Episode Review: Stargate SG-1: Window of Opportunity

To start this off, my knowledge of Stargate is about as much as is your knowledge of the office that I work in. That would mean nothing, but oddly surprisingly if you knew a little. And kind of creepy at the same time.

Anyway, last night I was encouraged to watched what I was told was one of the funniest episodes of Stargate: SG-1. It didn't disappoint. Right now I highly doubt I'll have the time to sit down and watch the entire series from start to finish (marathons like that are best reserved for the summer), but it's definitely something I will consider in the future after I've finished watching the seasons of Doctor Who.

Anyway, the episode was Window of Opporunity from the fourth season. Is it bad that I call this episode the "Trouble with Tribbles" of Stargate? Basically it was that, but something completely different. It involved a time loop that two of the main characters get caught in, re-living the same six hours over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Over and....

Yeah, if I were them I'd have gotten serious cabin fever on about the fifth loop.

Anyway, it was a great and funny episode that actually had a really important lesson at the end. However much we may want to be able to relive the important moments of our lives over and over again, in the end they'll just hurt us more, having to relive something that isn't meant to be.

When you think about it, that's extremely deep. Something that few television shows have ever been able to communicate properly. And this episode did show in an extremely comedic (see image), but also an effective way. Also, if I were the main character I'd never eat Fruit Loops again.

Taking a Look Back: Doctor Who Season 1

It took me seven years to finally see what this whole craze is about. Actually, I was firmly resisting the suggestions of many people in my life saying that I had to watch Doctor Who. I usually used the normal excuses: not enough time, too many TV shows I already watched...the norm. And then last week happened.

I sat down with two of my friends and watched an episode from season six. One of my main reasons for not watching the show was that I hate, hate, hate how British cinematography looks. To my surprise, it didn't look British at all and it was nowhere near as corny as it usually looks. Was I hooked? No. Was I intrigued? More than I expected to be.

Over the past week I've nestled myself into my bed and watched endless hours of Netflix. There were episodes I liked. There were episodes that I was laughing because of how much I couldn't take it serious. Overall though, very decent television. I will definitely tune in for season 2. (Once again on Netflix.)

My favorite episode by far was The Doctor Dances. The line that the Doctor delivers at the end. "Not today! Today, everyone wins!" almost brought tears to my eyes. Christopher Eccelston is a fabulous actor. It's sad that he only was on the show for one season, but I'm sure I'll come to love David Tennant in the same way. But there was a suave, cocky, arrogant fashion in Eccleston that I came to like a lot.

When I met the first Dalek I was also impressed. Such a great idea -- the last of the Doctor's nemesis and he was able to mature and really come to give it a second chance. Truly great creatures. And I hoped that would also be the last we saw of the Daleks. Sadly, it looks like we'll have them around for a while. One, I could handle. Millions? For me, that was overkill.

Billie Piper pleasantly surprised me as the season went on. She started out an annoying brat that I really hoped wouldn't last more than one season. She quickly evolved into a brave, reliable woman that the Doctor knew he could trust. Also, her acting improved immensely. And if you've seen her teenage pop videos from the early 90s, you know there was serious work to be done.

I'd suggest anyone check it out if you like sci-fi and have some time on your hands.

Ten Shows to Watch in the Fall

I'm not convinced that these will be my favorite 10 news shows out of the fall. In fact, I already know there are a couple on this list that I won't be interested in at all. However, these are the shows that most people should keep an eye out for as they will more than likely be widely discussed and should be the cream of the crop.

#10: Super Fun Night (ABC)

A lot of people disagree with me, but ABC just can't do comedy anymore. I'm not a huge fan of the Modern Family and the only decent comedy they've had in past years was Cougar Town (now on cable). Super Fun Night will be their new comedy to do well, but only because of the main actress, Rebel Wilson.

Wilson has recently made a rather large name for herself in Pitch Perfect and if there ever was a time for her to break onto the TV platform, now is the time. This show is perfect for her, but I feel that after a couple of seasons it'll get old rather quickly.

The show is based on three young friends who for the past 13 years have put aside their Friday nights as "Friday Fun Night". However, in the trailer it looks nothing like a "fun night". After Kimmie Boubier (Wilson) meets an attractive attorney she decides for herself and convinces her friends that's it's time to switch things up.

Wilson combined her creative talents with Conan O'Brien to create the series, so if nothing else, this apparently overdone comedy will have big names attached to it in order to keep it alive.

#9: Rake (FOX)

When I heard about this show I was very, very excited. It was described to me as the new House on FOX, a show that has really never been replaced. But instead of a cranky doctor this time around, we get an inglorious, rule-breaking defense lawyer. It sounded spectacular. And then I saw the trailer.

This wasn't at all what I expected. The trailer mostly focuses on Rake's obsession with gambling and women. And then he takes on the case of a man who confesses to cannibalism, yet not murder. I can see the grounds behind what Rake is trying to do, but it seems a little over the top. And from what I've seen, lead actor Greg Kinnear has definitely done better in the past.

The show appears that it will have everyone facing off against Rake in all aspects of his life. This includes an ex-wife, court officials, a somewhat friendly bookie that he owes money too and the IRS. In the end, I don't know how Rake will make it through all of this.

One potential bright point in the series is Miranda Otto. But we'll have to wait and see what she offers.

#8: We Are Men (CBS)

This show has me intrigued just because it's a comedy on CBS that needs a new slow in their Monday night comedy line-up with How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men both coming to conclusions in the coming years. We Are Men is the most likely to succeed solely due to its star power behind Kal Penn and Tony Shaloub, who has been very absent from television since the conclusion to Monk.

However both Penn and Shaloub are not the main character in the series. That belongs to the little-known Chris Smith who portrays the youngest in a group of men who have been abandoned by women in the past.

The show begins with Carter (Smith) being left at the altar (literally, she's at the altar and then leaves with her ex-boyfriend). While coping with what's happened to his life he moves into a short-term rental complex with three older divorced men. The three take him in and begin to give him advice on life.

I'm sure this show will have its moments, but I'm unsure about how they see it going forward. I don't see more than three or four seasons for this comedy.

#7: Hostages (CBS)

By the end of this article you'll see this paragraph a few times, just changed up with different words. This show has a great premise. It looks like great acting. I'm sure it will be done well. It would just work much better as a movie. The plot won't last long enough for a television series. (See: Flashforward)

The entire premise of the movie is that a doctor who takes her job very seriously is preparing to perform an important surgery on the President of the United States. On the eve before the surgery her home is broken into by a rouge FBI agent and his crew. They take her family hostage and tell her that the surgery on the President will go wrong or her family will die.

In the trailer it's revealed that she finds a way to postpone the surgery by thinning the President's blood, but that's only for two weeks. Out of that I see three to four episodes, not an entire season, let alone multiple seasons. I don't doubt what we see though will be good.

#6: Sleepy Hollow (FOX)

I'm intrigued in this show purely because of its originality. Recently we've seen a lot of "re-tellings" on television, namely Once Upon a Time, but this show looks like it'll be pleasantly different.

The show bases itself upon the 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. After about 200 years of being asleep Ichabod Crane awakes to find himself in a modern world he understands little about (similar to Captain America in The Avengers -- there's even a subtle reference to this in the trailer). The catch? The headless horseman has also been re-awakened and seems to be even more bloodthirsty than  we've ever imagined him to be. 

Apparently back in his day Crane was working for General George Washington and he plans on continuing that by searching for clues that were left for him, similar to what we see in National Treasure. This show should be a good surprise for all of us looking for something different. And if not, at least we get to see John Cho in something else.

#5: Ironside (NBC)

It's been a while since we've seen a successful remake hit television, but I feel like this one will break that spell. While no one will be able to replace Raymond Burr's incarnation of a wheelchair-bound detective from the 60s and 70s, this modern-day spin of the story looks like it won't disappoint.

Two years after being shot on duty, police officer Robert Ironside is still hard at work, but contained (for the most part) to the wheelchair he uses to get around. However, his feisty attitude and apparent lack of caring how the system works make him an interesting individual.

Typically I'm not impressed by what NBC has to offer, but this year's line-up for them looks good. You'll see farther down that I'm looking forward to what may be the best new show of the year.

#4: Intelligence (CBS)

How excited am I that Josh Holloway and Meghan Ory will be working together on a new show? Pretty dang excited. I just don't know exactly how to show everyone how much, but I'm expecting great things from this show. Year in and year out CBS produces about one show that blows me out of the water. Last year, it was Elementary. The year before, Person of Interest. It's also given us How I Met Your Mother, Criminal Minds and The Mentalist, among other stellar shows. Even though I expect NBC and FOX to play a little catch-up in 2013 and 2014, this show should keep CBS on top.

The series is the story of an intelligence operative who has a chip implanted into his brain, the first operative of his kind. This allows him to re-construct crime scenes, identify people on sight without previously knowing them and just being awesome in all accounts.

CBS has a lot of potential will this show and has a very well-rounded cast for it as well. There is no reason why this show should flop.

#3: Almost Human (FOX)

Even though this show looks like it was created after multiple viewings of Robocop, it's time for another good science-fiction show brought to us on FOX by J.J. Abrams. Sadly, Fringe didn't end in the fashion most fans expected it to, bowing out early with a shortened and poorly written final season. Almost Human should make up for that though, bringing a quick-paced buddy cop drama to television again.

The talents of Karl Urban haven't been on television yet, but this may be the best way for him to command a role like we've never seen before. Urban portrays a cop who isn't happy with robotic cops being paired with human cops in standard law enforcement. However, his companion isn't like the others.

His robotic partner feels more like a human, but maintains his robotic personality, being abrupt, to the point and intelligent beyond all belief. The pairing seems so unnatural, yet natural in the trailer and should leave anyone watching it wanting more.

FOX has great potential with this upcoming show.

#2: The Blacklist (NBC)

Even though I have this show listed as number two, this is the show I am most excited for in the Fall. And it's on NBC. Looks like my days of ragging of the network are over. While it may in short seem like a different take on USA's White Collar, we have to remember that this has worked very well in the past. (See: The Mentalist)

Many of the actors may not appear to be mainstream actors that are well known but after viewing the trailer there is no doubt that they all known what they are doing and that they were very well casted. Lines seem natural and smooth, leading to a very collected delivery on all parts.

Raymond Reddington (portrayed by James Spader), also known as "Red" is on the FBI's most wanted list when he walks in and surrenders for reasons unknown to anyone but him. He is adamant that he wants to help, but will only speak with one person: a barely known FBI profiler on her first day on the job, Elizabeth Keen (portrayed by Megan Boone). He seems to believe there is something special in her that even she doesn't see. After bringing down the first man he tells the FBI about he reveals to them that over the past twenty years he has been creating a list of the most deadly and dangerous men that need to be brought down. He calls the list "The Blacklist".

This show appears to be the new hit of the Fall and shouldn't disappoint at all. If I had to call one show a "Must See", this would be it.

#1: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

You knew it would be on the list, it was only a matter of where. This show is already a hit and I don't doubt it will be far into the first season when it gets renewed for a second. The country is amid a huge super-hero craze and Joss Whedon (director of The Avengers) has found a way to whet America's appetite on a weekly basis with Agents of SHIELD.

Set in the aftermath of The Avengers the show brings to light more about the government organization that brought together our favorite super heroes in May of 2012. And it brings back fan favorite Clark Gregg.

Agent Phil Coulsen (Clark Gregg), presumed dead by most after The Avengers is revealed to be alive and still running a special sector of SHIELD. During the show he brings together another special team who will handle a slew of special new cases.

It was only a matter of time before we got this show and it looks like it will deliver in every aspect we expect it to. Agents of SHIELD should be on the air for many years to come.