A Final Take on "5 Takes: USA"

Just a quick post this morning as I'm already feeling the effects of way too much holiday cheer, even though we're still a few days away from achieving maximum holiday impact...

I couldn't let a more than a few days slide, however, without acknowledging the end of the third season of Travel Channel's reality series 5 Takes. While it's been a bit of a bumpy ride, 5 Takes: USA quickly corrected its problems halfway through production to turn out a final round of episodes that was on par with the previous season's highs.

First of all, it seems as though my previous comments about what was lacking with the series this year clicked with the network as they made steps to correct the problems that hampered my enjoyment of the reality series' third season. My main point was that the travel journalists didn't seem to do a lot of, you know, interacting with locals to find the sort of off-the-beaten-path sights and attractions that are a hallmark of this type of travel program. And just like that, the travel journalists (after all this time, I still can't bring myself to call them TJs) were suddenly asking questions of everyone they met about the latest city they were in, using their suggestions as jumping-off points for new activities, and (most importantly) experiencing each city through the eyes of its locals.

The Memphis, Austin, and New York episodes really hit this home with style (and without feeling forced) as the gang split up into various configurations to get to the heart of each city on their tour of the United States. I think that these final episodes perfectly captured that feeling of wanderlust--along with that instant connection travelers can make with new cities and their residents--to reinvigorate the series and reignite what I loved most about the show: namely experiencing that color and culture that distinguishes each and every city from its siblings.

In Memphis, the gang met up with some random strangers and wound up going to one of their houses for some authentic barbeque; in New York, Bevis met up with a rock musician (with impossibly anime hair, I might add) and went to his recording studio to hear some of his songs. And in each episode, every single one of our travel journalists actually fulfilled their brief, as Zach, Lena, Jamie, Bevis, and Tim all became the journos that they were meant to be, questioning every one they encounter about what makes their city great, sampling street food (I loved the scene in NYC in which Zach went bananas for hot dogs and pretzels), and investigating, rather than reacting to, their surroundings.

I'm still not enamoured of the setup for each week's Chase Freedom Rewards excursion (still wish they had to do something to earn it), but it's a small gripe now as 5 Takes: USA managed to get back on track and, more importantly, won me back. While this season of 5 Takes may have been shorter (only 8 episodes) compared to last season, it managed to remind me of all that this nation's diverse cities have to offer and allowed me to experience the US through an outsider's perspective.

I already miss my little 5 Takes fix each weekend but I'm looking forward to what will hopefully be a killer fourth season of this growing franchise. As for where 5 Takes will head off to next, the Travel Channel is staying mum for now, but could I put a vote in for the United Kingdom or Scandinavia? Pretty please?

What's On Tonight

8 pm: NCIS (CBS); Identity (NBC); Gilmore Girls (CW); I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (ABC); House (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)

9 pm: The Unit (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (CW); Big Day/Big Day (ABC); House (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order: SVU (NBC); Boston Legal (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

10 pm: Doctor Who on BBC America.

While Sci Fi might be airing Season Two of the newest incarnation of Doctor Who (complete with another new Doctor, played by David Tennant), catch up on Season One, beginning anew tonight on BBC America as the Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston) first meets Rose Tyler for the first time. On tonight's episode ("World War Three"), the Doctor and Rose attempt to escape 10 Downing Street as the world heads towards an interplanetary war with the creepy Slitheen. And what's up with that "Bad Wolf" graffiti and the little pig?

What's Done is Done: The Eternal Struggle Between Good and Evil on the Season Finale of "Lost"

Every story begins with thread. It's up to the storyteller to determine just how much they need to parcel out, what pattern they're making, and when to cut it short and tie it off. With last night's penultimate season finale of Lost ("The Incident, Parts One and Two"), written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, we began to see the pattern that Lindelof and Cuse have been designing towards the last five seasons of this serpentine series. And it was only fitting that the two-hour finale, which pushes us on the road to the final season of Lost , should begin with thread, a loom, and a tapestry. Would Jack follow through on his plan to detonate the island and therefore reset their lives aboard Oceanic Flight 815 ? Why did Locke want to kill Jacob? What caused The Incident? What was in the box and just what lies in the shadow of the statue? We got the answers to these in a two-hour season finale that didn't quite pack the same emotional wallop of previous season

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Have a Burning Question for Team Darlton, Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, or Michael Emerson?

Lost fans: you don't have to make your way to the island via Ajira Airways in order to ask a question of the creative team or the series' stars. Televisionary is taking questions from fans to put to Lost 's executive producers/showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and stars Matthew Fox ("Jack Shephard"), Evangeline Lilly ("Kate Austen"), and Michael Emerson ("Benjamin Linus") for a series of on-camera interviews taking place this weekend. If you have a specific question for any of the above producers or actors from Lost , please leave it in the comments section below . I'll be accepting questions until midnight PT tonight and, while I can't promise I'll be able to ask any specific inquiry due to the brevity of these on-camera interviews, I am looking for some insightful and thought-provoking questions to add to the mix. So who knows: your burning question might get asked after all.

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Pilot Inspektor: CBS' "Smith"

I may just have to change my original "What I'll Be Watching This Fall" post, as I sat down and finally watched CBS' new crime drama Smith this weekend. (What? It's taken me a long time to make my way through the stack of pilot DVDs.) While it's on following Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars on Tuesday nights (10 pm ET/PT, to be exact), I'm going to be sure to leave enough room on my TiVo to make sure that I catch this compelling, amoral drama. While one can't help but be impressed by what might just be the most marquee-friendly cast in primetime--Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Jonny Lee Miller, Amy Smart, Simon Baker, and Franky G all star and Shohreh Aghdashloo has a recurring role--the pilot's premise alone earned major points in my book: it's a crime drama from the point of view of the criminals, who engage in high-stakes heists. But don't be alarmed; it's nothing like NBC's short-lived Heist . Instead, think of it as The Italian

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Comments

Anonymous said…

I definitely had some of the same problems you did, and there were moments of staginess this season ("Come on guys, let's talk about what we're going to do for our reward."), but it was still enjoyable. I just wish it was longer. They could have hit the mid-west/north better - that little side-trip to Chicago doesn't count. Detroit, Minneapolis or somewhere in Indy, maybe. Or the pacific northwest? Seattle, anyone? Just seems that with Memphis, Austin and Orlando/Miami they covered the South. And then some.

12/19/2006

Danielle C.F. Maris said…

I didn't enjoy this season as much as the last but it was still fun. I really liked all of the travel journalists but agree that some of their experiences felt somewhat staged. And I was also surprised that they didn't visit the pacific northwest or check out a couple of other cities. I'm very interested to see where the next season will take place.

[Televisionary]

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