure. In narrative progression, this should have created a less Kentucky-based idealism. However last season’s final incident is glossed over with an uneasy truce that appears to allow for another family of illegal proportions to find their way into Raylan’s life in the form of the Bennetts. This new family, among other things, offers the addition of exceptional actors in the form of Jeremy Davies and Margo Martindale who display Kentucky pride with the right amount of deviance. Boyd Chowder, who was the devil incarnate who found God last season, deals with both redemption and temptation which continues to be variant themes in the series while Raylan himself, despite some interesting personal relationships, comes more to terms with his life as a would-be reaper. The tension will continue with enough palpability as long as the drama proceeds towards a head with blunt force.

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