Talia’s back with another round of twenty episodes in telenovela format.  While the series premiere isn’t until Monday night, Nick offered us a half hour sneak peek of what’s going to happen in Espanola Way (which is either in Miami – or Miami Beach).

The show runners here do a good job telling approachable stories (even if they involve magic spices) with believable characters who have understandable motivations.  There’s a strong sense of family (or should I say, la familia here) and a strong sense of competition as well.  Its harmless fun.  Nick has had a lot of success with these teen telenovelas and they are all smartly shot and well-paced.  Outside shots are nicely integrated into scenes and the young cast has grown nicely into their roles.

In the sneak peak, Miami (or Miami Beach) is still under the influence of the major hurricane (which apparently  puts out lights and cell phone service at Calle Tres).  Everyone is worried about Talia, who is magically rescued by a mystery man named Jayden whom she magically rescued from the storm  (I smell a love triangle with Tyson here).  They hide out in the space under the stairs to ride out the storm (this apparently is a popular place to hide).

Dolores, Julie and Rudy all fret over the loss of cell phone service (although I don’t believe Rudy can call up the commander of the space station on his Zack Morris phone) while Tyson battles with Frenchie to go out and find Talia.  Frenchie’s karate moves are a riot and his flip of Tyson onto the floor looked painful. (it didn’t appear that there was a stuntman but does give Tyson a classic line: “I did not see that coming!”).  They both do physical comedy quite well. Dolores decides to go out in the storm to find Talia (which would he highly improbable in a major hurricane; Tyson was supposed to go with her but apparently chose not to).  Dolores gets conked on the head and gets pinned under a trashcan (or as she would “the pinning of the trash.”)

After the storm passes, Rudy and Tyson venture out to Espanola Way (which Rudy says is in Miami Beach, but previous episodes suggested it is in Miami).  Their little game of one-upsmanship continues and they battle to see who will find Talia first.  Talia is finally rescued – along with Jayden – from under the stairs and you can see both Rudy and Tyson turn green with envy.  For a major hurricane, though, Espanola Way looks like it survived (there’s not even a window blown out at Lola’s)

As with any telenovela, we need a cliffhanger.  Jayden’s brother Michael pulls up in a food truck and there’s some discussion about Talia being a SpiceMaster.  Will engages in a conversation on the phone with someone named Alexander about opening his own restaurant in two spaces.  I’m not sure why we need this Jayden/Michael story and the Jayden/Tyson/Talia triangle when the Tyson/Rudy/Talia triangle is somewhat in place (but needs to evolve beyond the Tyson/Rudy squabbling).  But as with any soap opera, we never try to predict where stories will take us.

I look forward to another season with a winning company of actors and some well-plotted storylines.  The previews suggest it will be good to see Talia back in the kitchen!

The girls travel back in time to stop Janet Smythe from starting GDD; their plan works but they also manages to stop major events from happening.  In the B story, Barry finds himself attracted to Marci.

I’m glad that BFW is taking time to tell some broader stories beyond “We went back to kindergarten” or “we know the answers to the history text!”  In a previous episode, the girls learn that Shelby’s dad works for GloboDigiDyne and suspect somehow GDD is connected to the Future Lab.  Cheers to seeing the wonderfully-talented Nora Dunn back on our screens!

In this episode, Cyd and Shelby realize that, in order to prevent the Future Lab from happening, they need to go back in time to prevent GDD from happening.  Janet Smythe’s begins start playing around wireless technology (she zaps herself on a lamp on her desk and announces “Wireless technology!”).  Her neuroses  is evident here as her workshop is filled with a number of booby traps. (This does seem odd tho, but it does play into her neuroses later on).  It takes more and more of Cyd and Shelby’s power to kept repeating jumps.  They finally outwit Smythe and are finally jump back to the present from 1991.  A wave washes over the show, eliminating the GDD headquarters as well as Marci and Barry’s budding relationship.

But when they do return to 1991, what a surprise!  Shelby’s family lives in Alaska (evidenced by the big pile of snow outside their window); they moved from Portland after her dad missed his big interview (I’m assuming it wasn’t at GDD). Cyd’s now living with her parents in Peru (the llama in the scene is a hoot).  Apparently no matter what time they travel to, they remain friends.  They decide to meet back up at Shelby’s old house in Portland.

And who lives there, surprise surprise – Janet Smythe.  She’s Barry’s mentor – and we don’t know what job she exactly has – but, surprise, surprise, she has some funky weird lab in her attic and she’s been waiting for years to see Cyd and Shelby again.

Parallel to this is the budding romance of Barry and Marci.  Marci is a stitch – and her sentences of non-sequitors are quite good.  Barry and Marci first bond over science – and their first “I’m sorry” date – where Barry tries to subjectively control the date is both sweet and amusing.  Renaldo’s unobjective data shows the “twinkle in Barry’s eye” when he’s around Marci.  It’s a sweet beginning.

The Smythe wave wipes this all out and its back to the beginning for Marci and Barry, where Renaldo suggests Barry’s interest in Marci is not science related at all.  Barry watches Renaldo’s interactions with girls and takes copious notes, which do not help him at all with Marci.  Their first date – with Renaldo in tow – brings them to Smythe’s lab, where they are summarily tied up to watch the goings on.

The final showdown between the girls and Smythe is pretty standard but the girls are victorious.  They realize that they need to let history take its course – so they transport back to 1991 and let Smythe get zapped by the lamp.  The time wave washes over everyone and things in the present day return to normal (although I’m not sure what happens to the Marci/Barry relationship).  When they leave 1991, though, Cyd and Shelby leave behind those pesky tachyon particles, which Smythe is able to scoop up in one of those pickle jars.  This sets the scene for future storylines.

Three oversights:

1. When the girls left the present day to return to the 70s, they left the tachyon particles in the present.  Apparently, particles get left when they return to a time before they were born, although no particles showed up any other time they left 1991.
2. When Marci, Renaldo and Barry are tied up and Cyd is brought in and tied to the slab, Barry calls Cyd by name.  He didn’t know Shelby’s name when she showed up, so assumably he won’t have know Cyd’s.
3. Continuity error: When Cyd arrives back in Portland, she puts her backpack on the hot tub cover.  Just before she enters the house, the backpack is on her shoulder – but then its back on the hot tub and she enters the house without it.  Yet, the backpack is then seen on the ledge behind the two slabs.

Overall, a good episode!

Or: Survive the Virus Attack Trapped in Your Home Base Station Thing!

Scott Fellows show do the unthinkable.  They tell compelling junior high stories in a witty, creative way.  And kudos to the young actors in this show who admirably pull it off.

The episode starts with some mumbo jumbo in science class about viruses and alien attacks and being trapped.  It seems like an odd premise to start the show.  That is, until Mr. Roberts shows up with notes that Crispo and Fenwick have permission to stay at CJ’s house overnight.  Cj’s parents are trapped in a massive traffic jam so our dynamic trio have to fend for themselves.

What follows is a thoughtful (and funny) parallel from their science class lesson.  The exploding pea soup becomes the virus and the paninis become the antidote.  Initially, the trio can’t take care of themselves at home alone.  The panini press overheats and the washing machine goes berzerk (causing a blown fuse).  This story is played against Crispo’s brother Flick (hilariously played by Teen Beach Movie’s Garrett Clayton) trying to gain entrance to the house so he can borrow Crispo’s jacket (which, apparently, attracts the ladies but always comes back super smelly).  Now, if only Flick would say please (and here’s another example of Fellow’s wittiness: Flick is so nicknamed because he continually flicks Crispo and Fenwick’s ears.  No one on this show can have a normal name, right, Ronbie).

In the end, CJ, Crispo and Fenwick’s resourcefulness wins out and they successful prepare the paninis and green soup for the dinner for CJ’s parents.

What I love about this show (and the similarly-themed Ned’s DeClassified) is that rather typical junior high fare is given an amusing spin.  We can all relate because we have all been in these situations but we can all also laugh – because we have all been in these situations.

Two thumbs up!

I’ll be honest.  I’m never been a big fan of NRDD.  I know, for sure, that I’m not their target audience, but then again, I’m not sure pre-teens and tweens would think the show is funny either.  So I sat down to watch NRDD Go Hollywood with much trepidation.  Boy was I wrong.

The one hour episode starts with the quads rueing the possibility of another Harper family camping trip.  Coincidentally, the quads see a commercial for the Ultimate Hollywood vacation.  Surprise, surprise, they win the trip. So far, standard sitcom fare.

Upon their arrival in Los Angeles, the Harpers soon discover that their luggage has been lost and Dawn’s backpack has been switched with someone else’s.  Surprise.  And double surprise, the Harper parents wallet and purse were in the backpack. No more, no clothes in LA!  I groaned when this episode appeared to be one of the famous “we’re on a trip and we get mixed up with criminals” epsiodes.  Not very original.

The quest for Dawn’s backpack takes the Harpers to the Magic Castle, to a back alley where they do battle with a thug named Gayle (Mickey from Seinfeld), to Paramount Studios (special props for the evil Jack Griffo and the cooking competition), and up to the Hollywood sign.  Each quad gets their Hollywood dream met: Ricky gets to perform at the Magic Castle, Nicky gets to cook with Alex Guarnaschelli, Dawn gets her photo in front of the Hollywood sign and Dicky gets to walk the red carpet and meet his idol, Jett Masterson.

The episode is predictable up until the end – when the Harpers arrive by balloon at a red carpet premiere (there’s a really nice use of Paramount Studios here – including the front gate, the backlot and the Paramount theatre).  The premiere is of “Ultimate Family Vacation” starring the Harpers.  The entire movie is the story of the Harpers time in Los Angeles, i.e., the Ultimate Family Vacation.  Its a nice spin on the usual family vacation movie.

Of course, many parts of the film require you the viewer to suspend belief or are wholly coincidental  but thats par for the course for a Nick program.  I’m ok with that.

Line of the episode: “Look, a real, live Thunderman!”  Tourist: “Dr. Colosso?”

 

 

After a brief break from reviewing, I’m back.

During the time away, we said goodbye to Austin & Ally, Jesse and I Didn’t Do It.  We’re still saddled with Bunk’d but hopefully the new year will bring new shows!