It's surely one of the most basic tenets of Toobworld: when a show is cancelled, those characters - at least the ones still alive at the end of the series - continue to live on in the TV Universe. We've seen some of them come back long after their show has ended - Alan Brady, Bones McCoy, Bret Maverick, and Amos Burke, for example.But eventually we have to admit that mortality must take its toll on these characters; they're only immortal within the boundaries of the reruns. Certainly some characters outlive the actors who played them, but when the actor passes away sometimes it's better to think that the character left the stage as well (rather than risk seeing somebody else assay the role.)
And due to circumstances concerning those characters within their
show, we have to assume the character died before the actor. The Toobworld Timeline plays a big role in this, of course. David Carradine died last year, but even had he lived, Kwai Chang Caine must have died about eighty years ago or so. (I think he was last seen in 1906 in "The Gambler: Luck of the Draw", but could have been around for another twenty years or more.)Because of his affliction with MS, we have to assume that former President Josiah Bartlet will die before Martin Sheen. (And probably by his own hand before the disease takes its full toll.)
So what of all those other TV characters? Eventually we have to assume they reached the end of their lives, one way or the other, in Toobworld. And sometimes we could make assumptions about their deaths in order to clear out the Tele-Folks Directory. I postulated something along these lines when the TV version of "The Poseidon Adventure" aired a few years ago - finding a number of TV characters who might have been aboard that ocean liner when it capsized. And I did the same with the collapse of the Twin Towers in the real world because so many shows incorporated it into their storylines, from 'Becker' to 'Without A Trace'.
This is all a long-winded way of saying that I may have found another possibility regarding an off-screen death for an established TV character, with this past week's episode of 'Fringe'.....
.
Rose:
You think killing those Federal officers is the best way to put a stop to this?
Sheriff Velchik:
It did the last time.
That Federal Marshal a few years ago....
No one came looking for him, did they?
You think killing those Federal officers is the best way to put a stop to this?
Sheriff Velchik:
It did the last time.
That Federal Marshal a few years ago....
No one came looking for him, did they?
And that was all that was said about this character; we never learned the name of this Federal Marshal. So why can't we attribute his fate to one of the established Federal Marshals of Toobworld?
I'm thinking Winston MacBride, played by Jeff Fahey in 'The Marshal'....
We've seen Fahey since then, most notably as Frank Lapidus in 'Lost'. But it's unlikely we'll ever see him as Marhal Winston MacBride again, unless he makes a special appearance in some future episode of 'Justified'. Sure, it would be nice to think his character lives on, but at the same time his occupation is a highly hazardous one.Here's a description of 'The Marshal' from the IMDb: "MacBride is a U.S. Marshal and his job is to guard criminals, protect witnesses, and pursue escaped convicts. His job takes him all across the country where he meets all kinds of people."
That would certainly apply once he reached the city limits of Edina, New York! But it could be that he was caught off-guard by the sight of these mutations outside the reach of the "hum", and that's all that was needed for the Sheriff to get the better of MacBride and dispatch him.
Don't get me wrong - I liked 'The Marshal'; I thought it was brilliant casting to bring in Robert Mitchum as MacBride's dad. But if MacBride's death in the line of duty can make a theoretical link to 'Fringe', then Toobworld Central would have to put personal preferences aside for the greater good.
The greater good....
BCnU!
What a breath of fresh air this was, even if it was hot and dusty but especially because it took place in Africa. Not once did the show lean on the old stand-by of a murder investigation and was more concerned with character than the mystery. I'm hoping this will come back with a second season, but if not, there's always the series of books about Precious and her friends....
Granted, it left us dangling at the end with no resolution because it was meant to be a pilot for a TV show which never materialized. Still, it had interesting characters with intriguing "lives" in virtual reality and a central mystery that should have been explored further. There was enough there to justify this award for the way it helped expand the vision of life in Toobworld.
With both of these, I was late with the introductions. But better late than never, as they each made me feel welcome to the worlds they depicted. With 'Murdoch Mysteries', it was the Toronto of the Victorian era, while 'Kingdom' took place in one of those small towns of Toobworld filled with the eccentricities I take delight in.
And not just because it's an incredible world that should be seen on a weekly basis. It's more because of the motion capture technology which could be used to revolutionize the look of the aliens that could be introduced on shows like 'Star Trek' and 'Doctor Who'. No more need for those stupid forehead molds or Zastupnevich zippers running up the back!
BCnU!
At any rate, how could you top the heart-break of seeing Juliet striving to fulfill the hopes of the Lostaways by smashing Jughead's basic bomb at the very end - and then have the end title be seen inverted on a white screen?
Everything - including that attraction between Lt. Disher and Sharona Fleming that we all knew was there - was tied up neatly by the end of the series. Adrian Monk found out who killed his wife, was happily reunited with a part of her life that he never knew about, and was as restored mentally as he could ever hope for - to the point where he could go to work wearing a turtleneck rather than his buttoned up brown shirts. And at least we know he's still on the case there in San Francisco... should Tony Shalhoub ever want to revisit the role.
They should have realized this was a show that would not be so big a smash that it would ever get a second season. They should have told the story all in one season and be done with it. But no, they left it dangling and we'll never know how it plays out in the kingdom of Gilboa.
It was more than just a (fairly) faithful adaptation of the Dickens' novel; it evoked the times and places which Dickens railed against.
During the episode there were references back to the following episodes:
Several celebrities besides Chris Kattan portrayed wacked versions of themselves in this mini-series, including Maya Rudolph, Jennifer Coolidge, and Kattan's own dad Kip King. Best of all though was Keanu Reeves in the first episode.
BCnU!
AUGUSTUS CAESAR and LIVIA DRUSILLA
