Angel blew the hatch with Wesley’s road to bad-assery
This example of Hatch Blowing is going to sound familiar, if you read my previous one on Veronica Mars. As I said then, the transformation of Logan Echolls from unlikeable punk to likable suitor for Veronica was remarkable. Along those same lines, Angel had an amazing transformation to behold, with the depussification of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. However, unlike Veronica Mars’s Logan, the road to bad-ass “rogue demon hunter” Wesley took seasons to accomplish in full.
The Shield Blew the Hatch with the money train
As was always with The Shield’s Strike Team, they were a group of guys I hated to love. They were dirty cops, bending the law to their own purposes and outcomes, using their badge — their “shield” — as a means of protecting themselves from the scum on the street, and from being pinched by the very organizations they served. Yet, as the second season worked towards its finale, I found myself rooting for Vic, Shane, Lem, and Ronnie. I wanted to see them victorious.
The Shield’s second season was all about the Armenian mob’s “money train,” and the corrupt Strike Team’s plan and execution to reap in that big pile of blood-stained cash. Blood-stained not physically, but in the death that came both before, and after, it came into the team’s hands. By the time season two ended, I was more hooked on The Shield than I’d ever been, or will be.
Sports Night Blows the Hatch – Dan makes an apology
This is an Ivey West original. Due to the limitations of Internet on airplanes, as well as Ivey’s inclusion on the “watch list”, I’m doing a favor for a friend. But, be sure that this is an Ivey; do I tend to be this positive when I write? Begin, sir.
My love for all things Sorkin is well known around these parts. I think The West Wing is the greatest television show that ever aired, and I’ve said as recently as yesterday that the only people that like Studio 60 were me, Bob Sassone, and Aaron Sorkin’s mother.
A Few Good Men and The American President stand with some of my favorite films of all time. However, I’ve long held that his most under-appreciated work was Sports Night. Based (not so) loosely on ESPN’s SportsCenter, the show follows the behind the scenes antics (and if there was ever an appropriate time to use that word, it would be to describe these guys) of the production of a nightly sports recap show. I’ve written about the characters before; they are wacky and witty, wise and wise-asses, and they work so perfectly well together. Read the rest of this entry »
When Reaper Blew the Hatch
Yes, I know Reaper has been canceled (did you see all the CliqueClack team had to say about Reaper’s fate behind the scenes?) and instead of celebrating the moment when it became great, I should be sending socks to the head honchos at The CW or something, to try to get it renewed somehow. Well, I’m not an activist, and although I’ll miss Reaper, I’d much rather be grateful for the two seasons worth of fun that we got from the show then spend my time bemoaning its short life.
I liked Reaper from the get-go; I’ve always liked shows about the supernatural, especially when they have a sense of humor about them, and there’s no arguing this describes Reaper. From the crazy vessels (a Dirt Devil and a remote control monster truck!) and the antics of The Devil (played to perfection by Ray Wise) it was always an enjoyable romp.
The moment I knew this show was going to be gracing my TV every week, though, came at the very end of season one, episode five, “What About Blob,” when Sam’s dad tears out a page of Sam’s contract with The Devil and burns it in the fire. It was that exact action that Blew the Hatch for me.
When Battlestar Galactica blew the hatch
For many … hell, most fans of Battlestar Galactica, the moment the show “Blew the Hatch” was from minute one, during the mini-series. This was the moment that they knew this show was going to be really good and, hopefully, stay just as good. For me, though, the moment BSG blew the hatch was the first episode of the first regular season, titled “33.” The mini-series was really good, mind you, but “33″ was when I knew this show was going to take us for an amazing ride.
Blowing the hatch: when good TV becomes great
Today CliqueClack unveils its very own contribution to the TV watchers’ lexicon. It started as a back channel discussion that quickly (and suspiciously) started growing like the forehead of a late ’90s power hitter. Eventually it got so large that we couldn’t help but share it with you, our loyal readers.
Everyone here knows the term “Jumping the Shark.” If you don’t know it, I can only assume that you’re a Botswana Bushman come to America to return a Coca Cola bottle you believe was sent to your people by the gods. For your sake, I’ll define the term: it describes the moment a classic TV show enters its period of decline.
We got to talking about this and decided that if there is a “Jumping the Shark” moment for every classic TV show, there stands to reason that there must be an opposite moment. That is, a moment when a show goes from “good” to “all-time classic.”
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