TFTF – Ep 11, The Boy Must Live

Posted: January 17, 2013 in Fringe, TFTF

Hi Wayne and Dan,

Raul here with my Thoughts From the Fringe for episode 11, The Boy Must Live.

Answers, answers, answers.  We’ve been asking for answers and answers are coming in.  First of all, thank heaven Michael is not yet another time-frame September.  But September’s son?  That caught me completely by surprise.  A new twist on not only “The boy must live,” but also on “It must be very difficult, being a father.” Read the rest of this entry »

OUAT – The Outsider (s2e11)

Posted: January 16, 2013 in Once
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After being steeped in Regina last week, this week we turn to Rumpelstiltskin and his story.  Yet, on the surface we did not.  In many ways, Rumpel was the secondary character next to Belle’s.  As a result,we got a significant piece of back-story on Belle.

I have to say at the outset, that I was both surprised and impressed at the pace they have moved the story along.  Most shows would have milked the Archie thread half a season before moving it anywhere.  Yet this show moves the story along in a real manner on the next episode?  That shows a great deal of confidence on their part.  It also confirms my suspicion as to how well the show is planned out, on at least a seasonal basis.  It also excites me to anticipate the remainder of this season. Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, Christian Geek fans, this is one of my early pieces for Fringecasting with Wayne and Dan.  With the series finale coming up, I thought it might be an interested trip back to the issues at the beginning of Season 4.

[ Ok, Wayne. Didn’t mean to write a dissertation. I almost hit the delete key, but at the end I figured you might get a “hmmmm” or at least a chuckle at a personal level. Feel free to use as much or as little or as chopped up as you want or none at all. It’s just that once the words started coming, they wouldn’t stop. Fringe does that sometimes. Please, please, please don’t feel any obligation! Someday, I’m just going to have to take the time and set up my own blog… ]

The summer wait is finally over and all I can say is WOW! Life gave me a crazy summer so, aside from some chatting on Twitter, I wasn’t able to follow in all the speculation. In some ways it was worth the break.

But that’s not why I’m writing. We’re in season four. WOW. Or did I say that already. Things did get off to a auspicious start. Plenty of answers, but in typical Fringe fashion there are even more questions. Read the rest of this entry »

OUAT – Cricket Games and Beyond (s2e10)

Posted: January 12, 2013 in Once
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For a season and a half, I have avoided writing commentary for Once Upon A Time.  Well, the show has reached a level of commitment and story progress that I just can’t keep silent any longer.  For those unfamiliar with my reviews of Fringe, you should know that I write commentary, not recap.  That means I’m assuming you’ve seen the episode and can remember what has happened.  That also means that anything in these pages will not be spoiler safe.  This is the first and only warning.

The first half of the season did an admirable job with Mary Margaret and Emma’s journey through the Enchanted Forest and subsequent return to Storybrooke.  Now they are back home and unbeknownst to them, Cora and Hook are there as well.  Read the rest of this entry »

Great Serial SciFi

Posted: January 10, 2013 in Sci-Fi and Fantasy
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Those who have known me for any length of time know that my all-time favorite science fiction television series is Babylon 5.  Indeed, it is not only my favorite series but defensibly one of the most important television shows made to this date.  Babylon 5 (Bab 5 or B5, to fans) set a long string of firsts for TV Sci-Fi as well as television in general.  One of these is that after almost 20 years it is still the most successfully executed serial story to make it to the small screen.  The question becomes “Why?”  There have been a lot of great Sci-Fi serials since.  What has Babylon 5 had that these others have missed?

I think it comes down to two things; planning and the balance between plot and character.  Joe Straczynski made no compromises on either of these two issues.  He also took a uniquely realistic approach to both.  Let’s look at these in order. Read the rest of this entry »