Second Take: ABC's "FlashForward"

Remember yesterday how I mentioned that second episodes are the true test of a series and how they can be a better gauge of an ongoing series' strengths and weaknesses than than the pilot?

I went into last night's episode of FlashForward ("White to Play"), written by David S. Goyer and Marc Guggenheim and directed by David S. Goyer, really wanting to like the series, despite some reservations I had about the pilot episode (which I reviewed here) and some of the narrative and casting choices. But I always go into a second episode with an open mind as it offers the writers an opportunity to tweak some issues than may not have worked as well as possible in the series opener.

I have to say that I was pretty disappointed.

I'm not jumping off the FlashForward train just yet but I continue to have some serious issues with the series and last night's installment did little to quell these feelings.

For one, I'm still not engaged at all with Joseph Fiennes' Mark Benford. There's an iciness to Fiennes' performance that's hard to get past and I'm not really feeling much warmth or charisma emanating from him. Which is a shame as Benford is nominally the lead character in an ensemble cast but for two episodes now he's the least interesting element of the story. (I'm far more captivated by Christine Woods' Janis Hawk and during commercial breaks half-imagined what the series would be if she were our entry-point to the action.)

Second, I was nearly ripping out my hair from the extraneous exposition and constant flashbacks to last week's episode. Yes, I understand that this is the second episode and the network wants to make sure everyone is aware of every little nuance but to repeatedly show us what we saw only a week ago had little subtlety or finesse. Instead, it served to frustrate me beyond belief that the network views its audience as simpletons who need to be told exactly what's going on at every second. I hated it when Fringe did this for the majority of its first season and I hate it when FlashForward does it here. Given that ABC has shown the pilot episode twice already and promoted the hell out it (and it's available for streaming and download in several locations), I think we can dispense with the constant reminders of what happened last week and focus on this week's plots, okay?

There's an odd tonal inconsistency to FlashForward that's off-putting to say the least. Given the grimness of its overarching cataclysmic plot, it's beyond strange to me to see the action go off the rails with gross-out humor. It was bad enough in the pilot episode with Wedeck's bathroom-set flash-forward but to see that play out here and have it escalate with a urine-soaked mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was jumping over a line that didn't need to be crossed. And then there was the over the top scene of person of interest D. Gibbons, her cupcakes, and her bizarre phone conversation, which culminated in her semi-comically shoving a cupcake into her gob. Yes, there's a place for some humor to lighten the tone but when it comes out of left-field and is so broad, it's completely disconcerting and out of place.

There's still some clunkiness to some of the dialogue and the plotting. It was completely predictable that the female Sheriff Benford and Noh encounter in Pigeon, Utah would wind up dead within the hour after she tells Noh that, like him, she saw nothing in her flash-forward. (Dun dun dun.) Though I was weirded out that Noh said that she told him this "five minutes" before she was killed, even though that scene took place during the day and her murder--at the hands of the faux D. Gibbons--took place at night. Strange. And would D. Gibbons really have gone to the trouble of not only rigging the toy factory with a huge quantity of explosives but also rigging the dolls to sing "Ring Around the Rosie" when the motion sensors were activated? Really? Besides for a need to protect his work--and the fact that he was awake during the mass blackout--this mystery man also has a need to creep out potential intruders as well?

Once again, questions of fate versus free will come into play. Benford burns Charlie's friendship bracelet after he's questioned by Noh about whether he wants the future to happen... but it seems fairly obvious that Charlie will just make him another. I am, however, more intrigued by Olivia's dilemma after she comes face-to-face with Lloyd Simcoe, the man in her vision with whom she appeared to be in a romantic relationship in the future. Sonya Walger nails the combination of curiosity and fear that Olivia would be experiencing but her attempts to see if daughter Charlie recognizes Lloyd backfire somewhat, though it's clear that Charlie does know Lloyd's injured son Dylan.

As I said before, I'm not giving up on FlashForward just yet but this episode didn't reel me in either. I'll be curious to see whether next week's episode shows any signs of improvement but if the series keeps on doing what it's doing, it doesn't take a flash-forward to see that I'll be losing interest rather quickly.

Next week on FlashForward ("137 Sekunden"), Mark and Janis travel to Germany to speak with an imprisoned Nazi who claims to have knowledge about the blackouts, and an anonymous tip leads Demetri to believe his deepest fears about his future; Aaron pleads with Mark to help him get the approval to have his daughter's body exhumed in order to re-test her DNA and confirm the identity of the remains.

Second Take: ABC's "Modern Family"

Second episodes of new series are always tricky.

While the pilot gives both the network and viewers an idea of what the series will be encapsulated into a single episode, second installments are often hit-or-miss as they represent the everyday norm of the series: they're produced on smaller budgets with less time to write scripts, rehearse, and shoot. So when they work just as well as the pilot, there's a sense of relief for all parties involved.

Last night's episode of ABC's hilarious and heartfelt comedy Modern Family ("The Bicycle Thief"), written by Bill Wrubel and directed by Jason Winer, didn't stray into the pitfalls of the second episode curse, instead delivering an episode that was overflowing with humor and heart and serviced the characters in beautifully touching ways.

Given my feverish love for this series, I was curious to see just how the second episode would affect me and I'm happy to report that I am just as completely enamored of Modern Family after seeing the second installment as I was after watching the pilot, oh, about ten times. (It's worth noting, however, that "The Bicycle Thief" wasn't intended to be the second episode of the season. I'm not sure when we'll see the original second installment, entitled "Coal Digger," down the line.)

This week's episode once again juggled several storylines at the same time, with Jay attempting to spend time with step-son Manny as he talks about his Superman-like dad, Cameron and Mitchell taking Lily to a play group and attempting to fit in, and Phil attempting to teach Luke a lesson about bicycle ownership.

First off, I have to heap praise onto Ty Burrell. His Phil could be a stereotypical "cool" dad type but Burrell imbues him with just enough self-awareness to make him beautifully realistic and never strays too far into cartoon territory. Here, Phil finds himself captivated by a gorgeous new neighbor (much to the dislike of Claire) and learns a valuable lesson about not letting your eyes or bicycle wander. (The entire thievery lesson was hilarious and recalled George's life lessons on Arrested Development, albeit without the use of a one-armed man.) The way that Phil attempted to get one over on Luke came back to haunt him in several, hysterical ways, not least of which was when he had to grovel to the store clerk for insurance, run away from some vengeful youths, or explain to Claire just what he was doing in his beautiful neighbor's bedroom... or why he lied about it in the first place.

Once again, the brilliant Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson manage to steal the show, with a storyline in which they attempt to fit in with the straight parents in Lily's new playgroup by toning down their flamboyance. (Or, okay, with Cam dialing down his dramatic personality.) The look of genuine fear on Mitchell's face as he realizes that Lilly isn't "grabbing and scooting" added a layer of additional poignancy to this lovingly crafted series as it perfectly captured that abject terror or parental anxiety. Contrasting Mitchell's panic was Cameron's gleeful and jubilant dance at the end of the episode when he let go of his "straight dad" facade and became himself again, dancing with joy and showing us all how he makes his horsey go.

Fatherhood in its many incarnations was the underlying theme of the episode and the most emotional moment came between Ed O'Neill's Jay and Rico Rodriguez's Manny. After exchanging some heated words after their Gloria-enforced quality time went awry, Jay learns that Manny's father isn't turning up to take him to Disneyland but can't tear himself away from the craps table. Knowing that Manny will be gutted, given his undying love for his allegedly mythical and heroic father, Jay tells him that he won't be coming but does the noble thing: he pretends that Manny's father sent a limo for them and that, rather than going to Napa with Gloria, they all head to Disneyland together. It's a selfless act of paternal love that proves more than anything that, despite their differences, Jay does love Manny and will protect him, even from finding out that his father is a deadbeat. If that isn't a testament of love I don't know what is.

Best line of the evening: "I just stole a baby's intellectual property." - Mitchell

All in all, a beautifully realized episode of the best new series on television that continues to mine the rich tapestry of familial life for both laughs and genuine moments of emotion. As Phil might say, Modern Family, I tip my cap to you.

What did you think of this week's episode of Modern Family? Did it live up to your expectations from the pilot? And how soon will it be before ABC gives us what we want and picks up the back nine? Discuss.

Next week on Modern Family ("Come Fly with Me"), Jay reluctantly takes son-in-law Phil out to fly his new model airplane -- that is until a maneuver goes awry; Gloria volunteers to take Alex dress shopping; Claire has an unexpected heart-to-heart with step-brother Manny.

Walking Through a Sunken Dream: Sam Tries to Figure Out What's Real on "Life on Mars"

Sigh. I was really hoping by now that the writers of ABC's Life on Mars would have stopped cribbing from the original UK series but was sadly disappointed to see that last night's episode ("The Real Adventures of the Unreal Sam Tyler"), the series' second, once again borrowed way too heavily from the original script.

Last night's episode of Life on Mars followed the squad as they attempted to take down the organizer of a series of armed robberies at local check cashing stores, introduced Lee Tergesen as Assistant District Attorney Lee Crocker, and had Gene and Sam coming to blows (yet again) when Sam's plan put one of their own (Heather Matarazzo's June) in harm's way.

To me, this series needs to be a hell of a lot more clever by half as much of the action and plotting seems predictable and pedestrian. The fact that Sam would go to the ADA and tell him that he suspects that the robberies are an inside job and implicate members of his own precinct before even considering the possibility that the "policeman" involved with Kim Trent are in fact impostors was absolutely ludicrous. (As was Sam's belief that Ray would be helping him out.) Sam Tyler is meant to be a brilliant detective with an innate ability to solve crimes; Jason O'Mara's Sam seems just as thick as the crooks he's trying to catch if he can't surmise that the cops are fake or that Ray could have a hidden agenda.

(Aside: Sam's real/unreal bit got real old, real fast, so writers better come up with a better way of expressing his exploration of his new world quickly. And producers would be wise to invest in a little more SFX time to fully render the Red Rover as it looked laughably bad on screen.)

I was waiting to see just when the series' writers would introduce a cliched hippie chick and was surprised to see that it was as early as the second episode. Having her turn up stark naked in the hallway of Sam's apartment building was a little too convenient as was her silly habit of talking to the clouds and the stars (the fact that Sam would keep repeating these gems of wisdom as Truth made me laugh out loud). Silly name? Check. (Windy, no less.) Penchant for putting pot into homemade lasagna? Check. Tendency to wander around in the nude or into a virtual stranger's apartment without knocking? Check and check.

It's clear that Windy is meant to be a potential love interest for Sam while Annie and Lee begin to date (beginning with Grease, no less!), just so we can keep Sam and Annie apart for now. Yawn.

Why ABC was even advertising Lisa Bonet in this week's episode was utterly confounding as Bonet's Maya only rated about 30 seconds of screen time and not a single line of dialogue. Bonet was one of the better things about ABC's reshot pilot and I hate to think of her sticking around the series' set in the hopes of appearing in a single shot each week.

And I am still having problems with Harvey Keitel as Gene Hunt. While I love Keitel as an actor, he's a little too old to take seriously when he's shown running at top speed through Central Park to apprehend a perp. And his use of brute force (such as when he punched Sam at June's bedside at the hospital) come off as more cartoonishly silly than brutal. Philip Glenister's Gene Hunt was a living, breathing ball of rabid energy who was much more physically imposing than John Simm's Sam Tyler; here, it's hard to see why Jason O'Mara wouldn't just squish Gene under his left shoe.

All in all, I was less than impressed with last night's installment and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll even bother to tune in next week. For those of us who've already seen just how brilliant Life on Mars can be, this proved to be a lackluster cover band version of Bowie rather than the real deal itself.

Next week on Life on Mars ("My Maharishi's Bigger Than Your Maharishi"), Gene is on the warpath when a Vietnam vet is murdered; clues lead Sam to some information about his family.

Second Bite: Another Look at HBO's "True Blood"

Back in May, I wrote a pretty negative review of the original pilot for HBO's upcoming Alan Ball vampires-in-the-South drama True Blood, based on the novel series by Charlaine Harris. (You can read my original review here.)

Since then, I was contacted by HBO, who asked me to take another look at True Blood's revised pilot ("Strange Love"), which recast one major character and altered a few scenes, and the series' second episode.

Always willing to take another look at something, I agreed, especially when the project in question is the next HBO Sunday night lynchpin and comes from such storied auspices. So did writer/director Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) and producers manage to fix some of the problems I had with the original pilot for True Blood? Let's discuss.

For those of you who didn't read my original review of True Blood (and shame on you if you didn't!), here's the quick recap of the plot of True Blood: vampires have "come out of the coffin" thanks to the advent of a Japanese synthetic blood called Tru Blood but poor, misunderstood telepathic waitress/social pariah Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) hasn't seen a single vamp in her sleepy Southern town of Bon Temps, Louisiana... Until, that is, a vampire named Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) comes into Merlotte's, the bar Sookie works at, and changes her life forever, especially when Sookie realizes that she can't hear his thoughts for a change.

If that reads like the near perfect set-up for a series, you'd be right. However, the earlier version of the pilot jumps around uncomfortably in terms of tone, offering a mishmash of satire, soft-core porn, horror, domestic drama, supernatural thriller, and race relations metaphor. The revised pilot tones down these disparate elements slightly but still meanders a bit too much for my liking. While the pilot episode is an improvement over the original, there's still something... off about the production that I can't quite put my finger on. It's almost as though it's itself missing a soul.

Special effects still grate, especially the transformation from human to vamp; given how smoothly Buffy the Vampire Slayer managed this effect so many years ago, it seems both cartoonish and clunky here: the fangs themselves seem too oddly close together and when they drop into position, as it were, they're accompanied by a silly clicking noise. Another attempt at effects wizardry is the combination of sped up and slowed down footage when Bill "quickly" comes to Sookie's side. It's clearly intended to be spooky and jarring but it's just downright funny to watch. Not the intended result.

One of the major improvements, however, that the series has made is the casting of Rutina Wesley (How She Move) as Tara; she replaced the original pilot's Brook Kerr (Passions), whose shrill, unsympathetic performance made me want to smash my television to smithereens. Kerr's Tara was as irritating as nails on a chalkboard; Wesley imbues her character with a vulnerablility that she masks with hard-edged armor and gives her an added ironic twist: how is it that this strong woman who feels the need to tell everyone exactly what she's thinking at that moment can't bring herself to tell the truth about her long-standing feelings to Sookie's brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten)?

An added scene between Sookie, Jason, and their grandmother Adele (Lois Smith) adds a dimension of believability to their characters' connectivity, giving them a moment of domestic bliss before things start to go off the rails. It also allows Sookie and Jason to display some semblance of emotion towards one another, which was somewhat lacking in the original pilot.

The revised pilot also alters the climactic showdown between Sookie and the Rattrays, the trashy couple who capture Bill at Merlotte's and begin to drain his blood in the parking lot. After telepathically hearing their intentions and noticing that Bill has disappeared, Sookie sets off to rescue him. In the original pilot, a female vampire lurks nearby and appears to assist Sookie in her quest to free Bill and punish the Rattrays. In the revised pilot, however, this woman is removed altogether, leading us to believe that Sookie was somehow able to take down Mack and Denise on her own. Though there still is the matter of that dog that's always seemingly lurking about Merlotte's as well... Hmm.

As much as I still didn't connect with the pilot episode, I do have to say that the series' second episode ("The First Taste"), also submitted for review, is a vast improvement over the premiere installment.

Tonally, the series seems to have settled down a little bit and the characters all seem a hell of a lot more comfortable in their own skins. Additionally, the story kicks into high gear with Bill repaying Sookie by rescuing her in turn from the sadistic Rattrays when she is savagely beaten as payback for robbing them of Bill's "v-juice." This being a vampire drama first and foremost, Bill is able to save Sookie through some unconventional means that bring them much closer together than either could have possibly realized.

If there was a way to skip the first episode (which does, unfortunately, set up the series) and watch the second, I would definitely advise you to figure that out. The second episode is a clearer realization of Charlaine Harris' novels, blending together backwoods humor, underworld menaces, and homespun wisdom into a much more appealing package and we're given a much clearer sense of Sookie's world and how each of the characters interact.

Wesley's Tara and Paquin's Sookie definitely seem like mismatched best friends and we learn that Lafayette, the bar's drag queen short order cook, is Tara's flamboyant cousin. Likewise, the murder investigation of Maudette Pickens (who still, to me, looks way too old to have attended high school with Sookie) takes an interesting turn, especially once Jason Stackhouse gets to see the video tape that Maudette secretly recorded of their sex session, and Sookie finds herself in way over her head when she drops by Bill's house one night and discovers that he might not be the only vampire in Bon Temps.

Additionally, True Blood's second episode sets up a seedy underbelly of Bon Temps involving fangbangers, drugs, rough sex, and all sorts of illicit behavior, all of which mirror the inclusion of a literal underworld invading this sleepy town in the form of vampires. While at times a little heavy-handed with the metaphors for vampires as a recognized minority group (a subplot involves a racist preacher and an ACLU-type organization fighting for vampire rights), the inclusion of vampires and the ghost of slavery in the Deep South is an intriguing proposition and provides real sparks during a heated discussion between Bill and Adele as he talks about his family's slaves during the 1860s as Tara sits uncomfortably nearby.

All in all, I do think that HBO made some improvements to the open installment of True Blood but the overall effect isn't enough to salvage that pilot episode. However, I do think that they seemed to fix some of my issues in time for the series' second episode, which gives me a much clearer idea of where this series is going creatively and sets up a slew of intriguing subplots.

Based on the pilot, I don't know that I'd stick around to see True Blood take flight. However, the second episode's relative strength does make me a little more willing to come back again for another bite.

True Blood premieres September 7th at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Greatest American Dog (CBS); Last Comic Standing (NBC); Smallville (CW); Ugly Betty (ABC); Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (FOX)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); Last Comic Standing (NBC; 9-11 pm); Supernatural (CW); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); So You Think You Dance (FOX)

10 pm: Swingtown (CBS); Hopkins (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching:

8 pm: Greatest American Dog.

I think this looks absolutely cheesy but my dog gave me her saddest eyes when I was setting up this week's TiVo To Do List so I'll record it for her to watch when I'm not around.

9 pm: Dragons' Den on BBC America.

It's the US series premiere of the British reality series, in which inventors pitch a variety of products--like a machine that helps babies sleep--to a panel of multi-millionaires (a.k.a. the Dragons). I'm still feeling burned that BBCA cancelled my beloved MI-5 but I'll check this out anyway.

10 pm: Burn Notice on USA.

I wasn't crazy about Burn Notice's first season but I am crazy about BSG's Tricia Helfer and she joins the cast with tonight's sophomore season premiere ("Breaking and Entering"), in which Michael discovers he's been recruited by the very same people who burned him, tries to get to some intel that's being guarded by some mercenaries, and meets his new handler.

10 pm: Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List on Bravo.

Okay, I know, I know, but I find her acerbic overeagerness somehow calming. On tonight's episode ("Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace"), Kathy looks forward to performing at a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden and sets out for Manhattan to spend time with her friends. Something tells me not everything will go according to plan...

10 pm: Swingtown.

On tonight's episode ("Friends with Benefits"), the green-eyed monster rears its ugly head when Trina meets up with her high-school sweetheart, leading Tom to get jealous; Susan attends a ladies' lunch to try and help promote Bruce's career but Janet ends up making more of an impression on the organization.

Second Take: NBC's "30 Rock"

I'd be terribly remiss if I didn't take a second look at the pilot for NBC's new Tina Fey comedy 30 Rock. I reviewed the original pilot (sans Jane Krakowski) here and settled in last night to watch the revised version of the premiere episode last night. (What? Don't look at me like that... I had to get through America's Next Top Model, Lost, and Project Runway on Wednesday night!)

I have to say, I liked the revised version of 30 Rock even better than the original, even with Rachel Dratch downgraded from star... to, er, supporting cast member. (Isn't it ironic how a show about a network retooling a show about a sketch comedy star suddenly reduced to being a second banana... gets retooled and the sketch comedy star becomes, well, a second banana with a string of oddball minor parts in every episode?)

I do have to say that Krakowski is a little more believable as the star of the fictional Girlie Show and Jenna's attitude and reactions come across as a lot more genuine when coming with such blonde vapidness. Plus, I was rolling on the floor with Jenna's explanation of why one of her eyes didn't open all the way (her sister apparently peed in it when they were children). Dratch was a little too out-there to ground the show-within-a-show in reality and, as she's proven herself adept at portraying freakishly bizarre sketch comedy characters, I hope that she finds her new role within 30 Rock at least creatively challenging, even if it brings with it a lot less screen time.

My biggest concern is that the show, like its similarly themed network companion Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, may be a little too insider-y for the majority of the audience. Working and living in the TV biz in Los Angeles, I found much of the humor to hit the nail on the head as well as be just rip-roaringly funny. But, then again, I could watch Tina Fey reading Ulysses while painting her New York loft and be entertained. Same goes for Alec Baldwin, who I never realized could be quite this funny before. That is, outside of hosting Saturday Night Live, the series that made Tina Fey the geek goddess that she is today. Baldwin's deadpan delivery his lines had me laughing out loud, something I rarely ever do whilst watching TV comedies, with a few notable exceptions (ahem, The Office). He's so supremely over-confident and arrogant that it comes across as somewhat endearing. Kudos also for delivering one of my favorite lines of the season ("You have the boldness of a much younger woman.") with such aplomb.

Overall, 30 Rock's producers changed the pilot for the better in editing it down and tweaking some things that didn't completely gel. In watching the revised I pilot, I was struck this time with how the second half didn't feel quite so drawn-out and deflated as it did in the original. A number of scenes were cut down to much better effect, strengthening the momentum in places where it had previous lagged. The altered scene where an NBC page brings Jenna her hemorrhoid cream worked much better than the diarrhea medication from the original pilot. (Sorry, Tina, but it just wasn't working.)

However, one joke that gets buried a bit in the shuffle is Tracy's attempt to order apple juice at restaurant Alfredo's; when he's told that they don't have any, the recovering alcoholic changes his order to a vodka and tonic. In cutting around that joke a little too generously, they lost any build-up for what was a great non-sequitur. But that's a minor quibble in a comedy that shows so much potential.

It's also rare that a comedy would encounter such a divisive audience, with viewers either loving 30 Rock or hating it. It's an entirely unexpected reaction to one of the few new comedy series with any semblance of wit, but then again, I am always surprised by how many people loathed the first season of My Name is Earl.

But then again, in a season filled with far too many serialized dramas--for which we've already seen ratings erode and few cancellations--it's refreshing to me to see a single-camera comedy with some wit and fire take on the familiar workplace comedy (for essentially, that's what 30 Rock is, regardless of its sketch comedy settings) and breath some new life into the old girl. But that's just me. What did you guys think of the first episode? Will it make your TiVo Season Passes or is it a miss?

"30 Rock" airs Wednesdays at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Ghost Whisperer (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); WWE Friday Night SmackDown (CW; 8-10 pm); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); Desire (MyNet)

9 pm: Close to Home (CBS); 1 vs. 100 (NBC); Men in Trees (ABC); Fashion House (MyNet)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Doctor Who on Sci Fi.

It's the second season of Doctor Who, with the latest incarnation of the Doctor played by the talented David Tennant. On tonight's episode ("School Reunion"), the Doctor investigates a London school with some rather weird happenings and runs into an old friend and former Assistant Sarah Jane Smith. Plus, the return of K-9 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Stewart Head as the school's menacing headmaster.

8 pm: Saxondale on BBC America.

It's the premiere of Steve Coogan's newest comedy, Saxondale, reviewed here. It's quirky, it's bizarre, and it's got Steve Coogan as a former rock roadie turned animal pest control operative. So do us all a favor and tune in.

9 pm: Battlestar Galactica on Sci Fi.

On tonight's episode ("Exodus"), Adama launches a daring rescue of the humans trapped on New Caprica while Sharon coordinates the insurgency on the ground. It's an episode so big that they split it into two installments! Catch the second half next week.