Random TV Tidbits: My TV Weekend

Something incredibly unexpected happened this weekend. I found myself laughing out loud, not once, but twice while watching TV. A rare occurrence indeed considering television comedies have all but vanished off the network schedule.

First off, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE hosted by Alec Baldwin. Much like he does on NBC’s 30 ROCK, Baldwin completely stole the show and injected new life into the late night institution that has fallen off it’s pedestal. His battle of wits with Steve Martin was brilliant and his ‘Saddam Hussein’ sketch was spot on — Loved his line when accused of torturing his people “Spoiler Alert, I Did It!”

The second show that made me laugh was Sunday’s episode of THE SIMPSONS. I’m not sure why, but the scene with Lisa throwing blood (on behalf of PETA) on Krusty’s fur was laugh-out-loud funny. I literally couldn’t stop chuckling as Krusty re-dressed himself with a panda-hooded jacket and monkey head gloves.

On more of a depressing note, this weekend’s BATTLESTAR GALACTICA was another uplifting installment (note sarcasm) as Admiral Adama and President Rosalin debate whether or not to wipe out the entire Cylon race with a biological weapon. An interesting episode, but most definitely the worst of the season. The reason: zero suspense. Obviously the Cylons weren’t going to be wiped out, as without them, there’s no show.

Of course even the ‘worst’ episode of BATTLESTAR is one of the best hours of television and this week’s episode was no exception. It was quite surprising to see how quickly Roslin decided to essentially wipe the Cylon’s off the face of the earth (or space as it were) and how apprehensive Adama was about the situation. That’s the beauty of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA — just when you think you’ve got a character figured out, they manage to surprise you. Take Cylon Sharon for instance. I never expected her to approve of the genocide that would wipe out her own race.

And finally, while on the subject of Cylon Sharon (I know I should remember her call sign, but for the life of me I can’t). Am I the only one who thought that when she attached herself to the Cylon data stream (on the Cylon base star), she would discover that her baby was alive. Wouldn’t the first ever Human/Cylon hybrid be ‘big news’ in the world of the Cylons? I keep waiting for her to turn on Adama and Galactica, but if anything, her actions this week further proved her loyalty to Adama. Of course this could all be part of her plan. Needless to say, count me among the many Galactica crew members who may never fully trust Cylon Sharon.