Ramblings from the Marginalized

One of my favorite genre's for T.V, movies and video games has to be post-apocalyptic. I'll even suffer my way through some really bad movies when they fall into this genre. Not everything in this genre is bad and once such excellent piece of work has to be the now canceled CBS show Jericho.

The series ran for one full season and then a second seven episode season was produced due to fan outcry. Without the support of some very dedicated fans that short second season would have never been made. Considering the way season one ends it would have been a crime not to have created a second season!

The plot of Jericho is simple to explain: A group of terrorists have set off a nuclear bomb in the nearby city of Denver. The residents of Jericho Kansas find this out when they see a mushroom cloud on the horizon. What they don't know (and we later find out) is that it was more than one bomb that went off.

The terrorist plot is gradually exposed to the viewer over the course of the series and by the time the second season ends we find out exactly what is going on. There is still room for the series to go on but for those who like their canceled shows to end without loose strings this show does just that. Even though I would have liked more episodes to air after the season two ending I feel satisfied by what was aired.

Along with the bomb plot we also get a look into how people and society change once the US government ceases to exist. Roving gangs take to the roads to waylay the weak. Those who have prey on those who have not. Some people will not even put aside politics for the common good.

All is not lost, some folks remain good even through the rough times. Take the Green family for example. Johnston Green has been mayor of the small town of Jericho for 25 years. His father was mayor before him yet his opponent Gray Anderson continues to try to score political points as the world falls apart around Jericho. In the end Gray takes advantage of this and defeats Johnston in a town election. It doesn't take long for Gray to realize that he is in no way prepared to be mayor in these trying times. When he finally realizes this and reaches out to Green for help the political grudges are forgotten and the two come together to help the town.

Most of the events of the show take place in Jericho proper or the outlying farms. When we hear about events outside of Jericho they tend to be told second hand rather than viewed directly. This leads us to wonder whether things are bad all over or just locally.

If you are looking for a Mad Max type show you are not going to find it here. Jericho is a more realistic look at the days and months after a nuclear attack rather than years later. The characters still believe that everything will be made right and that the government will return.

I don't want to say anything more about the show as that would risk spoiling things for those who have not yet seen it. All I can say is that Jericho is worth a rental or an online viewing.

Watch Jericho online
Get Jericho via NetFlix

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Last night I watched the season three finale on TV. Yes, I have the season three DVD box set (and seasons one and two) but i still watched it on TV. Why? Because they added show notes to the bottom of the screen and I was curious to see if they would reveal anything new.

I will admit right now that I was not happy when ABS decided to stretch the last 48 episodes of the show over three 16 episode seasons. I was even more upset after the writer's strike hit and I heard that this may end up being an eight episode season! If that does come to pass don't expect me to pay the price of a full season when this one hits DVD. I'll pay one third the price for an eight episode short season or two thirds for a 16 episode short season but not full price.

So, back to the subject at hand...

As I was watching Lost last night (that was a long wait) some of the old questions began to surface in my mind. A few possible answers also entered my mind and I'm going to share those thoughts now.

Who is Naomi?

After thinking this over for a few months and reading through the lines of Ben's dialogue I have come to the conclusion that Naomi is a member of the DHARMA Initiative. I think Ben is scared because he has been keeping DHARMA off the island since he caused the purge all those years ago. He thinks that when DHARMA comes back to the island they will round up and kill the Others as revenge for killing off the DHARMA members.

What is the Black Smoke Monster?

I think the Black Smoke Monster is the incorporeal form taken by the spirit of the island (Jacob) before it scans a person and generates a proper form to take.

Why was DHARMA still dropping supplies on the island for the Swan Hatch?

This one comes into partial conflict with the the Naomi question above. Why would DHARMA continue to make those supply runs if the island had been fully taken over by the Others? If DHARMA was still able to make supply drops why could they not send in more people to take back the island? I don't have an answer for this one just yet.

I am looking forward to watching this new season. I expect it to consist of the DHARMA folks off shore coming ashore and Locke becoming the new leader of the others. Ben will be captured right away (he's tied to a tree at the potential landing site) and Locke will make his way back to the Other's camp.

So, what does everyone else think?

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I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

I just finished watching the mid-season finale of Heroes. I'm not sure if it was better because it was a good episode or if it was better because the season finale of season one was so bad.

I did like Hiro's solution to the Adam Monroe problem and I am glad to see Sylar back as a villain. Other than that... Well... The show was pretty much crap.

I was hoping Veronica Mars Elle would screw up royally and get her butt kicked off of the show but no such luck. After showing up and letting Sylar get away Mohinder made the mistake of complimenting her. Good going Mohinder, now she'll be back for more episodes!!!

The one hero I really wanted to see eaten by Sylar died in a fire. Is that meant to be symbolic or something? Don't Internet geeks always say that when something is real bad it should "die in a fire"? I liked her character and I wanted to see how Sylar would deal with split personalities.

Sylar: "Why am I stuck in this mirror?"
Niki: "Where did my hot body go? Oh shit, I'm a dorky looking guy with bad hair!!!"

What was the deal with Peter destroying the vault door? Why did he not just walk right through it? When the three of them were in the vault (being monitored by cameras) did you not notice how they were planning to repeat the sins of their parents? Even going so far as to use Parkman to alter the minds of those around them so that they would believe?

Meh...

With a little bit of luck Sylar will consume some more heroes in season 2.2 and kick the show back into gear. Speaking of Sylar. When Elle said he got away why did no one turn to Molly and say, "quick, find Sylar before he heals himself!!!"

Anyone know when Lost starts back up again? I'm looking forward to how they took took two seasons worth of episodes (48) and broke it into three seasons (of 16 episodes each). I'm super curious as to how they plan to insert finales where finales should not be.

• Looking for Heroes on the web?
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I know the writer's strike is going on but what is the deal with Heroes last night? Was the script written on the eve of the strike? The previous episode was so good so why did it suck so bad last night?

For example, we heard Adam tell Peter that losing your head is the one thing you can not come back from. I'm going to take that to mean decapitation because we clearly saw Claire's blood bring Noah back from the dead after getting shot in the head. No to mention Adam's death back in Feudal Japan when the gun powder tent exploded.

Oh wait; did I also forget how Peter came back from his fatal "glass in the head" wound brought on by Sylar? What about Claire waking up in the morgue after having a wooden spike removed from her brain? I think it may be that the blood is the secret sauce that keeps those Heroes regenerating and that if one of them were to lose their head they would regenerate as soon as the head was stuck back on their neck. Unless their body was allowed to decompose to the point where there was no more blood that is.

Speaking of Sylar, I'm taking the "tick-tock" noise we hear to be an indicator that he has his powers back. He was likely being fed the same pills Peter was on and the drugs have now worn off.

Why has he not killed Maya yet? Well, he does not need to. I think Sylar may have learned that he can gain more by having other Heroes on his side rather than by just stealing their powers.

What about Micah's cousin? Didn't she watch that wrestling show (among other combat arts)? Why didn't she go all "superfly girl" on those guys when they caught her in the house? Not only that but why did she not leave the house the same way she got in, out the WINDOW!!!

All I can say is "meh, why did I stay up to watch this?"

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I had a feeling Hiro's time jump into the past might end up being the beginning of all of the trouble in the world and I was right. The only part I was wrong about has to do with thinking Hiro might end up being his own grandpa, guess the writers did not feel like going down that route.

So, what have we learned? For one thing we have learned that it sure sucks when your time traveling friend takes you to an alternate future and leaves you there! We also learned that even if you get blown to smithereens you can still regenerate! Well, that was not really much of a surprise as Peter being alive proved it earlier in the series.

Oh yeah, there will be a lot of spoilers in this post!

Matt's dad has now been contained and the beginning of the virus storyline is in full swing. We also know who Adam is and all I can say is that Claire and Peter have some very long lives ahead of them!

Sadly there were no real surprises in the episode all though next week looks to be a good show in that it will cover what happened between the end of season one and the beginning of season two.

So, what does everyone else think of the show last night?

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Last night's episode of Heroes was very interesting. Not only did we meet a few new characters but we also learned just how small the Heroes world is.

Mohinder was sent out on a mission to talk to a new hero and we find that it is a character we already know whose powers have only recently manifested. We found out who the nightmare man is. We know that somebody intended to retrieve Peter from the shipping container. Those points are important but they also open up new questions.

Let's look at Mohinder first. He was given an assignment to talk to a new hero. Wait a minute? How does the agency know when a new hero gains their powers? If they already have this ability why did they need Molly to find people? Why do they need to tag heroes at all?

What about Matt's dad? He is the nightmare man and able to kill with that power. I now believe that no one was on the roof with Hiro's father but that he was instead caught in a nightmare and jumped off the roof. Same thing with Mrs. Petrelli, when Mark broke into the holding cell there was no one else there; she was causing her own wounds! This leads me to believe that the nightmare man can reach across vast distances to implant thoughts, suggestions and nightmares.

What about Peter? Who is this new girl that is looking for him? Why was Peter shipped off to Ireland in the first place? Peter is practically Superman!!! No shipping container will hold him!

I can't help but feel that the second season of Heroes is a show in search of a plot. While in Season one we met the heroes and saved the world I do not know what the point of season two is, do you?

• Looking for Heroes on the web?
• Heroes: What happened?
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• Heroes is over
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It was a very long summer for me. All work and nothing worth watching on television. I even resorted to adding all sorts of strange videos to my NetFlix cue just to have something to watch.

The long drought is now over and I can finally get back into my TV viewing pattern. Heroes may not be the first show of a new season that I am watching but it is one of the most looked forward to on my list.

When last season ended we were left with a few big questions.

Season ender questions
• Why is Hiro back in Feudal Japan and what will happen to him?
• Sylar, I thought he was dead?
• Peter and Nathan, dead or alive?

Yeah I know there were a host of other questions but these are the main ones I was left with after last season ended.

Now that the first show has aired a few of these questions have been answered but not all.

We still do not know what happened to Sylar but we do know both Peter and Nathan survived Peter going nuclear. I think Nathan became a drunk because he feels guilty over Peter's death but... didn't he win an election? Shouldn't he be in D.C. now?

You might have missed it but in one scene Nathan looked at himself in a mirror and saw himself covered in radiation burns. I know Nathan can fly but how did he survive all that radiation with no after effects?

Claire is now going to school somewhere else but the school is just like all other high schools. She has a run in with some cheerleaders and a strange boy that is trying to get her to admit to being special. A boy that can fly! Is this another one of Nathan's kids?

As for Claire's dad. Both my wife and i silently cheered when he grabbed his annoying boss's finger and proceeded to lay the smack down on him! Woot for the office store workers!

Does anyone know why the symbol of the Kensai is so important in the story?

What about Hiro? It was a bit of a crushing blow when he found out his great Japanese hero was actually a man from England with no desire to be a hero. will Hiro persuade this man to become great or will Hiro don the armor and become the great Kensai himself? Will Hiro become his own grandfather so to speak?

What's up with Peter? He just appears inside an empty cargo container handcuffed to the wall? It looks like he has amnesia. I guess being blown to bits and frying up in a nuclear blast can have that sort of effect on people, it just does not explain why the superman of the show is so easily bound inside a cargo container.

What of those two coming up from South America? I have a feeling they have some sort of joint mutation where she becomes a killing machine when removed from the calming presence of her brother. We'll learn more about them as the series moves on.

Now we also know how the super secret hero society funds itself, they have a man who can turn anything into gold! Which begs one question, why the heck would they send him out on missions? Isn't he far to valuable to the cause to risk him getting killed somewhere?

What I did not like

It was a long summer and I was eagerly awaiting the return of Heroes. I am similarly awaiting the return of Lost but that will not be back until next year. So, after all this time and waiting what did I not like about the episode?

Content wise I think it was all good. By saying, "four months later" the writers were able to skim over what happened in the intervening time and possibly cover it again later. That is all well and good.

So what is my complaint? I watched it on TV and the product placement/sponsorship was over the top. Claire's father just happens to give her the same car being advertised during all of the commercial breaks? Not only that but they played the same commercial during all of the commercial breaks!

I started getting vertigo watching that commercial and had to take my glasses off while it was airing.

I understand TV producers looking for new ways to make money and fight the ad blockers and time shifters who fast forward through commercials but couldn't you be a bit more subtle?

Looking for an extra fix of Heroes? check out these Heroes Links.

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Wondering why I'm going off in the anime direction today? Think I might have lost it? Think I'm taking the blog off on another tangent like with the Pokemon? Fear not! what I am going to bring to your attention today is the awesomeness that is the anime series known as Cowboy Bebop.

Cowboy Bebop is among the greatest anime ever produced. It defined a new form of anime and is one of the best series to show to your friends to get them into anime.

The series originally ran from April 3, 1998 to April 23, 1999 in Japan and consists of 26 episodes or sessions as they called. It was also followed by a movie in 2001 that takes place after the events of the series but does not not require knowledge of the series to enjoy. (I watched the movie first).

editor's note: It takes place near the end of the series ep 22/23 area.

The soundtrack of Cowboy Bebop is heavily influenced by the jazz music of the 40's, 50's and 60's as well as the early rock era of the 50's, 60's and 70's.

Much like the TV series Firefly the science fiction of the show is only a backdrop to the interaction between the characters.

Plot

So, what is Cowboy Bebop all about? In the Bebop universe bounty hunters are called cowboys and the series begins with Spike and Jet on the starship Bebop. they travel the solar system in search of bounties. As the series progresses a few more main characters are added to the mix. Even though most episodes focus on a particular bounty that is not the focus of the show.

There is an over-plot that flows through the series and comes up in various episodes. This plot involves the past of all of the characters on the show. A DVD set was released a few years ago that only contains these "core" episodes and allows for a condensed watching of the series.

Characters

• Spike Spiegal is a freelance bounty hunter who is very good with a gun and a hand-to-hand martial arts expert. He is also an excellent pilot. Spike begins the show already on the Bebop as Jet's partner.
• Jet Black is a sort of father figure on the Bebop (which he owns). Even though he owns the ship he is far from in control of those he works with. He has the most balanced personality of all of the characters who reside on the Bebop and he can often be found tending to his bonsai garden.
• Faye Valentine is also a freelance bounty hunter but she did not become part of the crew until several episodes into the series. She is a hot head and a gambler and finds herself having to chase bounties (sometimes out from under Spike and Jet) to pay off her substantial debts.
• Ein is a Welsh Corgi who is also a "data dog". Though they never go into what exactly a data dog is we know that he is an extremely intelligent dog.
• Ed (Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV) is a strange young girl that serves as the hacker among the crew. The issue of her gender is often confusing as she acts like a boy but also like a girl. She is an extremely talented hacker and a bit of a mad genius. She often provides comic relief in the series.

The Bebop Universe

Cowboy Bebop takes place in the year 2071 in a solar system where Earth is no longer the center of human life. Due to a gate accident that occurred in the vicinity of Earth the Moon was cracked and debris now rains down on the Earth constantly. Because of this those who do live on Earth live underground.

Many of the other planets (and moons) in the solar system have been terraformed (to a degree) and humans now live al over the solar system. Interplanetary travel is facilitated by the existing gate system so that traveling between the planets does not take an inordinate amount of time.

Because the ISSP (Inter-Solar System Police) is not able to be everywhere the system of bounties has been brought back. Bounty hunters, or cowboys, earn the bounty by bringing back criminals alive and unharmed. A dead criminal is not worth anything.

Release Information

The series has been shown (and translated) in many countries around the world. It has aired in Japan, North America, South America and Europe. It is readily available as a box set of DVDs and you can get it from many video rental services.

Afterward

If you are interested in getting into anime and you enjoyed the series Firefly or film-noir series than you will likely enjoy this one two. There are scenes of sex and violence so this is not one for the kiddies. It is not something that can not be aired on television though as it was.

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