Saturday, November 29, 2014
After a rock-solid start to the fifth season, The Walking
Dead has stalled.
What’s the difference? Well, for starters, the cast was
together for the early episodes and separated for the later ones.
After a breathtaking season premiere which saw Carol almost
single-handedly taking out the whole of Terminus, and which culminated with
Rick and Carl reuniting with Judith, things sped along in the next two episodes
as the remaining Terminus inhabitants hunted Rick and Co.
After taking them down in bloody (and justified) fashion,
things tumbled when the cast was split again.
Listen, I get why they’re doing it. It’s to save money. The
show runners figured they got away with it for the second half of last season –
but the difference is, that they could get away with it as a plot device last
season.
It’s a lot harder to explain now.
For example, am I really supposed to believe that Maggie
would willingly wander off with Glen without looking for Beth even though she
knows her sister isn’t dead? Really? Beth is Maggie’s only living blood
relative left. There is no way she wouldn’t at least spend a few days looking
for her sister.
And, while Carol and Daryl sped off into the night to search
for Beth, Abraham’s insistence on fleeing right when the group was grappling
with stuff seems so … lame.
Now, I’m glad the truth about Eugene is out and – God help
me, I still like the guy – but it’s time for Abraham’s group to back track and
join with their friends. Is the group too big? Yes. It’s going to have to be
cut, but Rosita and Tara have had fodder written all over them since they were
introduced, and try as I might, I’ve never really warmed up to Sasha (or
Tyrese, for that matter).
There’s been a lot of talk about a big death happening on
Sunday’s episode. And, whenever The Talking Dead (the companion chat show for
The Walking Dead) touts a surprise guest, that usually means someone is going
to die. They did it the week before Gareth died – and lo-and-behold, the actor
who played Gareth showed up on the couch the next week.
That’s not always the case, though.
They did it before last year’s spring finale and Andrew
Lincoln was the surprise guest – and we all know Rick didn’t die.
We’ll have to see. However, since we haven’t had a big, core
death since Hershel, I’m guessing one of our beloved heroes is going to go – and
the odds seem to point directly in Carol or Beth’s direction.
Personally, I have grown to love Carol and will be sad if
she’s killed off – but she “fits” the signs that have been showing up, for some
reason. The episode that followed her and Daryl before she got hit by the car
seemed to be a love letter to her – and whenever an episode like that runs, the
person featured in it often dies (just ask Hershel).
I am hard-pressed to believe they’re going to kill Beth off
before reuniting her with Maggie. The Walking Dead is cruel – but I don’t know
if they’re that cruel. They seemed to have gone through a lot of effort to
build Beth up over the second half of last season and the beginning half of
this season.
I am not ruling Beth out. I’m just leaning toward Carol –
which very well could crush me. I would sacrifice the bulk of our group to keep
Carol (Daryl and Rick notwithstanding) – but there’s just “something” in the
air.
I don’t think that anyone can argue that we’re going to get
a death Sunday. It’s not the “if” but the “who” in question. It would be much
too easy for viewers to watch Rosita, Tara or Sasha die – which means it’s
probably going to be someone we care about – which means a member of the core
group.
Either way, I’ll have the marathon on all day Sunday to
revisit the season in anticipation of the big finale – and then I’m sure I’ll
be glued to the television for The Walking Dead and The Talking Dead Sunday
night (so no one dare call me!).
All I hope is that separating the cast so early in the
season means they won’t have to in the second half of the season – because the
show tends to lag for me when that happens.
So, what do you think? Who is going to die Sunday night?
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
GENERAL HOSPITAL: The cast pruning has officially begun
It seems that General Hospital is finally getting around to
trimming the cast.
Unfortunately, I’m starting to suspect it’s so they can
afford Billy Miller (Jason), and not because the writers realize the folly of balancing
too many characters.
First up, Marc Anthony Samuel (Felix) announced that he has
been dropped to recurring. That’s not an outright ouster, but it’s pretty
close. Samuel expressed his ambition to move on to other things – so I doubt we’ll
be seeing much of Felix.
I’m guessing – and this is just a guess – that Sabrina will
be following in upcoming weeks. The character has been written into a corner,
and she has no ties to anyone on the canvas. There’s really no reason to keep
her.
I am hoping that GH moves Lucas and Brad into a realistic
relationship (instead of the cliché threesome), although I still think it would
have made more sense to move Milo into their orbit. I am worried that both of
them will be gone, too. While I can take or leave Brad, Lucas is a legacy
character. He’s Carly and Sam’s brother and Lulu and Maxie’s cousin. He’s
important to the canvas.
In addition to Samuel, Kelly Thiebaud (Britt) has
voluntarily dropped to recurring. If you believe the
gossip, she’s only staying
recurring to finish up Britt’s storyline. While I had high hopes for Britt and
Nikolas in the beginning – those were dashed pretty quickly when the writing
for her character went from weak to dismal after the baby Rocco reveal. I can’t
help but think Thiebaud is better off getting away from the soap.
Since Thiebaud is involved with Bryan Craig (Morgan) in real
life, I’m betting he opts to leave when his contract is up next year. While I
like Craig’s Morgan, I think he’s one of the few actors who has a chance to hit
it big outside of daytime, so it’s only a matter of time before he flees Port
Charles.
GH head writer Ron Carlivati has also written several big
characters into corners they might not be able to emerge from. Who?
1. Nina Clay: If Michelle Stafford only signed a six-month
contract, the disastrous writing for Nina makes sense. She was always intended
to be a villain. If that wasn’t the case, the writing for Nina is so atrocious
that Stafford must be mortified. There’s no rooting value in the character, and
there’s no redeeming her. Once the baby storyline is wrapped up, Nina will
either be locked up with Heather Webber or killed.
2. Ava Jerome: I love Maura West, but the second she killed
Connie in cold blood, Ava’s die was cast. The best thing to do with the character
is to reunite her with her baby and have her flee. I don’t want Kiki or Morgan
saddled with a kid – and Sonny has enough kids to field his own ball team.
3. Franco: As much as I applauded his outing of Carly and
Sonny – and the truth behind AJ’s murder – there still isn’t any rooting value
in the character. Roger Howarth is a tremendous talent – and now a regular on
the CW’s The Flash. Maybe it’s time to let him go with dignity. Bringing
someone of Howarth’s caliber in as a character as dumb as Franco was just …
well … insulting, to both fans and Howarth.
4. Sonny Corinthos: Maurice Benard may be a popular actor,
but who can root for Sonny? He killed AJ in cold blood. He lied to his son. He
tried to kill Ava. Seriously, how does Sonny think it’s okay to kill Ava for
killing Connie but take no personal responsibility for murdering AJ? Sonny and
Carly do not work as a couple. In fact, they’re the couple who helped sink Port
Charles. Besides that, Laura Wright and Benard have absolutely no chemistry. Send
Sonny out of town, give him a happily ever after with Brenda in a non-extradition
country, and call it a day.
And, finally, when it comes to cutting dead weight – can someone
explain to me why Olivia is still around? I’m sure Lisa Locicero is a wonderful
person, but Olivia is completely unnecessary. The cast has to be trimmed, and
while it looks like the pruning has started, there’s still a long way to go.
GH's greatest strength lies in its veterans and core families. Let's not lose that.
What do you think? Who should go? Who should stay?