Back in the early 1950s, Albert Einstein convinced President Truman to establish a town for all of its greatest scientific minds where they could work in seclusion, secrecy, and high security (triple sec!), and yet still maintain the semblance of a small-town home life.
And that's how 'Eureka', Oregon, was founded.
Harry Truman was probably receptive to the idea because he had seen first-hand the threat posed by the Hive just a few years before in Roswell, New Mexico. The oversight committee working behind the scenes to battle the alien menace was known as Majestic 12 (as seen on 'Dark Skies'), and they probably were responsible for the establishment of 'Eureka'.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
MISSING LINK: THE END OF TOOBWORLD
Or at least one of them, anyway......
One reason why it would be exceedingly difficult to create a cohesive universe for movies, as opposed to TV, is that there is such a finality to many of their individual stories. The main characters are killed off; sometimes the entire world is destroyed.
This happens in Television as well, but at least Toobworld has an escape clause in established parallel dimensions thanks to 'Sliders', 'The Twilight Zone', and 'Star Trek' among many other shows.
This certainly comes in handy when you have TV mini-series and TV movies that deal with the end of the world ('The Stand', for example). Sometimes that cataclysmic conclusion can be rectified with a little pretzel logic. Take 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy'; in the very first episode the Earth is destroyed. And since that happened back in 1981, it doesn't seem likely we can still keep that show in the main Toobworld and yet still have everything that came on the air afterwards, from 'St. Elsewhere' to 'Lost'.
Luckily, we have an out. By the end of the six episodes of 'HHG2TG', Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect were thrown back in time to the age of the cavemen, along with the crew of a Golgafrinchan spaceship. By interfering with the timeline of the Earth back then, Arthur and Ford created a whole new chronology for the main Toobworld that excluded its destruction by a Vogon constructor fleet.
And thus we can continue to enjoy the shows we watch now as being part of the same TV Universe.
But sometimes that is just not possible. Too many of the episodes from the newer version of 'The Outer Limits' ended with the world's destruction, as did a few from 'The Twilight Zone' and perhaps even some episodes from 'Tales Of Tomorrow' and 'Science Fiction Theater'. As with 'The Stand', they have to be shipped over to parallel dimensions where they cannot interfere with the ongoing history of life on Toobworld.
The latest example was broadcast last night on TNT in the fourth installment of 'Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes'. "The End Of The Whole Mess" took place in the not-too-distant, sooner-than-you-think future. (Although the actual date was never specified in the original story, the TV adaptation set it in 2011.)
Bobby Fornoy, a wunderkind genius, is working with a scientific research team who contacts his older brother Howard (a documentary filmmaker) to record the team's latest project. Apparently, they discovered that the waters of La Planta, Texas, contain properties which act as a calmative for the human brain. All manner of aggression, hatred, anger, and prejudice are impossible while under the influence of this calmative.
Bobby's research team take it upon themselves to decide what's best for Mankind's future. They intend to have the explosion of a volcano on the scale of Krakatoa be the catalyst to spread the water's agent throughout the entire world. As Bobby described it, he wanted everybody in the world to drink it, bathe in it, brush their teeth with it.
The utopia gained from this forced experiment upon the world lasted only three years. And then the unforeseen side effects kicked in: everybody in the world, no matter their location or their age, came down with a variation of Alzheimer's Disease.
The entire human race was going to be reduced to mindless, gibbering shells before they finally all died out from neglect and lack of care.
And thus the Earth would live up to its entry in 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy': "Mostly Harmless".
As the tele-play was set in 2011 looking back over the last five years or so, we know it can't be set in the main Toobworld. God willin', that is. After all, barring unforeseen catastrophes, the world expects to see the Olympics in London on the telly come 2012.
Not even the dangers of a "Dalek" attack or interference by an Isolus ("Fear Her") will keep that from happening. (Both are episodes of 'Doctor Who'.)
But it does time out nicely for the Mayan prophecy that the world would end in 2012, as mentioned in an episode of 'The X-Files'......
So "The End Of The Whole Mess" will have to be dismissed to its own dimension. But it is set far enough into the future so that we can place it into an alternate dimension that already exists in the greater TV Universe. That way we can write "fini" to a world created to accommodate some TV show.
But which should it be?
We would have to exclude an o'bvious candidate like the Tooniverse, and the "evil mirror universe" made popular by 'Star Trek' and its franchises (and also visited by 'Buffy' and 'Hercules') has to be exempt as well. Its timeline extends far past the expiration date of this story.
And even though the Presidents in the many TV movies of the week line up nicely when it comes to chronology for an Earth Prime-Time/MOTW, that particular dimension will always be adding in new fictional presidents. So it's best not to tamper with their timeline.
Several alternate dimensions were created because they installed presidents of the United States during a time when the actual POTUS from the Real World should also have been the leader of Toobworld's free world as well.
'The West Wing'/'Smallville'
'Commander-In-Chief'
'The District'/'The Agency'/'Prison Break'
'24'
'Hail To The Chief'/'Mr. President'
'The Secret Files Of Desmond Pfeiffer'/'That's My Bush!'
'The Secret Files Of Desmond Pfeiffer' and 'That's My Bush!' share a dimension in which the POTUS is a doofus version of the actual President. Or when referring to the present occupant of the Oval Office, moreso than usual. At any rate, we should keep that one around.
We can cross '24' and 'Prison Break' off the list because those two shows are still in play. (Somewhat breaking news - Patricia Wettig isn't planning on returning to her role as the evil Vice President Steadman in 'Prison Break', even though she's poised to assume the mantle of Chief Executive now that the POTUS of that dimension has died.)
I think we can eliminate the dimension containing the two other sitcoms from consideration. It's not because of the difference in mood between the shows and this episode of 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes'. It's just that eventually somebody else will come up with a sitcom premise that features a fictional President, and we'll need someplace to plop it......
As for 'The West Wing', personally I'd like to think that one day we might get to reunite with characters from the Aaron Sorkin creation. But I have to concede that Jed Bartlet is already out of office in that dimension, but that he more than likely will have passed away by 2011.
Besides, I've always held that 'Smallville' takes place in the same dimension as 'The West Wing' since there were not yet any reports of Superman defending Truth, Justice, and the American Way being mentioned during CJ's White House press briefings.
But surely by 2011, Clark Kent will have come fully into his legacy as a son of Krypton, and he will have assumed his role as the Man of Steel. I would think Superman would have found a way to not only save the day (perhaps by flying in healers from other worlds), or by going back in time to prevent the project from ever taking place.
Even though there is talk of a TV movie or two to wrap up the storylines for 'Commander-In-Chief', I don't see any reason why "The End Of The Whole Mess" could not bring the world of President Mackenzie Allen to a sad conclusion.
Whether she would be still in office or not by 2011 (She is eligible for two terms of her own.) wouldn't really matter. This episode of 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes' played out on the vast world-stage but focused on just a very few characters.
Near as I can remember, the President's name (in 2011) was never mentioned - I think the lack of specifics helped make it seem a possibility to happen. So it could quite possibly be Mackenzie Allen in the White House.... Or it might have been Nathan Templeton.
Either way, if "The End Of The Whole Mess" did occur in the dimension for 'The Commander-In-Chief', both characters would have been stricken with the fatal Alzheimer's variant.
Hail to the Chief!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
One reason why it would be exceedingly difficult to create a cohesive universe for movies, as opposed to TV, is that there is such a finality to many of their individual stories. The main characters are killed off; sometimes the entire world is destroyed.
This happens in Television as well, but at least Toobworld has an escape clause in established parallel dimensions thanks to 'Sliders', 'The Twilight Zone', and 'Star Trek' among many other shows.
This certainly comes in handy when you have TV mini-series and TV movies that deal with the end of the world ('The Stand', for example). Sometimes that cataclysmic conclusion can be rectified with a little pretzel logic. Take 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy'; in the very first episode the Earth is destroyed. And since that happened back in 1981, it doesn't seem likely we can still keep that show in the main Toobworld and yet still have everything that came on the air afterwards, from 'St. Elsewhere' to 'Lost'.
Luckily, we have an out. By the end of the six episodes of 'HHG2TG', Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect were thrown back in time to the age of the cavemen, along with the crew of a Golgafrinchan spaceship. By interfering with the timeline of the Earth back then, Arthur and Ford created a whole new chronology for the main Toobworld that excluded its destruction by a Vogon constructor fleet.
And thus we can continue to enjoy the shows we watch now as being part of the same TV Universe.
But sometimes that is just not possible. Too many of the episodes from the newer version of 'The Outer Limits' ended with the world's destruction, as did a few from 'The Twilight Zone' and perhaps even some episodes from 'Tales Of Tomorrow' and 'Science Fiction Theater'. As with 'The Stand', they have to be shipped over to parallel dimensions where they cannot interfere with the ongoing history of life on Toobworld.
The latest example was broadcast last night on TNT in the fourth installment of 'Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes'. "The End Of The Whole Mess" took place in the not-too-distant, sooner-than-you-think future. (Although the actual date was never specified in the original story, the TV adaptation set it in 2011.)
Bobby Fornoy, a wunderkind genius, is working with a scientific research team who contacts his older brother Howard (a documentary filmmaker) to record the team's latest project. Apparently, they discovered that the waters of La Planta, Texas, contain properties which act as a calmative for the human brain. All manner of aggression, hatred, anger, and prejudice are impossible while under the influence of this calmative.
Bobby's research team take it upon themselves to decide what's best for Mankind's future. They intend to have the explosion of a volcano on the scale of Krakatoa be the catalyst to spread the water's agent throughout the entire world. As Bobby described it, he wanted everybody in the world to drink it, bathe in it, brush their teeth with it.
The utopia gained from this forced experiment upon the world lasted only three years. And then the unforeseen side effects kicked in: everybody in the world, no matter their location or their age, came down with a variation of Alzheimer's Disease.
The entire human race was going to be reduced to mindless, gibbering shells before they finally all died out from neglect and lack of care.
And thus the Earth would live up to its entry in 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy': "Mostly Harmless".
As the tele-play was set in 2011 looking back over the last five years or so, we know it can't be set in the main Toobworld. God willin', that is. After all, barring unforeseen catastrophes, the world expects to see the Olympics in London on the telly come 2012.
Not even the dangers of a "Dalek" attack or interference by an Isolus ("Fear Her") will keep that from happening. (Both are episodes of 'Doctor Who'.)
But it does time out nicely for the Mayan prophecy that the world would end in 2012, as mentioned in an episode of 'The X-Files'......
So "The End Of The Whole Mess" will have to be dismissed to its own dimension. But it is set far enough into the future so that we can place it into an alternate dimension that already exists in the greater TV Universe. That way we can write "fini" to a world created to accommodate some TV show.
But which should it be?
We would have to exclude an o'bvious candidate like the Tooniverse, and the "evil mirror universe" made popular by 'Star Trek' and its franchises (and also visited by 'Buffy' and 'Hercules') has to be exempt as well. Its timeline extends far past the expiration date of this story.
And even though the Presidents in the many TV movies of the week line up nicely when it comes to chronology for an Earth Prime-Time/MOTW, that particular dimension will always be adding in new fictional presidents. So it's best not to tamper with their timeline.
Several alternate dimensions were created because they installed presidents of the United States during a time when the actual POTUS from the Real World should also have been the leader of Toobworld's free world as well.
'The West Wing'/'Smallville'
'Commander-In-Chief'
'The District'/'The Agency'/'Prison Break'
'24'
'Hail To The Chief'/'Mr. President'
'The Secret Files Of Desmond Pfeiffer'/'That's My Bush!'
'The Secret Files Of Desmond Pfeiffer' and 'That's My Bush!' share a dimension in which the POTUS is a doofus version of the actual President. Or when referring to the present occupant of the Oval Office, moreso than usual. At any rate, we should keep that one around.
We can cross '24' and 'Prison Break' off the list because those two shows are still in play. (Somewhat breaking news - Patricia Wettig isn't planning on returning to her role as the evil Vice President Steadman in 'Prison Break', even though she's poised to assume the mantle of Chief Executive now that the POTUS of that dimension has died.)
I think we can eliminate the dimension containing the two other sitcoms from consideration. It's not because of the difference in mood between the shows and this episode of 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes'. It's just that eventually somebody else will come up with a sitcom premise that features a fictional President, and we'll need someplace to plop it......
As for 'The West Wing', personally I'd like to think that one day we might get to reunite with characters from the Aaron Sorkin creation. But I have to concede that Jed Bartlet is already out of office in that dimension, but that he more than likely will have passed away by 2011.
Besides, I've always held that 'Smallville' takes place in the same dimension as 'The West Wing' since there were not yet any reports of Superman defending Truth, Justice, and the American Way being mentioned during CJ's White House press briefings.
But surely by 2011, Clark Kent will have come fully into his legacy as a son of Krypton, and he will have assumed his role as the Man of Steel. I would think Superman would have found a way to not only save the day (perhaps by flying in healers from other worlds), or by going back in time to prevent the project from ever taking place.
Even though there is talk of a TV movie or two to wrap up the storylines for 'Commander-In-Chief', I don't see any reason why "The End Of The Whole Mess" could not bring the world of President Mackenzie Allen to a sad conclusion.
Whether she would be still in office or not by 2011 (She is eligible for two terms of her own.) wouldn't really matter. This episode of 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes' played out on the vast world-stage but focused on just a very few characters.
Near as I can remember, the President's name (in 2011) was never mentioned - I think the lack of specifics helped make it seem a possibility to happen. So it could quite possibly be Mackenzie Allen in the White House.... Or it might have been Nathan Templeton.
Either way, if "The End Of The Whole Mess" did occur in the dimension for 'The Commander-In-Chief', both characters would have been stricken with the fatal Alzheimer's variant.
Hail to the Chief!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Thursday, July 20, 2006
THE HAT SQUAD: PETER HAWKINS
Actor Peter Hawkins passed away in the United Kingdom on July 8th at the age of 82.
Hawkins was far better known for his voice than for his appearance, as he gave voice to the first of the Daleks as well as to the first Cybermen in 'Doctor Who'.
He was one of the original Daleks in "The Daleks", the story which introduced them. He returned as a Dalek's voice in:
"The Dalek Invasion of Earth"
"The Space Museum"
"The Chase"
"Mission to the Unknown"
"The Daleks' Master Plan"
"The Power of the Daleks"
and
"The Evil of the Daleks".
But in addition to those pepperpots, Hawkins also voiced one of the original Cybermen in "The Tenth Planet", as well as in:
"The Moonbase"
"The Tomb of the Cybermen"
and
"The Wheel in Space".
Science fiction shows weren't the only beneficiaries of his vocal talents. Peter Hawkins provided the voices for 'The Flowerpot Men' Bill and Ben as well as for Captain Pugwash. Among the other children shows he worked on were 'Rainbow' and 'SuperTed'.
But he also made his physical presence known in Toobworld with apperances on such shows as 'Dave Allen At Large', 'Father Brown', and 'Jim Henson's The Storyteller'.
Over in the radio universe, Hawkins provided voices for the original version of 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy'.
TV SERIES
"Penny Crayon" (1990) TV Series (voice) .... Dennis
"Jimbo and the Jet Set" (1986) TV Series (voice)
"The Family-Ness" (1984) TV Series (voice)
"The Perishers" (1978) TV Series (voice)
"Rainbow" (1972) TV Series (voice) .... Zippy (1972)
"The Adventures of Sir Prancelot" (1972) TV Series (voice)
"Dave Allen at Large" (1971) TV Series .... Various characters
"Tomfoolery" (1970) TV Series .... Various characters
"The Big Spender" (1965) TV Series .... Spiro
"Captain Pugwash" (1957) TV Series (voice) .... Captain Pugwash/Master Mate/Pirate Barnabas/Pirate Willy/Tom the cabin boy
"The Woodentops" (1955) TV Series (voice)
"Billy Bean and His Funny Machine" (1954) TV Series (voice) .... Billy Bean
"Flower Pot Men" (1952) TV Series (voice)
"Stranger from Space" (1951) TV Series .... Petrio (Second series only)
"Whirligig" (1950) TV Series .... Voice of Mr. Turnip
TV MINI-SERIES
"The Days of Vengeance" (1960) (mini) TV Series .... PC Harris
TV NARRATION
"Windfalls" (1988) TV Series (voice) .... Narrator/Various Characters
"The Adventures of Spot" (1987) TV Series .... Narrator
"SuperTed" (1983) TV Series (voice) .... Narrator
"Bleep and Booster" (1963) TV Series (voice) .... Narrator
Treasure Island (1957) (TV) .... Narrator
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"The Storyteller"
- The Soldier and Death (1988) TV Episode (voice) .... Devil
"Father Brown"
- The Hammer of God (1974) TV Episode .... Gibbs
"Dial M for Murder"
- Dead Connection (1974) TV Episode .... Sgt. Maclean
"Doomwatch"
- Project Sahara (1970) TV Episode (voice) .... Computer
"Softly Softly"
- Blind Man's Bluff (1966) TV Episode .... Det. Sgt. Thorn
"The Wednesday Play"
- A Walk in the Sea (1966) TV Episode .... Mr. Willis
THE 'DOCTOR WHO' APPEARANCES
The Survivors (28 December 1963) - Daleks (voice)
The Escape (4 January 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Ambush (11 January 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Expedition (18 January 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Ordeal (22 January 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Rescue (1 February 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Daleks (28 November 1964) - Daleks (voice)
Day of Reckoning (5 December 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The End of Tomorrow (12 December 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Waking Ally (19 December 1964) - Daleks (voice)
Flashpoint (26 December 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Space Museum (24 April 1965) - Dalek (voice)
The Executioners (22 May 1965) - Daleks (voice)
Mission to the Unknown (9 October 1965) - Daleks (voice)
The Nightmare Begins (13 November 1965) - Daleks (voice)
Day of Armageddon (20 November 1965) - Daleks (voice)
The Tenth Planet: Part 1 (8 October 1966) - Cyberman (voice)
The Power of the Daleks: Part 1 (5 November 1966) - Daleks (voice)
The Moonbase: Part 1 (11 February 1967) - Cybermen (voice)
The Evil of the Daleks: Part 1 (20 May 1967) - Daleks (voice)
The Tomb of the Cybermen: Part 1 (2 September 1967) - Cybermen (voice)
The Tomb of the Cybermen: Part 2 (9 September 1967) - Cybermen (voice)
The Tomb of the Cybermen: Part 3 (16 September 1967) - Cybermen (voice)
The Tomb of the Cybermen: Part 4 (23 September 1967) - Cybermen (voice)
The Wheel in Space: Part 1 (27 April 1968) - Cybermen (voice)
BCnU.....
Tele-Toby
Hawkins was far better known for his voice than for his appearance, as he gave voice to the first of the Daleks as well as to the first Cybermen in 'Doctor Who'.
He was one of the original Daleks in "The Daleks", the story which introduced them. He returned as a Dalek's voice in:
"The Dalek Invasion of Earth"
"The Space Museum"
"The Chase"
"Mission to the Unknown"
"The Daleks' Master Plan"
"The Power of the Daleks"
and
"The Evil of the Daleks".
But in addition to those pepperpots, Hawkins also voiced one of the original Cybermen in "The Tenth Planet", as well as in:
"The Moonbase"
"The Tomb of the Cybermen"
and
"The Wheel in Space".
Science fiction shows weren't the only beneficiaries of his vocal talents. Peter Hawkins provided the voices for 'The Flowerpot Men' Bill and Ben as well as for Captain Pugwash. Among the other children shows he worked on were 'Rainbow' and 'SuperTed'.
But he also made his physical presence known in Toobworld with apperances on such shows as 'Dave Allen At Large', 'Father Brown', and 'Jim Henson's The Storyteller'.
Over in the radio universe, Hawkins provided voices for the original version of 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy'.
TV SERIES
"Penny Crayon" (1990) TV Series (voice) .... Dennis
"Jimbo and the Jet Set" (1986) TV Series (voice)
"The Family-Ness" (1984) TV Series (voice)
"The Perishers" (1978) TV Series (voice)
"Rainbow" (1972) TV Series (voice) .... Zippy (1972)
"The Adventures of Sir Prancelot" (1972) TV Series (voice)
"Dave Allen at Large" (1971) TV Series .... Various characters
"Tomfoolery" (1970) TV Series .... Various characters
"The Big Spender" (1965) TV Series .... Spiro
"Captain Pugwash" (1957) TV Series (voice) .... Captain Pugwash/Master Mate/Pirate Barnabas/Pirate Willy/Tom the cabin boy
"The Woodentops" (1955) TV Series (voice)
"Billy Bean and His Funny Machine" (1954) TV Series (voice) .... Billy Bean
"Flower Pot Men" (1952) TV Series (voice)
"Stranger from Space" (1951) TV Series .... Petrio (Second series only)
"Whirligig" (1950) TV Series .... Voice of Mr. Turnip
TV MINI-SERIES
"The Days of Vengeance" (1960) (mini) TV Series .... PC Harris
TV NARRATION
"Windfalls" (1988) TV Series (voice) .... Narrator/Various Characters
"The Adventures of Spot" (1987) TV Series .... Narrator
"SuperTed" (1983) TV Series (voice) .... Narrator
"Bleep and Booster" (1963) TV Series (voice) .... Narrator
Treasure Island (1957) (TV) .... Narrator
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"The Storyteller"
- The Soldier and Death (1988) TV Episode (voice) .... Devil
"Father Brown"
- The Hammer of God (1974) TV Episode .... Gibbs
"Dial M for Murder"
- Dead Connection (1974) TV Episode .... Sgt. Maclean
"Doomwatch"
- Project Sahara (1970) TV Episode (voice) .... Computer
"Softly Softly"
- Blind Man's Bluff (1966) TV Episode .... Det. Sgt. Thorn
"The Wednesday Play"
- A Walk in the Sea (1966) TV Episode .... Mr. Willis
THE 'DOCTOR WHO' APPEARANCES
The Survivors (28 December 1963) - Daleks (voice)
The Escape (4 January 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Ambush (11 January 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Expedition (18 January 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Ordeal (22 January 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Rescue (1 February 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Daleks (28 November 1964) - Daleks (voice)
Day of Reckoning (5 December 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The End of Tomorrow (12 December 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Waking Ally (19 December 1964) - Daleks (voice)
Flashpoint (26 December 1964) - Daleks (voice)
The Space Museum (24 April 1965) - Dalek (voice)
The Executioners (22 May 1965) - Daleks (voice)
Mission to the Unknown (9 October 1965) - Daleks (voice)
The Nightmare Begins (13 November 1965) - Daleks (voice)
Day of Armageddon (20 November 1965) - Daleks (voice)
The Tenth Planet: Part 1 (8 October 1966) - Cyberman (voice)
The Power of the Daleks: Part 1 (5 November 1966) - Daleks (voice)
The Moonbase: Part 1 (11 February 1967) - Cybermen (voice)
The Evil of the Daleks: Part 1 (20 May 1967) - Daleks (voice)
The Tomb of the Cybermen: Part 1 (2 September 1967) - Cybermen (voice)
The Tomb of the Cybermen: Part 2 (9 September 1967) - Cybermen (voice)
The Tomb of the Cybermen: Part 3 (16 September 1967) - Cybermen (voice)
The Tomb of the Cybermen: Part 4 (23 September 1967) - Cybermen (voice)
The Wheel in Space: Part 1 (27 April 1968) - Cybermen (voice)
BCnU.....
Tele-Toby
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
THE HAT SQUAD: CARRIE NYE
Carrie Nye, actress and wife of Dick Cavett, passed away this week from lung cancer. She was often compared to Tallulah Bankhead because of her arch sense of humor and her Mississippi accent. In fact, she extended Ms. Bankhead's presence in Toobworld by serving as her televersion in the TV movie "The Scarlet O'Hara Wars" which was about the search for an actress to play the heroine in "Gone With The Wind".
Along with her theater work, Ms. Nye also acted in a two-part 1973 movie starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor called “Divorce His” and “Divorce Hers”. She continued her three-pronged career in the 1980’s, acting on the soap opera 'Guiding Light', before her character fell into a pit of quicksand. (Ms. Nye told Time magazine that her preferred death for her character was “to be impaled on a hatpin.”)
She returned to “The Guiding Light,” as a different character, in 2003.
TV SERIES
"The Guiding Light" (1952) TV Series .... Susan Piper (1984)/Carolyn "Carrie" Carruthers (2003-2004)
TELE-CLASSICS
"Hallmark Hall of Fame"
- The Admirable Crichton (1968) TV Episode .... Lady Catherine
TELE-HISTORY
The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980) (TV) .... Tallulah Bankhead
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"St. Elsewhere"
- To Tell the Truth (1986) TV Episode .... Lucinda Ferrare-Headley
"Hart to Hart"
- What Becomes a Murder Most? (1981) TV Episode .... Laura Bancroft
TV MOVIES
The Users (1978) (TV) .... Nancy Baker
A Touch of the Poet (1974) (TV) .... Deborah Hartford
Enemies (1974) (TV) .... Tatiana
Divorce His - Divorce Hers (1973) (TV) .... Diana Proctor
Screaming Skull (1973) (TV)
Ten Blocks on the Camino Real (1966) (TV) .... Marguerite Gautier
BCnU......
Tele-Toby
Along with her theater work, Ms. Nye also acted in a two-part 1973 movie starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor called “Divorce His” and “Divorce Hers”. She continued her three-pronged career in the 1980’s, acting on the soap opera 'Guiding Light', before her character fell into a pit of quicksand. (Ms. Nye told Time magazine that her preferred death for her character was “to be impaled on a hatpin.”)
She returned to “The Guiding Light,” as a different character, in 2003.
TV SERIES
"The Guiding Light" (1952) TV Series .... Susan Piper (1984)/Carolyn "Carrie" Carruthers (2003-2004)
TELE-CLASSICS
"Hallmark Hall of Fame"
- The Admirable Crichton (1968) TV Episode .... Lady Catherine
TELE-HISTORY
The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980) (TV) .... Tallulah Bankhead
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"St. Elsewhere"
- To Tell the Truth (1986) TV Episode .... Lucinda Ferrare-Headley
"Hart to Hart"
- What Becomes a Murder Most? (1981) TV Episode .... Laura Bancroft
TV MOVIES
The Users (1978) (TV) .... Nancy Baker
A Touch of the Poet (1974) (TV) .... Deborah Hartford
Enemies (1974) (TV) .... Tatiana
Divorce His - Divorce Hers (1973) (TV) .... Diana Proctor
Screaming Skull (1973) (TV)
Ten Blocks on the Camino Real (1966) (TV) .... Marguerite Gautier
BCnU......
Tele-Toby
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
MISSING LINK: "EUREKA" & "HHG2TG"
In the two-hour pilot for 'Eureka', US Marshal Jack Carter wanted to know about the scientific investigations being conducted by Warren King. When told that King was looking for the "point of origin", Carter asked, "Point of origin for what?"
"Everything," King replied. "Life, the Universe......"
So close. And yet so far.
But even if King had said the phrase in the correct sequence of "Life, the Universe, and Everything", that doesn't mean that he knew of the mission of the Deep Thought computer to compute that very "question".
And it doesn't mean that he knew of 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy' as a radio serial, a series of books, a TV series, or a really bad movie. It was just a phrase, and he probably wasn't the first one to have uttered it in Earth Prime-Time's history.
Now if somebody bade goodbye to Marshal Carter as he left 'Eureka' by saying "So long, and thanks for all the fish"........
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
"Everything," King replied. "Life, the Universe......"
So close. And yet so far.
But even if King had said the phrase in the correct sequence of "Life, the Universe, and Everything", that doesn't mean that he knew of the mission of the Deep Thought computer to compute that very "question".
And it doesn't mean that he knew of 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy' as a radio serial, a series of books, a TV series, or a really bad movie. It was just a phrase, and he probably wasn't the first one to have uttered it in Earth Prime-Time's history.
Now if somebody bade goodbye to Marshal Carter as he left 'Eureka' by saying "So long, and thanks for all the fish"........
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
THE CROSSOVER OF THE WEEK (7/18)
"Good evening, and welcome to a private showing of three paintings, displayed here for the first time. Each is a collector's item in its own way—not because of any special artistic quality, but because each captures on a canvas, suspends in time and space, a frozen moment of a nightmare."
- Rod Serling
'Night Gallery'
In much the same way as with our own universe, the TV Universe was created with the "Big Bang". (Note to creationists: God does exist in the TV Universe; He's been a character in several TV shows. But the Toobworld concept of the beginning of the universe is a combination of both creationism and evolution. God got the ball rolling and then let events play out as they would.)
The "Big Bang" was the destruction of one universe and the TV universe sprang forth from its remnants. Several of the races from that older universe escaped into the newer one where they became known in various mythologies as the First Ones, the Old Ones, and Those Without Pants. (That last one loses something in translation.)
Those ancient "gods" described in the writings of H.P. Lovecraft fall into this category. They were powerful, demonic beings who would have destroyed the newborn universe before it even had a chance to begin, but they were trapped in an area known as the "Thirdspace", which is neither normal space nor hyperspace. Somehow it is sealed off from all of the different TV dimensions, but there are places where it leaks through; there are holes through which those Ancients can pass through into "our" world and through which TV characters can also travel over into their realm.
Although the Old Ones have not had a major influence on daily life in Toobworld, still a cult has grown around them which centers around a volume called the Necronomicon (sort of a cross between their Bible and book of magic). The Old Ones feed on this worship, as does anyone when somebody pays them a compliment, only magnified to the extreme. And because of this, they see themselves as true gods. As such, they are quick to anger when someone mocks their powers or their very existence. Professor Peabody learned this to his own horror when he began to mock the existence of the Old Ones and derided the religion that had grown around them. He dared to write their names on the blackboard in the lecture hall and sneeringly read from the Necronomicon despite the warnings from some of his students.
The Old Ones were quick in their retribution. As the gathering storm reached its crescendo, Professor Peabody was struck down and either replaced or inhabited by one of the Old Ones; so that now he was a humanoid body but with an octopoidal head.
One of the "thin spots" in the main Toobworld which can be breached by the Old Ones can be found in one of the tonier neighborhoods of London, "Crouch End". It was there that a young American couple met their fate when they thought they were going to visit an old friend for dinner. Instead, they slipped through the dimensional veil which separates Toobworld from the "Thirdspace", and there they found indications of the Lovecraftian denizens: signs proclaiming those same names that Professor Peabody had inscribed on his blackboard: Cthulhu, Rlyeh Cthun, Yogsoggoth.
The wife survived and made it back to the safe environs of Toobworld London. (A few blocks away and she might have run into the cast of 'Hu$tle'. If she headed in the other direction, perhaps she might have found herself in the Powell Estates of 'Doctor Who', although they were about two weeks too late to find the Tyler family there.)
But an odd encounter at the local constabulary made her realize that she would probably never be free of the terrors which had stolen her husband Lonnie away from her.
And that is how the new mini-series based on the works of Stephen King, 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes', can be linked to both 'Babylon 5' and Rod Serling's 'Night Gallery', all through the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
As the Old One said upon assuming its new form at the end of "Professor Peabody's Last Lecture", "Now if there are no further questions...?"
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
- Rod Serling
'Night Gallery'
"BABYLON 5: THIRDSPACE"
&
'NIGHT GALLERY' - "PROFESSOR PEABODY'S LAST LECTURE"
&
'NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES' - "CROUCH END"
&
'NIGHT GALLERY' - "PROFESSOR PEABODY'S LAST LECTURE"
&
'NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES' - "CROUCH END"
In much the same way as with our own universe, the TV Universe was created with the "Big Bang". (Note to creationists: God does exist in the TV Universe; He's been a character in several TV shows. But the Toobworld concept of the beginning of the universe is a combination of both creationism and evolution. God got the ball rolling and then let events play out as they would.)
The "Big Bang" was the destruction of one universe and the TV universe sprang forth from its remnants. Several of the races from that older universe escaped into the newer one where they became known in various mythologies as the First Ones, the Old Ones, and Those Without Pants. (That last one loses something in translation.)
Those ancient "gods" described in the writings of H.P. Lovecraft fall into this category. They were powerful, demonic beings who would have destroyed the newborn universe before it even had a chance to begin, but they were trapped in an area known as the "Thirdspace", which is neither normal space nor hyperspace. Somehow it is sealed off from all of the different TV dimensions, but there are places where it leaks through; there are holes through which those Ancients can pass through into "our" world and through which TV characters can also travel over into their realm.
Although the Old Ones have not had a major influence on daily life in Toobworld, still a cult has grown around them which centers around a volume called the Necronomicon (sort of a cross between their Bible and book of magic). The Old Ones feed on this worship, as does anyone when somebody pays them a compliment, only magnified to the extreme. And because of this, they see themselves as true gods. As such, they are quick to anger when someone mocks their powers or their very existence. Professor Peabody learned this to his own horror when he began to mock the existence of the Old Ones and derided the religion that had grown around them. He dared to write their names on the blackboard in the lecture hall and sneeringly read from the Necronomicon despite the warnings from some of his students.
The Old Ones were quick in their retribution. As the gathering storm reached its crescendo, Professor Peabody was struck down and either replaced or inhabited by one of the Old Ones; so that now he was a humanoid body but with an octopoidal head.
One of the "thin spots" in the main Toobworld which can be breached by the Old Ones can be found in one of the tonier neighborhoods of London, "Crouch End". It was there that a young American couple met their fate when they thought they were going to visit an old friend for dinner. Instead, they slipped through the dimensional veil which separates Toobworld from the "Thirdspace", and there they found indications of the Lovecraftian denizens: signs proclaiming those same names that Professor Peabody had inscribed on his blackboard: Cthulhu, Rlyeh Cthun, Yogsoggoth.
The wife survived and made it back to the safe environs of Toobworld London. (A few blocks away and she might have run into the cast of 'Hu$tle'. If she headed in the other direction, perhaps she might have found herself in the Powell Estates of 'Doctor Who', although they were about two weeks too late to find the Tyler family there.)
But an odd encounter at the local constabulary made her realize that she would probably never be free of the terrors which had stolen her husband Lonnie away from her.
And that is how the new mini-series based on the works of Stephen King, 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes', can be linked to both 'Babylon 5' and Rod Serling's 'Night Gallery', all through the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
As the Old One said upon assuming its new form at the end of "Professor Peabody's Last Lecture", "Now if there are no further questions...?"
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
COMING UP: DOGG DAYS OF AUGUST
'Weeds' returns to Showtime on August 14th, and the town of Agrestic, California, will finally get its GPS listing in Toobworld, via the League of Themselves.
Snoop Dogg will be portraying himself in at least one episode. He'll be seen recording a song about the top-selling product from that suburban sprawl of little boxes - marijuana.
This will link 'Weeds' to the following shows in which Snoop Dogg appeared as himself:
'Just Shoot Me'
'Las Vegas'
'Martin'
'Player$'
'The Steve Harvey Show'
'The Bernie Mac Show' might even be included in that list, America, if it turned out that his appearance as "Calvin" (which is his real first name) was supposed to be as his own bad self.
Plus there are a slew of commercials, for everything from cars and satellite radio to cell phone service and internet providers, that extend his list of Toobworld credits.
Even that off the wall Orbit chewing gum blipvert, in which Snoop Dogg ends up in a yente-run Hell, can be considered "canon". It's just a bad dream that Snoop was having.....
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Snoop Dogg will be portraying himself in at least one episode. He'll be seen recording a song about the top-selling product from that suburban sprawl of little boxes - marijuana.
This will link 'Weeds' to the following shows in which Snoop Dogg appeared as himself:
'Just Shoot Me'
'Las Vegas'
'Martin'
'Player$'
'The Steve Harvey Show'
'The Bernie Mac Show' might even be included in that list, America, if it turned out that his appearance as "Calvin" (which is his real first name) was supposed to be as his own bad self.
Plus there are a slew of commercials, for everything from cars and satellite radio to cell phone service and internet providers, that extend his list of Toobworld credits.
Even that off the wall Orbit chewing gum blipvert, in which Snoop Dogg ends up in a yente-run Hell, can be considered "canon". It's just a bad dream that Snoop was having.....
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Monday, July 17, 2006
THE DUBYA B
Thanks to the Associated Press, here's a transcript of Dubya's conversation with Prime Minister Tony Blair during the summit.
So why am I "replaying" it here?
Unbeknownst to President Bush, the conversation was being picked up by a microphone from Russian television.
Good enuff for me!
Bush: No. I'm just going to make it up. I'm not going to talk too damn long like the rest of them. Some of these guys talk too long.
Bush: Got something to do tonight? Blair: Go to the airport. Get on a plane and go home. Bush: Where you going, home? This is your neighborhood. Won't take you long to get home.
You get home in eight hours? Me too! Russia's a big country and you're a big country.
Yeah. No, not Coke, Diet Coke.
It takes him eight hours to fly home, eight hours. Russia's big and so's China.
Yeah, Blair, what are you doing? You leaving?
Blair: No, no, not yet. On this trade thing ... (inaudible)
Bush: Yeah, I told that to the man ...
Blair: (inaudible)
Bush: If you want me to.
Blair: I just want to see it moving. Yesterday I didn't see much movement, no no ... maybe there's no ... it may be that it's impossible.
Bush: I'll be glad to say it.
Blair: But I just think we need to be is in possession.
Bush: Who's introducing the (inaudible)?
Blair: Angela.
Bush: Tell her to call on me. Tell her to put me on the spot. Thanks for the sweater, awfully thoughtful of you. I know you picked it out yourself.(Laughing)
Bush: What about Kofi? That seems odd. (Background noise.) Well, I don't like the sequence of it. His attitude, basically, cease fire and everything else. But you know what I'm saying.
Blair: I think, think the (inaudible) you need that done quickly
Bush: Yeah I think Condi's going to go pretty soon.
Blair: But at least it gives process, too.
Bush: Yeah, it's a process, too. ... I told her your offer, too.
Blair: Well it's only ... if she needs the ground prepared as it ... if she goes out obviously if she goes out she's got to succeed us, I can't.
Bush: The irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s--- and it's over.
Blair: Who, Syria?
Bush: Right.
Blair: 'Cause I think this is all part of the same deal.
Bush: Yeah.
Blair: What does he think? He thinks that if Lebanon turns out fine if you get a solution in (inaudible) that Iraq ends in the right way.
Bush: He's through.
Blair: He's (inaudible). That's what this whole thing is about. It's the same as Iraq.
Bush: I felt like telling Kofi to get on the phone with Assad, make something happen.
Blair: Yeah. (garbled)
Bush: Blame Israel, we're not blaming the Lebanese government.
What's Russian for Allen Funt?
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
So why am I "replaying" it here?
Unbeknownst to President Bush, the conversation was being picked up by a microphone from Russian television.
Good enuff for me!
Bush: No. I'm just going to make it up. I'm not going to talk too damn long like the rest of them. Some of these guys talk too long.
Bush: Got something to do tonight? Blair: Go to the airport. Get on a plane and go home. Bush: Where you going, home? This is your neighborhood. Won't take you long to get home.
You get home in eight hours? Me too! Russia's a big country and you're a big country.
Yeah. No, not Coke, Diet Coke.
It takes him eight hours to fly home, eight hours. Russia's big and so's China.
Yeah, Blair, what are you doing? You leaving?
Blair: No, no, not yet. On this trade thing ... (inaudible)
Bush: Yeah, I told that to the man ...
Blair: (inaudible)
Bush: If you want me to.
Blair: I just want to see it moving. Yesterday I didn't see much movement, no no ... maybe there's no ... it may be that it's impossible.
Bush: I'll be glad to say it.
Blair: But I just think we need to be is in possession.
Bush: Who's introducing the (inaudible)?
Blair: Angela.
Bush: Tell her to call on me. Tell her to put me on the spot. Thanks for the sweater, awfully thoughtful of you. I know you picked it out yourself.(Laughing)
Bush: What about Kofi? That seems odd. (Background noise.) Well, I don't like the sequence of it. His attitude, basically, cease fire and everything else. But you know what I'm saying.
Blair: I think, think the (inaudible) you need that done quickly
Bush: Yeah I think Condi's going to go pretty soon.
Blair: But at least it gives process, too.
Bush: Yeah, it's a process, too. ... I told her your offer, too.
Blair: Well it's only ... if she needs the ground prepared as it ... if she goes out obviously if she goes out she's got to succeed us, I can't.
Bush: The irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s--- and it's over.
Blair: Who, Syria?
Bush: Right.
Blair: 'Cause I think this is all part of the same deal.
Bush: Yeah.
Blair: What does he think? He thinks that if Lebanon turns out fine if you get a solution in (inaudible) that Iraq ends in the right way.
Bush: He's through.
Blair: He's (inaudible). That's what this whole thing is about. It's the same as Iraq.
Bush: I felt like telling Kofi to get on the phone with Assad, make something happen.
Blair: Yeah. (garbled)
Bush: Blame Israel, we're not blaming the Lebanese government.
What's Russian for Allen Funt?
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
THE HAT SQUAD: MICKEY SPILLANE
Mickey Spillane, the macho mystery writer who wowed millions of readers with the shoot-'em-up sex and violence of gumshoe Mike Hammer, died Monday. He was 88.
Spillane's death was confirmed by Brad Stephens of Goldfinch Funeral Home in his hometown of Murrells Inlet. Details about his death were not immediately available.
As a writer, his mightiest creation was tough guy Mike Hammer in novels, movies and Television. There are several Mike Hammers in the many TV dimensions. But the first, and therefore the one who "owns" the main Toobworld of Earth Prime-Time, was played by Darren McGavin back in the 1950s. Stacy Keach's interpretation of the role took place in the 1980s, so that lands him on Earth Prime-Time Delayed.
Kevin Dobson played Hammer in 1981, and Rob Estes took on the role in 1994; both of them in single-shot TV movies. They would have their own dimensions to occupy; perhaps one of them in the 'West Wing' dimension; another in the '24' TV Land; and who knows who else for the 'Commander In Chief' Toobworld.
Mickey Spillane also played a character very much like himself, Alan Mallory in the 'Columbo' episode "Publish Or Perish". And then there were those classic light beer commercials in which he portrayed himself. I'm not sure what side he was on in the "great debate", but something tells me he'd fall into the "tastes great" camp.
"Less filling" is for liberal commies.
WRITER
"Mike Hammer, Private Eye" (1997) TV Series (characters)
"Fallen Angels" - Tomorrow I Die (1995) TV Episode (story I'll Die Tomorrow)
Come Die with Me: A Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mystery (1994) (TV) (characters)
Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989) (TV) (characters)
"Mike Hammer" (1984) TV Series (characters)
Murder Me, Murder You (1983) (TV) (character)
More Than Murder (1983) (TV) (characters)
Margin for Murder (1981) (TV) (character)
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
Columbo: Publish or Perish (1974) (TV) .... Alan Mallory
BCnU, Tough Guy......
Tele-Toby
Spillane's death was confirmed by Brad Stephens of Goldfinch Funeral Home in his hometown of Murrells Inlet. Details about his death were not immediately available.
As a writer, his mightiest creation was tough guy Mike Hammer in novels, movies and Television. There are several Mike Hammers in the many TV dimensions. But the first, and therefore the one who "owns" the main Toobworld of Earth Prime-Time, was played by Darren McGavin back in the 1950s. Stacy Keach's interpretation of the role took place in the 1980s, so that lands him on Earth Prime-Time Delayed.
Kevin Dobson played Hammer in 1981, and Rob Estes took on the role in 1994; both of them in single-shot TV movies. They would have their own dimensions to occupy; perhaps one of them in the 'West Wing' dimension; another in the '24' TV Land; and who knows who else for the 'Commander In Chief' Toobworld.
Mickey Spillane also played a character very much like himself, Alan Mallory in the 'Columbo' episode "Publish Or Perish". And then there were those classic light beer commercials in which he portrayed himself. I'm not sure what side he was on in the "great debate", but something tells me he'd fall into the "tastes great" camp.
"Less filling" is for liberal commies.
WRITER
"Mike Hammer, Private Eye" (1997) TV Series (characters)
"Fallen Angels" - Tomorrow I Die (1995) TV Episode (story I'll Die Tomorrow)
Come Die with Me: A Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mystery (1994) (TV) (characters)
Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989) (TV) (characters)
"Mike Hammer" (1984) TV Series (characters)
Murder Me, Murder You (1983) (TV) (character)
More Than Murder (1983) (TV) (characters)
Margin for Murder (1981) (TV) (character)
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
Columbo: Publish or Perish (1974) (TV) .... Alan Mallory
BCnU, Tough Guy......
Tele-Toby
"LOST" IN THOUGHT: FLASHBACKIN' II*
Right from the pilot episode, 'Lost' has relied heavily on flashbacks to flesh out the characters and advance the storyline. In the pilot alone, we were treated to three different flashbacks, all dealing with events on the plane - one for Jack, one for Charlie, and one for Kate.
Ater that, each episode became a flashback showcase for one particular character, giving us a glimpse of their life before they boarded Flight 815.
Some characters had several flashbacks in the first season, Jack most of all; while Shannon had to wait until Season Two for hers. (Fat lot of good that did her!)
The flashbacks continued throughout the second year of the series (and the producers have said they will continue throughout the run of the show, as they are the best way to construct the puzzle of 'Lost'.) But with the sophomore season, the show's creative team began to play with the format.
There were still the straight-ahead flahsbacks that filled in the blanks for various characters, like Mr. Eko, Ana Lucia, and Bernard & Rose; all of which also provided more links between the characters.
But now there were variations.
The episode "... And Found" was a shared flashback between Sun and Jin. For the most part during the show, the flashback would lead out from one character and when the focus in the flashback shifted to the other, it would lead back into the present situation for that half of the Korean couple.
"S.O.S." was also a combined flashback, for Bernard and Rose. The emphasis was on Rose, though, as it dealt with her struggles with her terminal cancer.
In "Dave", we got two flashbacks for characters that were not yet a couple: Hurley and Libby. Most of the episode was about Hurley's time in the sanitarium. But at the end of the episode, we got to see a very quick flashback for Libby; seeing part of Hurley's story from her perspective.
After the cataclysmic finale of the episode "Abandoned", we got "The Other 48 Days" which was just one long flashback in itself. It related teh story of the "Tailies" after they survived the crash, leading up to the three intersections with the original survivors: radio contact with Boone; the encounter with Jin, Michael, and Sawyer; and the fateful collision with Shannon and Sayid.
Claire's second flashback episode, "Maternity Leave", was the first to deal with events that happened on the island for the original "Lostaway" cast. In it, we learned what happened during those few days after Ethan abducted her. But it wouldn't be the only island-based flashback, as we also learned what happened to Michael after he took off in search of Walt in the episode "3 Minutes".
Finally, the two-hour finale was given over to be a flashback showcase for Desmond, who was introduced at the beginning of the season and then not seen again until the finale. (It certainly paid off for the actor, Henry Ian Cusick, as he was the only actor from the show to be rewarded with an Emmy nomination.)
But for all those two hours, there weren't that many connections to others from the island. We did get to see Jack prior tohis meeting with Desmond; and Inman from Sayid's flashback played a pivotal role in Desmond's life in the hatch.
But aside from Inman, the most important flashback link was made to Libby who provided Desmond with his sailboat. She also appeared in Mr. Eko's second flashback episode as well. Both of these flashbacks happened after the actress Cynthia Watros had already left the show because her character had been murdered.
And they serve as an indication of even more variables to come for the third season, because her entire back story will be played out via the flashbacks of other characters.
What other flashbacks might we expect? Perhaps the fake Henry Gale or young Alex from among the Others, maybe even Tom aka Mr. Friendly and Zeke might get their own flashback episodes. Maybe there will be a flashback that is totally off-island as would be the case if we got an episode centered around Penelope Widmore, the love of Desmond's life. And it would be the perfect showcase to expose more secrets about Widmore Labs and the Hanso Group.
And who knows what kind of technology the Dharma Initiative has at their disposal? Now that the Others have captured Jack, Kate, and Sawyer, perhaps they can engineer flashbacks via dreams which can then be transmitted for all to see.
Sound familiar? That same technology was developed by "the Village" to find out the secrets of 'The Prisoner' Number Six in the episode "A, B, & C". I wouldn't be surprised if the Dharma Initiative utilized their research and incorporated it into their own projects.
At any rate, I'm looking forward to seeing the variations which the creators of 'Lost' will come up with for the third season flashbacks.
Just so long as they don't have flashbacks within flashbacks. That's the kind of bad storytelling you get in movies where the bad guy is played by Emmett Kelly......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Ater that, each episode became a flashback showcase for one particular character, giving us a glimpse of their life before they boarded Flight 815.
Some characters had several flashbacks in the first season, Jack most of all; while Shannon had to wait until Season Two for hers. (Fat lot of good that did her!)
The flashbacks continued throughout the second year of the series (and the producers have said they will continue throughout the run of the show, as they are the best way to construct the puzzle of 'Lost'.) But with the sophomore season, the show's creative team began to play with the format.
There were still the straight-ahead flahsbacks that filled in the blanks for various characters, like Mr. Eko, Ana Lucia, and Bernard & Rose; all of which also provided more links between the characters.
But now there were variations.
The episode "... And Found" was a shared flashback between Sun and Jin. For the most part during the show, the flashback would lead out from one character and when the focus in the flashback shifted to the other, it would lead back into the present situation for that half of the Korean couple.
"S.O.S." was also a combined flashback, for Bernard and Rose. The emphasis was on Rose, though, as it dealt with her struggles with her terminal cancer.
In "Dave", we got two flashbacks for characters that were not yet a couple: Hurley and Libby. Most of the episode was about Hurley's time in the sanitarium. But at the end of the episode, we got to see a very quick flashback for Libby; seeing part of Hurley's story from her perspective.
After the cataclysmic finale of the episode "Abandoned", we got "The Other 48 Days" which was just one long flashback in itself. It related teh story of the "Tailies" after they survived the crash, leading up to the three intersections with the original survivors: radio contact with Boone; the encounter with Jin, Michael, and Sawyer; and the fateful collision with Shannon and Sayid.
Claire's second flashback episode, "Maternity Leave", was the first to deal with events that happened on the island for the original "Lostaway" cast. In it, we learned what happened during those few days after Ethan abducted her. But it wouldn't be the only island-based flashback, as we also learned what happened to Michael after he took off in search of Walt in the episode "3 Minutes".
Finally, the two-hour finale was given over to be a flashback showcase for Desmond, who was introduced at the beginning of the season and then not seen again until the finale. (It certainly paid off for the actor, Henry Ian Cusick, as he was the only actor from the show to be rewarded with an Emmy nomination.)
But for all those two hours, there weren't that many connections to others from the island. We did get to see Jack prior tohis meeting with Desmond; and Inman from Sayid's flashback played a pivotal role in Desmond's life in the hatch.
But aside from Inman, the most important flashback link was made to Libby who provided Desmond with his sailboat. She also appeared in Mr. Eko's second flashback episode as well. Both of these flashbacks happened after the actress Cynthia Watros had already left the show because her character had been murdered.
And they serve as an indication of even more variables to come for the third season, because her entire back story will be played out via the flashbacks of other characters.
What other flashbacks might we expect? Perhaps the fake Henry Gale or young Alex from among the Others, maybe even Tom aka Mr. Friendly and Zeke might get their own flashback episodes. Maybe there will be a flashback that is totally off-island as would be the case if we got an episode centered around Penelope Widmore, the love of Desmond's life. And it would be the perfect showcase to expose more secrets about Widmore Labs and the Hanso Group.
And who knows what kind of technology the Dharma Initiative has at their disposal? Now that the Others have captured Jack, Kate, and Sawyer, perhaps they can engineer flashbacks via dreams which can then be transmitted for all to see.
Sound familiar? That same technology was developed by "the Village" to find out the secrets of 'The Prisoner' Number Six in the episode "A, B, & C". I wouldn't be surprised if the Dharma Initiative utilized their research and incorporated it into their own projects.
At any rate, I'm looking forward to seeing the variations which the creators of 'Lost' will come up with for the third season flashbacks.
Just so long as they don't have flashbacks within flashbacks. That's the kind of bad storytelling you get in movies where the bad guy is played by Emmett Kelly......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
*NOT the Electric Boogaloo.....
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