TeeVee
Both Revolution and Beauty and the Beast were confirmed for renewals this week, and since Elementary was renewed a while back, all 3 new fall shows that I picked up and am still watching are renewed. This is a first for me.
Beauty and the Beast 1.18-1.19:
-Welp, I figured Evan was a goner when his entitlement went completely off the charts.
-I'm glad Nathan from Haven betrayed Muirfield simply because I was wondering at how utterly incompetent he seemed to be by leaving Even alone for a 30 minute restroom break, but it's more OK if he left Even to play Nancy Drew on purpose.
-So, Catherine's mom is pretty much everyone's superhero?
-I was not pleased to see a brief resurgence of "I should push you away and never see you again for your own good," but it was squashed pretty quickly. And I'm glad that there's as much "I must protect you/keep secrets from you for your own good!" from Catherine as there is from Vincent. (Though i'm not pleased that he's keeping secrets about her parents from her.)
-I'm glad they didn't drag out the mystery of who/what Gabriel is for long, and that he appears to be on their side. (I was going to be displeased if he was an antagonist. But frenemy/reluctant ally is good.)
-IDC about Joe's obsessive quest to avenge his brother. I mean, I get the need, but I don't care much about him anymore and feel the subplot mostly exists because they didn't think Tess and Cat had enough secrets to feel guilty about, or
-I managed to forget the Tess/Joe plot until the end of 1.19. Her interactions with Vincent and JT are pretty ace, though, and I'm glad she and Catherine and BFF-ing again.
-Where's Heather these days, anyway?
Continuum 2.1:
-For a few moments there, I thought I was watching "P2: The Sequel." Poor Rachel Nichols had thought she'd never have to wear that little white dress again.
-Kellogg apparently liking the abuse makes me more inclined to ship him with Kiera.
-I love Kiera's increased sense of humor. And her Invisible Woman impression. But is Batman really gone in the future?
-Alec, did you seriously just run out on your mother? I feel that chip on your shoulder is growing.
-I like Betty's new hairstyle.
-Sonja better stay in charge. I am actually very sad Travis didn't die in that regard. TRAVIS HOW DID YOU SURVIVE THAT ANYWAY?
Defiance 1.1-1.2: NO ONE TOLD ME STEPHANIE LEONIDAS WAS IN THIS SERIES. EVERYONE IS FIRED. (And with a wig and makeup that makes her look like Jool's extra temperamental younger sister.)
Actually, playing "spot the Farscape makeup" while watching is pretty fun. It wasn't quite as much fun to wonder if I was watching a reworking of the Eureka pilot in large parts of the pilot, though. (I guess the Eureka writers had to go somewhere? Good thing I liked Eureka.)
I give it 1 1/2 thumbs up. Half a thumb is denied because I find the two main male characters, Nolan and Datak, annoying and uninteresting and can tell that (A) they'll be everywhere and (B) I'm supposed to find Datak complex and fascinating, and Nolan roguish and charming (which I might, if they dial back the "chauvinism is cute and charming if it's coming from a scruffy white dude" bit a lot. I did start liking Jack Carter and Pete Lattimer after a little while, though, and all 3 are that same type of "all American white dude who isn't booksmart but has great instincts" thing SyFy seems to required almost all their main characters to have. I suppose I may eventually like Datak, too.) I do appear to be invested in their respective family dynamics, though.
I think this is connected to a video game, but i know little about that.
-I am a sucker for non-nuclear families, be it surrogate families or lost family members finding each other, so I'm not really surprised that the Irisa/Nolan relationship is my main relationship investment so far. (Though their bickering is a bit less "aww" for me and more "sweetie, you appear to have a lot more self-control than anyone gives you credit for, as you don't appear to have stabbed him yet.") I hope we get flashbacks to their past.
-I appear to be shipping Irisa and the deputy. I feel this will end badly for me. Mostly because he doesn't appear to be a regular member of the cast.
-Speaking of interspecies pairings, adorable interspecies teens are adorable. Though the writers appear to be referring quite a bit to Romeo and Juliet. Don't take poison, kids! Always check for a pulse (or equivalent) before making any rash decisions!
-I am very sad that Stahma appears to love her husband very much. It thwarts my hopes that she will kill him and take his place. (And mym oh my did she look happy when talking and how her fiance was accidentally flushed out an airlock.)
-There sure are a lot of ex-vampires running around. Two of whom are playing sisters! Actually, as much as I hope we get to see more of their relationship (especially given their respective professions) I was a bit disappointed about the sisters reveal, as I was hoping to ship them. I just hope we aren't headed towards a triangle with Nolan.
Elementary 1.20: Wow was this episode potentially triggering on various levels. (Though i liked the episode overall, but what a mystery plot to have for one of the few episodes I manage to catch live, and so not hear rumblings about beforehand.)
Particularly the "serial rapist of teenaged girls" part, even if it was in the past (Though handled well, but I cringed when Sherlock was talking about the trauma to the parents if their daughters' rapes were put on the internet. I mean, yes, definitely horrific for the parents, but not as much so as for the people it actually happened to to have their rapes published online.) I'm also really not sure about the obesity angle, though I don't feel qualified to really comment on it.
And what was with the "oh, it all makes sense now that we know she's your stepdaughter and not your REAL daughter" bit? The neighbors mentioning the arguing seemed to be offered up as proof that the guy didn't love his daughter, but from what I can tell, these girls are in the 18-20 range now, where it's still pretty normal to get in shouting matches with parents. And he apparently cared enough about her to pay the blackmail the first time.
On to the more pleasant stuff:
-...Well of course he does his own tattoos...
-Sherlock needs to stop impersonating Edward Cullen. Though Watson appears to have gotten used to it enough that she just sighs and snuggles down now.
-YAY for Alfredo. Boo for Bell apparently only getting 30 seconds of screentime if Alfredo is around? Really enjoyed him telling Sherlock to get over himself.
Alfredo is lucky Joan was there to save him from getting locked in a trunk. Or Sherlock is lucky she was there to save him from trying? Maybe both.
-While JLM's fidgetty delivery was rather perfect, the scene where he tells Watson that he slipped somehow affected me less than I thought it should. Not sure why. I suspect it would on rewatch.
Foyle's War: Series 8: Set in 1946, the "final" (look, this is I think the 3rd time BBC has said "no more Foyle ever," so I figure there's a 50/50 chance they'll just keep cancelling it until Michael Kitchen says he's too old to keep this up) series starts with Foyle returning to England from America after the events of Series 7, and promptly being recruited by the foreign office (and then promptly recruiting Sam). The series largely focuses on the beginnings of the Cold War and England's post-war political and economic condition, and spymistress Hilda Pierce shows up and runs everything in every episode. Though overall feel is shaken up from previous series, a little bit closer to The Hour and The Bletchley Circle at times, but still excellent. Fair warning: the last episode deals fairly heavily with war crimes and PTSD.
Person of Interest 2.20:
-Nice to have an episode focused on Carter and Fusco. Though, urm, Reese and CArter havent interacted in episodes and episodes, and then that's all we got? (And while I suppose it can be argued that he was trying to get Carter to be proactive about Fusco like she is about other things, wow was he a jerk.)
-No one's going to talk about how it was actually Reese (who is notably not helping, despite how many times Fusco has risked himself to help Reese) who killed the dude?
-Loved Carter making Finch help her for once. (Though I've never understood why he gets her to do these things that he just used to hack in and do. Especially since I'm sure his way leaves less of a trail.)
-Anyone else worried that something had happened to Bear when Reese asked where he was? (Even though I'd just been wondering how Carter found the body.)
-I like "solving your own murder" plots.
-yayayay for Shaw and Root next week.
Revolution 1.14:
-Ok, Miles, just how many women have you screwed over in the last 15 years, anyway? And when are we going to find out what you did to them, anyway?
-Is this the fourth time Charlie has saved Miles's butt, or the fifth? (There's here, the pilot when she shot the dude who was about to stabbity Miles in the back, when Miles was nabbed by the militia plant in the tunnels, and when she and Nora blew up the bridge when Jeremy had him, but I feel I'm forgetting one. Meanwhile, the only times I can think of that Miles has rescued her from direct and immediate physical threat are when Neville jumped her in the train episode, and when he popped up when she and Danny were trying to escape the plant. everything else that I recall has been him charging into something where he's convinced she can't get out of it on her own.)
-I am glad Charlie finally knows there are hinky things going on with Rachel and Miles. I actually admired Rachel a lot for not going "actually, I told you I was leaving for supplies because i didn't want you to see your uncle dragging me off in chains" when Charlie was being angry about Rachel leaving them.
-Speaking of Miles screwing over women, I've seen some speculation that Kelly is another ex of his, but I didn't really get that vibe so much as a betrayal that got someone killed.
-No real opinions about the Alec plot, though I kinda wanted him to live and become frenemies with Charlie.
-Why do I get the feeling that Miles thinks a nuke is preferable to hormones in the "things that could endanger Charlie" department?
-Oh, hey, middle-aged biracial lesbian pairing that's treated like a totally normal thing. *happy sigh* Probably never to be seen again in the main plotline, but maybe in flashbacks. Was anyone else thinking Jane might be Rachel's mother or aunt at first? (I'm still kind of clinging to the aunt idea.)
-Apparently when Aaron says "take what you want," it's interpreted as "please try to rape my female companions while I sit here flailing and someone else promptly kills you for it." But seriously, Aaron is the WORST choice of a travelling companions. I mean, he kind of foisted himself on Charlie, who was headed for someone she had been assured would be a good protector, but Rachel appears to have chosen him. I mean, I'm sure Jim, Nora, or Nicholas (or any other number of perfectly competent rebel soldiers) would have been perfectly willing to tag along as bodyguard if they knew what the goal was. (I'd mention Jason as a possibility, too, but I don't think Miles or Charlie trusts him enough for that yet, and Rachel would have taken that one VERY badly, I think. I was surprised we didn't get to see a reaction from her over Neville's kid hanging around her kid. Maybe they somehow managed to keep that from her.
-So, I'm guessing the little thingie that was in Danny (and probably a similar one in Beth) absorbed electricity like the nanites, but also converted it into something that kept him alive? Maybe also one in Grace's son. She told Danny in the pilot that she had a son who has asthma, which could have been a lie, but either he Died Tragically somewhere along the way, or he's going to pop up one of these days. (Maybe he ran away to join the rebels?)
-It is beyond me why anyone is loyal to Monroe. Like, this behavior isn't exactly new? Even Neville thought he was a creepy jerk at the beginning of the series. And if that guy thinks you're a creepy jerk, there is something seriously off with you.
-I was really hoping Miles was going to give Charlie that knife. (Also, Miles, your niece is a hick because your brother did his best to keep her from knowing the world outside their village even existed, but you flip out on her when she suggests he was anything less than saintly.)
I think I'm current on everything but Bomb Girls, Nikita, and The Borgias. The first 2 only have a couple more episodes to air this season( or ever in one case, possibly in both) so I might as well wait, and I just haven't been in the mood for The Borgias.
Beauty and the Beast 1.18-1.19:
-Welp, I figured Evan was a goner when his entitlement went completely off the charts.
-I'm glad Nathan from Haven betrayed Muirfield simply because I was wondering at how utterly incompetent he seemed to be by leaving Even alone for a 30 minute restroom break, but it's more OK if he left Even to play Nancy Drew on purpose.
-So, Catherine's mom is pretty much everyone's superhero?
-I was not pleased to see a brief resurgence of "I should push you away and never see you again for your own good," but it was squashed pretty quickly. And I'm glad that there's as much "I must protect you/keep secrets from you for your own good!" from Catherine as there is from Vincent. (Though i'm not pleased that he's keeping secrets about her parents from her.)
-I'm glad they didn't drag out the mystery of who/what Gabriel is for long, and that he appears to be on their side. (I was going to be displeased if he was an antagonist. But frenemy/reluctant ally is good.)
-IDC about Joe's obsessive quest to avenge his brother. I mean, I get the need, but I don't care much about him anymore and feel the subplot mostly exists because they didn't think Tess and Cat had enough secrets to feel guilty about, or
-I managed to forget the Tess/Joe plot until the end of 1.19. Her interactions with Vincent and JT are pretty ace, though, and I'm glad she and Catherine and BFF-ing again.
-Where's Heather these days, anyway?
Continuum 2.1:
-For a few moments there, I thought I was watching "P2: The Sequel." Poor Rachel Nichols had thought she'd never have to wear that little white dress again.
-Kellogg apparently liking the abuse makes me more inclined to ship him with Kiera.
-I love Kiera's increased sense of humor. And her Invisible Woman impression. But is Batman really gone in the future?
-Alec, did you seriously just run out on your mother? I feel that chip on your shoulder is growing.
-I like Betty's new hairstyle.
-Sonja better stay in charge. I am actually very sad Travis didn't die in that regard. TRAVIS HOW DID YOU SURVIVE THAT ANYWAY?
Defiance 1.1-1.2: NO ONE TOLD ME STEPHANIE LEONIDAS WAS IN THIS SERIES. EVERYONE IS FIRED. (And with a wig and makeup that makes her look like Jool's extra temperamental younger sister.)
Actually, playing "spot the Farscape makeup" while watching is pretty fun. It wasn't quite as much fun to wonder if I was watching a reworking of the Eureka pilot in large parts of the pilot, though. (I guess the Eureka writers had to go somewhere? Good thing I liked Eureka.)
I give it 1 1/2 thumbs up. Half a thumb is denied because I find the two main male characters, Nolan and Datak, annoying and uninteresting and can tell that (A) they'll be everywhere and (B) I'm supposed to find Datak complex and fascinating, and Nolan roguish and charming (which I might, if they dial back the "chauvinism is cute and charming if it's coming from a scruffy white dude" bit a lot. I did start liking Jack Carter and Pete Lattimer after a little while, though, and all 3 are that same type of "all American white dude who isn't booksmart but has great instincts" thing SyFy seems to required almost all their main characters to have. I suppose I may eventually like Datak, too.) I do appear to be invested in their respective family dynamics, though.
I think this is connected to a video game, but i know little about that.
-I am a sucker for non-nuclear families, be it surrogate families or lost family members finding each other, so I'm not really surprised that the Irisa/Nolan relationship is my main relationship investment so far. (Though their bickering is a bit less "aww" for me and more "sweetie, you appear to have a lot more self-control than anyone gives you credit for, as you don't appear to have stabbed him yet.") I hope we get flashbacks to their past.
-I appear to be shipping Irisa and the deputy. I feel this will end badly for me. Mostly because he doesn't appear to be a regular member of the cast.
-Speaking of interspecies pairings, adorable interspecies teens are adorable. Though the writers appear to be referring quite a bit to Romeo and Juliet. Don't take poison, kids! Always check for a pulse (or equivalent) before making any rash decisions!
-I am very sad that Stahma appears to love her husband very much. It thwarts my hopes that she will kill him and take his place. (And mym oh my did she look happy when talking and how her fiance was accidentally flushed out an airlock.)
-There sure are a lot of ex-vampires running around. Two of whom are playing sisters! Actually, as much as I hope we get to see more of their relationship (especially given their respective professions) I was a bit disappointed about the sisters reveal, as I was hoping to ship them. I just hope we aren't headed towards a triangle with Nolan.
Elementary 1.20: Wow was this episode potentially triggering on various levels. (Though i liked the episode overall, but what a mystery plot to have for one of the few episodes I manage to catch live, and so not hear rumblings about beforehand.)
Particularly the "serial rapist of teenaged girls" part, even if it was in the past (Though handled well, but I cringed when Sherlock was talking about the trauma to the parents if their daughters' rapes were put on the internet. I mean, yes, definitely horrific for the parents, but not as much so as for the people it actually happened to to have their rapes published online.) I'm also really not sure about the obesity angle, though I don't feel qualified to really comment on it.
And what was with the "oh, it all makes sense now that we know she's your stepdaughter and not your REAL daughter" bit? The neighbors mentioning the arguing seemed to be offered up as proof that the guy didn't love his daughter, but from what I can tell, these girls are in the 18-20 range now, where it's still pretty normal to get in shouting matches with parents. And he apparently cared enough about her to pay the blackmail the first time.
On to the more pleasant stuff:
-...Well of course he does his own tattoos...
-Sherlock needs to stop impersonating Edward Cullen. Though Watson appears to have gotten used to it enough that she just sighs and snuggles down now.
-YAY for Alfredo. Boo for Bell apparently only getting 30 seconds of screentime if Alfredo is around? Really enjoyed him telling Sherlock to get over himself.
Alfredo is lucky Joan was there to save him from getting locked in a trunk. Or Sherlock is lucky she was there to save him from trying? Maybe both.
-While JLM's fidgetty delivery was rather perfect, the scene where he tells Watson that he slipped somehow affected me less than I thought it should. Not sure why. I suspect it would on rewatch.
Foyle's War: Series 8: Set in 1946, the "final" (look, this is I think the 3rd time BBC has said "no more Foyle ever," so I figure there's a 50/50 chance they'll just keep cancelling it until Michael Kitchen says he's too old to keep this up) series starts with Foyle returning to England from America after the events of Series 7, and promptly being recruited by the foreign office (and then promptly recruiting Sam). The series largely focuses on the beginnings of the Cold War and England's post-war political and economic condition, and spymistress Hilda Pierce shows up and runs everything in every episode. Though overall feel is shaken up from previous series, a little bit closer to The Hour and The Bletchley Circle at times, but still excellent. Fair warning: the last episode deals fairly heavily with war crimes and PTSD.
Person of Interest 2.20:
-Nice to have an episode focused on Carter and Fusco. Though, urm, Reese and CArter havent interacted in episodes and episodes, and then that's all we got? (And while I suppose it can be argued that he was trying to get Carter to be proactive about Fusco like she is about other things, wow was he a jerk.)
-No one's going to talk about how it was actually Reese (who is notably not helping, despite how many times Fusco has risked himself to help Reese) who killed the dude?
-Loved Carter making Finch help her for once. (Though I've never understood why he gets her to do these things that he just used to hack in and do. Especially since I'm sure his way leaves less of a trail.)
-Anyone else worried that something had happened to Bear when Reese asked where he was? (Even though I'd just been wondering how Carter found the body.)
-I like "solving your own murder" plots.
-yayayay for Shaw and Root next week.
Revolution 1.14:
-Ok, Miles, just how many women have you screwed over in the last 15 years, anyway? And when are we going to find out what you did to them, anyway?
-Is this the fourth time Charlie has saved Miles's butt, or the fifth? (There's here, the pilot when she shot the dude who was about to stabbity Miles in the back, when Miles was nabbed by the militia plant in the tunnels, and when she and Nora blew up the bridge when Jeremy had him, but I feel I'm forgetting one. Meanwhile, the only times I can think of that Miles has rescued her from direct and immediate physical threat are when Neville jumped her in the train episode, and when he popped up when she and Danny were trying to escape the plant. everything else that I recall has been him charging into something where he's convinced she can't get out of it on her own.)
-I am glad Charlie finally knows there are hinky things going on with Rachel and Miles. I actually admired Rachel a lot for not going "actually, I told you I was leaving for supplies because i didn't want you to see your uncle dragging me off in chains" when Charlie was being angry about Rachel leaving them.
-Speaking of Miles screwing over women, I've seen some speculation that Kelly is another ex of his, but I didn't really get that vibe so much as a betrayal that got someone killed.
-No real opinions about the Alec plot, though I kinda wanted him to live and become frenemies with Charlie.
-Why do I get the feeling that Miles thinks a nuke is preferable to hormones in the "things that could endanger Charlie" department?
-Oh, hey, middle-aged biracial lesbian pairing that's treated like a totally normal thing. *happy sigh* Probably never to be seen again in the main plotline, but maybe in flashbacks. Was anyone else thinking Jane might be Rachel's mother or aunt at first? (I'm still kind of clinging to the aunt idea.)
-Apparently when Aaron says "take what you want," it's interpreted as "please try to rape my female companions while I sit here flailing and someone else promptly kills you for it." But seriously, Aaron is the WORST choice of a travelling companions. I mean, he kind of foisted himself on Charlie, who was headed for someone she had been assured would be a good protector, but Rachel appears to have chosen him. I mean, I'm sure Jim, Nora, or Nicholas (or any other number of perfectly competent rebel soldiers) would have been perfectly willing to tag along as bodyguard if they knew what the goal was. (I'd mention Jason as a possibility, too, but I don't think Miles or Charlie trusts him enough for that yet, and Rachel would have taken that one VERY badly, I think. I was surprised we didn't get to see a reaction from her over Neville's kid hanging around her kid. Maybe they somehow managed to keep that from her.
-So, I'm guessing the little thingie that was in Danny (and probably a similar one in Beth) absorbed electricity like the nanites, but also converted it into something that kept him alive? Maybe also one in Grace's son. She told Danny in the pilot that she had a son who has asthma, which could have been a lie, but either he Died Tragically somewhere along the way, or he's going to pop up one of these days. (Maybe he ran away to join the rebels?)
-It is beyond me why anyone is loyal to Monroe. Like, this behavior isn't exactly new? Even Neville thought he was a creepy jerk at the beginning of the series. And if that guy thinks you're a creepy jerk, there is something seriously off with you.
-I was really hoping Miles was going to give Charlie that knife. (Also, Miles, your niece is a hick because your brother did his best to keep her from knowing the world outside their village even existed, but you flip out on her when she suggests he was anything less than saintly.)
I think I'm current on everything but Bomb Girls, Nikita, and The Borgias. The first 2 only have a couple more episodes to air this season( or ever in one case, possibly in both) so I might as well wait, and I just haven't been in the mood for The Borgias.