A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Classic Doctor Who: "Sunmakers" Parts 1 & 2 - Ah yes. I have seen this one before, but it's still an interesting tale of taxes, drugs, and rebellion.
• Chefography: "Rachel Ray" - I didn't mean to watch this, but I caught it anyway and enjoyed it. I think the main issue folks have with Rachel is her oversaturation. Watching the bio, I see how she managed to get all over the place. I think she ought to slow down before she explodes or something.
• Iron Chef America: "Flay vs Rios" - One of my favorite ingredients, and my least favorite Iron Chef.
• Have I Got News For You: "Jack Dee, Peter Serafinowicz and Bob Marshall-Andrews" - This is one of the funniest shows on TV... unfortunately, there's no American version (and if there was, it would be dumbed down, I bet).
• Supernanny: "Schrage Family" - The sleeping habits of that family are beyond belief... I'm surprised the parents didn't fix that themselves out of sheer frustration years earlier.
• Ghost Hunters: "Spirits of the Old West" - Good old gory stories in this one, and not much else.
• Dinner: Impossible: "Brewhouse Bites" - I don't drink beer, and it smells like rotting feet to me, so this episode is utterly unappetizing. Perhaps I should watch it when I'm having trouble keeping my calorie level low.
• Ace of Cakes: "Skate, Rattle and Roll" - Best dream sequence ever! Duff looks good as a wish-granting fairy.
• Smallville: "Sleeper" - Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen. Halfway amusing, totally cringeworthy.
• Star Trek New Voyages/Phase II: "To Serve All My Days" - Chekov talks to himself very nicely. But the ending... that was NOT what I was expecting. For the record, we have now seen all released episodes of New Voyages/Phase II (we saw "World Enough and Time" back in March when we heard it was nominated for a Hugo).
• Doctor Who: "The Sontaran Stratagem" - I kept thinking, "Why are they adding another plotline? How can they wrap this one up?" I'd forgotten it was a two-parter. I like Donna even more now.

Comics this week:

• Countdown 1 - Um. Ok.
• Checkmate #25 - I expected the ending, but there was enough misdirection that I wasn't sure of it.
• Justice League of America #20 - It's a Flash story, with a little bit of a fight. Not bad.
• Batman #675 - I actually liked this one, despite some dodgy moments with the artwork.
• Super Friends #2 - This book is great. I love it. Aquaman is wonderful, full of confidence and a great sense of humor. "'Bye, Icky." I'm still grinning.
• Spirit #16 - I love how the gossip leads the investigation.
• Northlanders #5 - Flashback issue! Sven's path is pretty clear now.
• Witchblade #117 - I'm supposed to know who the guy at the end is, right?
• Fallen Angel #26 - Slightly disjointed, especially toward the end. I'm not really sure what happened, although I understand all the individual pieces.
• Star Trek: New Frontier #2 - I tried to read it. But without having read the books, it makes no sense whatsoever. I give up.

This week's library movie was Unaccompanied Minors. We have to watch a stupid movie every once in awhile, and this one was reported to have an Aquaman connection. Sure enough, we got an Aquaman action figure ten minutes in. Lewis Black makes a really good villain, and a halfway decent Santa. And the Aquaman action figure has a role in the plot beyond just being Beef's friend. Overall, this was not a bad way to waste 90 minutes. Maybe I'll get a copy of this one for my Aquaman collection someday.

My library book this week was Jack of Fables Vol. 2: Jack of Hearts. There's really not a lot to say about this one. It's ... Jack. If you have read enough Fables, you understand this guy, if not, you don't. I think I'll continue to read these in trade. The next one is out this summer, so I may wait awhile before it hits the library.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews