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The Middleman - ABC Family

post #1 of 51
6/16/08 at 7:19pm
Thread Starter 
I know dick about this show. However, Alan Sepinwall really seems to dig the pilot, which airs tonight.

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/i...eman_revi.html

This is what sold me. "The Middleman is at once retro and post-modern, the sort of result you'd get if you threw The Tick and the '50s black-and-white Superman TV show into a blender."

DVR - prepped.
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post #2 of 51
6/16/08 at 10:13pm
The lead actress is really good, and gets some great lines over the course of an hour. Kind of has a Rosario Dawson vibe.

The lead actor and most of the show's visual flourishes left me completely cold, though.
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post #3 of 51
6/17/08 at 5:29am
Thread Starter 
Well, it's silly, amateurish at times, the leads need a few more acting lessons to be able to pull off the Pushing Daisies-like really long run on sentences (although they're not terrible) and it's really damn quirky...but I find it hard to hate a show that has super intelligent gorillas (with one being a wannabe mobster, no less) and then name checks Gorilla Grodd. It actually reminded me a lot of Doctor Who, or at least the past 3 1/2 seasons I've watched. Cheesy special effects, goofy with fun heroes and and an occasionally sly sense of humor. The summer is lean and this has potential to get better. I'll stick with it for awhile. And there are some really good jokes in it. And the girl is nerd cutehot. I totally got a Rosario Dawson vibe, too. The dude reminds me of someone, and it's pissing off that I can't think who. Maybe a dead-pan, Boy Scoutish Peter Krause.
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post #4 of 51
6/17/08 at 8:28am
I recorded it last night...I'll take a look before I set the ol' DVR to regularly record it.
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post #5 of 51
6/17/08 at 1:21pm
A ripoff of all the Men in Black ripoffs that would have short and undistinquished runs early in the decade on the UPN, Scifi and WB networks. The Gorilla Grodd remark was smart, even though the idea of a gentically enhanced ape turned machine gun totting mob boss is actually originally from the Judge Dredd comics. Too cute and smugg for my taste.
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post #6 of 51
6/17/08 at 1:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mediumdave View Post
The dude reminds me of someone, and it's pissing off that I can't think who. Maybe a dead-pan, Boy Scoutish Peter Krause.
He's got a late-80s Cary Elwes delivery, with the smug-factor jacked up to 11.
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post #7 of 51
6/17/08 at 3:56pm
I didn't find the smugness annoying, I think it's supposed to be ironic given their wacky universe that the heroes take themselves seriously at all.

The number of pop culture references was amazing, to the point where anything that appeared similar to another production was probably taken from it intentionally. I was also impressed with the quick, snappy dialog. I like that the show doesn't hold back in that regard, you've got to keep up with it. Can't wait to see what wacky adventures are to come.
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post #8 of 51
6/17/08 at 4:26pm
I liked that they put that crazy fuckin' monster right in from the start, despite it looking goofy as hell. It's a nice statement. "Either you buy this and come along for the ride, or you turn off right now." I know that's how the comic starts and all, but you could just as easily keep the thing off screen or whatever. But no, fuck that, they aren't hiding what the tone of this is, so more power to them.
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post #9 of 51
6/24/08 at 7:20am
Thread Starter 
"Water. You scare the pants off of me." Heh. Funny.


I can't help but be charmed by this show. It's nowhere near perfect, but there's always a line or sight gag or absurdly awfully awesome special effect that keeps me watching. Like the description of where Dubbi lives has made me laugh each time.

"That looks like Hitler's smoking jacket."
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post #10 of 51
6/24/08 at 11:26am
Natalie Morales: hello, new TV crush!
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post #11 of 51
6/24/08 at 3:59pm
I loved yesterday's episode too. The banter is so great, like the android back at the office always has some great lines for Wendy, and of course Dub dub always pokes fun of the Middleman while he tries to educate her about everything.

(paraphrasing) Middleman: Dubby, I must confess, there is one thing I struggle with...
Wendy: Brevity?

And what better place for a succubus halfway house than a fashion studio, lol! This show is just charming to the max.
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post #12 of 51
6/25/08 at 1:01am
Just watched the pilot. They name-checked Fell, Astro City, and Mouse Guard in Dubby's list of comic books she reads. I'm in.
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post #13 of 51
7/1/08 at 5:23pm
Thread Starter 
Oh, Christ. The subtitles in this episode destroyed me. From the lengthy description of polite violence spoken in, I can only assume, the language of Israel to the English subtitled Spanish switching to Spanish subtitled English when the characters went back to English to every date stamp being a different time zone...it was oh so deliciously silly. And the images that flashed after the Death Thumb. I revel in the show's delightful absurdity.
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post #14 of 51
7/1/08 at 5:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mediumdave View Post
English subtitled Spanish switching to Spanish subtitled English when the characters went back to English
If I didn't lie on the floor when I watch TV, I'm pretty I would have fallen over when this bit happened.
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post #15 of 51
7/1/08 at 6:33pm
Yeah, this continues to be fairly smile-worthy fun with some chuckle-worthy moments thrown in, which I'm certainly not complaining about. The subtitles were great, Sensei Ping was just an awesome character, the Death Thumb images got a laugh, and I'm finding myself completely falling for the Middleman's anti-cursing.
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post #16 of 51
7/8/08 at 6:01am
Thread Starter 
Beyond the Realm of Science Device. Nice.
I just noticed that they've had the Whilhelm Scream in every episode.
The tiny video monitor in the background phone book beatdown interrogation of the robot.
Supremely shitty UFO CG accompanied by awesome song about a cowboy,”and Justice was his ride.”
The best flashback ever.

The episode itself wasn't that great. Too much “let's deal with the emotions” thing, but there were still moments. And next week, zombies.
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post #17 of 51
7/8/08 at 10:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mediumdave View Post
The episode itself wasn't that great. Too much “let's deal with the emotions” thing, but there were still moments.
The entire episode built up to a Dr. Phil clone getting vaporized. That in itself made the whole show a winner for me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mediumdave View Post
And next week, zombies.
The promo made me smile so much. I'm really looking forward to next week.
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post #18 of 51
7/8/08 at 3:19pm
Matt Keeslar is great in this, and Morales is a hottie.
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post #19 of 51
7/15/08 at 3:21am
The time stamps are consistently the best running joke in the show. I lost it at 'BULLET TIME' this episode. And of course following that immediately with the Middleman's lengthy, dry monologue about why they were going to have to kill the guy in the hospital bed due to imminent zombification was golden.

"Nobody can lie in the face of Pain's River!"
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post #20 of 51
7/15/08 at 10:09am
Equally amusing was the Middleman talking on the phone with the android about the dangers of the zombie fish while Dubby fights a very CGI zombie fish in the background. The sound effects used for the fish were great.

Hope this show gets a second season.
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post #21 of 51
7/16/08 at 5:59pm
Keeslar's way of visualising the !!!! drink cracked me up
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post #22 of 51
7/22/08 at 8:06pm
"I'm Special Agent Brody and this is Special Agent Forestal."

I think I'm starting to love this show.
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post #23 of 51
7/22/08 at 9:33pm
Thread Starter 
Her roommate is cute. Kind of not the greatest actress, but cute.

I like to think the black bars over cursing mouths is the intent of the show and not the network because it makes me laugh every damn time. The little girl alien describing her name, rank and serial number in a long string of bleeped out curses (all with black bar over mouth) reminded me of GOB's sexual harassment speech in Arrested Development...and that is far from a bad thing.

"...before she sucks them through a hole." Heh. Dubby has a dirty mind. And so do I because I snickered at that.

"And the bitch of it all, I was two weeks away from retirement." I laughed so fucking hard right there.

The first 3 eps are still the strongest, but I think it's leveled out to a nice, safe, weird place. I think ABC Family would be surprised at some of the shit on this show. And Holy Jesus Shit! Varsity Fan Club is an actual fucking band! And I know why he has a cane! Oh, and Whilhelm Scream again.
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post #24 of 51
7/22/08 at 10:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mediumdave View Post
Her roommate is cute. Kind of not the greatest actress, but cute.

I like to think the black bars over cursing mouths is the intent of the show and not the network because it makes me laugh every damn time. The little girl alien describing her name, rank and serial number in a long string of bleeped out curses (all with black bar over mouth) reminded me of GOB's sexual harassment speech in Arrested Development...and that is far from a bad thing.

"...before she sucks them through a hole." Heh. Dubby has a dirty mind. And so do I because I snickered at that.

"And the bitch of it all, I was two weeks away from retirement." I laughed so fucking hard right there.

The first 3 eps are still the strongest, but I think it's leveled out to a nice, safe, weird place. I think ABC Family would be surprised at some of the shit on this show. And Holy Jesus Shit! Varsity Fan Club is an actual fucking band! And I know why he has a cane! Oh, and Whilhelm Scream again.

I wonder if the "cursing" is why they are now running the show at 10:00 PM.
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post #25 of 51
7/23/08 at 2:58am
The black bar cursing was just hilarious. And every single time interrobot turned up I was laughing, like when it stood beside Dubby and just kept poking her for like a minute.

It's a shame Javier Grillo-Marxuach hasn't (and isn't going to) write more episodes this season, he nails the show better than anyone (as you'd expect). Sarah Watson did a fantastic job on episode two as well. Nobody else has quite reached their level yet, although Jordan Rosenberg (who also wrote an episode of Lost) did a great job this week.
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post #26 of 51
7/23/08 at 4:33am
Cancellation? Javier said on his blog that they were shortening the episode order.
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post #27 of 51
7/23/08 at 5:07am
Mmmm, linkage http://chaodai.livejournal.com/93114.html
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post #28 of 51
8/5/08 at 12:51pm
Oh man, yet again Sarah Watson brings the greatness. That was hilarious. I kinda zoned out during the sappy scenes, but everything else was golden.
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post #29 of 51
8/5/08 at 3:51pm
Most Ghostbusters reference per hour? I do believe so.
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post #30 of 51
8/7/08 at 1:44am
"My plan is sheer elegance in its simplicity" is such a great running gag. And absurd things happening on the monitors while no one is paying attention.
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post #31 of 51
8/7/08 at 2:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ratty View Post
Most Ghostbusters reference per hour? I do believe so.
My friend told me that every episode is peppered with references to a single film, a new film every episode, as an extra fun thing for the fans. He said he totally failed to figure out which movie was being referenced in the Ghostbusters episode.
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post #32 of 51
8/12/08 at 5:49am
Thread Starter 
The total calling out of "plan..elegance" was great.

Whilhelm Scream continues it's journey.

Sorbo's bald spot made itself known several times.

I would like to shake Dubby's costumer by the hand.

"Story of O! Turn it off!"

The not-KGB that was robbed were great, especially the dude in the background.

"The cancersub?!" And then the text that had "The cancersub" and then marked it out...my sides.

I feel like a broken record, but while I still don't think it's the greatest show ever or anything, it's so damn entertaining and I'll be disappointed when it gets canceled.
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post #33 of 51
8/12/08 at 10:38pm
I found a couple of articles regarding the current fate of The Middleman.

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/i...g_to_save.html

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/i...reator_ja.html
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post #34 of 51
8/19/08 at 3:56am
"Whose brain does Princeton have, then?"
"The only woman smart enough to kill Einstein."

Continuous love for this show. I really really hope it doesn't get canned, because it's a god damned gem.
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post #35 of 51
8/19/08 at 4:04am
Puppet Wilhelm scream.
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post #36 of 51
8/19/08 at 4:21am
Thread Starter 
Really good ep. Would've though it was better had Angle not already done vampire puppet. That being said...vampire puppet. Vlady. And if auctions weren't creepy enough already, we now have a creepy auctioneer who rhymes and is weird. Dubby getting waaaaay to into bidding.


Apparently, the season finale involves an alternate dimension. Yep, you guessed it: all the guys have goatees.
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post #37 of 51
8/19/08 at 3:13pm
This show has really slowed down the last 2 weeks, not been too great
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post #38 of 51
8/19/08 at 9:27pm
Reading this thread, I finally started getting into this show the last couple of weeks. SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP, this is freaking great. It's nerdvana only slightly dashed with the youth demographic melodrama ABC Family seems infatuated with to keep it grounded in reality.

The show gets even better if you read the notes on, say, TV.com and catch all the references you missed. Like, in last night's, the street and the criminal asylum were named after characters in Bram Stroker's Dracula.

The random insinuations that Wendy was on da weed were phenomenal. And while a classic sci-fi idea, sentient ventriloquism dummies will always be personally creepy.

If this show dies soon like it sounds like it will, it's certain to achieve cult-classic legacy in a few years. And the girl playing Dubbie will be able to survive forever on autograph sessions at comic book conventions.
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post #39 of 51
8/21/08 at 1:36pm
Found this on Javier's blog, it's a promo pic from the finale in 2 weeks

http://pics.livejournal.com/chaodai/pic/0004gb1g

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yflTzanT0Ys YEAH!
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post #40 of 51
8/24/08 at 4:46pm
Yes indeed. This show is pure insane gold.

The episode that introduces Sensei Ping = Awesomeness. Especially the incredibly accurate lucha libre references.
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post #41 of 51
8/26/08 at 10:54am
For such a goofy show, I found Wendy's message to the Middleman when she thought she was about to die to be quite moving.
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post #42 of 51
8/26/08 at 11:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPL View Post
For such a goofy show, I found Wendy's message to the Middleman when she thought she was about to die to be quite moving.
I liked Ida appearing as The Architect. A random Matrix reference in a sea of Die Hard references.

Plus, Wendy in her underwear is nothing to sneeze at.
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post #43 of 51
9/1/08 at 5:48pm
Tonight is the season (or series) finale of The Middleman. If it doesn't come back for a second season, I hope we at least get a really good dvd release of this show. I never got to see every episode.
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post #44 of 51
1/25/09 at 6:39pm
Just caught on to this by accident last night. Watched the Season finale.

Love this show. Chock full of TV/Movie references. The finale was the "Alternate Universe" episode with a Snake Plisskin type Middleman.

References

1) The Berytheliam Sphere
2) "Here every pig sings for his supper."
3) "Star Trek?" "The Sci-fi series from the 60's with the great George Takei?"
4) Good Snake Plisskin portrayal. I damm near thought Kurt Russell was in this.

Got to watch more.
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post #45 of 51
2/4/09 at 3:21pm
The Middleman is due out on dvd this summer.

http://themiddleblog.livejournal.com/41612.html

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post #46 of 51
2/4/09 at 4:07pm
Hopefully DVD sales will finally get a second season greenlit.
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post #47 of 51
8/5/09 at 8:08pm
It's a damn shame that this show was on ABC Family instead of the main ABC network. Could have been a sleeper hit (like LOST) but I'm glad that's out on DVD so that people who didn't discover it the first time will experience the wild, weird and very geekcentric world of THE MIDDLEMAN for themselves.

Anyone watch that table reading from SDCC of the 13th episode? It's pretty entertaining.
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post #48 of 51
9/12/09 at 9:22pm
Does anyone know what happened to the characters in the never shot 13th Episode? The one the cast gave a reading at ComicCon.

Love this show.

"My plan is sheer elegance in its simplicity."
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post #49 of 51
9/12/09 at 10:00pm
The table reading is on Youtube.
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post #50 of 51
9/13/09 at 3:59am
There's also The Middleman: The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse, which is the 13th episode in graphic novel form.
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