The original 1966 Batman TV series took decades to see a release on DVD and Blu-ray, but the wait was definitely worth it! The first 30 episodes from the series’ second season are now available on DVD and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment graciously provided a copy for my review for this Throwback Thursday installment.

I grew up watching the original Batman series in reruns on cable television. It was always one of my favorites because it was so wondrously colorful and wacky. Everywhere you look in any given screenshot, your senses are bombarded by psychedelic, eye-popping costumes that only a 1960s series could pull off so well. It’s like a live-action cartoon with campy music, zany guest stars and playful puns and punches flying left and right. Don’t get me started on the delightful variety of villains the series also offered! From familiar comic book favorites like The Joker, Penguin, Catwoman and Mr. Freeze to crazy, new villainous concoctions such as Egghead, King Tut, The Clock King, The Archer and The Minstrel, the second season is full of fiendish foes and perilous plots. I’m having trouble deciding which villain is my all-time favorite because they’re all so interesting and diabolical in their own unique way!

The Second Season, Part One has many big-name guest stars, including Cesar Romero, Julie Newmar, Burgess Meredith, Vincent Price, Van Johnson, Art Carney, Shelley Winters, Liberace, Walter Slezak, Carolyn Jones, Victor Buono and Cliff Robertson. One interesting thing about the series was that they used various actors to play the same villain from season to season. Season two features Julie Newmar as a purrrrfect Catwoman and Otto Preminger as a space cadet-looking Mr. Freeze with a ray gun. In addition to the main guest stars, there are also numerous cameos from other notable stars, including Dick Clark, Sammy Davis, Jr., Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink from Hogan’s Heroes), Ted Cassidy (Lurch from The Addams Family) and musical group Paul Revere and the Raiders among these episodes. Just don’t blink, or you’ll miss ‘em!

Egghead (Vincent Price) is the only villain I remember being smart enough on the series to almost figure out that Bruce Wayne was Batman, so that makes him credible in my book (despite all of his “eggs-cruciating” puns every five seconds). The Archer (Art Carney) is awesome because he steals from the rich and gives to the poor a la Robin Hood and his Merry Men, while The Minstrel (Van Johnson) oozes charm and romantic lyrics that make you fall in love with Van Johnson and his velvety voice all over again. Not only is The Minstrel a musical genius, but he’s also equally versed in electronics and probably the only villain worthy of facing Batman in a technological showdown of wits.

I was delighted to discover that one of the most memorable episodes from my childhood was included in this set — “The Spell of Tut” — the one in which King Tut (Victor Buono) tries to resurrect ancient Egyptian scarabs to wreak havoc upon Gotham City’s water supply. Also look for horror icon Sid Haig as the Royal Apothecary in the King Tut episodes. Another old favorite of mine, “The Greatest Mother of Them All,” featuring Shelley Winters as criminal matriarch Ma Parker and her gang, is also included. The Parker clan has always reminded me of the Beagle Boys on Duck Tales, another beloved show from my childhood and perhaps the subject of a future Throwback.

An unexpected surprise was seeing footage from the Indianapolis 500 used as a racing event held in Gotham City in “Come Back, Shame,” an episode with Cliff Robertson as Shame, “The Conniving Cowboy of Crime,” a cowpoke/car thief who looks like he was lifted out of a spaghetti western complete with his sidekick Okie Annie (Joan Staley from The Ghost & Mr. Chicken fame). Of course, Shame and crew don’t look quite as tough as your traditional cowboys with their polka dot handkerchiefs and etc., but that’s beside the point when you can “get angrier than a hyena with laryngitis.” Another hidden gem was “Hizzonner The Penguin,” an episode in which Penguin runs for Mayor of Gotham City against Batman. It was the weirdest political debates I’ve ever seen, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t want all of Penguin’s cute, clever campaign paraphernalia. He had lovable, furry penguins all over his campaign buttons, posters, stickers, etc. I wonder if anyone ever made any of that stuff collectible because I would buy a lot of it for my personal collection of pop cultural oddities!

All of Batman’s gadgets in the Bat Cave, Batmobile and utility belts have never looked better — every detail has been completely remastered in this DVD box set. While reviewing the set, I realized that there are two types of people in this world — those who can appreciate the campiness of this series and those who simply cannot. Neither my mother or boyfriend could make it past more than a handful of episodes before they were begging me to turn it off, but I could have gone on for hours (the set has a total running time of 755 minutes), and my 21-year-old brother and his friends seemed amicably interested as well.

Every “Splatt!,” “Pow!,” “Biff!” and “Zok!” (yes, you read that right: Zok!) practically pops out of the screen at you in amazing comic book color as do the fabulous glittering outfits worn by Chandell (Liberace), and I had a lot of fun reviewing this set. The Season Two, Part One DVD box set features beautiful artwork from the eye-catching covers to the four discs depicting the iconic ’66 Batman logo on each. The only disappointment I had with the set was its lack of bonus features, but that’s what the expensive, all-inclusive Blu-ray collector set is for I suppose. I’ve read the Blu-rays come with an episode guide, Adam West scrapbook, vintage trading cards, digital copies of the episodes and an exclusive Hot Wheels replica of the Batmobile. The discerning collector would be better off saving their pennies for the Blu-ray set, but if you’re yearning to get your hands on some of the episodes in the meantime or if you’re introducing the series to a new generation of fans, this box set is a good starting point. If I’m ever lucky enough to review another Batman set, I’ll catch you at the same Bat time, same Bat channel.

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When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson began acting, with a mostly-CGI cameo in The Mummy 2: The Mummiest, any fans of him from his wrestler days thought that he’d become the next Schwarzenegger. With charisma oozing out of every pore and legitimate athleticism, it seemed a perfect fit. So first there was the The Scorpion King, which was very direct to DVD, but hey … it was his first starring movie. But after a few failed starts, Dwayne Johnson turned to kid’s movies, playing a modern day version of Hulk Hogan’s old incongruous one joke movies in The Tooth Fairy.  And then, it was a miracle when he showed up in Fast Five and immediately made every scene he was in interesting. After doing the in the GI Joe sequel and Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain, the old school Rock fans were saying “Finally, The Rock has come back to action movies!”

When Hercules was announced, it seemed like a great idea. The Rock vs mythological monsters? How could it fail? Then it was discovered that it would be based on a lesser known series of comics from Radical Comics called The Thracian Wars which had a far more realistic take on the story. Well, we thought, that might still work. The Rock could still smash heads in a grittier version of the classic tale. And then we found the director was Brett Ratner and we shuddered. After all, the guy hasn’t made a good movie since Rush Hour and to a lesser extent, Rush Hour 2. And then it was decided that the movie would be PG-13 and we said “C’mon, why are you making this so hard? We just want to see The Rock fight the Hydra already!” Well, I have some good news for you. You do get to see that. Sort of.

So Hercules starts as a narrator tells a shouty version of his legend, including showing a montage of him killing several big monsters. But then we discover it’s all a ploy; there are no monsters, just a very strong and talented mercenary who has been spreading the legend to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies and find lucrative paying jobs. Hercules is joined by a team of classic archetypes: the sarcastic sociopath Autolycus (named for the mythological son of Hermes, played by Rufus Sewell), mute animalistic Tydeus (named for a Trojan hero from The Iliad, played by Aksel Hennie), Amazonian archer Atalanta (named for mythological Greek virgin huntress, played by Ingrid Bolsø Berdal), and vague prophet Amphiaraus (actually a seer in Greek mythology, played by Ian McShane). Rounding them out is Iolaus, Hercules’ nephew, played by Reece Ritchie. Does each have a minor character arc? No? Are there at least almost character arcs? You betcha!

Okay, so Hercules (amusingly, the film translates his name from the Greek version, Heracles, but that’s Hollywood for you) has an arc, with a pretty serious and dark backstory. But although The Rock does his best to bring a bit of pathos and depth to the character’s history, the characterization is paper thin and pacing is all over the place. Unfortunately, Brett Ratner doesn’t do the best job here. This is a surprisingly violent film, considering that there is absolutely no blood or gore, yet there’s a bit of profanity and a single bared breast. It’s very weird to me, because it seems like it’s not really right for PG-13, yet it’s not nearly bloody enough to be rated R. But honestly, it should’ve been. That would’ve made the frequent fight scenes more believable and less cartoonish. Ah, but here is the real issue with the movie: it’s tone is inconsistent. It can’t figure out if it wants to be cartoonish and ridiculous or serious and hardcore. Instead, it has a bunch of fun fight scenes and a lot of boring scenes without fighting.

John Hurt plays the King of Thrace who hires Hercules and his band of mercs to take out the bandit leader Rhesus, and perhaps not everything is as it seems? And he also has a boring daughter, but she’s boring and pointless, forget her character. Instead, it’s the team that works almost entirely. They quip and riff off each other, and demonstrate killer efficiency in battle like Lord of the Rings superwarriors. I haven’t read the original graphic novel the movie is based on, so perhaps the story works better there. But here, it’s just a series of set pieces watching The Rock and company do some fun stuff. Sure, the take on it, that Hercules just uses his own legend for marketing purposes and isn’t really the son of Zeus is a cool idea, but that’s really the only original idea here. Everything else is very paint by numbers and exactly what you’d expect. Every single twist (by which I mean two of them) are very obvious the instant you think about them.

In summation, this isn’t a great movie, but it’s fun enough. You can ignore the tiresome attempts at being serious and just appreciate The Rock yelling, smirking, and kicking ass. Oh, and you get to see him punch a horse. For some, that may just be worth the price of admission.

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CliqueClack has partnered with Warner Brothers Pictures and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new sci-fi drama Transcendence starring Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Clifton Collins, Jr., and Morgan Freeman

Dr. Will Caster (Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him. However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed — to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can … but if they should. Their worst fears are realized as Will’s thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.

The screening will take place Tuesday, April 15 at 7:00 PM.

A limited number of passes are available for each screening location and are available for download by clicking on the following links:

• AMC Georgetown, 3111 K St. NW, Washington, DC
• AMC White Marsh, 8141 Honeygo Blvd, White Marsh, MD

Passes are available on a first come, first served basis. When they’re gone, they’re gone. CliqueClack is not distributing the passes for this event and has no control over the total number of passes available. No comments will be accepted. Seating is also first come, first served so plan to arrive early. CliqueClack is not responsible for seating arrangements at the theater.

Take a look at the film’s trailer and click on the appropriate link to download your passes! Transcendence opens on Friday, April 18.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QheoYw1BKJ4

There is nothing new about the concept of punishing people for sexual promiscuity. Historically (and even not historically) young women getting pregnant out of wedlock leading to societal condemnation is considered deserved and proper. And yet, there are always further depths of suffering that might be allowed as “acceptable,” especially when religious extremism is introduced. It may seem odd to those with more “average” upbringings, but even those with teenage pregnancy may actually love and care about their children, despite what reality shows might have you believe. This leads to another, complicated wrinkle: adoption. Because what happens when the mother never wanted to give up her child in the first place?

Philomena stars Judi Dench as the eponymous character in a movie based on real life events. When journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) is fired from a prestigious government position, he searches for something new to do with his life, and he finds a possible story with Philomena Lee. Philomena is an elderly Irish lady that got pregnant as a teenager, and then was dumped in a convent, where she was forced to work for free until she “paid off” what she ostensibly owed the nuns. And when her son was just a little boy, he was given away (and sold) to an American couple to be adopted. It’s been fifty years, and Philomena has finally decided it’s time to find her son, if Martin is willing to help (in exchange for what is hopefully an interesting story). So the two begin their search, but what they will find may not be what either has expected.

Any time a movie adapts a non-fictional story, it’s a risky venture. Can you successfully tell a legitimate story arc where the real world things aren’t so clean? Or have you gone too far, decrying realism for the sake of the tale. Thankfully this film manages to avoid such pitfalls and tells a wonderful story. The script, cowritten by Steve Coogan, is filled with pathos and cheer in equal measures, providing exceptionally well-rounded glimpses into these two searchers. Judi Dench is of course tremendous in her role of a mother hoping against all hope and against all odds to find a missing child, showing both subtlety and deep emotion when needed. Steve Coogan doesn’t go overboard here with comedy, instead portraying what seems like a real life individual, quirks and flaws in place. The acting, writing, and story fit together perfectly, with an ending that couldn’t be any other way.

Sometimes a movie will hit that emotional chord that blends sadness and happiness, telling a story about humanity but without excessive drama. Instead, it’s simply showing how far some might act when judging, and how hope is an aspect of character that can last a lifetime. Honestly, it’s not the worse lesson. And in a year filled with darkness and terror, something just bittersweet and meaningful is a nice change of pace.

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Little Known Fact: Lifeguard was originally developed as a cheesy ABC Afterschool Special.

*quickly checks files in the event he could possibly be misinformed*

Hokay … I might be a tad off on that statement.

All right, all right! I’m completely off: Lifeguard was never pegged as an ABC Afterschool Special. (Question: Who remembers ABC Afterschool Specials? Come on, show of hands.)

But viewing the 96 minutes of film, you could easily mistake this atypical Southern California vehicle — with its often cheesy dialog and sometimes eye-rolling situations — as an after school entrant. But with the caveats of lots of T&A (and some of that bare-skinned to boot), a throwaway performance by a 70s Playboy Playmate (Sharon Clark) and a first full film (give or take) for the then-newbee Kathleen Quinlan.

Seriously … if not for the boobs and ass and occasional epithets, you could picture this as background noise while doing your homework snacking on cheese and crackers. It’s fodder more than anything else with little to sink your teeth into. It’s beach scenes we’ve been subject to ad nauseum from Jaws to Baywatch. (To be fair, writer Ron Koslow did mix it up a bit with some comicalness in the form of a dude exposing himself to beach-goers and an incident with a yahoo hiding out in the women’s restroom.) It’s lots of scantily clad females bouncing around. And it’s our hero Rick Carlson (the ever-mustachiod Sam Elliott, Mission: Impossible, Mask) bipping and bopping about in his Corvette or in his shorty-short lifeguard trunks. It’s a laughable lifeguard contest with predictable results. And it’s a practical guffaw-inducing “Moon River” playing at a high school reunion. (Wow.)

Inexplicably, one of the kickers about this film was a statement made in someone’s review (I’m guessing that was the case) about Elliott’s role in the film: “Star-making performance.” Because, honestly, there isn’t a hint of “star-making” going on in this film. (Unless you want to count the eye candy Elliott unintentionally flaunts throughout the hour and a half.) I have no idea where the writer of that line on the DVD case came up with it. S/he must have been desperate to inject interest at the behest of Paramount Pictures’ promotion of the film. I’m confidant hush money was exchanged beneath a table somewhere to get the statement put out there.

The story revolves around a too-old-but-still-in-shape Rick Carlson (Elliott) who’s been a lifeguard most of his life. Approaching his mid-30s, he seems to be shuffling through life with not many cares — doling out warm smiles and advice to beach-goers, schtupping the in-town-for-the-night stewardess who just arrived from somewhere across the country and generally being Mr. Nice Guy while coaching new trainee Chris (Parker Stevenson). Thrown into the mix is a 15 year high school reunion that not only causes him some internal thought about his situation, but rekindles a past relationship with his school sweetheart (Anne Archer) who puts new ideas in his head. As if there weren’t enough straws to grasp at, into this little hotbed of activity we have the under-aged Wendy (Quinlan) who has the worst sort of crush on Rick. Of course, this results in a regrettable (kind of) bedding he ultimately regrets (kind of) and she wishes to continue.

Exciting stuff … huh? I can practically feel you champing at the bit.

Well … regardless of your champing ways, I was hard pressed to find anything that stood out in this lost 70s film — not the characters, not the music … not a single thing. There are hints of interest around various corners as it progresses but, when those corners are turned, one finds nothing but dead ends.

At one point, Rick confesses to his charge Chris: “All the weirdos seem to end up down here. By the end of the summer it’ll all seem normal …”

I guess. I mean … if you consider “normal” pointless and throwaway …

Lifeguard was generously provided to CliqueClack by the Warner Archive Collection for review.

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I’ve never been much for Westerns in general, but there have been a few that I do think are worth seeking out, the true classics like Stagecoach, The Searchers and Silverado. I never watched TV westerns like Gunsmoke or Bonanza, so that’s probably why I never gave a thought to tuning in to the local TV broadcast of A Big Hand for the Little Lady, which seemed to be on at least once a month. I vividly remember the local station advertising their Sunday afternoon airing of that film all through my childhood, but I never so much as caught a glimpse of it.

Thanks to modern DVD technology and the folks at the Warner Archive Collection, I now have in my hands a brand-spanking new copy of the film, and I have to say … I loved it! The plot is fairly simple: five of the richest men in the Laredo territory drop everything to attend an annual high stakes poker game, and I mean everything from a daughter’s wedding to leaving a man’s fate hang in the balance in a court of law. This game means everything to them and to the curious townspeople who gather in the saloon to await news of who is ahead as the hours pass by.

A family of strangers enters the saloon (which also has rooms for rent) looking for a place to spend the night on their way to their new home, but the husband, Meredith (Henry Fonda), is drawn to the game in an unhealthy way, begging his wife Mary (Joanne Woodward) to let him just sit in and watch the game for 15 minutes. No one is ever allowed to sit in and watch, but one of the players, Otto Habershaw (Kevin McCarthy), gives him permission so he and his son watch while Mary takes their carriage to the blacksmith for repairs on some broken spokes. Hours pass and Meredith doesn’t join her, instead he dips into their savings of $4000 to buy a seat in the game. Just as he deals what appears to be the best hand he’s ever had, Meredith suffers what appears to be a heart attack, is taken away by the town’s doctor (Burgess Meredith) and gives Mary his hand to play so they don’t lose everything. Except the pot is too high and Mary doesn’t know how to play poker. Can she get enough money to continue the game and bluff her way to a win … or does she know more than she’s letting on?

I’d always seen A Big Hand for the Little Lady billed as a comedy, but it’s all very subtle. In fact, when Meredith seems to be consumed by his gambling addiction and then suffers a heart attack, the film is quite serious. But there are some laughs and when Mary joins the game, you can begin to see more humor in the situation as (SPOILER ALERT) she plays cards as well as she plays the men at the table. I could feel a huge smile cross my face as I put all the pieces of my suspicions together and realized what exactly was transpiring, and even though you should be able to see the twist coming, it’s no less enjoyable.

The 1966 film was adapted from the 1962 TV production “Big Deal in Laredo” which aired on the Dupont Show of the Week. The TV production’s biggest names were Walter Matthau as Meredith and Teresa Wright as Mary, but the film certainly upped the ante (hey, a poker reference!) by casting not only Fonda, Woodward, McCarthy, Meredith and Jason Robards, but adding the finest character actors of the time in Paul Ford, Charles Bickford, and Virginia Gregg (better known as the voice of Norman Bates’ mother), and a host of extras who all looked like they stepped right out of the Old West.

The Warner Archive Collection DVD, which is a Manufacture on Demand edition, seems to have been burned from the files used for the previously released DVD from 2007. Whatever enhancements done for that DVD release are the same on this MOD release. The 16×9, 1.85:1 image looks perfect, with nary a scratch or blemish in sight, while the darkness of the poker room shows no digital artifacts. The mono audio, mastered in Dolby Digital, also sounds perfect with voices front and center, never overpowered by music or sound effects. The MOD presentation, I would say, pretty much replicates the 2007 DVD.

I enjoy discovering older films that I have heard of but never saw, or don’t know a thing about, and after having A Big Hand for the Little Lady as part of my memories for the better part of 40 years, it’s nice to be able to finally see it, and I highly recommend checking it out for the terrific writing, direction and, above all, the amazing cast. A Big Hand for the Little Lady is a simple delight.

This review is based on the Manufacture on Demand DVD provided to CliqueClack by the Warner Archive Collection.

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I’ve liked Jaime Murray’s H.G. Wells portrayal since day one. So, upon discovering that she would join the Defiance cast I both cheered and booed. With evil Artie rearing his head, I secretly hoped they’d increase her time on Warehouse 13. So, I asked her what would happen with H.G. Wells for the remainder of Warehouse 13‘s current season and her thoughts on her Defiance character.

For those of you who haven’t caught up with Warehouse 13 this season, check out Hulu. But, here’s a rundown. So far, season four proved incredibly awesome for Warehouse 13, especially episodes one through ten. Jinks continues as an amazing cast addition, particularly concerning his intense Claudia relationship. But, despite his sexual orientation and the Claudia-Jinks pseudo-brother-sister friendship, he still seems TOO protective and TOO close to Claudia (more so than Pete is with Myka and Claudia is with her brother). Plus, the show continued to amp up Claudia’s role as the “B-Team” while maintaining her close father-daughter relationship with Artie. Mrs. Frederic hasn’t lost her mysteriousness. Pete’s still hot and Myka’s still his gal Friday. Plus, season four’s first half featured amazing guest stars including Brent Spiner as Brother Adrian (Artie’s psychotic hallucination after he uses the astrolabe to reset time to save the warehouse), Lindsay Wagner as Artie’s love interest, Amy Acker as Myka’s sister, Laura Linney as Jinks’ mother, and The Game’s Pooch Hall as the case of the week. Plus, Danielle Nicolet did a great job as the eager medical researcher, Deb Staley, in “Endless Wonder”.

So, after Mrs. Frederic and Leena entrust H.G. Wells with the astrolabe to prevent Artie from re-using it (and re-catalyzing their deaths), Artie becomes evil, kills Leena and Claudia stabs him to save the world. As you might tell, I had a couple questions for any Warehouse 13 member that might cross my path.Would Danielle Nicolet return? Considering the real life brother Adrian seemed as creepy as Artie’s hallucination, could he cause more harm to the Warehouse? Did he control Artie? Will Artie remain an antagonist for the rest of season four? Will they ever bring him back to the fold? How would H.G. Wells handle Artie’s defection? Would Leena return? Admittedly, I never saw the Leena character as a good fit. But, when Artie killed her, I cried. Maybe she isn’t a fast talker like Pete, Myka and Claudia, but she’s the quiet heart that keeps the home lights burning. I hope they bring her back as a ghost.

Of course, all my questions slipped my mind when Jaime Murray crossed my path. She did an excellent job evading my spoiler-oriented questions and proved incredibly gracious when I couldn’t remember how to pronounce astrolabe. One thing surprised me is a complaint that I typically hear from most minority actors, but I’m glad to hear from her: having race and class pigeonhole her into specific roles. It’s one that Dichen Lachman (Being Human) mentioned as well as Reggie Lee (Grimm). But, little did I know, Caucasian female actresses also feel that bite. She’s excited for Defiance because playing an alien means she can go outside the roles typically ascribed to her. Additionally, she loves that her appearance isn’t a spoiler.

Check out the audio interview below and don’t forget to check out Warehouse 13 and Defiance on the SyFy Channel.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDtlfNMOJTs

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It’s been a while since the Cold War ended, since the days when the Russians were the evil monolithic shadow of evil and the US was the only pure bastion of purity and truth. Or so it seemed. Enough time has passed that maybe we can realize that perhaps it wasn’t so simple. Maybe we are all just … people. People with connections to family and country, more alike than dissimilar.

In The Americans, the fascinating new show on the FX Network debuting this week on Wednesday (10 PM EST), we follow two Russian spies hiding in plain sight. Set in the early 1980s in the Washington DC suburbs (always a point in a show’s favor, because I’m biased about locations I’m familiar with), these two secret agents, under the assumed names of Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Phil Jennings (Matthew Rhys), must live like a typical American family. They only speak English — even to each other — never talk about their lives before, and pretend to be married; but they also have two classic American kids, a young boy and a teen girl. It’s almost too obvious as an American family archetype which, of course, is the entire point. Each week, a new spy assignment or complication must be dealt with. But instead of just obviously evil people, sometimes they must hurt innocent or decent Americans to complete the job. So it’s… not simple.

The show starts with classic spy intrigue and moral dilemmas, made more complicated by the evolving feelings of the two leads. Does Phil care about Elizabeth more like a real husband or just as a very long job? Do they want different things for the children that they love (should go without saying, these two aren’t monsters)? Phil may be warming a bit to the American lifestyle, while Elizabeth hates the country and legitimately fears that Reagan will destroy her homeland. When her kids talk politics (even with their limited understanding of it), she tries to subtly push her ideas on them. Only two episodes have been screened for critics so far, but I loved them both increasingly to the point at the end of the second episode I was speechless by how much it had affected me. But no spoilers! Not until it airs anyway

The FX Network has its share of brilliant (Louie, Archer), pretty good (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League), and awful (Anger Management), although those are all comedies, now that I think about it. I’ve never really gotten into their dramatic shows (Nip/Tuck was a guilty pleasure), but this is most certainly something to watch. The two leads are just fantastic, and when you consider the ridiculous layers of “identity” built into a show about people pretending to be other people and hiding things from each other and nosy FBI neighbors (which is the only thing I thought was a bit silly), it is even more impressive.

Things may change as the show continues, but right now it works. The reason is that these two spies are not terrible, but conflicted, dedicated, highly competent people that can connect with the audience. There are certainly numerous parallels from the Cold War era to the modern one, but the show doesn’t get too obvious with it. Instead, it gives excitement and tension, a bit of a action, and high class drama where no one is a Bond villain.

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I have had it up to here with Arrow’s Speedy. I know, I know — Green Arrow’s original sidekick was a drug addict. But, I never read the comic featuring his drug use. I remember his character before the drug abuse, the character after, and the character in his recent relapse, but for some odd reason I never read the original during, so I can’t comment on Arrow’s faithfulness. But, I just can’t deal with Speedy’s “issues” anymore.

Seriously, what is wrong with this kid? For all of her 18 years she lived nothing but luxury. Everything terrible in her life turned itself around. She thought her brother died, BUT HE CAME BACK!!! She thought her father died. He did. But, she also got a kickass stepfather. ON top of that, she had her mother, her brother’s ex-girlfriend and her brother’s best friend ALL surrounding her and supporting her. But, WAH, she’d rather wallow in her misery than thank her familial blessings.

Her mother throws her the best 18^th birthday party ever, gives her a convertible, and surrounds her with her friends. Of course, the minute she thinks her mother’s having an affair with the incredibly skeevy guy next door she does drugs AND then hops in a car to endanger others. REALLY?! First off, hasn’t she noticed that her mother gets handsy with everyone? The numerous shoulder rubs Moira provides to Oliver give me a creepy Oedipal Hamlet feeling. PLUS, didn’t she let the dude into her mother’s bedroom WEEKS ago without batting an eye? Either way, her mom maybe cheating isn’t enough to justify her actions. Random, thy name is Speedy.

Almost everyone in this show had a worse life than her, but aren’t messed up like she is.

• Laurel’s mother is gone. Her boyfriend cheated on her WITH her sister who is NOW dead. Her job has no MONEY which means she must whore herself out to every rich guy with a crush. PLUS, her current boyfriend’s her ex-boyfriend’s douchey best friend with daddy issues.
• OLIVER was TORTURED, watched his father MURDER another man, watched his girlfriend’s sister die a horrible death, survived a pseudo-deserted island, and possibly experienced betrayal by his only island ally. PLUS, he KILLS people on a nightly basis.
• Diggle’s BROTHER is dead. He has a crazy crush on his sister-in-law. He survived war overseas only to partner with a man who LIES to him at every turn. And, his former best friend kidnapped his sister-in-law and threatened him.
• Moira’s first husband died. Her second husband is kidnapped. And, the man she partnered with wants to destroy the city.
• Even TOMMY has a worse life story. His mother was murdered. His father abandoned him to become a murdering archer. He was CUT OFF from HIS OWN trust fund. And, now he works for his elusive best friend.

Speedy’s complaints just don’t measure up, considering everyone keeps bending over backwards to make her feel better. You think you’re brother’s dead, so you’re upset. Your brother’s back, you’re still upset. Your brother starts cleaning up his act, you get even madder. Your brother tries to spend time with you and throws a holiday party for you. You sleep with a douche during the party to get back at him. Like the girls in Girls, I just can’t with you, Speedy.

Willa Holland does an excellent job portraying you. But, seriously, girl, grow the HELL up and, stop expecting your family to bail you out. Don’t make me put you on a dessert island with a bunch of arrows to make you mature.  So, GET it TOGETHER, girl!

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Just in time for the second season of TNT’s Dallas reboot, you can catch up on season one with this week’s new home video release. As far as reboots go, TNT hit a home run with Dallas, especially by bringing back classic characters Bobby, Sue Ellen, Lucy, Ray Krebs, Cliff Barnes, and of course J.R. Sadly, we’ll only get to see the wonderful Larry Hagman on a handful of episodes this season, so it will be interesting to see how the show copes with the death of its star actor and character, and if the audience will stick around in the hopes that the new generation of Ewings will carry the torch.

In other releases, Archer, Smash and Anger Management get last season releases timed to the new seasons, reality shows Dance Moms and An Idiot Abroad come to DVD along with some classics, kids shows, and the crew of the Red Dwarf return for their first new season since 1999! All of these shows and more will be available on January 8th, so have a look at our handy shopper’s guide to see what’s coming, and click on a link to make a purchase or to get more information.