WHAT IF? - "INTELLIGENCE" VS. "CHUCK"

In a Q&A with Josh Holloway, star of 'Intelligence', Entertainment Weekly asked about a theoretical encounter with another citizen of Toobworld.......

Q: With the computer chip in Gabriel's brain, people are comparing 'Intelligence' to 'Chuck'.  Gabriel could take Chuck, right?

A: [Laughs] I don't know!  Chuck could down-load martial-arts stuff and then suddenly do it!  Actually, Gabriel could kick his ass, but it wouldn't be easy because Chuck would be like, "I'm going to pull up some Bruce Lee here and take you down."  He was squirrelly, and you didn't see it coming because he would disarm you with his charm. 

Here's another question from the EW Q&A with Josh Holloway, star of the CBS series 'Intelligence' which has Toobworld overtones:

Q: Several of your Lost castmates — Michael Emerson, Daniel Dae Kim, Jorge Garcia and Terry O’Quinn — have also been popping up on CBS. Is there a chance for the ultimate crossover?

A: I don’t know where they would do it, but sure! I hope we go to Hawaii and crossover with Daniel Dae Kim so I can sit on the beach and chill! They’d end up throwing me and Dan on some raft so we’d be out in the ocean in the middle of the night. I’m open to it!

BCnU!

FIRST IMPRESSION: "INTELLIGENCE"

[Yeah, I know I'm running way behind on some of these posts.  There's only so much Blogger juggling that can be done on an iPhone.....]

Based only on the series premiere, 'Intelligence' belongs in the main Toobworld.  At the very least, the President of the United States is inferred to be the same as in the Real World. 

Gabriel's bodyguard is a Secret Service agent named Riley, who got knifed saving the President's daughters from being kidnapped.  The audience is led to assume that Riley was protecting Sasha and Malia Obama.....

BCnU!

TVXOHOF, BIRTHDAY HONORS LIST 2014 - MISS ELLIE (OF DOWNTON, NOT DALLAS)

All this year we are inducting TV characters into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame who might not otherwise have been eligible thanks to Inner Toob's blog celebration of its anniversary.

But this choice might be so controversial, I think it best to induct her as my nominee from the Birthday Honors List.

When Jerome Kern’s song, "Look for the Silver Lining", was played in an episode of 'Downton Abbey', Matthew Crawley said: ‘I think it’s from a flop, "Zip Goes A Million".’ 

That production did not even open – in faraway Worcester, Massachusetts, – until seven months later. 

Marion Harris' recording of this song was (anachronistically) featured in a memorable dance scene between Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley in the popular Masterpiece Classic series "Downton Abbey". 

The scene can be viewed in Episode 8 of Series 2 where the plot-line reached early-to-mid 1919; however, the recording was not made until 29 December 1920. 

"The real problem is with people who are insecure socially, and they think to show how smart they are by picking holes in the programme to promote their own poshness and to show that their knowledge is greater than your knowledge," Julian Fellows once said. 

Boo hoo.

I've made theoretical connections for DOWNTON ABBEY with HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY, SCOTT & BAILEY, and a handful of TV series which featured fictional UK newspapers of the time. But I've wanted to find a connection to DOCTOR WHO. (Hey, it's me; O'Bviously I'm going to look for links to the Doctor with every TV show!) 

Well I think I finally found one, but through the TORCHWOOD back door. And via a character we never get to meet in either show.....

I think Lavinia's cousin who gave her a gramophone as a wedding present was named Ellie. And that she was the former girlfriend of WWI soldier Tommy Bockless ("To The Last Man"). 

TOSH: You had a girlfriend? In 1918.
TOMMY: Yeah. Ellie. We courted for two years.
TOSH: What happened?
TOMMY: I, er, stopped seeing her last time I was home on leave. The war changed me. I couldn't just carry on like before.

Furthermore, she may have met the First Doctor and Susan during the zeppelin air raids of 1915 ("Planet of Giants") which could have led to her becoming a Companion to the Seventh or Eighth Doctor (more room for fanfic around those two) at least between 1918 and April 1919. 

The Eighth Doctor meets Ellie Swire?

Why would I think that? Because of that gramophone record she gave to Lavinia and Matthew.  That record, to which Matthew and Mary danced and kissed, would not be produced for another year. Where did the cousin get it if not during her travels with a Time Lord?

I'd like to think Ellie Swire was in this parade of young ladies.....

So....

• 'Downtown Abbey'
• 'Torchwood'
• 'Doctor Who'

That may be only three TV series but that's all that's required for inclusion into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.  

Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Miss Ellie!

Not too shabby at the Abbey for a TV character who was never seen at all!

BCnU!

SUPER SIX LIST - SIX WHO ARE AT LEAST ONE FOOT SHORT (NOT SHORTER)

1] Colonel Steve Austin ('The Six Million Dollar Man')

2] Daniel "Lifeguard" Burroughs ('Wiseguy')

3] Dr. Al Robbins ('CSI')

4] Detective Sergeant Paul Milner ('Foyle's War')

5] Michael "Deathlok" Peterson ('Agents Of SHIELD')

6) Nog ('Star Trek: Deep Space Nine')

Honorary mentions (all multiversals):

• Captain Ahab ("Moby Dick")
• Jonathan Small ("The Sign Of Four")
• Long John Silver ("Treasure Island")

My all-time favorite is a multi-versal who began life in BookWorld and then moved on to the Cineverse:

Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody ("Harry Potter")

Maybe one day he'll be in Toobworld as well.....

BCnU!

CLUBBING IT - AN O'BSERVATION

Here are a couple of night clubs to be found in Toobworld.....

From 'Amos Burke, Secret Agent'

From 'The Name Of The Game'

You'd think they would have given some thought to the acronyms......

BCnU!

THEORIES OF RELATEEVEETY: THE REDMANS ARE COMING! THE REDMANS ARE COMING!

'THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD'

"THE VANDALS"

THE DEATH OF RALF REDMAN

In the latter part of the 12th Century, Ralf Redman was a land-owner who was murdered by men working for Baron Hubert who wanted the land.  Redmond's estate wasn't worth much in itself - barren, rocky, not very good for farming.  And the same held true for the neighboring estate which sat between Redman's land and that belonging to Baron Hubert.

But together?  The properties led on a straight path to the rich hunting grounds belonging to the Giles famiy.  It was Hubert's plan to buy up the other two properties and then kill off the Giles family and buy their land as well.

Of course, Robin Hood and his Merry Men saved the day.

Ralf Redman left behind a widow and it was unknown at the time that he left Lady Jane with child.  Unseen by the audience of the Trueniverse, Lady Jane gave birth to a son to carry on the family name.  

And carry it on he did!  Young Redman was the founder of a family tree who could count the following TV characters in the lineage:

Mark Redman ('Coronation Street' (1960)) 

Maggie Redman ('Coronation Street' (1960)) 

Dr. Alex Redman ('Peak Practice' (1993)) 

Eric Redman ('It Takes a Thief' (1968)) 

Drew Redman ('All Saints' (1998)) 

Clint Redman (Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)) 

As you can see, some of those names are from Great Britain, a few from the United States, and even one from Australia.  So Clan Redman spread far and wide.

Even though the events of 'The Stand' took place in an alternate TV dimension, Ralf Redman existed in that world as well.  Over in that decimated Borderland, Stu Redman could be counted among the descendents of the murdered resident of Nottingham.  (And Stu's luck with survival was certainly better than that of his ancestor!)  And conversely, a Stu Redman must also exist in the main Toobworld.  But he never had need to leave the small dusty Texas town where he grew up......

Stu Redman ('The Stand' (1994)) 

Until the Civil War, one of the Redmans owned slaves in the South.  After they were freed, many of those slaves kept the name of their former master as their own surname.  As we saw in 'Roots', many such slave-holders impregnated their slave women in order to breed more slaves to own.  

From such an unholy union eventually came a famous (and over-bearing) actress in the 1990s named Marissa Redman.  

Marissa Redman ('The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' (1990) 

 

 

Over time, the Redman name was corrupted.  For instance, Ben Redmon of Boston could also count himself among the descendents of Ralf Redman.  When his family came over to America, an official at Ellis Island branded Ben's ancestor as "Redmon" on the official paperwork.  And so it was for future generations.

Ben Redmon ('Boston Public' (2000))

The same thing happened to his kinfolk when they arrived in Newfoundland.  However, their name was altered to become "Redmond".  

Wolf Redmond ('Republic of Doyle' (2010)) 

From Canada, those Redmonds eventually migrated to Washington state on the Pacific coast.

 Dr. Tim Redmond ('Grey's Anatomy' (2005)) 

(Dr. Redmond's son Howie will one day grow up to continue the family name....)

Through the generations, several Redmond women married and assumed the surnames of their husbands.  Yet they nor their descendents ever forgot that side of their family tree and they honored the Redmond family by giving the name to their children as first names.

Redmond Dunn ('Capital News' (1990)) 

Redmond Jones ('Rizzoli & Isles' (2010)) 

In both cases, their mothers may have had "Redmond" as their maiden names.  So it's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that Bostonians Redmond Jones and Ben Redmon were cousins, if not closely related.

Many different surnames would swell up throughout the lineage of the Redmans, and their history might have remained important no matter how distant the connection.  And the story about the death of Ralf Redman and the Hooded Man who avenged hiim may have been carried down through the years through those other family surnames.

Which could be the reason why Ada Mullins, a jewel thief in London during the 1920s who was known as "The Unicorn", adopted the name of "Robina Redmond......"

Ada Mullins aka Robina Redmond ('Doctor Who' (2005)) 

And so endeth this theory of relateeveety...

BCnU!

TUESDAY NEWS DAY - "HEROES REBORN"

NBC announced back in February that it will be bringing back its superhero series 'Heroes' as a 13 part mini-series called 'Heroes Reborn.'

The creator of the original series, Tim Kring, will nce again be in charge of the production with a new cast of "super-heroes". (The president of NBC Entertainment hinted that several of the original characters might come back.  This could mean either as regulars or as cameos.)  Going full-out on this being a multi-platform event, the characters and the storylines will first appear in a digital series beforehand.

The original series debuted in 2006 and ran for four years,  but the show petered out long before it was cancelled - at least to my way of thinking.  For me, interest in the show died with the first season finale when it became apparent they were going to drag things out with the Sylar storyline instead of killing him off and moving on to a new "Big Bad" for the next season.

And the characters of 'Heroes' diverged to a new timeline once Future Hiro returne to the Past to confront Peter Petrelli.  After that, there were new occupants to the White House and other contradictions to the mainstays of the main Toobworld.

But I suppose I will check it out when the time comes.....

BCnU!

RECASTAWAYS - HAS DR. EGRET FLOWN THE COOP?

'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'

"The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair"

"The Girls Of Nazarone Affair"

Dr. Egret was the closest thing 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' would have to a recurring villain like Wo Fat or Dr. Loveless or Wil Wheaton.  She was an evil scientist working for THRUSH, but by the end of the first episode we learned that she had been in disguise the whole time.  (She pulled off her latex face a la the IMF agents.)

And "Dr. Egret" was probably an alias as well.  When next we saw her, she was a blonde going by the name of Madame Alceste Streigau.

But those two episodes were her only appearances within the show.  The producers never saw fit to bring her back.

However, she may have shown up in other TV series....

All we need are evil scientists (Madness not a deal-breaker) who are women and who survive the end of the episode in which they appear.  And they should follow the Toobworld timeline - you don't want to get carried away and claim that Dr. Faustina from 'The Wild, Wild West' was the same woman as Dr. Egret.  But claiming her look-a-like descendant Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft from 'Batman' would work...

So howzabout it?  Can you think of any female mad/evil scientists who might have been Dr. Egret?  I don't think we even have to take into account aging as the years passed because she was such a master of disguise.

But I'm not sure her lifespan should be extended too much farther into the new millennium....

BCnU!

VIDEO WEEKEND: "GOTHAM"