The Middleman

The Pilot Episode Sanction

Season 1, Episode 1, Aired 6/16/08

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Episode Summary

Wendy Watson is thrust into the middle of a science experiment gone wrong while temping at a laboratory. Fortunately for Wendy, The Middleman, a crime fighting comic-book-like superhero, shows up to save the day.
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Impressed by how Wendy handles herself when faced with danger, and in need of a colleague, The Middleman recruits Wendy into his secret organisation.moreless

8.1

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Cast & Crew

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Matt Keeslar

The Middleman
Natalie Morales (II)

Wendy Watson
Brit Morgan

Lacey Thornfield

Fan Episode Reviews (8)

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One of the shows that you keep watching hoping that it will get better in time.

6.8

"Fair"

By D-BorG, Jul 26, 2010 Report Abuse

The plot of the pilot episode was interesting, characters had a catchy dialogues, and from time to time it was really funny.
But the real problem was that you could see that the actors are 'trying' to be funny. The scenes were textbook directed and not in a good way (you could actually imagine someone saying 'Action' at the beginning of the scenes). The whole show needs that 'final touch' because for now it look like good amateur work, not professional. I only hope that the actors will get more relaxed with the characters after few episodes, and that the plot will be good enough during the season.moreless

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Different and silly. The Middleman shows promise.

7.0

"Good"

By SartaqKhan, Sep 21, 2009 Report Abuse

Expect a weird tentacle hentai monster, a mad scientist, Austin Powers vignette, and super intelligent gorilla mobsters in what I'd call a good but silly pilot.

One of the major follies here and I suspect throughout the season is the micro machines chatter boxing dialog. Holy cow take a breath! Look at some of the quotes and imagine them said in one breath then imagine someone repeating it back that them. This would be something fun and geeky watch with someone who likes Austin Powers, Dead Like Me, or The Tick. I wasn't digging the roommate or the boyfriend. Weak love interests who are just cliches.moreless

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It was entertaining.

7.1

"Good"

By Dbunny0925, Jul 02, 2008 Report Abuse

This show was actually not that bad. Although it did kinda go at a pace for a teen's show. If it weren't for the occasional swear wor or graphic comment, I would have guessed I was watching Nickelodeon. The actors are great, from the main ones right down to the guy who hangs outside Wendy's door. The plotline was alittle far stretched. I mean seriously, Gorilla's? Who ever wrote that was not in thier right mind. The show does go on to better plot lines and for that I'm truly happy. I will tune in for this show and maybe sometime down the rode it will be a favorite. For right now, it needs alittle more action. explosions would be extremly helpful.moreless

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Cute and imitative, but, arguably, among the best summer TV fare, so far.

7.5

"Good"

By skaizun, Jun 26, 2008 Report Abuse

Take a Janeane Garofalo look-act-sound alike, add a Goober-like mystery man, mix in some absurd and well-worn sci-fi plots and CGI effects, add liberal dashes from shows such as "Men in Black" (it was a made-for-TV cartoon series, too, ya know!), the thankfully-cancelled series "Special Unit 2", and even "The Avengers", along with quotes from just about every popular genre, and you have . . . well, I'm not really sure what it is, but, it was fairly palatable, if not original.

Fortunately, this hodgepodge of everything under the sun manages to keep a brisk pace, which kept my interest long enough to want more, but, at the same time, my world will not stop revolving if it gets cut when the summer ends.

So, by all means, check it out, but don't bother scheduling your life around it!moreless

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Wendy Watson a.k.a. Dub-Dub, is a struggling artist out of college going from one temp job to the next. On one of her jobs a freak accident occurs with a tentacle beast. The Middleman appears. The Middleman convinces Wendy to become his partner.moreless

9.6

"Superb"

By marklinenfan, Jun 20, 2008 Report Abuse

The show seems cheesy, but it is not supposed to be taken seriously like other superhero shows that try too hard to push the drama. The characters are likable. Wendy Watson and the Middleman are very witty to each other's remarks. One particular trait is the Middleman's inept ability to curse, or his lack of cursing. It's a typical "good guys catching bad guys" show. It's a change of pace to see something light hearted that viewers can watch without complicated story lines and severe plot twists that would take viewers multiple episodes to catch up. The series looks very promising.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- Trivia: The name of the Italian restaurant — Il Mutande Grandissimo — translates to "The Really Big Underpants". Edit
- The mob killer who is presumably one of Gibbs' "operatives" is clearly not a gorilla. The killer is much shorter and thinner. In the opening shootout the killer is wearing gloves but glimpses of human skin can be seen between the gloves and the cuffs. The DVD commentary notes that the director and creator deliberately kept it vague, to suggest it might been a human operative, but that doesn't account for the banana dropped at the scene of each crime. Edit
Notes
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- The crew could afford only one gorilla suit. As such, Mike Starr plays all of the gorilla characters in the episode. During the laboratory sequence, as the camera pans through the lab, Starr portrays one gorilla, slips away once the cameras pass him, runs to the next station, and plays a different gorilla. The only time two gorillas appear is when they use a CGI gorilla doing Tai Chi. Edit
- The machinegun used is the actual gun used in Scarface (1983), from which much of Spanky's dialogue is taken directly. Edit
- Director Jeremiah S. Chechik worked on The Avengers (1999) and the inclusion of various references to the episode were asked for by series creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach. One such scene is the Middleman looking through a magnifying glass, his face itself magnified. It parallel a scene in the movie where Sean Connery's character is looking through a magnifying glass the same way. Another was the brief black-and-white sequence with the Middleman and Wendy (which took 14 minutes to shoot). Edit
Quotes
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- The Middleman: No more monologuing, or I'll Swiss-cheese you on principle. Edit
- The Middleman: So, what's it going to be: Keep the secret, or death? Wendy: What do you think? The Middleman: Ma'am, specificity is the soul of all good communication. Wendy: Yes. Duh. The Middleman: Outstanding. You're good under pressure. Wendy: Are you hitting on me? The Middleman: Just making an observation. Wendy: Hellooo, nutjob, party of one. The Middleman: No, Ma'am. I'm just The Middleman. Edit
- Wendy: Get a hold of yourself, man. What's easier to believe: a gorilla holding a gun or a big hairy guy doing a drive by? Edit
Allusions
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- Jolly Fats Wee Hawkins: The name of the temp agency references Cracking Up (1983), starring Jerry Lewis. The Jolly Fats Wee Hawkins airline agency is a low-budget carrier. Edit
- Dr. Gibbs: ...to get him to stop painting those damn soup cans. Referencing Andy Warhol (1928-87), an American artist and prime mover of the pop art phenomena. He rose to fame in the 1960s with works such as Campbell's Soup Cans and other paintings of brand name products. Edit
- Spanky: Man has climbed Mt. Everest, gone to the bottom of the ocean. He's fired rockets to the moon, split the atom, achieved miracles in every field of human endeavor. Referencing Goldfinger (1964). Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) delivers the same line as he describes Operation Grand Slam. Edit