It is not the most stellar season. Frankly, I feel there is something missing. After thinking about it, I found it was the lack of a fast talking, witty, pop culture reference show à la "Buffy", "Gilmore Girls" or "Veronica Mars". Without this kind of writing, TV feels empty. Sure a show like that never reflects real life or true situations but hey, what television show does? Still, in a dimly lit room somewhere, Joss is writing the 'next' show that makes me all giddy and fanatical. Anyway, a girl can dream. But even with the dismal season, there are a few good eggs in the basket. Let's take a look
"Chuck" - A less charming rip off of "Jake 2.0" with Betty's beau Christopher Gorham, "Chuck" plays the shy geek card against an energetic Alec Baldwin and typical blond spy, Yvonne Strzechowski. Even the geekiness is less than par with encoded images having been downloaded into Chuck's brain. At least Jake had some powers, this guy just decrypts images leaving the audience to witness flashes on the screen and a 'doh' moment when Chuck tells pretty blond what it means. So far the plots are weak and the chemistry superficial. There is potential. I like the brother and sister relationship and the fact that Chuck and his friends are part of the 'Nerd Herd' computer fixit guys who work at a place called 'Buy More' which is next to a 'Weinerlicious'. That's two shows that have made generic names for typical American commercialism and have to say, fun stuff. But the action should pick up or the writing should improve quicke because both are just average and can not sustain this show as quality television. Next to Adam (please oh please throw a toaster at someone every episode!), Zachary Levi has got it down as Chuck. He is such a lovable geek.
"Reaper"- Which leads us to the other geek show. Even though it is on The CW, "Reaper" provides more entertainment and plot than "Chuck" has so far. The premise is this: When Sam was born his parents sold his soul to the devil and now he must work as a bounty hunter and send escaped souls from hell back where they belong. It seemed doomed from my point of view but both the devil and Sam have proved me wrong. The devil is played by Ray Wise and does he ever fit the part. His every scene is fantastic and his motives are still very unclear and the mystery adds points in my book. Sam works for 'The Work Bench', TV's version of Home Depot or Lowe's and though he has no focus, plays the ever wavering bachelor very well. There are a few problems, specifically an average boy - girl scenario. 'He likes her but will not tell her his secret' just drives me crazy. It was a nice twist that she did not go back to school and an unexpected move is always a plus. I like his friends too, though I wish we had more of Ben and less of "Sock".
"Pushing Daisies" - If one show was to scream novel, this is it and is my pick of the season. A fanastical and visual journey into the world of reanimation which has the look and feel of a Burton film. And please, the chemistry between our 'touched' hero, Ned and undead Chuck (who names their kid Charlotte Charles?) is boiling over. I can imagine that the ever changing ways of them touching without actually touching is going to be the thing with this show. The audience is swept into the lives of its characters intertwined by little details given in the form of a narrator, the ever fantastic voice of the Harry Potter audio novels, Jim Dale. In fact, the narration and the scene formation culminating in the character looking directly at the camera reminds me a lot of Amélie. With a fantastic cast (again I beg for Kristin Chenoweth to sing in every episode) and an even more enchanting plot, "Pushing Daisies" is here to stay.
"Life" - That being said, my next favorite new show is "Life" and it all has to do with Damian Lewis. Lewis plays Crews, an LAPD policeman who was accused of murdering his business partner, wife, and son when DNA evidence, 12 years later, acquitted him. He was released, promoted to detective, and awarded some billions of dollars for compensation. So the plot, while fairly droll, has some potential in that the crime is still unsolved and the audience gets pieces every episode. His partner also catches my interest and she has done well trying to understand and deal with this confounding man who has a house but no furniture (I love the zen) and keeps company with a known embezzler (a brilliant Adam Arkin). Lewis, my newfound love, steals the show. With a piercing stare and a love for life, the character Crews and the actor Lewis go hand in hand. It must be the mystery or the scars beneath the surface. Whatever it is, it draws me. If you have not seen "Band of Brothers", netflix the sucker and enjoy the ride. He has only improved with age and "Life" is the little known secret of this year's premieres.
I did not start out liking Naruto. The anime focused on the young ninja who was whiny and annoying. Plus, his main strength is his determination and not his ninja ability and to me, this is boring. I like my heroes special, strong, moody. Which brings me to Sasuke who was just that. Meanwhile, Naruto grew stronger and Sasuke grew jealous. So Sasuke goes off to seek power and revenge. Naruto goes after Sasuke to bring him home. The bitterness between them, despite their previous camaraderie, was felt in their last meeting when they both fought to kill. Now, it seems, Naruto, is a top notch anime which has improved both in character and animation. I can not wait to see how things work out.
