Shark Jumping

I've blogged in the past about the lazy writing on many tv shows; when they can't think of anything else to do they kill of a major character. Then I blogged how many shows have brought back characters they either wrote off the show (CSI) or killed off and were somehow alive (24). Now there is a new trend on television, shape shifters. A shape shifter is one character on the show who transforms into another character and pretends they are this new character and no one knows it. It basically is like "jumping the shark" times 10.

Beware spoilers for the following shows will follow: Fringe, Lost, Heroes, and Desperate Housewives.

Last season with about 4 episodes remaining in the season for Heroes they gave the main bad guy the ability to shape shift and turn into any character he touches. They then had the creative freedom to do anything on the show. You never knew what was occuring on the show because you never knew if it was the real character, or this main bad guy. They decided that this would get out of hand so in the last episode of the season they made another character get into his head and stop this transforming. It ended with the main bad guy killing one of the main good guys and then transforming into him, but now his brain and memories of that old good guy. Basically the main bad guy now looks and acts like the main good guy. This is the plot they are going to follow this season.

Then on Lost you found out in the season finale that one of the main characters died a while ago and who you were actually watching was this presence on the island that transformed themself into this main character. (WTF?) So here you didn't even have any real clues to it, they explained it many episodes later what happened awhile ago off camera.

Then in the season premiere of Fringe they had one of the main FBI characters killed by this alien type creature and the alien turned into him but no one knows. They think the FBI guy killed the alien type thing, when it was the other way around. When showing previews of the season, they showed that most of the plot this season is going to revovle around this fact.

I am guess that this season on Desperate Housewives will we will find out that one of the lonely housewives is actually the pool boy who shape shifted into a 40 year old soccer mom to get closer to the other women.

It's as if all these Hollywood writers went to the same seminar on how to write for television. This year's topic: "Shape shifters: how to use a simple plot twist to confuse the audience and be able to write whatever you want."

Why can't tv stick to basic writing and character development. On the other hand I watched the season premiere of House and it was outstanding. It didn't even take place in the hospital and House was the only main character in it. It was still outstanding. It had character development, comedy, suspense, drama, sex, and you actually became engaged in the plot and could understand what was going on.

Good Television for a change

If any of you missed tonight's House because you were watching Dancing with the Stars, you missed great television. House has been building the past few episodes back into it's once great self. Tonight's episode featured a guy (played by Mos Def) who had locked in syndrome. Basically he was paralyzed and brain dead from the outside, but inside he was totally alive. He could feel pain and see everything around him, he just couldn't interact with it. Here is a preview:



Over 40 minutes of the episode was directly from Mos Def's point of view lying in the bed, unable to move or interact. It was pretty cool. There were also a few dream sequences of him interacting with House that were also cool. Definitely should check it out.

It also got me to think about Mos Def. He is one of probably 2 rappers that I can take seriously enough as an actor (Will Smith is the other, and you could argue he was never a rapper). LL Cool J and Ice Cube and Ice T are all jokes. Mos Def is cool because he actually carries his own wait in movies and TV along side very powerful actors.

• Be Kind Rewind (not a very good movie, but he holds his comedic own against Jack Black
• Chappelle Show- was on 6 episodes and was hilarious in all 6
• 16 Blocks- again not a very good movie, but more than holds his own against Bruce Willis
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - never saw it, but he is pretty much the lead role
• He stays with his name Mos Def when acting, which is cool
  
• He has stayed true to his rap roots, still laying down the same type of rap songs, never once selling out and making more "radio friendly" rap music. Now, if white people start liking his rap music, we might have a problem

Now that's good television

So I've always been a fan of the TV show House (truth be told I didn't start watching until Season 2). Other bloggers have discussed the show recently as well. I have never been able to get to the root of why it is such a compelling show. After all it is formulaic. You know that the first diagnosis will be wrong, and they will figure out what is wrong with about 5-10 minutes left, and it is never Lupus. The show is great not because of the case they are working on, but what is happening to them and around them because of the case. But now that it is on everyday at 9, I think I have gotten to the bottom of it.

It is not a show about medical mysteries at all, it is really a show about people and their imperfections. I also think it has some of the best dialogue in any show. House is a very imperfect person, he is just unbelievably good at one thing, diagnosing odd diseases. Otherwise he is a imperfect person who fails from obsessions (to drugs and perfection), he can't mutual love another person, and can't open up to someone else without sarcasm.

Last night's episode focuses on Foreman (Omar Epps) and his inner struggles. He wanted to prove something to House so he ran with his own diagnosis instead of taking anyone's opinion. The lady is from the inner-city and a drug dealer who calls out Foreman for selling out and becoming a cheap reflection of the man his mother raised. He writes her off as a drug addict. It turns out he is wrong, and now the lady has less than 24 hours to live. He decides to tell her and she curses him and all of this, but during it he just stands there crying and taking it all in. He then leaves, punches a wall, and walks back in and holds her hand. She asks why he isn't leaving, he says he is staying until the end. Which he does. He then goes to House for a "shoulder to cry on." House doesn't offer it. He says sometimes being wrong in this industry means killing someone, and that's a price doctors half as good as them don't have to pay, but "we do." House then walks out and talks to his best friend Wilson, and explains why he didn't help Foreman or help him cope. Foreman then goes home to his mother who doesn't even recognize him because of her Alzheimer.

It also kicks a@@ because Hugh Laurie talks as an American for 60 minutes, but in real life he has a crazy heavy british accent.