Category: TV

The Exorcist is one of the best shows nobody’s watching

So why hadn’t I seen the television version of The Exorcist yet? Because I had no idea it existed until earlier this week. And when I did find out, I rolled my eyes and started the first episode on Hulu just to see how bad it was so I could move on.

Fast forward to this weekend and I’m all caught up on the eight episodes (episode 9 of 10 doesn’t air until December 9th, by the way). Putting aside some terribly distracting CGI moments and a questionable plot twist, The Exorcist is kicking all kinds of ass. 
Here are some of the pros:
1. It’s not a reboot like Lethal Weapon, it’s a respectful continuation. 
2. This is one of the strongest casts I’ve seen on TV in a very long time. Ben Daniels as the exorcist is the closest you can get to topping Max von Sydow.
3. While not as graphic as the film (or the stuff AMC frequently gets away with), the extra crazy stuff is still implied. You just have to pay attention or you’ll miss it sometimes.

I wish the show would catch on, but it’s probably not going to. It’s a damn shame, too.

LOST: The Final Season

LOST has lost its allure. This Sunday, the series finale comes out. Although I initially loved this season—they led us into an alternate universe without dumbing it down for mainstream television—what initially drew me to the show were its questions, not answers. The answers, if you ask me, ruin it because they’re just not that good.

If you’re hoarding episodes of LOST, spoilers ahead. 

It was okay, in previous seasons, to answer something every once and a while. Consider the way they suggested (but didn’t tell) how and why the polar bears got to the island when the main cast were taken hostage by the others. I was fine with that, but these days nothing is so casually suggested. Now everything is flat out explained, usually by Locke or a ghost, if not a jarring flashback, and I think, “Okay, that was certainly anti-climactic.” I don’t hate the final season, it doesn’t hold a candle to what came before it.

Season 5’s cliffhanger was brilliant, as was season 6’s opener. We all knew you couldn’t have LOST without an island, but the show opens and… we’re on the plane again. What? The plan worked? The plan worked! Not only that, the island is underwater! Holy shit! How cool is that! Then, with no explanation… Jack wakes up on the island. And no, that other universe was no dream. It was the best mind-fuck LOST had pulled yet.

Then the answers—spoken, rarely shown—came trudging along with almost predictable frequency. Every great once and a while, they toss me a bone, but it just isn’t enough to sustain my appetite. Maybe I would have liked the series better if it had been canceled after Season 5. I like things that get me involved. LOST’s sixth season is considerably less hands-on.