drwordsmith Reviews

Pushing Daisies (2007–2009)

Beautiful television

[10/10 · 22 July 2009]

After having read two or three negative reviews on the main page of IMDb for "Pushing Daisies", and having literally minutes ago finished watching the final episode, I thought it was about time I said what I thought of PD.

First off, to address what some of the issues that I have seen other people having with this show: something along the lines of "I expect the people who have been woken from the dead to have a more realistic reaction". Realistic, on this show ? Pushing Daisies is, truly, pure and utter escapism. It's colour palette, the dialogue used, the scenarios, situations, music: all of it, to me, is just an escape from everyday life. An escape from the mundane and boring. It is here where Pushing Daisies exceeds exceptionally well Pushing Daisies isn't for everyone: A large majority of the television audience don't "get" it, for some people it's just too out there and silly. But for people like me, even from the first episode I watched of it (Season 2's "Frescorts") and I was just blown away by the show. From then on, I bought both the box sets and they have barely been out of my DVD player. Other people I know can't stand it, it really seems to be like Marmite.

The show follows the adventures of Ned, the Piemaker, with a magic finger, who brings back childhood sweetheart Charlotte Charles, works in association with private investigator Emerson Cod, owns the Pie-hole and employs waitress Olive Snook. Completing the main cast members are aunts Lily and Vivian, whom Charlotte (Chuck) is never allowed to see. They live in a fantasy world where the dead are brought back to life, everything is shown with a wonderfully bright splash of colour, and narrated by Jim Dale.

Other than outlining the basics of the show, I really can't praise it much more without saying: Just watch it. Despite being screwed over by the Writer's Guild of America strike, with only 22 episodes ever to be made, it provides wonderful plot twists, story lines, characters and situations while providing (for me) a satisfying ending (yes, I could tell it had been tacked on the end and rushed, but I was still happy with the way it went out). Whether it is creative or just pretentious, for a lot of people (me included) it made the most addictive and wonderful viewing, and I hope for the future of television that more shows like this are created so I'm not left with just 22, 40 minute memories of what true entertainment can be.

Less Than Perfect: Sex, Lies and Office Supplies Season 4, Episode 13

Fitting ending to a beautiful, beautiful program

[10/10 · 7 June 2007]

A friend of mine recently uploaded this episode as it has aired in Australia and not the UK (abc1 could easily show this but they choose to leave their schedule on constant repeats of 8 simple rules and hope & faith). I was expecting a tearful, friends inspired end to the program, but instead I found a regular, funny episode with the full ensemble on top form, with the exception of Will who's departure at the beginning of the season I have yet to see. Everyone bar Ramona seemed to have a decent job to play in this episode, and as usual it was very funny, well written, the interludes were beautiful and the music was good. I was expecting the final scene to have the whole cast in some kind of funny situation together, but instead it was just Claude and Carl talking and then walking out of the office together with their arms around each other while a wonderful tune played them out. It's great stuff and its a credit to the writers to end it in such a normal way. Less than Perfect has been by far the most consistent and best program on the television for me for the past 4 years and this episode finishes off that wonderfully. Its a shame that Less than Perfect has finished, I can only hope for DVDs now.

Doctor Who: Human Nature (2007) Season 3, Episode 8

I loved it

[9/10 · 26 May 2007]

Although I feel Dr Who series 3 to be the weakest of all 3 of the series on the whole, the episodes have gradually got better and better as the series has gone on, and this episode has to be one of my favourites from the whole series. It is steeped in mystery, and there was a lot less alien bashing and running around than last week, and a lot more emphasis on developing story and characters, which I found much more interesting. At times, this seemed like an episode of 'The X Files' or something like that. I am hugely intrigued to find out what happens next week, and I found all the references to previous episodes of the new series of Dr Who and even references to further back to be a very good touch. It just gave me more ideas about whats going to happen in the final episode though...

Doctor Who: 42 (2007) Season 3, Episode 7

Great classic Dr Who

[7/10 · 19 May 2007]

This episode of Dr Who is again showing that this series is getting better, but taking its sweet time to get there. The episode is very reminiscent of the series 2 episodes "The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit". The episode was fast paced and very scary in places, I can see why the BBC didn't want to put it on before 7 o clock. Like most of the episodes of Dr Who this series, and the last two for that matter, there was a lot of running around, but the episode was clever and surprisingly emotional as well. It also managed to overcome the 'episode 7 filler' syndrome, as these episodes tend to be the blandest ones in the whole series (the long game, the idiots lantern). All in all, a very well made, exciting and tense episode.

Doctor Who: The Lazarus Experiment (2007) Season 3, Episode 6

Well..

[6/10 · 5 May 2007]

This episode of Dr. Who proved once and for all that this series was finally finding its feet. I had been disappointed with the first two episodes of the series, and found 'Gridlock' and 'Daleks in Manhatten' better, while 'Evolution of the Daleks' was indifferent. The plot was simple: a man who does a genetic experiment on himself to become younger finds it goes wrong and he is transformed into a terrifying monster. This episode was the first that featured Martha's family in a prominent role, and they were generally likable, apart from Reggie Yates who seemed to perform no function whatsoever. The episode was quite tense and terrifying in places, and there seemed to be a lot of running round in glitzy places, a lot like parts of the previous series of Dr Who. Martha finally pulled her own weight in this episode and I have to say, after watching this I am beginning to like her more, apart from her snottiness towards the Doctor at the end to get her own way. The only problem I have towards this episode, which lost it the 1 point, is that it was too concerned with the finale of the series. The 'mysterious man', the constant references to 'Mr. Saxon' etc took up a lot of screen time, and although good for the build-up to the finale it kind of spoilt the episode we were watching. Still, I hope the rest of the series is filled with episodes like this and not rubbish like 'Smith and Jones'.

Will & Grace (1998–2020)

The best sitcom there ever was, and ever will be

[10/10 · 29 April 2007]

To many people, Will&Grace is 'Friends, but with gay people'. People who think like this clearly have never watched the show, as they would realise how it completely surpasses friends in every way, and is by far my favourite sitcom on TV, nothing else even comes close (bar Less than Perfect, which finished far before its time). Like all shows out there, it has had its good and bad seasons, but fortunately it had a longer run of good seasons than most. The period from series 3-6 was spectacular, with 4 & 5 being without a single bad episode between them. The series dropped off a bit by 7, but could still produce storming episodes, and took until about series 3 to find its stride, but that doesn't mean that these should be ignored. The jokes in Will&Grace make me laugh more than anything else, and although I like other American sitcoms such as scrubs, friends, less than perfect, 8 simple rules etc, I can safely say that none have made me laugh even half as much as Will&Grace. It is a smart, classy sitcom that is beautifully written, with well-defined characters, even if they get a little annoying (Jack) and with a great supporting cast and guest appearances (Rosario, Val, Beverly, Smitty). I was so sad when this program ended but since they are all out on DVD (unlike Less than Perfect sadly) I know I will be watching this 20 years into the future. Phenomenal.

The Ashlee Simpson Show (2004– )

Oh dear

[7/10 · 28 April 2007]

I can see a lot of people writing reviews of this program saying how rubbish it is, how they hate it and the like. I would have to say something positive about it then, since there are many more worse programs out there are there is nothing to dislike about this. Granted, its a while since I last watched it, but at the time I remember thinking it would be a really rubbish show, just more crap reality TV being churned out, but after a while I did in fact enjoy watching it. I guess its just a comforting program, watching Ashlee every week, and granted you can get that with every reality TV/sitcom out there, but there's nothing that makes this one any worse. If you have the time, its worth a try.

Doctor Who: Evolution of the Daleks (2007) Season 3, Episode 5

A let down after last week

[7/10 · 28 April 2007]

Although my opinion is conflicting to most people's about the two part dalek episodes in series 3 of Dr Who, I think 'Daleks in Manhatten' is a much better episode than 'Evolution of the Daleks'. For me, this second parts had too many twists and really, was pretty poor in places compared to the build up that had led to it. For starters, I found a few plot holes in going through the episode. Why on earth would the Doctor want to co-operate with the Daleks, and when he was struck by the gamma radiation (pretty powerful if you think about it), not only does he survive but he doesn't need to regenerate either. And an army of human daleks? Although the way they were stopped was pretty cool (the doctor's DNA), and they were slaughtered by dalek Caan, I wasn's buying it. Another problem I had with the episode was the early removal of seemingly key character Solomon, a very cut down role for Tallulah, and the uselessness of the newly created dalek hybrid Sec (Sec was my favourite dalek). However, the episode wasn't a complete let down. The basic premise was interesting, Martha had a decent role for once and Tennant was at his best. The dalek's attack on Hooverville was one of the best bits of the series so far and the daleks nattering in the tunnel was quite funny. The episode was definitely a let down to what a was expecting, and not as good as 'Gridlock' or 'Dalek's in Manhatten', but can still stand on its own as one of the better ones of the series so far, and is definitely worth watching. Makes you wonder what happened to dalek Caan as well... (finale anyone?)

Doctor Who: Daleks in Manhattan (2007) Season 3, Episode 4

This series is finally getting good

[8/10 · 21 April 2007]

The daleks returning for a third time in 3 years of Doctor Who was a risky move, people thought by now they must be running out of story lines for them and also that they had been overexposed. Add to the fact that the premise of this episode was a 'Human-dalek', from the cover of Radio Times, and you'll understand that I didn't have high hopes for this episode. It started off fairly slowly, which was actually promising than some of the earlier rushed series 3 efforts, and when the daleks were introduced about 10 minutes into the episode I began to wonder what was going to happen, what with them being introduced so soon and not on a cliffhanger. It soon became apparent, with the mutant pigs running around that the 'human-dalek' would be the cliffhanger, and when it got to this point I was actually pleasantly surprised. I found it a rather scary villain, with its one eye and tentacles, and I definitely want to find out what happens with it next. Another thing I liked about the episode was the supporting cast - Tallulah and Solomon provided enduring characters, something Russell T Davies doesn't always get right in his episodes. All in all, it was an episode that improved as it went on for sure, and left a great cliffhanger for next week. Keep it up!

Doctor Who: Gridlock (2007) Season 3, Episode 3

The best series 3 episode so far... about time

[8/10 · 15 April 2007]

Gridlock finally sees the Doctor and Martha getting into their stride and its a great relief after the very disappointing 'Smith and Jones' and 'The Shakespeare Code' episodes. The premise sounded rather silly to me at first, and I must admit that it took me a while to actually like this episode, I was rather hostile to it at first. But the great twists in it involving the rest of New New York, the reasons for the gridlock in the slums, and the return of the Face of Boe made it an enduring episode. I didn't like the giant crab enemies, they were particularly silly, but the rest of the episode was a credit to Russell T Davies' great writing skills. I just hope that the rest of the series is filled with more episodes like this and not like the previous 2.

Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Code (2007) Season 3, Episode 2

Better, but still...

[5/10 · 15 April 2007]

This is the second (technically third) episode of Doctor Who Series 3, and by now the series should really be getting into the swing of things, but this episode still lacked certain elements that made the last series so successful. Normally, the 'back in time' episodes with a famous person in (Series 1's 'The Unquiet Dead' with Charles Dickens and Series 2's 'Tooth and Claw' with Queen Victoria' rank among the best episodes of the series, but this is a disappointment compared to them. It was action-packed, thats for sure and it featured a fairly clever recreation of Elizabethan England. However, on the whole, the episode was rather silly and just, not anything really. It was a slight improvement over the terribly rushed 'Smith and Jones', but the series still has a long way to go if it wants to top the amazing series 2.

Scrubs (2001–2010)

hmm

[6/10 · 4 April 2007]

Scrubs is an odd program. In some ways, it is one of the most original, funny, entertaining and touching programs on TV. On the other hand, it can be seen as an annoying, unoriginal and rather dull. All of my friends worship the program and can't get enough of it, however my opinion of it isn't that great. I've watched the majority of the first 5 series, and it is by no means a bad program, but some major issues come to mind about it. First of all, the formula has yet to be changed in 5 series, and although thats fine if its a winning formula, but watching JD slide over something and fall off is only funny once or twice. The show does come out with hordes or original humour, but it has to be said that it milks its jokes quite a lot. There are many other programs that have relied on the same ideas for many years (friends and will&grace being just 2) but they manage to do it in a much more refined way. Another problem with the show for me is JD. Whether this is Zack Braff or the writers fault, i just don't care about JD. For me, he is a very un-likable character, whereas someone like Dr Cox or Elliot make for much more warm, likable characters. Despite these problems, the show does churn out some very good television, such as 'My Tuscaloosa heart' and 'My day at the races', two of the more touching and less comedic episodes. Scrubs does cover many real life issues, and is terribly funny in places, but it cant maintain its quality and that makes it no more than an average show for me.

Star Trek: Voyager: Year of Hell, Part II (1997) Season 4, Episode 9

Voyager at its gritty, beautiful best

[10/10 · 4 April 2007]

Star Trek Voyager series 4 would be blessed with many great episodes such as 'Scorpion part 2', fan favourite 'Message in a bottle', and 'The Gift'. By far the best episodes of the series were, however, 'Year of Hell' parts 1 & 2. It showed a nasty, dark side to star trek that had rarely been seen before, and was beautifully acted by nearly everyone. The premise is simple: A temporal ship tries to erase everything to rectify a mistake made in the past. Enter the 'Krenim', a wonderful new species full of temporal programmers, under the rule of a distraught captain trying to restore the glory of his species and bring back his lost wife. In entering Krenim space, Voyager will become critically damaged, eventually being evacuated apart from senior officers. This leads to a beautiful scene on the Bridge where Janeway evacuates everyone, with protest from Tuvok, and finally drives Voyager to its death into the Krenim ship. Obviously, Voyager cannot finish at this point, and the only thing letting down the episode is that fact that the ending comes far to quickly and easily, and is a let-down compared to the rest of the episode. However, the way this episode is shot, the sense of fear and terror that runs through it is magnificent and not something you would expect from Star Trek. A stand-out episode in a stand-out series.

Doctor Who: The Girl in the Fireplace (2006) Season 2, Episode 4

What an episode!

[10/10 · 4 April 2007]

This has to be my favourite episode of Doctor Who of all time. It is so well put together, well acted, cleverly made and touching. The premise is rather complicated, but told very well. The episode is missing a decent set of bad guys - the clockwork men and women are chilling but hardly a match for the doctor and his companions. The music in this episode is particularly good, the song 'Madame de Pompadour' is used particularly well throughout. And of course, when Reinette eventually dies, the acting and dialogue is pulled off remarkably well, the music is chilling, and even Billie Piper pulls off her reduced role very well. By far the best episode of the series, and even better than last series' 'Father's day'

Doctor Who: Smith and Jones (2007) Season 3, Episode 1

Not good enough for The Doctor

[4/10 · 4 April 2007]

There was a lot of hype around this episode, as is followed on from the hugely successful Series 2 of Doctor Who, there was a new assistant in Martha Jones, new intergalactic enemies the Judoon and a huge budget. So how could this episode be a let-down? It is by no means a bad episode of the series, but for such an important one, it is not up to standard. It felt incredibly rushed, and there was far too much going on at once. There was not enough introduction of Martha as a character, although her manner was established quite well in this episode. The female bad guy (I forget her species) was far from anything - scary, interesting. The fact she comically drunk her victims blood through a straw made this episode feel more like the awful 'Love and Monsters' from series 2. The Doctor was on top form, but still a bit annoying. The trip to the moon, the reasons for it explained quite well, seemed pointless and a waste of time in the episode that could have been spent better. The episode did have its good point, however. It was fast paced, exciting in places and interesting until a certain point. Not a bad episode by any means, but the series needs to do better to top the previous 2.

Less Than Perfect (2002–2006)

One of my favourite TV programs ever

[10/10 · 20 January 2007]

I started watching this when it first appeared on ABC1 a few years ago, and took an instant liking to it. The mix of characters included Claude Casey a bubbly temp (Sara Rue, outstanding), her anchorman boss Will Butler (Eric Roberts, unsure of his role but a strong character and much funnier than he believes), bitchy researcher Lydia Weston (Andrea Parker - who's performance throughout this series has been exceptional) and her best friend Kipp (Zachary Levi, who plays the character perfectly), plus Claude's friends Ramona (Sherri Shepherd, a strongly acted character) and Owen Kronsky (Andy Dick, too annoying for me). The first series, though slow to get started, featured some truly stunning episodes that are more worthy than anything 'Friends' or 'Will and Grace' (two of my favourite TV shows) could write. Episodes such as 'Ice cream with Lydia' where Claude thinks she is on a date with Will only to find out its a business lunch, 'One office party too many' which features great turns from Lydia and Kipp, and 'A Little Love for Lydia', where Lydia goes on a date with Claude's brother, made the series a great hit. By the time the first series had finished I could not wait for more episodes, and series 2 did not disappoint me, with classics such as 'New York evening', which I must admit rips off an old friends episode 'The one with Monica's thunder', 'What about that!', where Will forces Lydia and Claude to work together, and 'The Pimp hat', where all the 22nd floor staff set each other up on dates. However, by series 2 there were already problems appearing in the series, a decreased role for Eric Roberts meant that a lot of the magic of the first series was gone, as his character Will Butler been one of the highlights of the first series, and new characters such as Carl (Will Sasso) and Jebb (Patrick Warburton) were annoying and un-likable. Add in the idea off Jebb and Lydia's relationship, which was funny on occasion such as in 'The Pimp hat', but generally took away a lot of Lydia's humour, and you're left with a less than perfect second season, but still far better than many of the things out there. The Third season carried on where the second season left off, with the series now having found its feet. Again there are some stand-out episodes, such as 'Claude's 15 minutes of Christmas', a perfect Christmas episode in which Claude encounters some problems organising the GNB on air holiday greeting, 'Get away', where Claude, Charlie, Lydia and Jebb must share a holiday lodge, and 'Pre-Wedded Bliss' where Jebb and Lydia fall out over pre-nuptial agreements. The series did however feel like a re-hash of the second series and lacked the magic that made the first series so special. The fourth series of 'Less than perfect' has yet to be aired in the UK, which will be the final series of the show. Only 13 episodes were made, of which 5 episodes were aired in the USA, the rest have been aired internationally but not yet in the UK. Although the program was one of the strongest on TV, it had done all it could do and it was time to put it to rest, meaning I will look forward to the fourth season when and if it comes out over here (despite the fact that Claude has now become 'slim', defeating the premise of the show, and Will is no longer in it), but I don't hold any grudges for it finishing. 'Less than Perfect' maintained a high standard of television throughout its run and I will always remember it for being witty, likable and touching. There are moments in this program where it is far more than just another sit-com. Some of the transition scenes showing New York, some of the music and some of the camera shots in the program are just amazing. I only hope now that the fourth season is shown here in the UK soon, and that all the series are released on DVD in the near future, as I have no doubt I will be watching this program 20 years into the future.