Fresh Loaf

FILL 'ER UP: This mug ain't for coffee.

We left off last week down one U.S. senator, one paid assassin, and a whole lotta Jack’s cred. This week, Larry Moss was on site at Sen. Mayer’s house, “investigating” the politico’s murder and playing effortlessly into the bad guys’ hands. Moss truly is this season’s answer to the blindly bureaucratic impediment to progress (formerly held by such brown-nosers as Miles Papazian (Stephen Spinella) in previous seasons). Jack brings Tony up to speed on evildoers and bio-weapons and whatnot via cell, while Moss unleashes the sass on Chief of Staff Ethan Kanin, telling him he advised against allowing Jack to interrogate Burnett a second time. Ethan takes a second, takes a seat and takes his resignation to President Taylor. As Ethan justifies his resignation to the president, he explains his complicity in Bauer’s alleged killing spree. The president responds with, “It doesn’t make any sense!”

Hello??!!! Anyone listening? At least one of season seven’s one-dimensional characters was drawn with a slightly thicker Sharpie. Does this mean that they call off the hounds? Not so much.

Continue reading “‘24:’ Episode 15, 10-11 p.m.”

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NO SHIRT, NO SHOES: At your service

What if the Dharma years of “Lost” had its own spin-off? The U.S. version of “Life on Mars” may not have worked out, but the ’70s were so far out man why not try again, can you dig? This week’s episode felt so out of time and so far removed from where we’ve been the past few weeks (with the Last Days of Bentham and the O6 Reunion Tour), it was nice that the episode was still peppered with familiar tidbits from the future past: the sonic fence, Horace, Richard, Dharma Merlot.

Three years forward and 30 years back, the island has stopped skipping and those on it find themselves in the land of Dharma. As Faraday explains, “The record is spinning again, we’re just not on the song we want.” The Misfits (Sawyer, Juliet, Jin, the Ghost Whisperer Miles, Faraday) immediately cause trouble by offing two Hostiles in the midst of an afternoon picnic that ends up as a mini-massacre. Though James “I used to lie for a living” Sawyer/LaFleur schmoozes his way into Dharma’s good graces (and also Horace’s … remember him?), Richard comes back to ask about his lost men, assuming Horace and company have broken the truce. Sawyer, using his time-traveling knowledge of Locke and the Jughead, convinces Richard that he’s not his enemy … but also not his friend. One would think Richard would be a little more interested in these revelations, but as far as we know, all he wants is slain Dharma employee Paul’s body to do who knows what with. OK then.

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STEP RIGHT UP: To be continually disappointed

Twists! Turns! Shocks! Drama! Until this season, “The Bachelor” train had blissfully passed me by without note.  Sure I knew one or two girls who’d been on the show in the past, but not well enough to really care deeply about how it turned out. On a whim I flipped to the show a few months ago and — unfortunately for my pretentious television taste — never looked back.  The show’s high drama is addicting, and like the early rounds of “American Idol,” (another show I avoid) is full of crazies for the first few episodes. But what made this season of “The Bachelor” stand out was the Bachelor himself. Seattle resident Jason Mesnick may not be the most handsome or amazing guy in the world, but he’s divorced with a young son to whom he’s devoted, which gives the show a new and very genuine twist. The gimmick worked for ABC: The show’s drawn unexpectedly high ratings. As families in America become more complex, perhaps Mesnick’s situation resonated with viewers in a way that past boy-meets-girl romance shows have not.

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