Sunday, June 26, 2011

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

AUS Television: Rake Returning for Season Two

In what is excellent news for me and every other Rake fan on the planet, ABC1 has confirmed a second season of the series has been commissioned.  Production will begin in late 2011.

In May, Rake star Richard Roxburgh won a Logie for Most Outstanding Actor for his work in the series.  Congratulations, Richard on the well-deserved win!

For more information:
Official ABC1 Site:
  http://www.abc.net.au/tv/rake/
The Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587000/
TV Rage:  http://tvrage.com/shows/id-26845

AUS Television: Offspring Returning for Season Three

The Ten Network recently announced that Offspring, the Australian drama starring Asher Keddie, Kat Stewart and Deborah Mailman has been picked up for a third season.  The show has consistently delivered strong ratings especially in the much desired 18-49 demographic.

Production on the third season will begin later this year.

You can read more on this exciting news either at Encore Magazine or Digital Spy:

Encore Magazine:  http://www.encoremagazine.com.au/offspring-announces-third-series-8834
Digital Spy:  http://www.digitalspy.com/australian-tv/news/a323942/offspring-to-return-for-third-season.html

Offspring airs Mondays at 8:30 p.m. on Ten Network.
Official Site:  http://ten.com.au/offspring.htm
The Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1530541/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-25992

US Television, White Collar, Episode 3.1 "On Guard"

White Collar
Season Three, Episode One, On Guard
Original Air Date:  June 15, 2011


Peter is convinced Neal had something to do with the explosion at the warehouse and the theft of the art even though Neal maintains his innocence.  Mozzie admits to Neal how he managed to take the art and he and Neal plan their getaway.  Meanwhile, Peter and Neal work on a new case where a man believed to have stolen $60 million from the Federal Reserve wants one of Neal's old aliases to help him smuggle the money out of the country.

Neal, Mozzie and David Lawrence (Neil Jackson) are boarding a small plane as the FBI closes in on them.  Mozzie starts the plane and begins to take off and warns they won't make it but Neal tells him they must.

Four days earlier, Jones gives Neal a polygraph test as Peter wants to know the truth about whether Neal stole Adler's Nazi treasure from the warehouse.  Neal passes the questions but Peter intends to keep him there until he's satisfied.  Neal later goes to see Sara and tells her Peter might ask her some questions about the art.  She asks if he took the art and he tells her he didn't.  As he's leaving, she asks if the art is out there if he knows who has it and he doesn't answer.

AUS Television: Offspring, Episode 2.6

Offspring
Series Two, Episode Six
Original Air Date:  June 13, 2011


Jimmy and Tammy are going ahead with their plans to get married and Nina rallies the Proudman family together to be supportive of Jimmy.  However, things don't go exactly as planned and Jimmy receives some distressing news.  Billie, Mick and Andrew go forward with their plans.

Nina is elected to call Jimmy.  She leaves a message for him saying they want to work things out and asking him not to cut the family off.  Mick doesn't want to get involved in the situation with Jimmy, something Geraldine and Billie doesn't understand.

Nina enters a room of the hospital to find Patrick holding a towel to his bleeding face.  As she is tending to his injury, she asks how he got it and when he doesn't answer asks if it has something to do with his sister's situation.  They bicker lightly about their personality traits.

AUS Television: Offspring, Episode 2.5

Offspring
Series Two, Episode Five
Original Air Date:  June 6, 2011


Nina must deal with the situation with Fraser King but doesn't know how to go about it.  Billie and Mick have dinner with Andrew and the evening ends in disaster.  Jimmy learns how his entire family feels about Tammy and vows to marry her despite how they feel because he loves her.  Nina must make a decision about her relationship with Fraser.

Nina worries over Fraser's mistake and wonders if she's putting her feelings for him ahead of their professional relationship.  She sits in her car at work wondering how she will work through the situation when Patrick surprises her.  He asks about Fraser and she tells him she tried calling him three times last night as she would any student.  He asks if she wants him to take care of it but she says it's her responsibility.  When she arrives at the nurses desk, Cherie and Kim are talking about how excited they are about the Fundraising Ball.  Zara walks up and asks if Fraser is there yet.  As Patrick walks past, Zara asks if he will be coming to the Fundraising Ball and he replies he doesn't want to miss the drama and debauchery they'll be talking about tomorrow.  Clegg asks Nina for a word in his office.  He tells her they need to determine if Dr. King has what it takes to be a surgeon.  If he has Nina's confidence, he has Clegg's.

AUS Television: Offspring, Episode 2.4

Offspring
Series Two, Episode Four
Original Air Date:  May 30, 2011


Nina struggles with how she will work with Patrick but soon learns there is more to his situation than meets the eye.  Fraser makes a mistake at work that could prove fatal for a patient.  Billie awakens to find Mick isn't home and is worried about him.  Mick's brother Andrew comes back into his, and Billie's life.  Tammy makes things clear to Nina that whether the Proudman's like her or not, she's there to stay.

Nina is struggling with how she will be able to work with Patrick knowing he abuses his wife.  At work, Fraser tells Nina he wants to be with her when she speaks to Clegg about Patrick.  Nina goes to see Clegg alone and meets Patrick coming out of his office.  Once alone with Clegg, she informs him she and the other staff suspect Patrick of violence toward his wife, something Clegg insists didn't happen as Kate wasn't Patrick's wife, she is his sister and he's doing everything he can to get her away from her abuser.  Fraser and Kim get in Patrick's way in the hall as Nina and Clegg round the corner.  They call the two down and Clegg takes Patrick back to his office while Nina takes Kim, Zara and Fraser aside to tell them they were wrong about Patrick.  Jolene, a woman who has had four children at St. Francis, and is in for baby #5 has been admitted for delivery.  Patrick catches Nina and Fraser kissing in an empty room.  She and Fraser follow him and Nina apologizes for the previous misunderstanding.  The conversation moves from an easily accepted apology to Patrick feeling they are blaming him for the misunderstanding even thought they are just trying to understand the situation.

AUS Television: Offspring, Episode 2.3

Offspring
Series Two, Episode Three
Original Air Date:  May 23, 2011


Nina makes a decision about her relationship with Fraser King.  Billie and Mick move forward in their quest to have a child together only to receive heartbreaking news.  Cherie and Sam's relationship ends.  Darcy and Geraldine come to a decision about getting re-married.  Jimmy makes an announcement to his family.

Nina has a sex dream about Fraser King causing her to vow that she will nip the situation between the two of them in the bud because "she's a professional woman".  At work, they see the abusive husband Fraser had a run-in with previously with Dr. Clegg and wonder if his wife has been re-admitted or filed a complaint.  She talks to him about the kiss telling him she doesn't think it can happen again and that she did enjoy it and find him attractive and under different circumstances things could be different.  She explains she is in a position of responsibility and it is about priorities and timing.  He assures her he would never take advantage of his personal feelings for her in a professional context.  Later, while looking at an ultrasound, Nina tells Fraser she might have over thought the situation between them and suggests if they set a few boundaries they could go out for a drink or meal.  He starts to kiss her and she stops him saying it would be a date with boundaries.  She and Fraser have a quiet dinner together that leads to them going back to her apartment for a night together.  As Nina is enjoying the sight of a naked Fraser in her kitchen, Tammy and Jimmy, both naked, come downstairs.  Nina stands in front of Fraser and makes the introductions before they go back to her bedroom.  At work, Nina feels somewhat awkward with Fraser and he tells her he'll make sure it will stay just between them if that's what she wants.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

US Television: Breakout Kings, Episode 1.13, "Where in the World is Carmen Vega?"

Breakout Kings
Season One, Episode Thirteen, Where in the World is Carmen Vega?
Original Air Date:  May 30, 2011


When cold-blooded killer and drug runner Carmen Vega escapes from prison while at her eldest sons funeral the team is called into action.  The case becomes personal when Carmen Vega has Shea's girlfriend, Vanessa, kidnapped and threatens to kill her unless Shea sees to it Carmen is allowed to escape.  Vanessa's abduction, and the possibility that someone from the Marshall's service leaked info on the cons to Vega causes Erica and Lloyd to contemplate running.

At Edgecombe Female Penitentiary in New York, New York, the women are in the showers and one, Carmen Vega (Lauren Velez) is joking with the others about a man she knew on the outside.  A guard tells Carmen the warden wants to see her but Carmen says she needs to shower and the warden can wait.  The guard informs Carmen her son was found in a dumpster with a bullet in his brain.  The warden gives Carmen his deepest condolences but he cannot allow her to attend the funeral.  The warden mentions her drug trade and Carmen insists it was her husbands business and her son, Sebastian, was drawn into it just as she was only she was fortunate enough to get into prison where she could get a second chance.  As the guard is dragging her from the office she begs and pleads with the warden that she must see her son and hold his hand one last time before he's buried.

Music: Pause by Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo

Music posts aren't something I do often but some songs are so amazing you must say something about them.  Every once in a while a television series comes along that has a theme song you can't get out of your head or stop listening to.  And I'm not talking about Gilligan's Island, here.  I'm talking about shows that use actual songs for the theme such as Republic of Doyle (Oh Yeah by Great Big Sea), The Good Guys (Slink:  A Hymn by Locksley), Hung (I'll Be Your Man by the Black Keys) and the Australian one-season drama Cops L.A.C. (Howlin' For You by the Black Keys).

The new British drama, The Shadow Line is another of those shows.  It uses Pause by Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo.  An amazing way to start an amazing show.

Recommendation of the Month: The Shadow Line

I love British television and I love a good drama.  When you put the two together you, more often than not, have the perfect series.  The Shadow Line is no exception to that.The series was created, written and directed by Hugo Blick and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Eccleston, Rafe Spall and Stephen Rea.  It follows the investigation into the murder of Harvey Wratten over the course of a seven episode run.

The Shadow Line is anything but just another run-of-the-mill cop drama.  When Harvey Wratten is murdered just hours after receiving a Royal pardon along with his nephew, Jay, the investigation begins.  However, it isn't just the police wanting to know who murdered Harvey.  His nephew, Jay Wratten (Rafe Spall) wants to know as well and conducts his own investigation in his own way.  This also isn't a buddy cop drama in the least.  DI Gabriel (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and DS Lia Honey (Kierston Wareing) don't spend thier evenings laughing and chatting at the pub.  There is real tension between them at times.  They work together for the good of the case but she isn't afraid to question him and has seen at least one of DI Gabriel's secrets with her own eyes.  DI Gabriel was involved in a shooting where he was shot in the head and his partner was killed.  He has amnesia related to the shooting but not everyone believes his claim of remembering nothing is legitimate.  Even DI Gabriel knows everything isn't as it appears when he finds a briefcase full of money in his closet.