An apology

Due to the onset of swollen glands, the need to prepare for POKE, work being slightly chaotic and my busyness in general, I have, as yet, been able to find the time to compose the 24 and Lost reviews this week, never mind thinking about watching Fringe or the three episodes of FlashForward that I have stashed away. I'm hoping I'll be able to write bits and pieces here and there but I fear I'm going to be playing catch-up for quite some time, given that gigging gets all crazy again as of this week. So, in an attempt to make up for the inevitable dearth, I'll give a few teasing comments on both shows.

24 shows a major, major improvement in the double bill. In fact, that's the most fun I've had watching the show this entire season, I think. Both episodes are well structured, have a strong dramatic focal point and, crucially, ramp up the tension without really deviating too much. There are still problems, most of which centre around DanaMole (is it truly necessary to basically just repeat the Nina story ad nauseum?) but for the most part, this is decidedly entertaining stuff. And with a neat ending too. Glad they went there.

'Happily Ever After' is a little underwhelming, in truth. This is probably due to the fact that we've been spoiled rotten by prior Desmond episodes; they're usually cutting edge, 'out-of-the-box' mindbenders, whereas this one's somewhat run-of-the-mill. Oh sure, it's his story that sees the sideways flashes used as an actual plot point in themselves but we have to wade through a fairly bog-standard chase narrative with Charlie to get there. It's good to see Dominic again but for the most part, his story is a bit... meh. The essential point of Desmond's alternate storyline is also just a basic retread of the motifs in 'Flashes Before Your Eyes' and 'The Constant': he has to find his way back to Penny. Yeah, they're soulmates. Their lives are intertwined. They're meant to be. We get it! And it's rather frustrating to see Lost teasing us with such glee at this late stage in the game; Ellouise's convenient skirting of the issues just makes you want to tear your hair out in frustration. There's a lot of good in the episode of course, particularly what we see on-Island, but I dunno... I guess I just expected better.

Hope that keeps anyone who's interested ticking over until I can catch myself up. Sorry again!