The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon

[DJ Doena]

Friends



What's the show about?
A group of mid-20 New Yorkers lives in close proximity and spends much time either at Monica's or at the nearby coffee house "Central Perk". We see how their life developes until the mid-30s.

"The Pilot" or "The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate"
Ross' wife has just moved out because she found out that she's a lesbian and Ross is devastated. The others (Monica, Phoebe, Chandler and Joey) try to chear him up but then Rachel steps in their life (again) who has just left her to-be-husband at the altar.

My Opinion
As I said before I love that show and I will re-watch it definitively this year.

[Rich]

Great idea for a marathon DJ, it's been good reading and I hope to have a go at this later in the year 

[DJ Doena]

Ally McBeal



What's the show about?
Ally McBeal is a lawyer and works at the Boston law firm "Cage, Fish and Associates". This firm represents clients in the most unusual cases. Additionally Ally works there with her former lover Billy who is married to another lawyer of that firm.

"Pilot"
Ally gets fired because a co-lawyer of her's makes sexual advances towards her but doesn't get fired because he is higher in the hierarchy. But then she meets Richard Fish with whom she has studied at Harvard and he offers her a job at his newly-found law firm. And Ally sues her former employer...

My Opinion
The series is from the same author as "Boston Legal" (David E. Kelley). In both shows funny and/or absurd cases are brought to court. I love funny lawsuits since the days of "Night Court".

[DJ Doena]

JAG



What's the show about?
The JAG ist the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Navy. They are charged with the defense and prosecution of military law as provided in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. We follow the cases of Lt. Harmon Rabb jr., a former fighter pilot and his partner Maj. Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie all around the world.

"Pilot"
The CAG of the aircraft carrier USS Seahawk and his female Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) shoot down two MIGs over the Adriatic Sea. In the night after that the RIO is being thrown overboard and killed. Lt Rabb and Lt. jg. Pike take over the investigation of the missing RIO...

My Opinion
This show had its highs and its lows. Being not an US-american the patriotism was sometimes a bit to much for my taste, especially when it came to the Iraq war. Also that "we are the best of the best of the best"-attitude was an overdose at times. But in the big picture I liked the show.

[DJ Doena]

Battlestar Galactica (2003)



What's the show about?
The Battlestar Galactica leads a group of refugee ships away from the destructed twelve colonies of Kobol to what they hope to find: the thirteenth colony, a planet called "Earth". They are hunted by the Cylons, a race of Robots that were once created by the Humans.

What happened before?
The new series is a re-imagination of the old one, not a continuation, therefore nothing "happened before". There are however many similarities between both shows but just as many differences.

"Battlestar Galactica"
The Battlestar Galactica is about to be decommissioned, it was commisioned during the last Cylon War. But then the unbelievable happens: after an armistice that lasted 40 years, the Cylons attack the colonial fleet and all the colonies. They have access to the colonial defense systems and are able to disable any resistance. After a great deal of the fleet is destroyed, the Galactica is the last remaining Battlestar and Adama becomes the head of the remaining forces. Meanwhile the secretary of eduction Laura Roslin is sworn into the office of the President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Adama plans to strike back, but President Roslin has another point of view...

My Opinion
Really great show and I hope we are going to see the 4th season (that's currently uncertain due to the WGA strike). I'd hate to see that show be left open-ended, especially because they promised to bring the story to an end in the 4th season.

[DJ Doena]

Smallville



What's the show about?
Clark Kent was raised by the Kents in Smallville, Kansas. But Clark is no ordinary teenager. Clark is Kal-El, an alien from the planet Krypton. He has super-strengt, super-vision and many other special abilities. Clark was sent by his parents to Earth because Krypton was on the eve of destruction. Here on Earth he lives the official life of a farm boy and the inofficial life of the rescuer of people who need his help.

What happened before?
I am not entirely sure, but I believe that Smallville is also a re-imagination of the Superman universe.

"Pilot"
A meteor shower hits a small town in Kansas: Smallville. But with that shower a spaceship arrives and it contains a small boy that is adopted by the Kents. 12 years later. Clark Kent, Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross are freshemens on the Smallville Highschool. And Lex Luthor, son of Lionel Luthor takes over the management of the Smallville fertilizer plant. But then an accident happens where Lex nearly gets killed - if it weren't for Clark. And a man awakes from a coma in which he had laid for twelve years...

My Opinion
Great show, lots of Freak-of-the-Week episodes but it has some great storyarcs, too.

[DJ Doena]

Highlander



What's the show about?
Duncan MacLeod was born 400 years ago in the scottish Highlands and he is immortal - at least as long as nobody cuts his head off. He is not alone. There are more immortals out there like him and they all are waiting for the Gathering, when only few of them are left alive and they fight for The Prize.

What happened before?
For this series to work it has to be places in an alternate reality then the first Highlander movie (Why do I say "the first Highlander movie?" There is only one Highlander movie ). In the movie Connor MacLeod fought against Kurgan in the Gathering and won The Prize.

"The Gathering"
A young man breaks into Duncan MacLeod's antiques store and is mistaken for an immortal. But then the immortal Slan Quince enters and is going for Duncan's head. Additionally another immortal arrives: Connor MacLeod, the same clan but another vintage. But Slan doesn't give up that easily, he wants Duncan's head badly...

My Opinion
I really liked the show especially with the flashbacks to former times. But it was really sad when Tessa died.

[Jon]

Didn't they come up with some dodgy way out of the logic in Highlander 2? They even bring Sean Connery back! I can't remember for sure because it's so long since I watched it, and I don't plan on ever watching it ever again...  Loved Highlander though...

[DJ Doena]

The A-Team



What's the show about?
The A-Team is a former Vietnam War commando unit that is accused of commiting a crime they didn't commit. While on the run from the US military they help out people who are threatened by criminals.

"Mexican Slayride"
A good friend of the reporter Amy Allen disappears in Mexico. She tries to get in contact with an elite commando, called The A-Team. They are supposed to be soldiers of fortune but they are very hard to find. But she finds them and they agree to Mexico...

My Opinion
It's a 80s classic show. Practically every episode is based upon the same basic plot, but it's a fun show to watch - at least until they slightly changed the concept in the fifth season where the show went harder - and was cancelled. In germany the show still runs every weekend on free TV.

[DJ Doena]

Didn't they come up with some dodgy way out of the logic in Highlander 2? They even bring Sean Connery back! I can't remember for sure because it's so long since I watched it, and I don't plan on ever watching it ever again...  Loved Highlander though...

Yeah, the immortals are banished from a planet called Zeist. 

[Tom]

Highlander 2 and 3 are ignored by the TV series. Also the ending of Highlander 1 (that Connor is the last remaining immortal) was ignored. In the theatrical cut of Highlander 2 they made the immortals extra-terrestrial  (they have fixed this in the Renegade Cut).

[DJ Doena]

Airwolf



What's the show about?
Airwolf is a specially-equipped and -armored helicopter that can go supersonic. Stringfellow Hawke is the pilot of that gunship and he keeps it hidden from The Firm, a branch of the CIA who developed and built Airwolf. Hawke however uses the helicopter in missions for The Firm, mostly in Third-World-Countries and behind the Iron Curtain.

"Shadow of the Hawke"
Dr. Muffet is the creator of Airwolf but after a successful demonstrations he kidnaps the helicopter ti Libya from where he attacks french Mirages and sinks an US destroyer. Stringfellow Hawke is a former test pilot of Airwolf and he gets the assignment of returning Airwolf.

My Opinion
"Airwolf" is the total opposite to "The A-Team" when it comes to the death toll. Although I liked the show it became ludicrous when the Airwolf crew vistited "East Germany". But that can be said about almost every american movie/show in the 70s/80s, so I won't hold it against Airwolf.

[Jon]

Are you going to end this marathon with the first Angel and overlap it with an Angel marathon? 

[DJ Doena]

Are you going to end this marathon with the first Angel and overlap it with an Angel marathon? 

I could. 

Angel is indeed the last one on my list, but after that I wanted to finish my Xena collection (there are only two seasons left, though).

The remaining pilots are:
The Dukes of Hazzard
Knight Rider
MacGyver
ER
24
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angel

[DJ Doena]

The Dukes of Hazzard



What's the show about?
The Duke cousins Bo and Luke live together with their other cousin Daisy and their uncle on a farm in Hazzard County. The Dukes were once moonshiners and they still can make a good corn whiskey. All of the Dukes often get in trouble with the corrupt Sheriff and Boss Hogg but they can always beat them.

"One Armed Bandits"
Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltraine try to smuggle illegal slot machines into Hazzard County. But Bo, Luke & Daisy hijack the "fertilizer" truck and use the slot machines to keep the orphanage open.

My Opinion
Did you know that they scrapped over 300 Dodge Chargers to make that show? The only season I didn't like was the one where just another pair of cousins came to Hazzard County and Bo and Luke went off to drive races.