Almost Human 1.02 Review: The Importance of Being Remembered

For all those that have yet to watch last night’s episode of Almost Human, entitled ‘Skin’, I suggest that you go do that before proceeding ahead. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

This series is kind of brilliant. While the pilot episode was a little tedious in that it had to set this world up for us, this episode kind of made me fall in love with this series. Just the way it began, that opening was perfectly wonderful for a futuristic cop drama that shows us more about people through the eyes of one synthetic (read: robot) than some people are able to express it today’s world.

Really, I kind of loved this episode. No, it didn’t share as much continuity with the previous episode as I like for my television, but I’m kind of okay with that because this episode was much better than the pilot. After watching this, I see more of a mix of many different series, blended together quite professionally. This is the kind of cop drama I can get into.

Can I just comment on the CGI work and special effects? They’re amazing! I mean, for someone who has watched Once Upon A Time for three years now, this sci-fi series blows their special effects out of the water. For a TV budget, I can find hardly anything remiss, and I tend to have an eye for seeking out terrible special effects. I feel like I stepped into a movie budget on television. That being said, that could worry me if this series doesn’t reach a high amount of viewership, more so than normal, it could mean unreasonable cancellation based on its likely high budget. I certainly hope that isn’t the case.

Karl Urban was much more interesting tonight as Detective John Kennex. The man has this strange kind of humour to him that I just find adorable. While I can see them eventually pairing him up with Minka Kelly’s Detective Stahl, I would like to see a bit more chemistry between them and scenes shared before that develops further. They could have something interesting, but at the moment it seems more one-sided in her awe for him, despite how he explained his ideal woman is basically her in a nutshell.

For me, Michael Ealy’s rendition of Dorian that was the star of the episode. The very subtle way in which he is able to play his emotions into what is basically a robot is simply phenomenal. Every time his face shows up on screen, I can’t help but watch the minute nuances that display emotional in the slightly stilted synthetic way. This is the man to watch in this series.

Also, I’m very much enjoying the partner relationship between Kennex and Dorian. They do seem to be coming along as a great team, and I am quite intrigued to watch this develop over the course of this series. I’m sure there will still be many obstacles to overcome, despite how they seem to have clicked more as partners since Sunday’s pilot episode. They are definitely a pair I can see watching over the long run.

All in all, I really love this series. While it is still soon to say if I will watch this series as long as it runs, especially being that I can find cop procedurals eventually tedious, as long as they keep an interesting and fresh take for my television to record each week, I will come back. There are definitely some mysteries to be solved, and some relationships to be watched over the course of this show. I’m just a little weary that there is something a little off with this show that I can’t put my finger on. Still, I am intrigued by the promos for the next episodes.

My rating: 8 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Maybe the cats are allergic to you. Did you ever think of that?” – Dorian relates to Kennex.

“Add him to the list of kids and cats.” – Kennex tells Dorian, regarding the list of those that don’t like Kennex.

“Who is going to remember me?” – Dorian asks Kennex, in an emotionally charged statement.

“Don’t scan my testicles. Ever again.” – Kennex says to Dorian.

All right, ladies and gents, I’m off to watch Sleepy Hollow now. Stay tuned.

Dracula 1.02 Review: The Heart Wants What The Heart Wants

Anyone that has yet to watch Friday night’s episode of Dracula, entitled ‘A Whiff of Sulfur’, here’s the only point where I will suggest you do that before reading ahead. As always, this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Not a great second episode, not bad, but it was a little tedious and boring at points. It almost feels like there is too much set up to be had with, that there really isn’t enough story to depend on. This is a series about Dracula, a vampire that has had many variations of his story told. Certainly there must be a more interesting way of writing him into Victorian England that is better than what they are doing. Yes, this is the beginning of this tale, but too much beginning can alienate an audience.

One of the things that I have note that I did like this episode was the way the fight scenes are filmed. I quite enjoyed the slowed down cinematography to accentuate how visceral violence can be. Still, this technique may eventually become boring if it is the only way fighting scenes are filmed. But for the second episode, I do still enjoy it. The rest of the cinematography on the other hand was far too English for my liking. I don’t know what it is about English television, but I’ve never been able to enjoy its low quality filming style, and this series appears to be adapting that. For now I can get passed it, but I’m not sure for how long that will last.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers I also have to commend for being the best part of this series. He is a phenomenal actor, and quite perfect for this role. While I’m still not a fan of his need to use an American accent and how annoying it is compared to the British one he adapts while in the company of Renfield, I do seem to be able to get passed it. The way he is able to play this character is just splendid. And might I add how fantastic he looked in the flashback scenes where he has longer hair and blood distorting his face. I also find it quite intriguing, and almost despairing, to see that he imagines Mina – or her likeness at least – in the woman he was sleeping with’s place. Dracula really did love his wife.

While I am happy to see that Mina isn’t a proper English woman, and wishes to strive for something more, I do think that the character needs to be developed more. At this moment, she seems rather flimsy and almost dull, with a personality that doesn’t appear to come out quite clearly. I do hold out hope for her, but I’m worried that it may be the actress, and not the character herself.

Of the other characters, Harker is the only one that strikes me as half as interesting as the two aforementioned characters. While it disappoints me that in his drunken stupor he thought he could stagnate Mina’s dreams once a ring fit on her finger, I hope that this is resolved somewhat in the long run. I do hope Dracula himself and Mina end up together eventually, but now would be too soon if this series hopes to hold together for many seasons. But again about Harker, I am happy to follow him in his curiousity of this seemingly American character. It’s nice to be able to wonder along with a character that seeks the answers the audience duly seeks. I just hope he’s not as misogynistic as he came off in this episode, although it may have had something to do with his yearning to be able to take care of Mina while he couldn’t pay for anything in this episode until he got the new job.

All in all, this isn’t the worst thing out there, but it does lack a certain appeal. I hope to find it more interesting, and that the villains of the piece gain more personality than the blandness they’ve so far appeared to have. They’re kind of boring, and that’s not a great thing to have in a series you want to last. I was happy to see that there were opening credits, although rapid in their introduction. I’m always more interested in watching a series like the good old days where opening credits were the norm, as compared with today where an opening title is what’s usual. I will continue to give this series a few more episodes, but intrigue is a necessity for the long run.

My rating: 6 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“To lose her twice would be more than I could bear.” – Grayson (aka Dracula) explains to Renfield his reasoning behind keeping Mina in his life.

“Even you, you miserable git.” – Harker says to one of his co-workers.

Okay, I’m off to write up my review for Haven now. After that I’ll be writing reviews of Once Upon A Time and Revenge. Then I’m all caught up. If you have yet to read my apology and reason behind the lateness of this review, please check out the end of my latest Revolution review. Stay tuned.

Once Upon A Time in Wonderland 1.02 Review: Love is About Faith, but Proof is Nice

Anyone that has yet to watch tonight’s episode of Once Upon A Time in Wonderland, titled ‘Trust Me’, I suggest you do so now. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

While I like how spunky Alice is, and how witty the Knave is, this is not a great series. The terrible CGI work is distracting, and I don’t have as strong a pull to this character as I did Emma in the mother show. For the life of me I don’t see how this series could possibly do well without Once Upon A Time as a lead in. When Betrayal is cancelled – and it will be cancelled eventually – Revenge should be moved to the 10 o’clock spot, and this series should move into the 9 o’clock slot. Not as great as the 8 pm slot, but it really will need Once Upon A Time as a lead in if it hopes to do well.

Jafar and the Red Queen’s costumes are always so ridiculous and too over done. They look like they’re kids dressing up in costumes, rather than characters trying to show off how bad or powerful they are. There’s always bits jutting out, mostly from shoulders, and the very costume red they’ve given the Queen is just terrible. The writers are supposed to make these characters feel like actually people that could exist in the fantastical world of Wonderland, but half the time I just expect them to poof into little children playing dress up. The Knave and Alice’s outfits on the other hand feel like just that, outfits. They fit the situations and suit the characters.

Despite how badly the CGI is for Wonderland, when the scenes were set in Agrabbah they actually looked realistic. That setting actually looked like it could exist somewhere. Wonderland’s does not. Again, let me implore the showrunners to actually put a bit more money into the tacky CGI work they’ve been doing so far, make it a little more believable. About the only scenes that were believable were the forest ones, where CGI isn’t needed.

The way Emma Rigby plays the Red Queen is mostly not working. The woman looks like a baby faced model, yet another thing that fits my theory of these characters just being children we’ll eventually learn just have a decent imagination and are playing with each other. Poof, these are actually just kids behind the curtain (and, yes, that was a Wizard of Oz reference). Naveen Andrews is also not playing his character as believably as he should. Sure, kids are supposed to be able to watch this series and not get super frightened, but kids aren’t as stupid as people make them out to be. Besides, I was watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer when I was eight, and those villains were at least believably evil.

And one final note before I get too worked up about the stupidity of parts of this series, I don’t care what the showrunners are saying, the Knave has some serious chemistry with Alice. Sure, every scene she spends with the Genie has a love feeling to it, but it’s more like puppy love, the thing young kids or teenagers have. With the Knave it’s like they can actually work together. I know they’re writing it so that there is no love triangle involved, but I’m sorry, it doesn’t look that way every time the actors are on screen together. Besides, why would he go to save her from the asylum if he didn’t have some kind of feelings for her?

My rating: 6 out of 10 (and that’s being generous).

Best Lines:

“With a name like that, why would they? Unless they were a care bear.” – the Knave tells Alice.

“Oh, bloody hell.” – Alice says, before she forces herself to drop from the fairy’s magic to save the Knave from drowning.

All right, I’m off to go watch The Vampire Diaries, then either Grey’s Anatomy or The Crazy Ones, not sure which will come next just yet. Stay tuned.

The Originals 1.02 Review: A Home is Worthless Without Family

This is your only warning. If you haven’t watched tonight’s episode of The Originals, titled ‘House of the Rising Son’, then now would be a good time to do so. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Not a bad episode, not great television, but for the CW network, it’s not a bad series. The actors are pretty, and some of the acting is good, plus it’s set in a beautiful location, so no complaints there. It’s just not as thrilling as it could be, and the writing isn’t tight enough for it to be great television. There is certainly potential for greatness, but with the writers it’s got, it’s highly unlikely that it will capture it.  Plus, there’s a lot of recycled material from other, better series (*cough*Angel*cough*), that it’s really just like the second kid to say a joke because everyone laughed at it when the first kid said it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still tune in from week to week, but my standards won’t be set too high.

We got a bit of a backstory to Marcel this week, and for the most part it was good. I don’t like it that he was the one to betray his desires for Rebecca, and then goes and acts like she was the problem now, but I’m sure we’ll get more to that later. I do like the actor they’ve picked for the role, but he does seem to come across a little too arrogant. And also, what is his deal with Cami (he does like his blondes)? He seems to be fixated on her a little too much. She’s barely been around, but it’s like the King wants a Queen. It’s quite unrealistic; they don’t even know each other well enough. That’s the problem with some of these series’, they set up young kids with unrealistic expectations of love, it’s not natural for someone to be in love (the end all kind) with someone in a matter of days. But I relent.

While I liked the flashbacks scenes that had to do with Marcel, particularly the ones with Rebecca in them as well, I wasn’t too fond of the beginning flashback, with Rebecca’s voiceover. Flashbacks really don’t need voiceovers; they’re unnecessary and rather annoying. But like I said, I enjoyed the ones with Marcel and Rebecca, and I’d definitely liked to see them together a lot more. Though, they need to work a bit on their chemistry. There’s a spark there, but it doesn’t completely feel like flames to me. That feeling they imply they have for each other, about still wanting each other, it almost feels a bit one sided. But I suppose time does change people when you live as long as they can.

Okay, thought here. So Marcel’s asked Davina to find a way to kill an Original. Basically, he could use it against Klaus if he wanted, but that would kill him, because he stems from Klaus’s line. Does he know that? Is he going to get Davina to work some way around that? Because Bonnie couldn’t even do that without putting Klaus in someone else’s body, so it would be unfair if she could. Bonnie is supposed to be the strongest witch, straight from Salem. So what is with this Davina chick? Don’t get me wrong, she’s intriguing, and the father-daughter thing she’s got going on with Marcel compels me to believe he raised her, but there’s no way she’s simply a witch. I’m ridiculously curious to know what it is about her.

Two final notes about the episode, before I sign off for a time. One, I can really see that background of friendship between Phoebe Tonkin, who plays Hayley, and Claire Holt, who plays Rebecca. The two actresses worked together in their homeland of Australia, and it’s easy to read the friendship they have with each other in their characters scenes. It’s a little too easy for the characters, but I understand where it’s coming from.

The other note I have about the episode was the end song. While this series hasn’t bestowed us with the most amazing music, mostly stuff I can’t remember, but I rather liked the closing song for this episode. Sacrilege by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Immediately after I heard it, I went and downloaded. That’s the stuff I want to hear in this series, not nameless garbage.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“You narcissistic, backstabbing wanker.” – Rebecca yells, calling out for Klaus.

“I’d have greater chance of draining the Mississippi with a straw.” – Klaus yells after Marcel, regarding controlling his sister.

“I’ll have someone see to the air conditioning.” – Klaus tells Hayley, lightening up a deep conversational mood.

“Our home is worthless without family.” – Rebecca apprises Klaus rather poignantly.

Okay, I’m off to go colour my hair, then I think I’ll watch New Girl while it sets. After that it’s Trophy Wife, Supernatural, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Crazy Ones 1.02 Review: Failure is on the Road to Greatness

For all those that have yet to watch tonight’s episode of The Crazy Ones, titled ‘The Spectacular’, or are simply not caught up at all and are hoping to do so without the threat of spoilers, then now would be the time to exit this blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Right off the bat, this series began its second episode of comedy most hilariously. Every interaction between Robin Williams’s character and James Wolk’s character is just hysterical. Not only do they have a childlike friendship that works out brilliantly, but they play off each other like no others.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and surmise that the beginning of each episode will include that backdrop and either photographic or videographic advertisement, much like the first episode and this one. While this time around it worked out a little better than last week’s, I’m not sure if they eventually won’t find themselves stuck in this rut of having to write that into the beginning of the episode.

This series surprisingly managed to stick in a lot of penis metaphors, while not making them too graphic. It’s nice to see a show dip into immaturity, without dipping into the immaturity that is merely infantile in humour. I like that I seem to be able to trust this series won’t shy away from that comedy, but at the same time won’t rely on it.

The episode this week I believe was very funny, and that was without depending on the backing of a commercial product (McDonalds) or a celebrity guest (Kelly Clarkson). This is a sitcom I can get behind. Fast paced, interesting new world, and characters that play off each other brilliantly. It’s almost comedy gold. Based off merely this episode, I quite hope this series gets a second season because I desperately want to see these characters for years to come.

While I’m a big fan of Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy for the win!), I do think she needs a little work with her facial acting when it comes to comedy. That, and she looks really thin in the face and neck area. Maybe it has something to do with the stress of raising two kids, I don’t know, but I would like to see her looking a little healthier.

 Maybe it was just me having a girl moment, but didn’t anyone else squeal when they saw the ducks all following after Simon and Andrew? They were just so adorable and fuzzy! Definitely the right move in making Simon appear eccentric and childlike in nature. Perhaps that’s the reason he is so able to freely come up with brilliant ideas for advertisement, because he’s got the imagination and heart of a child.

All in all, I greatly responded to this second outing for the series. It has everything I look for in a comedy, funny, great chemistry between actors, and interesting storylines to be followed. I would like to see some development for Sydney when it comes to relationships with men, but this is only the second episode, I trust that will come in due time.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Best Line:

“No, but you can get a gay one. Because ducks are fabulous!” – Simon responding to his daughter’s question of whether she can get a straight answer.

All right, I’m off to watch Grey’s Anatomy now, then it’s either The Originals or The Vampire Diaries. Probably in reverse order for possible continuity issues.