Paranoia Strikes Deep: Well Written, Quirky TV Series
Pacific Northwest, dancing little people, acerbic FBI agents, trust no one, Scully and Mulder, technology run amok, wetwired, inbred breeders, Frank Black, soylent green is people, government-induced disease, crime scene fu, Walt White, meth and melancholy . . . it's all here.
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- CreatorMark FrostDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanMichael OntkeanMädchen AmickAn idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.Who Killed Laura Palmer?
Fight scenes, dance scenes and practically anything else could be striking set pieces. Intense emotional scenes seemed to go on forever and become surreal – and what can you say? If a dancing Michael J. Anderson manifests, it’s likely the work of David Lynch. Sly humor and great dialogue. A fave bit: the caustic dialogue between the Lyle MacLachlan and Miguel Ferrer characters. - CreatorChris CarterStarsDavid DuchovnyGillian AndersonMitch PileggiTwo F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.Big Brother Is Watching
A wariness of technology and distrust of big government set the tone for FBI partners Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. I didn’t get into the UFO aspect, but loved the stand-alone pieces, the 'monster-of-the-week' episodes. The research for the show was spot on. I thought the first four seasons were outstanding. Darin Morgan wrote only five episodes – he is a favorite writer of mine – kudos of course to Chris Carter and his large vision. A few fave episodes: Humbug, The Final Repose of Clyde Bruckman, Pusher, Home, The List . . . too many to name here. [http://www.imdb.com/list/ls031678904/] - CreatorChris CarterStarsLance HenriksenMegan GallagherTerry O'QuinnA former FBI profiler with the ability to look inside the mind of a killer begins working for the mysterious Millennium Group which investigates serial killers, conspiracies, the occult, and those obsessed with the end of the millennium.Insight and Uncommon Mutilations
The underrated actor Lance Hendriksen shines in Chris Carter's second television series. Frank Black is a former FBI profiler who moves his family from Washington D.C. to Seattle, where he joins the mysterious organization the Millennium Group. A very atmospheric and unpredictable show, it's a good window into abnormal psychology. There are also episodes based upon urban legends, and parody episodes. - CreatorHoward GordonTim KringStarsTim GuineeSandra QuartermanVivian WuBrilliant, terminally ill, army scientist Paul Turner investigates criminal activities that involve unethical experiments on humans, environmental hazards, biological weapons and a mysterious group with a sinister agenda.Big Business and Big Science Are Good, Kiddies
From writer/producer Howard Gordon, Strange World defines a government-medical-military industrial complex. Very well done, I wish it would come out on DVD. It ran for one season only - I read that the creative team chose to make it work in that format, just in case. Sigh. Another excellent show, axed. - CreatorAnthony E. ZuikerStarsWilliam PetersenLaurence FishburneTed DansonIn Las Vegas, a squad of forensic investigators are trained to solve crimes by meticulously examining the evidence. They employ advanced technology and their rationality to detect the perpetrators.Forget It Gris - It's Vegas
I caught CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) in syndication, having originally missed it in prime time. Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle and Robert David Hall have become favorites. Melinda Clarke is interesting as Lady Heather (writers' play on trendy names? The Heather-ization/Jason-ification Effect?). Grissom's philosophical witticisms are fun. A comment on set design: the LV morgue cannot be realistic I'm thinking. Its clean lines, tinted glass, dimmed lighting and bright multi-colored orbs and jars on back-lit glass shelving might be atypical. But I like it. I just may re-decorate in smoked glass and bright orbs and mount coroners' tools on the walls.
[ http://afwaddell.blogspot.com/2009/06/csi-las-vegas-malice-station-needs-help.html ] - CreatorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAaron PaulAnna GunnA chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.Chemistry Is the Study of . . . Change
Of X-Files fame comes Vince Gilligan with Breaking Bad. Once I got into it I watched four seasons back-to-back. The very first scene was incredible, surreal, beige slacks full of air, drifting in the wind over a moving RV - and a mostly clothing-free RV driver wearing a respirator mask. I enjoy dark humor and get into the show's satirical and ironic moments. Great cast! Bryan Cranston is new on my radar, a true chameleon (and a riot in the talented cast of Malcolm in the Middle!). He's an amazing actor, utilizing totally uninhibited, unhinged over-the-top comedy, to deeply complex drama. His Walter White character makes a desperate decision which leads to making previously unimaginable decisions, circumstances exponentially moving through time and space like a surreal domino effect.