Michael in Nashville

Lost: Something Nice Back Home
Oh I wish I hadn’t been right last week when I predicted that this week’s Lost wouldn’t compare to last week’s Ben-centric episode. Oh why couldn’t they have worked a bit harder to prove me wrong?

Talking to a friend about the episode, she pointed out that this year’s episodes have followed a pattern of the odd number ones a brilliant and the even numbered ones, not so much.

And this week was an odd episode. In more ways than one.

I found myself wondering if the producers felt they had to give us this episode to try and explain why Jack mentioned his father in the present-tense during last year’s finale. Because heaven forbid they admit it was just a red-herring to throw off the viewers so when they eventually pulled the carpet out from under us, we were all stunned. The impact of it being a flash-forward was enough for me that I was willing to forgive it or chalk it up to Jack’s deteroriating mental state as we saw during the entire episode last year.

And while I like Jack, I did feel as if this was a chance for Matthew Fox to channel his inner Charlie Salinger for a few minutes, esp. in the scenes with Kate. It was like half a season of that show in about half-an-hour. Oh, I love Kate. Oh we’re getting married. Oh, my jealous control-freak half is showing. Oh, we’re doomed. The thing is we all know how it plays out to a certain point, so the impact of seeing it unfold wasn’t quite as good. Again, no where near as interesting as last week with Ben or the Desmond episode a few weeks ago.

That said, there were still some isolated bits to like. Mainly all the stuff happening on the island. I loved seeing Jin’s realizing Charlotte can and does understand him and making a deal for Sun to leave the island. And the question of just how did Jack and Claire’s father get onto the island and where has Claire gone is intriguing. Based on the pattern of things, I bet we don’t delve too far into where Claire has gone next week, but will the week after.

Also, I’m beginning to think Jack is going to force his way off the island. His behavoir in the flash-forwards seems to make me think he has a lot to lose if the truth comes out. I have a feeling he will want to desparately go with Kate to the point that he will screw some other people over or make a deal that haunts him. I sense betrayal and the control-side of Jack lurking out there. And looking at it now, it’s fascinating that in just about all the Oceanic Six flashforwards, Jack or Hurley play some kind of role. Is it too extremes of conscience over the choices made? Is Hurley’s apparent mental decline and seeing Charlie out of the guilt he feels over what’s happened? And is Jack’s desparation to make sure everyone is on the same page part of that as well?

Battlestar Galactica: The Road Less Travelled
The first “just OK” episode of the season for me. But then again, it could be that it’s the first of a two-part story and we have yet to see how it will all play out.

For the first time this year, the focus narrows to just two stories–that of Tryol and Baltar and the wacky antics of Starbuck, who is slowly losing what’s left of her fragile little mind.

First up, the Baltar plotline. I’ve heard it said that you either love or hate the direction this is going. As I’ve stated before, I am firmly in the camp of loving it. The storyline of watching Baltar try to bring about massive religious change and shatter the polythesistic beliefs of the Colonials is fascinating. Also, to see how he’s doing it and how he’s being manipulated by another female Cylon–can you say irony anyone? I wonder if Baltar will discover that Tori is a Cylon before anyone else does and just what his reaction will be? The man does have a weakness for the Cylon ladies, if you know what I mean. Also, I am shocked that we’ve not had any more reaction from Six to this latest turn of events. And I’d still love to see Baltar talk to himself again like he did a few weeks ago.

Then we’re out on the Demitrius where Starbuck’s craziness is starting to take a toll. The crew is none too happy with her and cracks are starting to show. Helo is defending her but you can tell the guy is having a harder and harder time with that. Then Lebonen shows up and wants to propose some kind of alliance between his faction of Cylons and the Colonials. And, as we all know, Lebonen has had some kind of weird fascination, connection to Starbuck dating back to season one when she interrogated him. It just gets a bit more weird here.

Now, I predicted a few weeks ago that I could see the show going to a point where the mechanised Cylons wipe out the skin-jobs, thus creating some kind of loop where it cycles back to the original series and those models. And this development only sort of makes me feel a bit more justified in the thought that this could be the case. Of course, I’m not Ron Moore, so the rug could be pulled out from me at any time.

I do find it interesting that the crew finally reaches a breaking point and mutinies against Starbuck. Which would have been a fun little surprise had no SciFi’s promos during other shows given it away. Seriously, who makes these things? I know you’ve seen it all, but that doesn’t mean some of us don’t like to be surprised.

And then the networks wonder why people with DVRs wait a few minutes into the show so we can zip past the commericals. It’s not that we’re against the products being sold, so much as we’re avoiding the ruining of the last two minutes of any given show due to your promos.

Lost: The Shape of Things to Come
Lost’s first new episode after the five-week hiatus and it’s a doozy and a half, providing a few answers but opening up a few dozen more doors. I’ll go ahead and say it–I think this season is shaping up to be the best since season one.

And with that statement, I realize I’ve doomed next week’s episode to be one of the worst ever.

I don’t care. I’ll probably just watch this one again on the DVR.

So, here’s some random thoughts:

• Ben shows up in the desert in a park with a Dharma logo. I am assuming that he doesn’t leave the island with the Oceanic Six. Does he leave somehow via the station in the wintery conditions we’ve seen before?
• Anyone else think Ben was invovled in the death of Nadia in order to manipulate Sayid into helping him.
• Interesting that the storylines of Sayid and Desmond follow similar tracks. Both lose a woman they love, will find her again and have the potential to have her taken away. Sayid has lost Nadia…could Desmond lose Penny?
• Is the target Ben has Sayid going after Penny?
• Does Ben somehow control the smoke monster? Or did he make some kind of deal with Jacob/the island to slaughter the Whitmore soldiers?
• Kind of an interesting trifecta with Ben, Locke and Hurley going to find Jacob.
• The storyline on the beach where it’s revealed the helicopter people are lying was interesting. More wackiness with time there?
• Is something wrong with Jack? I mean more than that he can’t see past his obsession with Kate?

Battlestar Galactica: Escape Velocity
The last three episodes of Battlestar have reminded me of a quote from J. Michael Stracysnki during season four of Babylon Five. Stacynski pointed out that while space battles were great and he loved seeing them, you could tell just as great a story with two people in a room talking, if you wrote it right.

The last three episode of Battlestar have shown just that. We did have a colossal space battle to start the season, but since then it’s been about the characters and implications to them. And a whole lot of two people in a room talking.

And if it’s going to be as good as it has been, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Now, I’ll admit I have a natural bias toward the writer of this week’s story. Jane Espenson worked on Buffy and a whole lot of other Joss Whedon shows. So, naturally when I see her name, I figure it’s going to be good. In fact, I expect it to be good. And the good news is that its rare that Espenson disappoints me.

I’m glad this week’s episode picked up a few days later and showed us the impact Cally’s death is having on Tyrol. Watching his slow descent into darkness is compelling and the scene with Adama at the bar where Tyrol lets loose, saying he never really loved Cally but settled for her was one of the more compelling in the episode.

But not nearly as compelling or fascinating as the scenes between Tigh and Caprica Six. I love how Tigh’s guilt over killing Ellen for collaborating with the Cylons on New Caprica is manifesting itself here. The visions of Six becoming Ellen and Tigh seeking some kind of absolution or understanding from her were superb. Tigh’s attempts to understand or justify what he did in the light of his new found knowledge that he is a Cylon is one of the best plotlines going on right now. And it just goes again to show how incredibly under-appreciated Michael Hogan is as Tigh.

And does anyone else find it interesting that while Tyrol and Tigh are crumbling under their new found knowledge and are plagued by self-doubt that Torri is the one who has become a blunt instrument, dark, cold and calculating. Her killing of Cally last week, her continuing to use Baltar and her overall attitude toward everything makes her utterly chilling.

Speaking of Baltar, I’ve heard that with the character you either love him or hate him. Put me firmly in the camp of loving him. The scenes where the guards kept hitting him, knocking him down were superb. And then to see Head Six pick him up and literally pull him up was a superb bit of work. Also, the scene where Roslin tells him she’s no longer going to put up with his hijinx was a nice touch. I am loving the new direction for Baltar and I have a feeling he could be leading humanity toward its destruction.

Speaking of Roslin, does anyone else find it interesting that she seems to be consolidating her power and becoming more and more convinced of her unerring destiny each week? Also, she seems to tolerate dissent to her policies less and less. Is she being set up for a huge fall or blunder at some point? Or to have her approval ratings drop to a low point? Will Lee step up to challenge her with Tom Zarek pulling strings?

Man, I love this show and so far, it’s been back with a vengeance this year.