Welcomed to the Tuesday TV Touchbase where I, the great Dave-El, on Tuesday touchbase on what I am watching on TV.
WandaVision
Whoa, WandaVision is weird!
But it's a good weird!
OK, here's the bit! The first three episodes have been done in the style of American TV sitcoms circa the 1950s, the 60s and the 70s with homages to Leave It To Beaver, Bewitched and the Brady Bunch. Despite the shifting time frames and aesthetics, the episodes do have some consistencies: Wanda and Vision are a newlywed couple in the suburb of Westview where Vision works at an office doing... office stuff while Wanda stays home to tend to things there.
But within the rarified sitcom reality of their lives, their is strangeness. In the first two black & white episodes, color intrudes at odd points. Scenes of wacky sitcom silliness are interrupted by more somber moments when someone realizes that their is more to their existence than the limits of this stylized universe.
Episode 4 is an ersatz clip show with the MCU introduction of SWORD, an agency previously only known in the comics. SWORD is investigating a mysterious town in New Jersey called Westview that apparently does and does not exist. The only thing coming out of Westview is a weird TV signal broadcasting episodes of some strange sitcom starring Wanda and Vision. Drones and people sent into the town disappear. Among those people is SWORD agent Monica Rambeau.
We met Monica earlier in the series when she was known as Wanda's neighbor and friend Geraldine. But when Geraldine remembers Ultron, Wanda realizes that Geraldine does not belong and casts her out.
It seems the fantasy sitcom world of Westview is the creation of Wanda Maximoff but is this creation solely her doing or is she being manipulated by other forces?
This show is weird but it's a good weird. My family is hooked on discovering more about this mystery.
Snowpiercer
Before season one debuted, the ads for the show repeated this refrain:
"Snowpiercer is all that is left of the world."
Well, no it isn't.
Season 2 picks up where season 1 left off. A second train known as Big Alice has latched on the back of Snowpiercer. On board Big Alice is Mr. Wilford himself and Melanie Cavill's daughter Alexandria. Melanie is trapped on Big Alice and awkwardness abounds. Wilford is pissed at Melanie who stole Snowpiercer and left him to die, Alexandria thinks her mom also left her to die and Melanie had no clue that her daughter was still alive.
Wilford is determined to get Snowpiercer back even if he has to starve the train of all power killing all the people on board include the upper class twits who think of Wilford as their personal messiah. Thanks to prescient sabotage by Melanie, Wilford's efforts backfire, forcing Big Alice into a symbiotic connection with Snowpiercer. Wilford can't take away power from Snowpiercer without also destroying Big Alice as well.
Back on Snowpiercer, Layton finds leading a revolution is a lot easier than leading a government. There is a lot of chaos in the wake of the revolution with tensions high as aggrieved Tailies seeking retribution. With Big Alice now hanging on to Snowpiercer with whatever nefarious shit Wilford is planning, Layton's grand dreams of democracy aboard Snowpiercer have been put on hold as Layton declares martial law which makes no one happy.
It doesn't help that an assault by Snowpiercer fighters to take over Big Alice goes horribly wrong, ironically for reasons that Layton predicted last season. With the Tail chomping at the bit to launch a revolution against the front of the train, Layton urged restraint, to gain intel on the front end of the train and work out a strategy. This season, lack of intel on Big Alice immediately hampers Layton's attack and the Snowpiercer fighters are forced to retreat.
While all this is going on, there is a possible new mystery afoot. The world is too cold for it to snow. But during her excursion outside the train, Melanie sees snow. Is change coming to this frozen world? Is there hope for this frozen world?
Jeopardy
So far so good with Ken Jennings behind the podium as the guest host of Jeopardy. As he's moved beyond the initial shock of Alex Trebek's death and his opening night nerves, Ken has hit a more relaxed hosting rhythm, making jokes and more humorous engagement with the contestants. I would say that Ken is making the job his own but he doesn't get to do that.
After Ken's six weeks, Jeopardy producer Mike Richards will take the wheel for a couple of weeks followed by guest stints by Katie Couric, Maylim Bialik, Aaron Rodgers and Bill Whittaker. I'm sure all of these people will comport themselves well with grace and professionalism and who knows, we may find out next permanent host of Jeopardy. (If we're looking for a retro Trebek vibe, Whittaker sports a mustache.) But given the grace and good humor that Jennings has embraced the role with so far, I would just as soon the regular gig go to him.
The ratings suggests that others are comfortable with Jennings as host. While there was a slight decrease from Trebek's final week, Jeopardy with Ken Jennings continues to dominate the ratings in syndicated programs.
On the subject of Jeopardy, tomorrow's post will be about Alex Trebek's memoir, The Answer Is...
OK, that is that for today's Tuesday TV Touchbase.
Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down, will ya? I'm watchin' TV over here!
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