I see your face, I see you staring back at me
I didn't intend to watch Gotham last night, but then I saw Ben Edlund had written it, and I thought, if Edlund can't make this watchable, I'm truly out for good. Spoilers: It wasn't terrible! In fact, it was only about half-bad! Though I still am not planning to keep up with it. It certainly lacked Edlund's usually snappy dialogue and over-the-top gore, but it did give us Cobblepot being bathed by his mother (CAROL KANE!) in a truly creepy, Oedipal way, so...there's that? (I'm more convinced than ever that Fish Mooney was domming the hell out of him in their spare time. I don't even know if it was sexual or just violent, but I am pretty certain she had him on an actual leash and working as a footstool at some point. And now I need to go bleach my brain, because he is super unattractive to me.) And as much as I think they missed an opportunity to do something more interesting with Penguin, I feel like they've totally botched Nygma. What the fuck was that?
No, really, though, I liked that we got to see Bullock as a younger, more invested detective, and saw how he started on the path to become the corrupt and lackadaisical individual we all know and ...are entertained by today. Plus Dan Hedaya! I liked that Bullock had a personal connection to the case and that's what made him decide to do actual police work and okay, the resolution was super rushed and not really convincing, but I was okay with it. (Though seriously, I don't get it with this show and psychology. The therapist is a killer, the Waynes refuse to let Bruce see a psychiatrist, but Arkham Asylum is going to save the city? WHAT IS HAPPENING? AND WHY DO I CARE? Unless this is going to the Court of Owls place, where the therapist was also a cat's paw for a larger conspiracy out to 'cure' the city by...killing off rich people? WHY AM I EVEN THEORIZING? Though acrobatic assassin Dick Grayson would make my LIFE complete. Of course, he's not even a twinkle in his daddy's eye yet, is he? How old is Li'l Wayne? 12? So maybe Mary Grayson has a bun in the oven?)
And emo Bruce is emo, breaking Alfred's heart with his, "The Goat's not going to take me. There's no one to take me from." DON'T MAKE ME HUGPUNCH YOU, LI'L WAYNE. (That kid might make a decent Damian, too - according to imdb, his dad is from Tunisia, so that could work.)
Let us not even speak about what they've done to Renee Montoya. Just what? WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK? And Barbara Kean needs to go away now and come back as someone who can actually act.
So possibly there is a decent show in there somewhere, though I still have a lot of doubts.
Then there was Sleepy Hollow. WENDIGO!
Okay, that kid who played Joe Corbin, two three things:
1. he reminded me of Matt Saracen, I mean, Zach Gilford. It was VERY DISTRACTING. and
2. he really did look like he could be Clancy Brown's son. Good job, casting people! and okay, 3 things:
3. I didn't like him all that much and I'd still rather he stuck around and Hawley died violently.
Ugh, show, what made you think adding a bland white guy as a love interest for Abbie was smarter than letting Jenny have more screen time? I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. The only point they really needed Hawley for was to sell the flute unknowingly to Henry - I am hoping that Jenny, at this point, would vet her buyers much more thoroughly. SO WHY IS HE STILL HERE? Not even Ichabod's entertaining distaste for him makes me think he should be sticking around, let alone as some kind of triangle bait for the MILLS SISTERS. DON'T EVEN GO THERE, SHOW.
The show needs to get Irving back into the mix with Abbie and Ichabod. He's not really that interesting off on his own, even with John Noble ~ACTING his little heart out.
I guess there was a plot? That could have been fun but wasn't really? I feel like the show is wasting these characters who either have or have made real connections to Abbie and Ichbod (the social worker lady in the Pied Piper ep, Caroline, now Joe) and instead brought us Hawley. *gag* Is he some network-mandated mancandy? Is that it? Because I really do not feel a need.
On the plus side, Ichabod was comedy gold in this one. And also looking fine with his hair down. And "double jugs". *dies* I can't even.
Okay, and I'm cutting separately for spoilers for next week's preview. OH SHOW NO. NOT THE MYSTICAL DEMON PREGNANCY. WHY GO TO THAT WELL? THAT WELL IS DRY. EVEN IF KATRINA GIVES BIRTH TO GINA TORRES, IT IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. (otoh, someone cast Gina Torres as Lori Mills, stat!) Of all the terrible plots to saddle Katrina with! HAVE AN ORIGINAL IDEA GUYS. THIS ONE IS NEVER A GOOD ONE.
In other news, if like me you are eagerly awaiting the release of Foxglove Summer (the fourth Peter Grant book), Ben Aaronovitch has a new short story up on his blog (thanks to
marinarusalka for the link).
***
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/701265.html.
people have commented there.
No, really, though, I liked that we got to see Bullock as a younger, more invested detective, and saw how he started on the path to become the corrupt and lackadaisical individual we all know and ...are entertained by today. Plus Dan Hedaya! I liked that Bullock had a personal connection to the case and that's what made him decide to do actual police work and okay, the resolution was super rushed and not really convincing, but I was okay with it. (Though seriously, I don't get it with this show and psychology. The therapist is a killer, the Waynes refuse to let Bruce see a psychiatrist, but Arkham Asylum is going to save the city? WHAT IS HAPPENING? AND WHY DO I CARE? Unless this is going to the Court of Owls place, where the therapist was also a cat's paw for a larger conspiracy out to 'cure' the city by...killing off rich people? WHY AM I EVEN THEORIZING? Though acrobatic assassin Dick Grayson would make my LIFE complete. Of course, he's not even a twinkle in his daddy's eye yet, is he? How old is Li'l Wayne? 12? So maybe Mary Grayson has a bun in the oven?)
And emo Bruce is emo, breaking Alfred's heart with his, "The Goat's not going to take me. There's no one to take me from." DON'T MAKE ME HUGPUNCH YOU, LI'L WAYNE. (That kid might make a decent Damian, too - according to imdb, his dad is from Tunisia, so that could work.)
Let us not even speak about what they've done to Renee Montoya. Just what? WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK? And Barbara Kean needs to go away now and come back as someone who can actually act.
So possibly there is a decent show in there somewhere, though I still have a lot of doubts.
Then there was Sleepy Hollow. WENDIGO!
Okay, that kid who played Joe Corbin, two three things:
1. he reminded me of Matt Saracen, I mean, Zach Gilford. It was VERY DISTRACTING. and
2. he really did look like he could be Clancy Brown's son. Good job, casting people! and okay, 3 things:
3. I didn't like him all that much and I'd still rather he stuck around and Hawley died violently.
Ugh, show, what made you think adding a bland white guy as a love interest for Abbie was smarter than letting Jenny have more screen time? I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. The only point they really needed Hawley for was to sell the flute unknowingly to Henry - I am hoping that Jenny, at this point, would vet her buyers much more thoroughly. SO WHY IS HE STILL HERE? Not even Ichabod's entertaining distaste for him makes me think he should be sticking around, let alone as some kind of triangle bait for the MILLS SISTERS. DON'T EVEN GO THERE, SHOW.
The show needs to get Irving back into the mix with Abbie and Ichabod. He's not really that interesting off on his own, even with John Noble ~ACTING his little heart out.
I guess there was a plot? That could have been fun but wasn't really? I feel like the show is wasting these characters who either have or have made real connections to Abbie and Ichbod (the social worker lady in the Pied Piper ep, Caroline, now Joe) and instead brought us Hawley. *gag* Is he some network-mandated mancandy? Is that it? Because I really do not feel a need.
On the plus side, Ichabod was comedy gold in this one. And also looking fine with his hair down. And "double jugs". *dies* I can't even.
Okay, and I'm cutting separately for spoilers for next week's preview. OH SHOW NO. NOT THE MYSTICAL DEMON PREGNANCY. WHY GO TO THAT WELL? THAT WELL IS DRY. EVEN IF KATRINA GIVES BIRTH TO GINA TORRES, IT IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. (otoh, someone cast Gina Torres as Lori Mills, stat!) Of all the terrible plots to saddle Katrina with! HAVE AN ORIGINAL IDEA GUYS. THIS ONE IS NEVER A GOOD ONE.
In other news, if like me you are eagerly awaiting the release of Foxglove Summer (the fourth Peter Grant book), Ben Aaronovitch has a new short story up on his blog (thanks to
marinarusalka for the link).
***
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/701265.html.
people have commented there.