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Post by Pentastar on Jul 22, 2006 18:54:08 GMT -5
I'm making my way through my VHS Street Hawk collection. Observations on "A Second Self" - By far my favorite episode, I think this episode was one of the best paced, best directed, and best scored of all the episodes. - One continuity error I noticed was that Street Hawk already has the gun/rocket pods installed during the first chase scene, then he heads back to command center to find Norman testing the M60 for the bike. - The whole bit with the news announcer who berates the police for "incompetence" on TV is a little bit fake. - The scene in the water channel looks so familiar (Grease, Gone in 60 Seconds), and when Jesse jumps the bike down into the channel it reminds me of the scene in Terminator 2 when Arnold jumps the Harley. - I've said it before, and I'll say it again...Jesse needs a chin strap if his helmet is going to come off when he falls off the bike. - I guess it was supposed to be a surprise when Jesse wheels around and fires the rocket at the bad guys in the last scene...they never mentioned that Norman added rockets as well. Favorite Quotes: Jesse referring to Norman at Venice Beach: "Going where no engineer has gone before!" Norman talking sarcastically behind Jesse's back: "Right...we couldn't lose him, could we? Must win!"  |
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Post by hernesson on Jul 23, 2006 10:37:15 GMT -5
- I've said it before, and I'll say it again...Jesse needs a chin strap if his helmet is going to come off when he falls off the bike. LoL. Enjoying your observations here! Well, that was just a convenient plot device wasn't it. The helmet had a chin strap. It didn't come off when he was knocked off in the Pilot episode and then proceeded to dump the bike to run around like a gimp. I wanted to re-edit that scene with the Benny Hill music over the top! LoL The scenes with Jesse off the bike as you say were abit silly. I agree with you here. It was very well paced, scripted by the great Nick Corea, and the music fit very well to the action. I like the whole sequence with Jesse and his buddy getting to know each other again. The scene where Jesse says goodbye to him on the beach with the sunset in the background made it more than just your typical action show. Great direction here. I always liked the end of Vegas Run where the bike speeds off down the highway and disappears into the sunset. That was beautfully directed too. |
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Post by hernesson on May 9, 2007 13:13:52 GMT -5
Just a general series observation rather than being specific to "A Second Self." Check out this grab...  You can see hopefully clearly from this shot that the billboard is just a facia. If you observe to the right of the billboard, you can spot the recess where it has obviously been placed over a large opening, and hasn't completely fit. We probably were not meant to spot this! LoL |
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Post by Pentastar on May 9, 2007 13:22:30 GMT -5
That's a fantastic grab there, nice clean and crisp.
I see what you're saying, looks like the billboard didn't quite fill the opening from the loading dock.
It's kind of laughable, really, that the government would consider this billboard a sufficient facade for the entrance to Street Hawk's lair. If I drove past this, I'd wonder why they built a billboard that obviously opens up in the middle.
Also, is it just me or does the Maxie bottle look more like hairspray than cola?
There I go again, focusing on the minutia. Everybody run away!
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Post by hernesson on May 9, 2007 13:30:47 GMT -5
I thought it might be a window. I don't think so though.
Yeah, I never understood quite whether it was meant to be a loading bay entrance which just happened to have a large advertisement on it, or be a plain billbaord. Billboards are usually set higher up don't you agree? The boxes and stuff infront of it makes me believe it is a disused factory warehouse and this was a loading bay entrance.
Wonder what Maxi would have tasted like? Diet coke - the devil's drink! ;D
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Post by Pentastar on May 9, 2007 13:39:05 GMT -5
In my country "Maxie" usually refers to a brand of feminine pads. Maybe that bottle was some sort of...  Nevermind! |
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Post by levine666 on May 14, 2007 11:37:02 GMT -5
I agree with penaster - thsi is my fav episode of nearly anything!
it is wicked!
i like eveyrthing from the way nicky levine ever so incompetently tries to kill streethawk , to george cllooney oh so wooden acting , really he is liek a puppet , his script is awful, it is soo bad ( the way he says "i only drive mr levine, what you do is your business")
I mean coming out with lines like "thats why i needed yesterday", burt aptly replied "thats a load of bull", i concurr!
so for goerge clooney to make it ina cting after is truly amzing as i could not take him seriously after that , but was shocked to see him acting so well in ER!
i love the dancing in the dark instrumentals as teh pahntom driver wreaks havoc in town!
i love teh supercharged Dodge Charger ( you got a great car! as levine said) , teh action seuqnces are great as is the contrast of the old camaradery and rivalry togther.
the motocross scene is great.
norman tuttle as usual is a bungling buffoon but nonetheless vaguely entertaining.
teh scen on venice beach is great and the way starker tunrs up in his 928 is inspiring!
seeing tuttle squim whilst trying to get up is funny.
the way tuttle can see clooneys rivalry but jesse cant is quite a nice touch to add to thioer charchters. jesse neevr suspects kevin not even at the end!
teh stand off at the flodd control hazard ( also use in an epsidoe of CHiPs) is great!!
anwa y- nice to see all these comments in here - bravo!
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Post by Pentastar on May 14, 2007 12:47:46 GMT -5
Thanks Levine!
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Post by hernesson on May 14, 2007 13:47:22 GMT -5
pen*s-ter surely?! ;D  Welcome Levine! I hope you'll stick around this testostrone laden clique of mentalists! ;D Well, Clooney is not my favourite actor in the world. I personally have a difficulty in seeing what the ladies see in him. I guess he was fresh faced in those days, and at the right place at right time, and got noticed. Looks in Hollywood have always gone before talent and they always will. Back then, as someone said, Clooney relied too heavily on his cheeky grin and dimples. His acting was in the very rough, starting stages. Now maybe you think it never especially improved, especially if the only other thing you saw him in was Batman & Robin! LoL I didn't think he was *that* bad though. I've seen some very wooden acting from other people!!! Script wise, Nick Corea wrote this episode and it's actually one of the best. I think it's not so much badly written line, as badly executed by the actor. A good actor can make a bad script look half decent, but a bad actor can make a good script worse. |
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Post by Pentastar on Mar 4, 2008 17:42:25 GMT -5
I popped this episode into the VCR the other day, I haven't watched it since I went through all the episodes and commented on them in 2006.
This episode was brought up during one of George Clooney's recent talk show visits. He credits this as his first break in show business. I find that kind of ironic, since in the episode he was supposed to be the "pro" they were bringing in for the job. In reality, he was the rookie, and in some scenes you can really tell. I think George did a good job when he was playing the fun-loving side of Kevin, but when he'd try to be serious or mean it came off quite laughable.
Watching this episode again, I was struck by how annoying Norman came across sometimes when he'd complain about Kevin. Don't get me wrong, Norman was very astute in his observations about Jesse & Kevin's relationship, but at times he just sounded jealous and petty. Still, I do like his comment to Jesse about a friend being a second self, from which the episode title was taken.
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