Are you one of those people who has been thinking that Diedrich Bader just hasn’t been on our TVs enough lately? Sure, he’s been doing all kinds of voiceover work, but hasn’t really had a regular gig since The Drew Carey Show. Well, good news. Medium has heard you. They decided to remedy the situation by giving him 30 or 40 roles all in one very crazy hour. And I have to say, they couldn’t have picked a better guest star for the parts. And if the Diedrich overload wasn’t enough, the Medium scribes also delivered what is probably my favorite Dubois daughter story to date. Good stuff all around.
How do we not start with Diedrich Bader? Just look at him there in his little bikini. That’s commitment folks. It also goes a long way in explaining just why Bader was perfect for the role. He’s so versatile. He’s able to pull off something as ridiculous as appearing in drag, repeatedly, but still sell the more serious moments as Joe or Scanlon. Those two, in particular, were my favorite part of the Fred Rovick explosion. It was very clever to insert all of their little mannerisms, like Joe brushing his hair out of his eyes, into the mix. As convoluted as the many Freds became by the end, it was still easy enough to keep straight just who each of them were.
It also worked very well for the bigger story they were telling. I didn’t see the voting district email, or that Fred was an identity thief, coming until they sprung it on us. Looking back though, it all made perfect sense. Mallory Kessenger’s (Ellen Hollman) story wasn’t nearly as surprising. It was obvious from jump street that Donald (William Schallert – Carson Drew!) wasn’t long for the world. As obvious as what the outcome would be as soon as she answered Fred’s call. Not that either of those were a bad thing. The story spun around them was great fun.
As good as all of that was, the real highlight for me this week came from Ariel. We’ve seen a number of stories about the girls and their powers now, but this one was my favorite. Mister Teefers (Ian Reed Kessler – Derek Tricolli!) was a bit crazy, but you have to give him credit for a seriously heinous plan. The best part though, was Ariel’s reaction. Look how grown up and clever she is. I loved the final scene in the living room, when Ariel put the hammer down. In that moment, she was very much her mother’s daughter. All things considered, I’m marking this one in the books as another very good episode.
Clacked by Brett Love
on Feb 06, 2010 @ 17:06 EST5EDT
This is the weirdest post, because I just saw Bolt and Space Buddies with my nephew today, and I was saying that this has been the most that I’ve seen of Diedrich Bader in a long time. Then here I come to cliqueclack, and here’s a post about him.