Welcome to another very special edition of TV or Not TV where I’m completely kicked in the gut by Dollhouse and I’m not at all surprised about what has become of The Jay Leno Show.
Folks, there is no way for me to talk about this past Friday night’s episode of Dollhouse, “GETTING CLOSER”, without being spoilerish. So I’m telling you right now that if you haven’t watched it yet and you are going to you’ll want to bookmark this now and come back later.
So last night in the episode GETTING CLOSER a few key things happened. None of them really matter except for one big one and that was the reveal that Boyd Langton is one of the two people that started the Rossum corporation and is the one that is orchestrating everything in the company. The reveal was amazing, the reveal was jaw dropping and the reveal was… confusing.
The confusion for me occurs on many different levels. Already the Internet chatter is referring to this reveal as Boyd being the “big bad” and “evil” which I’m still kind of unclear on. Yes, clearly, this reveal sheds an entirely different light on the character itself and makes the entire series worth re-watching in trying to decipher Boyd‘s actions and motiviations. No one leads an entirely different life that isn’t up to something and usually those type of deceptive actions aren’t good. Even with all of this evidence at hand we see Boyd, moments before the big reveal, break the neck of an infiltrating security team member and telling Echo to “hang in there.” Even in his big reveal he says that she is special and will help them in ways she’ll never understand, which is the same thing that everyone else pretty much has been saying. Huh?
OK, I can see snapping the security guys neck if he is running his own company from the shadows. It also goes in line with what is said during the reveal when he tells her that no harm will come to her. Trying to make sense of the rest, however, takes us back to the previous episode THE ATTIC (and some of the Season 1 home video exclusive EPITAPH ONE). The ability to imprint without Active Architecture technology that Topher was able to invent is eventually sold as a weapon to allow an entire city of people to be converted to whatever you want them to be: soldiers for your cause, insurgants, anything. Maybe Boyd had a long term plan that some how involved Echo being able to spark the creativity to get to that point in Topher originally. Even that is a bit of a conjecture stretch since Clyde in the attic said that there was a 97% chance of remote imprinting leading to the downfall of civiliation and pure chaos. With only a 3% likelyhood that the tech couldn’t get out of hand means that Boyd planned on Echo being his failsafe in restoring order should things go nutty. I really don’t know. Like I said earlier I’m just trying to make sense of it. Not an easy task at all.
I don’t know if this big reveal was something that was conceived all along or a bit of genius that they were able to come up with a few episodes ago when they knew the show was winding up but I’m loving the thrill ride that we are on and I’m both sad that the show was cancelled but I’m so excited by the results.
Speaking of shows that got cancelled how about The Jay Leno Show? I can’t say that I’m surprised at all since this prime time experiment was clearly one of the greatest network programming snafu’s imaginable. The part about all of this that amazes me is how arm chair critics could all predict, before the show even premiered, that the greatest problem the show would produce is lousy lead in ratings to local affiliate news and the execs and NBC couldn’t foreshadow it.
I think, however, that the mistakes seem to keep on rolling. Now NBC is talking to the entire late night entertainment line up to see if they can get everyone to play nice so they can some how keep LENO by giving him a 30 minute show at 11:35 followed by The Tonight Show at 12:05 and Late Night at 1:05. Really NBC? So you marginalized the guys impact by having him fail at 10:00 PM and now you are just hoping you can get back the ratings you are losing to Letterman by moving him back? Even better why not further alienate the subsequent shows so that when their contracts expire they go running right into the arms of a competitor? BRILLIANT! All of this just to keep Leno in the fear that he’ll go elsewhere? You’ve already tarnished whatever good name he had, let him go already!
OK, I’ve said my piece. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty of what’s on TV this week.
MONDAY
CBS – 8:00 PM: It’s the big 100th episode of How I Met Your Mother. After the previous 99 other episodes will we really be any closer to meeting this guys wife? Nope.
NBC – 8:00 PM: If you didn’t get your fill of Chuck than you’re in luck because there’s another episode tonight! Chuck me if that isn’t just Chuck-tastic.
FOX – 9:00 PM: OK, I have no idea how Fringe could have an un-aired episode from last season but it did and it airs tonight.
NBC – 9:00 PM: Heroes, yeah, ok, seriously… who cares?
TUESDAY
FOX – 8:00 PM: Is there anything that really needs to be said about the return of American Idol?
NBC – 8:00 PM: It’s the second week on The Biggest Loser so this week they find out just how badly their weight is affecting their body AND they might barely lose weight or even gain it. Who knows?
ABC – 8:30 PM: Another week where Better Off Ted owns the :30 of each hour. I love it.
WEDNESDAY
TNT – 12:00 PM: How do you gear up for a new episode of Leverage? How about an 8 hour marathon?Â
FOX – 8:00 PM: OK, there is one thing to say about the return of American Idol. Letting some of these people through to the auditon in front of the judges is just malicious and cruel.
ABC – 9:00 PM: After Claire finds dirty pics on the family PC Phil has some ‘splaining to do on Modern Family.
THURSDAY
NBC – 8:00 PM: Look, tonight is stunt casting nigth on NBC. Jack Black on Community, Will Arnett on Parks & Recreation, and James Franco on 30 Rock. Oh yeah, no new The Office.
FOX – 8:00 PM: Bones goes alien tonight with The X in the File.
FX – 8:00 PM: If you haven’t already seen it why not take in The Simpsons Movie?
TMC – 8:00 PM: OK, maybe Donnie Brasco instead?
FRIDAY
THE CW – 8:00 PM: Must be close to the return of Smallville with tonight’s two episodes that aired right before the break.
FOX – 9:00 PM: The Hollow Man is the next to last ep of Dollhouse. My guess is that they are talkign about Boyd in the title. Maybe?
SATURDAY
USA – 4:30 PM: A tough-guys-cold-heart-gets-melted-by-little-kids marathon hits with The Pacifier followed by The Game Plan. I’m sure it is all brought to you by The Spy Next Door (or Tooth Fairy).
NBC – 8:00 PM: I’ve never seen a single episode Mercy but the repeat tonight’s title is one of the best I’ve ever seen. I Saw this Pig and I Thought of You.
SUNDAY
NBC – 8:00 PM: Golden Globes will probably own the night. I’ll be interested to see what Ricky Gervais does with it.
FOX – 8:00 PM: How do you counter program The Golden Globes? Pure adrenaline. FOX rolls out Human Target and this new show I hear mixed reviews about called 24.
ABC – 9:00 PM: Are they really going to make Katherine sane on Desperate Housewives. Didn’t know you could come back that far from the deep end.
– Will Wilkins approved this message.
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