Here’s what Joe is looking forward to over the next seven days on the small screen [PLEASE NOTE: The next edition of Read Before Watching has been delayed until Saturday, February 7th]:
Lost has returned and how. Back for a fifth season, the creators have really turned things sideways just in the first two episodes. I like that the flashbacks are about the people on the island jumping around in time and the flash forwards are about the “Oceanic Six” (plus Ben) off the island and trying to get back. The two-part season premiere had a large amount of geeky moments, including the return of several characters, some dead and some…mysterious. Now that there are only a set number of episodes left in the run of the series it appears that the cast and crew are taking care to make every moment on screen count. According to the lucky sods that have been able to view episode 5.03 in advance, this one will increase the involuntary jaw-dropping. You have been warned. Lost airs Wednesdays at 9:00PM on ABC.
Heroes returns from the holiday break with the start of “Volume Four: Fugitives.” I know a lot of people greatly disliked “Volume Three: Villains”, but I will gladly go on record as saying that I really enjoyed it. They did some different things and shook up the characters a bit. We got to see where a lot of characters stand and what side of the whole good-bad thing they truly fall on, especially if they no longer had their powers. That’s not to say i thought it was perfect. I agree that the time travel element got overused. I also thought that everything was put back to where it was a little too tidily. I wish they would have kept Sylar on the redemptive path. But overall? I was entertained and looked forward to see each episode. The tease for “Volume Four” was pretty great. Michael Dorn is the President! I hope that wasn’t just a cameo and that he has a prominent role in the rest of the season. “Volume Four: Fugitives” starts with “Chapter One: A Clear and Present Danger” on Monday at 9:00PM on NBC.
Leading up to Heroes is one of the most consistently enjoyable shows on television, Chuck. There are easily half a dozen laugh-out-loud moments each episode and more geek references than you can shake a stick at (they have Comic Con posters in the background! And, Ben Lo Pan!). Adam Baldwin alone makes this must-see TV and the rest of the cast carries things along perfectly. I really can’t think of any missteps by this show and it will great to have it back after a long Winter break. The previous episode shook some things up and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. NBC is the station, Monday at 8:00PM is the time.
Honorable Mention: I haven’t forgotten about Battlestar Galactica, but, to be honest, I’m only really sticking with this show because there are only a baker’s half-dozen episodes left. The increasingly soul-crushing and relentlessly grim and dirty tone of this show is overwhelming at this point. Hell of a show, but it is definitely time to put the characters (and us) out of their misery. My question is, will we actually like any of the characters by the time it’s done? Fridays at 10:00PM on SCI FI.