It has become apparent that I no longer have the time or energy to post detailed reviews of my favorite scifi and fantasy tv shows such as Heroes, Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles, and Lost. I have taken up a new project with my brother that addresses another interest of mine, a Buffalo Sabres podcast, which is very fun, but time consuming. You can check that out at www.sabrecast.com if you are interested.

Nonetheless, I’m still interested in posting on this blog. As a result, I’ve decided to adopt a looser format. I’ll still post about my favorite tv shows, but not formal reviews. The subject matter will stay the same, but instead of a structured review system, the posts will be more of the random thoughts of Mike Spencer. That will take a lot of pressure off me, but also improve the quality of the blog, because I will be more likely to post on a regular basis.

Fan Boys is Back!

That being said, the Sci-Fi Channel posted on their web site today that Fan Boys, Kyle Newman’s comedy following a group of Star Wars fanatics, will actually receive a theater release after much turmoil and postponements. Check the new trailer below.

If you watched closely, then you may have noticed Kristen Bell (Heroes‘ Elle). Why they chose to hide the hottie, I don’t know. What I do know is that Kristen Bell supposedly sports Princess Leia’s metal bikini at some point in the movie. So if you were on the fence, I think your decision has just been made.

Well, this is where I usually talk about the last episode of Heroes, but what can I say about “I Am Become Death?” This episode is hard to explain. I thought it was entertaining and I liked it, but I’m not really sure what the hell actually happened. The strange this is…I’m not sure that I mind.

The majority of the episode took place four years in the future, where future Peter takes present Peter. In this future, the secret formula to special powers has gotten out and powers are now mainstream. As a result, crime and violence run rampant across the world. It seems that ultimately this abuse of power will lead to the destruction of the Earth. Future Peter tells present Peter that he must stop the two halves of the formula from coming together. In order to do that, he must gain Sylar’s power.

In this future we see Claire, the Haitian, Daphne, and one of those dudes from Level 5 all working together to take out Peter. Apparently he becomes some kind of terrorist in the future. Almost immediately Claire kills future Peter, but present Peter gets away.

Peter tracks down Sylar and things really get wacky. Peter finds Sylar in an apron making waffles for a toddler, apparently his son. Sylar now goes by Gabriel and has turned from his violent past. Sylar ultimately allows Peter to take his power, but Claire and crew crash the party. In the fray, Sylar’s son is killed and he goes nuclear, killing hundreds of thousands in Costa Verde.

Claire survives and captures Peter, wishing to see him pay for the deaths that she believes he caused. President Nathan Petrelli bails him out though and Peter skips back to the present, landing right in Sylar’s cell.

Apparently, this was all also seen in a vision by Matt Parkman. Also in present day, Tracey finds out that she is one of three girls infused with special abilities and makes out with Nathan; Hiro and Ando fight like a married couple and agree to Angela’s challenge to stop the formula coming together; and mohinder works furiously to find a cure for “Maya’s ability” or, more likely, his self inflicted curse.

Overall, the episode was pretty entertaining and I genuinely enjoyed it, but I can’t help but wonder, where is this show going? Season three so far seems to be all about turning things upside down. In some ways I like it, but in other ways I don’t. I don’t like future Peter. Future Claire makes me sad to see her so heartless. Future Sylar…I don’t know what to think. I also don’t like what they have done with Mohinder this season.

I do like Angela “Super Bitch” Petrelli. I also like Daphne; she’s fun and an appropriate nemisis for Hiro. And seeing Sylar and Mr. Bennet teamed up was amazing. I think this season, if nothing else, has done a good job to keep viewers guessing. There really is no way to know what will happen next and I really like that.

Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles proved yet again this week why I think it is the best show on television right now. After seeing the first season, I wasn’t sure the show would really develop the way I would like, but I was wrong. Not only does the show never lack in action, but it also has developed a compelling overarching plot that weaves its way through each episode. At the same time, each episode is also its own contained story.

This week’s episode, “Goodby to All That” was an excellent example of how the show has continued to evolve emotionally. The characters, that seemed somewhat wooden in the first season, have shown a wide range of emotional states leading to some rather compelling episodes like tonight’s. Each Cameron, John Conner’s personal Terminator bodyguard, has shown evidence of emotional development and, as much as it is completely counterintuitive, I really like it.

The fifth episode of the seaosn focused primarily on John, Sarah and Reese. Early on, the guys learn that a Terminator has been sent back to kill a teenager that will become one of John’s cohorts in the future. Like the orginal Terminator movie, the machine uses the phone book to systematically kill off all of the males in Los Angeles with same name as John’s friend Martin. The Terminator has already killed one of the three, so John and Reese set off the protect the real Martin, while Sarah and Cameron rescue the other Martin, who is just a child.

Sarah’s time with the child gives her a chance to reflect on her role as a mother. Meanwhile, Reese is forced to relive Martin’s actual death in the future as they ensare and destroy the Terminator at Martin’s military academy. The events of the episode force all of the characters to work through difficult situations and question their destinies.

One thing that I really liked was how they combined the scene of Sarah reading The Wizard of Oz and the battle with the Terminator. It worked really well and poetically symbolized their fight to save mankind. I also thought it was pretty cool that Agent Ellison finally, though inadvertently, discovered that Sarah is alive while investigating the events that went down at the power plant from a couple episodes ago. However, I can’t help but think that the writer’s have set Ellison up for a fall by putting him in the employment of a Terminator.

Overall, the fifth episode was fantastic. It has helped to prove what an original and compelling drama the show can be. But we need your help! The show has not received stellar ratings and is in danger of being pulled from Fox’s lineup. If you are a fan, now is the time to get your friends watching too.