Survivor: Suggesting a season

Long-time reader Javier left this comment on my previous post:

Hey Matt, as you know, I've been a loyal reader of all your columns for years and have enjoyed them very much. To be completely honest, in 19 seasons, I had never seen one episode of Survivor. I know it's a good show but I was never able to watch it. While reading your comments on the latest season I decided to give Survivor a try and I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I enjoyed the show. I've been catching up with this season and it's been a fun ride, so I want to thank you for introducing me to Survivor. I was gonna ask you, since I've missed years of this show, what past seasons would you recommend me to watch? What are your favorites? Thanks.

Survivor is a real interesting beast, making this question very tough to answer. I find myself getting extraordinarily into a particular season, yet a year or so later struggle to remember the names of anybody other than the final few competitors.

Incidentally, the ones that I've enjoyed in recent memory are ones you probably wouldn't appreciate without being a long-time fan -- All Stars and Fans vs. Favorites. Of course, there's the belief that the original is always the best, and a fair argument could be made for that. The show has become synonymous with the word "alliance" and the idea of a group of masterminds picking off the underdogs one by one, but in the first season this strategy was a novel and innovative concept.

I might also suggest Guatemala, as it was the first season to introduce Exile Island and the hidden immunity idol. I also thought China was pretty good. But does anybody else have any suggestions?

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Survivor: A response to the conspiracy theorists

Those who follow my Twitter page are likely already aware of my enjoyment of this latest installment of Survivor. The show is clearly pushing Russell as this season's "star," and I'm drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid. From his slithering behavior to his nearly flawless strategy to the impeccable way he's read and manipulated people, I've been utterly entertained by his antics. And since the merge, I've sometimes literally been sitting at the edge of my seat wondering who would be voted off. It's been a long time since I've been this drawn to a season of Survivor -- surely no small feat considering this is the 19th edition of the popular reality series.

Naturally, IMDb.com -- a forum that has become increasingly unbearable to read -- has found a way to put a damper on this season. You have countless people (who I assume to be a vocal minority) who believe that the show is rigged. They argue that there's absolutely no way that Russell could possibly find three immunity idols, two of which he received no clues for. Likewise, they find it unbelievable that he hasn't already been voted off, and that the other contestants are being urged to keep him on the show. And anybody who believes that the show isn't fixed is simply being "naive."

First off, since Survivor is a contest that rewards the winner with money, it is ILLEGAL to tamper with the results in any way -- and that especially includes rigging variables that would ensure that a particular contestant remains in the game.

Further, what do the powers that be benefit from such a stunt? Mark Burnett, who produces the show, perhaps has more to lose than anybody. In addition to Survivor, he's involved with The Apprentice, The Contender, Shark Tank, and a variety of other reality show contests. If it's revealed that one of his competitions has been fixed, his entire career loses credibility. What does he gain from that?

Then there's CBS, currently the #1 network on television. As the so-called King of the Mountain, they're really not all that desperate to bring in audience. Tarnishing one of their most identifiable programs -- which typically brings in over 13 million viewers -- is hardly a necessary evil. Likewise, another popular series known as The Amazing Race calls CBS home as well. Tampering with the credibility of one of these programs can easily hinder the other. Again -- the ends don't justify the means here.

And finally, what do the other contestants gain from keeping a legitimate threat in the game? They're competing against each other for money, after all.

And you would think that this point should go without saying, but obviously it needs to be said: We are merely seeing an edited version of what has happened. It may seem like Russell stumbled upon these hidden idols without much work or complication, but what we don't see is that he may have been spending ten hours a day, three days straight looking for these idols. And, as host Jeff Probst has said, producers WANT the contestants to find the idols, because it adds a new element to the game. It's a bit pointless to hide it if nobody's going to find it. And as we saw from a recent episode, other contestants are more interested in following Russell as he looks for the idol, instead of looking for the idol themselves. He seems to be the only one who cares to find it.

So, no, I do not believe that this latest season of Survivor is rigged. I just think they hit the jackpot with a great character and they're doing everything they can, through editing, to make him the star of the show. And you know what? More people are talking about the show than I remember in quite some time.

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 4-11

This might surprise some, but I honestly really don’t have anything critical to say about this week’s episode of Heroes. Indeed, despite the lack of action, it was one of the most focused episodes I’ve seen in quite some time. The three stories related to each other through a central theme, and the characters that appeared in the episode were restricted to the bare essentials (consider the fact that there were just as many central characters as there were regulars).

While “concept” episodes such as “A very special Thanksgiving” tend to be a risk, I think Heroes pulled it off. As I alluded to earlier, the episode revolved around three families – the Bennets, the Petrellis, and the Carnival – celebrating the holiday. And while all three families experienced turmoil, they ultimately arrived at three different destinations. The Bennets overcame their conflicts and began the mending process of becoming a modern nuclear family. The Carnival began to implode. And the Petrellis attempted to defy all logic and rationalization to somehow continue to be a family.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/11/25/heroes-episode-4-11-review/

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 9-9

I want to take this opportunity to once again thank everybody who has read and contributed their comments to my reviews. I’ve really enjoyed the interactions, and it actually makes me even more eager for this upcoming season of Lost. If the amount of feedback I’ve received from Smallville and Heroes is any indication, my Lost: Revisited columns are sure to get a lot of reader participation.

Anyway, as I indicated in my response to Mary’s comments regarding last week’s review, I deliberately glossed over the references to Lois’ visions of the future because, while undeniably important, I knew that this week’s episode would focus almost entirely on them. As such, I decided to take a “let’s sit back and see how this plays out” approach. And I’m glad I did, as it turned out to be a tremendous episode. Just a couple of weeks ago I proposed that “Kandor” could end up being the strongest episode of the season – the one that fans constantly refer to as the measuring stick throughout the rest of the season, and indeed seasons to come. Now I’m torn. In a lot of ways, I think “Pandora” may fit the bill.

“Kandor” was an undeniably significant episode, don’t get me wrong. It marked the first REAL sight of Krypton. It finally revealed the “why” and “how” regarding Zod and his army being on earth. It gave us the first physical interaction between Clark and his birth father. It was undoubtedly the episode that set the course for the rest of the season.

That being said, I can’t help but feel like “Pandora” was so emotionally charged that it brought the episode to a whole new level. Between the dire situation to the reunion between Clark and Lois to their sex scene to the tension between Clark and his former friends to the deaths, it was just an incredible episode.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/11/23/smallville-episode-9-9-review/

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Survivor Series thoughts and predictions

So Survivor Series is this Sunday, and surprisingly, the card is very similar to the one I had suggested a few weeks ago. Actually, aside from one participant, the Divas Elimination Match is the EXACT formation I had proposed. Sure, I'm a bit disappointed that there are only three elimination matches, but I can also understand why. Admittedly, I was having quite a bit of trouble coming up with 10-man matches near the end (you haven't a clue how close Funaki came to appearing on a PPV again, according to my card).

And actually, the matches look pretty interesting. The one thing that bothers/surprises me, though, is the curious choice of team captains. The biggest head scratcher is the Divas match, led by Mickie James and Michelle McCool, respectively. It was a bit surprising to see McCool leading the Divas side, when Beth Phoenix is the one getting the mega-push, and is constantly referred to as the most dominant Diva on any of the rosters. So you might think to yourself, "Well, Michelle is the Women's Champion." That's true -- and it's a valid reason to be named captain. Except on the babyface side, Mickie James is the captain, with Divas Champ Melina on the team as well.

I'm most disappointed with the decisions revolving Team Kingston and Team Orton. Sure, Kofi's getting the well-deserved super-push to main event status, but it's a little discouraging seeing an upper midcarder captain a team that includes the ECW Champion -- a championship that is technically supposed to be a World Title. Likewise, it saddens me that Super Bland himself, Randy Orton, is team captain when CM Punk, the hottest heel they have right now, stands in the background.

Oh, and how must Matt Hardy feel? Taking a backseat to John Morrison. You think they'd ever do that to Jeff?

Anyway, here are my predictions:

John Cena retains the WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels and Triple H
Undertaker retains the World Heavyweight Championship against Chris Jericho and Big Show
Batista defeats Rey Mysterio. Rey does the stretcher job
Team Kingston defeats Team Orton (Kofi and Christian survive)
Team Morrison defeats Team Miz (entire team survives)
Team Michelle defeats Team Mickie (Beth Phoenix sole survivor)

It looks like a solid show. Enjoy!

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I have some insightful readers!

Week after week, my columns over at Inside Pulse have received some wonderfully insightful and enjoyable comments. This past week, two have jumped out at me, which I thought I'd share here (and hey blog readers, there's a fun little "Comment" link at the bottom of my posts here as well!)

First, in response to the most recent episode of Smallville, Mary has this to say:

Matt, nice review but I think you missed a few things that were important to take from this episode regarding important character development. This episode was not filler as many expected it to be. On the contrary, it was the calm before the storm giving us a close look at Clark and Lois’ emotional and mental state.

There was a nice parellel in this episode between how Chloe wanted Clark to handle the District Attorney and how Lois ultimately chose to handle it. Chloe wanted Clark to let the DA smear his name and remain in the shadows. Lois recognized that the shield was beacon of hope for the city and she came forward to defend Clark in public and begged the city to leave him alone. Utimately, Lois’ plans were closer to where Clark’s heart is right now and she did the right thing.

The scene on the rooftop was very important. Lois was willing to give her life so that Clark could remain a beacon of hope for the city. Clark, for his part, gladly would have jumped after Lois and outed himself to the cameras if she had fallen. Luckily, the wonder twins provided the cover of the fog so that Clark could save Lois without having to out himself. Lois has proven that she would die for him so the fact that he’s keeping his secret from her is not about trust. The problem is that she WOULD give her life for his secret and I think that’s what scares him. He doesn’t want her put in that position.

The last scene in Lois’ therapy session was very important. Lois admitted that she as fascinated by the heroics of the Blur. But her thoughts kept coming back to Clark. He is the man that she loves above all else. That was a big realization on Lois’ part.

Again, the last scene between Clark and Lois in the copy room was adorable and important. Clark revealed the famous glasses and he rather touchingly admitted to her that he wished he could be two people for her. Little does she know…. This time Lois was the one who got over her fear and kissed him so that he was clear on how she felt about him. Then of course she had the seizure.

You also missed talking about the opening scene from Lois’ dream of the future. Clark and Lois waking up in some kind of abadoned building after making love and there’s a red sun in the sky….that was important.

I’m not criticizing because I always think you do great reviews. I just think there was some important character development that was very important in this episode that you missed in your review. As much as I love action packed episodes I also really appreciate it when Smallville takes the time to really get inside their character’s heads. This was a very important episode in that respect. I loved it.

I thought your comments on Chloe were spot on. The ends do not justify the means. She’s been out of line several times this season. I’m intrigued as to how it’s going to play out.

Thanks for your review! Hope you don’t mind my comments.

First off, never apologize for leaving a comment -- especially one so well thought out. I enjoy these interactions, so as long as you're respectful (which, for the most part, everybody has been), feel free to disagree!

Secondly, I purposely didn't mention Lois' visions because I knew that the following episode would focus almost exclusively on them. As such, I decided to just sit back and wait to see how all of that plays out.

That being said, perhaps I did sell this episode a bit short. I do agree that it was the calm before the storm, giving the audience a bit of a reprieve between what is sure to be two huge episodes (kinda like how they put a Divas match in between two main events). And that's perfectly okay.

However, Mary made a great observation comparing Lois' and Chloe's advice on how to handle the DA situation. It was another example of how Chloe's somewhat darker methodology has drifted from the Clark's purity and nobility (which in itself is somewhat ironic, since Chloe apparently tried to pull Clark from the dark side earlier this season). Over the past two seasons, Chloe has really descended into a much different person. And I think this has played a part in Clark's developing closeness with Lois. Despite her tough-as-nails exterior, beneath it all she shares Clark's values.

The final therapy session WAS worth mentioning, and in hindsight I wish I had. Mary was spot-on: It's important for the viewers to understand that Lois loves Clark the aspiring journalist, and that she's not just interested in him because of the possibility that he's a superhero.

In response to this week's episode of Heroes, dickrat, ahem, left this comment:

The Shanti Virus suppresses the abilities until they’re cured of it. That’s why both Sylar and the Haitian retained their original abilities.

Sylar tried to kill himself after killing Brian Davis, so I would say that he was a bit more emotionally empathetic with that kill than with Isaac.

Claire can regenerate appendages if they’re cut off. She did it with her pinky toe in season 2, so her foot would regrow it’s self leaving the severed foot.

First off, dickrat is absolutely right about the severed foot deal. As we saw at the beginning of season two, body parts regenerate for Claire, so my reattachment comment is a bit moot.

I cringe whenever I have to think about last season's obligatory flashback episode, because it basically re-wrote Sylar and Elle's character, completely contradicting what we had known about them up until that point. Of course, they would ultimately revert back to their original characters, so it was all for nothing. But, since it did happen on the show, I will accept it as "fact."

But I do have to wonder this: Does it matter? So what if Sylar had empathy for Brian. If we are to believe that Sylar was back to square one, except for his original ability, he would have lost Brian's ability -- empathy or not. Sylar cannot simply absorb any person's ability by simply attaching himself emotionally to them. For example, he knows full well that Mr. Petrelli can absorb and eliminate people's abilities by making contact with them. However, nothing we've seen can lead us to believe he can just magically have that ability by thinking of Petrelli. From what we've seen, he still has to be near that person, much like when he used to slice their heads open.

So whether Sylar acquired that ability through empathy or slicing is inconsequential. If he lost his original set of abilities, as most people argue, he shouldn't be able to use telekinesis until he's faced with another person who has that ability. Does that make sense?

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WWE Tribute to MSG

If you watched Raw last night, you likely saw the incredible MSG tribute video (set against the surprisingly catchy "Empire State of Mind"). If you didn't have a chance to see it, check out the YouTube video (catch it while you can!):

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 4-10

Before getting to this week’s episode, let’s revisit what should be known as “The Great Sylar Debate.” The big question we can’t seem to find a satisfying answer for: Did Sylar lose his powers at the conclusion of season one/beginning of season two, when he contracted the Shanti virus?

Most of the people who have said “yes,” seem to believe so out of assumption (after all, he seemingly rarely uses any of those abilities other than telekinesis and his original power). In my opinion, that’s a weak argument. That’s like saying, “he doesn’t use any of those powers, except for the ones he uses.” I mean, when he clearly uses more than one of his season one abilities, I have trouble accepting such a blanket, unsubstantiated statement. Also consider that the Haitian (or, ugh, Rene) suffered from the Shanti virus, but his abilities were right back to normal after he received the vaccine. I know their powers aren’t exactly the same, but there’s really no basis for the belief that the virus would set him back to square one.

Anyway, here’s what some of the readers had to offer:

The future Gabriel also had the ability to “paint the future” which he hadn’t been using since the first season. In that season, Sylar learns how to take powers without killing, basically Peter’s ability. It is quite possible that meeting with Peter allowed the powers he lost to be used once again (and it’s possible that those powers had been aquired from Future Peter)

I don’t recall the mini-explosion hands … I know he’s used lightning quite frequently.

There are a number of abilities that Sylar has collected and rarely ever uses, which is part of the problem. Season 2 he spent most of the season without any powers. The start of this season he’s basically Peter at the start of Season 2 … he is only manifesting some of his powers because of memory loss. Still, there were a number of first season powers, like freezing, he never used since getting his abilities back.

In my quick skimming of the recaps for both parts of Season 3 (chapters 3 and 4) I don’t recall him using any old power. He doesn’t even use some of the powers he aquires (Bob’s alchemy, Jesse’s scream) very often, but lightning is up there with telekenesis on “most used”. And healing of course.

Upon second thought, I may have been mistaken about Sylar-as-Nathan using Ted’s radioactive ability. Now that I think about it, it may very well have been Elle’s lightning. But, again, the fact remains that Future Sylar did use at least two of the abilities he acquired when talking to Peter – Isaac’s paint the future, and Ted’s radiation. But, as noted, he may have acquired those abilities from Peter. I find that to be a bit of a stretch, though. I mean, it’s almost a chicken-or-the-egg situation. Sylar’s absorbing Peter’s abilities while Peter is taking Sylar’s. Forget the butterfly crap – THAT’S gotta mess up the timespace continuum.

However, Kristina seems to shed some light on this issue:

In week 1 of Behind the Eclipse, in which writers/producers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coliete answer fan questions, this very issue was discussed:

Q: “In ‘The Second Coming,’ Sylar says to Claire, ‘You see, I lost everything that made me special.’ Does Sylar mean that he permanently lost all of his acquired powers except for telekinesis? Has his slate of powers been ‘wiped clean’ and does he have to start all over again?

A: Nope that’s right. Sylar’s starting over. Getting a whole new slate of powers as he goes.

Then in week 7 when the devastating impact of Gabriel’s first kill is revealed, the writers explain why his telekenisis, acquired by Brian Davis, is the only acquired power he retained: “Brian was Sylar’s first kill and his power is connected to emotional empathy.”

Sylar’s telekenetic power has become a part of him almost as much as his original power, much more so than any other power he’s attained. That is why when he recovered from the Shanti virus he retained only this acquired power. All the others were lost because they weren’t as much a part of him.

Even though this comes from an undeniably reliable source, I still have issue accepting something that’s not officially canon (as in, explicitly stated on the show). That’s not me being stubborn – that’s just been my experience. I’ve seen instances in which a scene has been filmed but cut for some reason, and ultimately that story gets completely rewritten later on (and is totally contradictory to that original, unseen scene). Unfortunately, I can’t think of a specific example.

To me, the “Brian was Sylar’s first kill and his power is connected to emotional empathy” is extremely weak. It almost sounds like they realized this would make a good reason after the fact. And for that matter, I have a hard time believing that Brian was his most empathetic kill. How about Isaac, who he spent weeks stalking and preying upon before murdering in cold blood? And that kill was motivated by exceptionally devious and ambitious thoughts.

Anyway, I’m not completely closed minded. I am willing to accept that he lost all of his abilities (except for the ones he didn’t lose), but to me it really boils down to just lazy and inconsistent writing. When it’s convenient that he has a certain ability (like super hearing to eavesdrop on HRG’s plot with Slider-man), he suddenly has it. I suppose it’s a bit of a moot point, as he basically only uses telekinesis anyway.

Moving onto this week’s episode, then.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/11/17/heroes-episode-4-10-review/

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 9-8

Moving on. Every now and again Smallville reminds me that they are indeed on the CW. Example: Attempting to threaten somebody by telling them you’ll shut down their Twitter and Facebook accounts. I mean, really….

I have to admit, when I read that Smallville was going to introduce us to the Wonder Twins, I was skeptical. Really skeptical. But at the end of the day, it was handled pretty well. Actually, it went a long way in showing us how much Clark has grown over the past couple of seasons. In fact, portraying Clark as a mentor or idol to them was the absolute right decision. In many instances, classic DC heroes are brought onto the show, but they appear to be more powerful (or, at the very least, more powerfully mature) than Clark. And in a lot of ways, it actually emasculates the future Superman. I couldn’t help but shake my head when Clark met the Legion, and they’re flying around all over the place, almost mocking the Man of Steel because he’s still grounded. I was legitimately worried that Zan and Jayna would be presented as misguided, but ultimately more in-tune with their superhero selves than Clark. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/11/15/smallville-episode-9-8-review/

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Now entering the Twitter-verse

As you may have noticed from all of the new links on the site, I finally succumbed to this Internet juggernaut and decided to join the Twitter-verse. So, if you're one of the millions upon millions of people already on this social networking site, please follow me: @acaseofthetwit. I'll be posting all of blog entries, and I'll be updating it regularly with random thoughts and observations. I think it'll be a fun addition to the blog.

So, in conclusion, please follow me!

http://twitter.com/acaseofthetwit/

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Family Guy KidRobot Fantasy Line Up

Regular readers likely already know about my borderline obsession with collecting Simpsons and Futurama KidRobot figurines. For those of you unfamiliar, KidRobot figurines come in "blind" boxes, which means you don't know which character is inside when you buy it. And there are odds of it being certain characters.

Anyway, I'm hoping that Family Guy will be the next popular series to get this treatment. Using The Simpsons as my model, here is my fantasy line up:

Odds: 2/24
1. Peter Griffin
2. Lois Griffin
3. Chris Griffin
4. Meg Griffin

Odds: 1/24
1. Stewie Griffin
2. Brian Griffin
3. Quagmire
4. Cleveland
5. Joe (with wheelchair!)
6. Mayor Adam West
7. Mort Goldman
8. Tom Tucker
9. Opie
10. Bruce
11. Carter Pewterschmidt

Odds: 1/48
1. Death
2. "Beautiful Person" Peter (Post-cosmetic surgery)
3. Pawtucket Pat
4. Herbert

Odds: 1/96
1. Upside Down Face
2. Nate Griffin

Chasers
1. Evil Monkey
2. Giant Chicken
3. Greased Up Deaf Guy

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 9-7

After waiting nearly a week, the CW Website finally got around to posting the latest episode of Smallville. I can’t really understand their mentality in waiting so long to make their shows available, because I’d assume that many other fans would either get impatient and download it illegally, or just wait until it pops up on YouTube. I must say, it’s rather frustrating.

Anyway, before getting to last week’s episode, I want to respond to a comment made regarding the previous week’s episode, where Clark and Lois finally kissed:

Wow, Smallville has gone from an original masterpiece, to something that resembles Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The latter was a good show, when I was 11. Smallville has really gone down, and I do hope this is the last season, before the bastardize the show anymore.

I may be biased, but I have to disagree. I feel the writing has been phenomenal for the past few seasons, however I have consistently felt that Smallville is at its weakest when the powers that be stubbornly restrict themselves to ideas that made sense when the series was first conceived, but no longer ring true at this stage of the game. It’s hard to believe, but Smallville has been on for nearly a decade. And with that in mind, the show has naturally outgrown several – if not most – of the “rules” that were originally set forth. Several episodes last season were borderline unwatchable because of this inexplicable need to make Lana relevant. And at this point, this ridiculous “no flight” rule has done far more harm than good.

So, yes, Smallville does now resemble Lois & Clark, but that’s only because the show has grown into that phase of Clark Kent’s life. When the series debuted, he was what, 16? By my count, that means he’s now approaching his mid-twenties. I’d personally be disappointed if Clark was still parading around drooling over Lana Lang.

At its core, Smallville was ALWAYS about Clark Kent’s journey towards becoming Superman. And I believe the series has remained true to THAT vision. That being said, I’ve long thought that the powers that be should re-evaluate their stance on a number of issues. Particularly the flying. Just because he’s flying doesn’t automatically make him Superman. Kara flew, and she didn’t feel any more like Supergirl than Clark seems like Superman now. If that makes sense.

Anyway, let’s move on to this week’s episode. I’ll say this right off the bat: It was certainly worth the wait. Thus far, this was THE episode of the season.

If you recall, a couple of seasons back, Kara and her father went back in time to the destruction of Krypton, and the scene amounted to about five minutes of the episode. I was hugely disappointed, feeling that the show can really only do the destruction of Krypton moment once, and they really blew their opportunity. They more than made up with it in this episode. Aesthetically, it FELT like Krypton. Everything was so….pure and spectacular looking. Even the war scene, while rather ordinary, felt like a different world. My favorite part, though, was Jor-El’s scene with the high council. The floating, echoing heads, in a strange way, was really how I imagined this lost world.

And best yet, the flashbacks served a real purpose. We learned a bit more about Jor-El (as his character continues to get softened, thankfully), and we discovered a great deal about Zod. As it turns out, these two enemies were once the best of friends. In fact, Zod came to Jor-El’s defense and rescue on more than one occasion. However, Jor-El regrettably wasn’t able to return the favor for ethical reasons.

My favorite part of this shocking revelation? The similarities this relationship shares with Clark and Lex. In both cases, the supreme enemies were once the best of friends. And in both cases, the hero can’t help but feel somewhat responsible for the villain’s descent. And with each relationship, rejection was the downfall. Jor-El rejected Zod’s request to clone his son, and Clark ultimately rejected Lex’s friendship altogether. And, fair or not, this truly did lead to the villains’ downfall.

As a side note, I should state that I don’t find Jor-El to be a hypocrite, since he did take significant measures to save his own son years later. Jor-El was saving a still living child from an event that had not yet occurred. Zod was asking Jor-El to bring somebody back to life after the destruction had already transpired.

And, finally, we learned why Zod is on earth, alive, powerless, and a mere Major. As it turns out, the Kandorians are clones – the result of an experiment – and Jor-El, not wanting the Kryptonians to conquer earth, tainted the samples with blue Kryptonite to ensure that they remain powerless.

If season one of Heroes had “Company Man,” season nine of Smallville may very well have “Kandor.”

Part of me was disappointed that Jor-El died and that his interaction with Clark was so brief, but ultimately I think it was the right decision. Quite honestly, how far could they have taken this relationship? Clark already regularly speaks with Jor-El in the Fortress, so it’s not as if their physical encounter had to last forever. I do think that their meeting served a grander purpose, which was that Clark learned that his birth father was a good, noble man. As he indicated earlier in the episode, Clark is still reluctant to accept Jor-El, despite his softer image. I think this episode mended their relationship.

Of course, there was some other stuff going on this episode. Clark finally revealed his secret to Tess, in what I thought was a pretty neat scene. It’s funny how Tess’ insistence to Clark that he’s the Blur was not all that different from the way Lex used to act – yet the banter between the characters is so different. Clark just never displayed the same defiance around Tess. I should add that I loved Tess’ devious grin when she realized that Zod had incorrectly identified the Blur.

That’s it for this week. I assure you, you won’t have to wait this long for the next episode review!

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 4-9

Rickey had this to say in regard to last week’s review:

Sylar lost all of the powers he stole in season 1 after he was “killed” except for his telekinsis

I’m not quite sure which “death” Rickey is referring to, but this is simply incorrect. Since the beginning of this season, he’s used his healing ability, his shape shifting ability, his ability to fly, and his ability to learn the history of items just by touching them. Hell, in this episode alone he shape shifted and flew. Sylar innately uses his telepathic ability, but his full resume is far more impressive.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/11/10/heroes-episode-4-9-review/


And oh -- remember to vote in the latest poll!!

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A Case of the Celebrity!

So the other day I Googled myself (now that sounds dirty) and discovered that I'm featured on a Celebrity Blog that features the latest celebrity news and gossip. So does that make me a celebrity? A celebrity blogger? I think it does! Pretty neat, huh?

Anyway, please take a moment to vote in my latest poll, which can be found on the right side of the screen. I thought I was going to skip over the whole Twitter fad, like I did with beepers and Myspace, but yesterday I softened on the idea of creating a Twitter account. Truth is, this could actually be a really helpful tool for anybody who infrequently visits my page but would like to know when it's updated. Along with that, I also have random thoughts that are a little too insignificant for an actual blog post, but would work nicely with the Twitter model. I also like the fact that you can post stuff from your cell phone.

But, of course, this is all contingent on whether my regular readers have Twitter accounts and if they would become a Follower (look at me, using the lingo already). I imagine it being more blog-related material -- and not so much "personal" stuff -- so it's not something I'd actively send out to friends and family. So, please take a moment to vote in the latest poll to see if this is something worthwhile. Thanks!

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Smallville review delay

Sorry folks, but I forgot to set my VCR (remember those?) to record Smallville, so I've got to wait for CW to post it on their website which, historically speaking, takes about five days. So I'm sorry to say there will be a delay for that review.

Also, for those of you who check out my photobucket page, I've posted another album chronicling my past Halloween costumes (including my most recent outfit, as Duff Man):

http://s653.photobucket.com/albums/uu256/acaseoftheblog/Halloween%20costumes/

This includes photos of my costume preparation -- quite a few exclusives that you won't find anywhere else. Enjoy!

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Survivor Series Dream Card

How about we take a day or two break from the Heroes talk?

I've mentioned it before, and it's hardly an original observation, but I'm fascinated by the fact that WWE has gone completely overboard with offering these "concept Pay-Per-Views" -- and giving them the most obvious names ever -- yet they seem so resistant to stay true to their original themed event, Survivor Series. Of course, my pessimism may be a bit premature, as only two matches have been announced thus far, but I can't help but be extremely nervous that we won't see more than two Classic Survivor Series Elimination Matches.

And don't even get me wrong, I'm actually looking strangely forward to the two World Championship Triple Threat matches, as both battles see the champion defending against two tag team partners (John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H -- DX -- for the WWE Championship and Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho vs. The Big Show -- "JeriShow" -- for the World Heavyweight Championship). In a way, it's actually an odd twist on the event's "team" motif. But those two matches aside, I'd like to see the card full of classic elimination matches. At this point in time, here's how I'd book the show:

Raw Elimination Match:
Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, The Miz, and Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston, MVP, Mark Henry, Evan Bourne, and Santino Marella

Smackdown Elimination Match:
Batista, Kane, Dolph Ziggler, Eric Escobar, and Mike Knox vs. Rey Mysterio, Matt Hardy, R-Truth, and Cryme Tyme

ECW Elimination Match:
Christian, Tommy Dreamer, Yoshi Tatsu, The Hurricane, and Goldust vs. William Regal, Vladmir Koslov, Ezekiel Jackson, Paul Burchill, and Zack Ryder

Multi-Brand Elimination Match:
John Morrison, Finlay, Shelton Benjamin, The Great Khali, and Jamie Noble vs. CM Punk, Chavo Guerrero, Sheamus, and the Hart Dynasty

Divas Elimination Match:
Melina, Mickie James, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, and Eve vs. Beth Phoenix, Michelle McCool, Alicia Fox, Katie Lea Burchill, and Natalya

Admittedly, it's not a perfect card. But it manages to fit in pretty much every single relatively major Superstar, and it gives them an excuse to delay certain matches. How about we put off Batista vs. Rey one month (or three weeks, it seems)? This is one solution to that significant problem they've been having, with them replaying the same exact match over and over again.

For what it's worth, why not use Survivor Series 2006 as a model? It featured several multi-brand elimination matches, and only a couple title matches. Again, it's something different -- which is what they need.

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Heroes: An alternate reality

I typically don't read other reviews of Heroes because I find them to be overly negative. I fully understand that people are paid to watch and write about certain shows, so it's not always as easy as "if you don't like it, why do you continue watching it?" But my perspective is, why do I want to listen to somebody rip apart a show I mostly enjoy?

Nonetheless, I decided to read the review over at the EW website, basically because I found the introduction humorous (saying last night's episode "managed to be the least bad episode of the season so far"). Overall the column pretty much echoed what I had said in my post. One point really struck me, though: That the final battle at the end of season one would have benefited from at least two characters dying.

And that got me thinking -- what if the writers had just pulled the trigger and knocked Sylar off?

Don't get me wrong. Zachary Quinto, at the end of the day, will likely end up the breakout star of this show. And Sylar is undeniably one of the most popular characters. But, in the grand scheme of things, has he really done anything of significance since the first season?

Honestly, his character hasn't really served a major purpose. Adam could have been the villain during "Generations," Papa Petrelli and a plethora of others during "Villains," Danko during "Fugitives," and Samuel during "Redemption." Instead, we got the show spreading themselves too thin. During each volume, Sylar and the "B" villain were at odds, with the viewers likely WANTING to root for the more popular Sylar. But at the end of the day, Sylar would do something dastardly to one of our heroes, leaving the audience feeling a bit deflated and dejected.

Right now I really have no emotional attachment to any incarnation of Sylar, in large part because of this stubborn desire to make him a perennially torn character instead of a full-on villain. Had Hiro vanquished him in that awesome moment at the conclusion of season one, he would have gone out while he was still on top.

And who else should have been killed off during that battle? There are two obvious candidates: Parkman and, I'm sad to say, Nathan. Parkman could have died while he was still a genuinely likable, "real" character. And Nathan sacrificing his life for his brother and his daughter -- and effectively saving millions at the expense of his political aspirations -- would have been a wonderful conclusion to his story (although he's the one character of the bunch that HAS contributed to the series since its inaugural season).

Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and it's easy to play Monday morning quarterback. And for what it's worth, the EW column was a tad too harsh (a good episode is a "cowardly embarassment" now?) and I believe he's remembering season one with some lovely rose colored glasses (main characters were hardly dying every single week). But the intentions of the article are accurate. And one thing is for certain -- apparently Adrian Pasdar found out he was being written out when he read the script. How screwed up is that????

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Heroes: Breaking News

Shortly after posting my latest Heroes review, sources confirmed that Adrian Pasdar, who portrays Nathan, has been let go from the show. I suppose the writing was on the wall, as Sylar (physically speaking) took back control of his body, essentially leaving the series Nathan-less for the past few episodes.

I do commend the series for eliminating one of the "protected" original characters, but I really can't help but feel like they hitched their wagon to the wrong horses. Honestly, what has Parkman contributed to the series in the grand scheme of things? And haven't characters like Mohinder and Hiro been running around in circles for the past couple of seasons? And don't get me started with whatever character Ali Larter is playing. In my opinion, Nathan was one of the few legitimately interesting characters that still had some fuel left in the tank.

Anyway, here's the official story from TVGuide.com:

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Heroes-Adrian-Pasdar-1011497.aspx

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 4-8

Long-time reader and contributor Creed left this comment in regards to last week’s episode:

Well said, though I think they are completely missing the boat with Ali Larter. Her original character had an interesting duality, though it became less interesting once the personality split was resolved, but Tracy is as interesting as a block of ice. However, when Tracy found the Doctor responsible for her creation, he said there were THREE of them. They could have left Tracy dead at the end of last season and moved onto the third, doing whatever they want with her.

I could be mistaken, but I had always assumed that the triplets were Niki, Jessica, and Tracy. That was my interpretation, anyway.

By the way, a couple of weeks ago I wrote an exclusive piece on my blog about how Heroes should model True Blood’s second season story arc. The popular HBO series reminded me a great deal of the first season of Heroes, as virtually all of the characters had their own stories, which culminated in a single climax. Click here to give it a read.

Moving onto this week’s episode....

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/11/03/heroes-episode-4-8-review/

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 9-6

So last week I discussed a potential romance between Oliver and Chloe. This week Oliver was professing his love for Lois and Chloe was cyber flirting with Tess’ tech dude. Shows what I know.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/11/02/smallville-episode-9-6-review/

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