#SevenDays TV ep #2.07 "Sister's Keeper" (17-Nov-99).
If ep #2.06 was a sequel to ep #1.21 and ep #2.05 sequel to ep #1.16 so this is in the same spirit as #1.18 in that it's a Vegas filmed ep. But it's not in the same league.
We meet Olga's sister who is a bigger Russian stereotype than Olga.
#SevenDays TV ep #2.06 "Walk Away" (10-Nov-99).
I'm rather happy with this second series as the writers have realised that Jonathan LaPaglia doesn't have to carry this show on his own so we are getting A-plots focusing on the other lead characters.
Ballard uses the alien implant. Good ep.
#SevenDays TV ep #2.05 "Two Weddings and a Funeral" (03-Nov-99).
There's a great BWAAAAH?!! moment in this which I had to rewind to watch as I thought I was seeing things. Good hidden twist.
For once all the cast get involved with the marriage scenes. At times this show is good. Only at times.
#SevenDays TV 2.04 cont'd.
I did laugh at Don Franklin wondering where his picture was at the end as again he did so little. Surely the actor must be fed up by now?
Sarin Gas wouldn't have any effect out in the open like that. Ok maybe a few stragglers would buy it but that's all.
#SevenDays TV ep #2.04 "For the Children" (20-Oct-99).
Finally Talamadge gets some development. Scarfe is the best actor in this so he deserves more screen time.
Disappointingly the script decided that Gulf War Syndrome was possibly not a real thing so it for me chickened out on a major plot point.
#SevenDays TV 2.03 cont'd.
A young Keegan Connor Tracy is great as an AI. Not her first role but clearly she'll never be unemployed.
However this is more a #WelcomeToParadox ep. The tech is too advanced for "Seven Days". As with a lot of AI fiction they make the tech far too advanced for 1999.
#SevenDays TV ep #2.03 "Parker.com" (13-Oct-99).
S1 was rando terrorism or militarised threats which was one note. Then S1 tried some trite Roswell alien fare that fell flat so it seems S2 will mine scifi using a wider scope.
So this is their #TheMatrix ep. I expected Olga in a long leather coat.
#SevenDays TV ep #2.02 "Pinball Wizard" (06-Oct-99).
I find it relevant how close the terrorism is to 9/11 yet ironically this show gets cancelled 6 months before 9/11.
Where did the guy even get those missiles?
Ryan Robbins guests - very young. I only recognise him as 3 stone heavier today.
#SevenDays TV 2.01 cont'd.
No matter how bad this gets it'll never get as bad a Parker killing a CGI alien with a giant spanner in TV ep #1.21.
I find odd how very like George W Bush this show's US President is even though that Yank fuc*wit was still 15 months away from being elected US Pedodent.
#SevenDays TV 2.01 cont'd.
Ignore the dumb premise and Boomer racist writing this is quite a fun departure.
Is Washington DC really like downtown Detroit? Fu*k knows?
The gorilla destroying the entire world was fun.
Oh and did I mention that Olga does a striptease for a stag do? F-ing Boomers!
#SevenDays TV 2.01 cont'd.
So if you forget how dumb this is it works. Like the backstep is after nuclear Armageddon. Which is a tonal clash with this comedy ep.
Good grief there's some racist stuff in this ep. Holy God.
Olga now has that unfortunate Courtney Cox fringe hair cut from "Scream 3".
#SevenDays TV ep #2.01 "The Football" (29-Sep-99).
The makers between seasons looked at the show and decided yes this is load of dumb fun so let's just ramp up the dumb and ramp up the fun.
A preposterous reason for the backstep: the US President's team forgot the guy with the nuclear football.
#SevenDays TV 1.21 cont'd.
I've no idea how this got a second season as this first season wasn't clever, interesting or worthwhile. Like who is watching this subpar generic dated fare.
Why is Don Franklin even turning up for work with this show? He got to do nothing the entirety of S1. Crazy.
#SevenDays TV ep #1.21 "Life Boat" (26-May-99).
The finale tries to up the stakes but this is a load of old cock.
Horrible ep.
It's late 1999 yet this show is still doing generic Roswell greys fare.
The end shot appears to acknowledge that this aliens storyline will never be revisited? Please God.
#SevenDays TV ep #1.20 "Walter" (19-May-99).
A "Rainman" ep. Decent warm ep.
Tamlyn Tomita is great as a murderous Chinese spy. I saw her in my #Eureka, #TimeTrax, #FreakyLinks walkthroughs.
As it's 1999 I expected the comic nerd culture bit to land wrong but it went quite well.
RIP Comic Shop Guy
#SevenDays TV ep #1.19 "EBE's" (12-May-99).
Oh good Christ what a terrible ep. At attempt to do an #TheXFiles style ep which died a thousand deaths. Very weak.
They try to give Norman Lloyd an A-plot and ok he needs an ep but this is poor. I liked him being menacing but mere lazy derivative fare.
#SevenDays TV eps #1.18 "Vegas Heist" (05-May-99).
Finally a very strong ep and at last ep that was extremely clever. Not dumb for once!
It does what it says on the tin. The backstep repeat was great as there were clues laid the first time round. This is exactly what this show should be doing.
#SevenDays TV 1.17 cont'd.
I don't mind the idea that there is a Chrononaut survivor out there. But the barefaced shame of the writers to intermix native American tribal mystique and the unknowns of time travel. A puerile mix.
I liked the memorial section of Backstep but nothing else in this ep.
#SevenDays TV ep #1.17 "A Dish Best Served Cold" (12-Apr-99).
If TV ep #1.16 murdered the show as an ongoing concern this was the USAF approved double tap on the survivors.
They tried do a higher concept ep but wow this show is so dumb. LIke it never stops being dumb yet this is a new nadir.
#SevenDays TV ep #1.16 "There's Something About Olga" (31-Mar-00).
Infuriating. This ep is a really decent doppelganger ep that lets Justina Vail act.
But then we get the revelation that Parker can heal in a backstep which breaks the entire premise and wrecks everything created the show so far.
#SevenDays TV ep #1.15 "Daddy's Girl" (03-Mar-99).
Quite a strong US army ep. Even the Bosnia-Herzegovina location was done quite well and didn't screw the pooch.
The problem I have this show is at its best when it veers into Yank military propaganda but it is then not a show I want to watch.
#SevenDays TV 1.14 cont'd.
Ok Jonathan's LaPaglia's acting like his co-star Justina Vail is odd. As neither were actors!
LaPaglia is 29 here but qualified in Australia and practiced as a medical physician for 3 years there so basically only even started training as an actor in 1994.
THAT'S CRAZY!
#SevenDays TV 1.14 cont'd.
An ensemble cast where 4 of the 7 character never do anything is very dated even for 1998.
Norman Lloyd, Don Franklin, Sam Whipple and Alan Scarfe are so underused. Norman Lloyd needs to be written out. He's just not needed as Talmage and Ballard do anything he might do.
#SevenDays TV 1.14. cont'd.
Every ep's Backstep rationale must make sense so it killed this ep.
Invisible hero is a US TV cliché by 1998 but it had legs in this ep. Until that F-ing driving scene. Just NO!
We get a new BackStep official who must be the baddie as we've never seen him before.
#SevenDays TV ep #1.14 "Parkergeist" (24-Feb-99).
Disastrously bad. I tuned out early when the dumb satellite surveillance tech was announced. So ridiculous.
Why are the Colombians even in this? The need to sabotage the satellite or BackStep could be a good ep but not by Colombian drug lords.
#SevenDays TV 1.13 cont'd.
Why is Don Franklin even in this? He's a big name so surely they must let him do the odd time mission?
Again it's very unclear what happens to the original spaceship in BackStep as well as original Frank himself once the time jump has happened. Explain it now writers!
#SevenDays TV ep #1.13 "Last Breath" (10-Feb-99).
I found better files and full length for sure though I'm unsure those Starz files I had were actually cut.
Very good Russian submarine ep but once Frank rescued the Captain after like 33 mins his involvement wouldn't have been needed or tolerated.
#SevenDays TV 1.12 cont'd.
I've been watching files from Starz Channel from the noughties maybe. The announcer keeps saying after each ad break there's no cuts which leads me to the almost certain conclusion that Starz did cut them so I'm going to try find alternate file sources before I proceed.
#SevenDays TV ep #1.12 "Last Card Up" (03-Feb-99).
This is how to make this show. A mystery in the past where we don't know what happened nor how to solve it? Much better ep. No dumb heroics. Parker and Olga working together.
Again the USA awareness of itself in 1999 idiotic but plus ça change!
#SevenDays TV ep #1.11 "HAARP Attack" (27-Jan-99).
A Middle East ep. As ever everyone who isn't American is a terrorist. Jesus but W Bush had it easy if this was the status quo in 1999.
Overall a weakly plotted and executed ep. Just too much noise.
Parker being a 10yo was funny for one minute.
