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RSS'The Middleman': "It's 'Die Hard' in a building"
After this week's The Middleman, if the show doesn't get renewed for a second season I'm going to take it personally. That's how attached I've gotten. Seriously.
Spoilers
When the first listed time in the episode reads, "26 hours, 42 minutes before the inevitable detonation," you can just feel you're in for a doozie.
Voyager 2, which was sent out into space on a one-way trip, is hurtling back to Earth. Middleman informs Wendy that there's only three reasons that could happen and all of them equal certain doom.
Bringing the felled remains back to MiddleHQ, an installed device explodes and causes the place to go into lock down. The mini-bomb is from the same planet that Varsity Fan Club (the 5 intergalactic dictators masquerading as a boy band) are from. Now that they're potentially infected, MM and Wendy must scrub each other down since the Interrodroid that was assisting them got blown up. Wendy is not at all comfortable with this (but hooray for shirtless MM!). Except, shortly after, they discover that there was no virus...well, not one that affects humans. Whatever was in there has taken over Ida.
I enjoyed the A plot, what with Dubs and Double M traveling through air ducts and Wendy disguising herself in an Interrodroid exoskeleton, but the B plot is what has me the most jazzed.
Tyler is the epitome of a broke, struggling musician but he's okay with that. Wendy supports him and he's never felt so inspired. When he saves a guy from getting beat up after a car accident, the guy gives him a business card and offers him an undisclosed job. Perfectly content pursuing his music, he has no interest in following up. Turns out the mystery man is Manservant Neville (though "Manservant" is not pronounced the normal way), billionaire environmentalist and creator of the uMaster which 1 in 25 humans own.
When Tyler doesn't call him (though the card only said his name), he tracks him down to Wendy's apartment. Manservant shows up with two large bodyguards and knows Tyler, Lacey and Noser's names. Creepy. But he won't take no for an answer and Lacey pushes Tyler to go to Fatboy Industries' downtown office. After taking a series of tests in a sequence that looks an awful lot like Wendy's Middleman exams, and after speaking with Neville again, Tyler finally takes the job. He doesn't know the full extent of his duties but is looking very sharp in a dark suit.
First of all, Mark Sheppard plays Manservant Neville which is made of win. I heart Sheppard (Romo Lampkin, Battlestar Galactica; Badger, Firefly). But, given his track record, I don't trust the characters he plays instinctively and knew trouble would be had the second he popped up on screen. The altruistic yet ominous fashion in which he convinced Tyler to take the job didn't help either. He reeks of Anti-Middleman.
Assorted Bits & Pieces
- Hazzah for the return of Tyler! Boo for what I can only assume will be the eventual fight of protege vs. protege that might lead to he and Wendy breaking up (or worse)!
- If I don't get to see the resolution of not only this storyline but a second season all together, I'm going to majorly miffed. And they better pray to their dear and fluffy lord that I don't get miffed.
- The majority of the references were from Die Hard but there were Doctor Who, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Speed bits in there too.
- Poor Interrodroid. Even though its memories get downloaded into subsequent models, being constantly behead is a sucky way to go.
- Lacey is wanted in three states. We don't know what for.
- The Middleman has over 300 emergency protocols.
- People break into MiddleHQ and threaten to blow it up about 3 times a year.
- That scene with Interrodroid 6000 stalking MM and Dubby with a laser gun reminded me of something but I can't figure out what. I want to say Westworld but I'm not sure if that's correct...
- I know there are certain things that have to be explained for the sake of the audience but Wendy not knowing what nanobots are is unbelievable.
- Big ups to Matt Keeslar on his emotional scene towards the end of the episode. That was tearing up of the highest caliber - not too much, not too little, not overwrought. Impressive.
Quotes of the Week
"Son of a monkey's uncle, Wendy Watson. What part of "this is an emergency" didn't you get?" - A disgruntled MM showing up at their door wearing a hazmat suit when Wendy takes too long to get downstairs
MM: "It's coming in hotter than the devil's wedding tackle."
Wendy: "That's graphic." - MM about the speed at which Voyager 2 is rocketing back to Earth
Ida: "So, did they teach you about labs in art school?"
Wendy: "Yes. And they also taught me the ancient art of color matching."
"It's your chance to handle a piece of history, albeit through triple-strengthed prophylactics." - MM before beginning his examination of the quarantined Voyager 2 remains
"It's like oompa loompas with power tools." - Dubs upon seeing the nanobots in Ida's system
"You sound like Graham Chapman and you dress like a Vestal virgin" - Wendy when Alwin says he's not "High Alwin"
"If you were a magazine they'd call you 'Tyler Beat'." - Dubs to Tyler about how awesome she thinks he is
Your thoughts about the episode? Did I neglect to mention your favorite reference? What do you think about this whole Tyler/Anti-Middleman situation?
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Zap2it Twitter Talk 
Hmm, I definently don't see Manservant hiring Tyler out of good intentions. MM already identified him as full of potential, so it stands to reason that if there's a "dark side" of the MM dynamic, they would want to get Tyler for their own side. The fact that he's dating "the enemy" only makes him more valuable.
I definently hope the show gets picked up for another season, because in addition to whatever they're cooking up with Tyler, the ongoing mystery of what happened to Wendy's dad needs more developement. My guess? He was a Middleman as well, or might be on the other end of those tubes that deliver items to MM HQ.
Ack! I saw the first two episodes of the season, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and since then the universe has been conspiring against me. Last night it was the convention. I've been reading the recaps every week, and let me just say that I find them delightful reading and every time I'm disappointed I didn't see the show. ABC - please continue this show!
And thanks for the Firefly references in the recap, and how fun that Badger shows up here. I will be first in line for the DVD of this show when it comes out.
I love this series. That said, I was a little jarred when they broke the fourth wall in the middle of the episode with the dialogue about crawling through giant air ducts... ("Like this place was designed by tv writers...")
Any word on whether the show's going to get renewed? All signs point to no, but I don't know anything about ABC Family.
My favorite quote was "holy Jack Traven!!" a reference to Speed (a video of Ida had been looped like the hostages in Speed)
My favorite scene in this episode was Dubby and MM having to scrub each other down. Poor Wendy, traumatized for life... although, what a treat for the viewing audience!
All the action movie references where awesome - sort of a Hot Fuzz without the gore :)
I love this show. I can't get enough! Puh-leeze ABC Family, renew the series for a second season. Renew my faith in networks...
I liked protocol 49 where they leave messages in case of their death.
The nanobots were perfect for a low budget show because real nanobots like in Jake 2.0 would be very expensive special effects.
first thing first:
The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy,
by Douglas Adams...a Trilogy of Six Books!!
my take:
Interrodroid memories get
downloaded into subsequent models, just like in battlestar galactica.
and
because in tv world things get change from the source.
what if MM is dub dub's father,
dub dub's said he was like a father and MM smile with pride,
and MM true love is Dub Dub's Mother...
I'm just throwing it out there!
This was truly a great episode, if only because I never would have thought that a movie like Die Hard could've been so well-encorporated into a sci-fi show like The Middleman. If ABC Family doesn't renew this, or if they don't allow another channel to take it over, then may the oversized Oompah-Loompah-ish, former nanobots come by the executives' houses and chew off their kneecaps!
Nice to see Romo Lampkin getting some work.
This show is so good I think Matt Keeslar should get an Emmy for his work as "The Middleman". He is perfect in every episode. If you watch this show and don't absolutely love this dude then you must be dead inside.
This show is worlds better than the show about the pregnant teenager but I don't think it fits this network. I think people would watch this 10pm on a Friday -- SCI FI post "Battlestar" anyone?
Another great MM episode! They are all good which is more than most shows can say.
I especially enjoy the zylaphone music playing in the background during many of the scenes. When was the last time that technique was used?! I love it!
This show is so clever I want it to go on for years and years. Everything about it is a 10!
I somehow think Tyler will turn out to be used for an evil purpose whether he likes it or not. But he is not a dummy so hopefully he can figure out he is being used before it hurts MM or Wendy!
Please, some station exec somewhere, make sure there is a second MM season! I beg you!
I'm surprised that nobody mentioned the overt Fantastic Voyage references. Even the location titles (or whatever you want to call that writing on the screen) mentioned it. Fantastic Voyage was a novel by Isaac Asimov about a doctor who needed to be miniaturized and travel inside a patient's brain to retrieve vital information. The book was made into a movie in the 1960s B.S.E. (Before Special Effects), which is what made it so remarkable.
On a separate note, I was wondering if they'd get the "Yippee Ki-yay" line in there, and was very surprised that ABC Family allowed it.