'PRIMEVAL' 4.5

After a hopeless run of wretched episodes, Primeval delivered a competently-told story with an agreeable mix of imagination, silliness, decent action, tongue-in-cheek homage's, and clarity with most of its storytelling. The script was co-written by creator Adrian Hodges and John Fay (Torchwood); two writers evidently more talented than the scribes who churned out the previous four hours, although there were still elements beyond their abilities to repair -- like the abortive subplot with the Victorian time-travellers.

Opening with a clunky pastiche of The Blair Witch Project (the first of many pop-culture references this week), we were swiftly presented with another of Primeval's standard setups: an anomaly giving off a fluctuating signal was detected by the ARC, so Lester (Ben Miller) sent Matt (Ciaran McMenamin), Connor (Andrew Lee-Potts) and Abby (Hannah Spearritt) to investigate the source at a small coastal town. Arriving to scout the location, Connor and Abby discovered a local legend about a man-eating "worm", which may in fact be a prehistoric Labyrithodont that's been visiting the area for centuries, and was responsible for the recent murder of a backpacker (shades of An American Werewolf In London, not least in the presence of an oppressive, murky pub.)

Primeval's a show that usually cuts to the chase quickly, and literally in this week's case. It was a monster hunt set around iconic British locations (seaside town, idyllic riverside, caravan site), but the story progressed smoother than usual this series. Hodges and Fay's script stuck to what's expected from the show, but proved that it's how you tell a story that matters. There was nothing particularly original going on here, but there was a feeling of comfort because the plot was delivered in a less choppy, more satisfying way. Simply ensuring the week's creature didn't appear on-screen for 25-minutes helped buuld some tension and mystery. The episode also tipped its hat to movies such as Deliverance, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, for the amusement of its older audience.

I also liked the clarity with Philip (Alexander Siddig) and Lester's relationship is representing, with brainiac Philip stressing his interest lies with the science of the anomalies, whereas Lester's focused on protecting people from the creatures that tend to wander through them. The story was primarily focused on Abby and Connor trying to locate the errant Labyrithodont around the eerie town, with a little help from Matt, who was eventually drawn away to rescue Emily (Ruth Bradley), who has been kidnapped by time-hopping oddball Ethan (Jonathan Byrne) and taken to a nearby cemetery.

The Emily/Ethan storyline has been series 4's biggest frustration, as I sense it's a decent idea that's been poorly handled. It's too unclear who Emily and Ethan are, what they both represent, and thus impossible to care about Ethan's mania over the death of their sick friend Charlotte -- who was a character that died minutes after her on-screen debut. While I understand a few vagaries are intentional, designed to provoke a sense of mystery, the writers haven't given us enough information to engage with these characters or this storyline.

I'm still utterly bewildered about Ethan, in particular. Who was Charlotte to him? Why is he the villain? If he's so unhinged, why were Emily and Charlotte hanging around with him? What is his plan, now he's in the 21st-century? And before you say the remaining episodes might explain all of this -- that's beside the point. You shouldn't be introducing characters in a situation that are impossible to engage with because of so much confusion, but expect audiences to put aside their complaints and wait for answers that aren't even guaranteed. Right now, it feels like Ethan's a variation of Helen Cutter, the time-travelling supervillain of series 1-3, who was likewise written awkwardly and illogically, before being killed off without giving us many satisfying answers. That I can remember, anyway. Feel free to elucidate me, Primevalites.

Overall, episode 5 was another step in the right direction and has me mildly optimistic the worst is behind us. Nothing here excuses the weak introduction of Matt (who's failed to leave his mark as the show's new lead), and the time-travelling vagabonds have been totally mismanaged by the writers, but the action-adventure at the heart of this week's episode was far more palatable. It even restored some semblance of intelligence to the series, when Connor realized the unstable anomaly was actually jump-started by an acidic pool of water in a seaside cave. This was a good episode of Primeval, particularly because it rediscovered its sense of humour and thus felt more likeable than it has done in awhile -- best demonstrated in a brief scene with Lester struggling with some tracking software on a laptop with Jess (Ruth Kearney). It's the little things, but they add up and can make a show appealing.

Asides

• Watch are currently airing repeats of Primeval in the UK. I never thought the sight of Douglas Henshall grumbling as he traipses up an office stairway, armed with a leaf blower, would feel like the good ol' days. Well, the better ol' days.
• I'm sorry if you're a Ben Mansfield fan, but this episode was noticeably better without Becker's character charging around with a stoical expression, clutching his gun.
• A minor observation, but it was nice to see Jess wearing something less pointedly kooky.

WRITERS: John Fay & Adrian Hodges
DIRECTOR: Robert Quinn
TRANSMISSION: 22 January 2011, ITV1/HD, 7PM

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'SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA' - "Past Transgressions"

Hack n' slash your way over to Obsessed With Film, where I've reviewed the premiere of SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA, the six-part prequel to Spartacus: Blood & Sand, brought to you by the majesty of Jupiter's c*ck:

A prequel to the Starz hit Spartacus: Blood & Sand, Gods Of The Arena was originally a flashback idea the producers wanted to pursue in season 2. However, following the cancer relapse of the show's star Andy Whitfield, the concept was expanded to became a six-part miniseries and stopgap while they recast the role of Spartacus. Continue reading...

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'FAST & LOOSE' 1.2

I was distinctly unimpressed with BBC2's new improv comedy show last week, and most of you agreed with my assessment it was too slow and, unforgivably, too rehearsed. But I know these shows take awhile to find their feet (the first few series of Whose Line Is It Anyway? were weak, too), so I tuned in for the second episode, hoping for an improvement, and I got it.

That's not to say Fast & Loose is still anywhere near a good show, but episode 2 was certainly funnier and felt more spontaneous. It was especially good to see Wayne Brady in the lineup of performers (a familiar face from Whose Line), as he managed to bring a few moments of spark to proceedings. The games were also much better and, crucially, had the smell of being genuinely impulsive – such as "Forward/Reverse", where a scene is performed but the action is randomly reversed or fast-forwarded, or "Double Speak", where the performers were coupled into oversized T-shirts and had to be interviewed as one entity, with each duo having to talk simultaneously. Both games were funny ideas, even if what was being performed wasn't particularly clever or memorable. The key thing is they felt improvised, by virtue of the fact they were performed so clumsily.

But the problems from week 1 remain: most of the games drag on far too long ("Weak Links" ran an incredible 8-minutes), and there was the unwelcome return of "Interpretive Dance" with David Armand (a ludicrous 4-minute long game.) The only saving grace there was that Armand's chosen song, Wet Wet Wet's "Love Is All Around", was more conducive to humorous mime than last week's "Careless Whisper". And the utter lack of audience input is still a ridiculous oversight that denies the show interaction and a sense of legitimacy that usually fuels improv shows.

And on a technical level, I hate the lack of screen legends to remind audiences of key things in a game (as I still forget what roles performers have been assigned for "Weak Links", say), presenter Hugh Dennis sits at a desk that's too distant from the performers, who themselves have to sit on those awkward two tier benches. I'm glad Fast & Loose has problems that are so easily fixed; but it's astonishing the format got this far without anyone realizing its blindingly obvious faults.

What did you think of Fast & Loose this week?

Fridays, BBC2, 10PM

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'NO ORDINARY FAMILY' 1.13 - "No Ordinary Detention"

There was a tweak to the usual format of No Ordinary Family this week, as three separate stories were told that all involved members of the Powell family being detained/trapped in some way. Jim (Michael Chiklis) found himself entangled in a hostage crisis at the police department with George (Romany Malco); Daphne (Kay Panabaker) and JJ (Jimmy Bennett) were held back at school for detention; and Stephanie (Julie Benz) had to deal with an emergency lockdown at the laboratory after Katie (Autumn Reeser) tricked her sick boyfriend Joshua (Josh Stewart) into work for medical treatment.

Coincidentally, "No Ordinary Detention" is the second TV show this month to take inspiration from the movie Die Hard, following a similar storyline to Human Target's "Imbroglio" recently. As I mentioned before, John McTiernan's '80s hit must rank as one of the biggest influences on modern TV screenwriters, who often riff on Die Hard's core premise because it lends itself brilliantly to comparatively micro-budget productions aiming to save cash by only filming on their standing sets. It may be a clichéd setup, but seeing Jim enact John McClane, using his super-powers to immobilize the criminal gang who've escaped from custody, one by one, was an entertaining use of his character. It helped spice things up that Jim had to keep his everyday identity a secret, not just his powers, in order to keep his cover, because Internal Affairs officer Rachel Jacobs (Joanne Kelly) is investigating her theory there's a vigilante cop in the city.

The least involving storyline was foisted onto the Powell teens, with a storyline for Daphne and JJ that evoked The Breakfast Club. Writers Zack Estrin and Leigh Dana Jackson sure did raid their DVD shelf for pop-culture muses this week, huh? The result was a pleasant but forgettable story, where a group of kids (including JJ's curiously distant girlfriend, the boy Daphne knows lied about possessing drugs, and the "mean girl" Daphne beat to the position of student president) came to better understand each other. I appreciated this storyline making the effort to utilize some supporting players, having recently bemoaned how No Ordinary Family doesn't have many throughlines and seems to use and dispose of its guest stars. I hope this continues and the show starts to build a social group for JJ and Daphne that doesn't feel like it gets rebooted every week.

Finally, in terms of the mytharc, Stephanie's storyline offered the biggest thrills for fans. Joshua became a quivering wreck as he went cold turkey from Dr King's super-serum, and after being taken to Katie's workplace under false pretenses, came under attack from shapeshifter Victoria (Rebecca Mader), Dr King's wily new henchman. It wasn't the most plausible of subplots (why did Joshua agree to accompany Katie to work if he's so ill?) and the lockdown was an awkward way to avoid the problem Stephanie's workplace would ordinarily be crawling with scientists the show can't allow to witness super-antics, but otherwise I appreciated the steps forward it ultimately achieved.

Katie now knows that Joshua has super-powers (although she didn't press Joshua for details on how he obtained them?!), and Stephanie knows Victoria is a shapeshifter who may return in a different guise -- but was this reveal done too early, considering Victoria was only introduced last week? I think it would have been nicer to play around with Victoria awhile, and the fact Stephanie appeared to disregard so much of the weirdness was a little annoying. In the denouement, it was played for laughs that every character was reticent about going into the details of their day, but it felt very strange that Stephanie wouldn't be gossiping about a shapeshifter having an unexplained interest in herself and Katie.

Overall, I'm probably too soft on No Ordinary Family, but for what the show's intended to be I think this was a very good episode. Some firm developments told within three entertaining storylines, together with an improved performance from Josh Stewart (who isn't a dynamic actor, but plays victimized well), and an impressive turn from Mader as the boo-hiss villain. I often find myself making a list of nitpicks and issues as I watch No Ordinary Family, but the show's a pleasant viewing experience and the fact it's so unpretentious makes me forgive its holes.

WRITERS: Zack Estrin & Leigh Dana Jackson
DIRECTOR: David Petrarca
TRANSMISSION: 18 January 2011, ABC, 8/7c

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'10 O'CLOCK LIVE'

It can't have escaped your attention Channel 4 have launched a brand new satirical news show for Thursday nights; what with so many promos, billboards and online adverts swirling around the UK media over the past few weeks. 10 O'Clock Live is the latest in a string of attempts to find a British version of The Daily Show, which has proven to be tougher than it appears. But, following the success of the Alternative Election Night last May (which put a comedic spin on the General Election coverage, attracting a sizeable audience), that format's been repurposed for weekly live episodes poking fun at current affairs.

10 O'Clock Live is hosted by four familiar faces: comedian Jimmy Carr (8 Out Of 10 Cats), comic actor David Mitchell (Peep Show), columnist/presenter Charlie Brooker (Newswipe), and DJ/presenter Lauren Laverne (The Culture Show). They're the bantering pillars that give the show a vague Blue Peter-for-adults feel, situated as they are in a large minimalist studio divided into special areas: a zit-like roundtable for discussions; a counter, for Brooker to address the camera from; a desk, for Carr to interview people across; and an area with chairs, for Mitchell to do likewise, or Laverne to deliver pieces to camera.)

Each presented comes with a particular skill set and role, too: Mitchell chairs hot debates, interviews politicians, or rants to the audience (in "Listen To Mitchell", ostensibly based on his popular vodcasts), Brooker inevitably spews bile or introduces VT of him savaging a politician (this week, Sarah Palin), Carr delivers political standup (a précis of the week's top stories, poking fun at "holiday hotspot" Tunisia), and more lighthearted interviews (this week, environmental skeptic Bjorn Lomborg); and Laverne seems to take the lead when they gather for a four-way discussion, or else appears in the odd pre-recorded sketch (this week, co-anchor of a tacky celebrity news channel).

By and large, I thought 10 O'Clock Live worked rather well, although there are inevitable irritations and problems that will hopefully be ironed flat. Primarily, the hour-long format felt like a drag, being a show that's 80% discussion, 10% interview, 10% standup. There is variety, but the content's not varied enough to make you feel like you're given a break from comical political discourse. I was able to skip the adverts and it still felt languorous, making me wish the format was a tighter 30 minutes. Hopefully the producers will find ways to revitalized the show after every ad break, going forward.

The quartet of presenters largely did a very good job. I don't really associate Jimmy Carr with political comedy, but his experience with live TV made him a reassuring presence. Charlie Brooker's a no-brainer for this show, particularly in the wake of his excellent Newswipe series, but it does feel like he's only added to formats where it's possible to shoehorn in his patented, effusive VT funnies. That said, Brooker has never looked happier in a live TV environment than here, and I was heartened to see his reliance on pre-recorded videos was kept to a minimum. Lauren Laverne is probably the weakest of the bunch (although pleasant and capable), mainly because I don't see the connective tissue between her and political humour -- which feels like a bigger stretch than being asked to believed she cared about Renaissance art and Seamus Heaney while on The Culture Show.

By far the biggest triumph was David Mitchell, who was simply marvelous throughout. He had the toughest job of everyone, having to chair a debate on banking and interview a politician on student expenses, all while ensuring they were informative and constructive, but also funny and entertaining. He achieved this with great aplomb; demonstrating a depth of knowledge and sharp wit that can only get better as he gains experience and extra confidence. Whenever Mitchell was on-screen, 10 O'Clock Live was delivering exactly what was expected of it -- making politics feels accessible through comedy.

Overall, 10 O'Clock Live started its run with a confident first step, but more variety to the features would be appreciated. Also, not that this is likely to happen anytime soon, but I can't help thinking two half-hour episodes each week (Tuesdays, Fridays?) would also be an immediate improvement. I'm also not convinced the show justifies having four big-name presenters, as this episode made me crave a half-sized version with David Mitchell as permanent host and regular contributions from Brooker.

So, the format's a mixed bag and there's a feeling of overkill with the presenters outnumbering the guests, but 10 O'Clock Live provided fairly studious political comedy that (mostly) didn't fallback on ridiculing the image of public figures, as happens with numbing regularity on panel shows like Have I Got News For You. For that alone, I'm glad it exists and hope it manages to improve over time.

Thursdays, Channel 4, 10PM

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'THE CAPE' 1.3 - "Kozmo"

I didn't think NBC's new superhero drama The Cape could sink much lower than its opening few episodes, but the "Kozmo" was a full-blown stinker it's tough to defend. My expectations were low, but it still managed to plumb new depths. If a show's this cheesy and ridiculous, it should at least be fun! What's frustrating is that the core idea behind the episode wasn't that bad, with Russian convict and escapologist Gregor Molotov (Thomas Kretschmann) escaping from prison through a tiny escape hole, to arrive in America and demand the return of his magical cape from circus ringmaster Max Malini (Keith David).

In the episode's early scenes, we were given information about the cape's legendary status; the fact it's inherited by successive generations of circus performer, al going by the stage name of Kozmo (which even included Max), before Molotov started to use its abilities for evil. I quite liked The Phantom-esque idea of Kozmo being considered "invincible" because when one cape owner's killed the garment's simply passed to another man -- even if that seems to conflict with the idea Vince Faraday (Michael Bublé David Lyons) is the first person who's decided to become a real-life superhero. With a bit of a rewrite, this story could even have explained why there's a comic-book being published starring "The Cape", as that fictional character could have been based on a previous incarnation of Kozmo The Invincible. But the opportunity appears to have slipped the writer's attention.

Anyway, "Kozmo" felt like it had some promise in the first 10 minutes, but then it floundered and quickly became a laughable, second-rate, messy joke. It's hard to see how you can make such a basic idea die on-screen so badly, but writer Craig Titley (Cheaper By The Dozen, Percy Jackson) managed it. The fact Molotov had the ability to dislocate most of the bones in his body, turning him into a version of iconic X Files villain Tooms, didn't even figure into the plot after his initial escape from prison. Why setup the idea of your week's villain being the ultimate escape artist, only to ignore all that in how he goes about dealing with his enemies? All we got was an unintentionally hilarious scene where Molotov cut the throats of poker players by flicking playing cards into their necks at high-speed.

Overall, I really can't summon the enthusiasm to discuss anything else that happened in this pitiable episode, beyond call on Summer Glau to fire her agent. Are there really no decent roles for her in TV? The best thing about this show is the opening titles, which mix animated comic-book panels with live-action sequences, and hints at the potential for a series that fully embraces the cheesier aspects of old-school superheroes, in a way that's imaginative, witty and tongue-in-cheek. The Cape isn't that show. It's a turgid stew of ideas stolen from a variety of better sources, thrown together in the vague hope they'll stick and produce something that transcends its roots. It hasn't worked. I won't be watching again.

WRITER: Craig Titley
DIRECTOR: David Jackson
TRANSMISSION: 17 January 2011, NBC, 8/7c

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'Red Dwarf' returning to Dave for six-part series

It's been confirmed that cult sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf is returning to TV with a brand new six-part series, to be broadcast on the digital channel Dave, who commissioned the three-part special "Back To Earth" in 2009. Craig Charles (who plays Lister) apparently spilt the beans during a radio interview, and his co-star Robert Llewellyn (who plays Kryten) today confirmed the story on Twitter and his blog.

We already knew Dave had approached Dwarf's co-creator Doug Naylor about writing more episodes, because their 2009 special was an enormous ratings success for the channel, but now fans can rest assured a proper run of Red Dwarf is definitely on the way. Filming will apparently take place this November for three months, so it's likely the new series will premiere in the second half of 2012. The most exciting thing about this news is Llewellyn's reveal that they plan to film infront of a live studio audience, which hasn't happened since 1998.

Now, my thoughts on Red Dwarf are well-known here, but for the benefit of new readers: I was a massive fan of the series during its original run (seriously, I even owned merchandise), but I disliked Series 6 and grew to despise everything that followed. Series 7, with the introduction of Kochanski and deficit of Rimmer? Atrocious. Series 8, with the resurrected crew? Pretty bad. The Easter weekend "Back To Earth" special? Awful. For me, Red Dwarf was a product of the late-'80s/early-'90s and should have been allowed to fade into a cherished memory. Instead, it's been kept alive way past its creative peak, and the early magic's never been recaptured. I consequently refuse to get excited about this new series (which will apparently bridge the gap between Series 8 and the BTE special), not least because the cast are mostly in their 50s now, and far from how I prefer to remember the fresh-faced characters.

However, news they're filming with a live studio audience has brightened a small part of my fanboy soul. It's undoubtedly a wise move. As I've said many times before, performing sitcoms with a live audience in attendance has two huge benefits: (1) the actors can calibrate their performance using the immediate audience feedback; (2) the scripts will have to focus on regular jokes to entertain the audience, rather than indulge moments of straight drama. It's easy to scratch your dramatic itches as a writer when you're not standing in the wings of a TV studio, watching a bored audience's stone-faced reactions. Knowing fans will be watching the filming will hopefully scare Doug Naylor into raising his game.

What do you think? It's been on the cards for awhile now, but Red Dwarf's definitely returning to TV for a proper six-week run! Is that cause for outright celebration, cautious optimism, or indifference?

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