Deutsche Version | Part 9

What’s the show about?
The show revolves around a German melting pot family, consisting of Metin Öztürk, a German police detective of Turkish origins and his son Cem, a wannabe gangsta and his daughter Yağmur, who’s living by strict Islamic rules.
On the other side you have Doris Schneider, a libertine psychoanalyst and her daughter Lena, whose BFF just left for America in a student exchange program and Nils, the baby in the family.
Now they try to build one family – but in actuality a war has just begun.

“Die, in der ich meine Freiheit verliere”
(lit. “The One Where I Lose My Freedom”)
Lena is happy to learn that her mother has stopped dating that “Albanian terrorist” when they announce that they are moving in together in a new home. Aside from the happy couple only Nils can see anything good in this and Lena and Cem almost instantly declare war on each other after Cem tried to bully Lena into wearing less “slutty” and more traditional clothes. For this he hires is “gangsta buddy” Costa which in itself is an odd combination since Costa is of Greek origin.

My Opinion
I love the show. Sometimes it gets a bit tiresome because Lena’s and Cem’s story is getting much more complicated and Lena’s sometimes too egoistic and egocentric but in the end they all grow up.

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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Pilot Marathon
Tags: Castle · Doctor Who · Spuk im Hochhaus · Spuk unterm Riesenrad · The Sarah Jane Adventures · Torchwood · Türkisch für Anfänger
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Deutsche Version | Part 8 | Part 10

Burn Notice

What’s the show about?
Michael Westen used to be a spy. But one day he got “burned” and was dumped in Miami. Ever since he tries to find out why he was burned and by whom. In the meantime he helps people the normal police can’t or won’t help. He has help, though: A trigger-happy ex-girlfriend, who used to rob banks for the IRA; another retired spy who has settled down in Miami and makes his “special lady friends” happy; and his mother!

“Pilot”
Michael Westen was about to finalize a deal with a local crime lord to protect a certain piece of land in Africa, but when he tries to get the money wired he’s informed that the deal is off because he got burned. Although they beat the crap out of him he manages to escape. The next time he regains full consciousness, he’s in Miami and his “emergency contact” (his ex-girlfriend) Fiona is sitting by his bed. He tries to find out why he got burned and how his mother had fount out that he was in town. Since his credit cards won’t work anymore he takes a small job to find out who stole a number of paintings from a rich man’s house.

My Opinion
In the beginning it was just OK, but it got better with every episode, especially when the “burn notice” arc fully kicked in. The characters are all great, especially when Michael’s mother Madeline becomes more and more involved in Michael’s cases and he has to deal with her and Fi at the same time. The show is very humorous but it’s still an action show and people get killed all the time – but usually not by any of the good guys: Michael is a master “chess player”, he usually manages to make the bad boys kill each other, thus solving the problem.

So, that’s all folks, no more pilots in the pipeline…

Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Pilot Marathon
Tags: Burn Notice
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Deutsche Version | Part 7 | Part 9

True Blood

What’s the show about?
Based upon the “Sookie Stackhouse” book series by Charlaine Harris. Sookie is a waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana and she can read minds. She’s fallen in love with a Vampire who has been around since the Civil War. The Vampires have come out of the coffin since the Japanese have invented artificial blood and Vampires need no longer feed off of Humans. The new stuff is called Tru:Blood.

“Strange Love”
Sookie Stackhouse is totally excited when her first Vampire walks into the bar where she works. And the best part of it: She can’t read his mind. The thoughts of all the people around her are constantly raining upon her but he is totally quiet. But she’s not the only one who has identified him as Vampire. So have the Rattrays and they pin him down and try to drain him dry for his “V” – Vampire blood, an aphrodisiac for Humans.

My Opinion
A bit lengthy at times but otherwise very interesting and sometimes disturbing. The show is very open about a lot of topics and also very (very, very!) visual. And except for having Vampires living openly amongst Humans the show also shows other mystical abilities like Sookie’s mind-reading and someone else’s shape-shifting. The interesting part about this show is the fact that Vampires aren’t a secret and how both sides try to deal with that fact (Vampire rights, racism, …).

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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Pilot Marathon
Tags: Bones · Charmed · Dragon Ball · Dragon Ball Z · Due South · Friends · How I Met Your Mother · Joey · Jurassic Park · Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman · Primeval · Smallville · Superman · The Big Bang Theory · The Fall Guy · True Blood · Two and a Half Men
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Deutsche Version | Part 6 | Part 8

Two and a Half Men

What’s the show about?
After his wife has thrown him out, Alan Harper has moved in with his brother Charlie who is a ad jingle composer, a womanizer and lives on a beach house. On the weekends Alan’s son Jake lives also there.

“Pilot”
Just when he was about to get laid, Charlie’s brother Alan calls him and asks whether he can move in for a few days when he’s already standing in front of Charlie’s bedroom door. Alan’s wife has thrown him out but he believes that it’s just a phase – Charlie doubts it. And on the weekend Alan’s son Jake also moves also in. Charlie’s life is about to be turned upside down.

My Opinion
Charlie and Jake are a great team and Alan has a cool dry humour when it comes to Charlie’s sex life and his behaviour towards women. But the supporting cast is also awesome: Bertha the housekeeper and grandma Evelyn and Rose – Charlie’s personal stalker. One of the funniest sitcoms these days and from the same producers as The Big Bang Theory.

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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Pilot Marathon
Tags: 21 Jump Street · Ally McBeal · Dollhouse · Leverage · Night Court · Roseanne · SeaQuest DSV · Terminator · The A-Team · The Big Bang Theory · The IT Crowd · Two and a Half Men
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Deutsche Version | Part 5 | Part 7

Since I’ve purchased quite a number of new TV shows, I thought to resurrect this marathon.

V

(1983)

What’s the show about?
A group of underground rebels fights against an alien race who have invaded Earth without making it appear as such. The resistance cell is a motley crew with all kinds of backgrounds and their goal is it to expel the aliens again. And their sign is the “V” – for “Victory!”.

“V”
One day a number of huge space ships appear all over the world. But they don’t come as enemies, but as friends. In exchange for a certain chemical the aliens give us cures for all kinds of diseases and improve our technology. But the aliens and their intentions are not what they appear to be.

My Opinion
The show comprises of the two mini-series V (1983), V: The Final Battle (1984) and the one-season-show V (1984). It has aged quite well, the storytelling stands out for a show of its time and the special effects don’t look that bad, either. It’s still very watchable and that the subject is still interesting is proven by the fact that a remake of the show will come to television land this fall.

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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Pilot Marathon
Tags: Alias · Angel · Beverly Hills 90210 · Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Chuck · Doctor Who · Early Edition · Friday Night Lights · Friends · Gossip Girl · Hackers · House M.D. · M*A*S*H · Scrubs · Smallville · Supernatural · The O.C. · V · Veronica Mars
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Deutsche Version | Part 4 | Part 6

Knight Rider

What’s the show about?
Michael Knight works for Foundation for Law And Government. But he doesn’t work alone. He has help in form of his car: The Knight Industries Two Thousand, KITT. KITT is a bullet-proof computer on wheels and it helps Michael on his missions to help people who need help.

“Knight of the Phoenix”
Michael Long works undercover until he is shot by the industrial espionage expert Tanya Walker. Luckily he survices the attack but his face is totally destroyed and has to be surgically repaired. After that Michael Long is officially dead and Michael Knight arises. His surgery was conducted by doctors paid by Wilton Knight who also gives him his new identity. Additionaly Wilton’s engineers have done something to Michael’s car…

My Opinion
Another 80s classic one simply had to watch back then. Oh gosh, I definitvly watched too much TV in the 80s. And the 90s. And now.*g*

BTW: There was a cultural reference in the pilot: When Michael sees KITT’s interior for the first time he says that he feels like being in Darth Vader’s bathroom!

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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Pilot Marathon
Tags: 24 · Angel · Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Emergency Room · Knight Rider · MacGyver
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Deutsche Version | Part 3 | Part 5

The King of Queens

What’s the show about?
Doug Heffernan is a delivery man for International Parcel Service (IPS). His wife, Carrie, works as a secretary for a law firm. Both live in a house in Queens, New York and in the basement of that house lives Carrie’s father Arthur. That living arrangement leads to all kinds of funny situations.

“Pilot”
Doug has just got his new TV which is placed in Doug’s sanctuary – the basement, when Carrie’s sister comes to the house to tell them that Arthur’s wife (or girlfriend? – she does not seem to be Carrie’s or her sister’s mother) has just died. When Arthur tries to live alone he accidentally burns down his house and has to move into the basement of the Heffernan’s house…

My Opinion
Another really good sitcom and this one I’ll finish when I get the remaining seasons on DVD.
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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Pilot Marathon
Tags: Airwolf · Ally McBeal · Battlestar Galactica · Friends · Highlander · JAG · Smallville · The A-Team · The Dukes of Hazzard · The King of Queens
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Deutsche Version | Part 2 | Part 4

Thunder in Paradise

What’s the show about?
R.J. “Hurricance” Spencer has built a very special boat. It is very fast, specially armored and has a lot of special features. He and his partner Brubaker go on special missions for their country.

“Thunder in Paradise”
Spencer is in financial trouble because of the boat he’s built. And the hotel owner Megan Whitaker has the problem of finding a husband within two days. So they make a deal…

My Opinion
Of all the “super machine” series I’ve watched (and I watched them all [Knight Rider, Airwolf, Street Hawk, The Highwayman, Viper, ...]) this one is the cheesiest. The internal measurements of the boat are way larger than the external measurements and the acting is not very good. Ok, what do we expect from a wrestler. It’s definitivly more a fun series than anything else.
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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Pilot Marathon
Tags: Battlestar Galactica · Home Improvement · LOST · M*A*S*H · Married with Children · Sledge Hammer · Star Trek · Star Trek DS9 · Star Trek TOS · The Simpsons · Thunder in Paradise
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Deutsche Version | Part 1 | Part 3

Heroes

What’s the show about?
People all over the world discover that they have special abilities. And somehow their destinies are connected and that they have a task to do: How to stop an exploding man?

“Genesis”
Tokyo, Japan. A man belives that he can stop time. Odessa, Texas, USA. A girl jumps 70 feet from a building and heals practically instantaniously. New York, USA. A man can paint future events. They all don’t know what is happening but they know that something’s changed…

My Opinion
Loved the first season. Haven’t gotten around to watch the second.
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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Pilot Marathon
Tags: Babylon 5 · Crusade · Desperate Housewives · Hercules: The Legendary Journeys · Heroes · Kung Fu: The Legend Continues · Raumpatrouille Orion · Scooby Doo · Sliders · Space: Above and Beyond
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Deutsche Version | Part 2

Every story has a beginning and for a TV show it’s (often) the Pilot. I simply love pilots. It’s the one episode that I watch more than any other episode of the show.

I’ll watch them in the order in which they stand on my shelves, so there’s no secret master plan why one show comes before or after the next.

As Kosh would say: And so it begins.

Xena: Warrior Princess

What’s the show about?
The former warlord Xena has reformed and fights now for the good. She and her sidekick Gabrielle travel through the ancient world of Greece, North Africa and Asia. They fight with and against other warlords, demons and gods.

What happend before?
Xena is a spin-off of Hercules where Xena was introduced. Back then she was still a warlord until she lost her army due to a mutiny. After that she helped Hercules defeat a vicious monster.

“Sins of the Past”
Xena cannot escape her past even when she tries to. On the way to her hometown Amphipolis she saves a group of people – including a young girl called Gabrielle – from being captured and sold into slavery. The attackers are under the command of Draco. When she denies him a real fight he decides to destroy Amphipolis and kill everyone. Now Xena has to protect a town that does not want her to be there…

My Opinion
Since the character was already introduced in Hercules one doesn’t learn much new about Xena in the pilot. Even if she had an affair with Draco remains unclear.
I always favoured Xena over Hercules because it was a bit darker and her enemies (Callisto, Ares, …) were more interesting

But there is one thing that bugs me while I’m watching the show. While I grew up I read a lot of greek mythology. I’ve read the Iliad, the Odyssey, I watched every Hercules/Heracles movie there was. And I am still used to the german names of everything: Herkules, Achilles, Zeus, … . While the spelling is only slightly different, the pronunciation is completely different. Everytime I watch Xena or Hercules and they pronounce greek names it sounds totally wrong. Period.
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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Pilot Marathon
Tags: Alien Nation · Buck Rogers · Farscape · Firefly · Quantum Leap · Star Trek · Star Trek TNG · Stargate Atlantis · Stargate SG-1 · The 4400 · Xena: Warrior Princess
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