TV Show Reviews

............
The Vampire Diaries


So, Becca and I are huge, The Vampire Diaries, fans. If you haven’t seen this show on the CW, then you're missing out. It comes on Thursday nights, and its got everything: romance, action, drama, decent story arcs (most times), and teenage vampires, werewolves and witches. Additionally, the series is based on books. I’ve read some of the books, and after book three, I started to lose interest, but not so with the show. And if you watch the show, maybe you can appreciate/agree/disagree with our thoughts on it.
Becca is a Damon fan, while I’m a Stefan fan. She only likes Stefan when he is being bad, and I never like Damon. Well, mostly on principle as a Stefan fan. I like Elena, but I like her more when she is on-again with Stefan. Obviously, given that, I don’t really care for her character right now, but I’m hoping that will be righted by the end of this season. I’ve gotten to the point where I could do without the Originals, as well. Just kill them already, and make them stay dead this time. Except for Elijah. If producers/directors are reading this, we need more Elijah time. However, it does get old when every episode is about how they can kill the Originals and how they fail at doing it. And really, do we need to bring in another vampire, Silas,that is even older than the Originals. If they can’t kill off Klaus, they will never be able to kill off this new guy. Keeping fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.
Of course, Becca and I disagree on which characters should die next. Supposedly, two will die this season, but alas, I know that it won't matter, because more than likely, they will just get resurrected. Although, the show has surprised me a time or two. She likes the Originals, particularly Klaus, and would rather see Matty (my nickname for him), and Bonnie (in that order) gone. I’ve already expressed my thoughts on the matter in the previous paragraph. I would rather that the original cast members stay where they are. I recently read an article that Vulture posted about when everyone on the Vampire Diaries should have been killed. Although, I disagree with some of the points made, it was quite entertaining. So, if you haven’t read it, check it out. And, if you have time, please feel free to leave some feedback on your thoughts on the show. Do you have a favorite character? Damon or Stefan? Who would you liked to see killed off next? And, what are your thoughts on an Elijah and Elena pairing?


Reviewed by Susannah;)


Beauty and the Beast

So, my favorite new show this year is Beauty and the Beast on the CW, airing right after The Vampire Diaries (see above). Vincent...Vincent..Vincent (releases sigh). The lead characters, Vincent and Catherine, have so much chemistry on this show. But dag nabbit, it's time for them to kiss already! If I have to wait for the season finale for it to happen, I will not be a happy camper. Just KISS the girl already. Who cares if you might turn into a deadly killing machine, a.k.a. Beast, while doing it. Just kidding. But really, we know how this will play out: he will avoid Cat all season because of his fear of turning, insert annoying love triangle here (new redhead), and then at the end, the season finale, they'll kiss and he'll be fine. Although, just to be safe, don't bet any real money on my prediction. Getting back to the love triangle, I know that its only been a couple of episodes, but I'm ready for her to go. Goodbye. Sayonara. Adios. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. 
I might not like some people, but I do like the morgue doctor and Cat's sister, who I hope get more air time. My opinion is, give this show a shot, and see if you like it for yourself. For me, what keeps me coming back, is not the solving the crime part of the storyline (which can sometimes be a little underwhelming), but the relationships among the characters.
P.S. - Kiss her already!

Update: Now that season 1 is over, my opinion is that this show started strong, and then sometime in the spring, it started to go downhill. I was thankfully wrong about my predictions, as I love seeing Cat and Vincent together, but I could do without some of the over-the-top stuff. Did you have to kill the doctor, too? That truly stunk! And if you want to see more viewers like myself, I suggest you put a clause in there somewhere that Vincent has to be shirtless every episode. (wink wink)
Reviewed by Susannah;)


The Walking Dead

Oh, Rick, let me count the ways as to how much I've missed you. Now that, unfortunately (clears throat), Lori is out of the picture, you and I can survive the zombie Apocalypse together...oops, wrong blog. 

Yeah. Ok. Right. Let's start this over. 

Yay! The Walking Dead starts back next week, and I, for one, can't wait. Like a self-indulgent 320 calorie, Starbuck's Iced Caffe Mocha, I need my Walking Dead fix. Now. Please.

If you're my friend (outside of social media sites), and if you watch this show, as well, then you know that I'm a huge RICK fan. *A special thank you goes out to Becca and Gayle for listening to all of my nonsensical  Rick ramblings, all the time*. If you aren't my friend, well, let me tell you about it-I. Like. Rick. First, let's back up and start with the, what you need to know, Rick essentials, according to me. Lesson one: Rick can do no wrong. Lesson two: The Rickinator can do no wrong. Lesson three: As long as Rick (and Daryl) survive in the end, we're all good. So, that about sums it up in a nutshell. 

If you're not watching this show, what are you watching?! There is not another show on TV right now like this one. I like a variety of shows, but this one is definitely at the top (in the top three). Everything about this show is superb. From the writing and acting to the special effects. To the character development over each season and how the characters are able to convey so much emotion in just one look or one touch or one sentence of dialogue, such as "Oh, no, nooo, nooo, (insert other indecipherable moaning here)", followed by an emotional collapse to the floor of a prison yard. Sure its fiction, but it gives me chills watching the examples of gut-wrenching humanity that are played out each week on this show. 

As an aside, I used to not like Daryl. I used to think of him as being a stereotypical redneck jerk, who needed a bath big-time, like his brother, Merle. But now, he's my next favorite character. And, somehow, now that I like his character, his perpetual grubbiness doesn't bother me anymore. In fact, its kinda hot on him now. Go figure. Oh well, what I'm hoping to see next with his character, is for him and Carol to get together. I remember her telling Daryl, in season two, when he asked her what she wanted, she said that she wanted a man of honor. Although, at the time, Daryl told her in reply that Rick's got honor, we all know that Daryl is that man. He just needs some a little more time, but I feel that its coming!

Spoilerish:
Favorite scenes: Rick on the horse; Rick seeing Carl and Lori again; Rick and Daryl, each, holding Judith for the first time; any scene with Daryl and Carol, but particularly, Daryl coming back for Carol on the motorcycle at the farmhouse (honorable act); Daryl going to search for baby food (honorable act); Lori's final words to Carl; and predictably, any scene with Rick shirtless and with Daryl aiming his crossbow (Look at the guns on him!)
Least favorite scenes: that poor horse is my least favorite scene; Lori's primary demise; Lori's secondary demise, courtesy of the bloated walker; T-Dog's sacrifice; and the eventual and prolonged finding of Sophia.

What is your favorite or least favorite scene from the show? Please feel free to leave a comment.

Reviewed by Susannah;)





 The Bachelor

I’ve been watching The Bachelor ever since season 2-this is season 17. I missed the first season, and I missed the ninth season with the Italian prince. This season, though, is by far the best season, to date. And Sean, is by far, the best bachelor, to date (pun intended). He is just so adorable, and he seems so genuine and down-to-earth. There’s nothing pretentious about him; he doesn’t appear to be full of himself. He just seems like a regular good guy with (drool-worthy) six pack abs. I liked him when he was on The Bachelorette with Emily, and I like him even more now. As an aside, another reason why I like him, is that I haven’t seen many gossip rags digging up skeletons on him. He’s definitely no cray-cray Jake or philandering Ben, which is a plus.

Ok, I admit it, I do read Reality Steve, because I’m usually wrong about whom they’ll pick anyway, and I don’t mind the ending being spoiled. Heck, half of the couples don’t even last six months after the final rose ceremony, anyway. On average, I usually only get the final rose pick right, about every other bachelor season. For example, I really, really, really thought, like betting money thought, that Jason was going to pick Molly. Although, that turned out all right in the end (I heart Jason and Molly). I get that some things with the show are probably scripted or edited to look a certain way or to look more dramatic then what they really are, but I just like this show. It’s like good, campy, yet dependable, reality fun. Kinda like a pair of blinged-out flip flops in the back of your closet that you forget about because it’s the wrong season, and then when you find them again in the spring, you’re like, “Oh, that’s where you’ve been this whole time. I love these shoes!” That’s how I am with The Bachelor. When it’s not on, I forget about it. Don’t even give it another thought. And, then when it comes back on, I’m like, “Yay. It’s time for The Bachelor again.Yes!” (insert excited hand motion). And, of course, ladies, it doesn’t hurt when, every other episode, the hot bachelor takes his shirt off, as well.

*Since I know how this one is going to end, I won’t spoil it for you, but I will say that, for this season, I would have gotten my early, final rose pick, all wrong. 

            Reviewed by Susannah;)



Arrow


     My husband has started watching Arrow on Wednesday nights on the CW. He really likes the show, too. In fact, it is the only show that he if misses an episode, he'll go back and watch it. I've seen it with him a few times, but I haven't caught on to it, like he has. To me, it is very Smallvilleish-like. I've never seen Stephen Amell in anything before this show, but I will say, that he isn't a half-bad actor and he is really cute to look at, as well. I think sometimes I tune in just to see if he is going to workout in his cargo pants and no shirt again (hehe). Let me tell you, the CW is a genius at marketing their shows to women. All it takes is one clip of a pretty boy with abs, and some of us are already bated, hook, line and sinker. The thing is, you have to keep us that way.
  
     I don't know what it is though, but I just can't commit to this show on a regular basis. To me, its a little disjointed, and I feel somewhat disconnected as a viewer, and really, how many more bad guys/henchmen can there be in one single fight scene (rolls eyes)? And, when they pulled out the island flashback scenes with the hero in a bad hair piece, he didn't even look like the same guy-I had to do a double take-and it was highly obvious, that it was terribly fake. Overall, the island scenes disinterest me the most. How can one island have so many bad guys intent on torture, as well? Let's get off the island and stay off the island. This is not Lost.

     I'm not really sure where they are going with the hero and the lawyer girl's relationship, but I feel like that storyline should be more established by this point. Will they? Won't they? I don't have a clear picture in my mind, as a female viewer, that a strong potential even exists. As someone who likes to see some romance, even in a tagged action/adventure show, they're going to have to throw something more my way, to bait me in again. And don't pair him up with someone else so soon and this early in the game and even if its only two episodes, when we're not even given more as to whether there could be a chance and a spark between them. Instead of showing more flashbacks of the island, how about showing flashbacks of him and her? Give more background on them. That needs to be built up more because the formula right there is slightly off. With a little calibration, this has the potential to be a show that I would watch on a continual basis, as opposed to watching some of it, here or there, or just whenever I can catch it.

     UPDATE: 2/12/13 - I read somewhere that Colton Haynes was joining the cast of Arrow. HOLY COW! (squeals like an obsessed fangirl) Arrow's stock has just shot through the roof for me. Seriously, Colton was the only reason why I watched Teen Wolf on MTV to begin with (if you don't believe me, just ask Becca). Now that he's jumped ship, so will I. I was really indifferent about Arrow, too, but no longer. I will be tuning in every Wednesday for as long as he's on it,which I hope is a long time. And, is he not the cutest thing, ever? Those freckles, those eyes...what a cutie pie!
      
     Reviewed by Susannah;)

Hawaii Five-O

     After watching The Bachelor, I usually turn the station and tune into Hawaii Five-O, which is in its third season, on CBS on Monday nights. Let's be real, ladies, there's really only one good reason why you're watching Hawaii Five-O, and its not for the titillating police procedural storylines. CBS has tried so hard over the last few years to make Alex O'Loughlin happen, and finally he's getting his chance. Why oh why, they ever took Moonlight off the air, in the first place, I have no idea. If it had premiered after Twilight, it would be a huge hit right now, in the same vein (no pun intended), of The Vampire Diaries. He was so great in Moonlight, and I've seen of a few of his movies that I've liked, as well.For one, The Back-up Plan with JLo was cute for a rom-com. If you're a fan of his and you've not watched Oyster Farmer though, oh honey child, look it up. Today. Occasionally,  I still think about that one scene where he and this girl are on the dock together...just find it. Enough said. (Mom, if you're reading this, please don't google it).
      For me, the main weak link for Hawaii Five-O is that the writing is a little consistent. You might have a good episode one week, and then the next, one that seemed like filler. The interactions between the regular cast members is the best part of the show. Additionally, the banter between Danno and Steve is a plus, and they need to capitalize on that each episode. You shouldn't change the formula of something, if its working, and as a fan, I like to see them play off of each other, each week. Overall, I do feel like the character development has gotten better since season one, but I enjoyed season one the most, and that was because I am not a big fan of the overlapping story arcs from season to season. 
     And really, could we move away from showing the seedy side of Hawaii, already? I really enjoy when they show the beauty of the state and some of the more exotic locales, which they are getting better at doing. Or, when they are able to incorporate some of the Hawaiian customs or use the local lingo. Those things interest me. This show is a lot  like NCIS, and it will be like NCIS-it will around for a while, and that's great, because its a good show, and c'mon, who doesn't want to see more of Alex? (That was a rhetorical question.) Seriously, look it up! 
   
     Reviewed by Susannah;)


American Idol

     With this new season of American Idol, I've watched it when I can. I might miss it one night and then watch it the next. I don't feel like I have to catch every episode or go online to see what I've missed; I'm not that committed. 
    This year, I can hardly watch it for various reasons. One being, Nicki Minaj is just plain annoying, and on top of that, of course, she's going to like and single out people more like herself. How utterly...predictable of her. Some of the worst singers that have been sent through are ones that she liked and championed, that weren't great quality singers, but it was more about them being the opposite of mainstream. An understanding, I totally get you, sympathy vote, if you will. 
     Mariah Carey doesn't say a whole lot and from the episodes I've seen so far, she doesn't do a whole lot, either. Except look pretty. They are paying her big bucks, for what exactly? I like Mariah and she can sing, but right now, she's pretty disappointing. I hope that she gets more involved in the coming weeks as they get down to the top contests.
     Randy, well, Randy is Randy. Same as ever.
     Same for Seacrest. Making more money so that he can feature another shallow, self-absorbed family on the E! network, I suppose. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that he never read Pinocchio as a child or never took one particular theme to heart, "Let your conscience be your guide." Laughable. Never thought much of him, never will. 
     And that just leaves, the last judge, Keith Urban. Outside of watching the contestants perform, he's the one redeeming thing about this show this season. I've liked Keith Urban for years, and it's interesting getting to see this side of him. Being able to see more of his character, off of the stage. He's a good judge, too. He's personable, intelligent, knows music, and has proven to be an efficient, take-charge leader. He gives constructive feedback and remarks, instead of just saying an obligatory yes or no, and he seems like a very genuine guy. He's well-spoken, as well, and he just jumps right in there and shares his thoughts without being prompted by another judge to do so. There's no uncomfortable awkwardness to him being on the judge's panel at all. Last but not least, he's nice to look at, as well. American Idol would be stupid to let him go. If anything, they should pay him more, but they probably won't because he's not "dramatic" enough. If he decides not to come back next year, I won't watch it anymore. I'm already half-way there, anyway; my foot is already in the door, and I really just came back this year to see how he fared as a judge. 

Update: Ok, now that we are down to the top contests, I can say, unequivocally, that the best judge is KU. The rest are so b-o-r-i-n-g and for the most part, their comments are unoriginal and generic. You can tell that he really wants to be there, while some of the others look disinterested and bored.
   
Update: As much as I love KU, I just couldn't with this show, so I just eventually gave up. Might it be time to let this show go to the non-renewed shows, heaven in the sky?

Reviewed by Susannah B;)

Banshee

I just finished watching the season finale of Banshee on Cinemax. Alan Ball is one of the show's creators, so being a True Blood fan, I thought I would give the show a try. That doesn't mean to say that I don't have a bone to pick with him about TB and his love of Bill, because I do. But that's TB post for another day. 

Banshee really surprised me; it wasn't anything like I thought it would be. It's very Die Hard meet Quentin Tarantino, in nature. If I was a guy, I would probably love it, hands down, without question. Seeing as I'm not, its not something that I'm going to recommend to my girlfriends' anytime soon. Although, the lead hero, Anthony Starr, is pretty tune-in worthy, in and of himself. It's just not something they would watch, given their propensity for tuning into Dancing with the Stars and Duck Dynasty. Yeah, not their cup of tea.

In the opening episode, you see the hero leave a prison, after a lengthy incarceration, steal a car-mind you, after an impromptu romp with a waitress (he just got out of prison, after all). Then, he meet up with an Asian drag queen, who not only has a penchant for doing hair, but just so happens to be a genius computer hacker (so jealous!), and then of all the luck, a double decker bus decides it wants to mow him down, right there on the streets of Manhattan. He's not even out twenty-four hours, and the dude's already got an Ukrainian bad guy after him. He really is as unlucky as John McClane was with his Russians, except its Ukrainians, and he gets the snot beat out of him, on a per episode basis as him, as well. After watching a few episodes, I kept thinking, he's going to want to go back to prison pretty soon. Much safer in there. Through a series of flashbacks, you learn that the prison, understandably, wasn't real homey, either.

Eventually, he makes his way to Banshee, Pennsylvania, a rural town with a fair many Amish. Why Banshee, of all places? Is he thinking of pulling a Witness, and hiding out, inseminating into the local Pennsylvania Dutch culture and becoming a farmer? No. He's there looking for a past lover and ex-jewel thief, who now is living in Banshee under an assumed identity with her two children and prosecutor husband. Poor guy, he can't catch a break. For one, his true love's taken and for two, she doesn't have the diamonds that landed him in prison, in the first place. And three, he's still got tons of Ukrainian bad guys wanting to kill him. After they make him suffer horribly, first. Although, on his side, women seem to throw themselves at him, left and right. Most be all those, just-got-out-of-prison pheromones, he gives off. 

Through a violent bar encounter with some thugs, the new sheriff of Banshee, Lucas Hood, is killed, and our protagonist, without much forethought, decides to assume his identity. This identity-assuming is becoming epidemic.There's also a young lady in the cast, who assumes the role of a meek Amish follower by day, and a wild party girl by night. Can't stand her; she's one of my least favorite characters. Additionally, she's got some "Uncle" issues. Who on this show doesn't have issues, though?

There's lots of baddies, such as his ex-lover's gangster dad, bent on revenge, and a local crime boss, who back in the day, was once Amish himself. And then, there's some characters that fall in that requisite gray area. There's a certain likableness about the main character, even when he's doing wrong. His on-going love for the leading lady is admirable, albeit somewhat foolish given her current status and yet, you see him at his most vulnerable in scenes with her. He does vulnerable really well. Like, stay with you days later, really well. There's also a likableness to his ex-lover's husband, and you can't help but think, poor schmuck, particularly when he finds out  that everything that he thought about his life and his wife was a lie. I'm not real sympathetic towards her character, as is; she strikes me as one of those, have your cake and eat it too, types. 

I'm intrigued as to where the second season will take Lucas Hood. Indeed, it looks like his unbeknownst son to him (the real Lucas Hood's son) might just be making a pit stop in Banshee. And what's going to happen when they finally do unearth the real Lucas Hood?

Reviewed by Susannah B;)


Dancing with the Stars - Season 16

Oops, I did it again! Every season, I say that I'm not going to watch Dancing with the Stars, and inevitably, every season, I do. No Max this year. Boo hoo! Sometimes, he was the only reason why I watched. Last season, I watched for Max and Kristie, Kelly and Val, Tristan, Chelsie, and Mark. I know that he's one of the more polarizing pros, but I've always liked him, and I always felt like he never got a preliminary "shoe-in" or the more experienced ones, like others on the show, always seemed to get. I'd probably be ticked a time or two myself, if the deck was always stacked against me, and in favor of the same pros again and again. It's quite obvious that the judges have their favorites, too.

This season, when I do tune in, I'll be rooting for Val and Zendaya (she's so adorable!), Dorothy and Tristan,  and Mark and Aly. Additionally, I might throw some votes The Bachelor's way and being an old General Hospital fan, Ingo's way, as well. If I was betting money, I would probably say Mark and Aly will be the Mirror Ball champs. That's my early prediction, but I do feel like Jacoby has a good shoot, based on fan base alone.

Update: I was hoping that Zendaya and Val would win, but they still had an excellent season. Kudos to them!
Reviewed by Susannah B;)


Golden Boy

So, after I found out that Theo James was cast to be my man, I mean, cast to be Tobias in the movie, Divergent, I had to check him out and see if he was worthy of such an honor. Holy cow! He stars in the CBS police procedural, Golden Boy, on Tuesday nights, and holy cow! On a normal basis, I don't even like police procedural shows, except for Hawaii 5-0, but holy cow! I don't think there is a better-looking guy on TV right now. Hands down. And he can act. Double whammy! I'm so excited about his casting as Tobias. Super excited!

Now, moving away from sounding super shallow, as well, this show is really good. How did I not know about this show? Oh, wait, that's because I don't watch police procedurals. Oh well, I am really enjoying this show. Indeed, it's a must watch for me. In fact, if I had to choose between H50 and GB, GB would win by a landslide. I really like the angle about the split time frame, too (his past as a lowly detective working his way up and his future as the youngest police commissioner). I like how not only is there a crime solved every week, but there's this on-going storyline arc about how he gets to where he is at in the future. And now, I'm so curious as to who he ended up marrying (Margot?) and what happened to her. I like the secondary characters, as well. Yay! So glad to see Jesus from True Blood back on TV; he's such a good actor, and I hated to see him leave TB. I hated what they did to his character, too. Hopefully, he'll be on this one for a while. Even if you're like me, and don't watch a lot of police procedural shows, give this one a go. But hang in there, because it might take a couple of episodes to get fully caught up, especially if you don't start from the beginning.

Update: Crap. Just when I was starting to get into this show, CBS goes and cancels it. Phooey on them!

Reviewed by Susannah;)


So You Think You Can Dance

I really like this show, and unlike Dancing with the Stars, I like all of the judges on this show, too. If you haven't watched this show and you like watching dancers or dance shows, what are you waiting? It's one of the few shows on Fox that I actually still watch. And if you like the contemporary dance choreography on DWTS, most of it I've already seen on SYTYCD at one time or another. Moreover, the contemporary dance choreography for this show blows the choreography for that show away. I've been reduced to tears a few times watching some of the dance routines...can't say that about the other show. Seriously, watch this show-it is that good!

Reviewed by Susannah;)


River Monsters 

So I have this huge, huge crush on Jeremy Wade, the host of River Monsters on Animal Planet. And his accent...aah, I love it! This is also one of my son's favorite shows, too, and let's be real, this guy could read the Yellow Pages and make it sound exciting. I never miss a new episode, and I've been prone to watch reruns over and over again, as well. If I wanted to be unproductive, I could just sit and listen to his voice all day. Am I a fisherman? Oh, yeah...not. But I do like to fish from time to time-although I'm horrible at it. However, what I really like is to hear the stories and reenactments of people getting hurt, maimed or unfortunately, even killed by some type of river monster, and Jeremy's attempt to get the bottom of it. Additionally, I like to piece the investigative clues together and make my own guess as to what type predator it might be. Surprisingly, I've been right a few times, too. As an aside, there are some really good shows on Animal Planet, and it's one of my favorite channels. Check this one out!

Reviewed by Susannah;)


No comments:

Post a Comment