Dracula 1.01 Review: The Seeking of Vengeance

All those that have yet to watch last night’s series premiere of Dracula should go and do so now or exit this screen. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

As someone that has read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and found it tediously boring, this was not a terrible revival of the tale. This new retelling of the old story has been given a fresh take to it, but still sticking to Victorian era I recall it being set in. That being said, this was not the best pilot to a series I’ve ever seen. If I were someone that only gave a series one chance, I would be unlikely to revisit this show again. But I am not, so I will give this a few more episodes to catch my interest.

One thing that caught my attention was how much I did not like Jonathan Rhy Meyer’s American accent. It wasn’t badly done or anything, but it was just so boisterously average, when his beautifully natural Irish accent is so much nicer that I don’t know why anyone would want to cover it up. But I do understand the need to have him play American; I just don’t feel drawn to his voice the way I am by his natural accent.

While I do feel that with this whole vengeance warpath Alexander Grayson is on does provide for interesting mythology and a possibly long series, there wasn’t much more to this bland sort of episode. For around three-quarters of the time spent watching this episode, I was rather bored. Yes, he’s a vampire, he’s the vampire, and vampires are very hot for the time being (although not as much as five years ago), there wasn’t anything new to this take on vampires. I’ve seen this before, millions of people have seen this before, this is not refreshing or original – especially since this book has had many renditions. But there’s not much to this character that catches my interest just yet, or to this series. Yes, he’s out for vengeance, that’s one intriguing notion, but there’s no pizzazz to this story. I don’t need flashy, but I do need something to draw me in and excite me.

I’m not sure if I was the only one, but I found it a little difficult to follow the conversations at times throughout the episode. It was almost as if this felt like the second or third episode in a series, where a lot of things have already been set up and I’m jumping in in the middle of the conversation. That’s how it made me feel, like it wasn’t explained quite well enough. Especially during the conversation between Jonathan Harker and Grayson, and the conversation between the two board members in the carriage before Grayson and Kruger fight. Part of it, I think, had to do with a lack of differentiating tone. There were very little inflections, or ups and downs, to the way people were speaking. Not quite monotone, but nothing to really demonstrate how most were feeling as they spoke. But perhaps that’s just polite English conversation. If it is, I much prefer my North American upbringing in that sense.

Van Helsing’s character I was a little unimpressed with. Grayson is played by the wonderful aforementioned Meyers, Mina, Jonathan, and Lucy are all played by attractive in their own right actors, but Van Helsing is played by a man I wouldn’t look twice at walking down the street. He just looks like an average Joe, nothing special. Perhaps that is the objective of the creators, to not have him be so encompassing that he’s easy to notice, but I’d think they’d want to be able to at least differentiate the actors in each scene. There’s nothing to him. Plus, correct me if I’m wrong, I can’t remember him working with Dracula in the book. I could be wrong, it’s been four years since I read the unremarkable text, but the two of them being in cahoots just seems wrong to me. Sure they have a common enemy, but I don’t think it’s enough – he’s Van Helsing.

One other thing I had issue with was the random addition of the opening title credit. There was no music to it, it was just silent, and it just felt thrown in to splice a scene from fitting together perfectly. I had a ‘What?’ moment when it came up on screen.

Two things I did enjoy were the wonderfully done special effects, and the choreographed dance in Grayson’s ballroom. The former may well have been great simply because of the smartly skewed lighting illuminating Grayson as he reanimated into the beautiful Meyers, but that would still be something well worked on for using those tricks to enhance the effect. The latter I just thought should belong at a gorgeous masquerade ball, or that One Republic music video. I always find it so astonishing when people dance in unison; it can be quite mesmerizing. Also, the way they pilfered in the gossip about the man that had invited all of them there was perfectly fitted.

Although I don’t feel like we were really given enough of the depths to some of these characters, I do feel the need to give this series another chance. As a fan of the gothic, I will try to power through, but I do hope that the blandness to this episode was just to set up the series going forward. This certainly wasn’t the worst premiere episode I’ve ever seen, but it was skillfully the best either. The acting was mostly good, and the writing so-so, better than a fair amount of television these days, so I’ll give it another shot.

My rating: 6 out of 10.

Best Line:

“Give me one good reason I should not peel you like a grape.” – Grayson shouts at Van Helsing.

Alright, so I hope by this publication you realize I won’t be posting a Best Performances of the Week. I haven’t been feeling it for the last few weeks, I just don’t think many performances have warranted it, so we’ll see how this next week goes. If I don’t find anything greatly done in Haven, I may just move that the BPW to Saturday’s instead of their usual Thursday’s being that I have no programs to watch on Saturday. Anyways, I’m off to go watch Haven, but don’t expect a review of that tonight, I can already feel the exhaustion seeping into my bones.

The Originals 1.01 Review: Family Makes You Weak

If you haven’t watched the series premiere of The Originals, entitled ‘Always and Forever’, then now would be the time to do so. This review, like most of my other reviews, has a chance of containing spoilers pertaining to the episode. If you don’t want to spoiled, then please go watch the episode, and it’d probably be a good idea to get caught up in The Vampire Diaries too, just to be safe. To reiterate, THIS BLOG MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! Proceed with caution.

I’m going to try to keep this short and sweet, being that I have to get up in five hours to get ready for a funeral, so I’m going to be hitting the points fast. If that’s not something you like, well then that’s just too bad for you.

Going into this episode, I wasn’t all that excited to hear that it was going to be a retelling of the back door pilot, just in Elijah’s point of view. Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed it, particularly more than The Vampire Diaries fifth season premiere, which was mostly terrible. I do hope Elijah will play as big a role in the series as he does in the pilot, because he’s quite enjoyable to watch. But then again, the actor is a new father, so I don’t know how much time he’ll be able to spend on the series, likely it’s just going to revolve around Klaus and Marcel, with the witches hanging around.

Did anyone else get chemistry vibes between Elijah and Hayley? I know it likely had to do with the fact that the guy’s so excited for a new generation of family, after they were all basically cheated out of having their own children when their mother turned them into vampires – and no, that’s not as sexual as it sounds, she was a witch, get your head out of the gutter. I kind of hope they go this way, because I’m still strongly under the impression Klaus is hung up on Caroline, and it would honestly be terrible writing if they just had him fall for another woman, when he’s not the type to do so easily. So, basically I really hope that it’s Klaus’s kid (which it is), but if Hayley is to stick around after the birth, I’d want her to have some kind of relationship with Elijah, romantically speaking.

This episode may have been interesting partly because I haven’t watched the planted pilot since it first aired. I don’t know how much that might have helped my liking, but it has to have something to do with it. Otherwise, I think I like it because it’s not the same tired stuff as it’s parents show, and there’s no romantic triangle it’s basing itself around. But it could also have to do with my love affair with New Orleans. I just love the idea of having a show based there on my TV screen, and the fact that I get a two-hitter this year with this show, and American Horror Story: Coven both being based there, it’s simply marvelous.

While the CW is known for casting based on beauty rather than acting talent, I do think some of the acting was surprisingly good in this episode. Marcel was wonderful as he was in the backdoor pilot, as were Klaus and Elijah. It was nice to get a hint to who this Davina character is, and the actress is astoundingly good compared to her foray into Disney Channel made-for-TV movie. The actress that plays Sophie is also intriguingly good, though a bit exaggerated in her facial movements. But I was most surprised by Phoebe Tonkin as Hayley. Perhaps it’s that she’s finally gotten an American accent down better, or that she was less annoying playing against Elijah, either way I think I may actually start to like her, despite the fact Caroline should really be the one, if anyone, to carry Klaus’s child… aside from the fact she’s a vampire and unable to.

To keep it quick, I’ll just mention that the music is good, though there wasn’t much to comment on. The lighting was mostly fabulously done, though hopefully will become devoid of classic TVD lighting. And the cinematography was shockingly not too close up on a lot of the shots, although that could have something to do with the fact I watched this episode online because my DVR was conflicted with Grey’s Anatomy and The Crazy Ones both claiming top priority (my DVR can only record two shows at once, or one show and watch one show). I’m honestly more excited for this series than The Vampire Diaries, maybe it’s time to put that show to bed and let Caroline come over to this one and give Ian Somerhaulder a role that’s worth his acting chops.

There, that only took about twenty minutes, that’s what I call quick.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Line:

“Your dad was a dick.” – Hayley, referring to the Originals’ father, who constantly came after Klaus to try and kill him, but was eventually defeated by him. Spot on interpretation, I might add.

So, that’s all for tonight. I know I still have the Best Performances of the Week to do, but that’ll have to wait until tomorrow night, despite how tired I’ll probably be. I work until two am-ish, so expect it around three. As long as it comes up before I watch Haven’s fifth episode (it is fifth, right?), it doesn’t really matter. I’ll also most likely be reviewing that right after. But I make no promises, I have to work the day after that at four, that gives me about four hours to do anything before sleep.

The Crazy Ones 1.01 Review: Family is at the Heart of it all

Anyone that has yet to watch the series premiere of The Crazy Ones, and want to do so without being spoiled, now would be the time to exit this review. THIS BLOG MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

I have to begin this review by saying that I liked this pilot episode. It infused heartwarming family values into the fast-paced city life of a busy ad agency in New York. While it didn’t have a strong opening, it did help represent the struggle these people go through behind the camera.

The way this show intermingled shots of the open office space, and cutting in brief glimpses of the city itself was very well done. I liked the fast-paced element to seeing the New York City skyline, and interspersing it with evocative music to help boost up the setting this series takes place in. While I’m not one that tends to like office set series’, the open outline this show appears to have, gives it a less tightly wound feel to it than other shows with cubicle like backdrops. As long as they keep diverse scenes, and don’t stick strictly to filming in the ad agency floor, it will be easy enough to handle.

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Robin Williams must be commended for their obvious familial chemistry. They really feel like a father and daughter team that have been in each other’s lives a long time. This very much helps to make this place they work in feel like a family run business, with crazy antics popping up all the time.

The other supporting characters also help to round out this cast. These people all feel like they’ve worked together, and known each other for many years. They mesh well into the unit and craziness of this workplace, and almost create another kind of family feel. Sure, with family comes chaos, but that only helps to produce large quantities of comedy that we’re sure to feel throughout this series.

After watching this pilot, I understand the reasoning behind it’s title. The reason Sydney got into advertising, aside from her dad running this business, was based on the ad Apple ran in the nineties that merely sold an idea. It was a very appropriate title plug-in that helped to lift this pilot off the ground just a bit. Not only does the title symbolize how crazy these people’s lives are likely to be, it was a very real ad commercial.

No, this show didn’t evoke sidesplitting humour, but it did make me laugh, and I do plan to come back again and watch more episodes. This series is reminiscent of how last years Go On made me feel. I know there aren’t actual similarities between that grief sitcom, and this family ad sitcom, but it was more about how each makes this weird kind of unit that make you want to come back and watch. For that reason, though, this series may not get a second season.

My rating: 3 out of 5.

Best Lines:

“You just got knocked out by a girl.” – Simon yelling at his robot after his daughter punched it (possibly a little nod to her previous run as a slayer).

“You remember that baby hippo in the zoo? Maybe it was a dream… Either way it was in my underwear.” – Simon, giving his daughter the run around.

“What major-minor details?” – Sydney, worried about what her father has planned for the McDonald’s ad.

“I’m nuts, who knew?” – Sydney, after going after Kelly Clarkson when her father’s pivoting fails.

Okay, I’m off to watch the two-hour premier of Grey’s Anatomy, and review that after. Then it’s Best Performances time! 

It's called The Blacklist - That Sounds Exciting

The drama series I’m most looking forward to this Fall would have to be The Blacklist. Strictly from watching the four-minute promo, I already love James Spader’s character Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington. From his snarky tone in the way he addresses the lawmen that have been after him the last twenty years, to his overall confidence in the fact that he gives himself over to the FBI and still expects things to be okay for him.

I’m also very much looking forward to following Megan Boone’s character Elizabeth Keen through this series. I mean, anyone who is willing to jeopardize their job by attacking the man that knows something about their husband, is someone I am very much willing to follow along with.

Overall, I think this show will be the breakout drama series this year. I know everyone is expecting that to be Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – and don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to that series – but the obvious intensity that wafts off the screen in waves just instantly clicks with me, and hopefully with the rest of the audience.

Now that’s not to say there could be hitches along the way. This series definitely appears to be striving for a sense of perfection. Some A-list TV actors (James Spader, and I’m looking at you Harry Lennix), an intense mission statement (the whole blacklist situation), and a realistic yet interesting script (“It’s called the Blacklist. That sounds exciting.”). The devil’s advocate is that with perfection comes the extreme ability to fall. But if the series uses the promo as the example it means to set for our viewing standards, it is sure to impress and garner it’s own niche of TV followers.

To cap things off, I’ll leave you with my own pre-watch judgments on where I think the series will go. What I strongly predict from the promo alone is that Raymond is Elizabeth’s father, and he has possibly been following her along and pushing her in the direction of the FBI in anticipation of him cultivating the Blacklist. One other thing I also predict, although not quite as strongly, from merely the last thirty seconds or so of the promo is that Raymond is deep undercover, and has been the last twenty years, so that he could cultivate this list of his. If this happens to be the case, I think the only person that knows he’s undercover other than himself, would possibly be the POTUS.

Alright that’s all for now. Tune into The Blacklist on NBC September 23^rd at 10 p.m. to check out if any of my predictions come to pass, and then check back here around 2 am EST (11 pm PST) for my review of the full-length pilot.