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UPDATED!! Herc Gives WONDERFALLS 4.5 Stars!!!!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
Wonderfalls 1.1 FAQ
What’s the pilot titled?
“Wax Lion.”
Who’s responsible?
Teleplay is credited to “Dead Like Me” mastermind Bryan Fuller.
What does TV Guide say?
Debut: She might not talk to God like Joan of Arcadia, but Jaye of Niagara does communicate with inanimate objects in this fanciful series. Jaye Tyler (Caroline Dhavernas) is a 24-year-old Niagara Falls gift-shop clerk whose uncertainty about her place in the world - and her role in her family - understandably intensifies when figurines start talking to her. Their cryptic messages tell Jaye to do what she likes least: interact with others, beginning with an unpleasant customer (Kathryn Greenwood) and a delivery man (Gabriel Hogan) attracted to Jaye's sister Sharon (Katie Finneran).
Herc, you’re an idiot. You think “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is the greatest TV show ever crafted. You believe “Twin Peaks,” “The Prisoner” and “Kung Fu” are not far behind. Why should we believe you when you tell us “Wonderfalls” is the best new show of the season?
My mind is a blank. Wait. You all said “Firefly,” which also aired Fridays on Fox, and which was also written/produced by Tim Minear, sucked. And I disagreed. And now that you’ve seen all the episodes on DVD you worship “Firefly” like the second coming. Vindicating me forever and forcing you to elect me your TV king in perpetuity.
Herc, you’ve been reviewing the television shows for Harry Knowles since the Clinton administration. In the previous three seasons, what did you cite as the best new shows?
2000-2001: “Gilmore Girls.”
2001-2002: “24.”
2002-2003: “Firefly.”
What’s it about?
Souvenirs begin telling a pouty, Ivy League-educated slacker retail clerk named Jaye Tyler to do odd things to further mysterious agendas. She reasonably suspects she’s gone insane. But it seems she might be an unwilling tool of higher powers. Jaye is likeably misanthropic, has cynically likeable friends and hails from a family that has produced far more successful individuals than she: dad, we’ll learn, is a doctor, mom is a famous author, sis is a closeted lesbianic lawyer, bro is an atheist pursuing postgrad studies in theology. (It’s better than it sounds.)
When do the souvenirs begin speaking to her?
If one disregards the commercials? Precisely seven minutes in.
So it’s like “Joan of Arcadia.”
No. It’s a comedy. A funny one. “Joan of Arcadia” is watchable, but (let’s face it) bland as Wonder Bread. “Wonderfalls” is a thing of wonder.
Should I watch “Wonderfalls”? Because I’m not sure I enjoy the dramedy genre!
Okay, first off? It’s not a dramedy. It’s a comedy, one funnier, perhaps, than any other comedy on the air at the moment. There are more million-dollar jokes in the first five minutes of the pilot than most comedies get in a season. Minear’s partner, “Deep Space Nine” vet Bryan Fuller, created Showtime’s “Dead Like Me,” which was hilarious at least until Fuller left to create “Wonderfalls.”
Alright already! What’s great?
You name it. The lead’s ability to repeatedly and convincingly convey comic horror. The “Raising Arizona”-esque opening. “Surrender to Destiny” in general and the Maid of the Mist in particular. “Don’t interrupt me again!” “Then get out! No loitering!” “So you don’t really believe in it.” “Did you just say, ‘My ass’?” Jaye’s hesitance as she first disregards the souvenirs’ advice. “Not ashamed! Mortified!” Inspired, repeated homages to Michigan J. Frog (the symbol of another, younger network) and the HAL 9000. “My God, what am I doing?” “If you don’t say anything in the next five seconds, I’m going to assume you’re Satan.” “Your voice just got loud.” “It comes back, all crazy and pissed off!” “Don’t get in the boat. Dumbass.” “You don’t have a larynx!” “Why didn’t you think he was cute?” “No I didn’t.” “She lied. I don’t. I’m really very sorry.” “It isn’t a big plus, but it’s not the deal-breaker.” “You’re just trying them all on for size, aren’t ya?” “You need to stop kissing the mirror, buddy! Just ‘cause a girl’s not eating your chili … Did you have that goiter before?” “She would unspool!” “You’re being sneaky about something!” “You don’t even know where she’s going!” “You are not the same girl who made all my clothes smell like cat pee.” “They were pulling bodies out of the river for weeks.” “Stop trying to talk; it’s freaking me out.” “You’re paying for that.” “No! No! No, we’re done!” All the fabulous lesbianism. Much, much more.
What else is TV Guide not telling us?
Episode two? Even better!
Okay, this is the premiere. I’ve never seen the show. I’m not invested. How can you possibly have any spoilers for me, spoiler boy?
Keep an eye on the bartender’s bride. She’ll be replaced in episode seven by a former “Firefly” regular.
Herc’s rating for “Wonderfalls” 1.1?
****1/2
The Hercules T. Strong Rating System:
***** better than we deserve
**** better than most motion pictures
*** actually worth your valuable time
** as horrible as most stuff on TV
* makes you quietly pray for bulletins
9 p.m. Friday. Fox.
UPDATE!! USA Today gives "Wonderfalls" 3.5 out of four stars!! Entertainment Weekly gives it an A-!! The Los Angeles Times says of "Wonderfalls": " ... the writing is smart, not merely clever ... TV is, almost by nature, a medium of constant disappointment: of good performance flattened by bad lighting, decent scripts killed by bad acting, high production values made to look shallow by ridiculous scripts. We are accustomed to these things from television, which because of its short production schedules and budgetary constraints and the need to sell soap is defined by compromise. But everything clicks here. ... Dhavernas makes the show work so well, you can't imagine it working without her; she can throw a little boy up against a wall in rage and not lose your affection. "
UPDATE!! USA Today gives "Wonderfalls" 3.5 out of four stars!! Entertainment Weekly gives it an A-!! The Los Angeles Times says of "Wonderfalls": " ... the writing is smart, not merely clever ... TV is, almost by nature, a medium of constant disappointment: of good performance flattened by bad lighting, decent scripts killed by bad acting, high production values made to look shallow by ridiculous scripts. We are accustomed to these things from television, which because of its short production schedules and budgetary constraints and the need to sell soap is defined by compromise. But everything clicks here. ... Dhavernas makes the show work so well, you can't imagine it working without her; she can throw a little boy up against a wall in rage and not lose your affection. "
It’s “Wonderfalls” Week!! Herc says it’s the season’s best new show!! 9 p.m. Friday!! Fox!!
Looking for bumper stickers, plush toys and girls’ underwear covered with cartoon double-amputees? Visit The Herc Store!
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Bryan Singer is the director whose credits include The Usual Suspects and the X-Men movies.
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3.5 stars or 4.5 stars? And if it's the best thing ever, why isn't it 5 stars? And one more thing, is it attempting to be "quirky funny" like Gilmore Girls or Ed, or is it actually funny?
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http://www.farceforce5.com/
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Gee Herc, I missed the show. Was it any good?
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You've been giving this show verbal blowjobs for months now, so you throwing up 4.5 stars is as meaningful as declaring myself World's Greatest Lover, or say... The Oscars. But I respect your opinion Herc as we have most of the same taste in entertainment, so I'll be checking it out.
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I love her. I adore her. I would watch her read the back of a cereal box. And condsidering I sat through crap like like Out Cold and the Baroness and the Pig, I feel I have. Tis a small price to pay for her glorious adorableness. This show my succeed of fail, but she is destined to be a star. Oh yes she is.
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Mar 12, 2004 4:01:43 AM CST
why even bother reviewing this episode considering how many time
by cornstalkwalker
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Mar 12, 2004 4:19:31 AM CST
I'll check it out, but I still think the commerical made it look
by mentallymariah
I dunno, her trying to help people, figurines coming to life, the camera going all over the place...I am sure the creators watched Amelie one too many times!
I just got done watching Forever Eden the trashiest thing since Elizabeth Berkley licking a pole, It's like a traffic accident, you want to look away but you CAN'T! Is it me or does that Neveen girl look like her face is made of wax and she is going to MELT!?? -
I was wondering if anyone was going to notice the obvious Amelie connection, although I'm going to refrain from saying rip-off until after having seen the show.
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Herc, you have given me so much in my life. Made TV from a brain draining boob tube to something more.
You rule. -
(That's sob as in boo hoo hoo.) .......... I just checked the local Fox affiliate and they are showing 'The NAACP Image Awards' tonight. Didn't we have this same problem with Firefly?
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I live in Niagara Falls, Ontario. That's Canada, btw. I think it's fantastic that there's not only a TV show, but a great TV show being filmed in my city. I love that I will recognize the locations when they're outdoors. However, I am very upset that they are setting the show in Niagara Falls, NY. Granted, there are many shows and movies filmed in Canada that seem to be taking place in USA. Still, it feels as though this tacky city is being stripmined and shipped across the river. I love my city. I just wanted everyone to know the truth about this great show.
btw, in the 70's Niagara Falls was listed as the worst city to live in Canada. -
This'll probably do as well as the Fox version of "Newhart", "Stan Hooper"(which I actually liked). Caroline Dhavernas is cute, but Amber Tamblyn she ain't. Amber is the poutiest chick since Molly Ringwald, or at least Renee Zellwegger. The long hair and dark eyes just seal the deal, rworrr!
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I hope this show is good, but if "Dead Like Me" suffers from Fuller moving to Wonderfalls, I'm gonna' be pissed. DLM just might have been one of the best things on TV last season. (And Ellen Muth could kick the crap outta' Amber Tamblyn). Kinda' unfair that Wonderfalls got pushed back so far that everyone's now gonna' call it a "Joan"-Clone. Hmmm... what to Tivo, Wonderfalls or Touching Evil?
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Mar 12, 2004 12:42:28 PM CST
Fuller left Dead like Me after the first three episodes...
by stalking_goat
So somehow I don't think its going to suffer because he's doing Wonderfalls
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Mar 12, 2004 12:45:56 PM CST
BY the way, AICN is running ads for DMX movies now...?
by stalking_goat
Way to sell what ever little credibility you had left down drain guys. Next Harry'll be telling us that UNDER SIEGE 3: SEIGE WITH A VENGENCE AND A HOT AIR BALLOON is the greatest movie since Star Wars Episode 2....
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With ratings like this FOX is sure to cancel it in 3 weeks time tops.
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Bryan Fuller, the boyish, 33 year-old former Star Trek writer, recently talked to Starlog magazine about his two new show TV shows, Showtimes Dead Like Me and the up coming FOX mid season show Wonderfalls and his four year stint on both Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Dead like Me follows an 18-year-old girl who dies when a piece of the MIR space station falls from the sky and hits her on the head. Darkly comic and quirky, the show follows George as she helps in catching the souls of people moments before they're destined to die. Fuller departed the series early on, however, working on only the first quarter of the season. "We had creative differences," he says. "about how the series should go. The studio and the network wanted it to be more like Touched by an Angel, and I didn't, so I was replaced. It was bummer, but I would rather have them kill my baby than have me kill my baby." He appears to be more positive with Wonderfalls, which he co-created with Emmy winning director Todd Holland (Malcolm in the Middle, which has been described by its two openly gay creators as Touched by a Crazy Person. Wonderfalls revolves around a Niagara Falls souvenir shop worker, played by Caroline Dhavernas, whose life is forever changed when she has a nervous breakdown and finds that inanimate animal figures--plush toys, ceramic figurines, cartoon characters, etc.--are communicating with her. The cryptic messages she receives from her not-so-furry friends lead her to endeavor to help those in need. Fuller adds, "They tell her to set little events into motion, which appear to result in catastrophe, but out of that catastrophe, good things happen." Is she crazy, deranged or is God talking to her? "The basic premise is about this young person who finds out she's a pawn in the universe's plan." While Fuller is grateful for what the Star Trek universe has done for his career, he admits there were some critical flaws with Voyager (flaws that appear to happening to all over again with Enterprise). He said that working on DS9 and Voyager where two different experiences, "DS9 was much more serialized and character oriented than Voyager. Voyager explored the same facets of the same characters, and that was because of its layout. There was an active resistance on the part of the producers and the studio to any sort of serialized storytelling. So there was a magical, candy-like reset button at the end of every episode. You didn't really see how the characters grew from any given situation." The exception, Fuller admits, was Seven of Nine and the Doctor -both characters that explored humanity to its fullest, and who were his favorite characters to write for. "They kept growing. Although Janeway struggled with her command, you still knew that she was a risk taker and would do what she had to do. You knew that. And Tuvok, within an episode, would change. But by the end, he would settle back down to who he was. That's no much fun. It's not fun for the audience, and it's not fun for the creators. You keep getting caught in the same loop."
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Probably no accident that it's scheduled right after JOA (here in Oregon, anyway).
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Wow there was a lot of changes between the pilot that was sent out and what aired on Fox. I knew the "going down on him" line would never make it, but the other changes did add much to the show, and the changes to the scene in the trailer at the end between Jaye and her sister was really much better in it's original form. I'd love to know why they changed it? Was Jaye not user friendly enough? We need some answers damn it!
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Without Herc, I would never have taken an interest in Buffy or 24, and now he once again has pointed me in the direction of something inspired. Thank you. *** That doesn't change the fact, however, that Fox won't let this series make it to episode four. *** And rogueapple, I gotta agree with you. I, too, am annoyed that they would try to pass off Niagara Falls, Ont., for Niagara Falls, N.Y., which in actuality is something of a shithole. I didn't think it would bother me so much... usually I'm perversely proud when I see familiar Canadian locations passed off as American cities... but this was distracting at best, obnoxious at worst.
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This was funny as shit. I totally loved it, which means that it will be canned in 3 weeks. Until then, I will watch. BUT PLEASE GET IT OUT OF THIS SHITTY TIME SLOT!!!!!! If the PTB move it to something reasonable and give it a chance to grow, this could be a big hit for a long time. As it is, it was very funny and occasionally sweet, kinda like really dark bittersweet chocolate. One thing though: CD may have taken voice coaching, but her French/Canadian accent came through loud and clear. I half expected her to start ending every sentence with "eh.." Keep trying babe. Not a knock, just an observation. Also, the chemisrty between the star and Eric the bartender was great; they flirt as well as David and Maddie in their first season. I don't know if they can keep all this up, but with Tim Minear in place I have great hopes.
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Okay, now that was frickin' AWESOME!!! I have never liked a show so much from the first ep. I agree 110% with Herc--this is a fantastic show (so FOX is sure to cancel it by the next sweeps.) I was dying with laughter watching this. A funnier show than any so-called comedy I've seen on TV in the last 5 years. Although it's even funnier that it takes place in Niagara Falls, NY: Sphincter of the Universe (with Niagara Falls, ON not far behind). Thanks, Herc.
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Hello peeps,
I Myself gave up on friday nights,many a moons ago....There USED to be (GREAT LITTLE SHOW..KNOWN AS "NOW AND AGAIN" ON CBS) Since then my fridays have been,, to have a life and to get out...Then Salvation came when a great show known as "Joan of arcadia" aired on my tube...from my vcr...and I said thank god..a great show again..
Now I watch this show called "Wonderfalls" and my first opinion all the way through is..nice joan of arcdia double..
Im waiting now for a cross network promotion...Joan goes with the family to wonderfalls..
and her father arests the ass. manager for being such an jerk in the show...
So bottom line..."What would god say of wonderfalls?..."I have come for the princess, falls god..let my people out of this misery" pick up a penny....
I hope it improves as it goes..cause it needs alot of work,
the falls...are a dud....
Peace.....
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Yup, loved it. It was fun, and for crying ot loud, something a little adult like, no teenagers *sigh* I thought it was friggin funny!
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Pilots usually leave me underwhelmed. This was a step up for the usual. I quite like this. I suppose it's fair to compare it to that Joan of Arcadia, but this show is so MUCH more interesting than CBS's bland preachfest. That show is such a bore. This one is a vast improvement simply because the protagonist is far more interesting. And to that idiot who said the "lead has no charisma": Fuck off! it's obvious you wouldn't know "charisma" if it walked up and bit you on your (no daoubt bloated ass. Caroline Dhavernas is the bee's knees. I look forward to seeing this next week.
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That show is fucking hilarious. If you can't get your boring-ass, creativity deprived brains around a talking inorganic things to see the real comic genius the show holds, then it's your fucking loss.
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Plopped on the sofa and watch the whole thing and was midly entertained. What more can I ask my TV to do for me?
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Herc, you've done it again. Best show on currently!
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From Bit Torrent (I'm in the UK so we get good TV A. Never or B. 6 months late) and I'll watch it when I get home form work. It had better not suck.....
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Thanks Spector, glad I'm not the only one who sees it that way. Of course, it's not like they'd ever do it differently. You're right, NF, NY IS a shithole. And there's no way they'd set an American show in a Canadian city, so there's really no choice in it for them. Yet, I find it very amusing that the souvenir shop is right outside the American Falls - that is, the waterfall that is completely on the American side of the border.
Frankly I'm amazed at how they made it look like the shop is so close to the edge of the gorge. In reality, that whole area is parkland, road, and parking. Mostly gardens, the Niagara Parks Commission prides itself on having lots of gardens for the tourists. But amazingly, you can't even tell the shop isn't right there. And the part where she's running after the quarter? Amazingly as she runs to the quarter she's actually running towards the fictional area where the shop is. Trust me on this. As for the quality of this show, I don't understand how this can be in question. Hilarious. And Dhavernas? I'm warming up to her, the part near the end where she smiles, that's where you see how beautiful she is. -
Something else to look forward to on Friday night. WOW
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FOX has cancelled every other show they put on Friday nights, notably Firefly. This show, no matter how good, isn't going to get CSI-like ratings, and FOX will cancel it in March for another inane reality show. I suppose I'll have to catch this one when the entire-series DVD is released next fall.
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Sorry, but the premiere episode was horrible, in my opinion.... Didn't keep my attention at all. Had some good dialogue, but that's it... I'll probably keep watching though to see if it gets any better than the crap we were given tonight.
Joan of Arcadia is much better, in my opinion. I was blown away by tonights episode, but then I had to sit through 'Wonderfalls'... -
you guys are... uhg. i hate flames, so i'm going to refrain from flaming. this show rocked. the music didn't even bother me because the show is just THAT good. if this soundtrack was on any other show i'd flip the channel in 4 seconds before i got a headache.
anyway, good call herc. -
Watched it, laughed and laughed HARD. Wacky twists and turns reminded me of early Ally McBeal and the weird touches of Farscape.
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SAVE HOWARD STERN AND "THE HOWARD STERN RADIO SHOW" FIRST. Then we'll all talk about these network shows. Notch out.
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TexasRon, great point. Every season we all have to decide which shows to make time for, and to some extent, invest ourselves in. The whole point is to give us characters we care about in a story we care about, right? So how do we feel about a network that doesn't respect what we've come to care about enough to let them end their story gracefully? The shows I choose tend to be the ones that will NOT get cancelled without half a chance to tell anything resembling a full story. (Anyone remember SPACE:ABOVE AND BEYOND? The lack of closure there still burns my ass.) So pay attention, Fox, I was actually hesitant to watch this show because of the network it aired on. The show was good -- but now I have to worry whether it was good *enough* -- and cheap enough to produce -- that I'll actually get a full, semi-satisfying story out of the deal? Don't think I'll watch this show next week; don't trust Fox to stick with a show that doesn't break records. Or, the short version: I don't trust Fox.
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Actually got out of the house last night, but I'm gonna' sit downn and watch Wonderfalls and Toching Evil this afternoon. From the talkbacks, I'm sure I'll like it and it will thusly be cancelled. (I'm also still pissed about Now and Again getting axed). ......... And regarding Dead Like Me, I went retarded. I knew that Fuller had left early on due to creative differences, but I just forgot. (Since Angel's shitcanning, I tend to get a little overprotective of the few shows I really like). Still, it sure doesn't seem very "Touched by an Angel"-like to me.
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I noticed that for the most part, everybody on Talk Back have panned the show. I have a feeling they probably didn't even watch it. I gave the show a shot and loved it immediately. The main character is fantastic (due to a great performance), the concept is original and clever, and the show in general is hilarious. This is probably the best comedy Fox has come up with since Malcolm in the Middle first started (mind you, when it FIRST started; i"m not too crazy about now). The jury is still out for that show by Ron Howard (the name escapes me). I saw some amusing episodes of it, but can't maintain interest in it. I hope Wonderfalls has a long life ahead of it, despite what the jackasses on this site have to say. For once, Herc is on the mark! (okay, so I also like Buffy/Angel, but that's it!)
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How many episodes have been ordered / produced yet?
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It's in a shitty timeslot! Watch it get its ass kicked by REPEATS of Joan of Arcadia. But I have to admit, Wonderfalls is a good show. Too bad they never bother to mention the show takes place in Niagara Falls, ONTARIO. And Herc, you forgot to mention the appearance in the pilot by Kathyrn Greenwood of Whose Line fame.
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I wasnt very impressed. It had its moments though so
i will keep watching to see if it gets better. MMM MMMM MMMM sugar free ginger ale!!! -
THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU! THIS IS THE BEST SHOW OF THE SEASON! LONG LIVE WONDERFALLS! EASILY THE BEST SHOW I'VE SEEN THIS YEAR! (I loved the first episode can you tell?) May this show continue to be as smart, funny and original as the first episode! It doesn't hurt that the lead is a full blown hottie either.
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I liked it, but I really don't see why so many are blowing their top over this. I'll give it a chance, I liked the humour, but I hate the 'who-are-we-gonna-help-THIS-week' stuff. Just hate it. At least we don't have the notion at the bottom of the concept that 'god' is playing mindgames with us and that we're supposed to find it 'good' and 'profound' so the talking objects are actually refreshing for me. And it's funny. But like with the lacklustre Tru Calling (which isn't even funny) if there is never any explanation as to the WHY of all this, I think this is going to get very old very fast. The cynical snarky humor was good and I like that (although not as funny as I'd hoped) but it better deviate from formula too or I'm gonna get bored. ("This week we help an estranged father and son get together again!")
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The first episode of WONDERFALLS was typical TV pap, with one exception: the heroine is either a. schizophrenic, a likely scenario considering what occurs in the pilot, or b. embued by the spirit of a long-deceased Indian princess with the power to make things right, if only she'll listen. The gal, a 20-something retail store clerk lacking any and all ambition, starts to hear inanimate objects speak to her after she throws a quarter in a fountain containing a bronze statue of the aforesaid Indian maiden. The quarter bounces off the statue, hits the girl in the back of her head and finally lands in the fountain. It is then she begins to hear voices. These voices, coming from animal figurines, instruct her to do seemingly nonsensical things that may somehow make sense when carried out. Turns out her new "gift" is to help people. She has been "reborn" with a mission. Sound familiar? It should. The plot is almost identifcal to a modest and likeable Showtime series called DEAD LIKE ME. And what a surprise: the writer of that show is the writer of this show, a guy named Bryan Fuller. The pilot of WONDERFALLS shows promise and is just quirky enough, in a network TV show-kind of way, that I will be watching for future episodes. Sort of like MONK, which started off with a bang, has had its ups and downs, is painfully similar to COLOMBO in format, but usually is worth a watch.
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Like Firefly, the last great TV show, Wonderfalls will barely mae a single season. It's too funny and too quirky. And it requires the audience to listen. It will be replace by a reality show about interns working at Playboy magazine.
Those in charge of TV are only interested in the money. Soon all shows will be replaced by cheap to produce reality shows. India is next as the new Toronto. -
It was okay - some bits had me laughing out loud, specifically the 'Poor Bitch' and his reaction to being offered a pen near the end of the episode. That tickled me, I'll admit.
But I really don't think it was as funny as Herc made out, even if I trust his/her opinion most of the time.
Of course I'll stick with it, I did basically enjoy the show. -
Oh yeah, and Fox can go to hell. Friday night slots? Why not just save money and all of our times and not show quality TV between 8 and 10, and just show archive footage of people being killed, mained or shagged instead.
Save the good stuff for other weeknights, or finally put something decent up against Alias on Sunday nights so I can watch one and Tivo the other. -
Hrm. I really wanted to like this show, because I respect Minear, agree with Herc's taste more often than not, and generally dig quirky comedy-dramas. Yet like it I ultimately didn't, and ironically enough, I suspect that one of the primary reasons is that it clearly wanted so much to be liked. It was just soooo self-conscious. Practically every line of dialogue and every random plot "twist" felt like it was being delivered in the shadow of a twenty-foot-tall flashing neon sign reading, "Hey, just look at how offbeat and wacky we are!" Which is all well and good if one actually has the genuine wackiness to back it up, but this Bryan Fuller gent simply is not in the same league as the Whedons and Espensons and Sorkins and Alan "Six Feet Under" Balls of the world. (He also seems to have a genuine fixation on the word "ass," which might have represented a reasonable stab at "edgy" dialogue the first or second or even third time someone said it -- probably not, but maybe -- but by the dozenth time, it just struck me as tedious and lazy.) Meanwhile, I found hardly any of the actors interesting to look at. I don't mean in the sense of physically unattractive, and the situation might improve with someone else in the director's chair, but so many of the performances just seemed so very wooden. And yes: the less said about the score, the better. Oh well...no accounting for taste, etc.
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Herc,
I liked it. A lot. I taped it Friday and ended up watching at AGAIN Saturday with my girlfriend. The writing and acting are pretty good and having "The Grim Reaper" as Dr. Dad was obliquely funny as well. The sisters are funny; "So now you're a lesbian!" "Yeah, just now" Great stuff, Maynard. -
Its a great show in a terrible time slot and the show placed 4th for the night. Knowing FOX, they will put a Reality show on after week 4.//
If you havent watched it, Watch it!! -
which means NOT FUCKING AT ALL.
Okay, the premise seemed interesting, but it DRAG. It was so damn lame.
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