Rubicon - "You Never Can Win"

Will (James Badge Dale) and Truxton (Michael Christofer) finally have that important talk.

Photo Credit: AMC


Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Rubicon'
Season 1 - Episode 13

"You Never Can Win"

As much as I really enjoyed this first (and hopefully not the last) season of 'Rubicon', I was disappointed in the handling of the episode's conclusion. Don't get me wrong, James Badge Dale and Michael Christofer were as excellent as always and the scene crackled with tension. However, we're left with both Will and Truxton knowing that the other knows about everything involving Atlas MacDowell and the Galvaston attack. Spangler walks away daring Will to go public. Fade to black.

Mad Men - "Tomorrowland"

Joan (Christina Hendricks) and Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) discuss their positions at SCDP.

Photo Credit: AMC

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Mad Men'
Season 4 - Episode 13
"Tomorrowland"

That was certainly sudden. However, looking back at season four as a whole, this did appear to be the end result Matthew Wiener had intended. Megan had been floating around the background for half the season until her key moment of comforting Sally. That was also the same episode that we learned that Dr. Faye wasn't good with children and had no real desire to change that matter.

Fringe - "Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?"

Astrid (Jasika Nicole) and Walter (John Noble) explore the mysteries of the Massive Dynamic cafeteria.

Photo Credit: FOX

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Fringe'
Season 3 - Episode 4
"Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?"

One of the major tensions of Faux-livia hiding in plain site is the question of how far she would be willing to go to maintain her cover. She replaced our Olivia right as her relationship with Peter was beginning. Strangely enough, Faux-livia has had to partake of those first few dates of a blossoming romance for Olivia. Now Peter and Faux-livia are at the point where most couples would take it to the next level physically. The problem is that Faux-livia has a very solid and healthy relationship back on her world.

Caprica - "Retribution"

Sister Clarice (Polly Walker) on a particularly rainy day in Caprica City.

Photo Credit: Syfy


Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Caprica'
Season 1 - Episode 11
"Retribution"

The creators of 'Caprica' have openly admitted that they had to change gears on their original characterization of Sister Clarice. The original concept was to have her played more humorously, along the lines of  Gaius Baltar on 'Battlestar Galactica'. However, due to Clarice's dark associations and the calibar of actor that Polly Walker, this had to change and quickly. The second half of season one has seen a dramatic change towards proactiveness from the character.

Stargate Universe - "Awakening"

Sgt. Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) inspects the seed ship.

Photo Credit: Syfy

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Stargate Universe'
Season 2 - Episode 3
"Awakening"

Enough with the musical montages already. The one at the end of the season premiere was understandable, because it gave us a glimpse of the new condition of the cast after the Lucian Alliance takeover had been undone. Also, I didn't care if the music was contemporary pop rather than scored, unlike a number of naysayers online. However, we're three episodes into the season and two have ended with a pop ballad montage. Even the second episode had a mini-montage with scored music as Col. Young cried into his moonshine near the end of the program. It's crossed into cliche and it didn't help matters that last night's montage song had lyrics that were too on the nose.

Rubicon - "Wayward Sons"

Will  (James Badge Dale) visits Katherine Rhumor.

Photo Credit: AMC

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Rubicon'
Season 1 - Episode 12

"Wayward Sons"

For the last eleven episodes, we've been introduced to and tracked the development of characters that have never appeared on the screen. Kateb, Tanaz, Boeck, and Popovich have been spectres in the background and the people of interest being investigated by Will team at API, all the while not actually appearing in a single episode. That is until now.

Mad Men - "Blowing Smoke"

Don Draper (Jon Hamm), Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) and Bert Cooper (Robert Morse) as their empire slowly crumbles around them.

Photo Credit: AMC

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Mad Men'
Season 4 - Episode 12
"Blowing Smoke"

I know that there is one episode left in the season, but "Blowing Smoke" felt like a season finale. The episode ended with a feeling of uncertainty, yet with a direction more towards a positive outcome. Yes, SCDP is having to down-size, resulting in the firing of big chunk of the staff, but thanks to the partners ponying up some money, the bank has granted them a loan to keep the company afloat for another six months.

Fringe - "The Plateau"

Walternate (John Noble) over sees Olivia's progress at the Fringe Division headquarters 'over there'.

Photo Credit: FOX

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Fringe'
Season 3 - Episode 3
"The Plateau"

If there are any new viewers have started watching 'Fringe' starting with this season, then they're are probably wondering what the hell is going on. The confusion would be understandable if a newcomer didn't know anything about the two parallel worlds and the fact that most of the cast has a double on the other side. To make matters even more complicated, the two Olivias have been switched, with our Olivia now thinking she's actually Faux-livia. So, yeah, not very new viewer friendly.

Stargate Universe - "Aftermath"

Dr. Franklin (Mark Burgess) reappears to offer Dr. Rush some advice.

Photo Credit: Syfy

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Stargate Universe'
Season 2 - Episode 2
"Aftermath"

When is Dr. Rush finally going to learn that keeping secrets is going to continue to make things worse for him and for those aboard Destiny. Even when one of his poor decisions results in the death of recurring character, he finds a way to rationalize his choice. He's holding on to as much information about the operation of Destiny as long as possible. This way he has some form of power over Col. Young. Rush even was able to unlock and power up the ship's bridge. But at what cost? Luckily, Destiny isn't going to make it easy for him.

Caprica - "Unvanquished"

Zoe Greystone (Alessandra Torresani) takes on some A Clockwork Orange rejects in the VR world.

Photo Credit: Syfy

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Caprica'
Season 1 - Episode 10
"Unvanquished"

The programmers at Syfy found it in their hearts to air the last half of the first season of 'Caprica' in the fall rather than having us wait until January. I've never understood Syfy's programming strategy. They've always broken up their shows' seasons in halves with a very long hiatus that can last up to half a year (see the final season of 'Battlestar Galactica'). It just seems like a momentum killer and a perfect accuse for view attrition.

Rubicon - "A Good Day's Work"

Truxton Spangler (Michael Cristofer) enjoys a glass of "the good stuff".

Photo Credit: AMC

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Rubicon'
Season 1 - Episode 11
"A Good Day's Work"

The presence of Andy in Will's life has provided a voice for the idea that intelligence work is glamorous and action packed. What we've learned watching 'Rubicon' is that it can be slow and tedious, and in Will's case, the action is brutal and vicious. So, it's no surprise that when Andy makes a badly timed appearance at Will's apartment just hours after he had just killed a man in self-defense (and whose body was chopped up and removed), it makes sense that he doesn't want her around anymore.

Mad Men - "Chinese Wall"

Stan Rizzo (Jay R. Ferguson) and Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) get ready to make a presentation.

Photo Credit: AMC

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Mad Men'
Season 4 - Episode 11
"Chinese Wall"

The future of SCDP is looking very uncertain at the moment. Roger's big secret about Lucky Strike came out via the grapevine and now the entire company has to scramble to find replacement accounts, while trying to reduce the fears of their other clients so they don't jump ship as well. Of course, this is also the perfect time for Baby Campbell to make her debut.

Fringe - "The Box"

Faux-livia (Anna Torv) lets Newton (Sebastian Roche) know who's the boss in this trans-dimensional operation.

Photo Credit: FOX

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Fringe'
Season 3 - Episode 2
"The Box"

While 'Fringe' can provide entertaining "Monster of the Week" episodes, it really clicks when the writers focus on characters and the show's mythology. Two episodes out of the gate and season three has been doing just that, and rather well, too. Last week's premiere was all about Olivia, who was alone and trapped in the other universe. This week we catch up with the rest of the cast, Peter, Walter, Broyles, Astrid, and even Nina Sharpe. Unbeknown to them, the Olivia (FOX refers to her as Bolivia, but I like Faux-livia) in their midst is actually the one from the other side.

Survivor: Nicaragua - "Glitter in Their Eyes"

It's a mad dash for immunity on 'Survivor'.

Photo Credit: CBS

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Survivor'
Season 21 - Episode 3
"Glitter in Their Eyes"

Jealousy reared it's head on last night's 'Survivor'. For some reason Marty and Jimmy T. have had it in for Jimmy Johnson from day one. They both hated the fact that the rest of the Espada tribe looked to the NFL coach for leadership and not to either of them.

Stargate Universe - "Intervention"

Lt. Johansen (Alaina Huffman) wakes up to find herself not aboard Destiny.

Photo Credit: Syfy

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Stargate Universe'
Season 2 - Episode 1
"Intervention"

One of the dangers of having a cliffhanger between seasons is the chance that any production changes will be noticed. Despite the fact that only a few minutes have transpired between the final episode of season one and the first episode of season two of 'Stargate Universe', there have been months between the production of the pair. Luckily, none of the main cast look noticeably different. However, there are a few new faces hanging around the Lucian Alliance that weren't there before, plus one obvious absence.

The Event - "To Keep Us Safe"

The President (Blair Underwood) wants some answers.

Photo Credit: NBC

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'The Event'
Season 1 - Episode 2
"To Keep Us Safe"

This will probably be the last review that I write about 'The Event', because "To Keep Us Safe" will most likely be the last episode that I watch. After two hour-long episodes, the creators of this show just haven't done enough to retain my interest in it. It lacks originality and the storytelling is clunky.

Rubicon - "In Whom We Trust"

Will Travers (James Badge Dale) and Katherine Rhumor (Miranda Richardson) finally meet to compare notes.

Photo Credit: AMC

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Rubicon'
Season 1 - Episode 10

"In Whom We Trust"

Ten episodes into the first season and we finally (finally!) have our first real meeting between Will Travers and Katherine Rhumor. They had briefly bumped into each other at a party about six episodes back, but this time they've done enough independent digging that circumstances have brought them together. Unfortunately, this is a potential alliance that is killed quickly in the crib thanks to the intervention of Donald Bloom. Will has some protection and resources thanks to Kale. Katherine is completely powerless and alone, so Bloom's threats on her life, her parents' lives, and that of Will, too, are more than enough for her to cut ties with young Mr. Travers.

Mad Men - "Hands and Knees"

Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) and Trudy (Alison Brie) enjoy a kick from their baby.

Photo Credit: AMC

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Mad Men'
Season 4 - Episode 10
"Hands and Knees"

Don Draper, or should I say Dick Whitman, has been carrying around the secret of his dual identity for about two decades. Due to unforeseen circumstances, a few people have learned about it. Two of them, Betty and Pete, have the burden of this knowledge creep unexpectedly into their own lives. For the first time, we actually get to see Don deal with the very real possibility of Army finding out that he deserted all those years ago.

Fringe - "Olivia"

Dr. Anderson (Gabrielle Rose) tries to convince Olivia (Anna Torv) that this is her world.

Photo Credit: FOX

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Fringe'
Season 3 - Episode 1
"Olivia"

Run, Olivia! Run!

After the lackluster premiere of 'The Event', I was really looking forward to the third season premiere of 'Fringe'. Not that I wasn't already, but despite some stumbling during the middle stretch of the second season, 'Fringe' still a really solid mythology show. Also, I was eager to see what was going to happen to our Olivia Dunham that was trapped over in the Alt-Fringe universe.

Survivor: Nicaragua - "Fatigue Makes Cowards of Us All"

Holly deals with the stress of the game by filling Dan's shoes with sand and hiding them in the water.

Photo Credit: CBS

Review by Paul Steven Brown

'Survivor'
Season 21 - Episode 2
"Fatigue Makes Cowards of Us All"

Let's get the obvious out of the way: Shannon is a complete d-bag and I'm very happy to see him voted off this week. I knew he was trouble with the misogynistic comments he made during the premiere. This week he tries to "bro" and bully his alliance into voting out Brenda, verbally attacks Chase right after Jeff's first question at Tribal Council, and then questions Sash's sexuality. Plus, he has the nerve to whine about loyalty and someone's word. He was so bad, that two members of his alliance, Kelly B. and Benry, quickly jumped ship and voted him out. Good riddance.