Lie to Me, Burn Notice, & a New Contributor

by Jonathan Bredemeyer

Monday
Lie to Me (S02E18)- "Headlock": Lightman always seems to have friends in low places, so the fact that he's in with the street fighting crowd isn't surprising. It is a bit shocking watching him cover up his proximity to his friend's murder so quickly, but Lightman has no problem asking Agent Ben Reynolds to delay a DNA match put in by the FBI. What's really odd is that Torres destroys evidence for Lightman automatically and insists on being involved with helping him. Torres seems to have the run of the office underlings with Loker seemingly unable to detect when she lies to him. It's nice to see that Bill Clinton's picture is a permanent fixture on the office wall. Foster's the target of a side story this episode and struggles with trusting her new boyfriend. She also seems to have lost the ability to tell when people are lying as he's successfully been covering up the fact that he's a DEA agent and using a fake name. At the end of the episode when Lightman meets the fellow, he picks up on this lie immediately. For being lied to the entire time and previously screwed out of a promotion by Lightman, the head FBI agent is surprisingly mellow when he discovers Reynolds and Lightman's cover-up. He's even cooperative enough to play along for the final setup to catch the out of town killer. After the case is solved, Foster introduces the psychologist from a juvenile detection facility in a previous episode as her boyfriend. She asks Cal to leave him alone, which of course it's assumed he does not do as the show ends with him taking off his jacket (to sit down and begin researching him). With no other suspects most of the episode, there's no one for the Lightman Group to interview, making this episode atypical and light on actual lie detecting.

Thursday
Burn Notice (S04E09): Hurricanes make Floridians tough, so it makes sense one shows up in Burn Notice. Michael's trying to track down Simon to determine who owns the Bible with the code breaker in it. Vaughn shows back up at Michael's request to see what he's found. For some reason, Michael appears to lose his temper, which nearly never happens, as Vaughn doesn't grant his request to see Simon. Sam's old FBI buddies stop by and become clients with a fishy story about a failed hurricane hit. While Mike and Sam run off to track a gun, Vaughn shows up to 'sweet talk' Fiona into getting him the Bible, for Michael and Jesse's sake. Ironically at the same time, Weston is sweet talking the hit man who spared his new clients into believing he's a competitive hit man. Michael is forced to save the hitman's life while they're trying to steal an emergency vehicle. Jesse finally makes his second appearance of the episode as he, Michael's mom, and Fi search the target's house for his girlfriend's address. After a coded radio message that even Michael's mom can decode (is this a shot at marines' intelligence since the hitman is a discharged marine?), Michael gets away when the real rival hitman shows up. When Michael and his new found ally in the hitman that had previously held him hostage are trapped in the target's girlfriend's house, they start on the 'Burn Notice first rule of defending against people with guns': make a bomb. Michael convinces Cole (the now ex-hitman) to join him and help stop the hit. The bomb along with a distraction help the two fend off the hit team and the FBI agents get to take credit for preventing the hit. It's announced there's another tropical storm coming, which means the business with Vaughn is not over. I'm not sure who thought Fiona would help Vaughn, but the dramatic point is when she tells Michael she chose him and handed him the Bible. Michael sets a date with Vaughn to meet Simon in the next episode.

Spy Lessons rating: Nothing new...

If you can't tell, this isn't Amy. I have the pleasure of being her husband and will be a contributor on her blog with reviews for Burn Notice and Lie to Me. My TV interests are vastly different (I think reality TV is a good measure of the negatives in popular culture) and I'm a bit more analytical. I also have the honor of testing The Talking Box drinking games for final approval, a tough job but someone's gotta do it. I'm up for comments and always like to argue. Happy watching.

Get Real!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

There have been several different shows (across the world, too!) with the title, Get Real. The one I'm mentioning today was an American show that ran just one season, 1999-2000. It starred one of my favorite actresses (who was quite the up-and-commer at the time), Anne Hathaway. It was an hour in length, and not even all 22 episodes aired on FOX before the show was brought to an untimely demise.

It was a family drama, depicting mom and dad with three teenagers, and mom's recently-widowed mother. Dad was always working, and mom freaked out about way too many things. Grandma (Christina Pickles... aka Monica & Ross's mom on Friends) was pretty carefree, but had her share of serious moments. Anne Hathaway played Meghan, the valedictorian who can't decide if she wants to go straight to college. Cameron is the dangerous rebel in the family, who has a girl spending the night in the pilot episode. Kenny is a freshman dealing with crushes and the like.

Nothing was too crazy, but the lack of closeness between the parents was an ongoing problem. Then they become more intimate, and mom gets pregnant and miscarries (and dad has a brain tumor). Every Kenny storyline dealt with finding a niche at school or learning about girls (except when he wrecked a car or had bacterial meningitis). Cameron jumped back and forth between "bad boy" (fights, suspension, threat of expulsion, etc.) and trying to be a good kid. In the twenty episodes that aired, she gets a belly button ring, goes to a rave, dates a 23-year-old, has sex, considers going to Spain, gets tested for HIV, and deals with random friends' issues as well.

It had great potential, and although it was an hour, it didn't have a big problem filling that time with action. I know the nights it aired moved around a couple times, but I'm not sure if the time did. Either way, it didn't succeed, and although it's possible to argue that it was doomed from the start (15, 16, and 17-year old kids? it's hard enough to pull more than 3 years from that anyway...), I think it should have been given more of a chance. Seriously, there are still 2 unaired episodes in the US!

You can catch one of them, as well as most of the other episodes, here.

On Thursday night, it's coming to an end...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

After fifteen seasons, the finale will air this Thursday night. There will be a one-hour retrospective, and then a two-hour finale immediately following. Thursday night, I'll be on NBC from 8pm-11pm. Why? Because ER is finally going to end. And it will be missed.

Because of its many characters and long history, it is nearly impossible to swiftly cover the basics of this show. Those who were there in the beginning (Carter, Benton, Greene, Lewis, Hathaway, Ross) are no longer there, and many who took part in the middle are long gone, too. We'll never forget treasures like Weaver, Boulet, Corday, Abby, Luka, and Ray. And the same with those nobody really liked... Romano, Moretti, Clemente. And those who weren't around long enough to garner an opinion... like Lucy, Anna, Hope, and Malucci. And Cleo, I always forget about her unless there's a rerun with her on television. This whole final season has really broke the bank bringing back old stars for guest appearances, and trying to wrap-up the stories which have been going on for so long. Abby and Luka had closure, Neela finally found a future,

They killed off Pratt. Neela is moved away. The new Banfield got a baby, which has really been her only storyline since her introduction. Morris got engaged last week. That leaves Sam and Tony, and Brenner. Not the best characters ever, but it should make for an amazingly interesting finale. Carter's been around on-and-off this season, and that's enough to take the breath away from many.

It's hard to believe that they were originally concerned that it would never make it as a primetime show. The writers thought the pilot would never even air. And Crichton's pilot sat a good twenty years before it even got a chance. Oh, and when Doug Ross (played by George Clooney) left in 1999, they began writing the series finale. Yep, ten years ago. Even after it was doing well, they were afraid that it wouldn't last. And producer/writer John Wells hasn't changed the idea of the finale all that much, which is odd when you consider the characters are nowhere near the same as those of a decade ago!

I saved this entry as the last one in this series because it is so near and dear to my heart. How did it get that way? Well, just as 7th Heaven did, ER caught my eye one morning in reruns during the summer. I got hooked seeing the show for two hours a day, and began watching the new episodes in undergrad. I got one of my friends hooked on it too, and we shared Thursday nights together until I got her the first two seasons on DVD, and then we were rather obsessed for a few weeks...

So, what can I say in a situation like this? I already gave a nostalgia for characters, but that doesn't help those who aren't already familiar with the series, and there are at least three times as many characters who've gone unmentioned. Because of the nature of the show, I've rarely gotten attached to the patients, and have very few *favorite* episodes. Aside from encouraging one and all to delve into the series, I'm left with hooking you by mentioning some of my favorite storylines (in no order)... even though this is kinda like a spoiler for those who haven't seen the show from the beginning...

- The end of Greene... his tumor, the operation, and the return. The pain, the sadness, and his life. Oldest daughter Rachel moves in with him, but she's troubled (drugs and such). He spends the end of his days trying to get Rachel back on the right path.
- Carter's addiction to painkillers... after being stabbed on Valentine's Day, Carter develops an addiction to painkillers which lasts a long time. Rehab, AA, the whole nine yards.
- Jeanie Boulet's HIV... she was in a bad marriage, sleeping with Benton, and working as a physical therapist. Husband announces his HIV-status, and she and Benton get tested. Benton is negative, Jeanie is positive. She has a very rough time dealing with her serostatus and working at County, but stays for years. She eventually leaves to be a stay-at-home mother to an HIV-positive adopted baby.
- Peter's devotion to Reese... Reese is Peter's deaf son with an old girlfriend. Battles for custody are fought more than once, but when Carla dies and custody needs to go wither to Peter or to Carla's husband Roger, things get tough. Turns out we don't know who Reese's biological father is, and that Peter commits perjury trying to win custody (which he does).
- Romano's death... well, I'm among the many who loved to hate him. So, when he was killed by a helicopter, I was not only shocked (since he had already had a horrible injury by another helicopter), but kinda glad. He was gone. And only Corday went to his funeral.
- Dr. Lewis's family issues... this is kinda multiple storylines. Susan has a strung-out older sister with a daughter whom Susan must often care for. Susan has horrible relationships, and never did get together with Greene in the way many viewers hoped. She eventually marries and has a baby, and one of my favorite scenes is Susan reciting All the Hippos go Berserk! over the phone.
- Kerry and Henry... Kerry was my favorite character for a long time. Her relationships were so touching. So when her life partner dies, she has to battle for custody of their son, which the partner birthed.
- Carter's departure... it was hard to see him go. But, it was one hell of an episode. Ray and Morris are at a party which injures hundreds of people when the building collapses. Abby has to make the call on whether they'll take casualties at County. Carter treats a patient who he delivered int he very first ER episode. And he passes on the immortal words that have gone from Morgenstern to Greene to Carter to Morris. wha were they? well, I think they'll use them again this week, so I'll leave you in suspense. :-p
- Alex's kidnapping... Alex is Sam's son, and his father comes to kidnap him and Sam by shooting up the ER. It takes a few days for them to return, and after being raped, Sam shoots and kills him. This disturbs Alex, and Sam ends up sending him to a special boarding school after he becomes destructive.
- Tony's "family"... Tony seems to have one close friend, whose daughter (Sara) he has pretty much raised. After her mother dies, Tony takes custody of her, even though he's not her biological parent. He deals with meddling grandparents, an alcoholic father, a failed relationship with Sam (and Julia for that matter), and failed flirtations with Neela, whom he called "Mayday."

Living in Beverly Hills

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So I've been putting off this one for quite a while. Not for any good reason, but just because I didn't feel ready.

What do I mean by that? Well, although I had a 90210 (and I'll continue to refer to Beverly Hills, 90210 by the zip code, even though that now refers to a different show) t-shirt as a kid, I never watched the show. Until about this time last year, I could only name the guy stars, and only had a vague idea about the plot of the show. But then I was hooked, and have been watching SOAPNet for two hours each weekday since the summer, trying to catch up on all of the episodes. I've now caught a good chunk of every season except 10 (which starts Thursday, I believe), and have seen all of the episodes in several seasons. I've become a fan of Brenda, then Andrea, then Kelly. I've fake-crushed on David, then Brandon, and finally Steve. I hated Valerie, then Gina. I've been nonchalant about Donna from the beginning, even though she's beloved by many. Same with Dylan, I just couldn't get attached.

Now that I've already given some opinions, I should mention that there were other characters, and in fact there were so many supporting characters over the years that it would be foolish to consume this entry by mentioning all of them.

The show encompassed the 90s, running from 1990 through 2000, with the bulk of the characters being in tenth grade at the beginning, and ending up in that twentysomething phase of life, unsure of what they're doing and where they should be. Many of them had several different plans throughout the years, and nobody really became what one would expect from the beginning, except maybe Dylan (who is introduced as a carefree surfing rich boy, and is an unemployed wealthy man in the end). And maybe Brandon, who was a writer for the high school newspaper, only to later head to NY to work for a major newspaper. The fashion and hairstyles throughout the show span the gamute, and so did the topics covered. Rape was pretty big, taking up at least five episodes, probably closer to ten. Drugs were big, as Kelly, David, Donna, and Dylan all had addictions at one time or another. Steve, Donna, and Dylan outlined the outcomes of drinking. Dating professors, dating married women, abortions, pregnancies, miscarriages, interracial relationships, homosexuality, the mafia, loadnsharks, teen prostitution, murders, AIDS, and vanity were also addressed.

The draw of the show? Well, besides the fact that sex is so casual for these characters (even last-virgin Donna sleeps with both David and Noah by the time the show is up), the fact that they're pretty real does it for me. Sometimes it seems like there's a few too many things that happen to the main characters, but oh well. For example... David starts the series a year younger than everyone else and tries to be cool. He succeeds, leaving a friend behind who ends up committing suicide. He dates Donna on and off, but sleeps with a bunch of different girls (Clare, Valerie, and Gina for starters). He starts off a radio DJ, runs a club, becomes a one-hit wonder, works retail, washes cars, goes back to being a DJ. His mom's schizophrenic and his dad has been married a few times. He lives a bunch of different places, goes broke, loses his half-sister at the park, and considers jumping off a cliff. He got into some big trouble a bunch of times, but tried to right wrongs with parents (like Donna's and a high school kid whose parents disowned him for being gay. oh, and Mrs. Walsh loved him).

From being 15-16 to being 25-26, the show might still interest me because I take a lot out of it. When the gang had their five-year reunion from HS, I decided that I can drop all the grudges I hold against people who did me wrong back then. I certainly don't want to be Steve and getting pranked, or Kelly and end up still upset about a rumor someone spread. This spring will be seven years since my HS graduation, and there's no reason for me to ruminate on crap that I or others did when we were young and immature. I pretty much forgave anyone, and refuse to feel like I'm "not cool enough" to talk to people. Tell ya what, it makes Facebook a lot more fun. I accept all requests from my HS class, and I don't feel stupid friending people who I want to reconnect with.

90210 is up on Hulu, where you can watch most of the first two seasons, although a couple episodes are mis-labeled as to which they are. Oh, and if you're wondering why I didn't really mention Brenda, the original female lead of the show... it's because she was pretty lame, and while I wanted her to leave, I also wanted her to return, and she never did. In fact, the clip I chose for below is the gang heading to Vegas for Brenda's "wedding to Stuart," and Brenda's not actually in it.

Wait, Who is That???

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I can't tell you how many times I've been watching 7th Heaven and someone in the rooms exclaims, "wait, who is that??" There were so many different secondary characters on that show over the years that it became near impossible to know who everyone was (and, whatever happened to them?).

The show centered around a reverend (Eric), his wife (Annie), and their children (Matt, Mary, Lucy, Simon, Ruthie, and later Sam and David). For eleven seasons and 243 episodes, they came of age in Glen Oak, CA. Matt started out a high school student, went to college, got married, had twins, and graduated from medical school. Mary played basketball for the high school team, had a variety of part-time jobs, moved to New York to try and become a firefighter, eloped, had a son and then twin girls, and became a flight attendant, later a teacher. Lucy turned thirteen in an early episode, suffered from middle-child-syndrome, dated a lot of guys, got married, had a daughter, became a minister, miscarried twins, and was pregnant with a second child at the show's end. Simon was a ten-year-old curious kid who spent high school trying to be cool, went to college a year early to escape harassment from a manslaughter he was involved in, got engaged, and was getting a degree in video production. Ruthie was a preschooler who graduated high school in the final episode, experiencing many typical problems along the way. Sam and David were born in the third season, and generally provide background humor, seeing things from the point of view of children.

With that many main characters, the supporting roles multiply quickly. Some characters stayed for years on end, while others disappeared after just a single episode (which was problematic in the early years, particularly when the children appear to have certain "best friends" but they seem to be forgotten about only a few episodes later. And while the final seasons (I pluralize because the tenth season was supposed to be the final year, but then there was a second final season) did a good job of wrapping up a lot of characters' storylines (although it got a bit extreme in the case of Christmas! in Season 11, where they brought back family members of characters that didn't make sense at times), there were quite a few people who we never heard from, even those who had large parts in early seasons (like the Hamilton family!). Robbie, Martin, and Chandler (and for the younger crowd, T-Bone) served as eye-candy for the female viewers of the show, while Roxanne certainly gathered some male viewers.

If you haven't questioned who any of those characters are, get ready for the real test...
Remember Ben Kinkirk (not Kevin)?
How about Deena?
Peter, Paris, & Vic Petrowski?
Meredith?
Shana?
Do you know who Lou is?
Mac?
Jeremy?
George Camden? (I had to think about this one!)

My favorite episode (and my sister's for that matter) is "Simon's Home Video," which is a video essay Simon makes for his college application. He gives a good history of the Camden family, focusing on relationships and mistakes made by various characters. I actually love this episode so much that one time I moved my television so that I could see it from the shower while I got ready for whatever I was doing that night.

I can't find the entire episode, but here's the opening few minutes. To see the whole thing, it's going to be the evening episode on WGN on January 7th, 2009!