Almost Human 1.04 Review: A Rooster in the Henhouse

Any of those that have yet to watch last night’s episode of Almost Human, titled ‘The Bends’, that would like to do so without the threat of spoilers, the time to turn away from your screen would be now. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Well, this week’s episode wasn’t quite as good as the last two episodes, but it wasn’t all bad. I didn’t mind so much that it opened up with a scene that involved Rudy’s character in a tough situation, only to get set back twenty-four hours before to fill in all blanks. My one problem with the way they did that was that I find Rudy’s character isn’t quite as fully developed as he could be. The actor is great at portraying him as a geeky lover of science and technology, and all that entails, it’s just the really visceral emotions that he seems to have trouble with. I don’t really feel like everything comes across clear enough when it comes to his emotions, which is why I’m on the fence with this character; he’s great sometimes, but not others. It works as a secondary character, but when he’s used as a focus of an episode, it doesn’t quite come across.

The way this episode was written, it was a little predictable that it would turn out to be the narcotics Captain that was the Bishop. Honestly, Kennex is a character we’re shown to trust, so there was no way we wouldn’t be expected to trust his judgment of the fallen police officer, and thus that led to the aforementioned Captain being the villain of the piece. It was fun to watch Kennex shoot him dead, but I expect in a more dramatic series, that would’ve led to a darker moment for the character because he was definitely able to arrest the man – as proper police procedure dictates. Nonetheless it didn’t completely detract from the episode.

Overall, this episode had both comical moments, and slightly more heartfelt ones. There were a lot of great cinematographic shots to the episode that I really loved. I just wish this week’s episode could’ve been a little deeper, and less superficial. Basically, this week’s episode was weaker than that of the pilot, and much worse than the last two episodes. Still, I am liking this series.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

No memorable lines.

All right, I’m going to take a brief break for the moment, to try and recharge, and I’ll be back after to review The Blacklist. Later, check in for reviews of The Originals, Supernatural, and Trophy Wife.

Dracula 1.04 Review: Trust is Stronger than Love

Anyone that has yet to watch last night’s episode of Dracula, entitled ‘From Darkness to Light’, now would be a good time to do that. For this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

All right, I’m going to keep this quick so I have time to review Bones tonight and at least watch Haven, so here goes.

Meh. This episode was mediocre television in my eyes. About only two things I found redeeming: Mina’s curiousity, and the scene between Grayson, Lady Weatherby, and Josef. Otherwise this series isn’t feeling like enough for me. It’s very bland, and isn’t a refreshing take on the age-old Dracula tale. There are little bits that I enjoy, but it’s just not peeking my interest quite enough for only the fourth episode.

It’s sad for me, I absolutely adore Jonathan Rhys Meyers and wish the writing in this series was up to par with his acting capabilities. This is a talented man and they’re just not using him as much as they should. It’s also disappointing because I’d love to see Mina and Grayson eventually being together, but this series may not last long enough to get there. I understand the need for vengeance, but it’s not being done as interesting as it could be. I really feel the need to go in there and clean house.

Not only that, but it still has that genuine British television vibe to me, and, like I said in a previous review of this series, I just don’t like British television. There’s just something about the way that it’s filmed that makes it appear too uncultured. The cinematography just looks cheaply done and makes it difficult to hold my attention.

Overall, I’m thinking I’m only going to be able to give this series one more episode, maybe two, before I call it quits. I desperately want this to be good, but it’s just not cutting it with me. I will be giving it at least one more episode, so I implore the writers to make it worth my while so I’ll want to stick around for more.

My rating: 6 out of 10.

Best Line:

“Unless, of course, you’d like to stay here and discuss floral arrangements.” – Grayson notes to Harker.

Okay, I’m off to watch Bones now, in its very new timeslot. I’m not all that happy about at the moment because I get off work at 2 am on Friday’s, and I already have two series I watch, so three hours of television now and about a half hour each review. It’s a lot of work, but I prevail. Stay tuned for that review.

Once Upon A Time In Wonderland 1.04 Review: The Search for Power

Anyone that has yet to watch tonight’s episode of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, entitled ‘The Serpent’, then now would be the time to go and do that. For this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Every time I watch this series, the bulk of it makes me cringe and want to stop watching. But then I think, what if there is a crossover with Once Upon A Time, or even just something small that would link the shows together, and I have to keep watching. Not only that but I like the character of Alice and the Knave, it’s just disappointing that this series isn’t better than it is when the show it spun off of was great in its first season. Makes me wish they’d kept the idea of this just linking the winter hiatus of Once.

The most disappointing thing about this series is twofold. Once again I will reiterate how the costumes – namely the Red Queen and Jafar’s – look cheap and make the actors look like they’re dressing up. It doesn’t help that the baby-faced Queen very well could just be a tot imagining all this. Every time I think of that, I flash back to an episode of Avatar: the Last Airbender, where Aang says the two warring communities was just based on the brotherly fight between infants, when in actuality he’d never met them.

The other issue with this series, again, is the CGI. It doesn’t help me immerge with the magic this series is supposed to have. It’s easy with a book, it’s left up to the imagination of the reader, but with a television series, the visuals are quite integral to the pace of the story. And in this case, more so than Once Upon A Time, the CGI is abysmal. And for all those Friends lovers out there, contrary to Joey’s belief, abysmal is not a good thing. I just don’t understand what the showrunners are spending their episodic budget on, the only name actor I can see other than the voice of the rabbit would be Jafar, so salary can’t be an issue. I just don’t see it.

All in all, I’m not sure how I’m still watching this series. It’s not very good, and somehow seems to be more over the top than its mother ship. This week’s episode did have a nice use of a catapult, aiding Alice and the Knave in their escape, and if it hasn’t been said before, the man in the other cage must be the Sultan. But I just don’t see this spinoff being able to stand on its own, it really needs its mother ship to help it get its own legs.

My rating: 6 out of 10.

Best Line:

“Excuse me. Pardon me. (Pause) I have a blade.” – Alice says to the townspeople, as she tries to get to the board that says the Knave is to be executed that day.

All right, I’m off to watch The Vampire Diaries now. After that it’ll be Grey’s Anatomy, and then capping it off with The Crazy Ones. I may or may not watch all before reviewing anymore, but stay tuned anyways.

The Originals 1.04 Review: Where Allegiances Lie

For any that have yet to watch last night’s episode of The Originals, entitled ‘Girl in New Orleans’, I suggest you go and do so now. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

For a series that isn’t the greatest thing to grace television, I sure don’t like it when the episode is done. Perhaps the characters provide for interesting dilemmas, or maybe it’s how much I really do love New Orleans, but either way this series is growing on me. The writing’s not great, and the actors are a little too pretty but it is a decent series to spend an hour a week watching. I only wish The Vampire Diaries was this intriguing still.

The character of Cami was given a fair amount of backstory this week. I have to say that I am intrigued by the acts her brother committed. Might I add how beautifully shot that brief flashback was? I also enjoyed the performance from the priest in this episode. While I saw it coming that he would ingest vervain, how broken up he was about the murders was quite moving. Again, can I just say how much I enjoy Hayley on this series as opposed to The Vampire Diaries? She’s a much better character, and actress, playing against all of these other characters. The way she acted in this episode was wonderful, killing her actors, and then fainting into Klaus’s arm at the end. Still, I’m curious to know why they want her dead. We got to see more of Davina this week, and she’s a perplexing character. I definitely want to know more in reference to her abilities and her background, as well as how her and Elijah will interact with each other.

This series is something of a guilty pleasure, but I don’t mind that. The actors are pretty, I’m still intrigued by what is going to happen, and I look forward to the episodes and the music each week. Sure, I could write circles around these writers, and there’s only so long this story will be able to survive, but for now it’s a nice easy watch each week. Not great, but good.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Line:

“If I had a dollar for every mess my family’s gotten me into.” – Rebecca mutters.

Okay, I’m going to go take a break now. Check back in later for my review of Supernatural.

The Crazy Ones 1.04 Review: Creative Time Crunch

For all those that have yet to watch last night’s episode of The Crazy Ones, entitled ‘Breakfast Burrito Club’, then I suggest you go and do so now. As always, this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

I love this show. This has probably become my favourite new sitcom of the season, mind you I’ve only watched three, and one of them I stopped watching after two episodes (Brooklyn Nine-Nine). Still, the easy comedy that comes out of these actors, both established and not, is quite lucrative. And the fast paced world of advertising is perfectly placed in a city such as New York.

A few of my favourite comedic moments in this episode were seeing how much of a workaholic Sydney is, and how she was being forced to go on vacation to Hawaii. Her ability to draw flawless circles, which is completely ridiculous in real life, but this is a sitcom, and it’s not completely out there. Also, Zack’s crush on the girl Natalie, feelings he’s not used to having. And then there was Lauren’s psychotic poetry about her ex Charlie. Simple but brilliant comedy, which is what I find is true of the most successful sitcoms.

It was good to see an episode more focused around Sydney, rather than her father Simon. Good to know that this series will be able to revolve around each of these characters, from week to week. Sarah Michelle Gellar’s comedic bones are beginning to shine, and I have to say that I’m liking it so far. This makes me excited to be able to eventually see episodes that focus on Zack, Lauren, and Andrew. While I know Simon and Sydney will pull more attention to them, it’s good to see how great the ensemble cast is.

I have to say that I’m surprised they threw in that moment with Sydney and Andrew this episode. While it was easy to see the weird back and forth chemistry in this episode between them, I really thought this series was going to eventually lead to Zack and Sydney being together. That may still happen in the future, but it doesn’t really seem likely anymore, or even after watching the first episode. I know this is a series about a family workplace environment, but it’s nice to see some kinds of romance popping up every now and again.

This sitcom is definitely my favourite newbie, possibly even my favourite sitcom altogether, although there’s not much competition currently on television these days. I really like to see the family unit these guys fit into the workplace. It’s great to see that not everyone is constantly bickering behind each other’s backs. Really looking forward to seeing this series grow.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“You better be in love with her, after that pointless story you made us listen to.” – Andrew tells Zack.

“Suburban murder-suicide.” – Lauren expresses where she thinks love leads.

“She makes me less tall?” – Andrew questions Sydney.

“We discuss our feelings while we quilt.” – Andrew says of his sisters and him.

“How do I make her stop talking?” – Zack asks. “Marry her.” – Simon responds.

All right, people, that’s all for tonight. Check back in tomorrow for my fifth edition of Best Performances of the Week, and my review of Haven. Otherwise I’m off to let my head dethaw from all this numbness.