#hyperion bay

Trudy buys a computer!

Charming episode, written by Bernard Lechowick (Knots Landing, Homefront).

Part of the fun is seeing characters from 1998 talk, at length, about the advent of the home computer. As such, this episode is a fascinating time capsule. And, it must be said, its observations are largely accurate; prophetic.

Trudy’s aggressive pursuit of Dennis, over these first three episodes, has been amusing to watch. Her husband isn’t exactly a bad guy, but he’s a bit of a dolt. So, we can understand her dissatisfaction with her marriage. But can we condone her going after a man in a serious relationship?

This is the episode where Dennis starts to flirt back, and hide things from Jennifer. Again, the viewer has mixed feelings about this. Jennifer doesn’t deserve it. Is Dennis a bad guy? The scene with his brother is good because it brings up this exact point.

Speaking of Nick, he gets a lot of screentime here. We finally learn why his marriage is on the rocks. And we get some quality drama as he battles with his father to take the family business in a new direction. He goes out on a limb, takes a big risk with his own money, and loses. At this point, Nick is arguably the most likeable character in the show.

8/10

Second episode turns the heat up in the main storylines. Trudy makes her play for Dennis (using cookies!) and the family learns that Nick and Amy are separating (at their anniversary party!).

Most of the conflict feels forced. Everyone is so nice most of the time, that individuals like Jennifer or Nick feel somewhat out-of-character when they start picking petty fights with someone close to them.

The humour/warmth works best, and is the show’s strength here. Dennis awkwardly dealing with Trudy’s attentions is particularly amusing. Snippets of dialogue here and there hint at the melancholic undercurrent to everyone’s actions, and give the proceedings some depth.

My 333rd TV episode of 2023. Averaging 2h12m of TV, per day.

8/10

Slow-moving pilot. Light on plot, but heavy on character and character conflict.

It wastes no time getting to the core of the show. Scene 1 introduces Mark-Paul Gosselaar and tells us he has returned to his home town after a long period, with his new lady (Sydney Penny) in tow. Scene 2 is where they meet his high-school crush (Cassidy Rae) and her Neanderthal husband. It works. You are pulled in, and you want to see how it all plays out.

Mention is made, several times, of our protagonist’s older brother. In fact, we meet everyone else in the cast first before Dylan Neal shows up. By the final scene, the siblings are fighting in a car park.

The best scene is probably the one with the father and the blueprints (for a project he wasn’t consulted on). It packs a surprising punch, and it’s well played by Raymond J. Barry.

I remember watching this show first time around and having a major crush on all of the lead actresses: Penny, Rae, Christina Moore and Carmen Electra. To this day, I think this is the only show I ever watched where I fancied the entire (female) cast!

8/10

1. In college I hosted a radio show called MESH and my cohost and I spoke with accents (he was German, I was British).

2. I tend to store a lot of ridiculous (and useless) trivia in my head. Example: The name of Mark-Paul Gosselar's "comeback" vehicle on the WB was called Hyperion Bay; his character's name was Dennis Sweeney.

3. Even though I am technically considered an "adult", I will always have a soft spot for animation.

4. When I was little I had the opportunity to grace the cover of our local newspaper but blew my chance at stardom because I refused to step into some fireman boots.

5. I'm deathly afraid of bees. I don't care that they make honey and are necessary to our ecosystem- I want them all destroyed.

6. I cannot make it through the dedication page of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows without tearing up.

7. My most prominent scar is the little line in the middle of my forehead from where I cracked it open when I was three.

8. I've slept with my nanies (my baby blankets) every night of my life except for the month I spent in Mexico and the week I spent in Hawaii.

9. I cannot, for the life of me, hang up clothes properly...which is why they mostly reside on different pieces of furniture throughout my room.