Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 5: Reptile Boy Review

Reptile Boy

Original Airdate: October 13, 1997

Writer: David Greenwalt

Director: David Greenwalt

Continuing the theme of Buffy’s desire to live a life like other girls, Buffy wants to get out and have some fun. Unfortunately, Giles is putting on too much pressure for her to train and perform her slayer duties and Angel is patronizing her because of her age. So she tries to find some fun elsewhere, and she’s supposed to learn a lesson. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work as well as hoped, making this episode feel more like an uneven season one episode than a progressive second season episode.

Giles comes off as rather aloof this episode. Despite his feelings that Buffy may be slipping, she clearly isn’t, as she has no problem blocking his practice attack, nor springing to action to save herself, Cordelia and Callie from Machida. His behavior would’ve been a better fit early on in the series, when Giles didn’t know Buffy as well.

Angel isn’t helping much either. Obviously, being a vampire is a major problem when it comes to his relationship with Buffy, so introducing this problem of age difference seems rather insignificant. The bigger problem is that he will never age, whereas Buffy will eventually get old and die. It works slightly because Angel is not known for his social skills.

Considering how the romance between her and Angel is bad news, it makes sense for her to try to find another boy that doesn’t carry so much drama. So Tom seems to be a reasonable fit for that role. Of course, she would be wrong with whoever she picked. It is slightly interesting that the one nice guy in the frat, Tom, is that way only because he was saving the slaughter for his master.

Usually, when the writers attempt to do a message episode, in this case it “don’t lie to your parents/guardians and go to a party and drink or else you’ll be fed to a monster”, it doesn’t work well. While the metaphor could’ve worked to teach Buffy not to drink open containers at frat parties because someone there could’ve slipped her a roofie, the episode serves more to teach Giles a lesson that he can’t push Buffy so hard because the episode showed him as the one who made the bigger mistake. It also underwrites a major point in their relationship; Buffy lied to Giles so she could go to the party. By the end of the episode, what should’ve been a rift creating moment for the two is a throwaway moment.

This situation affects neither as much as it does Willow, who finds herself having a hard time trying to cover up for Buffy’s attempt to enjoy herself. Obviously, before Buffy showed up she was very much an introverted goody two shoes. Of course it was easier to justify bending the rules before because of the stakes involved, but this time it is pure indulgence. Her breakdown to the clueless Angel and Giles is one of the high points of this episode.

As “Buffy” is often seen as a sort of feminist empowerment piece, this episode decides to have her face off with an evil misogynistic frat. They drug young impressionable women and sacrifice them to the serpentine Machida. And of course, any time anyone refers to our title character as the “b” word (not her name), the sexism is clear just like Buffy slicing Machida in two is symbolic of females toppling male oppression. While it does work, it is a little easy to do the evil frat thing.

Cordelia gets a good amount of screen time this episode. While I won’t complain about seeing more of her, knowing her character arc makes me a little antsy for when we see more of her depth. It seems that they’re prolonging her integration into the gang for the sake of it being easier to write for.

This episode is an interesting mess. It could’ve been either a good episode to establish the characters in the first season, or to go with the theme of Buffy balancing her “normal” life with slayerdom. Instead we get an episode that has qualities of both, but as a whole doesn’t pack a significant punch.

Overall Score: 6/10

Nip/Tuck: Season 4, Episode 6: Faith Wolper, PhD Review

Faith Wolper, PhD

Original Airdate: October 10, 2006

Writer: Sean Jablonski

Director: Sean Jablonski

Now in the second third of the season, I am overall glad with the progress of getting over the bumpy road of the third season. Of course, when Nip/Tuck goes straight to crazy town the show is at its best. We have jilted ex-lovers, betrayed spouses and a girl getting hit by a bus. It also does a good job with the overall stories this season, even if there are a few problems along the way that may be indicative of the writers not having a solid plan for the season. On this show, it’s hard to tell the difference.

It is good that they didn’t forget Christian figuring out if he’s gay, but that opening sequence could’ve been easily trimmed to one or two minutes. We do see that Christian is aware that Sean’s uptight nature would spill over even if he was gay and came out, but I don’t it needed to take up this much of the episode. As far as dream sequences are concerned, it’s generally best to keep them short unless somehow they can advance the plot or character development.

Speaking of which, what was with Michelle acting uncharacteristically perky when she locked the doors of his office? One big problem with this storyline is that these characters aren’t acting the way they should be. Christian’s inconsistency was mentioned in the previous review, but now we have Michelle acting rather unprofessional for the sake of her own pleasure. It especially doesn’t work in the context of what she was forced to do at the end of the previous episode.

However, it does lead somewhere interesting, as Burt forces the two to have sex before him. For the first time, we feel bad for the guy, as he cringes over his payback (that look he gave when he saw Christian’s endowment must’ve further emasculated him). At first their marriage could be dismissed as one where Michelle is the trophy wife, it’s now clear that Burt genuinely loves her and the affair shook him to his core. He wouldn’t have tried that pump for sure.

Monica continued to be creepy, but was cut down before she could make it to the extreme that was expected. However, breast feeding Conor alone was demented. One has to wonder whether she had any disease and could’ve passed it onto him via nursing. I almost think that Monica poisoned Marlowe so she could be close to the McNamara’s.

Generally, if you’re screaming at someone and the camera doesn’t show whether or not your feet are on the sidewalk or the street, you’re going to get hit by a bus. Killing off Monica so early in the game is an interesting, albeit puzzling choice. It is an easy out from a long subplot involving her accusing Sean of rape, but what was the point of this affair?

It was good that they followed up Faith’s storyline in this episode, since her story in “Cindy Plumb” felt tacked on from everything else. They do a good job setting up her problems as a sex addict, which helps place what happened in the premiere in context. It’s also placing her in position to be the new disturbed woman to cause a lot of problems with the company and Christian, with him being just not that into her.

What ultimately, is the purpose of killing off one unstable ex (Monica) only to replace her with a new one (Faith)? This could be a point critics can claim that there is little planning for the season. Christian has a lot on his table already, between his questioning sexuality to his affair and bizarre arrangement with Burt and Michelle. And we’ve already had the woman scorned angle with Kimber. However, Faith has more power to manipulate people, using a clueless Burt to inflict the pain she feels on the doctors. So this may be a good idea when it pans out.

Escobar showing up, to convince Sean that killing Monica is the only choice he has, is still great, but also hints at a possible breakdown and duality for Sean. He has been acting increasingly unbalanced with his guilt and avoidance of the temptation of Monica. Killing off Monica may have been an easy way for him to get out of the affair, but he isn’t ready to forget, as he imagines the splattered Monica at the dinner table with him.

Also, it’s unlikely he’ll walk away from it since he lied about what happened to Monica. This was a stupid choice, as she was killed literally just outside of his office. A girl getting hit by a bus may not be a major story in Miami news, but the fact that it happened there is a hard piece of information for him to claim ignorance to.

The downside to reviewing a show in progress is that you can’t tell how a story will develop (unless you read spoilers), so some twists have to be regarded in a “see what happens” manner. It can be tough to determine which is a good plot twist and which is a desperate reach to save a storyline, especially on a prime time soap like Nip/Tuck. Regardless of whatever problems this episode may have, it is still solidly entertaining, and it’s great to see Nip/Tuck coming back to this level.

Overall Score: 8/10

Status Report - 10/17/06 - You look different without your scar.

Hello,

Sorry I was a little cranky last week, I had a lot of work to do (still do). But hopefully everybody else is doing better. On to the report:

Watching - Heroes, Studio 60, Desperate Housewives (it doesn't suck like last year), The Wire, Nip/Tuck, Lost, South Park, Office/Earl (the latter is in a bit of a sophomore slump), Stewart/Colbert, SNL.

DVD - Sadly, nothing now.

Music - Beck, also listening to a lot of podcasts I have.

Well that's it for me. For anyone who watched my show last week, sorry. It was an unbelievable pile of crap. I'm going to try to get a better episode tomorrow. Until next time, the remote is yours.

Matt

Nip/Tuck: Season 4, Episode 5: Dawn Budge Review Review

Dawn Budge
Original Airdate: October 3, 2006
Writer: Hank Chilton
Director: Elodie Keene

Money, as the cliché says, change everything. Also it is the root of all evil. While it can give you freedom from a life of back breaking work, the price can be steep. “Mo money, mo problems” as Notorious BIG once mused. Of course, as this is around the complication phase of the season, this episode isn’t going to be about the good part of money. Even when Christian pays off James, it is an effort in vain as she has no intention of letting go of a profitable plastic surgery enterprise.

Center is the eponymous patient (#9, Rosie O’Donnell). Overlooking the controversy she often sparks since her talk show fizzled, O’Donnell works well as trailer trash that suddenly finds herself disgustingly rich after the Power Ball victory and wants a look that reflects this new found wealth. This lottery win was going to bring bad luck, you don’t need to be a certain castaway to know that. While it may fulfill her wishes initially, this money brought some of her worst traits, like her controlling nature over her deadbeat husband and daughter, to the forefront. Ultimately, it leaves her alone, and now she won’t be able to make the connections she took for granted again without thinking that her wealth had something to do with it.

From buying an expensive re-wedding ring to make up for his affair with Monica to buying a Porsche for Matt to hiring a guy to abduct and re-program Matt, Sean finds himself opening his wallet wide to keep his family together. Unfortunately for him, he fails to realize that throwing money on the problem isn’t going to make it go away. Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy “thinner thighs” as Budge told Christian.

Glad they didn’t forget about Sean “following up” on Cindy’s operation. However, this does make Julia sound a little dumb. $500! I’m not sure how much phone sex lines cost, but that has to be a lot of time. And wouldn’t it be easier for him to contact her via her personal phone number to check up? Maybe at this point Julia just wants to believe what she thinks will be best for her.

Regardless, it results in Julia threatening to leave if Sean strays again. This piece is important because it adds to the stakes of the Monica storyline. While she is absent, we are reminded enough of her to avoid serious problems with this episode. Julia and Sean remarrying is clearly the calm before the storm of Hurricane Monica and wherever Matt’s Scientology takes him.

Matt’s decision to move to Scientology is motivated largely by his feelings for Kimber (can’t blame him, she’s smoking hot). However, Kimber seems more interested in molding and controlling Matt as her way to deal with the trauma of being helpless to The Carver. Taking Matt out of his home and planting doubt about any of his parents’ concerns shows that. Regardless of the lack of romance, they will likely have sex, albeit in a way where Kimber can have Matt at her mercy.

Before this episode, they were somewhat ambiguous on their feelings toward Scientology. This episode takes a stance and shows them in a rather unsettling light. The voiceless, uniformed young people hovering around Matt when the re-programmer confronted him were a telling sign.

It seems a bit unbelievable that Christian fell for Michelle as fast as he did. Yes, Michelle is gorgeous, but up to this episode he seemed only interested in her because of that and not for some deep connection. He’s been carrying a torch for Julia for years, not to mention his recent questioning of his sexuality, and this woman makes him drop it so quickly? If it had been Kimber, it would’ve been more believable as there was history between them.

Of course, by hiding the truth about James from Sean and their own acts from each other Michelle and Christian find themselves at the mercy of a massive debt which won’t go away with a check or a suitcase filled with cash. As they try to keep James away from their business, they find themselves linked closer to her because of her influence she has via money and incriminating photos. Christian ironically becomes a prostitute to Budge to keep the madam at bay. Michelle, to get what she wanted, sold her soul to a criminal and now has to do horrible things for an indefinite amount of time, as James won’t let her go that easily.

Although I complained a little bit about the lack of a major revelation with James in the last episode, this one more than made up for it. Despite it being rather obvious in hindsight, it was unexpected to see James coercing Michelle to taking out her clueless John’s kidney. Now they are setting James up to be the major villain this season, like Escobar, Ava or The Carver. Hopefully it’ll be more like the first two and the early part of the last one. I can’t wait until everyone else, especially Liz, finds out the truth.

This episode, while having a few weak character moments, continues the upward trend of the season. Already the organ thieves’ storyline is playing out very well, and revealing James as the one behind it solidifies her villainy.

Overall Score: 8/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 4: Inca Mummy Girl Review

Inca Mummy Girl
Original Airdate: October 6, 1997
Writers: Matt Kiene & Joe Reinkemeyer
Director: Ellen S. Pressman

This episode, following the classic “School Hard”, is a let down because of the season one concept remnant of using horror movie icons for story ideas. However, it does tie into the theme of the season: Buffy trying to achieve a sense of normalcy while balancing her duties as the Slayer. So this works to bring in a character, Ampata, dealing with similar issues, but, her dilemma doesn’t quite mesh or develop as would be hoped.

Instead this episode is another example of how Xander has awful luck with women, with his ill-fated romance with Ampata. Granted, Ampata is beautiful, but Xander and Ampata fall for each other a little too easily, making the tragic romance angle forced. It’s especially frustrating when the show has a far better tragic romance between Buffy and Angel. Maybe if they had Willow and Xander fight early in the episode, making this a little more about getting back at Willow.

Ampata, as a person, isn’t evil. However, her need to feed off the life of others makes her so. But the juxtaposition of this against Buffy hiding her slayer identity doesn’t fit. Maybe if someone else, like that goofy guard, was taking lives to support her, it would’ve clicked better. Perhaps this idea worked better on paper.

It is implied that Ampata was a Slayer as well, which helps explain how she could take on Buffy and not get a swift beat down. Unfortunately, her people took this as a sign of witchcraft and killed her. This angle could’ve been explored more in depth as it worked with the major themes of the season. Slayerdom has changed a lot in the five hundred years between Ampata and Buffy. While Buffy can’t have a totally “normal” life, she is far better off in modern California.

There are some glaring plot holes through the episode. How is Ampata able to get clothes? Certainly Buffy would be willing to let her borrow some, but wouldn’t she grow suspicious if she asked everyday for them? Although it may be just because they are teenagers who obviously spend a lot of time internalizing things, but wouldn’t either Buffy or Ampata realize that they’re acting similarly to cover up their secrets?

Plus, it’s ignorant of the gang to believe that Ampata would be able to decode that seal. Just because someone’s from another country doesn’t mean that they are an expert on the history and customs. This is one of those situations where they’re acting dumb for the sake of the story. And let’s not get started on the ethnic stereotype parade at The Bronze (why would The Bronze hold a school event), even if Willow in the Eskimo outfit was a little funny.

The biggest contributions of this episode are the introductions of Jonathan and Oz. Oz has a more substantial role, but his character is so far defined as having a crush on Willow (and appearing a little bit bored with his band). It’s forgivable since his character grows a lot in subsequent episodes.

While this episode has a lot of sloppy moments in construction of the plot, there are still elements of the season in place. This theme, unfortunately for these episodes, wouldn’t kick in until the final third of the season, where some real magic happens.

Score: 5/10

Status Report - 10/3/06 - Money ain't got no owners, only spenders.

Hello everyone,

Not much to report here. Big news this week is the long awaited premieres of Lost, South Park and The Nine, probably the last show I'll try out. I've been really busy lately, so I'll just get to the straight report:

What I'm Watching - LOST BABY!, South Park, The Nine, Prison Break (RIP Tweener), Heroes (well, I'm going to check out the 2nd episode on NBC's streaming site), Studio 60, Nip/Tuck, Stewart/Colbert, The Office (Dwight got a hooker!), My Name Is Earl (half-naked...), SNL and most certainly The Wire.

DVD - Not much, haven't had a lot of time to sit down and watch much of anything.

Music - Going to get the new Beck album soon, so that should be in heavy rotation for at least the next few weeks.

Reading - School books. As fun as it sounds no doubt.

Now it'll be interesting, as I have 2 reviews this week, Nip/Tuck's "Dawn Budge" and Lost's "A Tale of Two Cities". I have no idea when I'll get those up. That's it for me. Until next time, the remote is yours.

Matt

Nip/Tuck: Season 4, Episode 4: Shari Noble Review Review

Shari Noble
Original Airdate: September 26, 2006
Writer: Jennifer Salt
Director: Nelson McCormick

So far this season has been alright, as they’re trying to shake off the problems that bogged down the third season. Thankfully, this episode is what good Nip/Tuck should be: crazy things going on, but at the center is that human drama that works very well on the show. This show is all about excesses, so it’s appropriate that they deal with temptation often. It’s the theme this week, as Sean got deeper into an affair that he doesn’t want, Christian got forbidden fruit he’ll possibly regret and Shari, who found a bizarre way of dealing with her husband’s military time away.

The title character’s (#8, half pint Melissa Gilbert) story went from being slightly risqué, mostly because of what the dog bit off, to flat out crazy, which is just what this show should be. They did a good job hiding that reveal, even when the initial story didn’t work within the theme of temptation. When Mr. Noble comes in with the duffle bag, you think at first he’s a control freak. But in the end it is far more disturbing and memorable.

Elsewhere at the office, we learn that James is a madam who hired Michelle, but still holds her in her ruthless clutches. It is a bit anticlimactic, but forgivable since it was only revealed a few weeks ago. It seems that she is set up to be the real villain this season instead of Michelle, who is merely a pawn. Perhaps Michelle will side with the doctors to bring her down by the end of the season.

Christian once again gets to show just how awful he can be, extorting sex out of Michelle in exchange for keeping quiet about her past to her husband. Despite his conflicting feelings about which “team” he’ll play on, there was no way he wasn’t going to pursue the gorgeous woman who he sees every day at work. It also plays into the theme of temptation. This decision, as many where Christian places his desires over telling Sean the truth is setting James up to take even more power in their lives. It adds to the rift last week, which would add to why Christian acted as he did.

Marlowe’s character is developing rather well. There is clearly some connection between him and Julia, as he manages to calm her to breast feed Conor (which apparently is the way they’re going to spell it). Although I think he’d be too professional to sleep with a client, this is Nip/Tuck, so he must have something to him. He does have an unusual ability to cut to whatever psychological problems are facing the other characters.

I’m undecided about the hot organ thief seducing Liz and stealing her kidney. For those who don’t know, this is a play off a popular urban legend advising against picking up people in bars. Granted, the show has always done bizarre things like this, but reaching into urban legends for story material doesn’t feel like a good omen. It reminds me a bit of when Boston Public did an episode where someone was attacking people in the parking lot by slashing their ankles.

I am glad they have given Liz a little more substantial material this season as she usually acts as a reactionary character to what the docs do. So is this kidney ordeal going to be an ongoing story? Was she targeted? Considering this was a bar, it may not be the best place for healthy kidneys. Was this an elaborate sting operation where someone managed to get Liz’s medical records? This also could be shaping into another multi-episode storyline, which may be a bad decision unless it is only a few episodes. They briefly tackled organ thieves back in season one with Escobar blackmailing the docs to operate on a mule, so could this connect back to Escobar’s crew, finally out to get revenge?

Although having Robert Lasardo and Julie Warner in the credits spoiled the surprise of their appearance, having them appear in Sean’s hallucination worked so well. Escobar was great as the “devil” back in “Joan Rivers” when Sean was figuring out how to deal with The Carver that they should’ve done that more since then. It was also great to see Megan reappear, both because she represents the “angel” and as a remembrance of the last woman Sean had an affair with. As for what these hallucinations meant, I’m not sure, but man did Sean screw himself over by saying he loved Monica.

Speaking of which, Monica is going full speed down the road to Alex Forrest territory. She has no self esteem and is placing everything into Sean, who clearly is only into her because she doesn’t argue with Sean the way Julia does. It’s no coincidence they picked “Obsession” for her to dance to instead of something romantic. So what is going to happen when Sean finally cuts those ties for good? And what happened to the first dad?

When it comes to temptation, no one stands to gain from yielding to it. This is what sets Nip/Tuck apart from mere titillation for its own sake. It is a welcome return to form for the show, and hopefully indicative for where the season is heading.

Overall Score: 8/10