Outlander 1.06 Review: The Truth of the Matter

The latest episode of Outlander aired Saturday night, entitled ‘The Garrison Commander’, and boy was it chock-full of fun (she writes sarcastically) – and oh so enlightening. This was the first episode I had the pleasure of viewing going into it with knowledge of what was to come, having just surpassed the storytelling of the TV series two days prior reading the book. Nonetheless, it was still quite enjoyable, and not just because it shook things up a bit by differing from the book in where certain events were placed timeline wise. Having continued further in the book, though, let me just tell you; I’m looking forward to the next episode even more.

Anyways, getting back to this episode, I found myself enjoying the momentum of this TV series, in respects to the book. The way they’ve laid out certain conversations (i.e. how she’s informed of Jamie’s second whipping) and gotten to certain moments (Claire not being taken to Inverness, but actually needing to be handed over to the dubious Black Jack Randall for “questioning”) works much more efficiently with regards to the medium of TV than how it was plotted out in the first novel. The showrunners and writers seem quite capable with the material they were given from the books, and properly translating that onto the screen.

So, basically this week we learned just how terrible a person Jack Randall is, by way of his flashing back on the flogging of Jamie some years prior, as well as his brief beating of Claire to elicit the truth out of her. This is the pivotal moment when Claire truly realizes just how great a departure this Randall is of her dear – unborn – husband and is able to see him as more of the villain of the piece – at least in my belief. We also discovered, in order to not be handed over to Randall and the English Red Coats, Claire must wed a Scot – none other than the beautiful (despite/in spite of his back) Jamie *insert correct last name here*. This led to what is probably my favourite part of this episode; the conversation between Claire and Jamie at the end.

In regards to other aspects of the episode, I would just like to raise my hand now and say that I, for one, enjoy the voice-overs by the ever-lovely Caitriona Balfe (Claire). I really don’t understand why everyone is all up in a tizzy about the voice-overs; I honestly believe they help us delve into the mind of Ms. Claire Beauchamp. Also, I would like to commend all those involved in the flogging scene, other than some slightly unrealistic skin flap, it was quite well done. Speaking for myself, I liked the real look of the streaming blood, and the way they filmed the scene with Sam Heughan (Jamie) slipping all over the place. This was quite a pivotal moment for this season, and not only to demonstrate Randall’s monstrous qualities, but to establish Jamie’s character as well. To go through all that pain, and not to cry out or be broken by it – quite remarkable.

 All in all, this was a very well put together episode. This certainly marked the point where the momentum of the series begins moving much more fluidly, and shed a great deal of light on our leading characters. I absolutely adored getting to see more of the Scottish countryside, and particularly liked that stream marked as something liars may not drink from and expect to be able to lie without consequence. The pieces of this series certainly appear to be coming together quite well as this point, and I look forward to the last two episodes before the split season break.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“The truth carries a weight that no lie can counterfeit.” – Randall explains to Claire.

“I believe that a part of you lives still.” – Claire remarks. “It would be pretty to think so.” – Randall replies.

“Doesn’t it bother you that… that I’m not a virgin.” – Claire inquires. “Well, uh, no. So long as it doesna bother you that… I am. … I reckon one of us should ken what they’re doing.” – Jamie responds.

Once Upon A Time In Wonderland 1.06 Review: Sometimes the Maddest Stories are the Truest

Anyone that has yet to watch tonight’s episode of Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, entitled ‘Who’s Alice’, that is what I suggest you do before proceeding ahead. For this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Well, that was an okay episode. We got to see a bit more of Alice’s past and how she came to reside in that asylum after returning home. I couldn’t help but think of the new stepmom as a bitch, but the kid sister was kind of cute. I only wish she’d have tried to explain a few things to her before leaving for the asylum. It may be just me, but sometimes sisters have to protect one another, even from overbearing (and in this case, asshole) parents.

Otherwise, I did like watching Alice in that almost high state of fake happiness. The actress was brilliant at that and in showing her anger towards Will regarding him taking her from that place. Also, I did enjoy the Red Queen tonight, although not half as much as last week’s episode. I was glad that Jafar was only used sparingly in this episode, because he’s honestly not the strongest – or most interesting – character this series has. I was glad to see that Will was back in full form, but not so happy to have so much Cyrus. I’m sorry, but as much as they try to push that Alice and Cyrus are one another’s true love, I can’t help but notice the chemistry between Alice and Will – despite his not having a heart.

All in all, this episode was decent. Nothing extremely exciting about, but I did mostly enjoy the flashbacks. Certainly not as strong as the last episode, but not as bad as some this series has had. I just wish this show could grow to be consistently good, and that the writing and CGI would really get better. With episodes like this, as soon as Cyrus and Alice find each other, I can honestly see myself tuning out. This show really should have stayed a bridge between Once Upon A Time’s winter hiatus.

My rating: 6 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Sometimes the maddest stories are the truest ones.” – Jafar explains to the doctor.

“Seems like an awful waste of wood when one sign would do.” – Alice mutters to herself before entering the Black Forest.

“Me! You should believe in me!” – Alice proclaims to her father.

Alright, folks, I’m off to heat up some food and watch Grey’s Anatomy. Stick around for my review of that as well as the one after for The Crazy Ones.

The Originals 1.06 Review: No One Hurts Family and Lives to Talk About It

Anyone that has yet to watch Tuesday night’s episode of The Originals, entitled ‘Fruit of the Poisoned Tree’, now is your last chance to do so without the threat of spoilers before reading ahead. As always, this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

This series is such a guilty pleasure for me because I absolutely love it. It doesn’t always end up moving the way I expect, or want, it to go, but I keep tuning in every week and enjoying this series to no end. Perhaps it’s partly due to my deep love for all things New Orleans, or even my masterful crush on series lead Joseph Morgan, but either way I just love this series. It’s not the best, nor most intellectual of series I’ve ever had the pleasure of viewing, but it is a good, enjoyable watch.

One thing I absolutely love about this series is its strange, but strong family values. The Mikaelson’s are such a screwed up family unit, but the bond they have to each other is amazing. Being a person that has a strong family value myself, I quite admire their family unit. They won’t think twice about murder, but at least they have each other, even if they sometimes screw up.

My two favourite elements to this series are definitely Klaus and Elijah, and while it is Klaus’s series to an extent, Elijah is beginning to steal the focus of this show. I love Joseph Morgan and Klaus, but Elijah’s honour and dependability in his word just makes him such a class act that I both yearn for and enjoy watching. He definitely has that older brother vibe, always having to take care of his younger siblings, although I still swear Finn was the oldest, and while I, myself, only have one sibling I understand the desire to protect and almost take care of the younger siblings – although I don’t hold as steadfast to my word and am closer to Klaus in my selfish, stubbornness.

Two subtle moments to this episode that I absolutely adored were when Hayley smiled after Elijah corrected himself in saying they may need to kill everyone, and when Klaus smiled after Elijah ripped out the hearts of the witches in the church. Such brilliance in something so subtle, which makes me undoubtedly believe the cinematography in this series, is absolutely well done. It may not have the most original ideas when it comes to writing, but the acting and the way it is shot is especially well done.

Even a day after having watched the episode, I have this excited feeling in my chest that I get when I watch or read an especially moving piece of work. A feeling that tells me I am in love with an idea or a string of scenes, and this series is definitely beginning to get that. As I lose interest in The Vampire Diaries, this series gains my interest. It could be that these people are gorgeous and that it has yet to especially let me down due to it not having aired very long, but I have hope that it will continue to grow into something exciting and fresh. Back when I heard that this idea of a spinoff was in the works, I desperately hoped it wouldn’t come to fruition, but after having watched it these last six episodes, I find that instinct quite wrong. Still, the one thing that is missing is Caroline.

When it was first introduced, I thought the idea of Hayley pregnant, a character I couldn’t stand on The Vampire Diaries but have grown to love on this series, was just an idea stolen from Angel. Now I’ve grown to actually find this tantalizing storytelling, something The Vampire Diaries has mostly lost. Maybe all the good (and I say that very lightly) writers have left that series for this one, because this one is easily better than its predecessor. I’m just really not looking forward to having Tyler on this series, we finally just got rid of him on The Vampire Diaries, why does he have to come and probably ruin Hayley’s character on here?

The one thing I have real issue with on this series is the character of Cami. I just find her useless, and just something in the way of Klaroline, and to distract all of those shippers (of which I will honestly say that I am apart of) from that having been written into the mothership series. I could care less about her character now that Klaus has ruined her character by bringing her into things, but only when he’s near her. It’s just too much fluff for my taste. Yeah, sure, the actress is very good in the part, the emotion of her character’s woes comes across quite easily, but I just don’t find she’s necessary to the story.

All in all, I adore this series. This week’s episode fit quite well coming out of last week’s episode that told the story behind Davina and her extreme amount of witchy power. There was a definite race against the clock type feel to it that came from Elijah and Klaus trying to unlink Hayley from Sophie, to save Hayley’s baby. And I can hardly wait for the next episode to find out what happened to Hayley and where she went. It was probably necessary to get Rebekah to stick around, but I’m curious nonetheless. This series has a lot more going for it than it’s predecessor.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Probably no one. (Pause) Alright, potentially everyone.” – Elijah utters, about who they’ll have to kill.

“I feel like I’ve been microwaved.” – Hayley states about the curse that was put on Sophie to get to Hayley’s baby.

Yay, only one more review to catch up on and it should be pretty easy. Stick around for my review of Supernatural. Then I’m going to watch Revolution and American Horror Story: Coven and review those. Happy watching!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1.06 Review: Caught in the Crossfire

Anyone that has yet to watch Tuesday night’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., entitled ‘F.Z.Z.T.’, then I suggest that you go do that now before proceeding ahead. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Although I’ve found that this series seems to tie up intriguing storylines rather rapidly, this week I quite enjoyed the episode. We finally got to see a bit more to both Fitz and Simmons’s characters, a depth to them that was rather necessary to help us grow attached to more than just their geekiness. This series does tend to approach the characters emotions with subtlety and replacing it with the more superhero-like angle, so it’s nice to actually see some more complex emotional states.

To me in this episode, it was Simmons’s performance that stood out. The actress’s ability to bring raw emotion to her character as she stands above the open cargo hold was tantalizing. Sure, her and Fitz’s character often have a lot of intellectual science type jargon that they spit out more often than not, but we really got to see a piece of her character this week. I absolutely adored when she was telling Coulson to tell her dad first because her mom would have an easier time hearing it from him. But while this is a Whedon series, and he does like to kill off his characters at the most seemingly inopportune moments, I felt no fear that Simmons would actually die this week because we haven’t been able to grow attached to her enough that her death would matter. That may be a harsh thing to say, but it’s my view of the truth.

Other things to note about this episode, one being how Coulson feels different since he died and we now know is aware that something is different. While it may seem like something he’s become aware of too early, I hold out hope that this is not the last we’ll hear of this mystery, after Cobie Smulders character in the pilot said he could never know. The other thing to note this week is about how Fitz has a thing for Skye. I just find it so adorable the way he likes her, and that I’d definitely like to see more evidence of this going forward. The only thing is I just hope Fitz and Simmons don’t end up together because they certainly work as partners and friends, I just don’t see any physical chemistry between them. They’re more like siblings; having basically grown up together, and it would be weird if they developed actual feelings for each other.

All in all, this week was a good week for this series. It’s an easy series to watch and enjoy, but I do hope more emotions are involved with all of the characters, not just Skye and few characters each episode. I could see something happening between Ward and Simmons, and eventually Skye and Fitz, as well as Coulson and May. But that may seem too easy for this series. This isn’t as edge-of-your-seats kind of entertainment to watch as the pilot was, but I hold out hope that it gets to be more than just fun entertainment. I have faith in the Whedon team.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Man of my age? That’s something you say to an old person.” – Coulson exasperates to Simmons.

“’I’m Agent Grant Ward. I can shoot the legs off a flea from 500 yards, as long as it’s not windy.'” – Fitz mockingly imitates Ward, causing Skye to laugh.

“I’m shadowing my commanding officer.” – Skye says to Ward when she gets a little too close to him and he responds with questions.

Alright, just two more series to catch up on tonight, before I watch Revolution and American Horror Story: Coven. Stay tuned.

Sleepy Hollow 1.06 Review: Sometimes We Need to Forgive Ourselves

Anyone that has yet to watch yesterday’s episode of Sleepy Hollow, titled ‘The Sin Eater’, then I suggest that now would be a good time to do so before reading ahead. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! Proceed at your own discretion.

For a series with only thirteen episodes in a season and thus cannot throw away episodes, this one sure felt like a filler to me. Sure, it introduced the character Henry Parrish and his ability to eat sins, and it dissolved the connection between Death and Ichabod, but otherwise there wasn’t an overall movement to the episode. And besides, it seemed a bit early to cut the connection between Death and Ichabod, but that could just be my opinion.

I was really disappointed with this week’s episode. Other than the flashbacks that showed how Ichabod came to fight under General Washington, there wasn’t much I liked about this episode. To me it felt kind of blah, like not much thought went into it. I knew after the pilot episode going into this series that each episode would basically be resolved by the end, but that’s not helping it to blend together very well, and it’s beginning to cause me to lose interest, which is sad because I absolutely adore Tom Mison.

The writing isn’t completely working with this series. Other than my belief that the individual episodes aren’t quite stringing together well enough, the idea that Ichabod could be as cheery as he is sometimes when his wife is held captive in some sort of purgatory astounds me. Perhaps following a miserable Brit would be less than fun, but I’d like to at least see him trying to find a way to her, or subtle hints that add up each episode. Also, it’s my fear that if she is ever rescued, all that means is that her soul is set free to go to heaven, or wherever, and that this series will move forward with a relationship between Ichabod and Abby. And let me tell you, they have no sexual chemistry with each other, at all. Until recently I didn’t even consider them a possibility, until websites like TVLine gave a refresher on how couples were doing and all I could say was no. Every time I look at them with those subtle looks in this episode, the romantic chemistry felt forced and wrong. They’re partners, they work well as friends, they fit together as sibling-like characters, but they don’t have any romantic chemistry together. And this is not me in denial, I just don’t see any form of spark.

While I was looking forward to the introduction of Henry Parrish, after missing the actor since the conclusion of Fringe, there wasn’t much the intrigued me about him other than the sadness I got from his situation. The man looked miserable, all secluded with his plants, and I felt for him, but I didn’t see much he could add to this series. Besides, it felt like this sin Ichabod felt he had clung to was just randomly thrown in to bring this guy in. No mention of it before, but suddenly it’s there. Like I said, I’m growing quite disappointed in this series. And I loved Fringe, so I can’t understand why the creators of that series could seem to make a mess of this one. At least on Fringe there were little hints to be had that strung the episodes together, but I’m not getting that here. But again, that’s more to do with the writing – which I seem to be running back to – then anything to do with Henry Parrish.

All in all, these actors envelope their characters well enough, although I do find Abby’s expressions are over exaggerated, but the writing doesn’t seem to match to their abilities. Basically what I’m saying is that the acting is good, but the writing just isn’t up to par. Maybe I’m expecting too much of these creators, maybe it’s like with Fringe where the first season was a bit slower than the rest. If that’s the case, I will try to give them the benefit of the doubt and wait to see how season two goes before I fully commit to letting go of this show. I mean, I love the gothic style to it, but the police part is less than interesting.

My rating: 6 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority agrees.” – Katrina wisely states.

“The love of power is the demon of all men.” – Arthur Bernard says to Ichabod.

Okay, just one more show to catch up on with a review. Before I do that for The Blacklist, though, I have to go run over to Shoppers, so check back in about an hour.