Welcome back to Last Week in TV. We discussed summer TV last time so this time I am sharing my 3 biggest wishes for returning shows I watch. For any shows that returned this week, the wish list can be found with the review. Please discuss your wishes for your favorite shows in the comments section below. While you're at it, don't forget to nominate a show for me to review. It's a simple 2 question form to fill out so it won't take much time. This week's nominated show is Drop Dead Diva, which was smarter than I expected and twice as much fun. It is on my hiatus to-watch list now. As always, I'd love to hear what you thought about TV this week. Until next time, happy viewing!
Returning Show Wish Lists:
As the fall season begins in earnest, here are the things I most want to see in the returning shows I watch. For shows that returned this week, their wish list is in with the review of the episode.
1. Less romance of all sorts, but especially love geometry
2. Equal time between the 100 and Ark survivors
3. More time learning about the various grounders
1. Less wacky and more cleverly funny episodes
2. More Hickey and less Dean
3. Could we please get Troy back? Please.
1. Bring back Moriarty. This is a must.
2. More of Watson becoming a stronger character in her own right
3. Continue Sherlock's growth into a decent human being
1. Fix Juliette or get rid of her. She's no more a real part of the story than she was in previous years when she was largely a plot device.
2. Rediscover the humor and add it into every episode.
3. Tell Wu the truth
4. More information about the Royals and their goals
1. Step up the pace. I love this show but there are long stretches where nothing happens.
2. Step up the answers. This is another show that tends to pile them on instead of pacing them out.
3. Give Elaine more to do. She's the most underappreciated one of all.
1. Stop the Abraham and Anna affair. NOW!
2. Add in more historical figures we know or at least open up the scale of the war
3. The "good" guys are already as grayscale as they can get. It is time to make the "villains" more grey then too. Simcoe is full-on nuts, Rodgers is a savage, and Hewlett is a moron. Only Andre is clever. We need to have more sympathetic villains if it's going to get harder to root for the good guys. After all, every war has 2 perspectives.
Overall Awards:
After spending the first 12 minutes confused, the rest of the Sleepy Hollow premiere raced by leaving me exhilarated and excited by the promise of this season. To be honest, this was my most anticipated return and that made me nervous because it is very seldom that the actual episode lives up to the hype. This one did. There were some slow moments like the mirror chat but for the most part I was on baited breath throughout. I especially loved Jenny and Henry, who both stole any scene they were in and did a fantastic job in their scene together. I would love to see them interact more. The only thing that disappointed me is that Katrina is still isolated from the rest of them. I like how she has her own present day plot and Headless getting a virtual head so he can talk was a good plan, but I need Ichabod and her to have some time together to explore this new world. That can't happen if the plot continually keeps them apart.
Grade: A
Best Scene - Jenny kicks butt
Best Reason to Watch - the pacing and continued mystery
Best Humor - Ichabod's phone is out of memory
Biggest Twist - the entire first 15 minutes are a hallucination
Best Addition - Ben Franklin
Best Character - tie - Jenny / Henry
Most Missed - Captain Irving
Least Missed - Cho, as in I don't know why he's still in this show
Biggest Plot Device - the key that lets Abbie out of Purgatory and miraculously crumbles when she's safe
Creepiest Moment - Henry asks to take Abbie's hand so he can read her sins
Best Quotes -
1. Henry: "I am a sin eater. I can taste your lie. You don't have to tell me. Your sins will speak for themselves." Jenny: "I've done a lot of sinning. I hope you choke on every one of them."
2. Abbie: "Party's over." Ichabod: "Jeez, thank God."
Wishlist -
1. Keep the humor. Part of what makes this series great is that it doesn't take itself too seriously.
2. Keep up the breakneck pacing. No show except Teen Wolf moves as quickly as this show does and that's a fantastic thing.
3. More Jenny, less Brooks
Scorpion - 1.01 - Pilot
This is the first new show that had my attention the entire way. It was fun right from the beginning and didn't bog down the action in order to give us a lot of exposition. We know these guys are smart, they all have a history, and they really aren't concerned about the law. That's all I need to know in the pilot, because the background can come later. Instead it rushes headlong into the plot in a mere 6 minutes. Yahoo! It might be a pilot record these days. Add to it the team vibe I have been missing since TNT cancelled Leverage and this becomes must-see TV for at least 4 episodes. If it can keep the momentum and make the case of the week as interesting as this one, then it will be appointment TV. It does get a few points shaved off for the absolutely ludicrous way it resolved said case, but I can overlook ludicrous if the action/pace is good enough and if I eventually come to care about the characters. In the end I want to be entertained, and I was for a solid 42 minutes here. This is what Intelligence wanted to be.
Grade: A-
Ranking - 5
Audience - people who don't mind a bit of the ludicrous in their fast-paced action fun. If you can stomach the uploaded alien virus in Independence Day, you'll be fine. People who like teams working together to solve the impossible, a la a genius Leverage.
Best Scene - Paige and Walter haul it to get to the airport
Best Reason to Watch - the heart pounding pace
Best Moment - Ralph hands Paige her keys
The "Welcome Back" Award - Alimi Ballard, who played David on Numbers
Biggest Huh Moment - Why do we have an emotional pep talk in the middle of a crisis?
Best Soccer Mom Driving - Paige
Biggest Surprise - Gallo takes a truck head on in order to allow Walter to get to the airport
Least Believable - everything to do with the plane , the plug, and the laptop
Best Quotes -
1. Walter: "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your son's a genius."
2. Paige: "You're the world's smartest computer guy and this comes down to plugging something in."
3. Walter: "You cross me on this, I'll go online and in less than an hour I will erase you."
With a 3.9 in demo, this is the biggest pilot of the season so far and definitely a buzz worthy new show. The best thing about the episode was how they interspersed the students trying to get rid of a body, while flashing back to how they all met and the first case they worked together. I am not sure if the entire season will take place in those 3 months alternating the details leading up to the murder with a crime of the week or not, but it does seem likely. It's a format that really worked here so I imagine it will continue to draw people's attention and lead to great cliffhangers like this one. Add to it the death of another student, which likely involved the dead husband as well, and suspicions about how far all the characters are willing to go, and you've got a show that works on many different levels. This may end up the winner for Biggest New Show at season's end. It is certainly the most water cooler worthy pilot so far.
Grade: A-
Ranking - 5
Prediction - This was the highest rated pilot of the week and it has a lot of buzz. While it is always hard to predict how a show will end up based solely on the pilot, I am guessing it will be renewed and may end up the biggest new show of the year even though the demo will of course drop.
Audience - people who like a good mystery and complicated characters
Best Scene - Connor singing about murder to the tune of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Best Moment - Keating and her husband look away from each other after hearing about his dead student. Something was definitely going on between hubby and the dead girl and Keating knows it.
Best Reason to Watch - the mystery of how these law students turned murderers
Best Set-Up - Interspersing the murder with how the murderers all met each other in a law class
The "Welcome Back" Award - Liza Weil, who was Paris on Gilmore Girls. She looks so different that I didn't immediately recognize her.
Best Cliffhanger - you cannot beat a bunch of law school students burning the body of their professor's husband for making people want to tune back in and see what happened
Best Quote - Keating: "Good morning. I don't know what terrible things you've done in your life up to this point, but clearly your karma's out of balance to get assigned to my class."
Note - This was my favorite comedy last season. I've been waiting all summer for it to return and I wasn't disappointed. I love the Goldberg family.
Ah, the mix tape. That brings back memories. Do kids today even do mix tapes or do they share playlists? I remember taping songs off the radio. The sound quality sucked but Casey Kasem was bound to play that one song that reminded you of your special someone so you could hand them a mix tape on Monday at school. Those were the days. Thankfully my mom was never as crazy as Beverly Goldberg, who in her trademark way goes way overboard this episode. Here's a hint - no kid ever makes a mix tape for their parents. Luckily Beverly saves it in the end with The Goldbergs' traditional combination of laughs and heart. Murray scores too by bailing Barry out of a beer jam. In the end it is the kind of heartwarming comedy that will always be appointment TV for me.
Grade: B+
Best Scene - Murray tells Barry that he will always be there for them but not to tell the others
Best Reason to Watch - Murray and Beverly rescue their kids
Biggest Aww Moment - Beverly helps Adam with Dana
Best Moment - Meller takes Barry's fake id
Best Cross-Speaking - Beverly reinterprets everything Pops says to mean that she needs to interfere with Adam's love life
Best Character Interaction - Barry and Erica
Biggest Laugh - Murray looking at the stairs and deciding to just stay downstairs for the day
The "Oh No You Didn't" Award - Beverly tells Erica and Barry that Adam is her favorite kid
Best Nostalgia - Adam's Lost Boys shirt
Biggest Surprise - I actually liked David Spade in something. That's a first.
Best Quotes -
1. Pops: "Did you just make a date with your mother?" Adam: "Yes, this whole situation is super messed up."
2. Beverly: "Both of you look at me. Adam's my favorite." Erica: "Yeah, I'm okay with it." Barry: "Me too."
3. Barry: "Let's go buy some yeast and barley and start bonding in the bathtub." Murray: "Okay, whatever stupid thing you're up to, I am not bailing you out." Barry: "I know you always say this, but let's just pretend for one second I did something real stupid." Murray: "I can do that." Barry: "Isn't it your legal responsibility as my father to bail me out?" Murray: "No, it's my responsibility to make you face whatever dumb a** decision you made head on even if kills you. I'm a good dad."
Wishlist -
1. Keep the combination of humor and heart
2. Make Beverly less unbelievable. She can still be over the top and wacky, just tone her down a little.
3. More of Murray interacting with his kids
Nominated Show:
This show could go wrong really quickly because it depends on the audience being able to sympathize with Jane/Deb. Making her too much of a joke, too shallow, or too serious about the situation would topple this delicately balanced house of cards, especially when the stiff wind of having Deb's boyfriend work at Jane's office blows in. That's a plot device I did not need. Still the pilot is charming and both women are shown to have their strengths and issues, which helps me like the combination of the two. The memory canon is all kinds of wonky but watching Jane inspire others while learning how to deal with this new life of her own overcomes it. In a word I found this episode charming and I have to admit it was hard not to allow Netflix to go to the second episode and play hooky from the rest of the episodes I need to review.
Grade: B+
Ranking: 4
Best Scene / Best L'Oreal speech - Jane convinces the cheated on wife to stand up for herself because she's worth it
Best Quote - Fred: "You're grieving." Jane: "For myself. Does that make me self-absorbed and selfish?" Fred: "Nah, it makes you human."
Best Reason to Watch - it is an intriguing concept delivered with humor and heart
The "Hey It's You" Award - Deb on here is Paige on Royal Pains. She's got a better role now.
Worst Bit of Fate - tripping on a designer purse into a gunman. That's just destiny coming to screw you. Buried alive by oranges is not exactly normal either.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Well, not so much a welcome back since this episode took place in 2009, but I will take Susan Walters and Linden Ashby any way I can get them. The real life husband and wife team playing divorcing spouses is an awesome bit of meta. Love them both on Teen Wolf.
Most Bizarre - Stacy acts like she's never heard of chocolate before
Most Hilarious - Spray cheese therapy
Most Confusing - why does Jane remember some stuff like legal terms but not the clients in which she used them with? I think they are taking liberties with memory because she obviously remembers studying those words.
Best Music - Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie
New Shows:
In the wake of the former Secretary of State dying in a plane crash, an ex-CIA analyst/history professor steps into the job and finds herself in the middle of a government conspiracy at the highest level while dishing out PSA's on world health care. That's a lot to tackle in the pilot. The best thing about Madam Secretary so far is the acting. While Tea Leoni is an appealing combination of shrew negotiator and insecure mother, the real gem for me was Nadine, played by Bebe Neuwirth, aka Frasier's wife Lilith. Her blink and you missed it scenes crackled and I hope that her part is beefed up in the future. After all, Madam Secretary is going to need an ally. Mostly the plot about saving two American idiots in Syria was nothing new but it was used as a vehicle to show that Elizabeth is not going to be your average political monkey. Those interested in political mavericks should give this one a try but I felt bored most of the way and the hook of government conspiracy made me even less likely to continue.
Grade: C-
Ranking - 2+
Audience - Those who like shows about political maneuverings and strong women in shaky situations
Best Scene - Elizabeth and the Chief of Staff go toe-to-toe after she goes around him to PotUS
Best Reason to Watch - acting
Best Surprise - while the kids are unique, thus far they are NOT brats
Worst/Least Surprise - the government conspiracist dies under suspicious circumstances
The "Welcome Back" Award - Tim Daly returns to TV. I don't think I've seen him in anything weekly since Wings and the Fugitive remake.
Best Quote - Elizabeth: "Is it my masculine energy? I've got to much of it, because I know some men, they're turned off by women in positions in power." Hank: "I totally love women in power positions. I'm completely attracted to your masculine energy. (pause) Tell me what to say."
All I know about Batman I learned from the vastly superior TV show (yeah I love that one best), some cheesy movies, one I actually liked, and that movie everyone else loved but I didn't. Therefore I had no idea who most of these people were until they were explicitly indentified and even less about what was going on. I thought Fish was the best developed of the villains, probably because she is an original character, while Harvey felt the most stereotypical. When getting ready to review this show, I asked other non-comic book fans how they felt about the show as well to see if I was the only one who felt lost. CP kindly answered me (thanks!) and she did some research on the characters she didn't know. To quote her, "I can't imagine anyone with no comic book or Batman movie background watching this. You kind of have to know things to get into it." That's my general feeling as well. I knew who the main ones were but I didn't feel connected to any of the characters in particular to make me want to put much effort into it.
Grade: C
Ranking - 2+
Audience - I would say comic book fans, but I have no idea if this origin story is faithful to the comics or not, so I am going to say people who like antiheroes in their genre TV.
Best Reason to Watch - back story on the non-Batman characters of lore
Biggest Question - How did the fat mugger outrun the ex-soldier police rookie?
Most Clichéd - earnest rookie do-gooder cop paired with haggard, old-time. rule-bending, cynic cop
Most Likely to End Up in Starling City - Falcone, who sounds an awful lot like Blood with his crime to save people speech
Best Quotes-
1.Barbara: "Hey, I very much doubt that you are out of your depth but even if you are, you know how to swim, don't you?" Gordon: "Yes I do." Barbara: "So swim."
2. Falcone: "I'm a business man. You can't have organized crime without law and order."
3. Gordon: "You make a life of crime sound very noble."
I am a sucker for shows with historical flashbacks. From my first encounter with Highlander to Monday's Sleepy Hollow, I love seeing the historical mixed in with current times. I am also a fan of Ioan Gruffudd, from way back in his Horatio Hornblower days. That said I was predisposed to like this show. The premise is about a man who cannot die. Whenever he does die, he spontaneously wakes up naked in a body of water. Try explaining that multiple times. Somehow his body where he died disappears as well - again try explaining that one. While his true profession is looking for a way to break his curse and die, he works as a medical examiner in the day time and partners with Detective Martinez. Both lost a spouse in the past, hers more recently. Overall I thought the first two episodes were good if a bit slow in parts. The storyline is intriguing although Henry relies too much on Sherlock Holmesian manners. The best part of the show so far is Abe and Henry's relationship and the cases of the week, which were unique and challenging. The worst part is the pacing and Henry's stalker. I get that this is the serial part of the story and usually that's my favorite, but in this case it stops the momentum and I get the feeling they are going to drag this plot point out beyond being tolerable.
Grade: B-
Ranking - 4
Audience - People who like their supernatural story with some procedural elements a la Grimm. Fans of Elementary.
Best Scene - Abe tells Henry that they cannot leave New York
Best Sherlock Holmes Impersonation - Henry when stalking the cello player on the subway
The "Welcome Back" Award - Judd Hirsch, who I loved on Numbers
Best Back Story - Abe is the baby Henry's wife rescued from a concentration camp
The "Just No" Award - If you only have 2 episodes, it is way too early for a recapitation.
Most Ludicrous - NO ONE dies that often in one year. I mean he's already died what 4 times in 2 episodes? Nothing like keeping a low profile there.
Best Character - tie - Abe / Lucas
Best Quotes -
1. Lucas: "It's crazy actually. Sometimes he doesn't even need to open 'em up to tell how they died. It's like they speak to him. It's kind of awesome…and kind of creepy."
2. Abe: "I have news for you. You might not be able to die, but you haven't lived for a very long time."
3. Lucas: "That is new information and now something that I can't unknow."
The comfort of police procedurals is you know what you're getting into before you actually watch. This has all the trademarks of a NCIS show. Intriguing case, easy to like characters, and steady pacing throughout. Nothing here will shock you but I did like that the first case was personal to the lead character. As a lead, Pride is far more laid back than Gibbs, less by the book than Hetty, and more seasoned than Callen. Like all of those though, he's passionate about his team, whether officially or unofficially his, and will likely end up a wise father figure to them all. His nemesis is a crooked, up and coming politician, but that's the driest part of the pilot. In the end, the success of all procedurals is in whether the characters grab people's interest or not. The verdict is still out on this one.
Grade: C+
Ranking - 3+
Audience - Fans of NCIS or really any crime procedural
Best Reason to Watch - Scott Bakula
Best Character Interaction - Loretta and Pride
Biggest Aww Scene - Papa Parks says he can't play because he feels he failed his son
Biggest Aww Moment - Pride calls his daughter just to hear her voice
NCIS Cameo - Ducky
Biggest Huh - How did they not smell the body decaying in the New Orleans heat?
The "Welcome Back" Award - CCH Pounder, who played Mrs. Frederic on Warehouse 13
The "Learn Something New Each Day" Award - diet orange means drive-by in gang speak…at least on TV
Trend that Needs to Go - I realize NCIS' trademark is camera stuff in transitions, but the Day-Glo rave hues do nothing for the show. Break tradition and use music to transition to commercial. It is New Orleans.
Most Surprising - This is the least technical of all the NCIS franchise, but they have a sweet office kitchen and don't mind taking time out of a case for bread pudding. Nice. Gibbs won't even let his team grab a sandwich.
Best Quote - Pride: "What the hell you waiting for?" LaSalle: "Well you did offer breakfast….We'll take it to go."
Black-ish started out rough for me especially since I just watched Fresh Off the Boat, which is a 90's version with Asian culture. Switch noodle cuisine for basketball and it felt like a similar show. I was about to write it off until the end. From the beginning Pops was the best character, mostly because of his snark, so when he explained to Dre that he didn't need to "keep it real" as much as "keep it honest" things did a big 180. The party for his son only made things better. I still don't know if this show is for me, but Laurence Fishburne is always a draw so I'll sample another 1-2 episodes before making a decision.
Grade: C+
Ranking - 3-
Audience - people who like their comedy with social awareness on the side
Best Reason to Watch - Pops
The "Welcome Back" Award - Laurence Fishburne of a gazillion movies, CSI, and Hannibal
Weirdest Reference - OJ Simpson trial, yikes.
Most Repeated Phrase - "Keeping it real." I didn't realize anyone said that anymore.
Most Sympathetic - Andre Junior
Best Quotes -
1. Pops: "I smell a group hug coming on. I'm going to the track."
2. Dre: "No, stand right there and experience your roots." Pops: "You're better off watching Roots."
3. Dre: "Hey Pops, how the hell did you keep it real with us when we were growing up?" Pops: "I didn't. I kept it honest." Dre: "So I really screwed this thing up, didn't I?" Pops: "Screwing things up is just another part of what it means to be a father, Dre. It's how you learn to fix things. Just remember son, whatever you do, make sure it's right for who you are."
4. Pops: "This ain't our culture. We black, not African. Africans don't even like us."
Weekly Shows:
I'm not sure what I expected from SHIELD's opening but it was definitely bigger. This felt like a good third or fourth episode, but didn't wow me as a premiere. The highlight was Creel, the new villain. I really liked his super power and I think it will make for an interesting season-long villain. The new mercenaries seem fun as well and I hope they return on a frequent basis. I also thought that they did a good job with Fitz. He is still around but surprisingly, there are consequences for what he's been through. I like the idea of the genius having to struggle to communicate and fighting frustration over his new limitations. Having Simmons be a hallucination was a great twist too. With the exception of the great action sequences, the rest felt a little flat to me and I cannot wait until the storyline kicks into full gear. I know a lot of it will be SHIELD against the US military, which I am not looking forward to, but I have great hopes for season 2 riding high on the end of season 1's momentum.
Grade: B-
Best Scene - HalluciSimmons encouraging Fitz not to give up
Best Reason to Watch - new bad guys, especially Creel
The "Welcome Back" Award - Lucy Lawless, Xena herself, joins the team
Best Back Story - first O84
Biggest Huh - Not sure why they are treating Ward like Hannibal Lector. He betrayed them and he's good at his job, but I'd think any Super Max is good. Surely SHIELD has at least one secure place left.
Best Wrap-Up of a Season One Cliffhanger - Fitz is up and going, but not exactly himself
Biggest Twist - Simmons isn't really there. Fitz is hallucinating her.
Least Likely to Inspire Pity - Ward, no matter how much he tries to sell his sob story in this episode
Best Quotes -
1. Agent: "You get anything?" Tripp: "A new enemy."
2. May: "You're the man in charge but I'm in charge of you, remember."
3. Hartley: "But you should both focus on not saying anything that's really stupid." Idaho: "Yes, ma'am." Hunter: "I'm not making any promises."
Wish list -
1. Continue the momentum from the end of last year
2. Find a plausible reason to keep Ward in the story or better yet make him evil
3. Less Skye in all things. Every time someone tells me how special and amazing she is on this show, the more I dislike her.
Top of my TBBT season 8 wish list was for this train trip to lead to serious character development for Sheldon. I'm not sure that happened and it is a shame. Sheldon really does need to grow up and at least try to respect others because it is getting old. So much so that I was actively cheering for Howard when he kept answering all of Sheldon's questions right. Other than that the only new development was Penny getting a new job and a new haircut. It's nice to see her branch out from waitressing and the acting shtick was getting old.
Grade: C+ / B
Best Scene - the guys hanging out answering trivia questions for candy and congratulating themselves on how smart they are
Best Reason to Watch - Howard vs. Sheldon
Best Improvement - Penny's hair, which looks awesome
Best Secondary Character - Stuart - I am glad he's still living with Howard's mom. That keeps him in the story without having to stretch too much to do so. Plus, he needs a friend too.
Bad Idea with the Best Outcome - Howard joins Sheldon's class
Bad Idea with the Worst Outcome - Amy trying to play Bernadette and Penny against each other
The "Welcome Back" Award - Regina King as Janine Davis
Best Quotes -
1. Penny: "Okay so what? You want me to be like a teacher's pet?" Bernadette: "It couldn't hurt." Leonard: "Oh I don't know. Who here has ever been hurt because they were the teacher's pet?" (They all raise their hands except Penny and Bernadette.)
2. Howard: "First of all, no one can replace me as her son. I'm her little matzo ball."
3. Sheldon: "Amy please, I am trying to figure out a way to intellectually emasculate a dear friend of mine."
Wish list -
1. Sheldon grows up and shows some sort of character growth
2. Something or someone that shakes things up because it is starting to get stale
3. More unusual pairings like Bernadette and Sheldon or Amy and Leonard
In all honesty, this premiere suffered because I watched Sleepy Hollow right before it. It was much better in the rewatch when I hadn't just been wowed. As the season opens, Red is unconscious in a truck while child soldiers shoot at the adult soldiers pursuing them. Red is unimpressed but it's the most fun anyone is going to have in the whole episode. A few dead people later, Red basically threatens to use missiles against the warlord unless he gives Red the name of the bounty hunter hired to track him. Long story short, Berlin hired Lord Baltimore to find Red's wife, which is the best part of the story. We may have gotten zero answers about Elizabeth and Red, but I hope we continue to learn more about his wife. If not, I would rather drop the serial elements and go straight to the procedural.
Grade: B
Best Scene - Reddington tells Harold he needs to come back
Best Reason to Watch - back story on Red's wife
Most Fascinating - Rowan/Nora
Most Disgusting - Red gets his ex-wife's finger in a box
Most Red Moment - he burns millions of dollars after a missile blows up part of the war lord's camp
Best Twist on the Wall of Weird - Lizzie puts it on the ceiling instead
Biggest Overkill - You'd think it was the warlord with the child soldiers, but nope it was a Mossad agent who sent a helicopter to shoot up a hotel on US soil to capture Reddington.
Worst Future Emoangsting Plot - Ressler's drug addiction, which is coming sooner than later
Best Quotes -
1. Elizabeth: "Hellfire missiles, seriously?" Red: "Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about."
2. Elizabeth: "Most people don't care that Google knows their search history."
3. Elizabeth: "You're too healthy to talk to a shrink." Ressler: "I talk to you all the time. Aren't you Board certified?" Elizabeth: "Yeah and in my professional opinion, I think you need to talk to Dr. Friedman."
Wish list:
1-3. ANSWERS!!! This show has a tendency to pile on the questions without answering any first. Stop drawing things out. What is Elizabeth to Red?
4. More grey villains, since they were the most interesting ones last time.
Red Band Society is the most surprising show so far this season for me because I still love it. It has great heart without usually going overboard into schmaltzy. Still it is the overall humor that really gets me. I love how these guys invite us to laugh with them through their sorrows when so many shows today want us to laugh at the characters. It helps that each of the kids is sympathetic this episode, including Kara who was a nightmare much of the pilot. She's still a nightmare now, don't get me wrong. It's just that her back story helps explain some of it. Still this is Leo's show and him coping with Jordi getting to keep his leg was well done and rang true for a teen. All in all, this wasn't quite as strong as the premiere but it was still one of the best things I watched all week. Nevertheless, those voiceovers and themes need to go.
Grade: B+
Best Scene - Nurse Jackson and Leo talk
Best Reason to Watch - still a great combination of humor and heart
Best Moment - Jordi writes which leg to take off for Dr. McAndrew
Biggest Huh - Shouldn't Jordi's Mexican talent show winning song be in Spanish? / Why are they having their kegger party in the daytime?
Biggest Annoyance - still the voiceovers
Best Reaction - Brittany when Nurse Jackson compliments her
Best Quotes -
1. Dash: "Looks like someone 'roided up One Direction and mated them with zombies."
2. Jackson: "You can't run away from your life. It's yours and it's precious. You just have to claim it." Leo: "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Jackson: "Well that's what real monkey love is." Leo: "Did that sound weird because I'm still drunk or just because it's weird?" Jackson: "Both."
3. Brittany: "Are you really prepared to let me screw up some sick kid's life on the off chance that I won't continue to suck?"
All in all this was an excellent fall premiere week for me. Shows I had barely heard of wowed me, my favorites came back strong, and I am actually caught up - for the first week. :-P
ReplyDeleteWhoa, we're going to have to agree to disagree on both Ward and Skye. I've always loved Skye and I'm looking forward to seeing what type of alien she is and her possible powers.
ReplyDeleteAnd Garrett succeeded in completely breaking Ward. A lifetime of abuse (by his parents and older brother for sixteen years and then he was kidnapped by Garrett and physically and emotionally abused by him for over a decade) finally got to him. Ward needs to be in a psychiatric facility or at least have a therapist (hope Coulson is sending one down but I'm worried). I'm really not surprised he has mental issues after all of that.
Also finally bought the season one DVDs over the weekend and I'm already halfway through my marathon. God, I love this show so much.
I tend to dislike any Chosen One character, especially when everyone on the show has to continually remind me of how superspecial they are. That is Skye in SHIELD. The more Joss tries to cram his female ingenue down my throat, the more I rebel. For me, Skye is the Charlie of Revolution.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Ward has been pushed beyond his limits. That's why I think he would make a great villain. If his whole story arc is working through years of abuse with a therapist, he is not going to be anything but a drag on the plot. That doesn't make for good action/comic book TV. If he feels rejected by SHIELD and still needs a family to cling to, it makes sense that he would go with whatever group offered him a place. If that's Hydra, then it could get very, very interesting. The best villains are always the ones that have a personal tie with our heroes.
Joss isn't actually in charge of this show - it's his brother and sister-in-law. And LOL, I loved Charlie on Revolution too. Oops.
ReplyDeleteAnd I 100% believe we're heading towards a redemption arc for Ward. Making him a villain doesn't sit right with me (and not at all but a lot of abuse survivors don't want that either and instead want him to heal. Healing and seeing who he can be without John Garrett's influence in his life is definitely something I want to see).
To be fair, we're probably not going to see Ward with a therapist but I'd at least like to be addressed (just like I hope it'll be addressed that Fitz is also getting medical attention because he needs a lot of help himself).
I 100% believe you are right about Ward. He's definitely going to get his redemption arc. I just think it would be a lot more fun with him as the ultimate Big Bad of the show. I do like how they are taking it a bit slower with Fitx, but yes, they both need a lot of help.
ReplyDeleteI love these! Are they gonna be a weekly thing all season?
ReplyDeleteI'll start with the new shows I checked out:
Forever: I honestly only checked this out after it's ratings surprised me and I really enjoyed it, I'm definitely keeping this one.
Scorpion: Loved it! Not much else I can say, goes well with TBBT though.
How to Get Away with Murder: Loved this too, like you I'd probably grade both this & Scorpion the same.
Gotham: Only checked it out because of all the hype but it definitely wasn't for me, I didn't enjoy it at all.
Red Band Society: I really enjoyed it, shame about the ratings though.
Returning shows:
I was disappointed with the premieres of both Sleepy Hollow & SHIELD, I really enjoyed last of SH but the premiere just didn't grab me. As for AOS, the shift in tone an setting kind of threw me off and I had trouble adjusting :P I'm gonna stick with both shows for now though.
I can't go without mentioning that Once Upon a Time premiere, I just absolutely adored it! A++ from me! And the ratings for it totally shocked me, I actually didn't believe it at first :P
Wishlist:
The 100: Pretty much the same as yours.
Once Upon a Time:
1) Less pointless CaptainSwan scenes
2) Keep up the pace of the premiere
3) More Red! (the character not the colour lol)
SHIELD:
1) Make Ward less psycho/brain damaged (not sure why he's being portrayed that way but thats the vibe I got)
2) More Ward! (but normal Ward though)
3) More Fitz & Simmons (in other words, don't love the humour from last season)
Sleepy Hollow:
The first 2 are the same as yours
1) Keep the humour from last season
2) Keep the fast pace from last season
3) Less dark/gray, I don't mean the tone, I mean the actual lighting, you'd swear there was no Sun or something.
That's it (even though it's really long) :P All other fall shows I watched last season I'm after dropping (7 in total!)
To borrow Henry Morgan's catch phrase, "I couldn't agree more" with klutzy_girl about Skye. I think that they cast her perfectly with the delightful Chloe Bennett and I don't think that making her a talented character with a complicated backstory makes her a Mary Sue.
ReplyDeleteI also don't mind what they're doing with Ward either. I hope that he does get his redemption eventually because he seems really broken and mentally unstable right now and I want to see how he changes throughout the story and who he is behind the mask of boring by the book shield agent while he's not being controlled by Garret and I don't think that the show would necessarily explore that were he to become the villain.
I also think that maybe Gotham is a better show for non-comic book fans. I actually really enjoyed it and I've only seen the Chris Nolan batman movies and the first Tim Burton one about five years ago. I liked that the world was so expansive and there was so much to explore, yet it didn't feel crowded. I wasn't a huge fan of Bullock either, but overall I liked that Gotham was telling an origin story for everyone and not just Batman. Although, I am a sucker for origin stories. My favorite Star Wars movies were episodes 1-3 (aside from the racial stereotypes in Phantom Menace), so that probably tells you something about me.
I actually love the Hannibal angle with Ward, I wasn't a fan of the clean cut goody-two-shows Ward we were introduced to in season 1 but I liked him turning out to be a bad guy in disguise.
ReplyDeleteAnd since I like the creepy attitude he had when talking to Skye I'm all for them keeping Ward locked up right under their nose.
And I looooved Forever, it flew under my radar over summer but when I caught the pilot...oh boy.
Probably the ONE pilot that resonated with me the best this season.
It's charmingly light in its tone (despite the theme), has a whole set of likable characters and a mystery that is pretty interesting to watch.
Only issue I have: how more extrordinary can we go with procedurals?
Scientists, authors and now immortals?
Next we'll have a...a...a...I really want to say 'a ghost' but I'm not sure wether they HAVEN'T done that already
Gotham - Yep, she eventually is Catwoman. Says on Wikipedia if you want to look up characters.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!! I was trying to watch the premier and use the DCU wiki to look characters up at the same time but since we never learned her name, I had to guess she was the eventual Catwoman just by her actions. Now that I know who everyone is, I think I will rewatch the pilot...I'm sure I missed some stuff with all the pauses :-)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Sleepy Hollow, Agents of Shield, and Forever this week. Gotham was okay. It'll take a couple more episodes for me to decide if I'll keep watching.
ReplyDeleteI was going to watch Scorpion but it's on a busy night for me and I'm 2 episodes behind and not sure I want to get into it with the shear number of shows I already watch. If I really wanted to watch I would have made time for it by now. It's not in the Sci-fi/fantasy/supernatural genre so it goes to the back of my to watch list.
It's the twists that keep me watching any procedurals at all, so I'll take it. I realize I don't feel like watching simple procedurals like CSI and NCIS anymore. There has to be more to it because after watching both shows for years I just lacked the interest to tune in anymore. Especially when characters I like go away/die.
ReplyDeleteI try not to have expectations either. My predictions and hopes often don't come true. Sometimes it's for the better, sometimes the worst. But it is always worst if I get too hopeful for something.
ReplyDeleteLast Week in TV should be every Monday unless something comes up. Thanks for reading. I actually hadn't heard of Forever or Scorpion so they both took me by surprise. Scorpion the most. I will likely end up dropping Gotham as well. I never really cared for Batman anyway. Sorry you were unhappy with Sleepy Hollow and SHIELD. Hopefully they will pick up for you.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree on keeping the humor in SHIELD. Every show needs to balance. I alos agree about Sleepy Hollow. Mood lighting is one thing, but constantly squinting at the screen in hopes of being able to see what's happening is another.
Gotham is also hampered by my perception of Batman and Superman being the most overrated comic book characters so I will probably drop it quickly. Glad you liked it though. I agree that neither Ichabod nor Abbie will die on Sleepy Hollow but I do live in fear that one of my favorite characters like Jenny will so that's the tension for me. I don't fault you knocking SH down for the first 12 minutes though. It seems the fandom was divided in how it feels about that. I really hate that Scorpion is one at the same time though because I would love to live tweet both.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Red reaction of the episode is when he wakes up and realizes that the boy soldiers are playing with guns. His "oh brother" expression cracked me up. Other than that, it was kind of slow for an opener. As for Red Band Society, I agree that it is a winner. However I would pick Leo over the whiner Kara any day. I would like to see more Emma and Kara scenes though, and for Emma to rub off on Kara. I want more of Nurse Jackson though. She's the real star.
I find myself disappointed with TV, wish lsits or not, but I see your point. I do get worried when an episode is built up too much because usually going in with low expectations works better for me.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with the actress who plays Skye. I think she is talented. I have a problem when every character has at one point told me how unique and special she is and how everything revolves around her. Even people who do not know her well treat her with extra special care and consideration, and that bugs me to no end. Jemma, I liked because she was part of the humor and she wasn't good at everything right away. Oh she was with the science stuff but not everything else. I do understand someone feeling more like a character than a person, but for me that was Garrett. He was over the top from the moment he was revealed as the bad guy.
ReplyDeleteI am really glad that a non-comic book fan liked Gotham and found the world fascinating. I liked the concept but not so much the execution. Perhaps it's because I find Gotham to be too dreary and without hope or that I didn't get sucked in with any of the characters. I will say though that I am definitely more fond of the original Star Wars movies so we're probably always going to see the show from different angles. We do agree on H2GAwM though. It was fascinating to get little glimpses of how these students could be so changed in such little time. I look forward to unraveling the mystery with them. There hasn't been such a good cliffhanger in a pilot in years that i recall.
See I want Ward to become more like Hannibal and then bust out. I think exploring his dark side would be much more fascinating than the pity party he threw himself this episode. He is coming off as creepy stalker but I want him to go full on smart crazy and keep everyone on their toes.
ReplyDeleteForever was a shock for me too. It's one of the few pilots I am not sure I had heard of at all before it premiered. I love the concept even if I hope they add a bit more humor to Henry's role. I do get where you are coming from in the supernatural procedural though. For awhile Grimm was it for me, but now they seem a dime a dozen. Personally I am waiting for the zombie procedural. You know one's coming.
I think for me procedurals are all about the characters even as a plot-driven viewer. It doesn't matter if they are supernatural or not, just that I find something or someone to distinguish it from all the others. For instance, I like Perception because of all the neurology I learn and I adored Cold Case because of the flashbacks and music.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the Ark and the 100 exploring different groups of the grounders. There is so much world to explore that it would be a shame to not delve into it. That's one of my big criticisms, along with the teen romance junk, of the first season although I loved the show as a whole. I agreed 1,000 times over about being done with Adalind and I hope we learn that the baby was hexed and now is 100% normal so Mama Grimm can come back without the freaking baby. I haven't seen Resurrection yet either. I think more answers to the mysteries all around are in order. Even down to does the river have something to do with it or not.
ReplyDeleteSH - I realized something was up the first time Ichabod looked constipated and especially with the hellbeast plant, btu the hallucination didn't bother me as much as most SpoilerTV viewers I guess. I did adore the constant action and the weapons cache. Plus of course the humor.
Scorpion - I also loved the heart. I find that the most heart I get these days is out of the comedies I watch so it was refreshing to see it in a drama as well. I like the action best of course, but the characters intrigue me enough that I am interested in learning more about them as well.
Forever - Agree that Henry needs to tone things down a bit and not just the solving crimes aspects of Sherlock. I actually like Joel David Moore better in this show than Bones. he is a great addition. I have a feeling this is going to be another show where the whole foundation is based on two characters' relationship - in this cas Abe and Henry. It has to be hard wathcing your son get older than you are. i can't wait to explore this more and I adore their bond already.
Gotham - Fish was definitely the star for me as well. Loved how she was an ove the top character but Smith reigned it in at the right times so she didn't fall into The Count from Arrow ridiculousness. I had less trouble figuring out the characters than you for the most part but I ended up not really caring how The Riddler turned from forensics guy to bad guy. I gues because I always loved Batman more with a sense of humor (pow bam smack), this gloomy gus Batman bums me out.
NCIS: NO - Ducky's cameo was actually one of the lowest points for me. It was so forced and then he just stood around uncomfortably until they ended the conversation. it all felt weird. I love Bakula from days of yore but I think this one is bound to be marathoned for me.
Blacklist - the Hellfire missiles cracked me up as well. I have now seen the second episode and I really do not Berlin. Even his look is cartoonish.
Red Band Society - The doc is hot. There I said it too. Still he's one of the least interesting characters for me. I need to get more back story I guess or otherwise he's just advancing another character's story for me. Love the kids though and normally teens are the ones dragging a show down for me. Their laughter in rough situations gives me an in to enjoy the show. I hope people who aren't watching because they think it will be too depressing will try it out, because it is nothing like I expected it to be.
Glad your wrote so much and let me know where your blog is when you get started.
I do appreciate your feedback. It helped me clarify my own thinking and how to word my issues. I hope you try Scorpion. It was a breathneck pace even without the supernatural.
ReplyDeleteMy wishes for Grimm are a little bit different...well, I agree that they should stop dicking around with idiotic storylines, giving Nick his powers back and finally concentrating on the royal arc which is already there. But mostly I want them to bother to adapt actually fairy tales again. I think Grimm works way better when they go for a smaller scale, when the team (including Juliette) just shares a meal and discussing the Wesen of the week. When they try to go "epic" they keep loosing me.
ReplyDeleteI caught up on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D during the way too long hiatus. I think the premier needed some time to set up the new situation, and I really like the new antagonist. I want generally more of a "team focus" than in the last season. It is an ensemble show, after all.
Gotham I think I will hold of for a binge watch later on...the pilot didn't grab me enough for anything else.
You don't watch Outlander, right? (Because if not, I should nominate it perhaps.....)
So, what are you wishes for White Collar?
Joss is not responsible for her...I think he would do better if her were.
ReplyDeleteI would prefer Ward as "chaotic element". Neither good, nor evil. Currently it looks like he simply replaced Garret with Skye.
For the long run I want Ward in a redemption arc, but it would not make sense if he would be again Grant Ward superagent. It would be nice if he would stay a bit like Wesley on Angel.
ReplyDelete@Dahne, I actually like Sky. For herself she is a likable character, but I agree that the constant reminder of how unique she is spoils the character. IMO she would work much better without - but Ward making her special does make sense to me considering his obsession with her.
Talking about Agents of SHIELD I would love for Ward to be a full fledged villian and have his twist be similar to Irina's (Sydney's mum) in season two of Alias.
ReplyDeleteAbout Skye while I've never been a fan of her she's never annoyed me or anything either. I would prefer more focus on May then her but it won't be a big deal to me either way.
My wishlist for Agents of SHIELD
1) get Simmons back sooner rather then later, by that I mean the real one
2) I really enjoyed Lucy Lawless in this show I hope she gets more eps
3) have different, engaging characters not cardboard cutout mercenaries like the two guys that worked under Lawless
4) have a villian that feels threatening, could be Ward (just make him threatening) a problem I think the whole MCU and tv verse so far suffers from. (Apart from Loki of course)
Oh Batman is ridiculously overrated. I might love the comics, but the fans take hm to a whole new level that I just can't get behind. That's why I'm really happy with this series because it's not about Batman, it's about Gotham, and if you read the comics you know Gotham is practically a living thing in it's own right. It corrupts and destroys people and I want to see if the show will do that. (So far so good).
ReplyDeleteI think I'm dropping Sleepy Hollow until midseason. I'm just not feeling it right now. Maybe it's because Gotham is on right before but I can't get into it. Hopefully watching the first half or so of the season all at once will make me like it better.
I'm dropping Blacklist too after last night. I was never particularly invested in the show, and the only thing keeping me is James Spader, but even he is wearing thin.
I hate that I'm dropping shows so quickly, but my time is much more limited compared to last year so it helps at the same time.
As for Red Band, I a hundred percent agree with the need for more Emma and Kara scenes, the two of them bounce off each other really well. I'd like something with either Jackson or the main doctor(name's slipping my mind right now). They both seem so interesting.
I like the idea of him being obsessed with her, but I really don't get why.
ReplyDeleteYeah, he switched his dependence on Garrett to a dependence on Skye and that's really not healthy. One of many reasons I'm hoping he's in therapy.
ReplyDeleteSci-fi so fourth shows tend to have character driven stories so for me it goes hand and hand.
ReplyDeletePriorities. As I said I already have a lot of shows and have yet to try out The Flash and a few other shows which I like the idea of more.
ReplyDeleteForever even surprised me. I planned to check it out but the first sneak peek was from like one of the simplest scenes (it was just a short clip of them finding the poisonous plants) so I wasn't sure if it would keep my interest but when I watched the Pilot it was so good. :D
ReplyDeleteWould love to see Mama Grimm more - that's just one more thing that annoyed me about the baby story line...saddling her with magic baby effectively limits her interaction with the rest of Team Grimm because she needs to stay in hiding. Is it really too much to ask that Wu be let in on The Secret, Mama Grimm pops in every 4-5 episodes to help out (sans magic baby of course), Truble beheads Adalind, and the season long story arc focuses on the Royal's and the keys...all with a fully powered Nick who has the full support of his gf/fiance? Ya, you're right, it probably is ;-)
ReplyDeleteGotham - gonna give the pilot another watch now that I know who everyone is. I should have Googled the main players in the Batman universe before I watched the pilot to refresh on how everyone fits together but I heard that the second episode isn't has lore driven so I'm hoping my enjoyment of the show will improve.
NCIS: NO - I think you hit the nail on the head with the "forced" part. I think that was my problem with it overall actually. LaSalle's accent was forced, therefore making it seem over the top to my ear. Brody's "I'm a black belt in Aikito" seemed like a forced tough girl version of Ziva. Ducky's chilling on the screen while the exposition rolled on seemed like a forced cameo to give validation to a spin off and Pride's overly relaxed approach seemed like a forced "this is not your typical Gibbs/Hetty kind of leader". Idk, it was rough but I' not going to give up on it just yet.
RBS - so glad someone else thinks the doc is hot too! BUT, I agree that he, as well as the other adults, need to be fleshed out a bit more. I know quite a bit about the teens, I'd like a little back story on the adults so I can connect better with WHY they work in this department.
Watched the second episode of Forever....I really do like this show. Fewer Sherlock moments did help and I agree this show will be about the connection between Abe and Henry. Kinda like Scott and Stiles all grown up :-) I am however, over the "You can call me Adam" stalker thing. Funny that in a show like this, I draw the line of believableness at the insinuation that Henry's stalker is THE biblical Adam.
Also watched AoS....just seemed off. Maybe it's because I knew that Jemma wasn't there and Ward had tried to kill himself multiple times so the impact of the reveal wasn't there but there were so many new people on the "team" that it felt a little like starting back at square one in the "getting to know you" department. Although must give kudos to Brett Dalton, he had the crazy eyes down perfect!
Right now I am playing with both Blogger and Wordpress. Trying to figure out which one I like better. Wordpress has more bells and whistles which I may never utilize but if I decide to stick with blogging, seems Wordpress would be the better choice in the long run. I'm taking a class now to help me with some of the basic coding needed to fully take advantage of Wordpress. I figure if I can't figure out the coding with a class, then I will stick with Blogger, even long term, as it is definitely the more user friendly of the two! Right now, still a working on the design...all I've got so far is a name: The A.D.D. Cat Lady :-)
Yeah, I guess the whole "084" thing was a bit much and Skye did seem to get preferential treatment from Coulson and everyone seemed to like her, but it didn't really bother me. you're right though about Garrett seeming cartoonish. He was super over the top and ridiculous as a villain and I'm kind of glad he's gone now.
ReplyDeleteI think writers should alloow us to make our own mind up about a character. If you want us to think they are important, then write a great character arc and allow others to be important too. I always feel like if other characters have to tell us how special a character is instead of us getting it through their development and actions, then it's just poor writing.
ReplyDeleteI am about one episode away from dropping The Blacklist until the midseason hiatus. I like the show but Mondays are ridiculously overcrowded and the pacing drives me crazy. I find I like The Blacklist best in marathon form. As for Red Band Society, I would like Emma, Kara, and the nurse Brittany to have some bonding time together since I think they would all become stronger characters for it.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand having to drop shows quickly because of time contraints. These first 2 weeks are going to be the most packed for me because of all the pilots but then I am cutting drastically so I can remain sane.
I'd like to see Skye become just another part of the team. I think then I would grow to like her. I really liked Garrett at first but then he went cartoonish and it all fell apart. I hope the villains this season are more grounded in reality and more in-depth. I always think the story is better when the villains are as well-rounded as the heroes.
ReplyDeleteSci-fi is hit and miss for me like most genres. A lot has to do with the pacing. I am very rare in that I love sci fi/fantasy genres, but I am not into superheroes or powers. I prefer my sci-fi to have humans battling supernatural forces, so I would generally take procedural action or power action. Superheroes are often too over the top for me.
ReplyDeleteI need it to pick up the pace a bit and dump the stalker subplot unless they make it far more important quickly. Right now it is just a distraction for me. I would rather exlore the relationships he has now, especially with Abe.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure the Stalker thing will be dragged out as the main plot. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteSci-fi can be hit or miss with me as well, but I don't notice much because I pretty much know which ones will hold my interest based on trailers. I have a knack for knowing which ones will be "good" (which ones I'll like) more than with other shows. I rarely ever drop a sci-fi/fantasy/so fourth show.
ReplyDeleteGrimm - Wow, you really do shoot for the moon. If I get 3 of the 6, I'll be shocked and pleased. I really don't know why they stuck Mama Grimm with the baby. I wanted her to take Trubel and for them to have a spin-off together. Can you imagine how awesome that would be? Perhaps Mama Grimm knows a supernatural babysitter that she can ditch the kid with of a semi-regular basis. I need he to regularly spice things up on Grimm.
ReplyDeleteGotham - good to know about the lore. I actually think i will like it better if it isn't so stepped in the lore.
NCIS: NO - I actually liked Pride's laid back approach. It was a nice change. Not that I won't missing him Gibbs slapping someone when they need it. I do think that a different leadership approach is good. If Gibbs was my boss, I'd be asking for a transfer immediately.
Forever - Oh the stalker. That's one subplot that needs to be dumped quickly. Have the person revealed, hash out if he's an ally or enemy, and dispatch of him if he's the latter. The show does not need a stalker element, or ANY Biblical references. They always screw them up.
I am on Blogger because SpoilerTV is so all I have to do is copy and paste from my website to this one. However I am anti-WordPress because they totally screwed up my favorite poll site when they bought it. I carry a grudge at them because of that, although if they hadn't bought Poll Daddy I would probably be exploring them too.
Totally understand that. It's a busy season already.
ReplyDeleteGrimm - I agree on the fairy tale aspect as well. It was great to see their take on things so I hope they bring that back. Fractured fairy tales is one of my favorite genres. I am okay with Grimm going epic, but only when they are going to concentrate on it for a few weeks and really go with it. The 1 step forward and three steps back dance never works for me.
ReplyDeleteSHIELD - I agree that they need to re-set up the season and the theme is different now too. Still I thought it lacked omph for lack of a better word. I like one of the new bad guys, but the army guy drives me insane. I wish they could stifle that but I guess they can't with the movies and such. It would be good to have a team effort.
Outlander - I do watch Outlander although I am not caught up. It is actually the nominated show of the week next week and then The Good Wife after that because those are the two I was supposed to review over the summer but never got to. Then I will start on this season's nominations.
White Collar Wish List:
1. A good ending. That is a definite must. I have loved htis show for too long to be disappointed in how it ends. HIMYM showed how a bad end can poison a fandom.
2. More Mozzie and Peter working together to help Neal. I need Mozzie's with and Peter's resources to help Neal out. I realize that he is going to be unkidnapped quickly given they don't have enough episodes to do otherwise so I want these two to team up again before Neal is released.
3. I want to see Alex one last time. This is not likely to happen, but I really wish it would. However as long as I get good El, June, Rebecca, and Diana time I might not even realize how much I miss Alex until the season is over.
I would love for SHIELD to do a May-focused season. She is my favorite character and still much of a mystery to me. I agree about Simmons coming back and I would add that I hope Fitz gets well sooner rathe than later although I like that they didn't gloss over all of the consequences of what Ward did to him. I also agree that Lucy Lawless was a gem. I have no real feelings about the other two yet, so hopefully they will be more developed as we go.
ReplyDeleteSHIELD, like Arrow, suffers from their villains. While SHIELD does it better, the people we have seen in the shadowy Hydra cabal have either been so ove rthe top as to be cartoonish or kind of boring. I would like to see a well-developed villain, whose motivations make sense and who is actually smart. they have not been too threatening like you said for an entire covert army. I expected more.
One of my favorite TV quotes comes from Dean Winchester of Supernatural. he said, "What's dead should stay dead." Abso - skippy - lutely! I am sick and tired of genre shows killing people off just to resurrect them a few episodes later. It has become as cliched as the love triangle. Time for that trope to be buried itself.
Agreed and it will be to the show's detriment.
ReplyDeleteYeah, sadly Alex actress is not on the list of guest stars they revealed (hopefully she has a great time in Greece...I can't be angry with the show because it at least gave her a good send-off). But hey, we get June, Keller, Rachel (I really look forward to seeing her again) and the complete cast (I was somewhat worried that El might spend all her time away, or Diana being "too busy" with her baby), so I am okay. Plus, no Sara, no danger of the stupid lost sister storyline rearing it's ugly head after all.
ReplyDeleteI think Neal would have been unkidnapped fast in any case. White Collar never lingered on plot points and was always worried of keeping Neal and Peter apart for too long.
Look forward to your opinion about Outlander. As a book-reader my perspective is a little bit hampered by knowing exactly where the story will go eventually.
I dunno if I'll even go back to it honestly. Unless it gets exceptionally good I see no reason to return to it.
ReplyDeleteI originally planned to watch 27 shows(not counting anything coming past October like State of Affairs and the like.) Clearly I was insane.
I'm pretty much trying to just get to a place where I don't need to DVR too many shows. I think I'm going to drop Black-ish too so I don't need to worry about Wednesday, and then I'm going to save New Girl for midseason to avoid it clashing with Supernatural. If my memory is correct then I'll only need to DVR Selfie(interferes with Flash) and A to Z (interferes with Gracepoint) which would be much easier on me then DVR-ing like 5-6 shows
LOL - go big or go home, right! If I had to settle for only three, I would take Wu, Royals/keys story line and a fully powered Nick with no more Juliette issues. But of course, Meisner could always babysit every now and then :-) then I could get my Meisner fix and Mama Grimm could play in Portland for a bit!
ReplyDeleteNCIS: NO - Gibbs is definitely not going to win any boss of the year awards!! Guess bottom line is that they went a little too far in showing that this is NOT the NCIS we are used to that it became annoying not refreshing for me. Had they left it at Pride's laid back approach, I would've been good but if Brody has to tell us how tough she is one more time, I will, for the first time in my life, throw socks over a NCIS show.
Forever - AGREE!!!! Let's leave the stalking stuff to the Criminal Minds type of shows and focus on the great characters this show already has!
I knew there is a Poll option on Wordpress, but didn't know it used to be Poll Daddy. What do you use on Blogger for polls?
True dat.
ReplyDelete