I must really be cranky today and not avoiding the “captivity of negativity”.  I’m completely uninterested in the goings on of Michael and the gang as they hunt down the second of six cards that comprise the Scylla data.  They break into server rooms, scan for e-mail, try and evade the cops who hired them, sneak video footage, crack codes and fight with each other (I think there’s a drinking game to be had every time Linc grabs someone by the neck).  The problem is that we’ve seen it all before but done better - with suspense, characters with personality and snappy dialogue.  Add in 10 minutes of torture of a guy in a chair whose name I can’t remember but is going to talk and then get killed and T-Bag getting a job and the disinterest turns to boredom. 

I’m going to watch a couple more weeks since I may just be in a mood but based on what I saw tonight the best I can give this week’s episode is a…..

Avi’s Episode Rating: C

Looking back at the reviews I gave shows like Gossip Girl, Prison Break and 90210 last week, I may have been a bit too excited about the return of TV.  My wife has been after me to exercise so I started walking on the treadmill for 25 minutes, just about the length of a good sitcom on DVD without commercials.  Rather than tackle a show I haven’t seen, I’ve been watching episodes of Sports Night and it reminded me just how great good TV can be.

Which brings me to tonight’s episode of Gossip Girl.  I don’t think my wife is right in saying that we’re too old for shows like Gossip Girl (or about my need for exercise for that matter) in fact I firmly believe you’re never too old for a good TV show as age shouldn’t have anything to do with watching TV.  That being said I found tonight’s Gossip Girl to be kind of painful. 

The dialogue between Serena and Dan was just silly and I truly cringed every time they were on-screen.  The Duke is just a waste of airtime and there is no chemistry between him and Blair.  There was some story about Nate and his mother needing money but I cared as much about that as I did last week’s Jenny story.  Oh and I’m sure we all missed GG having a Peach Pit in its first season so poof, we now have an art gallery/ coffee shop where no doubt the cast will spend lots of time.  This may be hypocritical given Nate and the Duchess (a revelation that I was kind of amused and surprised about) but I was sure creeped out by the possibility that Vanessa and Rufus may get together.  Even Chuck seems like kind of a tool as he pines for Blair.  The one bright spot in the whole show is Blair herself.  It seems like the writers hold back all the best dialogue for her and Leighton Meester, with a very similar style to the OC’s Summer, pulls off every scene with the appropriate level of bitch and class. 

I know this review is a complete 180 from last week’s for episodes that weren’t that different but I don’t think I graded it on the appropriate good TV curve last week.  In the cold light of an imminent TV season I have to give this weeks episode an…..

Avi’s Episode Rating: C+

Entourage is often like a light appetizer.  It sure tastes good enough going down but then it’s over, I’m ready for a main course and I barely remember having eaten at all.  Tonight was one of those episodes. 

6 months have passed since Medellin was booed at Cannes.  It apparently was so poorly received the movie is going direct to video and Vince has become a joke with no offers and no prospects.  There’s no need to worry about Vince who is living it up with Turtle in Mexico on $70/day with girls, drinks, jet skis and not a care in a world and loving every minute of it.  Although Ari is still Ari and Drama is still Drama Eric is slowly turning into Ari - but without the clients or experience. 

Besides catching us up on what’s happened with our boys, the story tonight revolved around the first offer Ari has had for Vince since the bomb went off, only Vince has no interest in coming back for a meeting with the director to discuss.  Not taking “no” for an answer, Ari, little Ari and Drama get on a plane to convince Vince that he needs to take his last chance at a comeback.  As the plane lands on the island, you can guess what Turtle says, given the episode’s title.  Vince isn’t that interested but Eric makes an impassioned plea that he doesn’t want to be remembered for Medellin the movie that ruined his best friend’s career back to LA they go.

Only problem is that the offer wasn’t real, just a negotiating ploy to reduce the price of the real star.  The experience is enough to convince Vince that he can’t go out a has been so he decides to stay in LA.

Yep, that’s all that happened.  On the one hand, unmemorable, light and fluffy with the usual Entourage amount of naked women, screaming Ari, screwing-up Drama or Turtle and guy-like shows of affection.  On the other hand i’m hopeful that a season that deals with down and out Vince and gang will be more interesting than the “always on top”, charmed life Vince.  It’s not that I don’t want them to win, it’s just that winning isn’t as interesting as losing and fighting back.  I guess I’ll just wait until next Sunday to find out which way the wind blows.

Avi’s Episode rating: B

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted what I’m watching the last few days.  It’s because there’s been nothing on and I don’t want to waste your time reading or my time writing just to write.

But tonight we’re back to some new TV all from HBO/ The Movie Network.

8:30-9:00 Entourage (HBO/ TMN)

9:00 - 10:00 True Blood (HBO/ TMN)

My reviews of both will be posted later tonight.

This is it.  The beginning of the end of one of the best shows of the decade.  It’s been more than a year since the last episode aired and the wait was truly interminable.  That being said the show picked up without missing a beat. 

Sure the plot with Mexicans, Armenians, Councilmen and various crosses and double crosses remains convoluted but the show is and always has been about the characters.  The plots are just devices used to push the Strike Team and other members of the Barn into situations which seem to have no way out until the last minute. 

Given that this is the last season, I have a sense that everything Vic and crew have pulled over the past 6 seasons will finally have consequences.  It really is fascinating to watch the inability of these characters to recognize their roles in creating the situations that are at the root of their troubles.  Even the opening scene of this season where Vic and Ronnie have tied up Mara and beat up Shane has Vic ignoring his role in screwing the Armenians which brought the trouble on his family  Shane of course is simultaneously denying his role in telling on the Armenians about the Strike Team and the money train.  The team has gotten away with so much that it has to catch up with them before season’s end.  Still, I would never count out Mackie’s ability to be the last one standing. 

Not much happened this episode but a lot of set up has started.  Billings’ law suit has now come and gone as we are introduced to the Billings work ethic plan.  Mara and Corinne start to develop a bond.   Vic is playing Acevada and their hotel magnate adversary in order to keep his job and start a gang war that would bring down all players.  Dutch solves a murder with a bit of help from Billings.  Ronnie pulls the trigger for his friend Vic.  Most critical to the rest of the season the Strike Team has reformed, albeit temporarily. 

To sum up in the words of Vic, “Another month of Mackie.” 

What more could we ask for!

Avi’s Episode Rating: A-

Pretty much nothing is on tonight for me.  The one show of interest is:

10:00 - 11:00 Sons of Anarchy (FX)

But I’m going to be watching last night’s The Shield, Greek and Secret Life of the American Teenager - reviews forthcoming.

I’m embarrassed. I’m 37 years old, married with 2 kids and for some silly reason I couldn’t stop smiling throughout the 2 hour premiere of 90210. Maybe there will be a self-help group. 

It’s not that the show’s storylines were so great but the nostalgia factor was so high it was hard not to like - Kelly, Brenda, David and Kelly’s sister and Andrea’s daughter as characters even useless Nat.  Then you throw in actors familiar (Rob Estes, Lori Loughlin and the girl from Nip/Tuck), good (Degrassi and Toronto’s Shenae Grimes) and great (Tristan Wilde from the Wire and Arrested Development’s Jessica Walters) and we’ve got a show. 

It begins the same way as the original with the Wilson family moving to Beverley Hills from Kansas.  However, the fish out of water part doesn’t seem as clean as it did in the original as kids Annie and Dixon seem to fit in almost immediately.  The parents also aren’t quite the Walshes with storylines of their own like father and principal Harry Wilson fathering a child back in high school that he didn’t know about. 

The storylines aren’t that original for a high school drama although they seem to ring a bit more true than the over the top plots on Gossip Girl.  There’s the “mean girl” whose boyfriend is cheating on her.  There’s the boyfriend who knew Annie from summers past and is starting to see that he’s changed and not for the better.  There’s the idiot jock who gets dropped to second string on the lacrosse team and takes it out on new star Dixon.  There’s the ultra-rich star of the high school play who jets Annie away to San Francisco for dinner (it’s Dylan’s Baja for those of you who need a translation to the original).  There’s the druggie female lead of the school play.  Also, in a move to make the show relevant for 2008, there’s the girl who blogs about going’s on at the school - 90210’s version of the title Gossip Girl and of course an incident involving text messaging.

I said up front that the show isn’t quite revolutionary either in its premise or execution (it is a remake of one of the guiltiest pleasures of the 90’s) but for people like me (and my wife) who look back on our 90210 viewing days with fond memories, who still recall the iconic scene of Dylan and Brenda sleeping together with Losing My Religion playing, the new 90210 is going to be on our weekly viewing list for a while. 

As an aside, I do wonder if the new viewing audience are going to like this show.  I can’t separate my fondness for the original (and like of this cast) when I watch the new one but for viewers who come in cold I do have to wonder if this is for them.  But since I am who I am and I’m the one writing this review I have to give it a:

Avi’s Episode Rating: B+

Like everyone of my generation tonight I will be watching 90210 and if you’re in the US I can’t think of anything more important for you to watch then the beginning of the end for the Shield.  It may take a day or 2 but that’s what I’m going to do also.

8:00 - 10:00 90210 (Fox)

10:00 - 11:00 The Shield (FX)

I’ll be finding my way to watch at some later day in the week ABC Family’s great shows Greek and the Secret Life of the American Teenager too.

I run hot and cold with this show.  I’ve almost dropped it from my list at least half a dozen times but just as I’m going to give up, there’s a great episode and I’m back in.  I have to admit that I’ve stopped trying to make sense of the larger story arc since the writers are clearly making it up as they go along.  It’s not worth my energy to keep details in my head if they can’t.  Still, there is something about this show that does draw me in and this episode was no exception. 

This season’s first episode kicks off with one of the worst kept spoilers of the past year - Sarah isn’t really dead.  It turns out that it was just a lie to get Michael to break Whistler out of jail so he could do a deal to get a data disc that the Company wants (called Scylla).  Make sense yet?  No?  Throw the word “The Company” in a few dozen more times, pretend you know that Scylla comes from The Odyssey, stop asking questions and enjoy the ride. 

So, the Company has sent a hit man (great character actor Cress Williams) to clean house given our heroes’ knowledge of Scylla and the episode is a blood bath killing off Whistler, Gretchen (sort of) and Mahone’s wife and child in the first ten minutes.  Lunk-head Linc managed to stay alive but kills the man after him and ends up back in jail as does Bellick, Alex and Sucre.  In the words of Nelson Muntz - “I said ha, ha”. 

Michael is also caught by the police and is going to do jail time unless…. drum roll please.. he takes down the Company by finding Scylla and breaking into the Company’s headquarters.  What else can he do to save himself, Sara, Linc and everyone he cares about but stop the Company.  And so starts Season 4.

What happens from here is typical Mission Impossible caper type hijinks complete with gadgets, break-ins, secret codes, computer hackers, crank phone calls, partial data disks and armed guards.  Since the show needs to unfold over another 20 or so episodes I think there’s lots more craziness to come and it’s unlikely all the characters will make it to the end.

It’s kind of funny to watch this show right after Gossip Girl as the 2 have similar places in my heart.  Bad dialogue, mediocre acting and plotlines that get sillier by the episode.  At the same time after 3 seasons, the show’s so bad, it’s good qualites make it something I’m going to stick with through at least the first 1/2 dozen episodes. 

Avi’s TV Rating: B

I admit last season this show didn’t start off on a good note with me - check out the C and below ratings I gave it.  The characters were unlikable and unrelatable, the acting was generally mediocre storylines were beyond ridiculous.   But unlike almost every other show that returned from the strike worse for the wear, Gossip Girl all of a sudden became fun.  I started to like the characters because they were unlikable and unrelatable and as the storylines got more and more ridiculous they became more watchable.  It also didn’t hurt when they added Michelle Trachtenberg as a great villain and then gave her the ending she deserved. 

Which brings us to this new season.  The characters and the rhythm of the show are now familiar so unlike last year where I was critical of the show looking at in comparison to all others, this year I’m just comparing it to itself and wow is the cheese thick with goodness tonight. 

A summer has passed since last year’s finale and we pick up tonight in the Hamptons.  Blair has been in Europe and has brought home some guy she met to make Chuck jealous.  It turns out he’s not just a guy like everyone thought but a Duke (it’s just as silly to write as to watch) which means that Blair is instantly more attracted to him especially since Chuck can’t say he loves her.  Serena has been pining for Dan all summer while pretending to be with Nate who in turn has been sleeping with the married Shelly from Twin Peaks.  Dan meanwhile is dating lots of girls and getting fired from an internship (yeah I didn’t think that was possible either) when he realizes he too misses Serena and goes to the Hamptons to reconcile.  There’s also a story about Jenny, a fashion internship and using Eric to get her into a party which made me doze off every time they came on the screen.  That’s kind of all that happened.

So maybe I’ve just missed TV too much this summer or maybe this show has somehow endeared itself to me but either way I’m going to have to give it a…..

Avi’s Episode Rating: B