New Series: Beauty and the Beast

This is a remake of a TV series that I loved, so it’s hard not to compare it to the original. However, the first part of this review will be about the show itself, with no comparison to the original.

The premiere episode wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. I didn’t hate it, and I didn’t love it. It just felt like another procedural series with nothing new.

Kristin Kruek is not very believable to me as a detective. Maybe it’s because she looks so young and inexperienced. It's interesting how much in common she has with another New York detective on TV who is trying to solve the murder of her mother. Does the name Kate Beckett ring a bell? Except I believe Stana Katic as a detective.

I wasn’t very drawn to Vincent. He was nice looking, but that isn’t the point. He’s supposed to be a beast. This first episode didn’t really give him much to do in the area of character development. We know that he’s a doctor who lost brothers in the Twin Towers, then enlisted. While he was in Afghanistan he agreed to be involved in some kind of experiment (that resulted in his bouts of “beastliness”), and now he is believed to be dead. That’s about it.

I wanted to see more of Cat’s personal life. Why didn’t we get to meet her father? We just see her hug him at the end. I would like to have seen Cat in a scene that didn’t involve her job or the beast. Who is Catherine Chandler? Why should we care about her?

I thought the dialogue was a bit stilted. There were some lines that were okay, and many that were just plain bad.

I wonder why Vincent would tell Cat the whole story about the experiment even though he says it’s dangerous for her to know, and then not tell her why he was there the night her mother was killed. Seems strange.

I did like Vincent’s roommate, J.T., and Evan, the medical examiner. It’s not good when you like the supporting characters better than the two leads.

Random observation: I love that Cat drove a VW bug at the beginning of the episode. We can add her to the list of VW bug owners: Monroe (Grimm), Emma (Once Upon a Time), and me!

Now, on to comparing it to the original.

I blogged about the new series when I heard about it in January, and one of the things I said was that they needed to choose their Vincent well. Well, the jury’s still out on that. The new Vincent is just a man who, through some botched experiment, becomes a “beast” when he’s angry. He’s kind of like the Hulk. The original Vincent looked like a beast, but female viewers still fell for him from the beginning because of who he was – that was point.

I felt no real chemistry between Cat and Vincent. I don't feel like there was enough character development of Vincent. Yes, he does try to save people (other than Cat), but we’re only told that, we don’t see him do it. Actions speak louder than words in character development. Show – don’t tell. I liked that in the original they didn’t try to explain why Vincent looked the way he did, and it didn’t matter. Why did they think they had to explain why the new Vincent is a beast?

In the original, Cathy is brutally attacked and left for dead, and is found by Vincent. He takes her into the tunnels under Manhattan where he lives. Catherine comes to know Vincent before she ever sees his face. Not only does the attack change her life, but so does meeting Vincent. A bond is developed between the two that shapes both of their lives. She changes her job as a high-profile lawyer, and so to work with the DA’s office where she can help more people.

There just isn’t any kind of bond between beauty and the beast in this new version. In this version, Vincent saves Cat after her mother is shot, and then Cat doesn’t see him again for nine years. Her first encounter with Vincent doesn’t change her life. The death of her mother changes her life. So, there is no bond between the two. It feels like Cat is more interested in him because he was there when her mother died and might help her find out who did it.

The preview for next week’s episode looks interesting, so I’ll probably watch it.

New Series: Nashville

Last year I was excited about Smash because it was about one of my great loves – musical theatre. I was excited to see a show that was about something that I am very involved in (albeit, not on Broadway).

I was excited about Nashville because it is about another thing I love – country music. Well, new country music. Not the old “twangy” western country music so much. I’m talking Keith Urban, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Jo Dee Messina, Sara Evans, Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, and Rascal Flatts to name only a few. That new country music.

I liked the premiere episode. I’m not sure if there is supposed to be a main character in this, because I thought it was supposed to be about both Rayna and Juliette, but this episode was certainly about Rayna. Maybe next week’s episode will be more about Juliette. The writing is smart, and doesn’t feel like a straight up soap opera, which is could have. I think that having it center around the music business and having many of the actors part of that business is a good idea.

It’s funny to me to see someone in a TV show or movie recording a song in a recording studio, and lip syncing the song. Because the character had to go into a real recording studio to record the track that they are lip syncing to in the recording studio in the scene. Funny. Why don’t they just film the person recording the song? They’re actors, they should be able to do both at the same time. And they can do multiple takes to get it right. Just sayin’.

Nashville is a great city to set a TV series. It’s very unique, and has so many landmarks that people who know anything about the city will recognize, even if they’ve never been there. I’m sure country music lovers were excited to see the scenes set in the Blue Bird Cafe. It’s a great place to go to hear well-known and up and coming songwriters perform their music. I went there a few years ago, and I loved being in that creative atmosphere, hearing songs I knew sung by the songwriters.

Another reason I love Smash is that it gave me new songs to download from iTunes every week. Great musical theatre songs, and some great covers of current songs. Now I’ll have some great original country songs to look forward to hearing and possibly downloading. I’m excited. The songs were good. I liked the variety in the choice of songs, to show that country can be so many things. I especially liked “Back Home” sung by Deacon (Charles Esten). The song was a pretty, laid-back country waltz. Charles has a great baritone voice, and I liked the harmony in the chorus.

I think Nashville can be a very interesting show, and I hope the season will be as good as the first episode.

Observations:

I think Connie Britton and Hayden Panitierre both have good voices, but it may take a while for them to look like real performers on stage.

T. Bone Burnett is the executive music producer of the show. He is a musician, songwriter and music producer. According to Wikipedia, he has produced artists such as Roy Orbison, Lisa Marie Presley, John Mellencamp, Los Lobos, Counting Crows, Elton John & Leon Russell, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Tony Bennett and k.d. lang. Burnett won Grammy Awards for the O Brother, Where Art Thou? He was nominated for an Academy Award for his songwriting contribution to the film Cold Mountain, and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart. Nashville has one of the best in the business, and I'm sure it's going to show in the quality of the music in the series.

It's sad for Rayna when her daughters start singing along to Juliette's song on the radio when they are in the car.

It's interesting that we hear "Stand by your Man" in the scene right before Teddy tells Rayna that he's running for Mayor.

Teddy isn't a real politician. He doesn't want to ruin the reputation of his opponent. It seems like politicians feel the only way they can win an election is to smear the other person. I don't know if there is a politician today who doesn't do that.

Teddy's campaign was certainly organized very quickly.

Quotes:

Maddie: I thought we were rich.
Teddy: We are honey. But now we're a different kind of rich called "cash poor."

Glenn: Be nice.
Juliette: I'm always nice.

Juliette: I have your very first record on vinyl, and I... it's amazing.
Deacon: It is available at antique stores here and there.

Rayna: I know you. You're burning up out there, girl.
Juliette: Oh, thank you. My mama was one of your biggest fans. She said she'd listen to you while I was still in her belly.
Rayna: Well, bless her little heart. That is a charming story. (Juliette leaves) What the hell was that?

Glenn (to Juliette): Looks like we got a little work to do on that "be nice" deal.

Rayna: Was there a turnip truck that just drove through here you think I fell off of?

Tandy: Happy Lamar Wyatt day.
Rayna: Just like Christmas.

Rayna: It's a funny thing about Daddy, you know, he's always there when he needs you.

Rayna (to Randy, her music producer): Will you stop getting married and start dating?

Rayna: Why do people listen to that adolescent crap? It sounds like feral cats to me.

Juliette: That last song you did - has it ever been recorded?
Deacon: Only by me, which pretty much damns it to obscurity.

Juliette: Rayna's not the only woman in the world, you know.
Deacon: You're a girl.
Juliette: That too.
(she leaves)
Deacon: What the hell was that?

Rayna (to her band): Y'all, I'm sorry. It's um, you know, having a diva dip.

Rayna: It wasn't that long ago I was the future of country music.

Rayna: Sometimes I wish I could just do everything all over again.
Deacon: What would you change?
Rayna: Nothing. Everything.
Deacon: That makes two of us.

Lamar: Fate is what befalls a man who fails to act. Destiny is for men who refuse to accept their failures as their fate.

Rayna: Mayor? Since when do you want to Mayor? You hate politics.
Teddy: I don't hate politics. I hate talking about politics.

Teddy: Do you want me to tell me about standing on the side of the stage that I don't already know?

Scarlett: Nothing calls on the muses like a broken heart.

Rayna: You can kiss my decision as it's walking out the door.

New Series: Arrow

I am not familiar with the Green Arrow, the comic superhero, other than getting a few glimpses of him on Smallville, which I hadn’t watched faithfully since about season 3. I didn’t know his background or how Oliver Queen became the Arrow, so this first episode was my real introduction to the character.

I really liked the episode. I like the look of the show, and I like the use of the flashbacks to show what happened to him. I like Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Arrow. He is very easy on the eyes. He is also very believable as the playboy and as the man who has been changed by five years on a remote island. I thought the supporting characters were good too. I like Tommy, Laurel and Oliver's sister, Thea.

The premiere wasn’t too complicated. There was just enough exposition, a good villain, great action scenes. I’m excited to see where the story will take the characters.

I loved the scene where Oliver grabs his bow and throws out a bunch of tennis balls, and one by one pins each tennis ball to the wall with arrows. So, now we know how quick and accurate a shot he is. *wink*

It will be interesting to see what happened to him on the island through flashbacks, and find out what made him the “weapon” he has become.

All in all, I really liked the series premiere, and I'm excited to see where the first season goes.

Observations:

Oliver and his story have aspects of a few well-known fictional characters. Being away from civilization for a long time and his desire for revenge is very much like Edmund Dantes from “The Count of Monte Cristo.” The situation of having an alter-ego who “saves” people, and shows a very different persona in the real world is like Percy Blakeney in “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” and “robbing from the rich and giving to the poor” (at least in the first episode), as well as his green hood, is of course like Robin Hood. I’m sure that those of you who know the comic book character well are saying, well, duh! I’m new to the character, okay? *wink*

Oliver's mother says that his room is exactly as he left it five years ago. I hope that it was dusted. *wink* Oliver says that after five years everything that was once familiar is now unrecognizable. How can you know that something was once familiar if you don't recognize it anymore (other than your own face)? *wink*

How did Tommy know that Oliver had spoken Russian? Does he know Russian?

Where did the large trunk come from? Did Oliver get it from the yacht before it sank?

The island may have made him strong, but how did it make him technologically savvy?

I loved the scene after Oliver attacks Hunt and his men in the car park, and Hunt says, "If I see you again, you're dead," and then Hunt turns when Oliver shoots an arrow into his car window, then when Hunt looks back, Oliver is gone.

When you have a character who has been away from civilization for five years, you have a chance to comment on what has happened in the world in that time, and it’s interesting to see what the writers decided to comment on. At his first dinner home, his best friend, Tommy, is trying to catch him up on the last five years, he tells him the last five Super Bowl winners, that we now have a black president, and reveals the ending of Lost. And, at Oliver’s coming home party, Tommy mentions that a girl looks like “that girl” from Twilight. Oliver asks what Twilight is, and Tommy responds, “You’re better off not knowing.”

How does the hood keep people from recognizing him, especially when he’s right up in their face? Hmm.

So, how soon before Tommy figures out Oliver's secret? Or how long before he tells Oliver he knows his secret?

It's funny how many superhero shows have a scene at the end of the show where the superhero secretly watches the woman he loves from a balcony or from the top of a building. And they are always in their superhero "costume."

Quotes:

Thea: I missed you so much.
Oliver: You were with me the whole time.

Oliver: I have something for you.
Thea: You didn't come back from deserted island with a souvenir.

Tommy: I want one of those t-shirts that says, "My friend was a castaway and all I got was this crappy t-shirt."

Tommy: You notice how hot your sister's got? Because I haven't.

Tommy: Everyone is happy you're alive. You want to see the one person who isn't?

Laurel: Adam Hunt is not smarter than we are.
Laurel's coworker: No, he's just richer and willing to commit multiple felonies.

Detective Lance (to Moira Queen): Probably figured you'd pay a King's ransom to get your son back. Or a Queen's ransom as it were.

Raiza (to Oliver): You are different. Not like you to read a book.

Oliver (voice over): The abduction was unexpected. It forced me to move up my plans. But what I told the police was true. The man with the green hood was there in that warehouse. And he's just beginning.

Oliver (voice over): Adam Hunt. His crimes go deeper than fraud or theft, but he's been able to bully, bribe or kill anyone who's gotten into his way. He hasn't met me yet.

Detective Lance (to Adam Hunt): thanks for your statement. We'll put out an APB on... Robin Hood.

Adam Hunt: I'm not some grocer who got taken for his register. I go to the front of the line.

Oliver: Which one is she?
Tommy: The one who looks like the chick from Twilight.
Oliver: What's Twilight?
Tommy: You're so better off not knowing.

Laurel: You know what, Oliver? You're wrong. The island did change you. At least now you're honest.

Oliver: Who's Adam Hunt?
Detective Lance: He's a millionaire bottom feeder and I'm kind of surprised you're not friends.
Oliver: I've been out of town for a while.

Oliver: Two million dollars for anyone who can find a nut bar in a green hood.

Tommy: What happened to you on that island?
Oliver: A lot.

Awake: Pilot

I like smart television, and Awake is definitely smart.

After a horrible car accident, Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs) is living a double life. He goes to sleep in a world where his wife, Hannah, is alive and his son Rex, is dead, and wakes up to a world where Hannah is dead and Rex is alive.

Michael is a detective, and he's working on the same case in both worlds. However, he has different partners. He gets clues in one reality that he uses in the next to help him solve the case.

He is seeing a therapist in each reality, and they are different therapists. Both therapists say that the other reality is a dream.

Jason Isaacs is wonderful as Michael. His acting is stellar. In one scene he's no sure which world he is in. He thinks Hannah should be alive and he calls for her, looking through the house. She doesn't answer, so he calls for and looks for Rex. He doesn't answer either. He panics, and he starts to cut himself to prove he isn't dreaming as Hannah walks in the room. It was such an emotional scene, and so well acted by Jason.

The cinematography gives the audience a clue to which reality he is in. The colors of the world in one reality (the one where his son is alive) are a bit muted, and the world with his wide is crisp and clear.

I really like this show, and I hope it is successful because I'd like to see where the writers take it.