After the tremendous pilot introduced us to the world of Caprica, one could say that the bar was set unreasonably high. Every show has its good and bad moments.Nevertheless, while the show remains fun and watchable, “Rebirth” felt like a letdown, mainly because it is the first time the show has made a major mistake.

Plot Summary: Spoilers below

Zoe-A is experiencing Zoe’s memories and trying to discover her own identity. Daniel continues to experience problems producing Cylons. He is avoiding Joseph, who is having trouble dealing with his own grief and is haunted by visions of his daughter. Amanda begins investigating Zoe’s life, but is interrupted by Agent Durham who questions her about Ben Stark, who she didn’t know was Zoe’s boyfriend. Lacy goes to lunch at Sister Willow’s house, where Willow plies her for information about Zoe’s work. Two of Daniel’s technicians transport the cylon to his home. Zoe-A reacts violently as one of the assistant tries to work on her, cutting off his finger. Sam takes Willie around little Tauron, where he begins introducing Willie to crime by throwing a trashcan through a window, getting both of them arrested. Amanda convinces Daniel to attend a memorial for the bombing victims. Lacy secretly visits the Graystone house and talks with Zoe-A, who feels trapped in the robot body. At the memorial, Daniel is visibly uncomfortable. Amanda meets Natalie Stark, Ben’s mother, who gives her a number of Zoe’s things, including an STO pendant. Joseph confronts Daniel about the Tamara avatar. Their talk is interrupted by Amanda speaking to the crowd. She says that she didn’t know her own daughter, and declares that Zoe was involved in the bombing as the crowd erupts in anger.

Hulu-Caprica: Rebirth

One should not discount Caprica as just another show that is failing to live up to its premise. This episode still holds its own. In particular, elements like the way news clips are seamlessly cut into the narrative, the banter between Daniel and Amanda and Daniel’s private moments of reflection remind us of why the show is excellent. These elements make the characters feel like real people whom the viewers can identify with and care about. This is particularly true of the masterful way the shots of Zoe-A and the CGI cylon are done, reminding us of the character and the person within the metal shell. Viewers will find themselves with a knot in their stomach as Amanda watches movies of Zoe and shiver in their seats as Zoe-A wipes the blood from her hands after injuring the technician. The acting remains superb and the characters remain incredibly well drawn.

However, putting great characters on the screen is not in and of itself enough to make a great episode. The main issue with this particular installment is it lacks any pretense of subtle narrative. The cloud of sinister mystery surrounding Sister Willow dissolves when we are introduced to the polygamous cult known as the Willow family. Instead of a complex villain, Sister Willow feels more like a caricature of a zealous nut. Another problem is the repeated flashbacks to the STO symbol at the end. These give off the impression that the directors don’t think the audience is smart enough to pick up the references that were crafted into the episode. They do nothing crassly insult the viewer’s intelligence. But the worst incident takes place between Zoe-A and Lacy. Zoe-A describes herself as three entities combined into one, when Lacy blurts out the word “trinity”. While the connections to our own religious traditions make the show relevant and thoughtful, this dialogue feels contrived and ham-handed. The writers could not have been more blatant if they filmed Ron Moore in a cathedral wrapped in the Shroud of Turin singing “This show is about religion” to the tune Handel’s Messiah. Good science fiction reflects society back us, rather than forcing itself down our throats. Although this is one incident, its sloppy execution jolts the viewer out of what could have been an engrossing scene.

On the whole, this episode is minor disappointment. The cliff hanger ending is well done and successfully accomplishes two things: it will leave viewers eager for the next installment and thanking their various gods that the current one is over.

The opening ceremonies of an Olympics are usually a good indicator of the two weeks that follow them. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the wizardry and precision of the Opening Ceremonies was matched by the record-breaking performances of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics, on the other hand, featured an agonizing four-minute delay as a technical error prevented a mechanical cauldron from forming for the lighting ceremony. This error has extended to the events themselves. Mind you, this error is not about the athletes, who have delivered exciting races and hard-hitting hockey, but rather from the media coverage of the events. Without a doubt, NBC’s handling of the Olympic Games has been atrocious and a disservice to anyone who remotely enjoys sports.

First, the lack of an HD version of MSNBC on DirecTV or Verizon FiOS means that some events do not get the benefit of high-definition coverage. For instance, last night’s US vs. Canada men’s hockey matchup, which NBC’s website declared as “the most anticipated game of the tournament so far”, was broadcast on MSNBC. CNBC and USA had limited curling coverage and no Olympic coverage, respectively, but they have HD channels. Since many sports bars and homes use DirecTV or Verizon as their provider, many people were stuck watching the game in standard definition. In 2010, this fact is unacceptable. High-definition coverage has changed the way that sports are watched and for a game of that magnitude to be broadcast in such a manner is ridiculous.

Making matters worse was the fact that NBC was broadcasting ice dancing, the redheaded stepchild of figure skating, while the hockey game was played. Instead of seeing a game that pundits have declared an instant classic, NBC thought it was more appropriate to show a sport whose biggest story was that a pair’s costumes offended Australian aborigines. This decision should have been an easy one for NBC: its home country was facing off against the hockey-crazed hosts. Yet, as we’ve seen with the Conan O’Brien/Jay Leno saga, when NBC has an easy decision they will drop the ball every time.

Does this event really make for better television than hockey?

Second, and most importantly, the use of tape delay in the events has ruined the desire to watch the Olympics. NBC faces a dilemma: they have valuable primetime space, but many of the events occur in the daytime. Thus, it has decided to broadcast many of the popular events on a tape delay so that they can gain valuable ratings. However, there is a problem with this decision. The primetime broadcasts are not geared with sports fans in mind. Many times, there is very little sports action and instead there are human-interest features about polar bears. Does anyone really tune into the Olympics to hear about polar bears? No! Put the sports on the screen; that’s why the viewers watch a sporting event.

Furthermore, because these events happen live, other major news organizations will tell the results of the events before NBC gets around to broadcasting them on tape delay. Major news sites like ESPN and social networks like Twitter will often have the results of the events anyone wants to watch before he or she can watch them. It’s frustrating for a sports fan to watch the events, which are built on drama and excitement, with suspense removed. What’s even more egregious is the fact that NBC also spoils the events. An anchor on the NBC evening news last night told me to “look away” if I didn’t want to know the results of the events that already happened but would be broadcasted later in the evening. I never thought that the news would require a “spoiler alert”, but thanks to NBC it’s a common occurrence.

The worst part about this practice is how unnecessary it is. These Winter Olympics are not in a place where the time difference makes it prohibitive to show the events live (like when the 2002 World Cup was in South Korea). They are on the West Coast. There is no reason why the events should be tape delayed for people in the United States, especially those who live on the West Coast (like the opening ceremonies were). This practice serves only to frustrate viewers who want to watch the games as they happen live.

If NBC really believes that the only way that they can attract viewers is through irrelevant, tape-delayed features, then there is a simple solution: broadcast the events live on its cable networks (USA, CNBC, MSNBC) and on the Internet. Then, in primetime, run the package of highlights and features, while having more live matchups on its cable networks. However, this solution would require NBC to embrace new media and the opportunities it provides. A sports fan’s best hope is that NBC, who Conan O’Brien gleefully reminded us is losing $200 million on these Olympics, decides to abandon the Olympics altogether. Then a real sports network could take over and give the viewers the coverage that they want (an ABC bid, using all of its many ESPN outlets, comes to mind). Until then, enjoy tape delays, standard definition, and ice dancing!

“The Meeting” aired last night and it was a satisfying return to form for The Office. For the last couple of seasons the show focused more on the personal lives of the workers and less about their actual day-to-day business. There were many hilarious episodes during in recent seasons but I sometimes wondered if the show was living up to it’s setting based title.

This criticism was rebuked with last night’s episode. The meeting between David Wallace (Andy Buckley) and Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) signaled a return to workplace-based stories. This is unfortunate for Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) who was driven crazy by not being included in the meeting. He didn’t understand what was happening and being the hypersensitive and paranoid man that he is, tried to figure it out. Michael walked into the meeting, questioned Pam (Jenna Fischer) and even hid under a makeshift cheese cart in order to hear the conversation.

Alas, none of his antics worked. Afraid for his own job, Michael negated all of Jim’s strengths when speaking to David. Disappointed, David tells him that the plan was to promote both of them to higher positions. Michael has screwed himself out of a promotion once again. Jim and Michael speak about the messy situation and convince David to “promote both of them” to co-managers of the Scranton branch.

The episode included a lot of funny moments, most of them coming from the Michael’s attempts to listen-in on the meeting. Andy’s (Ed Helms) speech about the finer points about the processed cheeses taken from the break room was the real highlight:

“Oui oui monsieur. From the Wisconsin region, a nice, firm cheddar. Also from the great state of Wisconsin, an aged Parmesan. Here you will find a cheddar-style spread, which has reacted nicely with the air to form a light rind, which I believe you will find both challenging and delicious. At that point, I would recommend you take a quick trip south of the border to the great state of Illinois where you will find this fine blue cheese dressing. If I may be so bold, it’s a lot of fun to let the goldfish take a little swim in the blue cheese. Bon appetite.” –Andy Bernard

In addition to the main story line there were two other story arcs although they were far less captivating.  Pam began handing out invitations to the wedding that will happen later this season and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Toby (Paul Lieberstein) attempt to prove that Darryl (Craig Robinson) filed a false work-accident report about a broken ankle. The latter included a comical scene of mistaken identity between Darryl and his sister, but on the whole wasn’t particularly interesting.

Neither came close to the importance or the hilarity surrounding the promotion of Jim to co-manager of the branch. Obviously this means some major changes for the dynamics of the office and some workers are not thrilled, especially Dwight, who finished end the show with a hysterical scream of anguish.  TV viewers will be happy to know that The Office is moving forward with intriguing plot developments while keeping its award-winning comedic elements.

Join hosts Doug Buffone and Matt La Magna on the first installment of the tri-weekly podcast forever known as The Byline. Today’s episode is all about the new fall television season–anticipated arrivals, promising premieres and definite duds. [Download] | [iTunes]

Two and a Half Men is a show that, like it or not, demands to be reviewed by any legitimate entertainment critic. Last season, it was the highest rated comedy on television and on Sunday, Jon Cryer upset Neil Patrick Harris to win the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor. Its star, Charlie Sheen, is the highest paid actor in television.

After viewing last night’s season premiere, it’s difficult to understand why two of those facts are true. The humor consisted of creative ways to refer to genitals and excrement. For example, one of the subplots, Charlie’s inability to decide between his fiancé and an old ex who reappeared in his life, led to a tremendous bout of constipation. Thus, the following exchange ensued toward the end of the episode:

Alan (Jon Cryer): “How’s the intestines?”

Charlie (Charlie Sheen): “Clean as a whistle.”

Then, a laugh track played. Why? There was no joke there. There was no funny delivery, just a series of exchanges that would be normal for someone who experienced constipation. The writing was lazy and the laugh track only seemed to highlight the utter detachment between what is humorous and what appeared on the screen. Much of the episode proceeded in this fashion. The show told me that I was supposed to laugh; yet I couldn’t even bring myself to chuckle. This observation seems to articulate the evolving paradigm shift that is occurring in network television comedy.  While shows like The Office and 30 Rock have breached the line between the inane and the absurd frequently, Two and a Half Men plays it straighter than most, mining the established tropes of situational comedy to try and find humor.

Jon Cryer shone in his relatively brief screen time. The timing between he and Sheen is actually a work of art and something that should be noted (that’s why he won the Emmy). After six years, the two have an established rhythm and it showed in the opening scene of the episode. However, there was nothing beyond the opening scene that came close to matching its humor.

This episode fell flat, betrayed by its script. Hopefully next week’s episode will be an improvement, as laying the foundation for this season’s overarching plot lines bogged much of this episode down. The writers of the show should have realized that an episode could still be funny even if it spends most of its time on establishing story. Isn’t that the purpose of a comedy, anyway?

It is the show that placed “hug it out” in America’s lexicon. It also gave Jeremy Piven a steady career and ensured that America didn’t remember him as Dean Pritchard from Old School. However, after viewing the first four episodes of season six, Entourage can be known also as the show that got too stale and overstayed its welcome.

Entourage has the ingredients of a successful show. For those who don’t know, Entourage tells the story of an actor from Queens, Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), and his struggles and successes in Hollywood. His buddies join him in Hollywood: his friend and manager Eric “E” Murphy (Kevin Connelly), his unsuccessful actor brother Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon), and his other friend Turtle (Jerry Ferrara). The source of much of the comedy and story in Entourage comes from the fact that all four are friends and therefore bust each other’s chops like friends do. The comedy works in Entourage because the four characters are basic comedy archetypes: the successful one, the serious one, the loser, and the stoner. Everyone knows someone like one of the characters on the show which allows  many viewers to relate to the show’s situational plot developments. Thus, to the audience, the comedy and characters seem genuine, even if they can’t relate to the situations.

The other main character (the one with the most buzz: three Emmys!) is Vince’s agent, Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Ari is the sleaziest of sleazy agents, which leads to hilarity. He sabotages his rivals, feuds with E, slings one-liners, and has one of the funniest husband-wife relationships on television.  He’s played his role so well that even though he is a supporting actor, he is the one that has the best lines and generates the most favorable reviews for the show. (And as an aside, his performance as Ari has given him multiple movie roles in which he gets to shine on the silver screen. The Goods, which comes out on August 14th, basically changes Piven’s role to sleazy used car salesman from sleazy agent).

From the preceding two paragraphs, Entourage seems like a well-oiled machine. However, there are fundamental flaws that have reared their head in the previous seasons that have taken away from the luster of the show. The first is Adrian Grenier’s acting ability, or more appropriately his inability. Grenier can’t act worth a damn. It’s no stretch to make this statement, as the character has been played with maddening inconsistency over the show’s six seasons. If the classic cliché is that actors ask “What’s my motivation?”, then Grenier must have asked it multiple times, heard the same answer, and tried a different way of playing the character anyway. The functions that Vince character needs to fulfill consistently are acting well and partying hard. Yet, we’ve seen Vincent Chase the introspective partier and we’ve seen Vincent Chase the partier who looks for his next hook-up whilst bedding a different woman (and yes, I said whilst to add a veneer of propriety and manners to a fictional celebrity’s sex life).

Surprisingly, though, Grenier’s limited ability as an actor is actually insignificant to the success or failure of the show. Because the show more about the four friends and less about the business of Hollywood, it is not essential for Vince to be seen working as an actor. Entourage is a rare show because it can still be relatively successful in spite of the believability of the central character. For instance, imagine how popular Seinfeld would have been if Jerry Seinfeld wasn’t funny and the audience didn’t think that he could be a comedian. This gift, though, means that the Vince character can’t attempt serious acting or else the show becomes unbelievable.

Yet, the show decided to pursue this course of action in season five. To summarize briefly, Vince’s self-financed movie at the end of season four was a flop and made him a Hollywood outcast (much like Dennis Hopper after The Osterman Weekend). After some soul-searching (including a hilarious episode where the gang ingests psychedelic mushrooms), Vince agrees to play a supporting role in a drama about firemen. Conflict ensues, however, when the German director of the film can’t elicit the proper emotion from Vince in a crucial scene where he tells his wife that he loves her (because, of course, the supporting character in a disaster movie always dies). This leads to the movie being shut down because the German director was a psychopath and Vince being out of a job. Vince’s manager E passes the test shots to Gus Van Sant, who in turn passes them to Martin Scorsese, who then offers Vince a role in his modern interpretation of The Great Gatsby, thus saving Vince’s career (much like how Blue Velvet saved Dennis Hopper’s).

The problem, though, was that the test shots weren’t good in any sense of the word. When they were shown, I thought that the end was near for Vince’s acting career. I actually found myself agreeing with the director: Vince didn’t show any emotion as a firefighter. Thus, I found it hard to believe that the greatest director of our time wanted to cast him in Gatsby (A second, more comically cynical part of me wondered why Leo DiCaprio wasn’t available).

Usually because of this impediment, the show usually avoids giving Vince a serious role (I can count the number of truly serious scenes Grenier has performed on one hand). This avoidance leads to the second problem with Entourage: the storylines are repetitive. Here is the plot of every episode of Entourage: Vince wakes up in his house and is confronted with a problem, E and Ari confront over the best way to solve the problem, Ari delivers a hilarious one liner, Drama faces a conflict related to his struggling career, Turtle smokes weed while pretending to have a real job, the problem resolves itself and the gang looks over a city skyline from a balcony whilst toasting champagne. With such a repetitive plot, there is temptation to create comedy from outlandish situations rather than creating it from actual character-to-character interaction, and oftentimes it falls flat. (Really, how many different ways could we watch Johnny Drama try to snag bit parts or see E have conflicted feelings about a relationship?)

However, both of these problems are symptomatic of the larger illness that plagues Entourage: the show only works when the main characters are interacting with each other and for some bizarre reason, the writers of the show have seen it fit to limit the interaction between the characters. The best episodes of any television comedy, Entourage included, are ones where the main characters interact with each other. This rule is because none of the characters on a thirty-minute sitcom can be developed to a point where an exclusive storyline is merited. As I’ve stated earlier, each of the characters represents a specific comedic archetype. Because of this representation, the characters need to interact with each other or else the writers will rely on situations to create the comedy and those situations will run out (I would argue that they have run out but that’s not the point). Yet, in the most recent episode, “Running on E”, there are five different plotlines. They are as follows:

• Ari tries to stop his best friend and colleague from having an affair with a younger agent
• E has doubts about his management company and his new girlfriend isn’t helping manners
• Turtle shops for back to school clothes with his girlfriend, Jamie-Lynn Sigler
• Drama needs to screen test potential female guest stars for his show and asks Turtle for help when none of the potential guest stars satisfy him
• Vince is bored and gets laid

In a twenty-eight-minute show, there just isn’t enough time to fully develop all of those plotlines while still being funny. It’s the classic problem of oversaturation: if you try to do too much, then nothing can be done in a fully satisfying way.

Yet, all of these problems can be fixed. I have some suggestions for the producers and writers of Entourage. Let E manage Drama, allow Ari’s story to continue as is (it’s the only funny part of this season), and give Vince something to do that isn’t serious but can last for more than one episode. These suggestions would form three main plots, which is a manageable number for a show of this length. Then, there can be a fully developed story and comedy at the same time instead of the mess that is currently populating the back half of the 10:00 hour on HBO.

Henry VIII is one of the most notorious kings in world history. If you aren’t familiar with him for some ridiculous reason, I have a couple of key things to say. One, pay attention in history class next time you bum! And two, that Henry VIII had six wives and started the reformation against the Catholic Church in England.

Henry VIII was the center of a soap opera before they really existed. The guy had ultimate power in England and really, really wanted a son. So much in fact that he was willing to divorce and behead his way to getting a male heir to the throne.  This setting seems like it would make a pretty powerful historical drama, right? That’s what Showtime is counting on.

Jonathan Rhys Myers, of Bend It Like Beckham fame, portrays a young Henry VIII. Myers is a young, fit, and handsome man, nothing like the traditional representations of Henry VIII.  Because we do the research so you don’t have to, I looked up why the creators would cast someone who didn’t look like the famous paintings. There were two major reasons: one, that Henry VIII was an attractive and fit man in his youth, and two, because the creators took historical liberties.

Something that needs to be noted immediately is that the show is not completely faithful to the actual events. Although you will learn a great deal about English history, characters are sometimes combinations of multiple figures and aren’t always a physical embodiment (or even close look alike) of the historical personage. But you had to see this coming? This is supposed to be the OC or Melrose Place of 500 years ago! Who would want to see ugly people having sex? Especially on a channel that you have to pay extra to get!

Therefore, they cast some pretty nice looking gals to portray the women in Henry’s life.  Maria Doyle Kennedy and Natalie Dormer are Catherine of Aragorn and Anne Boleyn respectively.  Kennedy is one of the highpoints of the show, she plays a queen that is infused with frustrations and love and therefore is one of the most convincingly real characters. Dormer does an alright job, but I can’t stand to look at her. I can see why some people will find her attractive, even Henry VIII, but she is such a whore! She destroyed the Catholic Church in England dammit! (Please note: Doug is a Catholic and pretty proud of the awesomeness of the history of the Holy Church)

I can’t really tell who will be watching this show more, men or women. Men seem to like historical dramas more because it reminds of them of the good ol’ days when men were king (see what I did there?), but this shows puts the emphasis on drama. Of course, men like drama, but women seem to flock to it. I could definitely see this show being one that women gossip about (and don’t include me in…). In that regard, women will also probably tune in because of Myers and Henry Cavill, the latter who is about as hunky of a man you can get (very attractive and has an English accent ladies!).

Part of me thinks that Myers and Cavill were selected because of their appeal to women. Frankly, their acting is just average and sometimes dips below average especially during some heated debate scenes (of which there are many). Luckily for those of us who like to watch superb acting we have Sam Neill and Jeremy Northram.   Neill plays Cardinal Woolsey and Northram plays (Saint) Thomas More. Both are pretty seasoned actors and really bring a lot to the theatrical aspects of the tumultuous story. Woolsey and More are two close advisors to Henry VIII who advise him on all matters, but begin to fall out of the king’s favor when Henry wants a divorce.

The central problem for Henry is that he wants to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon because she isn’t bearing any sons. Under the trance of the evil whore Anne Boleyn, he basically destroys the entire Catholic Church in England because the Pope refuses to annul the marriage. Woolsey and More argue with the king over the fight with the church but can’t really change the king’s mind because he has absolute power. Once the split begins with the Catholic Church, Henry becomes the embodiment of a spoiled child, one who has absolutely no limitations.

If you can’t gather from the brief synopsis, the show is pretty damn entertaining. There are definitely problems (more depending if you are a stickler for historical accuracy) but the time period lends itself well to a really sexy and intense television drama. I was a big fan of HBO’s Rome, a show who’s success seemed to be the main catalyst for The Tudors manifestation. Both shows share a lot in common, particularly their grandiose scale. The only difference is that The Tudors is a sexy drama that will appeal to a wider audience of viewers. Some of the acting and special effects will be disappointing but the actual narrative and pacing of the show will leave you wanting more. And… oh goodie! You can get more as there is a second season!