UPDATE

Let's stop and re-evaluate a bit, shall we? Some things have changed, and when that happens, it's nice to take stock of things. Here's a little Q & A to get you caught up.

Q: So, what's changed?

A: Well, for starters, I've just agreed to turn that weekly post at Niners Nation I wrote about earlier into a bi-weekly post. Starting this week, I'll have one post on Friday mornings previewing the weekend's games in the NFL, and another on Monday morning reviewing the weekend action. I'm excited about this opportunity to reach a larger audience, but it will of course mean I have to post a little less over here.

Q: What does that mean for this site?

A: Hopefully, not much. Of course, since both my Monday and Friday football columns will be running elsewhere, they won't be here -- that means no more "For Who? For What?" or "Theoretical Gambling" -- but I will still write short posts that day to at least link to those posts. I'm also going to still try to post once a weekday over here, it's just unlikely that those posts will include my thoughts on sports -- at least not until after football season. I may have the occasional post about a baseball acquisition (today, the Giants signed former Reds reliever Jeremy Affeldt, and I might write something about that shortly, for instance), or random rant about something which doesn't fit into my football pieces, but most of what you'll find here will be related to my personal life, the entertainment world, or both.

Q: Do you have a preview of what exactly is to come for this site?

A: I'm glad you asked that, made-up person. As soon as I'm done answering this question, I'm going to do a quick update on the TV shows I've reviewed up to this point, and in the coming weeks I plan to see several Oscar bait movies to review. I'll also be turning my attention to established TV shows. Up until this point, I've only been reviewing old shows, but I want to review the latest seasons of some of my favorite shows to take a look at how they rate against their previous work.

TV UPDATE

Before I get to updating my reviews, I want to update my Top 10 Shows On TV list, even though I just wrote it last week. After catching up on the last couple episodes of 'Dexter', I need to ammend those rankings to raise it up at least one slot, and maybe more. Right no, they are peaking, with the current storyline one of its most compelling. I'm shocked to be saying this, but Jimmy Smits is the best thing that's ever happened to that show.

In TV, things can also change quickly. When you review a movie, you don't have to worry that the movie might change after your review, turning you into a liar. TV shows, on the other hand, can start off shakily, then turn it around and become very good with a few key changes. Other shows can have a terrific pilot and back it up with a couple good shows before completely crapping the bed. Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to go back and revisit the TV reviews I've done so far, which can all be found here.

LIFE ON MARS: This was very recent, and I haven't seen another episode, so my CONSIDER grade still stands.

ELEVENTH HOUR: I've seen a couple more episodes of this, but not much has changed. Still CONSIDER.

MY OWN WORST ENEMY: After giving it a PASS, I've seen one more episode (against my will), and there's been no change. I wouldn't hold my breath on it either -- it's been cancelled by NBC.

THE LIFE & TIMES OF TIM: I gave this a HIGHLY RECOMMEND, but while the show is still pretty good, it's become a bit spottier. Because of this recent inconsistency, I'm lowering my grade slightly to RECOMMEND.

FRINGE: Things are looking up a bit for 'Fringe' recently, as the last few episodes have shown it to be finding its own voice a little better. As with a lot of shows, the increased airtime has allowed the characters to become more three-dimensional, and thus the interplay between them is more compelling. They've also had some really cool bits on fringe science of late. Because of this improvement, I'm going to bump by original CONSIDER grade up to RECOMMEND territory.

TRUE BLOOD: Since I gave 'True Blood' a RECOMMEND grade, the show has stalled out a bit. I still like it, but I can see how somehow might say the characters are stagnating a bit as they run over familiar territory. I was prepared to drop their current grade until I saw the last episode, which I thought was better than the last few. I'm going to keep the original grade for now.

THE MENTALIST: The steadiest show on this list. You could argue that's because it's a predictable CBS procedural, and that might have some truth to it, but I like it, so I'll praise its consistency. Still RECOMMEND.

TV Review: 'My Own Worst Enemy'

This is the part where I act like an authority on entertainment, and criticize the work of professionals who are, without exception, more successful than I in the industry in which we both work. Some people would say this is proof I have "balls", or "chutzpah" in Jewspeak. Others would say it's proof I'm a "douchebag". To catch up on any old reviews, you can find the link on the right hand side of the page, or just click here.

In ’My Own Worst Enemy’, Christian Slater plays two men –- a family man and super spy. That makes ’Enemy’ feel like two shows -– a family man drama and spy action thriller. That might be fun, except for one thing: Both shows are mediocre. And two mediocre shows do not equal one good one.

The concept could be solid: A man discovers he has two distinct personalities -– one a super spy, the other an ordinary husband and father from the suburbs. Not only has the government figured out a way to give him these personalities, they can switch it on and off whenever they want. Or at least, they can until it malfunctions early in the pilot episode, and begins to come and go at random times with very little warning (but just enough time for either personality to leave a quick video message to the other with vital information/instructions, conveniently enough).

But there's glaring flaw, and not a hard one to identify: Why? Why is it so vital to have a super spy who can double as a family man? If the agent half is so adept at a life of spying, why does he need such an elaborate cover, complete with a wife and kids who's lives are endangered simply by virtue of who their father really is? Is screwing with the lives of innocent women and children just so their agent will have a safe place to crash really the best way the government can come up with to disguise its agents?

The parts which do work – the plot keeps moving, it’s action-packed (though cheesey), and it has a pretty solid ensemble cast –- reminds of ’Prison Break’, only not as juicy. The general rule of thumb is, the cheesier the tone and the more over the top the acting, he further the line can be pushed. Over at the always adventurous FOX, shows like ’Prison Break’ and '24' maximize this rule. This should've been instructive to the minds behind the show -- especially when taking into consideration what '24' did for Slater's contemporary, Keifer Sutherland, when he was in need of a similar career resurgence/re-imagining. But at NBC, where vanilla meets cheese, the storylines don’t ever push the boundaries. That has damaged the milquetoast ’Heroes’, and it does the same to ’Enemy’.

While the entire cast, from Slater on down, seems to be on the same over-the-top page, the writers seem to be stuck in second gear in terms of plot-twists, curveballs, and juicy moments. In short, it’s not pleasurable enough to be a guilty pleasure. There are too many mundane family arguments -- like the wife of Henry, the accountant angry at him for spending $2,000 on a dress for his young daughter, when it was actually super spy Edward’s doing – and what action there is does not make up for the family banalities.

The writing staff (led by creator Jason Smilovich) may not shoulder the blame for the tameness of the show -- often the tone of a show has a lot to do with the studio producing it. Studio notes are mandatory if a show wants to be treated well -– given a good time slot, promoted well, shown patience if early ratings don’t take off. As mentioned earlier, NBC’s current management, doesn’t have a great track record for pushing the envelope, so it’s not very hard to connect the dots.

Slater’s performance is certainly good enough, but comes off badly because the show doesn’t match his intensity. Similarly out of place are Mike O’Malley, as Raymond, Edward’s super spy colleague/handler, and Alfre Woodard, as their superior, Mavis Heller. Only Henry’s wife, Angie, played by Madchen Amick feels the right tone for the show. But again, that says more about the show than it does the actors.

’My Own Worst Enemy’ has a chance to be a good show, but it isn’t yet, and there isn’t any indication the artistic direction behind the show is capable of the kind of change it needs.

Using the age-old Hollywood scale of judgment –- HIGHLY RECOMMEND/RECOMMEND/CONSIDER/PASS (circle one) -– I rate ’My Own Worst Enemy’:

PASS*

* Of course, this doesn't mean I won't have to watch it. My wife likes the show, and I don't have the heart to tell her how wrong she is, so I'll be watching it with her (probably while I'm doing something else -- like writing some future blog post).