(Season 3, Episodes 17-20)

These episodes were almost more fun than they had any right to be. No mythology and I didn’t care a whit. Instead, I got to see a lighter side of The X-Files with an incredibly playful storytelling technique.

The Pusher is one of the best characters they’ve come up with. Even though I never watched the series, I had friends who did, and sometimes I’d be at their house when it was on, though I was usually reading, writing or otherwise occupied. And yet, somehow, segments from “Pusher” stuck with me through the years. Read the rest of this entry »

In the course of a regular season, this episode might have worked very well. Instead, it played as the return episode for a canceled series that had been off the air for more than four months. As such, with the details of the Darling family saga less than fresh in my mind, I think Clark may have just confused me more.

I appreciate the inventiveness of the script, the blatant nod to one of my favorite films of all time. Clark has been loyal to a fault to the Darling family, so I’ll admit that I was confused by his openness and candor to the reporter. And while the details of his story seemed a little odd, I found myself struggling with my memory of past events. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve all seen it happen. Some Hollywood TV star hits pay dirt with a super popular TV show. Their ego grows as fat as their wallet and they think they deserve to jump onto the “big screen.” Some make the leap graciously and successfully; a few names that come to mind include Tom Hanks, George Clooney, and Ron Howard.

It seems, however, that for every successful jump there’s at least one… less successful jump. Now, you may say it’s mean spirited to kick these actors while they’re down. To that I say: “Hi, I’m Bob. Clearly we haven’t met before.”

Besides, I think these actors deserve it for turning their backs on the superior medium that is television. Where else can you tell huge sweeping stories 50-100 hours long? Not in the movies, that’s for damn sure. So who cares if the budgets are smaller, the work more demanding, and the paychecks not as impressive? Lots of successful actors, I guess, but that’s beside the point. Onto the list!

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ABC

(Season 2, Episode 5)

Well, the episode title was a little misleading. Yes, we got a verdict in the Letitia Darling trial, but it didn’t come as you would traditionally expect one to. We also got a little deeper into the goings-on behind Simon Elder and what he’s up to as it relates to Darling Enterprises, and how far his reach is. It’s interesting to me that when we first met Elder, he was this philanthropist billionaire, every bit as powerful as the Darlings, but seemingly far more benign.

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ABC

What’s going to happen tonight? Poor Karen is getting screwed every which way by Simon Elder, and Patrick Darling wants to be screwing Carmelita again. Nick met his mom and little Brian stowed away with his dad. Repercussions? I’m betting a big ol’ yes on that front. Let’s find out together during this live blog of Dirty Sexy Money. See you at 10:00!

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ABC

(Season 2, Episode 3)

I don’t know why we haven’t heard an order for more scripts on this series, or a full back nine commitment. I mean, seriously folks. Knight Rider got picked up and its ratings aren’t that great. Hell, The Sarah Connor Chronicles has terrible ratings and FOX is notorious for yanking series off the air immediately and it got a full season order. So Dirty Sexy Money isn’t setting the ratings world on fire. Did you see tonight’s episode? Now that is what damn fine drama is all about.

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ABC

(Season 2, Episode 2)

Despite the absence of Juliet, and the absence of an explanation as to her whereabouts, with only the briefest explanation, I slid right into the Darling drama as if we’d never been apart. I think that’s a wonderful testament to the quality of the cast, direction and writing that the series, that despite an absence as long as Pushing Daisies, it didn’t miss a beat in keeping things rolling right along. Dare I say it, but I think the Walkers and the Darlings are two equally mesmerizing family soaps.

That said, I don’t really get yet the role of Lucy Liu on this show, other than to tempt Jeremy. Nor am I too thrilled with the Darling craziness infecting Nick’s marriage and home life. While I knew it would be a struggle for Nick and Lisa to maintain their marital happiness while Nick is so ensnared by the Darlings, I was hopeful that the strength of it would always be there to pull them through. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like the relationship is on the ropes, but the writers have thrown it into play. Tonight, though, the focus will be on the Darllng fire and reports of a Darling death.

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