Let's Play Dress Ups

Halloween made me realise something odd; my favourite dress up television episodes aren't the ones celebrating Samhain. The best onscreen costuming comes straight out of left field, and has nothing at all to do with October 31st celebrations.

Maybe it's a girl thing, but there's nothing more fun than seeing the usual kind of storyline played out in, dare I say, unusual fashions? Here's a sample of standout moments when television writers managed to work in reasons for the wardrobe department to get excited:

Any (Homicidal) Excuse Award Goes To...

CASTLE

Personally, I think the creative team behind Castle love dress ups almost as much as I do. Storylines often seem to wander toward subcultures that call for extravagant costuming. Recent example? A murder victim who belonged to a New York-based 1892 Victorian England steampunk private society (as you do). Cue Castle in another crazy ensemble.

Too Cool For School Award Goes To...

VERONICA MARS

Nothing makes you feel older than realising cool kids in teen movies you grew up with are now considered fabulous retro costume opportunities for today's youth. Take the Valentine's Day dance in Veronica Mars. The mood turned hell eighties when Meg donned Molly Ringwald's ugleee triangle prom dress from Pretty In Pink and Veronica opted for Madonna-inspired Like A Virgin styling, complete with black tutu and lace.

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Award Goes To...

WILL & GRACE

The Von Trapped episode? Just golden. With more Sound of Music in-jokes than you could throw a nun at, this was a fast paced, extremely clever referential episode celebrating Julie Andrews' finest mountain moments.

Over-Achievers Award Goes To...

GILMORE GIRLS

Noone could costume like this crew. Every time the writers imagined an-y reason for dressing up, they made sure the town was wholeheartedly in on it. When Rory went to college, eccentric townsfolk were replaced with bored rich kids who oh-so-conveniently liked to dress up as much as the citizens of Stars Hollow. Over the years, Rory has costumed it as a pilgrim, manga character, sixties Mod, fifties housewife and forties swing dancer, to name a few. Oh, and she also participated in a Living Art Festival (yes, that's her in the frame).

Subculture Procedural Award Goes To...

NCIS & NCIS LOS ANGELES

Police procedurals are inherently obsessed with Goth episodes. I have no idea why, but for every serious cop show, somewhere in the series' vault you'll stumble across a few whacked out kids in black lippie somehow linked to a murder. At least NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles have a valid tie-in, thanks to the character of Abby. The others are really stretching. (I'm aware this image isn't from a Goth-themed episode, but I was impressed by Abby's on-the-job parasol).

Flashback (Really Far Back) Award Goes To...

CHARMED

Who doesn't love a good flashback? Charmed took it to the next level, focusing on Phoebe's past life in the roaring twenties. The writers cleverly wrangled it so the rest of the cast also appeared back in the day. The sell? Human souls travel in the same circles across various lifetimes, thanks to unfinished business; hence, Phoebe's soul recognised souls familiar to her. Very smooth.

Pointless Yet Fantastic Dress Up Award Goes To...

FRIENDS

Forget margaritas- when consoling a friend, donning bridal gowns together is where it's at. Like Monica, this episode made me want to put on a wedding dress, slip on some rubber gloves and do the dishes. Or sit in a cloud of tulle on the couch, eating popcorn and watching a movie, a la Rachel. Then again, maybe I'd enjoy throwing a bunch of flowers over my head, Phoebe-style!

Costumes, Metaphors & Masks Award Goes To...

ROSWELL

The pilot for this teen show about teen aliens hiding out in Roswell concluded with an enormous dress up party celebrating the original extra-terrestial (supposed) crash landing in '47. Human kids dressed as aliens, alien kids dressed as Men In Black, and Colin Hanks dressed like a character from one of his dad's films. Too cute.

Played For Laughs/Visual Gag Award Goes To...

THE BIG BANG THEORY

All I can say is, losing a bet can be very, VERY bad when you're a comic book geek, that's for sure...

The Event Noone's Watching

While droves of audiences are avoiding sci-fi mystery The Event, those tuning in are discovering an addictive, happening little serialised drama.

Personally, I think potential audiences for The Event were lost in a marketing massacre. Even the title graphic is ugly, blocky, and so basically non-descript, I originally assumed the show was a reality program.

Then I caught a clunky commercial for the premier episode. Enticing viewers with a hint of mystery is one thing; accidentally evoking complete disinterest is a different mistake entirely. Even the pre-launch cast photos on the official website were shockingly below par.

Rumour has it American network nbc was hoping to mimic the success of Heroes and Lost. Unfortunately, so far the ratings are more reminiscent of Flash Forward; as in, fodder for early cancellation. A pity, because three or four episodes in, it's clear The Event could become must-see viewing for those of us willing to commit to longterm serialisation.

There are, of course, a few flaws. The standard characters (or should I say caricatures?) bigger American networks are addicted to (FBI agent, girl next door) all make obligatory appearances. The dialogue, too, can be somewhat stilted and formulaic:

President: Their families will never know what happened here.

Blake Sterling: Mr President, with all due respect, nothing we do or don't tell them will change the fact that their loved ones are dead. Our responsibility is to protect the American public as a whole.

President: Protect them? From the truth?

The Event, Season 1, Episode 3.

On the upside, the casting is almost impeccable, the kind of ensemble talent that could turn a McDonalds commercial into Emmy material. Every face from The Event rings a few bells in the actor memory cache, evoking a sense of constant (television) deja vu. The show's actors have a sum resume spanning regular appearances in True Blood, Sex and The City, Without A Trace, Gilmore Girls, Charmed, Joan of Arcadia and E.R.

The main complaint about the program seems to be the narrative's deliberately disjointed timeline, moving between the past and the present in a slightly disorienting way. The key to enjoying The Event? Let the story flow over you. Just appreciate each piece of the elusive puzzle on presentation, and worry about unlocking it all later.

The sci-fi aspect is actually quite gripping. Doing the big 'there are aliens' reveal so early on in the piece opens up whole other avenues of speculation: What are the extra-terrestials actually up to? Why are there obvious factions among them? Can humanity trust them? Should we lower our guard??

There's also the whole goody/baddy thing. Frankly, at this point I have no idea who's trustworthy, apart from our luckless protagonist. That guy's hunting aliens? No, wait- he is an alien?? Not to mention the alive/dead/alive saga surrounding the passengers of flight 514. (Ironically, I think my heart stopped in shock the moment their hearts started beating again).

So far, The Event qualifies as one of the best of the season's newbies.

There Goes The Neighbourhood

The remake of cult television series V may not have set the (ratings) world on fire, but season two has an ace hidden up its intergalactic sleeve. Diana from the original series is back!

Remember the eighties television hit? Alien lizards in human body suits offering overtures of friendship while sneakily invading Earth and eating us? Like scaly outer space strangers handing out diplomatic lollies.

Unfortunately, modern television remakes face an awful quandary; they need to successfully marry rehashed nostalgic elements with fresh topical material. Tough call, and so far the production team responsible for V (version 2.0.1.0) have failed dismally.

The aim was to re-engage fans of the original series while also enticing new viewers. But as the premiere season progressed, audience subsets slipped through the network's fingers like millions of grains of disinterested sand.

The first few episodes of V Rebirthed were a terrible mess. Luckily, by the end of season one, the overall story arc had picked up pace. Watching the Visitors struggle with an otherworldly version of drug addiction and the alien (excuse the pun) concept of raw emotion became quite fascinating.

Ironically, the most 'human' characters on the show are the aliens. Morena Baccarin was great in Firefly as the sensual courtesan Inara. She proves her acting chops here, stepping into the disparate role of Anna with startling ease. Other key alien figures, Joshua, Marcus and Lisa, are written intriguingly and portrayed convincingly.

Unfortunately, humanity's letting the team down.

Americans can't seem to make a television show without injecting lame procedural leanings. I'm guessing some bright spark in the office thought sci-fi would have wider audience appeal if the story followed an FBI agent. You know, the kind of female cop character scriptwriters order en bulke:

"Female cop available. Wears figure hugging t-shirt and jeans, but is not overtly sexual. Both intuitive and authoritive. Has problems with intimate relationships. Constantly pieces together clues male cohorts will overlook. Long hair, but minimal makeup focusing on excessive fake eyelashes (what is with that?). Gives regular impassioned speeches. Provides moral compass. Has notable compassionate streak that will occasionally leave character feeling conflicted over difficult following-the-letter-of-the-law decisions."

Yawn.

There's a chance the show might find its feet now the clumsily awkward set-up is a distant memory. The scripting is oddly erratic; while character development progresses splendidly, logistical problems continue to trip up the creative team.

Modern technology would render a lot of the actions of the Resistance in the original V obsolete, yet still, the new version uses similar storylines. Considering aliens are even more technologically advanced, there's no way a bunch of amateur earthling activists wouldn't be bust-ed about four days into their Red Dawn act.

One character is an FBI agent and the other an arms dealer, so you'd think they'd have a heads up on this kind of thing. Like not calling each other to yell semi-hysterically across mobile phone lines in the middle of a subversive attack, for example.

But I'm feeling optimistic with actress Jane Badler re-appearing as Diana, mother of this series' big baddy Anna and grandma to conflicted Juliet character, Lisa. (For those who didn't know, Diana's been hiding out in Australia all these years. Honest!). The real question is, will she eat a rat again?