Terriers 1.1: “Pilot”

Terriers is a show that doesn’t really fit into a genre. It isn’t a cop show or a private investigator show really. It isn’t a comedy or a drama either. There are cops in the show, but they’re certainly not the focus, and there are jokes in the show, but it isn’t hysterical. The show is a little random, but a pilot episode is usually trying to find the shows tone on the fly, so that’s not really a surprise. The script is well written, and Ted Griffin’s work is really the main standout of the show. The direction was competent, but didn’t dominate the show like The Shield, which this show has been linked with.

The show follows Hank Dolworth (Donal Logue), and Britt Pollack (Michael Raymond James) who stole the show. Every time Britt was on-screen he was doing something unorthodox and funny. The show’s main character is the straight man in this duo, and Logue plays the role well. I’ve always enjoyed Logue’s work since Grounded For Life and more recently Zodiac, so his presence is why I decided to watch, but the dude who played Rene on True Blood is the one that carries the show. He did everything funny. He jumped in trucks funny, answered phones funny, and even fought in a hilarious way. James played a funny cajun serial killer on True Blood, but you can never tell if the actors on that show are comedic intentionally.

Rachel Miner from Duchovny’s Californication shows up as a person of interest. I haven’t been able to confirm that’s who actually played in the episode, but I’ve got a pretty good eye, and I’ll just assume I’m right for now. Laura Allen, who seems to have had spots on all the shows I don’t really like (Grey’s Anatomy, CSI, Criminal Minds), is playing Britt’s girlfriend for this first season. Jamie Denbo, who played in a few episodes of Weeds, is supposed to be showing up as Logue’s lawyer, so there’s that to look forward to. I’m not really sure what to expect from this show after viewing the pilot, but I’m definitely going to see what they have in store next week.

True Blood 3.4: 9 Crimes

After a week off due to America celebrating its birthday, True Blood came back with a quality episode. My last True Blood review showed that the previous episode left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, but tonight’s episode was an improvement. Bill’s character is finally becoming interesting despite his best efforts to be endlessly boring. The werewolf-Nazi subplot seems to be back in play, and not just a one off flashback after all. James Frain is still creepy. Season 3 seems to be taking shape a bit more after episode four, and I look forward to see where it goes.

Anna Paquin’s Sookie character is beginning to get a little ridiculous. Every scene featuring her character seems to involve her talking like an after-school special to some psychotic monster. She’s all puppy dogs and lollipops, and after a few seasons of watching everyone and thing she knows get ripped apart by undead creatures, you’d think she’d get some perspective. I’ve always disliked Tara and Bill Compton, but both seem to be evolving, while Sookie is just a predictable idiot. The branding scene was ridiculous for many reasons, but most of all having Sookie and her new Werewolf friend standing out like sore thumbs while Nazi-werewolves all partook in some insane ritual, had to be the most ridiculous part. Instead of the werewolves ripping them apart, they just ignore her existence until she conveniently gathers all the information she needs, and gets on her way.

I’m guessing Bill Compton’s character will be dead by the end of season three. There’s absolutely every factor possible against him at this point. Eric’s entire V selling scandal is blowing up in his face, and instead of biting the wooden stake, he’s putting the entire thing on Bill Compton. While that may not be Bill’s undoing, he still has the Nazi-Werewolves and Vampires keeping him as one of their personal slaves, and he’s even begun eating humans again. The dude is on a downward spiral, and he doesn’t even know why. Finally this character isn’t just a running joke because of the way he says “Sookie.”

Jason Stackhouse is still the funniest part of the show, but he made a good point when he told Andy that he’s “the best cop (he’s) got.” I imagine the entire thing is going to blow up in J-Stack’s face, but that’s the beauty of it. Andy will probably lose his sheriff’s badge before this story concludes. Hopefully both remain on the show though, as they’re hilarious together. Jessica trying to learn how to glamor her friend from Bible-school was also pretty funny. I imagine she’ll eventually use this power on Hoyt, and he’ll leave her alone finally.

Next week looks like business is going to further pick up. The preview shows Stackhouse losing it a bit, and some crazy dark figure in a black cloak. If those aren’t reasons to tune in, I don’t know what are.

True Blood 3.3: It Hurts Me Too

(Spoilers follow)

Who is this guy with Sookie? Just another damn werewolf.

This show is creepy in so many different ways. Everything from the final scene involving a character having her neck broken during rough sex, and actually enjoying it, to James Frain just being James Frain (or Franklin the Vampire in this case). Even the funniest character on the show is now one of the most off-putting, with his crazy fantasies of everyone having bullet wounds in their skull. In a world where vampires and werewolves exist, it shouldn’t come as a shock I suppose, but somehow this show steps up the insanity every episode or two. James Frain and the most annoying character in television (Tara/Rutina Wesley) having freaky vampire sex may have actually been less enjoyable to see than the aforementioned “neckbreaking” scene. True Blood produces graphic sexuality in a whole different sense of the term.

This episode wasn’t without it’s hilarity. Lafayette’s visit from Eric was downright laugh inducing. The scenes between the two are always enjoyable, and I couldn’t stop chuckling at how offended Eric was to even think about paying the insurance for his gift to Lafayette. Eric is probably the funniest vampire on the show as far as consistency goes, but I don’t ever know whether the jokes on this show are intentional, or just me laughing at bad acting/accents.

Hopefully the retirement from Sheriff Bud wasn’t as sign that William Sanderson is leaving True Blood. He’s been one of my favorite television actors since his portrayal of E.B. Farnum on HBO’s best series of all-time, Deadwood. Perhaps this is just a way to set up Andy becoming the sheriff, and being able to give Jason Stackhouse as job without him actually passing any tests. Jessica, the redheaded vampire who basically made me tune into this show in the first place, has become one of the least interesting characters on the show. Not sure what’s going to happen with her character, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she were a casualty this season. I get that her character shows what it’s like to learn to be a vampire, but it just isn’t worth the one or two throwaway lines a show to keep her around.

All that said, Tara would always be my first vote for character to remove from television forever.

I thought at the end of season 2, Bill Compton was a goner. Not only has the biggest over-actor on the show not been removed, but he’s found himself in some of the strangest scenes in the show’s history. His temper tantrum at the end of last episode, where he flung fire into his maker was outrageously funny to me, and this week his sex scene with her was anything but. His flashback just showed what we already know regarding Vampires, and going back to their past lives. They really should just kill Bill off already too. Even Sookie was making fun of the way he say her name last week, that’s how obvious and repetitive his character is. I guess James Frain can take out that whole vampire household this season as far as I’m concerned.