Tuesday, July 30, 2013

TV Review: Whodunnit? 106: "All The World's a Stage"


DA- We’re back on the case! Sorry about the absence for the deaths of Adrianna, Don, and Ulysses. I was actually fleeing across the country to escape a “scared” fate after one to many blog posts angered the killer. But now that I am safe in hiding I am ready to resume my Whodunnit? recaps and boy you better butter up that popcorn because we have a double feature to solve!

After Geno, Dana, and Sasha were “scared” the killer kicked off the night with a double murder. Both Dana and Sasha were found statue-like by the piano in Rue Manor. Despite five previous deaths contestants were perplexed that yes, some more contestants are “dead.” Man what is this killer’s problem?!

However, Giles was unfazed by two of more his guests being murdered and decided it was appropriate to bust a move with one of the housekeepers. After he showed off his dance technique, he spilt the groups up into the three sections yet this week there was two last known whereabouts instead of a “crime scene” to explore.

After their explorations the two teams that have formed (Kam, Cris, and Lindsey vs. Melina, Ronnie, and Geno) spilt apart to spill what they saw. One bright spot for the future of this show is the increase level of strategy involved. In weeks prior we had Geno tell only Kam and Cris information solely to try and get Ulysses “scared.” Now this week we have Kam trying to get Ronnie and Melina to completely shut out Geno so he definitely ends up murdered.

This plan goes into effect and involves Ronnie lying in front of Melina and Geno only to win the award for the worst poker face in history as he tries passing a note of the truth to Melina literally behind Geno’s back. Despite his best effort to shun Geno, Ronnie is forced to work with him when he is the one to figure out the first part of the riddle and that the clue is in the piano. In the end it is Cris who finds the morgue inside the morgue (MORGUE-CEPTION!) and thus solves the riddle this week.

Once they talk to themselves and state their case to cameras that mysteriously vanish as they cut back and forth between them, it is time for dinner. Ronnie should have known his lies would come back to him as they all shared their stories. Luckily for him, Geno, the person he stabbed in the back this week, ended up with a chandelier crushing his back instead. Close call Ronnie!

Despite Cris solving the riddle first, it was Kam who did the best on a written test did the best stating his case for the killer. To sum it all up, the killer broke into Sasha’s room and knocked her out with chloroform. He/she then loaded the body up in a cart and headed over to Dana’s room to get his/her next victim. Instead of knocking her out too, like a polite killer would, the killer threatened her with a knife and forced her to push the cart with Sasha to the elevator. After the lazy killer saw that Dana placed Sasha on the autopsy table in his second morgue, he/she finally knocked her out with chloroform as well. The killer then slashed their wrists, let the blood drain out, dressed them up, and let them stand by the piano to be found by the rest of the house. This killer is really getting violent if you ask me. They went from using a slingshot to knock Sheri out and a simple poison on Don as he made his breakfast to now forcing others to partake in the crime and redressing bodies as mannequins. Now this is where I draw the line!

Thankfully the killer saw the error of his ways and decided not to kill anyone tonight. Instead the contestants are all getting laid! No lei’d (because the next party is a luau). Then again after Giles starts undressing and holds a limbo contest maybe Lindsey is right that maybe at least Giles actually did get laid. This could explain his happy dancing from before. Then again he may just be ecstatic that all of his houseguests are dying and that means less people to take care and watch. Win-win!

However, the party is short live. When the lights cut out we find Geno crushed by a chandelier and next week’s question of “whodunnit?” lingers over the once gleeful luau.

In and Out Points:

- The last known whereabouts this week had crime tape blocking the doorway. Where did this come from? Did Giles buy some à la Kramer and set it up? Obviously it was not the police because I am not sure the police would first let untrained professionals solve crimes or secondly let a person continue to die every single week.

- As they head down to the movie theater, Melina says she does not want to go. She  fears they all may get trapped down there for two weeks and be forced to kill themselves. While anything is possible at Rue Manor, I am going to say this is highly unlikely. On the bright side it would be much easier to find the killer and figure out how they did it when they are all inside of a small room. So maybe this isn’t such a bad idea…

- For some reason a Hollywood theme overtook the investigation, which led to Giles to say every single cliché you could imagine. However, there were a few that irked the Emmy and Oscar obsessed side of me. Here they are one by one:

“Someone gave an Oscar winning performance…” 
Really, these guys? The killer must not be watching Melina crying over two of her competitor’s possibility of exiting the game next week. Melina, this is a good thing for you!

“…and the nominee is… KAM!” 
Actually Giles since he won the best theory he would be a winner. Since they all were eligible to win everyone else is a nominee.

“It looks like the other nominees were snubbed.” See you just said they were nominees yourself!  
Also to be technical “snub” usually refers to the people not nominated at all. These guys were not snubbed. They just lost. 

That is it for this week. Who did you wish won the award for “next to be murdered” and who actually was “snubbed?” But most importantly, do you think you could out limbo Giles? Let me know either in the comments or @eastwoodmcfly. Until next week watch your back! You never know when a giant chandelier may be on top of it!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

2013 Emmy Nominations - Most Deserving & Most Likely

Photo courtesy of Mike Ladue.
ML- The nominees for the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced Thursday, July 18th at 5:35 AM PT / 9:35 AM ET by Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and Kate Mara (House of Cards). In anticipation for the big day, here's your primer on which names will be called tomorrow -- and which should be, but probably won't.

Outstanding Drama Series


Projected Nominees:
Breaking Bad Season 5A, AMC
Downton Abbey Series 3, BBC / PBS
Game of Thrones Season 3, HBO
Homeland Season 2, Showtime
House of Cards Season 1, Netflix
Mad Men Season 6, AMC

Look for a near repeat of last year's nominees, and for good reason. All these shows featured water cooler moments as well as superb acting, writing and directing. Enough buzz surrounds newcomer House of Cards to displace HBO's prestigious Boardwalk Empire, but the latter show's industry adoration is so high I wouldn't be surprised if it outranks Downton Abbey or possibly (gasp) Mad Men to stick around another year. The only other spoiler would be The Americans, which built to something great but doesn't have the same influence as these heavy hitters.


Most Deserving (a.k.a. Mike's Personal Ballot):
Breaking Bad
Game of Thrones
Hannibal Season 1, NBC
Homeland
Justified Season 4, F/X
Mad Men

While I ranked Boardwalk (and BBC America's Orphan Black) higher than Mad Men on an episode-by-episode basis this year, the AMC show's finale managed to tie many of the season's dangling plots and themes together in a deeply satisfying way. Hannibal is network drama's one true gem (sorry, The Good Wife/Scandal fans) and exhibited stronger acting, cinematography and scoring that most anything on premium cable. Justified had its best season since Margo Martindale won her Emmy and featured TV's best-written episode of the year, "Decoy."

Outstanding Comedy Series



Projected Nominees:
Arrested Development Season 4, Netflix
The Big Bang Theory Season 6, CBS
Girls Season 2, HBO
Modern Family Season 4, ABC
30 Rock Season 7, NBC
Veep Season 2, HBO

Louie didn't make the cut last year and, despite snowballing critical acclaim, the fact it aired so early in the eligibility period makes me wary of its prospects. It could easily replace Girls, the most unnecessarily controversial show in history, or Arrested Development, whose grand return to "television" via Netflix was considered by some to be a huge mistake.



Most Deserving (a.k.a. Mike's Personal Ballot):
Arrested Development
Enlightened Season 2, HBO
Girls
Louie Season 3, F/X
Parks and Recreation Season 5, NBC
Veep

Years from now you'll discover Enlightened and cry that you never watched as it aired. This perfect little dramedy wasn't so much funny as it was, well, enlightening. (You will also cry for not watching Happy Endings, which is actually the funniest show on TV but had too many episodes that missed the mark this season to rise to the top). Parks & Rec had a stellar year, but the competition is fierce and support has historically middled -- remember when Nick Offerman was the frontrunner for Supporting Actor lat year? No such luck. My next-in-line would have to be Archer, which ties with Veep for meanest comedy on TV.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series


Projected Nominees:
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Hopefully voters are as over Dexter as I and dump Michael C. Hall from the list. Hugh Bonneville, the only other missing man from last year's lineup, could probably return in a cruel twist of fate and push out Buscemi or (gasp) Hamm. Don't expect too much love for Sorkin's polarizing The Newsroom, but Daniels was aces in the pilot and probably has enough cred to surpass also-rans like Justified's Timothy Olyphant or The Americans' Matthew Rhys.


Most Deserving (a.k.a. Mike's Personal Ballot):
Cranston
Hugh Dancy, Hannibal
Hamm
Lewis
Timothy Olyphant, Justified
Spacey

Dancy (husband of Claire Danes) was riveting to watch and Olyphant kept his charm turned to 100%.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series



Projected Nominees:
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Louis C.K., Louie
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Jake Johnson, New Girl
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Johnson's decision to jump from supporting to lead will hopefully pay off, as it did for Cryer last year. I'm inclined to finally disregard Cryer for Episodes' Matt Leblanc or House of Cards' Don Cheadle, but as Sansa so eloquently put it on Game of Thrones: "The worst ones always win."


Most Deserving (a.k.a. Mike's Personal Ballot):
Baldwin
Bateman
CK
Johnson
Parsons
Adam Scott, Parks & Recreation

I wish I could nominate H. Jon Benjamin for his outstanding work in both Archer and Bob's Burgers, but voice acting has its own category. Community's Joel McHale nearly got my vote over Parsons, but the show's unfathomable nosedive into awfulness ruined the good will I had for the man. At least he got Dan Harmon back! Adam Scott is consistently good, enough to buoy him into this relatively open category.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series



Projected Nominees:
Glenn Close, Damages
Claire Danes, Homeland
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Juliana Marguiles, The Good Wife
Keri Russell, The Americans
Kerry Washington, Scandal

It took much debating to arrive at this list of leading ladies. The most vulnerable, unfortunately, is Close, but farewell nominations are not unprecedented and the character was beloved enough to win twice prior. Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss, Bates Motel's Vera Farmiga and House of Cards' Robin Wright could eek in over Russell, Dockery and Washington without making waves; the competition this year is fierce. A nomination for Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany would make my morning/life complete... and it just might happen!


Most Deserving (a.k.a. Mike's Personal Ballot):
Close
Danes
Dockery
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Russell

Maslany is a revelation on her show and warrants major awards attention. Moss had an OK year, but I haven't seen Scandal or Bates Motel so I don't want to make an uninformed decision.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series



Projected Nominees: 
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Lena Dunham, Girls
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation

Falco is waiting in the wings to take down McCarthy, Poehler or Dunham, but got much less press for so-so season 5 of Nurse Jackie.


Most Deserving (a.k.a. Mike's Personal Ballot):
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Deschanel
Dunham
Fey
Louis-Dreyfus
Poehler

It may be presumptuous to expect so many of my ideal choices to be nominated Thursday, but it's a testament to the Academy's ability to recognize the best talent (in my humble opinion). Dern is up there with Maslany for life-changing nominations, but this is far less expected.

The supporting categories will be presented without commentary:

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series



Projected Nominees:
Jonathan Banks, Breaking Bad
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Corey Stoll, House of Cards
Sam Waterson, The Newsroom


Most Deserving:
Banks
Bobby Cannavale, Boardwalk Empire
Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, Game of Thrones
Walton Goggins, Justified
Maks Mikkelsen, Hannibal
Patinkin

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series



Projected Nominees:
Will Arnett, Arrested Development
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Max Greenfield, New Girl
Ed O'Neill, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family


Most Deserving:
Arnett
Adam Driver, Girls
Greenfield
Adam Pally, Happy Endings
Chris Pratt, Parks and Recreation
Damon Wayans Jr., Happy Endings

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series



Projected Nominees:
Morena Baccarin, Homeland
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Monica Potter, Parenthood
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey


Most Deserving:
Baccarin
Rose Byrne, Damages
Clarke
Michelle Fairley, Game of Thrones
Gunn
Potter

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series


Projected Nominees:
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Jessica Walter, Arrested Development


Most Deserving:
Eliza Coupe, Happy Endings
Jenna Fisher, The Office
Krakowski
Zosia Mamet, Girls
Walter
Casey Wilson, Happy Endings


Saturday, July 13, 2013

TV Review: Big Brother 15: "Week Two"


DA- Another week and another crazy seven days of Big Brother. Since we have to so much to cover and I am worried other bloggers may fill your container of BBQ sauce up before I do, let’s get to it.

When we last left our fairly racist group of houseguests they were starting an HOH competition where they had to fill up a container of BBQ sauce with a very small cup from one side of the backyard to the other. Houseguests working in teams of two were so excited to start; Judd even forgot to grab any BBQ sauce to transfer.

Now there is a catch. Houseguests can fill up another container with sauce to unlock a larger cup. At first this container looked huge while the cup did not look much bigger. However after Nick and Judd unlocked their cup and made it a tight race against Aaryn and Jeremy, I learned the old saying is true. Size really doesn’t matter. It is all about the motion of dumping your sauce- ew, wait, never mind.

In true Big Brother fashion the person who needed the win the most wins and Jeremy passes HOH duties to Aaryn (so he can still compete next week). Along with the HOH title Aaryn also gets to choose the have-nots for the week. Now Aaryn let me remind you. You just got booed by the live audience (and also lost your job for your racist remarks in the house) so let’s choose people who- wait Andy, Helen, Candice, and Elissa?!?! Those are the people you have been saying offensive things too! Are you kidding me?! Once inside the house the have-nots see they get to eat lima beans and liver (based on America’s vote) along with slop. Aaryn is disgusted by this and admits in the diary room she would not wish that on her worst enemy. Umm, have we forgotten what you just did a few minutes ago?

Aaryn, still bitter about her David “he’s not my boyfriend” Girton’s departure, and the Moving Company only wanting guys in the house, Aaryn puts up Helen and Elissa on the block. Jeremy quick question, if you and the Moving Company want only guys in the house who are you going to hook up with all summer? Because if you can’t do that then what else are you going to do? Play a social game for a half of million dollars? HA!

Elissa unsurprisingly wins MVP again and tells Nick to throw the veto competition so Helen and her have a chance to win. However, she then says if Jeremy does win he is going up unless he throws it. But that is very subjective to tell. So Nick don’t win the protection from the block and you will be put on the block, so throw it? This ladies and gentleman is the persuasive speech by your MVP!

Of course Jeremy wins the veto. This guy is unstoppable. Not only can he balance stuffed animals on a baby mobile but he can also rip a onesie when he wins a silly necklace. Woah! Now I know why the ladies love him. Before Jeremy uses his veto he warns the Moving Company that if his hook-up partner Kaitlin is put up and leaves he is out of the Moving Company (despite him saying earlier that they want an all guy house). This displeases the entire MC since there is no dictatorship in this company. It is an equal opportunity employer. Nick is put up on the block in his place but Nick is “the CEO” of the MC so he is not worried about leaving this week. Wait. Is there something I’m missing here? These houseguests and their contradictions!

Thursday’s live eviction foreshadows Nick’s demise quite early. Not only does he say he is in a good spot but Julie tells us that just when you thought you had everything figured out to think again. Easy for you to say Julie. When we only see about 90 minutes of content from the entire week there is a chance I may be missing something.

By the end of the episode it is Nick who is sent home and he thinks it was because of Spencer’s doing. Julie admits to him that it was. Julie, now Spencer did vote for Nick but I am going to count this win to Elissa and Helen who actually orchestrated his demise, not Spencer who just threw one of many votes towards Nick.

Before the night is over we crown Helen as the next HOH (after two crazy last minute tie breakers). Now unless something changes drastically it looks like it will be either Jeremy, Aaryn, GinaMarie, or Kaitlin who goes home, especially if somehow the “best player” in the house continues to be Elissa.

Now one of the most interesting things about this week is that Big Brother finally showcased at least some of the racist remarks the houseguests have been saying. While we saw Howard bring up some of the offensive comments and a montage of what Aaryn and GinaMarie have said, there were a few houseguests noticeably absent. Where was Spencer? Is Big Brother just trying to keep painting Aaryn and that side of the house as the villains while Spencer gets off Scott Free (for the people watching only CBS' broadcasts)? They take one step forward but two steps back with this if you ask me. 

Then at the live episode Julie slyly asks Aaryn if she forgets that there are cameras in the house. Instead of taking the hint Aaryn says no and that she is just a true person. America is seeing who she really is. However she may want to recant this once she leaves the house. Next we cut to a package of other contestants bringing it up to her in the house. Aaryn finds these accusations obnoxious and annoying. Not only is she is not going to acknowledge it but she finds it as the most immature thing ever! Oh (big) brother…

In and Out Points:

- Jessie wants a boy because every other girl has one! As she follows Nick around the house complaining how she wants a boy too in the diary room, I could only think of this.

- HOH is really becoming worthless. Both weeks now it has been the MVP’s nominee to go home. So you get one week of immunity, piss off a few houseguests by putting them on the block, and then next week you can’t compete for HOH? Remember when this used to be the most powerful position in the house? Now America has a huge hand of how this game is played (very similar to how this entire trial season went).

- Julie needs to watch it with her questions to the houseguests. As for slyly mentioning that Jessie wants a showmance, Aaryn forgetting there are cameras in the house, and Jeremy not seeming worried when he was put on the block, she needs to watch what she says. Not to mention Julie mentions everything to the evicted houseguests including who voted for who. Now there better not be any houseguests coming back this season because if not this is completely unfair.

- This last HOH competition is the worst for viewers at home. We have no idea what the houseguests saw and memorized in the middle of the night. Sure they showed us a quick montage of clips but in these wide shots we cannot see any of the details that are being asked. True or false. Did the slop get delivered during the delivery of a teddy bear that was wearing a blue shirt? Umm…

- Very similar to Aaryn last week crying over David, GinaMarie balls for hours after Nick goes home. Calm down ladies! They are not being killed off like another summer reality show on ABC. You will see them again!

That is it for this week of Big Brother. But first, which one of the four “popular” kids is going home or do you think Helen has something else up her sleeve? Let me know in the comments below or @eastwoodmcfly. In a side note, I will be moving across the country this next week and moving into a new apartment. In other words I am not sure when I will have Internet and/or time to catch up with what I miss in the house. However, I will try to share my thoughts with a recap or at the very least on Twitter so make sure you are following @dualredundancy and I on for all the latest! 

Thursday, July 4, 2013

TV Review: Big Brother 15: "Week One"


DA- While it has only been one week in the Big Brother house there has been enough drama to fill an entire season (or the very least a giant jar of BBQ sauce). Before I discuss the controversy that has already come out of the house, I am going to try and recap the entire week faster than the houseguests can drink an entire bottle of red wine…let’s go!

Nick started off Sunday’s broadcast with a great idea. Let’s form an alliance that includes Jeremy, Howard, Spencer, McCrae, and himself. Too bad it was already formed without him a few days before but in the end he still got to join and help name it The Moving Company. Why TMC? Because they well umm…move contestants out the door?

After a camping have-not competition that had houseguests stack cans on a balancing board after they retrieved them from a larger cooler, McCrae put Candice and Jessie on the block. McCrae picked these two because he believes they are the least liked in the house. However, I think I agree with Amanda that his real reason was because Jessie has a “better ass than” she does. That would be my thought process if I had to nominate people in a game for a half of million dollars!

Tuesday night’s episode was all about the MVP twist and who it would be. Elissa jokingly tells the house she will get a lot of votes because of her sister who is Rachel Riley a supermodel named, according to Jeremy, “Jazelle ButtChin.” In the end “ButtChin” pulled through for Elissa and she was awarded the MVP fan vote and nominated Jeff Spicoli Harry Dunne David much to Aaryn’s dismay. (It’s been a week. I’m sorry your “boyfriend” who lives at home with only a seasonal job and no ambition is going to leave you forever for possibly three months. Stop crying!)

But before David is sent packing he gets another chance to make a fool of himself in the veto challenge. This week some emotionless judge from CBS’ The American Baking Competition hosts as houseguests run through honey and pop blueberry balloons to retrieve letters to spell a word. Whoever has the longest word (or “longest letter” according to David) after time runs out wins. While Howard and Jessie had seven-letter words it looked like Elissa with “potroasts” was going to win. Unfortunately “potroasts” is two words and McCrae with an eight-letter word wins. However, David did not leave the competition empty handed. He did receive the honor of being the only contestant in Big Brother history to not spell a single word in this type of challenge! Go David Go! McCrae uses the veto to take Candice off and put Elissa on the block in order to please the house (and probably displease America in the process).

Now going into eviction night Julie promised to show the houseguests and their “true colors.” While I thought for a second they might address the recent controversy, which I will get to soon, I was sorely let down and instead got to see more hookups and houseguests flirting. Thankfully we did get a little drama and it is all thanks to some alcohol.

Big Brother gave the house one bottle of red wine and the houseguests agreed to wait until midnight so the have-nots can celebrate with them…well most of the houseguests. An hour before midnight Aaryn and David couldn’t wait a second longer so Jeremy grabbed it and the group of them drank it before anyone else could get a sip. While Jeremy falls on the sword later and said he drank the entire bottle (when it looked like the house was angry at Aaryn for doing just that) I want to fault Big Brother instead. One bottle? For the entire house? Even though a limited supply brought the drama, next time you should supply an unlimited amount to really get the “unexpected” going!

In the end David is sent home with seven votes (Elissa received five and Jessie received none). Will I be sad to see David go? Not a chance. I want my houseguests to play the game and not sign up for Big Brother to just hook up (which was his goal over the money). It was clear David was recruited because not only did he not know any past contestants like Rachel Riley but also he didn’t even know what was going on in the house. For example during his goodbye interview he asks Julie will he ever find out who the MVP was. First off, everyone in the house knew it was Elissa…EVERYONE! Secondly, yes you will find out. In case you did not know David, you are on a TV show. TV shows are things on television, which you can watch in your own home. Now a home is…never mind.

Now to get to the part I am sure you actually want to discuss (but Big Brother definitely does not want to even bring it up) the offensive comments! While I will not repeat any of these comments on this blog, if you are truly interested you can easily find them online with a simple Google search. For those who do not know many of the houseguests including GinaMarie, Spencer, and Aaryn have used derogative terms and offensive comments describing other members of the house. While I understand Big Brother is a “family show” and airs on one of the main networks (which is still overly cautious after this famous incident) I wish they could show these contestants for who they really are. There will be plenty of people out there possibly rooting for their success unaware that these pretty houseguests are pretty ugly on the inside. 

Thankfully word has spread around on the Internet and many houseguests are getting their dues. Both GinaMarie and Aaryn have been fired by their respective jobs and I am sure they will have a hard time getting a job after this “vacation” in the house. During Wednesday’s live eviction while it is unclear if they were just booing for votes against Elissa or cheering for votes cast for David, it is possible people have gotten word about Aaryn’s comments and want to see her (and her “boyfriend” David) fail. These boos and cheers were so loud that supposedly contestants could hear them in the house and producers could be seen trying to quiet the audience during the broadcast. Ironically they only “booed” during Aaryn’s vote before they were told to be quiet so she may think America hates only her and she needs to change what she is saying and doing. Only time will tell if Big Brother will address this matter on the show (besides a standard public statement) and if any of the houseguests will improve their behavior.

In and Out Points:

- Spencer is already handing out nicknames for The Moving Company including one for himself: “The Conductor.” Uh-oh! This isn’t Survivor you know. Don’t let Phillip Sheppard know you are copying his whole shtick. 

- While we saw a little hook-up between McCrae and Amanda I heard it got a little more PG-13 on the live feeds. I’ll just repost Amanda’s comment that she said in bed with McCrae: “It’s like SeaWorld down there.”

- Ultimately The Moving Company picked David because he was a challenge threat while they could use Elissa (and her possible MVP status each week) to control who goes up and possibly goes home. If America stands behind her and Elissa works with TMC this could be a great plan.

- I feel as though while three nominees makes it more “interesting” I think it will end up like Survivor’s final three. In the end it will always be between two people and the third will be a non-entity, for instance this week with Jessie.

- Finally, we ended tonight with the classic fill a container of liquid using only a small cup HOH challenge. However this time we had teams of two competing instead of individuals. Depending on who finally wins it we could have some interesting dynamics when they have to choose who will be crowned the real HOH.

Was David the right choice to send home? Who will win the HOH challenge? What do you think of the recent controversy? But first, what is the longest word you can spell? Let me know in the comments or @eastwoodmcfly.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

TV Review: Whodunnit? 102: "Fire Starter"


DA- Oh my god! We’re having a fire…sale! No, unfortunately there is no fire sale or commercial starring Tobias yet, but we do have another episode of Whodunnit? to dissect and solve!

This week we have to piece together how Dontae (or the stunt man that pulled off that pretty amazing feat) somehow became engulfed in flames. This episode for the most part follows the same structure as the week before. The contestants chose between the three locations, they mingle over a nice lunch spread, receive a clue that leads them on a goose hunt around the house, and then they plead their case talk to themselves in a library trying to sound like they are a lawyer.

While I like solving the murder along with the houseguests, the biggest thing that I cannot stand about the show are the contestant reactions. Most of America knows that these contestants are not really dying but somehow this message is not getting to the actual contestants. Contestants are crying over Dontae’s death, Kam is disgusted to swim in a pool before they clean it since Dontae’s body was lying in it, and Giles tells them nobody is allowed to leave the house. Stop it! This is a reality show. I am okay with the puns about how if you don’t solve the case it will be the “death” of you and your game but you are not fooling anyone that this is real…well okay almost anyone.

One aspect I do like though is allowing the contestants to only choose one location to explore. This forces them to meet and collaborate with each other. However, like this week, each group decided they would change the information and withhold crucial pieces, which led to some interesting conversations. While Sasha (one of the best players on the show) sees right through it, others like Gino are confusing themselves on what actually he saw himself. The protector from fire is St. Agnes Gino, or wait it’s Agatha. No I’m sorry Agnes. Argentina?

Also these conversations post-investigation always creates some much needed drama and tension between the contestants. I love the alliance formed by Kam and how much it annoys the rest of the players. The other side thinks they need to work together to stop this killer but Kam at least is aware that this is all an individual game. However because you are only be allowed to see one of the three rooms you need a few others to at least help you make it to the finals. One thing I do not understand though about Kam is why he thought to choose Lindsey to replace Gino in his alliance. Last week she was almost “scared” when she was not close in solving Sheri’s murder and this week she is playing with Adrianne with a gas fireplace while everyone else is solving the flag clue in the laundry room. So to go back to another Arrested Development reference…her? What is she funny or something?

After all the clues were pieced together we find out that Kam’s alliance mate Ulysses was the best at piecing together Dontae’s murder. It turns out that Dontae was given special pajamas sprayed with benzene and socks that somehow created more static electricity than other socks. After the killer sounded the fire alarm, Dontae tried to run out of the room but the shag carpet and his special socks created enough static electricity that when he touched the door the small spark engulfed him in flames. He then proceeded to run out of the house (not catching anything else on fire mind you) and jumped into the pool. 

This time Dana and Adrianne are “scared” or nominated to be “killed.” I had a feeling I knew who was going home for a few reasons. For one, Adrianne said Dontae died from the exploding medallion the killer gave him along with his silk pajamas. Not only can she not figure out he died but I also do not think she knows how science works. If this is true then how did it reform and float to the bottom of the pool where you found it with Kam? As for Dana, she may not be the killer of the house but give her time and I think she could become one. After Ulysses did not run over to talk to her, Dana threatened to kill him and to pinch his head off. Dana! Don’t tell us how you are going to kill him! We need something to solve in the next episode.

Speaking of the next episode Adrianne has finally bit the dust and not a day too soon. How did the golf cart she was fleeing in explode? My money is on an exploding medallion…

In and Out Points:

- Donate’s death could have easily been avoided. Don’t they teach “stop, drop and roll” in elementary schools anymore?

- How did Giles get an ankle monitor on him to keep him in the house? We are told he has never met his employer but wouldn’t he have seen/heard someone strapping something on to his ankle at some point?

- Speaking of Giles, in next week’s preview it looks like he is either protecting or terrorizing the house with a shotgun. Is it too late to rule him out as the killer?

- For all you Ithaca College students out there, talk about a death by doorknob!

- Anyone else think ABC threw Donate’s last words at the end to try and convince America that a network television company represented by Mickey Mouse is not lighting people on fire for others to solve how and only win a quarter of a million dollars by doing so?

That is all for this week. Let me know who you think the killer is and how Adrianne died either in the comments or @eastwoodmcfly. Until next Sunday have a killer week!