TV reviews

A complete archive of The Medium is Not Enough’s reviews of TV programmes since 2005

UK TV

Review: Torchwood – Children of Earth – Part 1

7 July 2009 Rob Buckley 28 Comments

Torchwood - Children of Earth

In the UK: Monday 6th July, 9pm, BBC1. Parts 2-5 airing Tuesday-Friday
In the US: Monday 20th July, 9/8c, BBC America. Parts 2-5 airing 21st-24th

You know Apple, right? Makes iPods.

Well, it was set up by a guy called Steve Jobs. You know him, right? He has a reality distortion field.

Anyway, he got thrown out – and the whole company fell apart. When he came back, it suddenly became great again. Insanely great.

All of Apple’s intervening bosses said more or less the same thing: Apple has Steve Jobs’ DNA. Only Steve Jobs can run it.

I’m beginning to wonder if Russell T Davies is the Steve Jobs of Torchwood. He created it. It’s his baby. He wrote the first ever episode, which was really very promising. Since then, he’s had minimal input and it’s range from absolutely horrifically bad to not bad but still not great.

However, has it ever quite achieved the heights we thought it could achieve?

No.

Essentially, it’s an embodiment of all his obsessions and interests: sci-fi, soapy relationships, sexuality, Welshness, action and Doctor Who. Who else could ever work with those themes as well as he can?

Well, guess what? After moving from BBC3 to BBC2 and now to BBC1, Torchwood once again has Russell T Davies in charge for a five-part, nightly mini-series called Children of Earth. I won’t pretend episode one was an absolute classic of television, but it really was pretty good.

See what I mean? He’ll be creating the TorchPod before you know it.

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US TV

Review: Hung 1×1

30 June 2009 Rob Buckley 9 Comments

In the US: Sundays, 10pm, HBO

Ah, men. It’s all falling apart, isn’t it? No longer king of the castle, the divorce rates through the roof, the wife always getting custody of the kids. Let’s face it, women are succeeding where none-too-bright, male former sports stars are failing – you know, by working harder and being smarter. Damn them.

Is there nowhere, no realm where men have a unique selling point, “a special tool” if you like: an area where they’re the best and no woman can succeed?

Well, there is one, I guess.

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US TV

Review: Virtuality

29 June 2009 Rob Buckley 4 Comments

Virtuality cast

In the US: Friday June 26, 8pm, Fox. Available on Fox On Demand
In the UK: Sky will probably nab it

Unless minor miracles happen, this won’t become a TV series. Yes, it’s from the brain of Battlestar Galactica creator Ronald D Moore (well, “written by Michael Taylor; story by Michael Taylor & Ronald D. Moore”). Yes, Fox picked it up as a pilot.

But then they had second thoughts and left it to air as a TV movie.

It’ll also be a minor miracle because frankly, if you thought Battlestar Galactica was depressing, you’re not going to have a fun time with Virtuality. Here’s a 12 minute preview to give you the basic idea.

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US TV

Review: The Philanthropist 1×1

26 June 2009 Rob Buckley 3 Comments

The Philanthropist

In the US: Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC
In Canada: Wednesdays, 10/9c, Global TV

Ooh, Africa. It’s a bit tricky, isn’t it? What with all the shit happening, and stuff and ooh, it just makes you want to throw your hands in the air and do nothing.

If only there were like some really cool, really rich, billionaire Western guy who could go in and like sort things out, by you know, “hands-on philanthropy”, which would be like riding motorbikes without shoes on to get medicine to villagers before he gets on his Lear Jet. Because that would, like, really sort it all out.

Okay, it’s quite easy to sneer at The Philanthropist. Look, I just did it.

But:

  1. It is actually based on a real person – Bobby Sager – although only very loosely on him
  2. It stars British actor James Purefoy and that Neve Campbell woman
  3. Despite its silliness, its artificiality and its shallow attempts to depict an incredibly complicated situation in a 40-minute action-adventure format, The Philanthropist has its heart in the right place and isn’t so stupid that you can hear the pebbles rattling around inside its skull.
  4. It’s got Omar from The Wire in it.

Here on some YouTube promos; more about the show after the jump:

Continue reading “Review: The Philanthropist 1×1”

The CarusometerA Carusometer rating of 3

Third-episode verdict: Nurse Jackie

20 June 2009 Rob Buckley 2 Comments

Three episodes into Nurse Jackie and I’m not sure what to make of it. I’m not sure the makers know what to make of it either. Stepping away from the traditional depiction of nurses as angels (cf Hawthorne, for example), it shows a nurse who’s a pill-taking, adulterous angel of vengeance and morality, who’ll flush criminals’ ears down a toilet if she thinks they deserve it. It also tries to show what arses both doctors and patients are, when most of the time, everyone’s just an idiot.

But that’s a bit too in your face, it seems, so while episode one was packed with “I can’t believe she just did that moments”, episodes two and three have slowly removed those moments in favour of more drama and more comedy. It’s still quite a ‘bitty’ show, but it now flows better. The only problem is that it’s also duller. With the exception of her best friend and sociopath, played by British actress Eve Best, everyone’s now long-suffering and worthy, with the occasional tendency to cut corners and not behave totally professionally. Best is still gloriously over the top and unconcerned with her patients, making her easily the best thing in the show.

I’m not sure if I’m going to stick with this. It’s only half an hour, it’s only six episodes (I think) and it’s already been renewed for a second season. But, apart from Eve, there’s not enough real character – rather than plot – to get me involved and not even plot to paper over those cracks. The “true to life” looks at work as a nurse seem real enough now, but the show’s not quite got what it takes to be compelling any more. But maybe it’ll pick up again: that’s the trouble with short seasons – you have to compress the arcs so we’re already in a mid-season slump.

Carusometer rating: 3
Rob’s prediction: Already picked up for season two so I’m suspecting it’ll run for at least two more seasons. However, with such a short season duration, if you blink, you’ll miss it.