TRUE BLOOD, 4.8 - "Spellbound"

My star-ratings for True Blood tend to reflect how much of each episode focused on storylines I care about or enjoy having wash over me. Unfortunately, after last week's high-point, I thought "Spellbound" allowed too many of this season's tedious subplots to spoil the brewing war between vampires and witches...

After teasing us with the almost-certain death of Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) last week, who was bewitched into walking out into daylight, that didn't come to pass—thanks to Jason (Ryan Kwanten) rugby tackling her indoors just as Marnie's spell ended. Jason's act of heroism only strengthened Jessica's infatuation with him, eventually leading to her breaking up with poor Hoyt (Jim Parrack). Actually, there were two breakup scenes, with one involving Jessica aberrantly killing Hoyt by smashing his face in—revealed to be a dream sequence. (True Blood does this a lot, but I stupidly fell for it yet again.)

Elsewhere, Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) continued to bring erotic fan-fiction to life, having sex in fantasy dreamscapes as their love deepened; Sam (Sam Trammell) tried to repair his relationship with Luna (Janina Gavankar) after their misunderstanding, only to meet her werewolf ex Marcus (Dan Buran), Alcide's (Joseph Manganiello) new packmaster; Tommy (Marshall Allman) used his "skin-walking" ability to pose as Maxine Fortenberry in an effort to get his hands on the money her land's worth; Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) had a dream that explained the mystery of the ghost haunting Arlene's baby (the apparition lost her own child many years ago), before the dead girl possessed him; and Bill (Stephen Moyer) reached out to Antonia/Marnie, promising a truce between vampires and witches, only for their midnight rendezvous at a cemetery to end in a fracas with Sookie injured and Eric under Marnie's control.

I'm still struggling to find Sam, Lafayette and Alcide's storylines in any way interesting this year. I have a vague hope they exist because they'll factor into the finale, but they're most likely just ways to give those characters something to do. Alcide's been especially wasted this season, but to be honest I don't even understand the character's existence on the show, so he feels like a stupid way to add some beefcake to the show. Lafayette has also been poorly treated. He rushed off with boyfriend Jesus to find a way to protect themselves against vampires now that Marnie has provoked them, but has since returned to Bon Temps and just resumed work at Merlotte's? What's going on? And now Lafayette's been roped into the daft ghost/baby storyline, making it feel like everything this season has just been a long-winded way to explain that Lafayette is a spiritual medium. It feels incredibly disordered and, frankly, the idea of a ghost with maternal feelings for a baby because she lost her own before she died (or was likely murdered) isn't very interesting.

Sam's storyline also feels like a desperate way to connect his storyline to Alcide's, possibly because they're individually poor subplots so may feel stronger if there's an overlap. I don't know, it's just another case of True Blood filling much of its screentime with wasteful scenes and weak ideas.

As has been the case for many weeks now, season 4's greatest strength has been giving vampires an interesting menace to contend with in Antonia's spirit. The show is often about the loss and gain of power, and this has been a really entertaining way to see a few all-powerful vampires characters suddenly lower on the pecking order. It's also given Bill some of the best material he's ever had, ironically be ditching the Sookie/Bill relationship that was the show's primary focus until this season. He's really stepped forward as a leader and, thanks to showing the depth of his attachment to Jessica and maturity over Sookie's relationship with Eric, has really matured in my eyes.

Overall, maybe True Blood's impervious to criticism. There are bad storylines, flawed storylines, and good storylines. Each episode offers its audience a different combination of those, and if the brilliant storylines are emphasized more one week you'll have a fun time. And if they're not, you'll be left gnashing your teeth at the idiocy of the writers and how stupidly they're handling the ever-expanding cast. "Spellbound" was great fun when the witches were the subject of conversation, because there's a feeling of tension to this burgeoning war. It was also entertaining whenever the always sympathetic and beguiling Jessica's around, despite the fact her boyfriend Hoyt's become a whiny pain this year, but otherwise this episode was forgettable piece-moving.

Asides

• Has it been explained why Arlene thinks it's okay to give her one-year-old son that spooky, filthy doll to play with in his cot? Yeuch. Think of the germs. Give it a wash, at least. Terrible parenting.


• Shall we call Marnie "Marntonia" when she's possessed? It may be easier when explaining things, going forward.


• I admit it took me a few seconds to twig that Maxine was actually a shape-shifted Tommy, and it's certainly amusing that Tommy makes no attempt to act like the people he's impersonating.


• Does the young black ghost mother have a name?


• Anyone else think the show's gearing up for Hoyt to die, so Jessica can get with Jason in season 5? If so, he'll probably go down in a blaze of glory rescuing Jessica and proving his love, making her feel very guilty for having an affair.


• No movement on Jason being a were-panther or "Ghost Daddy" to the Hot Shot degenerates. Has that storyline died? If so, good riddance, but it's perhaps even more unforgivable if there was never any reason for it to exist! Did the writers just need to keep Jason out of the way, chained to a bed, for four episodes?


• In a similar vein, there's been nothing about the Fae since the premiere! Are they being kept on the sidelines until season 5? It felt like they'd have a big role to play this year, but they've been forgotten about. In some ways that's very wise because the show is already very crowded, but a premiere should set the stage for what the season's going to cover, so dropping the Fae like a sack of potatoes isn't very clever.


• Random query: can't shape-shifters just turn into the biggest and baddest wolf imaginable? I'm unsure why werewolf Marcus gets in Sam's face, but was so keen to ensure his kind keep away from vampires. If you ask me, werewolves should fear shape-shifters equally as much. They can turn into anything!

written by Alan Ball / directed by Daniel Minahan / 14 August 2011 / HBO

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BREAKING BAD, 4.5 - "Shotgun"

This should satisfy viewers who've been itching for something more explicitly exciting that swerves the show down a new direction. "Shotgun" was another terrific episode, as Jesse (Aaron Paul) and Mike (Jonathan Banks) spent a day together, leaving Walt (Bryan Cranston) panicked over his young partner's disappearance. Both Walt and Jesse were on emotional journeys of very different kinds here, and it became clearer than ever that Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) is a masterful opponent for Walt, who again let his pride get in the way of his common sense...

The situation with Jesse and Mike was fascinating to watch, as we assumed the world-weary hitman was under orders to drive Jesse to a remote part of the desert and shoot him in the head. Instead, Jesse was merely accompanying Mike on pickups: collecting drug money from six dead drops across the state. And while Jesse's role was surplus to requirement, he proved his worth by thwarting an attempted robbery by a rival outfit, reversing Mike's car do at a hoodlum approaching with a shotgun. But then came the cruel twist: the whole day had been a long con, orchestrated by Gus to give Jesse a sense of camaraderie with Mike and a feeling of self-esteem. That should make him acquiesce with Mike's commands, and pull his social life out of its nosedive. It's a clever play by Gus to make a play for Jesse's heart and mind, with Mike almost being setup as an alternative "father figure" to Walt—but one who may treat him with greater respect than the prickly, condescending Walt.

Walt spent some of this episode on the offensive, but found it impossible to find a target for his anger. The episode began with Walt speeding to Gus's Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant for a confrontation over Jesse's abduction, but Gus wasn't around to yell at. Or had wisely decided to leave the premises, having seen Walt's arrival on a surveillance camera. And then Walt's calming phone call from Mike and Jesse led him to accept Jesse's life may not be in immediate danger, forcing him back to the Superlab to work alone. But even after that proved difficult and dangerous, the unblinking eye of Gus's surveillance camera henchman Tyrus to assist with the cook. There's really no way Walt can escape from his invisible chains, as he's kept at permanent arm's length by Gus and has probably lost some influence with Jesse now—who eventually returned from his day trip under the sway of Mike, whose hard shell cracked slightly in gratitude for how Jesse dealt with their would-be robbers. He even let him smoke in his car as a reward.

The one positive for Walt this week was a sign his marriage to Skyler (Anna Gunn) could be rescued, which came about completely by accident when Skyler heard Walt's desperate voicemail message in his presence, recorded when he was convinced his confrontation with Gus may end badly. But there are signs Walt's not really happy for things to go back the way they were (his silence over Skyler's suggestion he move back in spoke volumes). Has he grown to value his independence? Or is he perhaps just wary of getting his family mixed up in his life, which he's still trying to compartmentalize?

Perhaps most interestingly for Walt was how his pride got the better of him, once again. Hank (Dean Norris) has come to accept that "Heisenberg" was the dead meth-cook Gale, and for all intents and purposes the case was about to be closed... only for Walt to take umbrage at Hank's dinner table comments about Gale being a "five-star meth chef" and "genius", which made him plant the seed in Hank's mind that Gale was just a starry-eyed accomplice to the real mastermind. Maybe a part of Walt wants to be caught, because at least that would mean his family would have to accept he's the "genius" and someone of great notoriety—instead of the "gambling addict who got lucky" tag his cover story paints him as. Whatever the reason, Hank got the message and began poring through the boxed evidence from Gale's apartment, noticing the incongruous presence of Los Pollos Hermanos fried chicken packaging in a vegan's home. "Since when do vegans eat fried chicken?" indeed.

Overall, I really enjoyed "Shotgun" and it helped deliver a sense of where season 4's headed. Can Mike and Gus get Jesse to dance to their tune, simply by giving him respect and a role in the business away from mindlessly shadowing Walt at the Superlab? Is Mike going to continue with this facade, or will he be charmed by Jesse and eventually confess? What can Walt do to snap Jesse out of this spell? And if the DEA start snooping around Los Pollos Hermanos, at the behest of Walt's brother-in-law, Gus isn't going to be happy...

Asides

• Is Mike's initial refusal to let Jesse smoke in his car a sign that Mike has lung cancer and didn't want to passive smoke? There's been a suggestion online that Mike's health could be an issue, and is perhaps the reason why he's not willing to rock the boat with Gus and depose him with Walt's help.


• Loved Hank's description of Gale being "like Scarface had sex with Mr Rogers", knowing that Walt's intended arc has always been described as Mr Chips becoming Scarface by showrunner Vince Gilligan.


• Did you notice Walt Jr (RJ Mitte) drinking from a Beneke mug, belonging to the man whom Skyler had an affair with? A subtle sign that the White's marriage still has visible scars.


• More lovely directorial touches from Michelle MacLaren, most notable with time-lapse photography with Mike and Jesse on the road. I wonder how long those scenes took to film, so they'd last as long as they did when sped up?

written by Tom Schnauz / directed by Michelle MacLaren / 14 August 2011 / AMC

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TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY – "The Middle Men"

Why does dimwit CIA analyst Esther Drummond use her real name while undercover? How does wanted fugitive Gwen Cooper manage to keep making trans-Atlantic flights without being caught? Why isn't Jack Harkness, the ostensible star of this show, getting more than about seven minutes of relevant screen time most weeks? Those are the burning questions in my mind after this week's episode, having replaced "who's behind Miracle Day?"

It's become very clear that Torchwood: Miracle Day has failed in its lofty ambitions, although I don't subscribe to a popular online theory that this miniseries has flopped because it doesn't feature aliens (so far). To me, Torchwood wasn't exclusively about aliens. The majority of pre-Children Of Earth episodes revolved around other forms of paranormal activity, so the world's population becoming immortal fits into that quite snugly. No, the problem is that this idea doesn't justify 10 hours of television, and the new American characters are both impossible to care about and, frankly, hog the limelight from the more interesting Gwen and Jack.

The latter has been treated especially poorly by almost every script, which is akin to writing six Doctor Who episodes and finding a way for The Doctor to only appear in a handful of scenes every week while his companions do all the work. This week, Jack's role was to stage a ridiculously fake kidnapping of a PhiCorp secretary, so he could use her as leverage with her boss Stuart Owens (Ernie Hudson), whom she's having an affair with. However, it turns out Owens is just as puzzled by Miracle Day as everyone else, and equally determined to explain it. His current theory being that PhiCorp is just one piece of the jigsaw, and the architects of The Miracle have spent years surreptitiously getting the planet to this point. Oh, and it may have something to do with "The Blessing", whatever that is.

Most of this week's story concerned the Overflow Camps in both San Pedro and Swansea. Gwen (Eve Myles) tried to get her "Category 1" father removed from the facility with the help of husband Rhys (Kai Owen), before he's sent to be burned alive; while Rex (Mekhi Phifer) tried to smuggle his video-taped evidence of the camp's ovens to the outside world, only to be captured by director Colin Maloney (Marc Vann), who wanted to ensure evidence of Vera Juarez's incineration didn't leak out.

There were a few scenes I enjoyed this week, like Esther's fight with Maloney and her subsequent breakdown over "killing" him with Rex. Alexa Havins' character may be a naïve moron, but I think she's a decent actress doing her best with iffy material. At least Esther's rite of passage is the kind of development you can see happening and enjoy, compared to boisterous Rex's slow realization that these Torchwood people aren't so bad after all.

It's just a pity so many scenes don't work or just feel  silly, both in how they're acted and constructed. For example: Maloney's twitchy accomplice whose guilt was written all over his face, or Gwen literally jumping back in horror at the message "Bring Us Jack" typed on her high-tech contact lenses by, we assume, the people behind Miracle Day. Or how about Rhys not even flinching when two armed guards were shooting at him as he drove a lorry through a security gate? A few cheesy or unconvincing moments I can handle in a show like this, but Miracle Day is riddled with them, and they seriously drag the show down. Miracle Day often comes across as amateur hour. How ironic that the UK-made show, often criticized by Americans for its cheap and cheesy feel, has compounded that problem now it's made with US co-operation.

Overall, "The Middle Men" did little to dissuade anyone that Torchwood: Miracle Day has been a big failure. It's making so many unnecessary mistakes that you can't quite believe it. Who writes six episodes of Torchwood and gives Jack Harkness the least active or interesting role in them? I'm sure some viewers appreciated having a break from the Oswald Danes storyline this week, and there were some nice ideas about state-sanctioned concentration camps floating around, but I can't see this miniseries turning around anytime soon. Still, now that PhiCorp don't appear to be our Big Bad, maybe a certain portion of fans will get their wish and "The Blessing" can be revealed as extra-terrestrial in nature. And we can also wonder what Owens' colleague in Shanghai saw that made him jump off a skyscraper. My guess: next week's script.

Asides

• Do all Americans pronounce "badminton" as "bad-minton"?


• Are you seriously suggesting a global network of concentration camps where governments were incinerating people, without anybody knowing, wouldn't cause huge outrage? The President of the USA didn't even apologize for what was going on? I mean, does anybody swallow that?

written by John Shiban / directed by Guy Ferland / 12 August 2011 / Starz

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FALLING SKIES, season 1 finale

Sorry about the delay posting this. To be honest, it totally slipped my mind. Anyway, I stopped reviewing Falling Skies after "Sanctuary: Part 1" because I was bitterly disappointed by the conclusion, which was so predictable I could hardly believe what I was seeing. When Skies began I enjoyed some of its elements and creative decisions (the fantastic design of the aliens, the strong relationship between Tom and his three sons), but then its problems grew more noticeable (insipid female characters, that interminable high school location—which the aliens don't just bomb). Given the show's emphasis on children (protect them, cherish them), it also grew very mawkish in my mind. But I stuck with the show, so here are my random thoughts on the final three episodes:

• Many readers here were spot-on about the "skitters" themselves being enslaved by a higher alien intelligence. The emergence of tall, humanoid, fish-faced aliens therefore lacked the intended surprise for me, but I appreciated the development. I'm sure one of the crab-like skitters will be "unharnessed" soon and become an ally, which will be fun if it happens.


• The sudden decision to turn Weaver (Will Patton) into a drug-addicted liability didn't work as well as it could have. It felt like a random idea tossed into the season, to create internal drama at the end. And who the hell was Lt Danner, the soldier loyal to Weaver who became a big obstacle for Tom? Has he even been on the show before episode 9? Much about Weaver's fall from grace didn't ring true to me. Maybe if we'd seen him popping pills before now, or something, it may have worked better.


• I was disappointed that Pope's (Colin Cunningham) role in the show didn't go anywhere interesting. It was fun to see him develop bullets capable of puncturing the "mechs", but he was ultimately a weak version of Lost's Sawyer. He had a few nice moments, but the character just didn't work as well as I’d hoped. Too flimsily written.


• It was cool that unharnessed Rick (Daniyah Ysrail) was revealed to still be loyal to the aliens, as their brainwashing hadn't worn off. The idea that the aliens can be confused by transmitting a specific radio signal was nicely done, with Ben (Connor Jessup) instrumental in finding the correct frequency because he's affected by radio waves himself. It's just a shame it became clear Jessup's a poor actor—who also reminded me of X Factor loser Eoghan Quigg, which was distracting.


• I was frustrated that Dr Glass (Moon Bloodgood) kept being wasted—especially because you could sense she'd be great in a more proactive role. Having Glass stuck indoors as the group's resident doctor, nursing injuries and eventually smooching with Tom just wasn't very interesting. Bloodgood's an attractive woman who, as we know from Terminator Salvation, makes for a credible action star... so why not utilize that?


• The actual two-part finale wasn't too shabby, although I was hoping for something far grander. The season's cliffhanger, with Tom willingly abducted by a humanoid alien, who are intrigued by the tenacity of human resistance, didn't really work for me. Are they going to interrogate Tom on their ship? It just struck me as very odd; a scene that exists because it would make for an unexpected conclusion to the season.

So what was that enormous crane-like structure over Boston? Do these aliens have motherships? What do they want from us? There's still an awful lot of questions that Skies hasn't even started to answer. I'm not even sure if there are survivors beyond Massachusetts, across the US and the wider world. I guess that's fine. You don't expect a show to reveal everything in season 1, but I do wish we had some kind of rudimentary understanding about what the enemy are up to.

Overall, Falling Skies isn't a bad series, but its only significant strength was the intriguing mythology created for the aliens, which were themselves fantastic creations. The cast were decent, but we didn't really learn much about them over ten hours. I'd have enjoyed pre-invasion flashbacks to get a better sense of who these people are, but none came—and the way the characters were developed in the present wasn't that strong. Tom's an egghead with strong paternal feelings, Weaver's a self-righteous tough guy, Glass is very empathetic, Pope's a charismatic bad boy.

The limitations of a cable TV budget didn't help Falling Skies capitalize on its global premise. The high school became a very limiting location, and there was never any sense of what the aliens are actually doing to capture the survivors. It makes more sense for the 2nd Mass to be constantly on the move, but the show couldn't cope with the demands on the production that would cause. I wish we'd had more scenes focusing on the human cost of this situation, too—like that scene when everyone enjoyed watching a movie outdoors. (We'll ignore the fact it's the equivalent of lighting a bonfire and flares, shouting their location to the enemy!)

What did you make of this series? I've heard some people say it started poorly and got progressively better, while others say the opposite. Or was it entirely a wasted effort that squandered its potential?

written by Mark Verheiden (1.8 & 1.10) & Joe Weisberg (1.9) / directed by Anthony Hemingway (1.8), Holly Dale (1.9) & Greg Beeman (1.10) / 31 July & 7 August 2011

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BREAKING BAD, 4.4 – "Bullet Points"

There's been grumbling that season 4 hasn't exploded out of the gates, but I can't agree this has been a failing. It's just that season 3's climax required a more delicate approach when handling the repercussions of Jesse (Aaron Paul) murdering Gale (David Costabile). But "Bullet Points" should restore some faith in people, as it most definitely delivered some big moments and developments that won't fail to get Walt (Bryan Cranston) more proactive than he's been so far. Walt's been quietly preparing for a war with his boss Gus (Giancarlo Esposita), and the events of this episode suggest the battle lines have been drawn.

The episode began on a stirring note, with Mike (Jonathan Banks) in the back of a refrigerated Los Pollos Hermanos truck smuggling meth, which was attacked by gun toting rivals who pumped the vehicle full of holes, but didn't expect an armed hitman to be lurking inside when they pulled open the doors to inspect their handiwork. Mike, a chunk taken out of his ear by a stray bullet, may have survived this close encounter, but it's clear sign that Gus's slick operation isn't safe from interference. Could this be a sign the Mexican cartel are trying to regain a foothold in Albuquerque, with someone intending to disrupt Gus's business? If so, might they be people Walt could ally himself with, or is it better the devil you know?

After such a tense and exciting teaser, the rest of the episode was a more sedate affair. It was an episode where Skyler (Anna Gunn) and Walt prepared for the moment they'll lie to their family about winning enough money to pay for the car wash. A story that paints Walt as a pitiable gambler who risked his family's financial future in a moment of weakness over his cancer, and just got lucky, requiring him to learn how to count cards and attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings. As I've said before, it's notable how organized Skyler is as an accomplice, but she can still afford to be so levelheaded about their situation because she's blissfully naive to the horrors that Walt's seen and participated in. As Walt opines to crooked lawyer Saul (Bob Odenkirk), his wife thinks being a distinguished meth-cook is just like any other nine to five job, when the truth is he's been pushed into killing people and had to dissolve bodies in acid.

Presenting their gambling story to Hank (Dean Norris) and Marie (Betsy Brandt) was the first obstacle to overcome for the Whites, and it went surprisingly well over a meal at the Schrader's. Of course, Walt was distracted by the realization his brother-in-law's started consulting on Gale's murder case, believing him to be mysterious meth-cook "Heisenberg" after poring through the heavily-detailed "Lab Notes" journal police found at Gale's home. Gale even returned in a darkly amusing Banquo's Ghost moment, when Hank showed Walt a tacky video of Gale singing karaoke for them to laugh at. For Walt, the journal's existence and level of the DEA investigation signals trouble, particularly after discovering the police found fingerprints at the crime scene that might belong to Jesse, together with an eyewitness.

I also liked the brief moment when Hank was excitedly explaining one of his minerals to Walt Jr, only for Walt to interrupt and provide far deeper and more complex knowledge of the mineral in question. It was another little dig that Hank's losing his alpha male status. He's not even the amateur authority of his new pastime, having to defer to his brother-in-law's expertise because of its connection to chemistry. The Ying-Yang quality of Walt and Hank is one of the show's best pieces of subtext, as the two men in this family jostle for superiority. There's even a visual element now, with Walt towering over burly Hank in his wheelchair.

Jesse continued on his downward slide, but this week his lifestyle came to the attention of both Mike and Walt. The latter, arriving amidst the squalor to interrogate Jesse over his movements in Gale's apartment (just to be sure the cops won't have any evidence to incriminate him), didn't last long before he was forcibly ejected from the house by Jesse's "friends". Mike didn't fare much better getting through to Jesse, despite apparently helping by catching a tweaker who stole all of Jesse's money from a bedroom drawer. Jesse's so far gone that discovering his small fortune's been stolen didn't even raise a flicker of emotion from him, as he proceeded to play a video-game with a girl, and even Mike's scare tactic of inferring he'll kill the thief didn't work. Jesse may be self-destructing to numb himself from the horror of killing someone, but he's not stupid: you don't bother blindfolding someone you're about to kill.

This was a real turning point episode; both because the Whites have taken their first public step into a criminally-funded lifestyle, but also because Gus returned and took measures to deal with Jesse in light of Mike's concerns about his mental state and professionalism. The episode ended with Mike driving into the desert with a docile Jesse, who's perhaps accepted what's going to happen. A bullet to the head will bring him the peace his guilty mind is craving. If that's what Mike has planned. And Walt knows his partner's been taken, but can only yell his frustration at the all-seeing eye of Gus's Superlab surveillance camera. Walt only agreed to return to work if Jesse was part of the deal, but what choice does he have if Gus removes him from the workplace? The only lifeline Walt has is that Gus needs a cook of his caliber to produce high-quality meth. It'll be interesting to see if this forces a stand-off, or at the very least a face-to-face meeting between Walt and Gus.

Overall, "Bullet Points" was a brilliant mix of what Breaking Bad does best: taught and efficient action mixed with clever, tense character moments. Walt and Skyler's early extended scene, trying to ensure there are no holes in their story, also worked very well; Walt upset he's being painted in a bad light, and Skyler mistaking her husband's rehearsed apology as genuine. As she said, he's a fantastic liar.

I'm also glad the plan involving Walt's gambling cover-story and car wash is going ahead after all the talk, but the real satisfaction came from the sense that the abduction of Jesse is going to force Walt into tackling Gus and Mike head-on. But given we're not even halfway through the season yet, maybe there's something very different in store for Jesse when Mike's car reaches its destination? Maybe Mike's run-in with those gunmen at the truck was the wake-up call he needed to plot a way to remove Gus from power, and he needs Jesse's help? Looking forward to seeing what episode 5 brings... can't believe anyone wouldn't be.

Asides

• What will Hank do when he discovers that Walt and Skyler's "gambling fortune" has also been paying his medical expenses?


• Fun callback to "The Learn'd Astronomer", with Gale's journal dedication "To W.W. My Star, My Perfect Silence" probably referring to "Walter White", who introduced him to the verse. Luckily, Walt managed to pin the initials on the poem's author, Walt Whitman. Out of interest: do you think Gale's dedication proves he was gay and attracted to Walt?


• Interesting to note Hank making more of an effort with Marie in the company of the Whites. You'd never know from their civilized meal together than the Schrader's marriage is hanging by a thread.


• Walt didn't like the desperate option Saul suggested he consider (paying a large amount of money for a "disappearer" to get his family out of harm's way and with new identities), but the fact it was even mentioned may mean something. Perhaps Walt will reconsider towards the end of his season?


• Why was Mike in the back of a refrigerated chicken truck anyway? He can't possibly travel like that for every meth transportation for Gus. Was this a particularly dangerous route that required his presence? Or an especially valuable shipment?

written by Moira Walley-Beckett / directed by Colin Bucksey / 7 August 2011 / AMC

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TRUE BLOOD, 4.7 – "Cold Grey Light Of Dawn"

The best episode yet or a season that's started to perk up after an underwhelming start, perhaps because the stories being given the most attention focused on the entertaining vampire/witch rivalry and kept the weaker subplots to a minimum. True Blood just works better when it's dealing with its vampires, because their mythology is deeper and more interesting than the laughable issues of were-panthers and evil babies that clutter up proceedings.

"TMZ's offering 10k for real-life vamp attack!"

After some hesitant steps in the previous half-season, Marnie (Fiona Shaw) is now Vampire Enemy #1 because she's allowed herself to be possessed by the spirit of a centuries-old victimized witch called Antonia. Knowing that Antonia's powers infamously extend to necromancy, Bill (Stephen Moyer) was forced to order all local vampires to go to ground bound by silver, knowing that Marnie might compel them out into the sunlight during daylight hours. Marnie also recruited Tara (Rutina Wesley) into her coven, as both women have a similar personal history with vampires and a deep yearning for vengeance, which was plausible reasoning and an nice way to give Tara something to do.

"Everyone who's ever been with me has ended up dead. It ain't a long list, but it's a bad one to be on."

Elsewhere, Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) has consummated his relationship with Sookie (Anna Paquin), with Bill forced to accept they're an item; Sam (Sam Trammell) realized that his brother Tommy (Marshall Allman) has gained the ability to "skin walk" and used the power to pose as himself and sleep with his girlfriend; Hoyt (Jim Parrack) made best-friend Jason (Ryan Kwanten) feel guilty about his feelings towards Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll); Pam (Kristen Bauer) took desperate measures to restore her beauty, by going through a painful cosmetic process to remove her rotting flesh; Alcide (Joe Manganiello) joined a new wolf pack to appease girlfriend Debbie (Britt Morgan), which did little to stimulate their sex life because his mind's still on Sookie; and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) learned he's a medium capable of channeling spirits like Marnie.

"I felt like a giant-ass puppet for your ghost uncle."

As you can tell from the breakdown of events, there weren't many storylines that aren't connected to the bigger ongoing concerns. Even Jason's affection for Jessica fed into the climactic moment with him racing to protect her from Marnie's spell, as she broke free of her silver chains and ventured out into the daylight. This was perhaps the first cliffhanger that's worked this season, because Jessica's a character nobody wants to see burnt to a crisp, despite how unlikely that is given her popularity. I'm still apathetic toward Arlene's (Carrie Preston) baby story, but appreciate how it's now moved on to involve the ghost of a black girl—who I'm guessing lost a child when she was alive and has attached herself to Arlene's son? It still feels terribly extraneous to things, though. At least Lafayette's story, which is also uninteresting right now, feels like it's building towards something connected to the vampire/witch storyline. I'm guessing he'll be the only person who can defeat Marnie in a battle-of-the-mediums. I'm just not sure why Lafayette would want to actually stop Marnie, given his own history with vampires isn't very harmonious. If anything, he should be right behind Tara.

I've also been reminded of how good Sam Trammell is in recent weeks. It's a pity his character keeps getting repetitive storylines involving his troubled love-life and family, because Trammell has an engaging demeanour. His reaction when the penny dropped about what Tommy's been up to with his girlfriend was priceless, too. Marshall Allman's even improved this season, now that we can see Tommy's a decent kid deep down who just can't seem to catch a break, or stop himself from making bad decisions. It makes it easier to sympathize with him, unlike last season when he was just a troublesome brat from a bad upbringing.

"And when we survive the day, I am going to eat that fucking witch, starting with her face."

Overall, "Cold Grey Light Of Dawn" marked a highpoint of this season and felt more like the show I used to enjoy back in season 2. Against the odds, the inclusion of witches this year has worked very well, and I'm glad the weaker subplots that dominated the first half of this season appear to be diminishing. Maybe the writers themselves realized they weren't very good, or simply ran out of narrative with them. Whatever the reason, I'm glad the show's regaining some focus. There are even more character-based moments to savour, which is what really sold True Blood back in the early days. In particular, Marnie convincing Tara to join her was a believable turn, and I enjoyed seeing more of the touching father/daughter relationship between Bill and Jessica. He should have added more chains to her, though, right?

What do you think? Is True Blood starting to turn things around? Do you think the rest of the season will sustain this quality, or are things destined to slump again? In the past, the show has tended to have interesting middles and disappointing finales, remember...

Aside

• Why were those chains required for Jessica and Bill? They're inside a jail cell with silver bars, so escape wasn't possible. There didn't seem to be any real need to torture themselves by laying chains over their limbs.

written by Alexander Woo / directed by Michael Ruscio / 7 August 2011 / HBO

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TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY - "The Categories Of Life"

I wonder if this miniseries would have been better received if it wasn't connected to Torchwood, and was instead just a speculative SF special commissioned by Starz. You could easily replace Captain Jack (John Barrowman) and Gwen (Eve Myles) with equivalent American characters, as so little of Miracle Day relies on things that are unique to the Torchwood universe. Even Jack's signature immortality has been reversed as a result of the story's miracle itself, together with most of his personality when American writers are behind the script. I'm going to try and watch the remainder of this miniseries by divorcing myself from the expectations of the Torchwood brand, just to see if that helps...

"The Categories Of Life" was the usual tangle of good ideas spoiled by implausible execution and annoying contrivances. But the fact it took some significant steps forward with the story, while giving us a pretty dark "final solution" to the endemic of undying people, worked greatly in its favour. It even managed to turn sourpuss Vera Juarez (Arlene Tur) into a moderately less pointless character, before killing her off.

This week, despite being a wanted international fugitive, Gwen both risked and manage to travel back to Wales to help Rhys (Kai Owen) rescue her sick dad from one of the many PhiCorp sponsored "overflow camps" that have sprung up around the world. Governments are now passing a law that says life can be re-categorized into three separate groups—apparently symbolized by the red, white and blue of the US flag. There's Category 1, where you're "fatally" injured or sick and beyond help; Category 2, where you're hurt and would ordinarily die, but can continue living after treatment; and Category 3, where you're fine and dandy. Those in Category 1 are in the greatest danger, as Torchwood come to realize such patients are taken to secret campsite "modules" for processing—which it's revealed means being incinerated alive, in a chilling echo of Nazi concentration camp ovens.

I've actually wondered how Miracle Day would get around the problem that reducing a body to ash must bring certain death, so it seems "the miracle" does have its limits after all. Now the question is: if PhiCorp are burning the people who should actually be dead, aren't they just providing a cruel mass cremation service to the world? It's still hard to see what's in this for them. But incinerating the should-be-dead is apparently enough to justify the cost of setting up all these global camps, even if they're not doing a good job of caring for the people who end up inside them—as Vera discovered abandoned patients who aren't being fed, all sleeping in cramped conditions next to unwashed laundry. Oh, and a pen-pushing racist misogynist called Colin (Marc Vann).

The Oswald Danes (Bill Pullman) story plodded on, but it's still difficult to comprehend why any of it matters. PR whizz Jilly (Lauren Ambrose) has helped organized a Miracle Rally for Oswald to give a key speech at, which requires he read a prepared PhiCorp speech that must include the word "revelation". But why's that? Is "revelation" a codeword for something to happen? Is it perhaps a sign to the people pulling Jilly's strings that Oswald's fully malleable? Jilly herself doesn't seem to know what's going on, as she was approached by a man who praised her and mentioned she's been "noticed"? I assume the people who've noticed her are Miracle Day's architects (the group symbolized by a rotating triangle logo), which suggest she's not working for them already? If so, is everything she's doing on behalf of PhiCorp is a separate issue to the white-triangle group? Oh, who knows, but we need some focus on this matter very soon.

I was intrigued by the possibility that Jack might talk Oswald into working for Torchwood, by giving him a different speech that would denounce PhiCorp as the people behind Miracle Day, in exchange for helping him die, but that didn't come to pass. That would have been a very unexpected twist, but it seems the writers would prefer to go down the Oswald-as-Messiah route... so he finally gave his approved speech about mankind's ascendancy to "angels", like a lapdog. Pullman's performance again oscillating from enjoyably creepy to outright laughable and weird. It often feels like he's not sure how to treat any of this material; with tongue-in-cheek humour or deadly serious? He's fallen somewhere in the middle.

Overall, "The Categories Of Life" wasn't a totally successful turnaround for Miracle Day, as there are still messy areas and ridiculous moments, but some things seem to be developing at last. It's just unforgivable that Captain Jack's almost surplus to requirement. While Rex (Mekhi Phifer), Esther (Alexa Havins), Gwen, and Vera went undercover in two overflow camps, poor Jack was stuck in Los Angeles and only given one notable scene with Oswald at the Miracle Rally stadium? That's an unforgivable, tragic waste of the show's lead character who, at least until Miracle Day, was the beating heart of Torchwood... now reduced to a bit-part player.

What did you make of episode 5? Was there some improvement, or are you on the brink of giving up? Maybe you stopped watching weeks ago?

written by Jane Espenson / directed by Guy Ferland / 5 August 2011 / Starz

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Review: TROLLIED (Sky1)

Having already cornered the majority of the British marketplace when it comes to sports, movies and premium US drama, Sky are now making headway into domestic comedy and drama. Eight-part supermarket comedy Trollied is their latest venture (with Mount Pleasant, Hit & Miss, This Is Jinsy, and Spy still to come), ironically starring a few actors from Asda/Tesco commercials, set in the fictional north-west supermarket Valco. The store's tagline is "serve you right", but thankfully I wasn't left thinking the same thing to myself after watching it.

Jane Horrocks plays acting Deputy Manager Julie, a brittle woman covering for maternity leave but determined to keep the job, which means trying to impress Store Manager Gavin (Jason Watkins) at every opportunity. They're joined in the store by lonely heart butcher Andy (Mark Addy) and his laddish young assistant Kieran (Nick Blood); stuck-in-a-rut checkout girl Katie (Chanel); lazy, disobedient shelf-stacker Colin (Carl Rice); aged, dotty store assistant Margaret (Rita May); gossiping customer service duo Sue (Lorraine Cheshire) and Linda (Faye McKeever); and spaced-out trolley collector Leighton (Joel Fry).

They're a believable and amiable bunch of actors/characters, and certainly the prime reason to keep watching Trollied—which only suffers because it's at that embryonic stage where it almost has to empty its system of obvious supermarket-themed jokes (customers returning half-eaten produce, staff getting stage fright when asked to use the public address system, etc.) It'll be interesting to see how Trollied fares when it's exhausted that top layer of unavoidable japes the audience are almost expecting to hear, and is then forced to get imaginative and rely more on the characters for material that isn't tethered to the environment.

This is still a show where the familiar milieu is the star, see—partly because we don't know the characters that well yet, but I'm hopeful the writing will get stronger. There are definitely signs of potential greatness: such as the wonderful, easy chemistry between butchers Andy and Kieran. In particular, a scene where middle-aged Andy was challenged to chat-up a customer to prove he's still a virile man worked very well. Those characters also walked off with the premiere's funniest moment: having fun at Julie's expense with the homonym "interim-ing" and "into rimming". A laugh-out-loud misunderstanding that, frankly, kept me watching and actively willing the show to deliver a few more belly-laughs like that. None really came, but it wasn't a bad viewing experience. In fact, Trollied is already the best new British comedy I've seen in a very long time, but perhaps that just underscores how uninspired recent British comedies have been.

It's also nice to have a sitcom on TV that stands a real chance of becoming that rare thing in the UK comedy landscape: a show that speaks to multiple generations, thanks to how supermarkets are themselves melting pots for millions of different people. Younger viewers can attach themselves to the ennui of checkout operators, middle-aged viewers can enjoy the management shenanigans, and the elderly can enjoy seeing a few people their own age being represented. The supermarket backdrop also ensures a steady and ever-changing supply of one-off and recurring guest-star customers, albeit without much scope for big storylines because shopping's generally a brief activity.

Trollied certainly got the atmosphere of a supermarket just right, too. It was filmed on a replica set in Bristol, but you'd never tell. The performances were also good—although there were times when it felt like a few of the actors (Horrocks, Watkins) were playing things a little broader than their colleagues. Maybe some people were convinced this is the retail equivalent of The Office (seeing as they've even gender-reversed that show's Tim/Dawn/Lee love-triangle), while others are treating it as something more lightweight and cartoonish. Like a sitcom version of Coronation Street's Bettabuys storylines from the '90s, with gurning Reg Holdsworth and gangly Curly Watts. And to be fair, the show itself felt a little unsure what the tone should be. Fairly adult jokes about sexual acts like "rimming" suit the post-watershed 9pm timeslot it was in, yet the overall tone and style of the show was screaming family-friendly 8pm.

If Trollied can settle on what kind of show it wants to be, while also remembering that all the great sitcoms had complex characters you cared about or sympathized with, I envisage this working rather nicely when the birthing pains are over. I'm not sure the writing's good enough for it to become Dinnerladies-in-a-supermarket, but thanks to a strong premise and excellent cast, I think this could grow to become a perfectly decent and inoffensive sitcom.

written by Julie Rutterford / directed by Paul Walker / 4 August 2011 / Sky1

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Review: BEAVER FALLS (E4)

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BREAKING BAD, 4.3 - "Open House"

This third episode revolved around territory, at home and at work. Walt (Bryan Cranston) was seething that Gus has installed a surveillance camera in the Superlab, so he can keep an eye on his cooks without interacting with them; Marie (Betsy Brandt) escaped from her life caring for disabled Hank (Dean Norris) by attending open houses, posing as various imaginary characters, while feeding her latent kleptomania; Jesse's (Aaron Paul) allowed his family's once-respectable home to become a chaotic round-the-clock meth party for reprobates to fight, have sex, take drugs, and play music; and Skyler (Anna Gunn) managed to get Walt focused on buying the car wash to launder their money, before hatching a plan to get their hands on the business for a knockdown price...

I really enjoyed "Open House", despite the fact it was something of a piece-moving exercise and lacked any big thrills. The show's so rich and involving that episodes like this can be oddly enthralling, and I'm intrigued by how season 4's been emphasizing the roles of Skyler and Marie. One criticism of Breaking Bad it's always been hard to argue against is that it's focused on the male demographic, but this year's been redressing the gender balance. There was an extended period of time when Walt didn't even appear in the episode, and Jesse's role was also very minor. In the past, the prospect of an episode that featured more Skyler and Marie wouldn't have been very appealing, but both actresses are being allowed to do great work this year. Our sympathies are primarily with Marie, given her insensitive treatment by bedridden Hank, who picks fault at the smallest mistakes she makes while looking after him, and her storyline was an interesting way to return to Marie's kleptomania—which never sat right in season 1, as it felt like unnecessary filler, but here it was a plausible way to show Marie's breakdown and desire to escape.

Skyler's also becoming a genuine asset to Walt's nascent "empire", although he's only just beginning to realize this. Incensed over Bogdan refusing to sell her the car wash for $897,000, affronting Walt's manhood in the process, it's Skyler who comes up with a fantastic plan to get her hands on the business, with a little help from Saul (Bob Odenkirk). A fake environmental inspector was sent to the car wash, alerting Bogdan of various erroneous problems with his water treatment system, meaning Bogdan's suddenly keener to sell Skyler his business—believing he's offloading an expensive liability—for a greatly reduced $800,000.

If "breaking bad" has given underachieving Walt a way to channel his chemistry skills and find a lucrative ruthlessness within himself, it seems that Skyler's beginning to discover hat her intelligence can be used for more than accounting in dead-end jobs. She's getting what she wants through non-violent means, and is clever enough to realize Walt can't go buying $320 bottles of wine because it will arouse suspicion, given he's an unemployed school teacher. "The devil's in the detail" as she puts it. But there will be a cost for Skyler somewhere down the line, as there's been for Walt, I'm sure. The lovely shot of milk suds slipping down a sink symbolizing Skyler's morals going down the drain.

I've been concerned that Hank's role is in danger of becoming tedious, or that keeping him unable to walk for a whole season might be problematic for storytelling possibilities. Here we got our first sign that Hank's going to have his occupational passions rekindled, as his colleague Tim (Nigel Gibbs) visited and gave him the "Lab Notes" book they found at Gale's murder scene. Hank will assumedly find connections between Gale's scribblings and the work of nemesis "Heisenberg", and become Breaking Bad's own Perry Mason. Now with a purpose beyond cataloguing minerals, and watching soft porn or bowling on TV, the atmosphere between Hank and Marie will hopefully lift and get back to something approaching normality.

I know there's been some concern that season 4's started on a less exciting and propulsive note than previous year. Season 1 had the core idea of a teacher becoming a criminal (and we were dissolving a corpse by episode 2), season 2 had Walt and Jesse's kidnapping by a drug kingpin, season 3 had the portentous presence of the Mexican twins, but season 4 doesn't have anything as comparatively gripping. But I'm not too concerned yet, because it feels like the writers are just confident its audience have patience, and the story is simply building its foundations ready for a spurt of energy. If there's one thing that dragged season 3 down, for me, it was how the pacing would rise and fall in such extremes, but season 4 is hopefully going to just keep building and building on an upward trajectory.

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode for many reasons. There were plenty of interesting and memorable sequences, particularly with Jesse's continuing private meltdown. The moment when he went go-karting alone, literally screaming around the track, again showed how desperate he is to be distracted and regain some sense of control. This was then topped by the moment Jesse got his lethargic house guests active by throwing money into the air, watching them scramble for it like maggots at his feet. As usual, lots to ponder. Will Skyler and Walt's car wash business go well? Can Walt get Mike on his side? Is Gus going to remain hands-off with the business now? How far will Jesse descend before he gets help, or snaps out of it? Just how exactly is Hank going to figure into Gale's murder case, and will he perhaps blow Gus's entire operation sky high? And if so, can Walt and Jesse escape the fallout?

Asides

• In related news, you may have heard that Breaking Bad has been shopped around to three rival cable channels, owing to the fact AMC want to reduce the fifth season to between 5 and 8 episodes. This could just be posturing, to convince AMC to stump up for a full 12 episodes, by sending a sign that they're prepared to jump ship. Of course, if AMC really did let Breaking Bad go, I can't see its new broadcaster agreeing to finance just the one season. So maybe we'd end up with six seasons instead of the five creator Vince Gilligan wants to do? More than likely, AMC will back down and we'll get a normal-sized fifth and final season in 2012. But it's worrying how AMC seem to be having problems justifying the costs of their top three shows: Mad Men was only renewed after a tense standoff with creator Matthew Weiner, and Frank Darabont allegedly left The Walking Dead partly because of budget cuts that will be imposed.
• Breaking Bad is a show that seems to attract notable guest directors. British director David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days Of Night, Twilight Eclipse) was behind the camera for this episode, in a less attention-grabbing capacity than Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom) last season, but it was still another example of fantastic TV direction. For the purposes of these reviews I screengrab the show, and Breaking Bad's one of the few TV productions that delivers visually interesting shots at almost every instance.

written by Sam Catlin / directed by David Slade / 31 July 2011 / AMC

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TRUE BLOOD, 4.6 – "I Wish I Was The Moon"

If there's a theme running through season 4, it's the fragility and flexibility of personal identity. Tara (Rutina Wesley) had run away to become a New Orleans cage-fighter; Marnie (Fiona Shaw) has invited the spirit of an executed witch to possess her; similar is now happening to Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) with his boyfriend's creepy uncle, and Arlene's (Carrie Preston) baby with a mysterious ghost; Jason (Ryan Kwanten) spent this hour terrified he'll become a were-panther during the Full Moon; Tommy (Marshall Allman) accidentally triggered his newfound "skin-walking" ability, to shape-shift into his brother Sam (Sam Trammell) for a day; and Eric's (Alexander Skarsgård) been transformed from imperious vampire to an amnesiac sweetheart.

"Let me tell you a little something about King Bill: he is a self-loathing, power-hungry, pompous little dork, and you hate his guts."

Maybe I've just started to accept that True Blood's more of a hodgepodge soap than streamlined drama, but "I Wish I Was The Moon" was another hour that passed by pleasantly for me. There's no great secret behind why this is so: most of the stories are entertaining right now, the weaker ones slip by quickly, and there's been a noticeable move to emphasize characters over gore, violence and sex. A scene where Jason had a panic attack in the wilderness, finding unexpected support from Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), probably ranks as the show's best moment of simple humanity in a long time. It was just two people talking in the moonlight, finding a mutual connection when discussing their past, and being afraid of taking things further because of their friendship. Woll's been a highlight of the series for years, and I must admit I never expected her to really bounce off Kwanten so joyfully. Maybe the character of Jessica works best when she's trying to find love, as opposed to struggling through a relationship that's lost its spark. Whatever the reason, I hope the show explores this potential romance some more. Sorry Hoyt fans.

"It's like a werewolf, except a big-ass cat."

There was also a great performance from Trammell this week, who had to mimic his screen brother's mannerisms in scenes where Tommy had transformed into Sam and spent the day as his elder brother—firing Sookie (Anna Paquin) from her job, flirting with customers, and having sex with Luna (Janina Gavankar)—making it easy to see "Tam" as a hybrid of both brothers. This storyline may have been typical mistaken identity fare, done countless times in SF/fantasy circles, but it was performed well and opens the door for Tommy getting up to more mischief.

Eric continues to be a source of delight, and this episode marked a big turning point for his relationship with Sookie and Bill (Stephen Moyer). The latter having accidentally stumbled on Eric having sex with his ex-girlfriend, enraging him enough to incarcerate Eric at his mansion, using the excuse he's under the influence of witchcraft. Authority was even granted for King Bill to sentence Eric to a "one true death" staking, but Eric's change of personality and sweetness managed to work its charm on Bill and the execution was avoided. This meant Eric could return to Sookie for some rather stilted outdoor sex.

This is undoubtedly one of season 4's better storylines, if only because it's been given room to breathe and develop naturally over multiple episodes. I suspect Eric's going to be restored to normality before the season's done, though—ending a beautiful relationship when his memories return and denigrate the innocence that lies within him. Maybe it's inevitable, but the wrench should still work because of how well Skarsgård and Paquin are selling their moments together. I hope Eric's mental restoration is handled well, when it comes.

"Believe it or not, my entire existence does not revolve around what or who is between your legs."

I'm also enjoying Fiona Shaw's performance as Marnie, especially now we have insight into why she's being possessed. The spirit of dead witch Antonia (Paola Turbay), burnt at the stake by vampires, some of which she compelled out into the daylight as a final act of vengeance, has returned to finish what she started by killing survivors—including the vampire who raped her in prison. Shaw's great at flipping from bumbling fool to confident sorceress, and there's definitely a thrill to be had when she's turning the tables on vampires so effortlessly, mainly because True Blood's vampires are so supercilious it's satisfying to see them taken down a peg or two.

The situation with Jesus (Kevin Alejendro) seeking help from his mystical uncle isn't something I'm connecting with, as it feels a little extraneous and unnecessary right now. Lafayette being the conduit for a dead uncle, who assumedly has powers similar to Antonia, is perhaps setting up a finale where two possessed people fight each other for domination of vampirekind—but given how Jesus's family are being written as dodgy weirdos, it's hard to know if we're supposed to be glad Jesus and Lafayette are making progress.

"The ghost of my serial-killin' ex-fiance just tried to murder us in our sleep. We're just peachy."

Overall, "I Wish I Was The Moon" was another sign this season's settled into a groove, with enough good outweighing the bad. I can even stomach Arlene's fretting over her baby son, who burned down their home this week, as there are signs it's nothing to do with her ex-fiance, but rather the creepy doll Jessica gifted them and the ghost of a young black woman. It's still filler for the sake of providing minor characters with something to do, but at least the show isn't dwelling on it. Plus there were more down-to-earth moments I enjoyed this week—like Jason and Sookie spending some time together as brother and sister, amusingly referring to the fact there are so few "normal people" in town these days. True Blood's made its name with ostentatious sequences and a compulsive verve, but it's with quiet moments of simple interactions that the show feels like something worth watching again.

Asides

• I didn't see Andy (Chris Bauer) and Holly (Lauren Bowles) as a potential love-match, but that seems to be where we're headed. A good move, I feel. If you have two limp characters you don't know what to do with, make them a couple. It's a TV rule.
• Am I right in thinking Tommy can only change into family members as a "skin-walker", not anyone he pleases?
• If Jason isn't in any danger of becoming a were-panther, just what was the point of all those scenes at Hot Shot? He must surely transform at some point, or it's been a waste of time. But if he does, I hate how the show's so determined to turn all of its human characters into supernatural creatures.

written by Raelle Tucker / directed by Jeremy Podeswa / 31 July 2011 / HBO

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TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY – "Escape To L.A"

The best episode of Miracle Day so far, by some distance, thanks to overdue back-story to humanize Rex (Mekhi Phifer) and Esther (Alexa Havins), and tangible development about exactly who, or what, is behind the Miracle Day phenomenon itself. Buoyed by an entertaining moment of espionage for the Torchwood crew in the second half, "Escape To L.A" was breezy and decent fun, showing signs of improvement I hope will continue into the remainder of this miniseries.

Oswald Danes (Bill Pullman) remains a real headache for the show, which is a shame because the core idea behind his arc has some merit. I just don't see why they decided to make him a paedophile (the least forgivable crime in human society), when having a serial-killer instead become an unexpected figurehead for tolerance in this New World Order would have worked equally well. Nevertheless, the idea to give Oswald a rival in Ellis Hartley Monroe (Mare Winningham), a mayor who's pushing a"Dead Is Dead" campaign that wants to brush the world's problem under the carpet by segregating the "dead" from the living was an intriguing development. It's just a shame the details don't feel very plausible, with Oswald victorious in this political war by giving a supposedly rousing speech to a makeshift hospital of sick people. (Incidentally, why would anyone ask a convicted paedophile to take care of a small abandoned baby girl?)

Team Torchwood are beginning to form a tetchy dynamic now, too. I was pleased to see Rex becoming less annoying, although his understandable frustration with the amateurism of Torchwood dragged his character back to being unlikable towards the end. This was also the hour where we learned something about the show's new characters: Rex is estranged from his vagrant father and trying to heal their relationship because he's starting to suspect he'll die when the "miracle" ends; and Esther has a sister called Sarah (Candace Brown) who's incapable of looking after her two kids, meaning Esther had to call social services to have them taken into protection. Both stories didn't take up much time and weren't hugely compelling—although Phifer gave a decent performance in the scene with his cantankerous dad and Esther felt more human. Considering the difficulties of fleshing out characters when there's an urgency to a story being told, I've seen it done a lot worse.

One thing that's becoming more of a noticeable issue is how extraneous and, frankly, boring Captain Jack (John Barrowman) has been on the show so far. Has removing his immortality neutered the dashing hero of the previous three series? It certainly seems that way. Here, Barrowman's given a few awkward speeches and a key role in an operation to steal information from PhiCorp's servers with Gwen (Eve Myles), but other than that he's almost surplus to requirement. Very little about Miracle Day is working because of what Captain Jack's bringing to the table, in terms of knowledge, expertise or attitude. It's perhaps one of the reasons Miracle Day hasn't gone down so well with fans. And why is the show still making cutesy references to the fact Jack's lived thousands of years? If you're new to the show (and this Starz miniseries was partly designed to introduce Torchwood to newcomers), it must feel very strange.

Overall, most of "Escape From L.A" worked well enough and it was a more capable hour than we've had so far. It's still not especially gripping, but at least we've been given big clues about what's going on: the unseen villains (their "organisation" symbolized by a rotating triangle) are referred to as "The Families" at one point, so are there three alien families behind this? They've also given Oswald Danes this platform intentionally, and must therefore have infiltrated PhiCorp to do that, so there's a feeling this episode has started to draw a few of the subplots together. We'll have to see if Miracle Day manages to resolve the story in a satisfying way, and I'm still not convinced it can, but I'm prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.

Asides

• Love the scene with Monroe being crushed in a car compactor, ending up trapped alive inside a metal cube, with just her eye blinking. That's quite a horrific fate to be given, and a more imaginative twist on the common scene of someone immortal being buried alive in a coffin.
• Does anyone care about Gwen's family? I know Rhys (Kai Owen) has his fans, but every time Gwen has to dash off to call her husband while on a mission my attention wanders. And putting her sickly father in jeopardy doesn't feel like a good move, considering all that's happening in Wales. Are we going to see Gwen fly back to Wales for an episode of two to save him? If so, maybe this subplot only exists to stretch the miniseries out? I have a feeling Miracle Day doesn't need 10 hours, and we'll see more padding in the future, like episode 2's plane journey shenanigans.

written by Jim Gray & John Shiban / directed by Billy Gierhart / 29 July 2011 / Starz

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BREAKING BAD, 4.2 - "Thirty-Eight Snub"

After the relentless tension of the premiere, which capped an equally tense third season, "Thirty-Eight Snub" was a quieter hour of introspection and a chance for the characters to parse everything that's happened to them, and in some cases plan for whatever the future may bring. It was another good episode, stylishly directed by Michelle MacLaren, brimming with confidence. The wonderful thing about Breaking Bad is how you could condense everything down to around 20 minutes, but the show really lives and breathes with the extra time to make scenes sink in and the atmosphere to take hold.

Everyone's reaction to Gale's murder and the vicious killing of Victor by Gus, just to make a point, was very interesting to see. Jesse (Aaron Paul), racked with guilt over pulling the trigger on poor Gale, retreated to his home comforts (a colossal sound system, lines of cocaine, chit-chat with Badger and Skinny Pete about zombie video-games, and eventually a huge house party); Walt (Bryan Cranston) was more pragmatic and developing a naive plan to kill Gus, by buying a .38 snub-nosed revolver from an illegal gun dealer (Jim Beaver) and practicing his quickdraw for when he gets Gus in his sights; Skyler (Anna Gunn) began to worry about the size of Hank's (Dean Norris) medical bills, so took the initiative to approach Walt's old boss to buy his car wash (so they can launder money through it); assassin Mike (Jonathan Banks) tried to drown the memory of Victor's death in a bar, only to be reminded by a spot of blood on his cuff (very Shakespearian); and Marie (Betsy Brandt) continued to struggle with Hank's obstinacy over his disability and fixation on collecting minerals.

There was lots of fascinating character beats in this episode, but I particularly enjoyed Jesse's because it's more understandable. He's a kid who's been through a lot and finds solace only when his mind's distracted by friends, music and drugs. The final shot of Jesse alone, after the party finally came to an end, sat in front of a large speaker that's swallowing him with noise, was the perfect was to demonstrate this. But while Jesse seeks escape from the life he's chosen that, ironically, provide the means of that escape, Walt's grown more confident and accepting of the life he's chosen. He's still rather foolish and his "plan" to kill Gus isn't a clever one—especially as Gus appears to have vanished and, according to Mike, the two men will never meet again. Walt's being kept at a distance to cook his meth in the Superlab, and his movements watched outside of work, so the situation is almost hopeless. The only move Walt had was to get Mike on his side, by making him feel as insecure as he does. And despite the fact he has a point, and as an audience we have some hope that Mike's going to leave Gus's payroll, Walt's attempt to recruit Mike utterly failed. After broaching the subject to Mike in a local bar, Walt was beaten for even suggesting the idea of a partnership against Gus. So is Mike fiercely loyal to Gus? Does he just have no faith that Walt's the man to put his trust in? Does he just need more persuading that even Victor's murder didn't provide? Or is there something else happening in Mike's life we don't know about?

At the moment, the situation with Hank is providing Betsy Brandt with some of the best material she's had on the show, and she's doing a tremendous job with it. It's heartbreaking to see how unkind Hank is being around his dutiful, supportive wife. He's such a proud man that being a unable to walk is difficult enough, but Marie's presence just amplifies his feelings of emasculation. I'm still interested to see where this story goes, although it does feel like an entire season of Hank learning to walk is in order. Maybe Hank getting back on his feet will be the symbolic contrast to Walt slipping further into criminality? It helps that I'm a big fan of Norris's work on this show, and I'm pleased Brandt now has something to play that's worth her time (it beats that kleptomania storyline from season 1), but a part of me is concerned this story's going to lose its appeal. Then again, knowing how fluidly the writers plan their season, it's likely they'll get bored of Hank and his mineral collection around the same time the audience do.

Skyler also has a firmer stake in the story these days, which is great to see. Her business brain could make her a valuable asset to Walt once his empire, assumedly, begins to take shape. But getting their hands on that car wash isn't going to be easy, given the bad blood between owner Bogdan (Marius Stan) and ex-employee Walt. Skyler put together a generous $879,0000 offer, but he wants $20,000,000! Can Walt find a way back into his old boss's good books, or will he have to take more disreputable action to get the car wash?

Another fine episode, considering it was giving us the calm after the storm, but plenty to think about as this nascent season develops.

Asides

• There's a new guy working in the Superlab called Tyrus (Ray Campbell), and you have to wonder if he'll be in any way helpful to Walt and Jesse in the future, or is he going to be as unhelpful as Victor was. Also, now that Gus is asking for the meth to be weighed twice, it looks like Jesse's siphoning of the drug to sell himself is going to be nigh impossible.
• Nice to see Jesse's ex-girlfriend Andrea back on the show, briefly, although she was more of a plot-device last year than anything else, so I don't blame anyone for having forgotten she existed.
• Lots of creative POV shots used throughout this episode by director Michelle MacLaren, most memorably with the Roomba device vacuuming Jesse's house, and the windscreen of a vehicle going through a car wash. It all helps give Breaking Bad its distinctive look and feel, but I particularly appreciate the wonderful sonics used in the soundtrack. Sometimes it's like the whole world is buzzing with noise from inside an echoing tube, slowly sending the characters crazy. Interestingly, this noise suddenly quietened the moment Walt put his porkpie hat—effectively becoming his alter-ego Heisenberg as he approached Gus's house. Another nod that Walt asserts control and finds confidence only when he's in that guise.

written by George Mastras / directed by Michelle MacLaren / 24 July 2011 / AMC

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