Posts Tagged ‘television’

Review: Arrow S02E02 “Identity”

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , , on October 20, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Arrow - Season 2Can we just make this the Diggle and Felicity show?

Seriously, Oliver is a complete waste of space and totally unlikable as a character. This would be good if he was the antagonist or even if he was a secondary character, but he’s the title character! But him and Laurel are painfully annoying in their characterizations, esp since both have now done 360s. Now Arrow doesn’t kill and now Laurel is ‘vengeance is thine!’. On paper, it sounds good, in practice, it’s just a little WTF? It’s called ‘character development’ not ‘character shake it like a Polaroid picture”.

Speaking of WTF, the flashbacks are as pointless as ever and only serve to make Oliver even more unlikable and seemingly stupid (hello, unprotected sex in the jungle?).

Diggle and Felicity are the only characters that really seem to have heart and consistency. But Oliver continues to crap all over his friendship with Diggle, only at the end of the episode apologize for being a douche, then continue to be a douche in the next episode. Felicity is the smartest one of the bunch and her sassiness is a welcome break from the brooding, except she keeps being reduced to the ‘awkward innuendo statement’ and yet another girl who has the unexplainable hots for Oliver.

On a side note, the sister has been much less annoying so far…but we’ll see how this whole thing goes down with Roy “Red Arrow” Harper helping out Oliver. He might be good for her, we’ll see.

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Review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S01E04 “Eye-Spy”

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , , on October 15, 2013| 2 Comments »

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.As much as I’m digging the comic book vibe, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. mustn’t forget they are a still a live action tv series. There is no way Ward kept from looking at his hands (especially while driving) or avoided all reflective surfaces for that long of a time. If you’ve read my Arrow reviews, then you know logistics fubars like this really annoy me. Thankfully, this isn’t Arrow, it is edging there, but only just.

The issues I have with AOS lay in the oversimplified dialogue, i.e. restating what’s previously been said and verbally stating the themes. Thankfully, unlike Arrow, AOS hasn’t gone so far as to completely speechify everything, were way too much screen time is used to show a character droning on about whatever deep point the writers feel they need to make.

Also, AOS isn’t taking itself so seriously. The problem with the ‘dark, gritty’ theme is that it leaves no real room for anything else. Everything has to be so serious and existential… which gets really old, really quick. AOS is keeping the adventure theme which offers a lot more latitude. It can be funny, it can be dramatic, it can be thoughtful, it can be insane, or it can be dark. That’s what AOS is bringing to the table, a much broader sense of the universe which doesn’t have to fit in a mold.

In this episode, the action (still with awesome productive values btw), the comedy, the intrigue, and a good dose of comic book adventure, makes up for the visual fubar, relegating it to just an annoyance rather than a glaring pain. The guest character also wasn’t there as fodder, and the little touch at the end in her cell seals an emotional connection with her. The intrigue is neither bluntly tossed around nor is it insanely over-complicated.

I didn’t mean for this review to become an Arrow vs AOS (DC vs Marvel) but these points needed to be made. If AOS could just fix the dialogue then this series would be near perfect. Well, I could at least forgive the logistic issues.

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ratings drop but still beats NCIS on ratings share

Posted in News and Editorials, tagged , , , on October 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Last week I talked about how Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s ratings dropped in its second episode but it wasn’t anything to worry about. Ratings dropped again on Tuesday, Oct 8th, but the whole night seemed to have crashed a bit.

Ep 1 – 4.7/14 rating/share – 12.12mil viewers
Ep 2 – 3.3/10 ratings/share – 8.66mil viewers
Ep 3 – 2.9/9 ratings/share – 7.87mil viewers

That’s a drop of .4 points, but heavy hitter NCIS only came in with a 2.8/9 rating share. Okay, so AOS only beat them by .1 of a point, but considering just how big of a series NCIS is, I’m sure ABC is calling that a win. AOS was also just shy of being #1 for the night as NBC’s The Voice came in at 3.0/9.

So yeah, context is important when it comes to the ratings, and so far it’s looking good. I’m positive we’ll get a back nine, and it’s looking good for a renewal.

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Review: Arrow S02E01 “City of Heroes”

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , , on October 9, 2013| 4 Comments »

Arrow - Season 2I think the writer’s notes got mixed in with the script…

There is a lot of dialogue in this episode that is literally just the characters talking about their characterization and about how they should probably change it. Oliver shouldn’t really kill people. Oliver and Laurel really should feel guilty for what they did. Etc. Everyone was getting character shifts, flipping on how they were last season due to the events in the Glades. Some of it’s reasonable, but others it’s like the writers figured this would be better for the character, so let’s change it.

While yes, it’s a good thing that Oliver isn’t just dropping bodies everywhere, and seeing Tommy’s stupid death (cause it was literally stupid, he just stands there waiting for the roof to fall) can change a person… the way it’s presented is so monotone and simplistic that I can’t help but wonder if these writers even understand the meaning of nuance?

Oh, and everyone is still whiny.

Seriously, everyone whined, except Walter, but he had like five lines.

The logistics weren’t nearly as bad… no, strike that, they were. Olivier’s Tarzan swing in the beginning was way to slow or that landmine was way too old. And if they had to parachute onto the island… then how did they get off it? You know… I’m just gonna stop there.

The good news is that the show hasn’t gotten any worse, they didn’t try to drastically change up anything (which might have actually been a good thing, but also very bad). So fans of the show are going to get more of the same. Which is good for them… and…. yeah… this is going to be a long season…

p.s. City of Heroes was an awesome game…

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Review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S01E03 “The Asset”

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , , , on October 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Agents_of_SHIELD_logoOh, now they’re just trolling us.

Coulson: You forget – I saw plenty of action with the Avengers. [walks away]
May: And you died.

Followed up later by…

Coulson: Should just be muscle memory.

Totally trolling us with what really happened on the Helicarrier. It screams Life Model Decoy, but would that be too obvious? But what other option is there? In theory, it shouldn’t be long before we find out.

As for the rest of the episode, this show has started to gain a dual personality much like fellow ABC series Once Upon A Time. The stuff with Ward and Skye is pretty lame, obvious, harsh on the dialogue. The stuff with Coulson…  OMG, freaking brilliant!

Every moment in the Ward/Skye/Training story line you could see the next piece in line. It was laid out like a high school drama play and predictable at every step. There was the occasional cute comment, but for the most part, it was where the episode dragged the most. The writers continue to flux with Skye’s seemingly questionable loyalties but it’s nothing new, nothing fresh, and it was predictable. No way she was going to turn on the team this quickly and not for that reason. Still no chemistry between Ward and Skye as well.

But then we get to Coulson’s plot arc. Only Coulson would just wear a suit to an infiltration like that. I mean, he doesn’t put on a flack vest, he doesn’t even strip to a t-shirt. Nope, just wearing the suit cause he’s classy like that. Then when he confronts the scientist, Dr. Hall, the whole scene with the rotating gravity was spectacularly well done for a tv-budget.  And his decision at the end, to sacrifice the man who was sacrificing himself. It was cold, it was calculating, and was probably the right thing to do. I literally sat up and said a few choice unrepeatable words.  This is the kind of thing we want to see more of in this show. The soft underbelly, the moralist existentialism. Basically, the stuff we’ve come to know from Whedon. I hope this is just the beginning.

Speaking of beginnings… yeah, way to go creating a super-villain there Coulson… couldn’t be more proud.

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Review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – S1E02 “0-8-4”

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , , , on October 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.I’m pretty sure that raft would have gotten sucked through the hole.

Convenient physics aside, this was your typical ‘now that the team is together, they have to learn how to work together’ episode. It was pretty straight forward plot and predictable with the double cross. The dialogue was at times very blunt, do we really need to be told they have a common enemy now? It was kinda obvious. Not to mention the show is really pushing the relationship between Ward and Sky and that’s given us some unfortunately dialogue, not to mention the two have no chemistry.

That being said, there was definitely an air of adventure to the series. They find an old Hydra weapon in an Incan temple, then fight people for control over it. It’s very old-school comics and that’s awesome to see here. Once the show gets into its groove it will be literally like watching a comic book in action. The dialogue and plotting needs work but it’s early days yet, and the show has several bright moments of snappy dialogue and genuine character feels.

My only worry is that the moment with Sky at the end was just a bit too obvious.  Everyone calls her a risk, blah blah, Coulson sticks up for her, blah blah, oh, guess what, she’s probably still working for Rising Tide. Unless there is a major twist somewhere, which is totally possible, this is going to have very little payoff. No surprises here.  But hey, two episodes in and it’s already a zillion times better than Arrow.

Lastly, FURY! Already we get a cameo from an MCU main character and it’s none other than Nick Fury himself telling Coulson off for the damage done to the plane. It was a great touch and very well done. I honestly thought Clark Gregg was going to crack up at one point, but then he delivers that obvious but fantastic “Cancel the fish tank” line. The whole scene is a beautiful touch that elevates the entire episode. Obviously they can’t have cameos like this in every episode, but the fact we get one early like this is a good sign for a lot of things to come.

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Must See TV

Posted in Random Stuff, tagged , on September 2, 2013| 2 Comments »

Here is a list of Television Shows that I think every person should watch in their lifetime.

  • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett)
  • Ashes to Ashes (UK)
  • Babylon 5
  • Batman: The Animated Series
  • Blackadder
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  • Cowboy Bebop
  • Dead Like Me
  • Fairy Tail
  • Farscape
  • Firefly
  • Forever Knight
  • Fringe
  • Futurama
  • Gargoyels: The Animated Series
  • Haven
  • Journeyman
  • Leverage
  • Life on Mars (UK)
  • Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
  • Merlin
  • Mistery Science Theater 3000
  • Murder, She Wrote
  • Mythbusters
  • Psych
  • Pushing Daises
  • Star Trek (all except Enterprise)
  • Stargate: SG1
  • Supernatural
  • Twin Peaks
  • X-Files
  • Xena: Warrior Princess

This isn’t everything I would recommend, but it’s everything I think you should definitely watch.

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Review: Arrow S01E20 Home Invasion

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , , , on April 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

CW's ArrowIt’s official, Oliver is officially the worst friend… ever.

Seriously, where to begin?

  • Oliver screws over Diggle and people die.
  • Oliver almost gets it on with the girl Slade likes.
  • Oliver basically steals away Laurel without trying.
  • Oliver makes Tommy feel very emasculated.
  • Oliver encourages vigilantism.

On the Bonus side, the sister isn’t nearly as annoying as she used to be and Dresden had a really great moment as well.

But yes, Oliver is a worse friend than Bruce Wayne… which is why he’s driving everyone away from him. But you know what, I can’t feel sorry for Oliver at all. Screw him. Make Diggle the star of the show!!

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Review: Arrow “The Huntress Returns”

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , , on March 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

CW's ArrowArrow: A Study In Hypocrisy.

Seriously, I kinda lost count as to the how and why Oliver kills people… I mean, four episodes ago Oliver killed all of Vanch’s underlings without batting an eye but like “No, you can’t kill Vanch cause that would be vengeance not justice!” Erm… huh? What about the underlings? I’m so confused…

As for Huntress, I admit not being up on the Green Arrow or Birds of Prey mythos… but I’ve been told she’s not a bad guy. Is this some kind of Xena stuff where she starts out bad and eventually is made good? Maybe she forsakes the horrible goth-wannabe wardrobe and starts kicking it old school? Perhaps that’s for season two…

Okay, so the River Song meeting Dresden moment wasn’t as epic as I had hopped… in fact… did Alex Kingston forget to act? Seriously, what was going on there?! What was she going for, the anti-River Song?

Oh, and Oliver loses another girlfriend… I’m totally rolling my eyes… his love life is really annoying. There are too many other relationship things going on right now with other people that something has to give and I think Olivier’s should be it. Yes, he’s the lead character, but we need to see him characterize through being Arrow… his relationships with his family and friends… not though his girlfriends. Ugh.

Speaking of relationships… Thea was getting it on with Red Arrow… so ‘Speedy’ was making out with ‘Speedy’… I understand them wanting to skip the Robin-esque background of the original Speedy but calling his sister Speedy instead and then having her hook with him… creepy… and what was up with that knife fight? He just decides to randomly do a really bad interpretation of Spider-Man? What can I say, it was awkward.

Now, when this show started, the flashbacks at least tried to tie into what was going on in present time. However, now the flashbacks is just like a mini-series running alongside Arrow as its own thing. That kinda makes it better now… as much as it’s annoying that they are wasting time they could be using to flesh out the characters, the flashbacks actually now have a purpose and a drive independent of the present story. This shows promise.

But I’m still confused…

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Review: Arrow S01E16 “Dead to Rights”

Posted in Reviews, tagged , , , on February 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

CW's ArrowAnd the writers prove they (unfortunately) understand the meaning of irony.

That building had nothing but glass windows… and Captain Jack was standing there for like half an hour… so why didn’t Deadshot shoot him?  Why didn’t Deadshot go for the head-shot? Why did only the one cop go up to the stairs? Why didn’t she find her way to the penthouse? But before that, why was he having a date on a night he KNOWS something will happen?

Seriously, the logistics of this show drives me batty sometimes!

Speaking of Bats… towards the end were they channelling Spider-Man ala Green Goblin? Psst, that’s Marvel! Though I suppose it could be canon to the Green Arrow comics… I can’t be bothered to check it out. I do read DC’s Suicide Squad and Floyd is a much better/complex character in it than in this show.

Overall, it was still a better episode than the front end of this season, they toned down the relationship drivel and didn’t do too much with the flashback… but it still wasn’t a good episode by any means.

Oh, River Song shows up and says “Hello Laurel”… no “Hello sweetheart”? Arrow. I. Am. Disappoint.

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