Round Two: Last Resort

Last Resort: Season 1, Episode 2 “Blue on Blue” (B-)

And now, expectedly, we have the problem of sustaining this show after a monumental premiere. The fact that Marcus made the no man’s land public in the first episode means that it’s going to be difficult to have anything happen on a given week unless the island is invaded by enemy forces each time. That said, finding out that supposed American troops are actually Russians is a decent twist, though it’s hard to get attached when main characters like Sam and Grace are put in harm’s way, only to obviously survive since they’re such central characters to the show. Christine’s brazen act of loyalty to her husband was considerably overdramatic, and that once again underlines the problem of having the stakes be so high with such low possibility for anything transformative to occur each week. James is proving himself to be more stubborn than useful, whining about not wanting to be involved and then showing up in the nick of time to save the day since he and only he can actually shoot properly, but still not arriving early enough to prevent casualties. I’m glad that Kylie is pushing to figure out what happened, but the poisoning of her ally doesn’t suggest that it will be easy to get to the truth. I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet, but it’s hard to imagine how this is all going to play out one small twist at a time over what could very well be a full season of twenty-two episodes.

What I’m Watching: Ugly Betty

Ugly Betty: Season 4, Episode 3 “Blue on Blue” (B)

This installment is a step in the direction of recovery from a shaky start last week, and a sign that this show can move on from its current plotlines and get off the ground for its fourth year in a positive way. The guest appearance of Adam Ferrera (“Rescue Me”) is welcome, especially for the way his interactions with Hilda and Betty fit in perfectly with the tone of the show. Having Hamish Linklater (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”) as the major fashion designer Betty wants to woo for a cover story was a smart choice, and positioning Hilda as a waitress at the restaurant on that night was fun. Marc’s latest evil plan to sabotage Betty seemed at first like the same kind of thing he’s done over and over, but fortunately this time it felt fresh. Matt’s better as a character when he’s not just being mean and actually expressing his conflicted feelings, and giving Amanda a few good scenes is always welcome. Wilhelmina’s meeting with Connor seems almost inconsequential, especially if it’s not referenced again after this, but it’s not too distracting. Daniel’s run in with a wild chick is probably a good thing for his self-esteem and productivity, but it was pretty jarring to see Jamie-Lynn Sigler in that role. Maybe seeing her play herself for a while on “Entourage” made me forget that she was actually an actress who doesn’t just play herself all the time. Her hairstyle may be preposterous, but at least she’s getting the rather unmotivated Daniel off the ground and back in the game.