a couple of comments on recent tv
Arranged from the not-so-squeeful to the most squee... :)
I really wanted to like Journeyman because of the time travel, but the second episode wasn't any less boring than the first. Well, the travel back made a bit more sense though I have to wonder why sudden time travel on tv always comes with a "mission" in the first place, and the characters are actually starting to grow on me, but if it doesn't pick up some dramatic tension keeping me hooked by next week, I'm going to stop watching.
I've seen others call Moonlight retro (yahtzee63, I think), but I didn't realize how much until I watched. I don't know, it somehow reminds me of tv series from 15 years ago. I've seen several people comment on the quality of the writing, or rather the lack thereof, but I think I could come to like these characters, if the series found its feet. At least I wasn't bored while watching, even if the plots weren't that original.
I liked Avatar 3x02, because it showed the Fire Nation as more or less regular people and that the war mindset of the last decades also changed life for them, e.g. with the dancing prohibition and propaganda and such. With the most recent ep I thought the solution with cleaning the polluted river more or less instantly via Bending was too pat. I know its a children's cartoon, but one of the things I like about it is that it doesn't shy away from complexity, and you don't get destroyed ecosystems back like that.
Supernatural is back! Squee!
However, the opening scene? It's not that I begrudge Dean hot threesome sex, but seriously, that Dean makes signs to his brother who's stalking him standing watch before having sex, and then arranges their positions so that he can see their silhouettes -- that's just creepy.
I liked Isaac and Tamara, though I wondered what exactly the hunters' gossip made of that hell portal incident, because if the Winchesters hadn't been there it would have been worse after all. Isaac didn't deserve such a gruesome death though. And I hope Tamara will reappear as a guest.
I thought the demon bar as the late roadhouse's mirror was great, and the idea for the demons to represent the seven deadly sins was cool. Though they were kind of disappointing in their competency level for experienced demons.
While I have no firm opinion yet on the nameless (?) blond girl saving them, seeing how we don't really know anything about her yet, I did find the deus ex machinia aspect when the Buffy the Vampire Slayer clone burst in with her magic dagger disappointing. I mean, when she was stalking them I thought she was one of the demons at first, so when she reappeared saving the day I didn't even connect her with the earlier appearances. I guess it's partly my fault for not having good character memory, but it wasn't a great way to introduce someone.
Things that were awesome throughout: Bobby of course (in a suit even! posing as assistant DA, heh). Also Dean milking Sam's guilt and pushing him until he finally snaps was great, IMO. I liked their confrontation over Dean's deal too.
I found it interesting what one of the demons said about the YED giving Sam power over them, and wondered whether that could help Dean, even though the demon implied its all gone now that the YED is out of the picture.
Anyway, I thought it was a good and intriguing start to the season, that introduced some good hooks.
SGA was awesome. Overall I was really happy with this whole three-parter. And the conclusion didn't disappoint.
I don't think Elizabeth is dead, maybe she's going to come back as a Borg called Locutus Replicator, though I guess it might be a while, like perhaps the mid-season two part episode. (I am not spoiled for future eps at all, so this is just a wild guess, please don't spoil me for future eps.)
I thought that Elizabeth managed to make the Asurans own trick work against them was pretty cool. As usual their overall plan didn't quite work out as planned, nor was it fully thought through, but I'm mostly okay with that in SGA.
I've seen several comments about their file uploading plan and that Rodney should have gone, and Ronon left to watch Elizabeth, but then nobody would have been left to operate the jumper in a worst case scenario with the file upload team dead, and then there would have been not even a little chance anymore to get the ZPM to Atlantis. So I think that would have been a worse plan. What would have maybe made the most sense is for Rodney and Ronon to go, for technical expertise and protection, and Elizabeth and John stay behind, because that way there would have been someone to fly the jumper to flee, and John himself would have been responsible for stopping Elizabeth. But of course John won't let others take stupid risks without being there himself, so he didn't even consider that configuration. And of course with their luck it turned out fortunate that Elizabeth managed to go out to engage the Asurans.
Finally, I really liked the scenes towards the end with Ronon and Teyla, and then Sam and John that showed our team mourning Elizabeth.
I really wanted to like Journeyman because of the time travel, but the second episode wasn't any less boring than the first. Well, the travel back made a bit more sense though I have to wonder why sudden time travel on tv always comes with a "mission" in the first place, and the characters are actually starting to grow on me, but if it doesn't pick up some dramatic tension keeping me hooked by next week, I'm going to stop watching.
I've seen others call Moonlight retro (yahtzee63, I think), but I didn't realize how much until I watched. I don't know, it somehow reminds me of tv series from 15 years ago. I've seen several people comment on the quality of the writing, or rather the lack thereof, but I think I could come to like these characters, if the series found its feet. At least I wasn't bored while watching, even if the plots weren't that original.
I liked Avatar 3x02, because it showed the Fire Nation as more or less regular people and that the war mindset of the last decades also changed life for them, e.g. with the dancing prohibition and propaganda and such. With the most recent ep I thought the solution with cleaning the polluted river more or less instantly via Bending was too pat. I know its a children's cartoon, but one of the things I like about it is that it doesn't shy away from complexity, and you don't get destroyed ecosystems back like that.
Supernatural is back! Squee!
However, the opening scene? It's not that I begrudge Dean hot threesome sex, but seriously, that Dean makes signs to his brother who's stalking him standing watch before having sex, and then arranges their positions so that he can see their silhouettes -- that's just creepy.
I liked Isaac and Tamara, though I wondered what exactly the hunters' gossip made of that hell portal incident, because if the Winchesters hadn't been there it would have been worse after all. Isaac didn't deserve such a gruesome death though. And I hope Tamara will reappear as a guest.
I thought the demon bar as the late roadhouse's mirror was great, and the idea for the demons to represent the seven deadly sins was cool. Though they were kind of disappointing in their competency level for experienced demons.
While I have no firm opinion yet on the nameless (?) blond girl saving them, seeing how we don't really know anything about her yet, I did find the deus ex machinia aspect when the Buffy the Vampire Slayer clone burst in with her magic dagger disappointing. I mean, when she was stalking them I thought she was one of the demons at first, so when she reappeared saving the day I didn't even connect her with the earlier appearances. I guess it's partly my fault for not having good character memory, but it wasn't a great way to introduce someone.
Things that were awesome throughout: Bobby of course (in a suit even! posing as assistant DA, heh). Also Dean milking Sam's guilt and pushing him until he finally snaps was great, IMO. I liked their confrontation over Dean's deal too.
I found it interesting what one of the demons said about the YED giving Sam power over them, and wondered whether that could help Dean, even though the demon implied its all gone now that the YED is out of the picture.
Anyway, I thought it was a good and intriguing start to the season, that introduced some good hooks.
SGA was awesome. Overall I was really happy with this whole three-parter. And the conclusion didn't disappoint.
I don't think Elizabeth is dead, maybe she's going to come back as a Borg called Locutus Replicator, though I guess it might be a while, like perhaps the mid-season two part episode. (I am not spoiled for future eps at all, so this is just a wild guess, please don't spoil me for future eps.)
I thought that Elizabeth managed to make the Asurans own trick work against them was pretty cool. As usual their overall plan didn't quite work out as planned, nor was it fully thought through, but I'm mostly okay with that in SGA.
I've seen several comments about their file uploading plan and that Rodney should have gone, and Ronon left to watch Elizabeth, but then nobody would have been left to operate the jumper in a worst case scenario with the file upload team dead, and then there would have been not even a little chance anymore to get the ZPM to Atlantis. So I think that would have been a worse plan. What would have maybe made the most sense is for Rodney and Ronon to go, for technical expertise and protection, and Elizabeth and John stay behind, because that way there would have been someone to fly the jumper to flee, and John himself would have been responsible for stopping Elizabeth. But of course John won't let others take stupid risks without being there himself, so he didn't even consider that configuration. And of course with their luck it turned out fortunate that Elizabeth managed to go out to engage the Asurans.
Finally, I really liked the scenes towards the end with Ronon and Teyla, and then Sam and John that showed our team mourning Elizabeth.