'Crusoe' Signs Off ... Bummer

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Thanks for the memories Robinson Crusoe.

But no thanks to NBC for only giving this show a 13 episode order.

Or not letting us know last night's ep was ... uh, the last.

Did I miss something?

I'm so used to having my other shows let me know when the end is near. And while I will say that I knew we were getting close to the end with Crusoe, a promo saying "See how it ends" would've been helpful.

As it stands, our poor castaway remains on the island fully aware of his right to fortune and of Blackthorn's betrayal. But not before Blackthorn burns Crusoe's tree house to the ground in search of the piece of paper that proves a) William Blackthorn is Crusoe's father; b) makes Crusoe and his family heir to their fortune; c) leaves Jeremiah Blackthorn up a creek with nada mucho.

And even though Crusoe manages to salvage that all-important paper, outsmart his pursuers and broker a deal to get himself home, the crew is on the verge of a black pox outbreak and Friday is being asked to walk the plank.

We just can't have that.

So, Crusoe bails to save not only himself but his friend, and he tears up the all important document right there on the deck of the ship.

Did we say this man was honorable or what? He had no interest in the fortune; he just wanted to go home.

Hmmm ... got guilt, Blackthorn?

Soooo, what are we to make of what happens to our beloved castaways as the Blackthong ship sails off to impending doom and Crusoe and Friday have lost everything ...?

LillyKat's happy ending scenario:

- Crusoe and Friday re-build their shelter somehow ('cause we know these guys are awfully crafty; they make MacGyver look old school)

- Susannah and Olivia (who, thankfully, got the children back from the dreadful orphanage to which Blackthorn had sent them) find some other piece of documentation to prove the Crusoe clan are the rightful heirs to the Blackthorn fortune

- Olivia fesses up to her, ahem, burning of Crusoe's letter; she and Susannah have it out, but they remain friends since Olivia IS the only one to have helped her get the children back AND get her news of Crusoe survival

- When the Blackthorn ship doesn't return ('cause the crew will be wiped out by blackpox), Captain Santana recovers from his illness and keeps his promise to sail back to rescue Crusoe and Friday, possibly bringing Susannah and Olivia

- Crusoe gets home at last to Susannah, now no longer penny wise and pound foolish but comfortably enjoying the riches of the fortune they rightly deserve, raising their children and being ... well, the happy-go-lucky couple they should be.

The end.

What can I say, I like it when things work out.

If you missed any episodes of Crusoe, or you'd like to re-watch the entire 13-part series online, visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site.

'Crusoe' Coming Full Circle

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

"It's an island that cannot be found EXCEPT by those who already know where it is.

I've resisted saying this, but I can't help it, now.

Seriously.

Crusoe's island is supposedly in the middle of no where and/or so off course that the only map to it is tattooed on the back of scallywag, yet an awful lot of people seem to drop in for a visit, eh? Makes me think our Crusoe folk have access to Captain Jack Sparrow's compass.

But aside from that, it would seem the other shoe has dropped.

Or sandal.

Or boot.

Blackthorn is a fraud, and it is Crusoe who is entitled to his fortune.

After weeks of wondering what the heck is up between the two of them, we finally got our answer this past weekend. And Blackthorn is apparently so desperate to preserve his fraudulent take on the high life that he indeed sails himself to the island.

Have to say this surprised me.

Like, he just washed up.

Didn't we only JUST have the whole trick-Susannah-into-signing-over-the-kids thing? (I kinda thought he wasn't really going to sail to find Crusoe.)

But alas, desperate men do desperate things.

And yet, I felt so sorry for Crusoe the whole time he was proudly showing Blackthorn around the island. I just wanted to reach through the screen and shake him into reality: "Don't you know the dude is going to stab you in the back the first chance he gets!!!"

Argh.

Poor Crusoe. He has no reason to suspect. But Friday does - even if it's only in a very generic sense.

How many times has Friday saved the day? Love. Him.

But can I just say: Olivia, Olivia, Olivia. UGH! You get points for freeing Susannah from the mad house AND getting her the truth about Crusoe's rightful claim to the Blackthorn fortune, but you BURN the letter he wrote for her and/or are scheming to get back with him?!?!?!

Say it ain't so!

New episodes of Crusoe air Saturdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

'Crusoe's' Survivor Impression - Redux

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Clearly, I spoke too soon.

A few weeks back, I joked that super-duper-uber-producer Mark Burnett surely served as a consultant ('kay, not really) on an episode of Crusoe given it seemed to be some sort of cross between the Survivor and American Gladiators reality shows. (For the record, Mr. MB produces only ONE of those ... and if I have to tell you which one, I guess you don't really watch much TV, do ya'?).

This week, we again seemed to take a page out of the Survivor playbook - complete with some sort of timed series of go-go-get Crusoe challenges, and a tribal council delivering a final verdict of who gets what fate.

And, truth be told, there wasn't a whole lot else to this episode. Most of the action centered on a thought to be long lost tribe called the Caciques, who pull into port ('kay, not really) on the island in search of Crusoe to hunt him down purely for the sport.

Sooooo, we have three warriors racing against the makeshift sand hour glass trying to bring Crusoe back to the warrior king. Eventually one does, and Crusoe is pinned up like some sort of crucifix, read the riot act by said warrior king and held responsible for just about every horrible thing the European white man is guilty of in the 1600s.

Namely: slavery.

Not surprisingly, Crusoe and Friday eventually get the better of the king and the tribe, yet are still left to their own devices. As in, no brokered deal to have the warriors boat them away.

But ... tune in next week to see whether Friday votes Crusoe of the island!

No, seriously ... I wasn't feeling this episode much from the Crusoe side of things.

BUT ... HUGE development on the Susannah side of things.

We remember Captain Santana's promise to come back for Crusoe? Well, he has arrived back in England, though not fit for a return voyage to our island in the sun (bummer). But, he does meet Susannah to offer proof Crusoe is alive (namely his knowledge of Crusoe's time as a planter in Brazil). He also meets Blackthorn, who is still looking for any conceivable way to prevent Susannah from learning Crusoe is alive. Blackthorn agrees ('kay, not really) to prepare a ship to go after Crusoe only so that he can trick her into signing the kids away!

Nooooooo!

But never fear. Remember Olivia? She's on the lookout for Susannah now, too. The fact she's got to go to the mad house to find her, well ... not so good.

But hey, wouldn't it be funny to have two women set out to rescue our castaways?

Not going to happen, I know.

I'd settle for the two of them getting the better of Blackthorn, though.

New episodes of Crusoe air Saturdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

'Crusoe's' Oh Susannah-esque Leap of Faith

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Apologies for the lateness of this post. After being sidelined by a minor surgery last week, I am just now catching up on all-things PTR. Let's just say I didn't really need ANOTHER reason to dislike needles. Ugh. And my DVR did me no favors, either. The genius cable company channel guide programmers FORGOT to mark Saturday's ep as "new." Thus, no record-o work-o. Thank you, NBC, for putting all the eps online.

We know I love Crusoe.

The show is fun.

It's not overly complicated.

It's not a formula.

The acting is solid.

The stories resonate.

The relationship between Crusoe and Friday is one we should all aspire to have - that is, be THAT good of a friend to those closest to us.

But we slipped up this past weekend.

As in, the ep required me to suspend belief just a wee bit too much (which is saying something seeing as I'm usually game for the whole it's-a-TV-show-just-go-with-it thing).

Captain Neugent - the captain Crusoe persuaded to sail him back to England and of whom helmed the doomed ship - has been hiding out on the island ... a SURVIVOR of the SAME shipwreck for the SAME six year stretch as Crusoe.

Seriously? And he's just now bumping into our castaways? And vice versa?

Whaaaaat?

Crusoe and Friday know every single inch of that island. If Captain Neugent was only a "day's journey" away from our castaway's camp (which, apparently, is to be thought of as an eternity - or inaccessible - on a deserted island), how in Davy Jones Locker have they all NEVER crossed paths hunting for food? Water? Sanity? Whatever?

In six years???

Couldn't go there, folks.

But where I could go was wholeheartedly into the reunification of Crusoe and his beloved Susannah.

Even if it was only in a hallucinatory state.

Bummer.

I DID know from the get-go that Crusoe was only imagining her no matter how real she seemed. Truth is, I didn't care. It was the first full-length ep that featured her so prominently (NOT just in the flashback sequences). And, I really enjoyed seeing the two of them together in the pseudo present day, particularly with Susannah serving as Crusoe's conscience - his sanity - as he struggled to sort through Captain Neugent's attack on the treehouse and subsequent capture of both he and Friday.

Awww, just makes me want Crusoe to get back to England.

And to Susannah.

New episodes of Crusoe air Saturdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

'Crusoe' Does Its Surivor/Gladiator Impression

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Was Mark Burnett a consult on this past weekend's episode of Crusoe?

'Cause it sure felt like some sort of Survivor meets American Gladiators cross-over special set in the 1700s. And since Mr. MB is the king of all-things reality television, well ... I dunno ... I had to kinda laugh at the tit-for-tat between Crusoe and Friday this week as they set about proving their skill (and manhood) through a variety of tests - Crusoe being the intellectual, I-passed-the-exams guy; Friday being the tribal son, having been put through his own paces.

And yet, it wasn't all laughs.

Entertaining, yes.

Funny, always.

Emotional, but of course!

(Even though I did feel like singing: "Anything you can do I can do better; I can do anything better than you!")

The tit-for-tat aside, I once again found myself completely ensconced in the deep, soulful friendship that exists between Friday and Crusoe. Cripes, do they even make friendship like that anymore? I swear, watching these two makes me want to be a better friend to ... well, my friends.

When Crusoe just doesn't seem to understand how much it means to Friday that he can beat him at one test, and Friday leaves the treehouse in a huff (or what we would call a hissy fit if he were a girl), Crusoe tracks him down on the beach, brings him food, pokes fun at his own self and then delivers a great bit of dialogue that they are surviving this thing together.

Without each other, they are nothing.

Or specifically, without Friday, Crusoe is nothing.

Awww! (Seriously, I'm ready to marry Crusoe right about now, but that's beside the point).

Ne'er mind that all this chest pounding, prove-me-to-you stuff has to do with a failed test of Friday's childhood that left him less the warrior in his father's eyes. This leads to Crusoe's own confession that he doesn't think himself much of a man, either, given he had to abandon his wife and children. Both feel as if they are failures in their father's eyes (and fathers are theme this week at PTR, eh?)

Nonetheless, Friday saves Crusoe's hide once again.

From a seriously hungry crocodile.

And in that never-going-to-fail-you bond of friendship, and even with its bumps and bruises (literally), there is something both fathers could be proud of.

And how about the flashbacks this week? Crusoe WAS making a good living for himself in the West Indies as a plantation owner, sending money back to his beloved Susannah to pay off his debts only to be betrayed by Blackthorn and Co.

Argh!!!!

They have it out for poor Crusoe. And they keep trying to convince Susannah he's dead, but she does not give up hope.

I. Love. That.

And now we see how Crusoe is being tricked into coming home - a fake posting in the paper by Blackthorn to say Crusoe's children are in trouble. Soooo, he forks over the deed to his ENTIRE plantation to a Scottish sea captain to get him to sail him back to England.

But we know how well that did NOT go.

Shipwreck, anyone?

**PROGRAMMING NOTE: The next new episode of Crusoe airs in three weeks, on January 10th.

New episodes of Crusoe air Saturdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

'Crusoe' Comes Close

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

So close and yet so far.

(cue Enchanted theme song)

Part of me did want to believe Crusoe would get off the island this week, but the realist TV viewer in me knew that'd be the end of the show. Since we still have about seven episodes left in our 13-part adventure series, we're still stranded!

Yay!

Okay, maybe not so much - especially with Olivia (Oliver) now sailing back to England given a) the mutineer ship IS fixed, and b) Captain Taylor IS reinstated.

Bummer.

I am becoming such the fan of the budding relationship between Crusoe and Olivia. Not only does she balance out the testosterone, she's now saved Crusoe's life twice given she took a shot this week defending the tree house against mutineer captain wanna-be Atkins.

The good news: Olivia survives her wound (after some clever first aid on the part of Friday - fire ants as stitches anyone?)

The better news: Atkins men turn on him after some clever negotiating by Crusoe, and thus, Taylor is fully reinstated; all aboard!

The bad news: the deal to sail Crusoe back to England under Taylor's command didn't involve any details as it pertains to Friday's welfare.

The worse news: Taylor has plans to sell Friday as a slave.

We know Crusoe isn't going to let that happen, and so he waves buh-bye to the opportunity to sail home. But not before Olivia does some nifty negotiating of her own, killing the drunken surgeon who NO ONE wanted aboard anyways, takes his place and threatens to stay on island with our castaways if Taylor doesn't let them go.

Go Olivia!

And yet, one wonders if sailing home is going to be a good thing for Crusoe. I'm thinking the poor guy is going to have serious culture shock. He is, essentially, six years behind the rest of the world, and the world he left was clearly out to screw him over.

Royally.

We learned in our flashbacks this week that Blackthorn hired an assassin to take out Crusoe right before he set sail for the New World so as to gain control of his children; and, all of his assets have been seized by his evil bro' in law given Crusoe's investment didn't cover his liabilities when his ship was taken, which left his beloved Susannah and children to be taken in by none other than Blackthorn himself.

Ugh.

I'd have to say living out his days in peace and harmony with Friday and Olivia on the island doesn't seem like such a bad thing at this point.

Curious: the always prepared Crusoe drafted a letter, which was to be given to Susannah should anything have happened to him sailing back to England with Taylor. Since he's not making the voyage, he gives this letter to Olivia to handle on his behalf. Now, there were some nice moments between the two of them as they agreed they could've had something together in another life, so I'm wondering if she will forward the letter on to Susannah or figure out a way to have a life with Crusoe ...?

I confess I wouldn't mind the latter.

Stay tuned.

**PROGRAMMING NOTE: The next new episode of Crusoe airs in two weeks, on December 20th.

New episodes of Crusoe air Saturdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

Cuckoo for 'Crusoe'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs

Remember that advertising tag line for the General Mills breakfast cereal? (Or, am I just showing my age again?)

In any event, this is all I could think of this past week as I watched Friday go Cuckoo for Crusoe as he battled through delirium and hallucinations after being stung by a wasp that had slurped up a nice amount of poisonous honey.

Ewwww.

The ep centered on Crusoe's desperate attempt to find the antidote in time to save Friday, which forced Crusoe to once again to call on his friend, Oliver, of the marooned mutineers (who, near as I can tell, still haven't fixed their ship up well enough to sail away from our castaways). We recall "Oliver" is really "Olivia" - she is disguised as a young lad, serving in a medicine (wo)man capacity for the shady crew.

Side note: I've lost count as to how many times Crusoe has been down to "observe" the mutineers camp and "borrow" some of their supplies, but the man is awfully good at NOT getting caught. I confess I thought he actually SHOULD have been caught in this ep, but hey, I'll go with it.

Now, this week's flashbacks were probably the most important given they finally showed us exactly how Crusoe was exiled from London - wrong place, wrong time, wrong list. So much for doing business in the part of the country where the rebellion against King James was being staged, or with a weaver who was housing soldiers who were part of the uprising, or that Crusoe's name is planted on the infamous traitor "list."

Enter sailing to the New World to escape his troubles.

And the return adventure that landed him on the island.

Six years ago.

Six. Freakin'. Years.

I confess I was unsure just exactly how long Crusoe had been on the island (maybe it was mentioned earlier, but I missed it). That said, the reveal of the length of time he has spent wishing - hoping - wanting - needing to get home leads me to one of the more beautiful moments of the episode: he STILL refuses to betray his love for Susannah with Olivia.

And what surprised me was how it came about.

Olivia was not really putting the moves on Crusoe. If she had, that would've been the clichéd, predictable, seen - it - from - a - mile - away angle, and that would've been ... well, lame. But instead, she was merely trying to console him, trying to calm his desperate concern that Friday might not make it. HE broke down to HER, yet the fact he remains so steadfastly devoted, so honorable ... seriously, where can I find a Crusoe? Do they even make 'em like this anymore? (I think they do - Fritzy over on The Closer could be considered a modern-day Crusoe, but alas, I digress.)

Anyhooooo, I really liked the Crusoe/Olivia huggable cuddle scene. It was cute. And perfectly weighted. It said so much once again about the kind of man he is, and the kind of man he has remained in spite of the hardship he has endured. He has a single-minded devotion to get back to his life, and he never wavers on it nor sacrifices anyone else in the process.

Like I said a few posts back, we could all use a Crusoe in our lives.

We could learn a thing or two.

**PROGRAMMING NOTE: The next episode of Crusoe airs in two weeks. According to the commercials that aired during this episode, the show is slated to move to Saturday, but the show's Web site is still showing it will air Friday, December 5th. Check your local listings.

New episodes of Crusoe air Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

'Crusoe' Family Ties

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

So the apple didn't far from the tree, did it?

And by tree, I don't mean treehouse.

More like Friday and his dad.

Both are seriously decent human beings.

We met Friday's father this week on Crusoe via a rather clever reintroduction of: 1) Spanish captain Santana (from the premiere episode, who we will remember left our castaways stranded after the failed attempt to a) blow Friday and Crusoe out of the treehouse in the attempt to b) find the pot o' gold with the pirates); and, 2) the cannibal tribe that initially brought Friday to the island and of whom seemed to have made the Crusoe island their sacrifice hangout.

Turns out Friday's dad, Baillom, saved Captain Santana's life not long after Santana had set sail from our castaways, when he was forced to stop and resupply his ship with fresh water. Too bad that happened to be on the same island the cannibals were located. Doh! Where is Captain Jack Sparrow when you need him, eh?

I guess you could say it was a bit ironic, then, that they both ended up being captured by the SAME cannibals who had nabbed Friday, then sailed back to the SAME island to which ol' Santana had just waved goodbye. Nonetheless, Santana was redeemed a bit in my eyes, especially when Crusoe and Friday saved him from what would've been his inevitable fate with the cannibals, yet he wanted to make a deal to go BACK and save Baillom, too.

A changed man, indeed.

And it was quite the reunion for Friday and dad, given dad thought Friday was long ago dead after having left home when he was very young ne'er to return. Read: captured. Aww. Have to admit I shared Friday's concern the cannibals would want to go after him again. But alas, he got to have his faceoff with King Cannibal in the end - and win.

Since Friday and Crusoe agreed to remain behind to finish off the cannibals, Santana and Baillom promised to return to rescue them. And yet, did we not notice that Santana takes a significant blow to the head in the uproar to get off the island? And as he and Baillom row away in the cannibals' canoe, things look ... well, kind of bleak. As in, they've only got two days to row back to Santana's ship before it sails away, yet they are pretty banged up and wounded? This makes me wonder if they will return. Crusoe seems to think there is no doubt, but I am not so sure.

In this week's flashback sequence, we learned that when Crusoe's pirate ship was seized, the shady contract to which he had entered with his brother-in-law meant the loss would NOT be shared; it was Crusoe's to bear alone. In spite of Susanna wanting to go to the law, the political climate in England was against merchants, so the law would NOT be on their side. We also learned that Crusoe asked Blackthorn for a pass to leave London and go to the West Country - exactly where the Duke of Monmouth is raising his army to overthrow the king. You know ... the uprising Crusoe does NOT support but appears to be being set up to do so - particularly since he needs to get out to that part of England to get to his weavers and bring in new stock to save himself from further ruin. Blackthorn, believing that Crusoe isn't plotting against the king, does allow him to go. And yet, I can't help but wonder if we'll learn next week how this goes awry.

Stay tuned.

New episodes of Crusoe air Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

The Test of Friendship on 'Crusoe'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

I'm starting to think we all could use a Crusoe in our lives.

Loyalty. Honor. Decency. Courage. Intelligence. Humor.

And one heck of a friend.

As in, the guy you want to count on when there is NO ONE, who will put aside his own wants to make sure YOU are okay.

They really don't make 'em like they used to.

And this was beautifully on display in Crusoe last week.

One of the things I have come to really enjoy about this show (aside from the mini-adventures each week) is the deep friendship that has been established between Crusoe and Friday and of which is fantastically portrayed by Philip Winchester and Tongayi Chirisa. It is as good as Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter's bro/sis chemistry on Dexter. As such, you believe these two really are best friends and would stop at nothing for the other.

They are true equals in a world that would otherwise see one as inferior. Their plight is shared, one never blaming the other for any given predicament. They continue to learn from one another irregardless of whether they agree or disagree on any given issue. This episode was filled with fine moments that further explored the Friday/Crusoe camaraderie.

Never mind that Friday drops the ONLY working compass into the fire (which they found in a boat that happened to be lodged in a tree no doubt thanks to a storm from some time ago), or that he doesn't really want to break into the mutineers camp to steal another one ('cause we remember the gang is still lampooned on the island, trying to fix their ship which ran aground in the previous ep), or that he fears any escape from the island and subsequent return to England alongside Crusoe will lead to slavery.

When he ends up at the bottom of a well, nearly crushed under the weight of a log that fell in after him, Crusoe stops at nothing to rescue him - even forgoing the saving of the newly repaired boat they were going to use (along with said compass) to try and make their way off island.

The dogged determination and frustration of Crusoe juxtaposed against the surrender on the part of Friday to his fate was fantastic. Both were willing to put the other before their own self - even if that meant losing a life in the process.

We should all be such a good friend, eh?

On the flashback tip this week, we learned that Crusoe got into a bit of a shady deal with Susannah's brother. Even though Susannah swore her brother was upstanding and trustworthy, it turns out Crusoe ends up investing in a legalized version of piracy.

Bummer.

Another bummer turns out to be Blackthorn, the cryptic supposedly looking after Crusoe character played nicely by Sam Neill. Looks as though he aims to set-up Crusoe to be arrested (or not?) for participating in the rebellion being planned by the Duke of Monmouth to overthrow the king, even though Crusoe does NOT support it.

Hmmmm ... it looks as though our loyal, decent, honorable, courageous and intelligent castaway has got a better friend in Friday than he ever had in England.

New episodes of Crusoe air Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

Mutiny Loves 'Crusoe'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Note to self:

"Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen. The deepest circles of hell are reserved for betrayers and mutineers." - Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Actually, this week's mutineers over on Crusoe weren't all that interested in anything other than resupplying themselves with the island's riches. And by riches I mean the basics - food, water, all that stuff you run out of when you gallabanting around the Caribbean either as a pirate or as a merchant sailor.

The arrival of mutineers gave Crusoe a much welcomed opportunity to escape - if he could align himself with the captured Captain.

Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

Have to say, Friday digging up some long lost remains and building himself spookfest skeletons to make it seem as if the island was haunted by spirits as part of his and Crusoe's Take Back the Captain jailbreak was perfect (especially since this episode actually aired on Halloween night). And how about their whole junglerama disguise? Too. Funny.

How these guys come up with the gadgetry, the ideas, the quick execution ... we should all be so talented, eh? (Okay, so I do suspend a healthy dose of reality when watching this show, but whatever. Actually, I'm starting to think Crusoe is/was related to MacGyver. Remember him - could make an engine out of toilet paper, shoe string and orange juice?)

Anyhoooo, unlike last week whereby I was hanging on Crusoe's every move so that he would indeed get that darned wedding ring back, I actually did not want him to get off the island this go around. Just kept thinking something wasn't quite right with the mutiny on the bounty folks - especially given the "Lets' take 'em!" breakout with the captured Captain lasted all of two seconds.

Oops.

On a side note, one of the mutineers is actually a woman disguised as a young lad serving as (I'm guessing) some sort of medicine man (not a full blown doctor). When a nice Pirates-esque swordfight ensues between Chief Mutineer and Crusoe aboard the ship on which they arrived, she takes the helm and deliberately or not runs the ship aground.

'Cause I think she kinda likes Crusoe.

This means our castaways are going to get a second chance to escape next week.

Or at least try.

Which also means they're likely to be hunted down, too, considering everyone now does know they are on island.

Wilson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New episodes of Crusoe air Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

'Crusoe' Calls Out the Spirits

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Confession: Back in the day, I used to watch Xena: Warrior Princess (XWP).

Now, I wasn't the obsessed / go to the conventions / decorate my house / collect every piece of XWP memorabilia possible type (no disrespect to those XWP folks who were - I'm all for the seriously dedicated, fun-loving fandoms).

But, I did enjoy the show for mainly one reason: it was an escape.

You were taken on a little adventure each week, and it required no knowledge of forensic crime scene investigations or wanna-be medical student terminology.

Remember that?

Or am I just showing my age?

Anyhooooo, Crusoe is evoking all my warm and fuzzy memories from my XWP days. That is, the little adventures we go on each week are reminiscent of what made XWP fun to watch. You suspend a little bit of reality, get yourself into a different mindset that revolves around the action/adventure/fantasy realm, throw in some history and just have fun with it.

I dig that.

And this week was all about ex-or-sizing the demons.

And finding one very special wedding ring.

Friday takes it upon himself to take a dream (or nightmare, depending on what side you're on) rather seriously, aiming to set free the spirit of a woman who, by the looks of it, was sacrificed on the island many moons ago yet still wanders in a state of unrest. He and Crusoe go back and forth about who's vision of a higher power/life-after-death scenario is right: Crusoe's Christian principles, or Friday's tribal practices. And it wasn't in any sort of overly-preachy way, either. More like a civilized this is what I think / this is what you think / did you notice we kind of think the same things and just call it something different type of discussion

It was an interesting dilemma. Crusoe didn't really take Friday too seriously, and thus, was more concerned with getting their fresh water supply running again whilst Friday was intent on pointing out the reason their water supply suddenly wasn't available was because of the spirit. But if put to rest, all will be well and good, and rewards will follow.

As if to drive that point home to the disbelieving Crusoe, he almost loses his wedding ring in this process (suffice it to say it had with him trying to unclog the well from which our castaways get their fresh water, sticking his hand where he shouldn't and essentially kicking off the whole spiritual-water-lost-wedding-ring conundrum).

Can I just say I was obsessed for him to find that darn ring?

And he did.

Rewarded.

And did we mention they also get their fresh water back?

Double reward.

This week also showed us via the flashback sequences that poor ol' Crusoe was the unpopular choice of husband according to Susannah's father. And he kinda wasn't all that handy with making an income on his own, either.

But hey ... I love him anyway. Noble, honorable, good guy, handsome. So what if he wasn't the richest guy on the block. What about love, eh?

Argh, the 17th century.

(cue the Heart rock ballad)

New episodes of Crusoe air Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

'Crusoe' Completely Captivates

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Move over Sarah Connor.

You've just been swashbuckled by Robinson Crusoe.

We remember how much fun I had watching the series premiere of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles last January - the action, the pace, the amazement at turning the T2: Judgment Day film into a television series. Well, I had the same kind of fun watching the premiere of Crusoe last Friday evening on NBC, and I'm stoked to tune in again this Friday.

And on a side note, can I get a tree house like that sometime soon?

Actually, I'd just settle for Disneyland revamping the Swiss Family Robinson tree house ride to be Crusoe-esque (like they did with the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which took on a Captain Jack Sparrow-esque makeover with the success of the Pirates film series ... and yes, I grew up near Disneyland, so I know the rides a bit too well).

Seriously, though, Crusoe was just fun. We got a little bit of everything - adventure, fantasy, history, humor.

And the humor totally surprised me. There were some truly funny bits of tongue-in-cheek, snarky dialogue. Who knew Crusoe himself would be so funny? Or the pirate invaders?

And how about his buddy Friday ... do we love him or do we love him? I don't think a cannibal has been this charming since Hannibal Lecter. Tongayi Chirisa has a tangible, charismatic, sweet energy that I just so enjoyed watching. And his devotion to Crusoe (who saved his life) ... awww! Makes you kinda wish Tom Hanks had more than just the Wilson volleyball in Castaway, eh?

When the LA Times calls this series a "grandness rarely seen on television," they weren't kidding. It's like you're watching a movie, not a television show. Production value is top drawer, and I loved how a majority of the premiere was shot on location. You got the cliffs, the rivers, the ocean, the majestic conundrum of being so isolated on an island of such beauty shot in true living color, not in CGI. That stuff can't always be done after the fact, and sometimes, we want to see the real thing, not the bluescreen version.

What I also enjoyed was the fact this was no stiff-ended period piece with everyone wandering around talking in 17th century verbiage. Nor was it just a word-for-word adaptation of the ol' book we all did a book report on back in the day.

Wherefore art thou?

Not so much.

It has some spice, some pep.

Think more like the Pirates of the Caribbean films, where they've opted for a more modern day dialogue, intermixing the occasional formality speech and behavior.

And can we just say Philip Winchester owns this role. It doesn't hurt that he's awfully impressive wandering around shirtless (okay, that's from a female point of view, so whatever). But he's not just some hunk in trunks. The flashback sequences where he longs to return to his love, Susannah, are beautifully tempered. The expression on his face when he awakens from the momentary dream sequence ... perfection. You know what he feels; it's in his eyes; he doesn't have to say anything.

And the chemistry he shares with Chirisa is as good as it gets.

Well done, NBC. You've got this viewer permanently in the tree house.

New episodes of Crusoe air Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

'Crusoe' Gets Ready to Make Way

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

We've already had one of my all-time favorite films turned into a television series.

Now, my love of and obsession with the Pirates of the Caribbean film series gets a weekly indulgence thanks to the new prime time period piece drama, Crusoe, which gets ready to make way tonight with a two-hour series premiere beginning at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Now, if Showtime's The Tudors is any indication, people have proven to be interested in watching period piece dramas in prime time, particularly when they are well-written, well-acted and well-done. This show boasts a solid cast, serious adventure, romance and intrigue. I'm hoping Crusoe is given more than three weeks to prove itself ('cause we know how apt networks are to jump on the Cancel button with new series ... ugh).

Count this television viewer in the tree house.

About the Show (from NBC):

The drama explores the perils and challenges facing the world’s most famous castaway as Crusoe (Philip Winchester, "Flyboys," "Thunderbirds") and his native friend Friday (Tongayi Chirisa) struggle to survive on a desert island with little more than their wits. Overcoming marauding militias, hungry cannibals, wild cats, starvation and apocalyptic lightning storms, Crusoe dreams of the day he will be reunited with his beloved family.

Allowed to develop away from the bonds of 17th Century life, Crusoe builds a breathtaking and altogether modern home high up in the trees to elude his enemies. Friday and Crusoe’s deep friendship is pushed to the limit as opportunities to escape their island paradise, and the people they meet there, consistently challenge them to choose between loyalty and freedom.

As the series develops, the love story between Crusoe and his wife Susannah (Anna Walton, "The Mutant Chronicles," "Hell Boy II: The Golden Army") left behind in England will unfold from meeting to marriage, as will his relationship with his mentor and patron, the mysterious Jeremiah Blackthorn (Sam Neill, "The Tudors," "Jurassic Park").

Sounds awfully good to me. Check out these preview clips:

"World's Apart"




"Under Seige"




"A Child's Unhappy Day"




And if all that doesn't spark your interest, head on over to NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

Swear.

Tune in for the premiere of Crusoe tonight at 8 p.m. on NBC.