A Case of the.... Prison Break - Episodes 4-21 & 4-22

PrimeTimePulse (which has adopted an awesome new layout, check it out!) hasn't gotten around to posting this yet, so I thought I'd give you Case Workers a sneak peak at my Prison Break finale recap. Here you go...

Just last week I was talking about how Prison Break – despite one of my favorite shows – wasn’t a series I felt I had to watch immediately. Well, perhaps it was because it was the series finale, but I did find myself glued to the TV at 8:00 on Friday night. And when I left the house to go out for a few hours, I opted to take the second hour so that I could watch it once I got home, instead of having to wait on line for the typically jam packed TiVo.

And overall, I thought it was an excellent episode that concluded the series quite perfectly. Certain characters were re-introduced, most notably Sucre and C-Note, and the good guys conclusively won. I’m glad they avoided major twists and betrayals, because I think that would have soured what should have been – and essentially was – a story with a happy ending.

Click the "Read More" link for the full column.

Like last week, this episode reminded viewers that T-Bag is a slithering snake, and not one of the good guys (despite their habit of working side-by-side). I wouldn’t have minded if Michael killed him, but I’m really, REALLY glad he ended up back in prison. If anything other than those two options ended up happening, I would have been very disappointed. This guy was begging for an unhappy ending.

I also liked how Sara repeatedly prevented Michael from taking people’s lives (first T-Bag, then the General), and she was ultimately the only character to commit a major kill (by shooting Christina, in order to save Michael). At first I felt like the fates were mixed – I thought the General, for all he had put these characters through, should have been the one who was killed. And Christina, for being such a heartless character, would have suffered more in a maximum security prison. But we would ultimately learn that the General would be executed anyway (which is really more fitting, considering that that was supposed to be Lincoln’s original fate), so it all balanced out.

I also liked how, when the final decision came regarding what to do with Scylla, Mahone (and everybody else) DID have a say in the matter. It wasn’t Michael’s choice: It was a democratic decision, because it impacted everybody.

I was glad to see Kellerman return. I’m sure there are some people that are critical of the seemingly pulled together story of how he wasn’t actually killed, but this was a necessary evil. In order to provide an appropriate ending, they needed to relinquish Scylla to a believable, recognizable character. With Kellerman’s historical significance to the series, he fit the bill perfectly. He’s also played both sides, and has a comforting way about him that makes him a believable ally. I love the way he calmly told Michael, “If you don’t have it, fine. But we have to get ready to run for our lives.” That was exactly the sort of thing Michael needed to hear. You could sense that a part of him felt defeated. Like even if Michael couldn’t trust Kellerman, he was just going to hand over the device anyway.

I must admit that I was a little unsettled by the end, though. Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was beautifully done. I really loved how each character found their own sense of peace. Mahone, even though things didn’t work with his ex-wife, still clearly has an amicable relationship with her. And he’s with his former partner, a nice touch. Sucre can now live with his family without having to constantly look over his shoulder. Lincoln is finally free, no strings attached. And Sara, despite her devastating loss, seems to be in a good place. I also liked that these four people have kept in touch. After everything they had been through, they forged genuine relationships with each other. And it was nice that they celebrated the man who brought them all together. The man who had constantly risked everything to ensure their freedom. Not everything was bright and shiny, though. We learned that despite the fact that Paul turned over a new leaf, he can’t escape all of the skeletons in his closet. Meanwhile, T-Bag is back where he started, and the General is getting what he deserves.

My issue with Michael’s death is that he sacrificed the last couple of years of his life not experiencing his life. There’s an optimistic view, of course: He met the woman he loves. He saved his brother’s life. And he took down an evil organization. Additionally, since it was a brain tumor, he was going to die anyway. It just seemed sad to me that for the last couple of years of his life (I don’t quite remember, how much time elapsed throughout the entire series?) running and hiding. He was pretty much the only character that genuinely didn’t belong in prison, yet he arguably lost the most. It’s also heartbreaking that he gave this heartfelt speech about being such a hands-on father, yet he won’t be around to watch his child grow up.

That sadness aside, I thought it was a phenomenal way to end the series. Michael’s fate was unfortunate, but other than that everybody was right where they belonged. The villains were dead, captured, or brain dead, and the heroes were happy, free, and at peace.

Read more!

A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 8-22

“It’s like you’re some sort of Super………….guy….” – Jimmy Olsen

Oh, so close!

I can’t really put my finger on why, but this season finale didn’t seem as epic as ones in the past. There just wasn’t that sense of urgency and danger. It didn’t really feel like everything that happened throughout the season was leading up to THIS point. This isn’t a criticism of the episode or the season – both of which were stellar – it’s just an observation. Smallville, in my opinion, has always done a phenomenal job of building towards its finales. Yet I feel like I could have entirely forgotten that this week was the season finale.

http://primetimepulse.com/2009/05/15/smallville-episode-8-22-review/

Read more!

A Case of the.... Lost - Episodes 5-16 & 5-17

Before I discuss the finale, let me touch upon something regarding the pre-show recap.

My Revisited column earlier this week was devoted to the latest Lost review on the EW website. If you read through the article’s comments section, you’ll note that a number of people brought up the author’s bias for Sawyer and against Jack. I got that same impression from the show’s Executive Producers. I was utterly shocked that they attributed Kate’s entire Aaron story arc to her broken heart over Sawyer’s departure. To me – and I daresay most people – that was a clear case of Cassidy projecting her own feelings as she describe her own relationship with her (and Sawyer’s) daughter. They completely gloss over the Jack/Kate engagement, as well as Kate’s admittance that she’s returning for Claire. For that matter, they failed to mention Kate’s hurt, emotional reaction to Jack’s confession that he’d rather they never met. It seemed exceptionally strange to me that they’d more or less ignore every single facet of the Kate/Jack relationship (hey, remember how they, ya’ know, SLEPT TOGETHER the night before they left?) and explain all of Kate’s actions to her love for Sawyer.

I’ve got two trains of thought: The rational person would probably say that this is conclusive evidence that she’s truly in love with Sawyer. They’re THE Powers that Be, and they’re pretty much telling us how we should be interpreting these relationships. The skeptic in me, however, wonders if this was simply a deliberate diversion. I can’t think of any examples off the top of my head, but there were other instances throughout the episode where they were misleading or borderline untruthful about information, so who knows?

But as somebody who is partial to Jack and Kate ending up together (and yes, I’m guilty of being biased as well), I was a little unsettled by their presentation.

Now, onto the most anticipated finale on my television line up…

Click the "Read More" link for the finale review.

I loved the opening segment. I had previously read that they were getting an actor to portray Jacob, so I wasn’t shocked by the name drop. But I was a huge fan of the God/Satan-like conversation between Jacob and the man in the dark clothing. It’s been a while since my Bible as Literature class, senior year of college, but I got a definite sense of the Book of Job here. Essentially, God and the Devil (or, in this case, Jacob and the guy in dark clothing) are gambling on the nature of man. Do people remain good and faithful, even after they are faced with seemingly impossible obstacles? It almost seems like they summon people to the island, and these new arrivals face various challenges.

This is my early prediction (which I am typing immediately following the scene): The gentleman in the dark clothing is the human version of the Smoke Monster.

We learned quite a bit about our mysterious island controller. For one, he speaks many, many languages. Secondly, he’s played a part in the lives of presumably all of the Oceanic survivors, either before their arrival on the island (in the cases of Locke, Sun and Jin, Kate, and Jack – and hey, you knew it was only a matter of time before we got the flashback of Jack’s sack tearing surgery gone awry) or during their journey back (as with Hurley and Sayid). And honestly, how great was it seeing Jacob casually reading a book that has “rise and fall” in the title (I didn’t catch the exact wording) as Locke drops from the hotel window? It’s interesting, though, that Locke evidently died from the fall, only to be brought back by Jacob. And, as we learned from Richard, he apparently has the ability to grant people eternal youth.

Since I don’t really have a proper segue, I’ll get my observations of the scene between Jack, Sayid, Richard (and speaking of Richard that ship at the beginning of the episode – presumably the Black Rock – looked an awful lot like the one he was building in a bottle last episode), and Eloise out of the way now. First off, I thought it was wonderful that Jack, of all people, was the one who urged Richard not to give up on Locke. More than anything else, I think THAT illustrated how much Jack has changed. The other thing I found interesting was that Richard referred to Eloise as their leader. As some people noticed a couple of weeks ago, during their brief interaction together, it definitely appeared that Eloise was the one wearing the pants in her relationship with Widmore. So were they the original Power Couple, reigning as co-leaders of the Others? Or was Eloise the sole leader, meaning that Widmore was simply too prideful and claimed himself to be the leader in his revisionist history?

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the revelation that Rose and Bernard – with Vincent – have been surviving on the island, all by themselves, for the past three years. A large portion of me quite appreciates the simplicity and romanticism of the story. The smaller, more critical part of me can’t help but think about how much trouble 60-somewhat people had surviving, yet these two retirees with little to no outdoor experience managed to live quite comfortably (and maintained the brightness of their clothing) for three years. But you know what? Their absence was explained, and it gave the characters a proper, happy ending (assuming we don’t see them again). I’m sure this will only fuel the speculation that they’re the island’s Adam and Eve.

It was only a matter of time before Jack and Sawyer let loose and went at it in a brutal fight. How reminiscent was this of Jack’s private conversation with Ben a couple of seasons ago? In both instances, the leaders of two groups with conflicting interests met together to rationally discuss their differing opinion. There was some attempted coercion, but ultimately it resorted to brutality and violence.

As I noted earlier, I’m rooting for Jack and Kate. And I’m saying this as objectively as possible, but I honestly think that’s the happier ending. Everybody goes on and on about how this show is about personal redemption. In my eyes, Sawyer doesn’t need Kate to accomplish that. I think he can leave the island and be a better man than he was when he arrived. Jack, on the other hand, will be returning as a man who is spiritually battered. His one major flaw, pre-island, was his inability to maintain a healthy relationship. In my eyes, the best way for him to be “saved” would be to attain that with Kate. And based on his talk with Sawyer, I got the impression that he so desperately wants to be with Kate that he’d be willing to rewrite history. He’s not afraid of them becoming strangers. In his eyes, if it’s meant to be, they’ll find a way to meet each other and fall in love. If it’s not, he’ll never know what he missed out on.

And how badly did you feel for Juliet throughout the episode? I think perhaps the saddest moment was when she was on the raft with Sawyer and Kate, listening to them bicker in their playful way, as she looked back on the submarine submerging into the water. The symbolism was obvious: There go her dreams of living happily ever after with the man she loves. Even Rose and Bernard seemed to recognize her pain and winless situation, offering her some comforting tea as they prepared to leave. Her death was completely expected, which impacted the emotional aspect, but it was still sad. Actually, to tell you the truth, I was most sad that this gave the writers a reason to bring Kate and Sawyer back together.

I have to mention this, though. Did anybody else catch that massively poor continuity with Juliet and the blood on her mouth at the conclusion of the episode? One second blood is pouring out of her mouth, then she’s clean, then it’s smeared all over the place, then she’s clean again.

I found the climatic “Incident” scene pretty exhilarating. I appreciated how, when push came to shove, Kate did have Jack's back. And I have actually grown to like Dr. Chang quite a bit. I found it funny how, for the past three or four seasons, we’ve known him as this comforting, kind guy with names related to candles. Then we actually meet him, and we find out he’s a gruff, well, douche. But in the end, he turned out to be a pretty good guy. He helped evacuate the island and he assisted in overcoming the crazy Dharma folk. Oh, and who else was watching Chang’s arm every single time he appeared on camera, just waiting to see what would happen to him?

Oh, the irony. After all of his lying and manipulating, Ben was played like a fiddle. So here’s the assessment of the final scene and the revelation that Locke actually IS dead after all. As many people have theorized, the resurrected “Locke” we’ve been seeing has actually been the Smoke Monster (cases in point: Locke emerges from the jungle after Ben summons the Monster, the Smoke Monster appears in the Temple just after Locke excuses himself, and Locke doesn’t return until Smokey D. makes his exit, and finally the Smoke Monster/Alex commands Ben to do whatever Locke says). This actually sheds a lot of light on last week’s episode, where Locke somehow knew that his past self would appear in the jungle with a gunshot wound. It also answers the question of where this idea that he had to die originally came from. Anyway, as it is alluded to at the beginning of the episode, the Man in Black/Smokey is unable to kill Jacob for some reason. Smokey finds his “loophole” (as Jacob refers to it) by manipulating Ben to commit the deed. Additionally, Richard remarks that only the leader can enter Jacob’s home (not the exact wording). I assume that since Locke is dead, that role is reassumed by Ben (hence granting the Smoke Monster access).

And by the way, Jacob's "they're coming" comment? I think that refers to the fact that Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and everybody else will be returning to the present day. That’s how I see it, anyway. What do you think?

And I’m sure this observation didn’t go unnoticed, but the “LOST” screen at the conclusion of the episode was the inverse of what it normally is (“LOST” in black lettering against a white background, opposed to the opposite).

Now, next week will be the last Revisited column of the season, so let’s make it good. I know that I typically receive more responses when I ask specific questions, but I’m going to forego that for the moment (there’s just too much possible things to discuss).

But I’m not going to limit the discussion to the finale. Feel free to send me your thoughts on the season as a whole. Were any issues raised that you expected to get answered, but weren’t? Did anything in particular shock you? Did any explanation exceed your expectations? Were you let down by anything specific?

And, finally, where do you see things going? Did that photo-negative title card at the end of the episode indicate, to you, that things are getting completely rewritten? Do you see the final season kicking off with the plane safely landing in LAX?

Read more!

A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 5-15 Revisited

It's not necessarily relevant last week's episode, but I feel this must be said before the finale (since I don't know what they're going to reveal, and I don't want to be one of those people who says, "I knew that would happen!"), but I can't help but feel like everything that has happened on the island somehow revolves around Christian Shephard. The connections to Locke have already been pointed out, but let's look at them even closer. In order to get certain people back on the island, Locke had to meet up with them and ultimately die. And while most of the characters weren't on flight 815 BECAUSE of Christian (Jack, of course, is the exception here), they did interact with him to some degree. Sawyer shared a drink with him in Australia. Ana Lucia acted as his bodyguard/guide. Jack is his son. Claire is is daughter. Think about it.

Click the "Read More" link for the full column.

One thing I find interesting is that, in the absence of Ben's leadership, the Others returned to their tents in the jungle lifestyle. Surely in the past three years they must have discovered that the Oceanic crew have abandoned the barracks (assuming that they clued in that they took residents there). Locke asked Ben whose idea it was to move the Others into the barracks, and I don't recall Ben giving a clear answer (shocker). But this does interest me. Was Ben the sole motivator behind the Others undertaking a civilized lifestyle where they actively recruited doctors and scientists? If so, what was his motivation?

Another thing I'd like to bring up, which isn't really related to this episode per se, is Eloise's often forgotten other son. If I'm not mistaken, when Desmond was shacked up in the monastery, the head monk there had a photo on his desk of himself with Ms. Hawking. This was a fun, logical tidbit, as the monastery is where Desmond first meets Penny. And Penny is the catalyst that ultimately sends Desmond to the island. But absolutely nothing has been made of him since, and I find that curious and troubling. Part of me worries that this facet of Eliose's history is going to be ignored and retconned.

Anyway, since I (shockingly) didn’t receive any mail or blog comments regarding last week’s episode, let’s take a look at the review on the EW website. Here is one passage I found particularly interesting (and for what it’s worth, I’m going to apologize ahead of time for jumping all over the place. Just think of it as an allusion to the time trippin island from earlier this season):

Moreover — and I think this idea is richly twisted — Jack's plan would take away something even more important to the castaways. From the very beginning of Lost, we've been encouraged to consider these characters as fallen people desperate for redemption, or at least a fresh start. Jack's plan is a shortcut to absolution. It would also negate the redemption and happily-ever-afters that his castaway friends have achieved. (See: Sawyer and Juliet.)

While this assessment paints Jack with a pretty negative brush, this idea is challenged by one of the website comments:

So why force a person who was good in the beginning (Jack) to live a miserable life because people who were bad (Kate, Sawyer) dont want to go back???

And I think this is an interesting point that is worth examining. Jack is undeniably flawed. While his severe obsessive issues tore apart his marriage and his relationship with his father, he was an overall good guy. He didn’t hurt people and he didn’t take advantage of anybody. His life revolved around trying to save people and fix things. Honestly, if he’s the worst person you’ve ever met, you can count yourself lucky.

How is it fair for this man to give up everything – even when he may not have been entirely happy to begin with – so that murderers can be “saved”? And make no mistake, Kate and Sawyer are killers. A lot of people like to romanticize their story, but Sawyer shot a man in cold blood based on the word of some nefarious character. And Kate….well, where do I start? She blew up her stepfather because…..he was a jerk? Yeah. Along with that, Jack’s motivations aren’t even self-motivated (unlike Kate, Sawyer, and virtually everybody else). When the prospect of erasing the past three years came up, the first thing he mentioned was how all those people that died would now be alive again. Hey Kate, I know that means you won’t be able to meet a couple of cute guys, but perhaps you’d be willing to sacrifice that so that Charlie and Boone don’t have to die.

Speaking of Kate, I was pretty astounded by the amount of hate directed towards her by the online community. One of my close friends has always hated her, but I didn’t realize there was such a huge contingent out there. I will admit that last week’s episode basically made her into the Lost version of Kim Bauer: Whenever Kate is introduced into a scene, the situation gets just a little bit worse. Here is a noteworthy comment, courtesy of Scott Keith’s blog:

If you watch this show from the beginning, Jack and Kate were clearly supposed to be the stars of the show, with everyone else being supporting players.

Now if you watch, this show is clearly about Locke, Sayid, Ben, Sawyer, Juliet, Jin and Sun, Richard, Hurley, etc. Basically, the supporting players have become the stars, while Jack and Kate have become the supporting players (and frankly, boring).

Ya’ see this is one of the instances in which I think people allow their Jack and Kate hate get out of hand. I completely understand that some people may not like these characters, or may find them boring, but you’re absolutely fooling yourself if you don’t think that Jack is still the star of the show.

Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely an ensemble cast, and the series COULD survive without Jack, but who in their right mind could possibly argue that Lost is more about Sun or Jin than it is about Jack? Sun and Jin, collectively, have said about five words all season. And while guys like Sayid, Hurley, Juliet, and Richard are important to the series, they’re the definition of supporting characters. They’re part of the main story, and they may even play a crucial role, but the story doesn’t center around them. An honest, strong argument could be made for Sawyer, Locke, and maybe even Ben, but at its core Jack IS the star of the show, like him or not.

Returning to the EW website (I’m all over the place this week), we have another comment related to the Kate-hate, as well as her supposed love triangle with Jack and Sawyer:

I think its great that so many people are hating on her. especially over this 'assumed' love triangle. KATE is not back for Sawyer. She is there to find Claire. Kate has not made any advancments toward Sawyer. The only issue is the fact that Juliette can't handle her being around.

This is exactly what I have been saying since the Oceanic Six returned to the island. Kate has explicitly stated that she returned to the island to find Claire. One might argue that she hasn’t even mentioned Claire since returning to the island, but I think it’s completely understandable that the whole time travel thing may have altered her plan and priorities. She also hasn’t made any physical advancement towards Sawyer. Sure, they had ONE conversation, but it was basically to resolve a matter that didn’t receive proper closure. I think people are making something out of very little. And the writers are milking it, make no mistake.

Regarding Jack’s quest, here’s an interesting thought from the EW comments section:

If 2008 Ellie knew that Jack would go back to the 70s and try to blow up the island why would she send him back unless it turned out ok? Otherwise why wouldn't she try to change time by not sending him back or at least tell them to warn Faraday that he will be shot if he walks into camp waving a gun around? Richard said he saw them die so it sounds like the whole hydrogen bomb thing will not work.

Since Eloise was willing to send her son back to the island knowing full well that she’d shoot and kill him, I don’t find it especially hard to believe that she’d send a relative stranger to the island to die in an explosion. I have two trains of thought when it comes to Eloise: She’s either richly devoted to maintaining the proper timeline, or she’s desperately hoping that somebody will take a step that will rewrite history so that she doesn’t end up killing her son. Or, most likely, perhaps she realizes that the Incident MUST happen for some greater good.

Shifting gears to the Locke portion of last week’s episode, let’s take a look once again at the EW review:

Locke said. ''And to be honest with all of you, if there is a man telling us what to do, I want to know who he is.'' Correct me if I'm wrong, but did we just witness the completion of a profound role reversal on Lost? Because Locke's rhetoric is that of the rational skeptic, demanding empirical proof before committing his trust to some great and mighty Oz. Jack is now the man of faith; Locke is now the man of science.

I’m not entirely sure that we’ve seen that drastic a change in Locke, not as far as beliefs go, anyway. He’s definitely more confident, but Locke has always been inquisitive about the island. Every opportunity he gets, he’s asking Ben about Jacob or the Smoke Monster or what have you. He’s finally in a position to get one of those great answers for himself, so he’s making it happen. I wouldn’t consider this a transformation into a man of science, as he isn’t asking for proof of Jacob’s existence. Locke KNOWS Jacob exists. Like I said, Locke is now in a position to make certain things happen. In the past, he had obstacles like Ben and the Others, who prevented him from interacting with Jacob. Now Locke is calling the shots.

On the topic of Jacob, I found this EW website comment very interesting. I don’t necessarily believe this theory, but I thought it was worth sharing:

I've figured this baby out (I think!) ... Jack is Jacob. He's gonna get unstuck in time when he detonates Jughead, which will also create the ring of ash around Jacob's cabin. Locke wants to kill Jacob, which would free Jack from timeshifts and thus save him.

I was thinking the same thing, hence all the secrecy about who he is until after the oceanic crew left the island. Also why Christian and Claire are his agents. Can't wait to find out!

More than anything else, I just liked the connection with Jack, Christian, and Claire. It would explain why these two people, who seemingly had no connection whatsoever to the island, are suddenly the messengers. That being said, I don’t think that Jack is Jacob.

Nevertheless, the more I think about it, the more I’m beginning to believe that Locke’s promise to kill Jacob isn’t something murderous. Rather, he’s fulfilling Jacob’s earlier request to help him. Keep in mind, Locke’s death brought him back to the island. Perhaps killing Jacob will, in a way, bring him back to the world of the living.

As I bring this column to a close, let’s take a look at one more observation – one of my favorites of all the ones I’ve come across:

What about Radzinski asking Sawyer to draw a map for him, could this be where the infamous map was born?

YES!! Love this catch. How great would it be if Radzinski looks at Sawyer’s map, only to see the blueprint of the drawing he’d later scrawl on the wall of the hatch?

And here's the latest installment of Lost! Untangled for you to enjoy:

Read more!

A Case of the.... 24 - Episode 7-22

Sorry, Internet issues kept me from posting this earlier. But thanks for waiting! 24 is a unique series in the sense that it can essentially climax an episode or two before the finale, so that it can spend the last couple of episodes tying up all of the loose ends. Not a lot of shows can get away with that, but for 24 it works.

http://primetimepulse.com/2009/05/12/24-episode-7-22-review/

Read more!

The greatest commercial EVER?

Read more!

A Case of the.... Prison Break - Episode 4-20

You know, it’s a curious thing about Prison Break. It’s probably the only series that I’m really into that I can stand not watching. With 24 and Heroes, I make it a point to watch the show that night, even if it means staying up a lot later than I normally would have. And with Lost, I may go as far as to scheduling my night to ensure that I’m watching the show as it’s airing (sad, I know). But even when I’m home on Fridays at 8:00, I usually hold off on viewing Prison Break. And I may wait until Sunday before I actually tune in. By no means is this a shot at the show, because I genuinely enjoy it. And when the episode ends, I’m genuinely interested in seeing what’s going to happen next. But for whatever reason, it’s the one show that I’m into, that isn’t necessarily “Must See (Immediately)” for me. I don’t know.

http://primetimepulse.com/2009/05/11/prison-break-episode-4-20-review/

Read more!

For those of you keeping score....

Hulk Hogan made a remark about potentially killing his wife which was taken out of context in order to sell magazines.

Chris Benoit actually murdered his wife and young son.

I'm a wrestling fan. And I spend a whole lot of time on the Internet. Yet, most of the time, I can't stand the supposed "Internet Wrestling Community" (or, in some circles, "IWC"). There are a lot of people that say that this community doesn't even exist -- and more times than not, they're perceived members.

These are the people who refuse to believe that Shawn Michaels is a changed man and that Hulk Hogan is the bottom of the barrel of humanity (why, exactly? Because he didn't let people pin his shoulders to the mat? Yeah, that makes him a bad person), yet they continuously make excuses for Chris Benoit. Chris Benoit can't possibly be a soul-less monster. Nope, it was the steroids! And it wasn't HIS fault he took steroids, it was the wrestling industry and Vince McMahon! Or it was the constant headshots. Nevermind the fact that he stupidly took unprotected chairshots to the head (which practically nobody else does -- and those that do protect themselves are never reprimanded) and senselessly used the flying headbutt as a non-finisher. And again, that wasn't his fault. It was the prejudices against "little men" that exist within the industry. And whose fault is it that he chose this profession to begin with? It baffles me how far people will go to defend his absolutely despicable actions.

Yet many of these same people don't hesitate to viciously attack Hulk Hogan (and others typically unpopular within this community) whenever the opportunity presents itself. Nick Hogan got into a car accident -- an absolute abnormality for teenagers, I'm sure -- making the Hogans an atrocious excuse for a family. And then Hulk made some pretty foolish and tasteless comments while trying to defend and reassure his son. I admit, that probably wasn't the wisest of moves. But hey, at least Nick's father didn't murder him when he was seven years old... And for what it's worth, Nick did his time instead of offing himself like a coward.

If people want to tear Hogan down because his family is falling apart, he's full of himself, and he's a compulsive liar, where's all the hate for Internet-darling Kurt Angle? Talk about a guy who is off his rocker... Does the ability to wrestle a good match make you a better person?

I will say this, though: I do detest Linda Hogan (and yes, I do know this is not their real last name). For that matter, the whole divorce system is completely F'd. Explain to me how Linda can say that SHE wants out of the marriage, and then Hulk has to pay for her lawyers? And how much money is she getting each month? Because she's "accustomed to a certain lifestyle." Yeah, honey, you experienced that lifestyle because you were married to a very rich man. You decide you want to leave the man, ya' gotta leave the lifestyle too. Can you imagine saying to your boss, "I'm no longer happy at this job. I'm going to leave. But this job allowed me to live in a lovely apartment in the city. So I'm going to leave, because I'm not happy, but you still have to pay me because I really like the type of life it lets me lead." Ridiculous.

What makes it worse is that one of their children is a legal adult, and the other one is 17, so I don't see this as a child support type agreement. The kids are now grown up, so there's nothing stopping Linda from getting a job and earning her own money. She wants to move to get away from Hulk, why should he have to finance that? Why can't she save up her money and do it herself? This really does drive me crazy.

So, to sum up, Hulk is better than Linda, who is better than Benoit. Have a nice day.

Read more!

A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 8-21

When Tess was introduced at the beginning of the season, I was pretty critical of her seemingly one dimensional character. I have to admit, though, she’s really grown on me. Her relationship with Oliver has played a big part in that, but I also appreciate how they’ve made her a distinct character. She’s playing an active role in motivating Clark into fulfilling his destiny. Yet she’s not doing it because she’s heroic or good natured, like Oliver and Chloe, and she’s seemingly not doing it because of her visions of grandeur, like Lionel. She just seems invested in seeing him grow into the hero he’s supposed to be. I actually enjoy the fact that they’re not harping on her motives or how this would benefit her. In the grand scheme of things, does it necessarily matter? It’s also been fun watching her coy interactions with Clark. She clearly knows about his abilities, and no matter how much he insists he’s a normal human being, she’s just not buying it. Case in point, I liked the way Tess was completely unfazed with how Clark used his super speed to exit the mansion.

http://primetimepulse.com/2009/05/08/smallville-episode-8-21-review/

Read more!

A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 5-15

“I remember them clearly. Because I watched them all die.”

Awesome character you may be, Richard, but your bedside manner could use some work. That being said, Richard also receives runner up quote recognition with his brilliant “Want the bullet?” line.

Click the "Read More" link for full column.

Speaking of bedside manner – an expression commonly used for doctors – Jack kicked this episode off with some harsh truths as well, didn’t he? I find it interesting that Jack’s new methodology has been compared to Locke’s – in fact, that very connection was explicitly stated this very episode – yet his philosophy on whether to rewrite history was very un-Locke-like. Earlier this season Locke stated that the past events in his life, even the negative and painful ones, helped him become the man he needed to be. Yet in his discussion with Kate, Jack confessed that there were enough bad memories existed that he was willing to let go of the past three plus years altogether.

And based on how hurt she was by those comments, and how mopey she was around him for the remainder of the episode, I refuse to believe that she doesn’t still have feelings for him. I mean, when Jack proposed a history in which their plane landed safely, the first thing she asked was, “What about us?” I’m sure, to an extent, she was trying to prey on his emotions in order to talk him out of what he was planning, but nevertheless, her immediate thought was THEIR relationship. And she was legitimately hurt when it seemed that he was willing to give up on them.

But man, that girl really knows how to ruin a good time, huh? How much did your heart sink when she entered the sub and completely destroyed any chance Sawyer and Juliet had for happiness? For the first time, Sawyer was willing to just let go of everything else in his life if it meant that he could live the rest of his life with the woman he loves. And in just a few seconds, all of that crumbled. You could read it on both of their faces, especially Juliet’s. And for that matter, I don’t know how anybody could argue that Sawyer doesn’t genuinely love Juliet. He was willing to sacrifice everybody else so that he could run away and live a real life with her.

I’m not sure how I feel about this whole Jack & Sayid vs. Sawyer, Juliet, and Kate thing, though. It’s strange, because I feel like they’re trying to make the latter team seem like the “good guys,” but are they? If Jack successfully changes the future – conceivably – he prevents the Purge, meaning that all of the Dharma folk live. And without the plane crashing on the island, Boone, Shannon, Libby, Ana Lucia, Michael, Eko, Charlie, and all the rest live. And Desmond doesn’t have to live in a hatch for all those years. And what exactly is Kate’s justification to prevent it? Because she met some cute boys on the flight?

I must note that I absolutely loved the framing of the episode, with present day Richard on a journey with Locke and Ben, and Richard from 30 years ago on a journey with Eloise, Jack, Kate, and Sayid (by the way, pretty brilliant pairing Sayid with Jack, the one person who didn’t disagree with the decision to shoot young Ben. This effectively avoided Sayid being viewed as a villain to the viewers). In both cases the described advisor was clueless as to what was happening – or what was going to happen – a rarity for this character. And in both instances, he seemed reluctant to cooperate with the orders being given. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this episode, though, is the fact that it did rattle the theory that the future can’t be changed (a theory I argued in favor of in my Revisited column). Richard revealed that he watched the Oceanic survivors die, which I don’t believe will end up happening. Oh, and Richard building a ship in the bottle (where did he order that, exactly?) – could that be a Black Rock reference?

So we finally found out how Richard knew that Locke had been shot, and I’m glad Ben asked the question we were all wondering: How did Locke know that this was the right time? Turns out, the island told him. I presume that the island also told him to tell Richard to tell him (three years in the past) that he has to die. Otherwise we’ll get into another one of those paradox debates.

Speaking of Richard and Locke, how unsettling was his comment to Ben (of all people) that he’s starting to think that their new leader is going to be trouble? About as uneasy as Locke’s confession to Ben that he’s going to kill Jacob. The infrastructure of the Others is really starting to shake up, huh? I do have to say, though, that it was devilish fun watching Locke string Ben along on his little mission just to rub in his face how much more special he is.

I also find it interesting how many of the central characters are turning into their greatest rival. Locke has exercised his manipulative side, as we’ve seen with Sun, much like Ben. Jack has found his spiritual side, screaming about destiny, similar to Locke. Even Sawyer has transformed into an altruistic savior, a la Jack. Thoughts on what all of this might mean?

By the way, I usually don’t read other reviews until after I finish mine, because I only intend to use other people’s thoughts in my Revisited column. But since I got a late start to this one, I did have a chance to read around a bit and I couldn’t help but laugh at this comment from Scott Keith’s blog:

And poor Richard. Dude’s like 400 years old and even he’s getting confused by the shit that’s going on around him.

And since this past episode was framed by the past and present Richard, this seems like the perfect way to end this week’s column.

Be sure to send in your thoughts for my Revisited column….it’s the last one before the finale! So make it good and don’t hesitate to participate!

Read more!