Almost Human 1.07 Review: A Psycho Scorned

This is a friendly reminder for all those that have yet to watch last Monday’s episode of Almost Human, entitled ‘Simon Says’, that now would be a brilliant time to go and catch up on that. For this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Since I have a few notes I would like to touch base on concerning last week’s episode, I’m going to write a brief review. Now, you’ll have to bear with me a bit, seeing as I did watch this episode a good eight days ago. But here goes.

I just wanted to write that this episode was rather enjoyable. Despite its similarities to the film Untraceable, at least in the beginning, it was a rather intriguing episode. It was blatantly obvious that the guy was going to go after Kennex by the middle there, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable.

Michael Ealy really showed his chops in this episode. The AI he played had to demonstrate a larger, more erratic, range of emotions that was just brilliantly hilarious. I absolutely loved when he got in that altercation in the beginning, with the detective in charge of back-up power distribution. And then in the way he showed him that he was much more useful than those other AI’s with no emotion. I think the guy’s slowly coming around to his kind of AI.

All in all, it was a good episode. Urban showed his great ability to act, in his display of Kennex’s need to save himself for once. And, like I said, Ealy really proved that he can play just as hard.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Line:

“The good news is the donut machine does have a full charge, but we are out of chocolate sprinkles.” – Kennex says, making fun of Detective Paul.

Okay, that’s as brief as I could make it. Now I really am going to go watch Friday’s episode of Bones.

Once Upon A Time In Wonderland 1.07 Review: Neglectful Fathers

For any of those that have yet to watch last night’s episode of Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, titled ‘Bad Blood’, this is where I tell you to stop, turn around, go watch the episode, and then come back here. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! Proceed ahead at your own discretion.

So, I’m surprised at myself that I’m still watching this series, but here I am, reviewing another episode. Basically we got more backstory relating to Jafar’s father issues, and finally were concretely told that the other man in the cage is in fact the Sultan, Jafar’s father – but then who honestly didn’t guess that? That’s what I was a little shocked at for this episode, the “big reveal” music they gave when we definitively learned he was the Sultan. Honestly, who else could the man have been? But then we also learned he tried to kill his son, and thus the reason for Jafar’s daddy issues. See, women aren’t the only ones that have them! Basically, Jafar’s daddy issues made him this evil villain, where all he wants is for the Sultan to call him his son. I mean, the guy does have a right to it; the man did try and kill him. Still, the guy’s hardcore evil, so I don’t really think there’s any redeeming him.

Elsewhere, Alice believes her father has come to Wonderland – and he really has, she’s just not talking to the real one. We’re able to see some parallels between Jafar and Alice, and that almost made it look like they were leading Jafar to not try to put Alice’s life in peril constantly, but then nada. But so help me God if they try and redeem him like they did the Evil Queen on Once Upon A Time. Anyways, Alice is still making her travels to find Cyrus, and next week they’ll apparently find each other. I’m sorry, but I’m still convinced she has more chemistry with Will, and that Cyrus is more or less a big, dull, dud. He’s so… boring. But this is a fairytale series, so there’s little hope that this “true love” couple will ever be with anyone else. A girl can dream though.

All in all, this is a mostly terribly acted series that a person has to shut their brain off to enjoy. This is not a series where you can shut your brain off, you actually have to shut your intelligence off to enjoy this show. And that’s a difficult feat for some, so I don’t expect this series to go passed this one season. Especially once Cyrus and Alice are reunited. I mean, honestly, what other possibly good storytelling could they have? Also, was that Aram playing the young Sultan (for all those The Blacklist lovers out there)?

My rating: 6 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“If you’re just going to show me off, was the bag really necessary?” – the White Rabbit questions Jafar.

“Actually, isn’t vanishing one of the things genies can do?” – One of the Tweedle’s asks the Red Queen.

“Let’s see. Dice, a dollar bill, keys to Grannies – she’s gonna be right pissed about that.” – the Knave mutters, taking inventory of his possessions, with a nice little nod to the series mothership.

Okay, I’m off to review Grey’s Anatomy now. After, I have to watch and review The Crazy Ones, online for once because my stupid DVR didn’t record the show because it was on another damn channel. Anyways, stay tuned.

The Originals 1.07 Review: We Fight For What We Believe In

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

Well, this week’s episode wasn’t a bad episode; I just don’t think it was anywhere near as good as the last two. First of all, they crossed Tyler over to this series, which, while it did illuminate the fact that the blood of Hayley and Klaus’s baby can create more hybrids, was a big mistake in my opinion. I lost interest in him over on The Originals a good season ago, why would they think crossing him over to this series would benefit it in any way? The people want Caroline on this series, not Tyler.

Another thing that bugged was more of the same with Klaus and his insecurities about nobody loving and wanting him around, so he basically has to go around threatening and seeking out vengeance. He wants people to fear him, and yet that tends to end in revolts. I was happy to have him and Elijah being on good terms, and for Rebekah and him to be on, more or less, decent terms as she left. Then they went and screwed that around this week by having Elijah lose faith in his brother’s actions so Klaus bit him, and to have Rebekah and Marcel start to work against Klaus. They’re screwing around with this story too much, when it was working with the Original family of vampires actually working together, with some slight jealousy on Klaus’s part seeing Elijah fawning over Hayley. So basically, this episode worked for about half of it, until they found Hayley, and Marcel and Rebekah got to talking in the garden.

One thing I did enjoy about this episode was Hayley’s willingness to fight. She did her best and actually managed to escape, right before Elijah and Klaus came in to save her. The fact that this girl wants to fight is something I can really find myself rooting for, definitely more so than I was on The Vampire Diaries. And also, I really enjoyed the scenes between Davina and the newbie vamp. They actually seemed like they could be friends. Although I was confused about the guy saying he liked boys. Wasn’t he the vampire that was changed when his girlfriend betrayed him? I’m a wee bit confused about that. Mind you, I prefer his friendship with Davina more being that he’s gay, because that means they’re definitely not going to push a romantic relationship between the two of them. For once a guy and girl can be actual friends without it leading to more.

There were a couple other things I was confused by in this episode. Did anyone else feel like Tyler’s character was completely different on this series than on the mothership? I just couldn’t understand a guy that had been somewhat happy with Caroline for a moment in last week’s TVD episode, could make a complete one-eighty into this character. Am I alone on this? Also, what was that whole business where Klaus bit Elijah and said he would soon have hallucinations? Will he still have hallucinations because of the bite and just not die? Because he said it wouldn’t kill him, and I didn’t think it could because he’s an Original, but then what was the point of Klaus biting him then?

Anyways, like I said, not as strong as the last couple of episodes this season, but it still had its moments. This series is still definitely a guilty pleasure in that I like it so much, much more than I expected to last season on TVD when this concept was introduced. I used to think the Originals needed to stay on The Vampire Diaries, particularly as such a gung ho Klaroline shipper, but they mostly seemed to be more actualized and ripe with story opportunities on their own series, and not distracted by the Delena/Stelena love triangle.

My rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“If I’m moving too fast for you Nicklaus, you’re welcome to wait in the car. Do be certain to leave the windows down.” – Elijah explains to Klaus.

“I’m a witch, I’m not Amish.” – Davina says.

“So did I, the last time I was in Cabo.” – Hayley tells Elijah, regarding the fact that everyone does unspeakable things.

Okay, I’m off to review Supernatural now. Stick around for more.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1.07 Review: Questioning the System

Anyone that has yet to watch tonight’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., entitled ‘The Hub’, I suggest you do that now before reading ahead. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Not a bad episode this week. It was enjoyable, had some nice emotional moments to it, and progressed a few storylines intriguingly well. Still, I think this series only amounts to a solid B rating, and I think I’ve finally figure out why. It’s the music. The music is constantly something out of a superhero flick, with rarely any emotional down time, and that takes away from the series. All of Whedon’s other series have been strong with the music in each episode, but this one doesn’t seem to have that flare. The big, hero-type instrumentals are too over the top for this series because they seem to be the only music this show falls back onto. I know this is about a team of everyday kind of superheroes, but that doesn’t mean the music can’t be real and gritty sometimes too.

There were a lot of good, funny parts to this episode, something Whedon’s series always seem able to do, to wrap the funny into the dramatic. I loved how Fitz got stuck with the cart trying to go through the door; the guy is such a dorky character. I also loved the one-sided conversation Coulson had with May. She’s just doing her tai chi, and he’s basically just bouncing off his thoughts at her to work things out, and it just worked perfectly. While I don’t quite think May is realistic a lot of the time, I do like her and Coulson’s relationship. Also, the greatness of Simmons and Skye working together was wonderful. Skye is such a delinquent kind of influence on goody two shoes Simmons that it was fun to see this interaction play out. And, finally, the scene where Fitz is fixing the power for the Marta was just fantastic. This series is definitely capable of throwing funny moments into scenes.

We also were given some steady progression with a couple of storylines this series is developing. We learned Skye was dropped off at an orphanage by a Shield agent that may or may not have been her mother. Unbeknownst to her, the woman most likely ended up dead, by the photos we were able to see. If the woman is dead, my money is on her having been Skye’s mother; why else would she have dropped her off at an orphanage and possibly ended up dead because of it? We were also able to see some development with Coulson and his recovery in Tahiti. He’s finally beginning to question the fact of his recovery, and trying to learn what really happened to him. The fact that he wasn’t cleared, even though he is level 8 (which I’m guessing is the highest level), makes him question things even more. I’m definitely excited to see where they’re going with this.

One other thing to take note of, my reasons for why I think I like Skye so much. She questions the system, something I also like to do, and she’s inherently curious about everything, also something that is true of myself. Through her eyes we are able to question this whole system of Shield, and my problem is that I don’t trust the system, so I like being able to watch Skye trying to figure things out for herself. She’s a very smart girl, and through her eyes we’re able to get a different approach to this world of Shield. We already have the matcho Ward who thinks he’s great at combat, May who knows she’s great, Fitz and Simmons who don’t want to question authority and are good at the science of the matter, and Coulson, the leader of this little unit. Skye trying to find her place in this unit, and how she fits in is something that is often true of anyone in society.

All in all, I like this show. I won’t go as far as to say that I love it, or that it’s Whedon’s best work, but it is a good show to watch. It still has some kinks to work out, but what series doesn’t? The problem, I think, with trying to do something so large is that it often needs to be rooted in reality, and I think this series has trouble with that, and the audience can obviously see it. I do hope that this series is able to work out its issues before the season ends, because I’d like to see it get a second season. Buffy didn’t have the strongest first season, but it was able to bounce back with a great second season.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“How attached are you to your pinky?” – Ward asks Fitz.

“If I’m right, give me a signal by not saying anything.” – Skye tells Coulson.

“Fitz! More boarder patrol.” – Ward shouts. “Already moving, hurry up!” – Fitz yells back as he’s running.

“This is going to take a while.” – Fitz says. “You have ten minutes.” – Ward tells him. “I thought you’d say five.” – Fitz replies.

“And I’m bloody starvin’.” – Fitz ends his speech. He really does love his food.

Okay, I’m off to watch Trophy Wife now, so check back soon for that. After that it’s The Originals and Supernatural. Stay tuned.

Sleepy Hollow 1.07 Review: The Regulars are Coming

Anyone that has yet to watch last night’s episode of Sleepy Hollow, entitled ‘The Midnight Ride’, I ask that you do so now before reading ahead. For this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

This week was much of a continuation of last week’s episode, aside from not having Walter – I mean Henry Parrish – around. We got more of the Headless Horseman these last two episodes than we did in four episodes combined. At least this week it was somewhat resolved by catching the Horseman and he now appears locked up in that supernatural jail cell.

My one big problem with this series is that they appear to resolve things and move the progression of the story along unnecessarily fast. This series already has  a second season pick up, so I don’t understand the need for that. I mean, why kill the other Masons so soon after introducing them? It’s like I can’t even get attached to characters before they’re killed. It’s becoming annoyingly tedious that this series seems to wrap things up all too quickly. Getting progression earlier than necessary is just as bad as having to wait indefinitely for it. Then we just begin to expect things will resolve themselves and we’ll get instant gratification. It’s not a good way to sell a series.

Aside from that, this series had progression with the Captain finally seeing the Headless Horseman, and thus now believing in his existence. I’m happy he found out if only that it means we’ll see more of this guy, and not just more of his constant disbelief. John Cho was also back as Andy Brooks, this time apparently trying to keep Abby safe. I don’t quite understand that angle just yet; it seems a little unbelievable. He also seems to have somehow bewitched Morales as well, Abby’s ex. I’m not sure where they’re going with that either. This series isn’t really predictable, if only for the reason that it seems to be all over the place with its writing that I never really know what’s up, even in the episode sometimes.

The one great thing this series has going for it, aside from maybe the Captain, is Tom Mison and all his British glory. I mean really, the man’s voice is beautiful, he’s always written to speak so eloquently, and the garb he dresses in and long hair actually works for him – and that’s coming from someone who notoriously despises men with long hair. Aside from the decently written episodes, he’s probably what keeps me coming back each week because he really is enough. I love this guy, and think this role is perfect for him, if only the writers knew the direction they were going in with this series, and it had gotten a full twenty-two episode season. Where it is now, we only have six episodes left and I’m really not sure how this season wraps into an overall story arc. But I digress.

As it stands, this was a pretty decent episode, wrapping American history into the writing of it, with Paul Revere’s ride through the colony. It was enjoyable having a nice plug in about how this and the previous few generations have really screwed up the environment. Nice little messages that are easy to write in when a character such as Ichabod exists from one period of time to the next. His character’s breaking of the word smartphone was perfect for him, and his strong dislike of incorrect facts helped make this episode. All in all, it did pretty well this week, although this series seems to be more or less a toss up at times.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Rumours of my demise have been… pretty much true.” – Brooks says to Morales.

“I got you, you headless son of a bitch.” – Irving mutters to himself.

“For further questions, please call Ichabod Crane; the man who beheaded him in 1781.” – Irving sarcastically explains what he’d say to the governor.

“It’s apocryphal what this man is telling these children.” – Crane complains. “Let it go.” – Abby tells him.

“I’m the only one amongst you who doesn’t require medication.” – Crane yammers on, after having told the museum the true account of Paul Revere’s ride.

Alright, that’s going to be all for tonight probably. I will be watching The Blacklist tonight and taking notes, but I don’t think I’m going to be awake enough to post it afterwards. Check back in tomorrow around five or six and it should be up.