Listen: Firewall & Iceberg Podcast No. 158
Dan and Alan talk 'The Hour,' 'Treme,' 'Revolution' and more
Happy Tuesday, Boys & Girls!
After taking last week off for Thanksgiving, we're back with another installment of The Firewall & Iceberg Podcast.
In this week's podcast, Sepinwall and I review the new season of BBC America's "The Hour," talk about the finale of "Treme" and the midseason finale of "Revolution" and discuss two weeks of "Homeland." We also answered a few pieces of Listener Mail. Oh and Alan talks a little bit about a certain new book you might have heard of.
Next week's podcast could be light, so feel free to send more mail and we'll get to some of it!
Here's today's breakdown:
Alan's Book (00:00:50 - 00:07:10)
"The Hour" (00:07:15 - 00:16:05)
Listener Mail - "Last Resort" cancellation (00:17:05 - 00:26:35)
Listener Mail - female TV stars in movie ensembles (00:27:00 - 00:30:35)
Listener Mail - Skippable "Cheers" seasons (00:30:35 - 00:32:30)
"Revolution" (00:32:50 - 00:43:05)
"Treme" (00:43:10 - 53:30)
"Homeland" (00:53:35 - 01:16:22)
As always, you can subscribe to The Firewall & Iceberg Podcast over at the iTunes Store, where you can also rate us and comment on us. [Or you can always follow our RSS Feed.]
And as always, feel free to e-mail us questions for the podcast.
A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupTJ
November 27, 2012 at 7:29PM EST Reply to CommentAubrey Plaza was fantastic in Safety Not Guaranteed. Not a big Hollywood movie, of course.
Rashida Jones in the Social Network.
Also Cobie Smulders and January Jones were... forgettable in superhero movies.
dan TJ - Going back to the first question about "Argo," the issue was less about TV actresses getting to act in movies and more about why that kind of TV "that guy" ensemble tended to be so male-dominated... Not sure I/we answered especially well, I fear...
November 27, 2012 at 7:31PM EST-Daniel
jake
November 27, 2012 at 7:30PM EST Reply to CommentYes, you can torrent books, but I looked before you put the Lost chapter up because I'm one of those terrible people who uses torrents to try things out (and for HBO) and in at least my modest searching abilities none of those sites have it yet.
Sareeta
November 27, 2012 at 7:54PM EST Reply to CommentGlad you guys devoted some time to Alan's book. Definitely planning on checking it out. Also, Dan's high praise of The Hour makes me want to catch up on season 1 now that season 2 is here. I enjoyed what I saw of season 1, just never got around to catching up.
mrbilliam Luckily, BBC America is running a marathon of it tomorrow afternoon, so quick set your DVR!
November 27, 2012 at 10:39PM ESTHeisenberg
November 27, 2012 at 8:58PM EST Reply to CommentDan, Alan did an article recently about HBO shows, and he mentioned the usual comparison between The Wire and The Sopranos - which show do you think is better?
dan Heisenberg - "The Sopranos" was a terrific TV show, but I'd take "The Wire" by a pretty wide margin...
November 27, 2012 at 9:01PM EST-Daniel
Heisenberg Ok, thanks for the reply.
November 28, 2012 at 10:51AM ESTLionel
November 27, 2012 at 9:56PM EST Reply to CommentThe book looks interesting, Alan. Who designed the cover?
sepinwall http://jeroentenberge.com/
November 28, 2012 at 8:05AM ESTOther Scott
November 27, 2012 at 11:37PM EST Reply to CommentDan's tone of voice while "interviewing" Alan about his book is hilarious.
Dave I
November 28, 2012 at 12:28AM EST Reply to CommentPainful shows cancelled before their time . . . Last Resort is a pretty good show based on a great concept with a probably even better cast. Terriers is something special and close to me. I would put Awake up there as well as shows that really hurt being cancelled.
Revolution is kind of the opposite for me. It's a show that had a great premise, some pretty great cast members. Charlie is terrible. Danny is not much better. I honestly watch, in no particular order, for Elizabeth Mitchell (the actress and her character), Billy Burke, and Giancarlo Esposito. It is borderline terrible at times, yet has a lot of potential. Overall, if it got canned I would probably barely notice it was not on. Yet it seems to be doing great. I can't win.
-Cheers
Dave I Revolution Q: Any chance they gear up and try to "fix" things?
November 28, 2012 at 12:46AM ESTThey seem like they are going for (or ending up being) half-camp/half-ambition. There seems like there is some sense of it trying to be epic at times. It also has a lot of great names in it as well (Favreau for at least the pilot, Mitchell, Esposito, and Burke). Yet, it is perhaps the most irrational, silly, foolish show on TV that I am aware of. Charlie. Does. Not. Work. They are forcing a B-list or C-list lead down our throats. Maybe Spiridakos develops as an actress. Right now, she is CONSTANTLY overshadowed by the veteran actors around her. It was painful watching her next to Elizabeth Mitchell. The campy stuff seems like it is unintentionally funny. The flashbacks, well, this is not LOST. Yet, there are still parts that work, and work fairly well. Homeland can get away with their rather ridiculous gaps in logic, I do not really think Revolution is good enough for that.
So, with a ~four month hiatus, is their any chance they figure out the direction, tighten up the show, and we get a more cohesive (and hopefully better) product? Maybe turn the focus from Charlie onto the more compelling actors/characters? Or do you think this is what Revolution is and we should just either accept that and keep watching or reject the show and turn away now before it is too late?
-Cheers
Tausif Khan
November 28, 2012 at 11:39AM EST Reply to CommentLast Resort is a lot better than Chicago Code because other than beautiful and the scenery chewing of Delroy Lindo the standalone episodes and Jason Clarke's grating and annoying performance as the lead of the show made the show a miss in the end.
Last Resort is working with a lot of different story lines and I like all the performances. I particularly like Daisy Betts' performance because she is very different from her real life behavior which you can see in the interviews that the ABC website has done for the show. While I would have liked to see the show focus on a couple of plot lines I still like the people who are in all of those plot lines and would watch shows focused on anyone of those plotlines. I will miss Last Resort.
Tausif Khan
November 28, 2012 at 11:43AM EST Reply to CommentI have a similar feeling about the acting of Dave Lyons. I feel that some of his role requires him to act older and much more mature whereas in those cases he seems to come off more whiny and childlike turning his performance into a parody of such a villainous character rather than playing him.
erika_herzog
November 28, 2012 at 1:50PM EST Reply to Commentthank goodness you say that season 2 of Friday Night Lights is worth watching. totally agree. i never know how to warn people new to FNL about the crazy highjinks in season 2 so i just tell them to stick with it cause i don't think it's all that bad.
congrats on the book Alan....
belinda
November 28, 2012 at 1:55PM EST Reply to CommentWhat would you have named Alan's book Dan?
dan Belinda - It's Alan's book! I'd have named it whatever he wanted it named. I merely stated "objections" and alternatives that were deemed less worthy, which I totally understand, since it's his book!
November 28, 2012 at 2:23PM EST-Daniel
Schwartzman
November 28, 2012 at 3:25PM EST Reply to CommentWhy do you guys never cover Boardwalk Empire?
sepinwall We covered it at the start of the season and we revisited it maybe two or three podcasts ago. We don't have multiple current shows as a weekly segment (when we even have a weekly segment), and this fall, it's been Homeland.
November 28, 2012 at 3:32PM ESTdan Schwartzman - We reviewed "Boardwalk Empire" when it premiered. We checked in on "Boardwalk Empire" in Podcast 157 (literally, our last podcast). And we'll talk about "Boardwalk Empire" next week after the finale.
November 28, 2012 at 3:34PM EST"Homeland" is the only current show we discuss every week.
"Boardwalk Empire" is one of many shows that we talk about periodically, but not always. So that's far from "never."
-Daniel
dan Sepinwall - Jinx. Buy me a coke. With the proceeds from "The Revolution Was Televised"... Available now!
November 28, 2012 at 3:38PM EST-Daniel
Jamestown
November 29, 2012 at 12:12AM EST Reply to CommentSo Dan's eventual book is going to be about:
a) The effects of reality tv shows on American society
b) 101 TV Shows better than Seinfield
C) Beard grooming techniques
*crosses fingers for "c"*
nsk
November 29, 2012 at 3:53AM EST Reply to CommentDan, why on earth would you come to Poland in November? Should of call me, I would be your tour guy. Enjoyed your time?
Tom
November 29, 2012 at 3:44PM EST Reply to CommentAlan, if you're interested in a good newsroom series check out the Canadian show The 11th Hour from 2004-6.
Fritz Novak
December 1, 2012 at 12:36AM EST Reply to CommentI agree with the idea of the spy plot feeling tacked on to The Hour. To make the inevitable Mad Men comparison, I felt vindicated when Sepinwall writes in his book that the Dick Whitman plot was a network insertion (even if Weiner liked it). To me, the whole Dick Whitman plotline felt like the weakest aspect of the show, a contrived soapy device to spruce up the whole thing. The Hour seems to suffer from the same issue, and hopefully they will trust an organic story and character arc more fully going forward, as Mad Men eventually did.