TV.com

show: Intelligence (CAN)

episode: A Man Escapes

The Bottom Line: "Superb"

So great to have this show back, although I think it's weird that it's starting at the "regular" time, going up against a whole crop of strong American shows. I guess this won't be around to help me cruise through mid-season this year.

Anyways, the flavour is totally still there. That's what you get with a show that keeps all the same cast and crew. I think that's also what you get when you aren't being pressured by greedy networks (who's to say that the CBC isn't greedy, but I'll let that go). I really need to see the DEA get totally stuffed. They've been acting like cocks of the walk for way too long, it's time to push back. Mary's gotta let them know if they mess with her CI's they've messed with the toughest woman in the Intelligence business.

Funny that Sweet is always just throwing tantrums, but she's always down to help out the family. She totally proved to me why Ronnie needs to keep her around. James Mallaby to run the whole deal? Hell no! Let's hope Mary's able to manoevre her way through that. I mean, I don't want her to be running the whole show, that would make things too boring, but she needs to carve herself some more power out of this. Let's just sit back and see how much advantage Dante is going to take of this whoel situation. Could be exciting - in between Jimmy having to deal with SWAT banging down his door. Welcome back Intelligence! Sex, Drugs & Espionage!

show: Kitchen Nightmares

The Bottom Line: "Terrible"

For a show as brilliant as Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares to remade into this monstrosity exposes a festering sickness in American popular culture. This is supposed to be a show about restaurants, about food. Instead what I find is a glorified Super Nanny - where Ramsay's culinary skills are squandered on babysitting dysfunctional families and buying new ovens and plates. A show like this isn't supposed to satisfy America's craving for crisis and scandal. Sure, we all love watching Scottish guys get irate and yell, but you don't have to watch a show about turning lousy restaurants to see it. Just head down to your local pub.

I will admit, I've only watched the premiere, but that was more than enough to convince me that I should stick to watching the UK version on the Food Network. Seriously, do yourselves a favour: watch the original version and find out exactly why Ramsay was a superstar long before he set foot on American soil.

show: The Phoenix and the Carpet (1976)

The Bottom Line: "Great"

Might not have had the greatest of production values, but this mini-series falls into the canon of British shows winding up on Canadian Public Television to fill childrens' minds with wonder. When I see a Harry Potter film (or - gasp - read the book) and it tickles me a certain way, it's because I see Harry Potter as being evocative of the kinds of creations that share a spot in the pantheon with Phoenix and the Carpet.

The best known feature of the series is the metalic Phoenix puppet that takes the children on their adventures. Shares a lot in common with Perseus' Owl from "Clash of the Titans" but without all the stop-motion. The idea of being able to go on a magical journey by simply visiting your grandfather's house, helped sweeten the pot for our own real visits to our Grandma and Grampa's house. More than anything, I see this show as a rite of passage for a child destined to fall into the realm of Dungeons & Dragons and books about Greek Mythology.

show: Intelligence (CAN)

episode: Things Change

The Bottom Line: "Superb"

I wish I could have a gander inside Chris Haddock's head and see how that mind of his operates. No matter how many threads he's spun to weave this story together, he's got no problems spinning new ones, or keeping the old ones fresh.

There's just so much going on in the show, I can feel my endorphens pumping as I try to keep up with every angle. From watching the shipment, to keeping track of Bingham's activities, to following Jimmy as he skulks his way through the underworld, never losing his cool. All the while, you can count on certain characters, like Martin and Ronnie, for some witty repartee or classic one-liners to remind you that this show is more than just bare-knuckled serious spy drama. As Mary continues to get a handle on things, you can see that as she pushes against the system, it's just as ready to push back against her. And while you may or may not be rooting for her, the best thing about this show is it's Canadian-ness. Unlike so many other shows in the genre, this one doesn't necessarily follow the standard format of storytelling. You can’t watch this show and say “Oooh! That guy’s gonna die!” With a show written in such an unconventional way, there’s always a twist waiting for you, even for guys like me who can see the twists coming in virtually any other show the American Networks have been able to crank out. And that continues to be the best thing about this show, even when you know what’s going on at the time, and it’s a struggle to stay on top of that, you still can’t ever be sure of what’s waiting around the corner. Can’t wait to see what’s going to happen to the shipment. Are the Disciples gonna get pinched for the shipment Jimmy didn’t want? Is Ted gonna be able to weasel his way out of his fix with the DEA? Is the DEA gonna get smoked out on their dirty dealings? And can Mary really trust Deakins any further than he can throw him? Best of all – Can’t wait to see what trouble Royden’s gonna get in with Katarina. This show continues to impress and satisfy – I can only hope it keeps catching on and develops a strong following on both sides of the border.