And we return to our regularly scheduled programming. I get that the show would want to do something lighter after the Avatar arc, but guuhhh. Don't get me wrong, Billy Zane is ridiculously charismatic as Drake, having immediate chemistry with all the ladies and able to make even the lousiest dialogue sparkle, but the episode begins to blow as soon as the Robin Hood thing starts up, leading to an ending which drags on for what feels like a century and an array of annoying subplots.Drake is a fun character with an interesting back-story, something along the lines of Kira a couple of episodes back with the whole 'admiring humans so much that he wants to become one' thing. There's also the tragic irony that he'll be dead in a couple of weeks, which not only spurs on a whirlwind romance with Pheebs, but also conveniently coincides with the end of Billy Zane's three-week contract on this show. Heh.
Sebastian Roche's dastardly British villain is a return to annoying demon territory, full of underworld caves, whiny minions, kidnappings and doomed schemes. Blah. Even more annoying is the whole phone company subplot, which grinds into the longest siege sequence in history. Elsewhere, Inspector Sheridan is back stinking up the joint, and I have no idea why the show has resurrected that storyline again. Is it simply to give Dorian Gregory something to do?
Carpe Demon is a showcase for Billy Zane, and he's goofy charm personified. He has a relaxed, easy banter with everybody and quickly becomes the most engaging love interest for years. Everything else here is hackneyed garbage. D+
Credits
Guest stars Sebastian Roche (The Sorceror); Ann Cusack (Miss Donovan); Jenya Lano (Inspector Sheridan); Kurt Fuller (John Normand); Elizabeth Dennehy (Sandra); Bruce Gray (Kheel); Billy Zane (Drake)
Writer Curtis Kheel Director Stuart Gillard
I actually didn't mind this episode all that much. It's not great, but I think the Robin Hood stuff worked kinda well in some parts. Of course it flopped completely in others, like Sebastian Roche's appearance.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're a Billy Zane fan though. My reviews for this episode through Seven Year Witch are just a big ramble about how amazing, and short, his arc was. He even made Phoebe likable, which is strange.
Agreed about Phoebe being really strong over the next couple of episodes. Like Kira, I'm sure he would have been ran into the ground if he stayed longer, but Drake was by far one of the better romances on the show.
ReplyDeleteHow weird. I really hate Billy Zane with a passion. He's charismatic no doubt, but the actor has always annoyed me for some reason I can not possibly put my finger on. It really didn't feel any different than the rest of Phoebe's useless love interests since it lasted the same amount of time anyways. What a tragedy; they completely decimated Phoebe's character the last few years.
ReplyDelete"Hate with a passion" is a little strong, heh. He's sort of low-rent, but I've always found him pretty affable, and he really sparkled on Charmed. And I agree that his tenure was short, but they probably would have ran him into the ground if he stuck around longer, like another Leo or whatever.
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