3 Show Review: Rome, Prison Break, Reunion

Ok, guess it is time to start talking about some of the new shows that have started to air... granted I know that these come a little too late as if you haven't watched them already it is probably too late to start... but when has that stopped me.

One common thread with these 3 particular shows is I don't know how they will survive beyond this season... not that I think anything is wrong with it, it is not like I would not watch a show just because I knew it would only be around for one season.

Rome - We have managed to keep current on this new HBO 12-part series, we just finished watching episode three over the weekend.  Now while I know this show could go on for some time (and currently in my sidebar you will see it has been "renewed" for a second season), we all know how it ultimately ends... or at least will end for Julius Caesar.. and if we are going to watch this series, we certainly do want to get to that point... so I have a sneaking suspicion that the powers-that-be knew to stretch the story out a bit so that the big "Et tu Brute" moment does not happen too soon (or in this first season).

Anyhow, I relate watching Rome to reading a classic piece of literature... you know it is good... but honestly I am not finding it terribly high on entertainment value.  With its large cast, it is a bit convoluted... so keeping the stories and all the people straight can be somewhat of a challenge.  But thankfully we have Polly Walker who plays Atia, the niece of Julius Caesar (pictured) to keep things interesting... the website describes Atia as "snobbish, willful, and cunning... sexually voracious and totally amoral"... so needless to say, particularly for a gay man, that is pretty much a "you had me at hello" character.

So while the battles and the struggle to capture the political power in Rome is at the forefront of the story... I find myself more intrigued with the illegitimate babies and who is sleeping with who... and believe me, there is a lot of sex going on in the ancient city!

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Next up, jumping a couple thousand years into the future... we have the Fox series Prison Break where we have a guy breaking in prison to break out his brother who is on wrongfully on death row for murdering the brother of the Vice President of the United States.  Got that?  We are a little TiVo back-logged on this one... but we just finished the double episode premiere (so still two episodes behind).  And I guess it is fairly obvious the reasons why I wonder how this show would get to a second season.

Anyhow, this show is kind of 24-esque with the thrilling/shocking cliffhanger type endings... as well as plenty of "how is he going to get out this one?" type scenarios along the way.  Thus far, I don't think it is as well executed as 24... and the acting is a bit more stilted than CTU and crew (which is really saying something).  But is is still intriguing... and we do have some eye candy here in the lead character, Michael Scofield played by Wentworth Miller (pictured)... that is, if you can get over all the tattoos... ick!

Continuing my 24 comparison, in PB you must suspend all common sense and just go along for the ride... so stop wondering how the Scofield got into the same exact prison as his brother which he coincidentally enough has blueprints on... and that apparently thus far, that no one is aware that the two are even brothers (they have different last names)... guess the prison warden is too concerned about his popsicle stick re-creation of the Taj Mahal.

Finally, I am not terribly fond of the prison genre (never watched HBO's Oz for that very reason)... so still holding out on this one for a bit longer...

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And to end the triad of initial reviews, last night we watched last week's series premiere of Reunion (also on Fox, this may be a record... don't think I have ever watched so many shows on Fox).  This one is the story of 6 friends... 1 of them is murdered by the other... but the hook is some time traveling.  Part of the action takes place in the current day as the murder is investigated (by none other than Mathew "Keith" St. Patrick from Six Feet Under)... but each episode will cover the significant events in a different year in the characters lives over a 20 year period... so in the first episode, we flashback to their high school graduation in the summer of 1986.  Next ep, will be 1987... and so on...

Again, not too difficult to wonder how this show will get to a second season... once the victim and murderer are revealed.  But anyhow, this is a show that will definitely be a guilty pleasure... there will be no Emmy nominations coming out of this show... but that said, unlike the other two show... it is just fun and fluffy.  The young cast is attractive (the pictured Will Estes is the one who caught our eye)... and so this show does have an appeal to both The O.C. crowd (the show that opens Fox Thursday nights) and folks around my age.  There is definitely a nostalgic quality about the show... with the characters graduating high school in 1986... they are pretty much my age in the current day (I graduated in 1985). 

The show is using a lot of music to set the tone of the year... so that is a lot of fun as well.  So Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach," Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart," and Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings" among many other 80's "classics" were heard in the first episode.  The show even had the balls to use Simple Mind's "Don't You Forget About Me" to open the show... which was a not so sly reference to the high-school classic movie of the day, The Breakfast Club.  So right now, on a pure entertainment level... I enjoyed this one.

Comments

[Scott-O-Rama]

I'm not watching either Reunion or Rome. I TiVo'd the first episode of Rome, but never got around to watching it.

I'll agree that PB is a piece of fluff, but it's enjoyable fluff. I happened to like Oz though at times it was hard to watch.

[Meesh]

mmm... Will was oh so yummy on American Dreams...

[Kenneth]

Damn, I missed this but wanted to see it. It sounds fun! (I'm Bill of Bill & Jacqueline fame's brother, btw).

[tLM]

Totally agree with your Prison Break analysis. I'll give it a few more weeks too.

who was the murder in reunion does anyone know?

[thebizofknowledge]

I stumbled across your blog while I was in the process of doing some online research. I agree with you that Prison Break requires a major suspension of belief from its viewers; still, it's fun, suspenseful, and the characters are interesting.