Damages, Idol and Lost.

DAMAGES (F/X)
What a fantastic season. I think there are 2 left, but last week I started unspooling these from the DVR. Glenn Close is more brilliant than ever as Patty Hewes. Rose Byrne...still not so much. But less seen and therefore, more effective thise season. She's not a terribly good actress, but the staff seems to have found a better way to posit her into the action this year. Although did we REALLY need her adoption story line in the 3rd leg of this? Also, Ted Danson is back as Arthur Frobisher. It's an incredibly self-reflexive storyline that really pushes the limit of how much your remember season 1 - which is not a great thing to do when you're only in season 3. That said, Danson is good in the role (even though the whole storyline is really dodgy) - it just kind of works. And I do wish they'd do away with the dream sequences. I really don't know why TV can't get over the fucking dream sequence. We don't care. Honestly. But getting back to the show, while all the actors, especially Tate Donavin, are excellent - and we have some all stars here, from Lily Tomlin's cold turn as mom, Cambell Scott as the son and even Uncle Jun himself, Dominick Chianese as a money launderer - special merit must be given to the best performance of the season: Martin Short as the family lawyer.

I've always loved Martin short from SCTV, to his one solid SNL year, to many of his great insane film roles. And yes, the last few years....not so much. But as this lawyer, Short not only does away with every single comic trick he's developed, he has created an entirely new persona, and maybe one of the most intriguing ones on modern television. He's that good. By underplaying the entire thing, he's brought it to life and given this sad sack the kind of empathy we need to care about him - even though he's kind of a horrible guy. It's Emmy worthy and nothing short of brilliant. Martin Short is stealing the show by not stealing the show.

As for DAMAGES itself, this could be the last season (most likely.) If it is, they are going out on a sky-high note, and bringing back Danson for the end would turn out to be a stroke of luck/genius.

Sesaon 2 really wobbled, season 3 is rock solid. Better than ever.
Grade: A


AMERICAN IDOL (ABC)
I don't really get it this year. I like the guy with the acoustic guitar who did STRAIGHT UP and FOREVER (Andrew Garcia I think?) and some of the girls are okay - but honestly, between Ellen's god-awful jokes and Randy's pathetic "you went too far, now I'm gonna crack-up" laugh when she tells them - to Carla trying to create intrigue by cozying up to Simon, blech. The only compelling thing left here is the end of the doomed love story thats playing out. Soon to be dashed lover Ryan Seacrest occasionally trying to draw fire from Simon since this is Simon's last season. Ryan clearly feels betrayed and it shows. How pathetic and yet wonderful for tv. Thank God there is some drama going on here.
Grade: C -

UPDATE: Ruben and Clay from season 2 are going on tour together! Does anybody really need to see that show?

Well, I actually do.


LOST (ABC)
One of the most compelling dramas on TV has now become the most ambitious, and the drama is suffering from the ambition.

While there is SO much to criticize these days on LOST, and I am talking some REALLY loopy mythology that only makes sense in a writer's room after 4 days of no sleep...there is much to admire.

The ambition and scope of it is admirable, and the acting is top-notch. Especially since most of the actors are having to play year 6 on the island, as well as newly formed characters as part of a flash-sideways (although to be honest...those flash-sideways are supposed to be from the FIRST plane ride - meaning that those flash-sideways are REALLY, flashbacks!)

Anyway, the hour about Ben Linus being a teacher was kind of great, the hour where the Richard Alpert character kills a doctor to get medicine for his wife...not so much. I kind of loved the fact that he sees a doctor who just happens to be evil, who has a potion to cure his wife even though he had never examined the wife, and that this doctor expected a million dollars for the potion from Richard - even though they clearly lived in a poor hovel. Lastly, after Richard gets the potion, he has no idea how to use it so apparantly she just needs to drink it. And the self-reflexive jokes don't help any. And there are plenty of them. Usually delivered by Hurley.

That said - I really like LOST and admire the direction its gone in, even as they've taken away the possibility of death from most of the characters, making the drama a bit toothless. (I have also grown very weary of SUN and her bad angry acting which seems to get worse every season. She's sometimes okay, but when her character is forced to be angry - oh, boy. And she hit her head on a coconut tree and forgot English? Yikes.)

For the moment though, I am goign to leave this to the last few episodes to find out if this ending really ties it all up in a satisfying way. Here's hoping.
Grade: ???