Jonathan Toomey
- http://www.tvsquad.com/bloggers/jonathan-toomey
Review: Nip/Tuck - Alexis Stone II
(S06E07) "That's why we need to play dirty." - Sean
Gotta give credit where credit is due -- despite the fact that Teddy's story was so poorly wrapped up, Ryan Murphy and Co. crafted a helluva one-two punch to make us forget about it. At first, I was a little disappointed with the return of Erica last week, but it turned into what's arguably been the best arc of the season. If this ends up being the last time we see Vanessa Redgrave on Nip/Tuck, at least she went out with a bang.
Continue reading Review: Nip/Tuck - Alexis Stone II
What Jonathan is thankful for
Another year, another Thanksgiving, and another Fall TV season with plenty of reasons to be thankful. Here's what's winning me over this holiday season...FX's Sons of Anarchy -- Talk about a complete 180°. This show went from near the bottom of my list last season to one of the most superb dramas on TV right now. Midway through last year's up and down freshman season, I argued that that show had more to offer at a second glance, but for the most part, Kurt Sutter and his team were still finding their footing. Well, they found their footing and then some this year. Season two has been expertly plotted and executed this season and this past week's penultimate episode put the pieces in motion for a season finale that no TV fan should plan on missing.
Continue reading What Jonathan is thankful for
Check out the new cast photo for season eight of 24
With less than two months to go until 24 returns for its New York City set eighth season (it premieres on Sunday, January 17th and Monday, January 18th with the traditional two-night, four-hour event), FOX has released the official cast photo with the new and returning series regulars.
For as cool as last season's cast shot was with the Lincoln Memorial in the background, this one trumps it and then some -- the United Nations backdrop is very, very cool. You have to wonder though... think there's any meaning to the flags that are visible? From left to right, the first three are the UK, the US, and Nicaragua. The fourth one in line is harder to make out. I'm probably reading into it too much, but you never know when it comes to 24 -- anything could be a clue.
If you haven't seen it yet, you can watch the trailer for the new season here and if you really feel like analyzing the cast photo, there's a high-res image here.
Review: Lie to Me - Secret Santa
(S02E08) "You believe in Santa Claus?" - Lightman
Ho Ho Ho... you're going to Afghanistan. Not exactly a Christmas present to be happy about. Having said that, Cal must surely be happy about what he accomplished in last night's episode of Lie to Me.
Sent to a US Marines outpost in the middle of the desert near Kabul, Cal was tasked with uncovering the truth about a deep-cover US operative who got left for dead and had to join to Taliban to survive. Cal was able to get plenty of info from his subject about two missing Marines but we ended up learning far more about Dr. Lightman as a result of his methods.
Continue reading Review: Lie to Me - Secret Santa
Review: House - Ignorance is Bliss
(S06E09) "There's no point in putting a band together if we're not going to play any gigs." - House
I'm torn over the best way to tackle this review of "Ignorance is Bliss." I have far more bad things to say about the episode than I do good things, yet I loved it. The outcome I (and presumably most other fans) want to see (House and Cuddy together) is hopefully going to be achieved. This just isn't my ideal path to get there.
Continue reading Review: House - Ignorance is Bliss
Review: Curb Your Enthusiasm - Seinfeld (season finale)
(S07E10) "It's the Seinfeld reunion! That's a big deal!" - Cheryl
Yes, it is a big deal. A little over eleven years after we saw Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George behind bars, the reunion we've all been waiting for has finally arrived. I'm not sure if this even counts as a category to classify TV shows, but last night's Curb Your Enthusiasm season finale was easily the best "show within a show" episode I've ever seen... of any show.
Jane was kind enough to step in for me and write up last week's penultimate ep and I actually waited until last night to see that one as well -- I watched them back to back. I was struck by how well it all flowed together; how much it actually felt like we were watching a real episode of Seinfeld, even during the table read. However, seeing it play out, scene by scene, in the finale? Talk about nostalgia.
Continue reading Review: Curb Your Enthusiasm - Seinfeld (season finale)
The final season of Lost will premiere on ...
Looks like the island wasn't the only thing that got moved.
Mark your calendars, set your DVRs, and don't make any plans. The two-hour season premiere (it's called "LA X") of the sixth, and final, season of Lost has been scheduled to air on Tuesday, Februrary 2nd at 9 p.m. ET according to Executive Producer Carlton Cuse via Twitter. Cuse also confirmed that Tuesdays at 9 would be the regular time-slot in subsequent weeks.
There really isn't much to say here except wow. It feels real now, doesn't it? With only 18 hours left in the series' run, there are still so many questions left that need answering and hopefully we'll get some serious debriefing come 2/2/2010.
Continue reading The final season of Lost will premiere on ...
Aqua Teen Hunger Force to air new Christmas episode in December
With the holidays fast approaching, it's good to know that Adult Swim is thinking of you. According to their online schedule, Aqua Teen Hunger Force will return on December 13th at 11:45 p.m. ET with an episode elusively referred to as "ATHF Xmas."In true Adult Swim fashion, there's been absolutely no indication as to what this episode might be about, however it's likely that it somehow ties into the recently released Aqua Teen Hunger Force Christmas CD, Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas. If you haven't bought it yet, do yourself a favor and get it now. Trust me when I say that you haven't lived until you've heard Meatwad croon his own version of "Silent Night" or Carl cackle his way through "I'll Be Home for Christmas."
Anyway, regarding the episode, it's the only one listed on the schedule, so it's probably not the new season premiere, but it'll hopefully have some sort of performance aspect with songs from the album. That and maybe The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future will show up. Please let the robot turkey be there.
Review: Nip/Tuck - Alexis Stone
(S06E06) "That's the wonderful thing about raising children -- they keep you young!" - Erica
With Teddy's murder now come and gone (I could go on for hours about how displeased I still am with the way her story ended), Nip/Tuck returned to safe territory last night in "Alexis Stone" by bringing back one of the most loved (and hated) characters to ever grace the show -- Julia's mother, Dr. Erica Noughton (played to icy perfection by Vanessa Redgrave). With Erica around, conflict is always guaranteed and this was no exception. Calling her the mother (and mother-in-law) from hell would be the understatement of the year.
Continue reading Review: Nip/Tuck - Alexis Stone
Review: Sons of Anarchy - Service
(S02E11) "If Gemma had gotten raped on John's watch, he'd have written a whole different book." - Jax
Forgiveness can be a funny thing. Assuming you're on the receiving end of something awful, It's not always easy to determine if you'd even be willing to forgive. That's the beauty of forgiveness though -- the act that led you to it might have been sincere, but that doesn't mean your capacity to forgive has to be. Unlike quietly accepting a situation, forgiving a situation has the power to pacify the parties at fault.
As we learned with Opie last night on Sons of Anarchy, his capacity to forgive is huge, but that doesn't mean he ain't lying through his teeth when it comes to his true intentions.
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Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
