Mini Reviews- September 26th

As you can see from my About Me section to the right of the page, my TV watching has severely increased over the last week, with many of my favourite TV shows starting recently. I will try and blog mini reviews about them every week- time permitting. I also watched a couple of pilots this week, that I will continue with as the season progresses. I will try to watch a few other pilots and review them over the next couple of weeks.

90210- 3x01/3x02 "Senior Year Baby" and "Age Of Inheritance"
The third season kicked off last week, mostly dealing with the events of the finale and how they would impact on the characters. The biggest storyline is perhaps Naomi's who is not dealing well with her rape at the hands of Mr Cannon. She attempted to talk to the police about it, but when this didn't work a stream of booze, sex exploits, flirting with Teddy and throwing a big birthday bash ensued, none of which went well.
The writers wisely got rid of Adrianna's brief fling from last year, Javier, in a dramatic car crash. Her stealing his songs was obviously a bad move and I'm just waiting to see how it will crash and burn around her.
Annie and Liam continue to tip toe around each other which is frankly a little boring. Liam's half brother doesn't necessarily make this love triangle more interesting, though I am intrigued to see his history with Liam. Other yawnsville storylines include Ryan and Jen, who quite frankly no-one cares about any more.
Ivy, now a full time character, is now lusting after new bad boy with a bad accent Oscar, who deliciously and in true 90210 style is sleeping with her mother. Can't wait to see this one blow up!
Silver has rather swiftly broken up with Teddy who after injuring himself has taken to drinking. Though I understand her own history with alcoholics, considering he's basically lost his career, she's being very judgmental. That makes it a little harder to care therefore when Mr Cannon has set his eyes squarely on her. As a villain goes he's pretty effectively and I almost hope they don't do away with him too soon.
NB After 7 years of having others play themselves with him in character Adrian Grenier had to play himself as his and performed at Naomi's birthday- he proved that playing yourself, is a lot harder than it looks.

Chuck- 3x16/3x17 "Chuck versus The Tooth" and "Chuck versus the Living Dead"
The show is definitely kicking it up a few gears with now pretty much everyone bar Ellie in knowledge of Chuck's secret and Ellie get caught up in the spy game too. It makes for a much more interesting show, but I can't help that feel that the show is marking it's own ending date by doing this, as it's changed the show forever. Chuck going mad is an interesting way to go with the Intersect and it makes sense, but it seems underplayed and not really like it's taken seriously. However I do like that Morgan knows as it's much more satisfying watching him be the geek in the spy world.


How I Met Your Mother- 6x01 "Big Days"
The creators promised us a return to form and I think we got it. Set primarily in McLarens, we saw the gang get up to their usual shenanigans, but in a funny and heartwarming way, with all characters getting ample screen time. The flashforwards that bookended the episode which revealed that Ted would meet the Mother at a wedding in which he was a best man were exciting though I don't think the commonplace theory that this is Barney and Robin's wedding day. Though it would make sense and the clues were obviously placed there, I hope it's not as I really can't see the couple getting married, much less in a all the frills church service!

Modern Family- 2x01 "The Old Wagon"
I'm happy to say that the show hasn't allowed it's success to go to it's head (though admittedly this episode was shot pre Emmy win) and this was another funny and endearing episode of the show. It was a fairly quiet episode, not necessarily one where a lot happened, but it was funny and very true to the characters. Good to have you back, Modern Family.


The Inbetweeners 3x01/3x02 "The Fashion Show" and "The Gig and The Girlfriend"
And finally not to forget this incredibly funny UK comedy, the show has proven they are one of the funniest things on TV period. Though the first episode got off to a rocky start, the second was hilarious throughout and very much classic Inbetweeners. Though I can't personally identify with the drugs storyline in the second episode, it was very true to life and very funny.

Dexter- 4x01/02/03/04 "Living The Dream", "Reamains to Be Seen", "Blinded by the Light" and "Dex takes a Holiday"
I finally managed to begin Dexter and the best thing about starting it late is that I was able to watch a few episodes all at once. A lot has happened this season already, what with Lundy being shot in the fourth episode. I've enjoyed Dexter's family stuff as it's been very fun to watch him grapple with being a dad. I love that finally Dexter is realising that he does enjoy being a dad and having family around; it's about time he realises what we already know. The Angel/Maria storyline has also been enjoyable though most people don't seem to think so. The Trinty killer stuff is completely terrifying and creepy though, not surprised John Lithgow won an Emmy for the role.

Mini Reviews- September 12th

Leverage 3x13- The Morning After Job

Leverage ended it's summer season with another great episode which is really the only 'arc' episode there has been since the premiere. However as a finale episode it lacked a little and whilst I understand why TNT might want to keep a few episodes back till the Winter, the 13/3 episode split is frustrating and a more even split would've been better. However, there may be some creative reasoning behind the split so I'll reserve judgment until the winter. (exact return date tba)
This episode is a little different to many of the episodes Leverage usually do. Though there was the usual victim, this one was really about going after Moreau, the mastermind criminal, the Italian wants the gang to go after in exchange for releasing Nate from prison.BI agent rather well. Eliot and Hardison did their usual and very funny double act which works so well because of their ability to vibe of each other. Sophie disappointingly had very little to do, I hope her role in season 4 increases because we haven't seen her do a whole lot since Gina Bellman went on maternity leave in season 2.

Chuck 3x15 Chuck versus the Role Models

A fairly good Chuck episode. With the state of their role models marriage as it was, I was curious to see where the show was going in terms of lesson for Sarah and Chuck. They didn't really come to any conclusion and honestly I found the vague 'we're different' platitudes followed by a swift moving in to be a little irritating. I did quite enjoy the Casey/Morgan stuff and whilst I enjoyed the Ellie/Awesome in Doctors Without Borders I was a little sad to see their journey end so quickly; it would've been nice to see them there a little bit longer.

Mad Men 1x10/1x11- Shoot & The Long Weekend

Very good episodes. The first definitely saw conflict rising, with Peggy gaining new found confidence to stand up to Joan and Don squashing Betty's dreams of being a model. I'm not a huge Betty fan, but it was easy to feel her pain at having her dream snatched away. I'm not sure I totally blame Don for not taking the job; it is his career after all and he has to do his best not just for himself but his family.
In the second episode we saw a few souls laid bare; Sterling's after his heart attack, Joan's roommate as she confessed her feelings for Joan and Don as he revealed a small part of his childhood to Rachel. It's almost a relief that the latter have slept together now as it's been brewing for weeks. I also found both the company's and Joan's reactions to Sterling's heart attack to be very interesting (telegraph's in the middle of the night?! A different world perhaps). Also the Nixon and Kennedy storyline is brewing nicely.


I'm quite annoyed to realise that after playing the last 3 episodes of season 1 tonight (Sunday 12th) the BBC don't seem to be continuing with their reruns, perhaps due to the clash with ongoing season 4. I hope we won't have to wait very long for season 2

Mini Reviews- August

It has been a little quieter on the TV front this month, but I've had a few TV shows to keep me going as you can see on my profile to the right of this post. I'll do a quick summary of them:

Chuck (season 3 part 1)
Chuck hit it's 13th episode mark last week- the original finale episode before the show was given a reprieve.
It had been a good and fast moving 13 episodes. Awesome became involved in the spy world, Morgan found out Chuck's secret, Casey got fired, both Chuck and Sarah got involved with other people and then (finally) each other and Chuck became a real spy. The plot and character development really was a whirlwind and has done creative wonders for a show that was becoming very formulaic. I know that the next few episodes may not be as good, seeing that they are an addendum to the season, but I'm looking forward to them nonetheless.

Entourage (season 7)
HBO's short seasons means that Entourage will be over in just a few episodes even though it feels like the season has just started. The season is a lot darker than previous seasons and generally there is a very different tone about it. There have been very few scenes with all the guys together as all the boys are pursuing their own lives/dreams. This isn't a bad thing, though after watching previous seasons on DVD, it does make me miss the boys' camaraderie.
The darker tone comes from Vince, who after a lucky escape from a dangerous stunt goes of the rails a little, popping Vicodins, snorting coke and jumping out of planes. I'm quite enjoying his descent into the Hollywood maddness and it feels that this could be a great setup for the final season next year.

Leverage (season 3)
I have caught up fully with Leverage now, and I am feeling the effects of catching up too fast as waiting a whole week for a new episode is proving difficult! However the show is continuing to be fun and the most recent episode I watched 'The Roshomon Job' in which each character told their side of a particular job, was one of the best episodes they've done. Some of the recent plot devices have become a little bit wacky and unrealistic, but amongst all the capers, the show has real heart which is keeping it grounded. According to twitter the show recently wrapped up filming and the mid season finale will air next week in the States. After that expect a blog reviewing season 2 and 3 (since I never got around to doing the season 2 blog)


Mad Men (season 1)
Everyone raves about this show, so when the BBC decided to rerun episodes from the beginning on Sunday nights in anticipation for the newest season, I decided to tune in. It's not hard to see why everybody loves this show and why it won the Emmy for best drama show this week. The characters are all perfectly drawn and its fun to see a little bit more of their characters every episode. The show doesn't pander to idiots so a lot is left unexplained and though some of it may be going over my head, I enjoy that I have to work a little to understand it. Plus the excellent cast make it very easy to watch.

Ugly Betty (season 4)
This show has only just kicked off here in the UK but it has been enjoyable so far.
Betty trying (and failing) in her new job feels a lot like season 1 (in a good way) and it's nice to see the other characters getting meatier storylines, especially Amanda and Justin, who have largely been comedy relief in the past. Amanda's quest for a better job/ more stable life will be interesting to watch and shows she is more than just a caricature. Justin's trouble in his high school was painful but endearing to watch. I look forward to seeing more of both storylines in future episodes.

My Favourite Christmas Movies and TV

My Favourite Christmas Movies

Elf- Saw this very recently and it was such a sweet movie that I couldn’t help but be melted by it. Will Ferrell is surprisingly wonderful in the lead role.

Home Alone- A fun Christmas classic, that can really make you feel all Christmassy inside.

The Muppets Christmas Carol- This really scared me the first few times I watched it (especially the Christmas future bits) but I love the Muppets and this is the only version of the Christmas I’ve ever seen and probably ever will, as I’m still a child at heart. Cute and loveable.

Miracle on 24^th Street- (the newer version) This sweet and uplifting movie is a must- see Christmas film. Will help to re-affirm your belief in Santa Claus!!

My Favourite Christmas TV Episodes

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Amends: The only Whedon Christmas episode but it’s a real gem. Its very dark with the arrival of the First but the endings really sweet.

The OC- The Best Christmakkuh ever: The original Christmakkuh episode and as the title says the best. I like the merging of the holidays which just makes it totally fun!!

Veronica Mars- An Echolls Family Christmas: The first full episode I watched of the show, the episode had a dark undertone to Christmas in Neptune.

Scrubs- My Own Personal Jesus: Very Christmas-affirming, its typical Scrubs which means its very funny but also very sweet.

Friends- The One with Phoebe’s Dad: Friends didn’t always do Christmas episode preferring to do Thanksgiving and this was their first and IMO their best. The two storylines are funny and Phoebe’s storyline is very sweet. I also love the present scene at the end of the episode!

Chuck- Chuck Vs The Santa Claus One: of my favourite episodes of Chuck. Its a very sweet and funny episode which unites all the shows characters. Sad ending though.

Ugly Betty- Lose the Boss: This isn’t technically a Christmas episode but with the Suarez family decorating the tree it feels like one. There are a lot of lessons about family here and cute scenes with Daniel and the Suarez’.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Zach's Say Thanks- My Show's Still Alive

Two TV Actor Zach's; Levi and Braff, have videos floated around the internet to promote their respective and nearly cancelled shows.

Here's a Scrubs clip from Zach Braff:

Here's a thank you message from Zachary Levi on the set of Chuck plus a preview of season 3 which has its premiere date of 10th January:

Also in more Youtube related news, people in the UK can now watch 4OD on Youtube. This seems to be most of the content thats available on the Channel 4 website, including lots of current stuff as well as shows from yesteryear. Other full length shows can also be found by going to the Shows tab on Youtube but I'm not sure how much content there is there just yet.

http://www.youtube.com/shows

Plus to finish off here is the end song from Glee this week- Lean On Me. A very schmaltzy yet heartfelt way to end the episode:

End of season, Mid season Break, and On Hiatus

Wow American networks like to take breaks in their shows and they have a lot of ways to describe it. Three shows I watch finished their runs this week until the New Year and here are 3 quick reviews of their seasons/most recent episodes. (spoilers for all shows up to their most recently aired episode)

Chuck season 2

Whilst this was an uneven season, it was mostly enjoyable. Chuck is a very endearing and funny show and when it is at its best, action packed, which makes it a good show to watch. What I didn’t like about the season was the repetitiveness of the episode. So many of the episodes were very formulaic and therefore weren’t that interesting. The Chuck/Sarah ‘romance’ in particular is a storyline that keeps going around and around; tbh its got to the point where I don’t care that much about the pair getting together. Or not.

The BuyMore storylines have increasingly become separate from Chuck’s story and though I enjoy the BuyMore characters for the most part, it has become ridiculous that Chuck even works there anymore. He just starts and ends most episodes in the BuyMore before he rushed off for some national emergency. The best episodes were where the two worlds (spy and BuyMore) collided. Hopefully next season they can find a way to either integrate the BuyMore or from the looks of the season finale, get rid off it altogether.

The best episodes were undoubtedly the Christmas episode and the two final episodes. The finale really set up a really intriguing premise for season 3 and I hope that they follow it through convincingly.

Greek Chapter 5 (Season 3a)

Probably the shows worst chapter and this could be because its the second half of one semester meaning that this one semester has been really dragged out. So much has happened in just this semester and couldn’t possibly happen in real life. Jordan, Rusty’s girlfriend is a key example of this, who managed to move to the college, have two boyfriends and leave again all before Thanksgiving, which means she did this in about 6/7 weeks! That said I’m glad she left as she was annoying!!

More generally this chapter dealt with the Casey/Cappie romance, which tbh I find quite dull especially as I don’t buy them as a couple really. We also had Evan and Cappie become friends and breaking-up again which would have been a lot more interesting if Casey hadn’t meddled continuously.

Rebecca was once again turned into a villain and not a good one but an annoying one. The cliffhanger at the end of the finale means she’ll remain the villain next chapter again.

One storyline I was hoping the show would pick up on more was Dale, a purity pledge, losing his virginity and then his faith because of it. I think it’s an interesting storyline and is something which happens to a lot of people in college and not something really explored in other shows. Instead Dale disappeared for quite a few episodes or just made brief appearances whilst the show dealt with all its relationship drama which was a shame.

Overall I though it was a really disappointing chapter and although the storylines were there they were badly handled and the humour the show once had was gone. At more than point during the chapter I considered giving up the show but persevered. This paid off somewhat as the finale was decent and included some really interesting threads and big decisions. (Wade and other Kappa Tau brothers getting kicked out of college) The writing was also a lot better than it had been all chapter. Hopefully next chapter will improve on this one.

Dollhouse (Season 2a)

Really this has only been 4 episodes before the show was forced into a hiatus. The first 3 weren’t that great and though there were some enjoyable moments, the episodes were largely average. The fourth episode however was very strong, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Echo appeared very little and Ballard wasn’t in it at all. Priya/Sierra proved to be a very convincing lead and her story was very tragic. Topher, also proved interesting here and is quickly becoming a lot more likeable. It was interesting that he chose the morally right thing to do whilst Adelle just sat in her office and drank. I think the Victor and Sierra love story is very cute, even if its a little implausible given that they have no memories.

Its a shame that the show hasn’t been more consistent especially after re-watching the early years of Buffy, I’ve seen how inconsistent the early episodes of Buffy were. The show is likely to be cancelled and if it wasn’t for the promise showed by ‘Belonging’ (and of course Epitaph One), honestly I wouldn’t be too bothered.

At the moment I've been watching...

At the moment I've been watching:

Chuck season 2- Over halfway now and whilst its not my favourite show I still really like it and its a lot of fun. I absolutely adore Casey- he only has to growl and I laugh (though my Casey love has a lot to do with the actor playing him!!) but I must admit I’m finding the constant to-ing and fro-ing between Chuck and Sarah and little tiresome, its a bit too much will they won’t they for me. I’m loving most of the BuyMore storylines though, I would like to see Chuck actually working there more, his storylines seem to be a little disconnected from the rest of the show.

Greek chapter 5- only a couple of episodes in and even though its still a fun show, they are relying way too much of the Cappie/Casey relationship which to be frank is getting very dull. Some of the other storylines are interesting but I’m reserving full judgement until I’ve seen a few more episodes.

Ugly Betty season 3- also over halfway and I’m understanding the dip in quality that most people talked about. I’m enjoying certain aspects of the show- Amanda and Betty living together was a real highlight, and there have been a few good episodes but the show has a very odd feel. It could be the move to New York and the show trying to shoe-horn in as much of the city as possible; it just doesn’t have the natural feel that Sex and the City had to it when the show was on. Also I’m really not loving the shows fashion anymore; I know being a fashion magazine they have to be a bit fashion forward, but some of the outfits look worse than many of Betty’s ensembles!

Entourage season 6- A slight dip in quality (says a lot even from me an avid fan of the show) I’m just not sure where some of the storylines are going. I’m enjoying Turtle and Eric’s storylines but Vince’s stalker storyline burned out and wasn’t nearly as exciting as I hoped. I’m glad Lloyd is standing up for himself finally. (in the last episode Security Briefs) Since he’s a fully fledge cast member I expect he’ll be back at MGA soon enough. Only a few episodes are left and I hope the storylines start to take shape soon.

Glee season 1- After a hugely successful pilot the two following episodes, whilst decent enough haven’t lived up to expectations which is hardly surprising considering all the hype meant that it was bound to disappoint a little. It’s still one of the most enjoyable shows out there and absolutely hilarious. The performances are great as well, even if some are auto-tuned a little too much. Here are a couple of my favourite performances from the 2 newest episodes (sorry for the quality of the videos):

The boys singing I Wanna Sex You Up- lets just say I’m starting to see the attraction of Puck after this performance... ;)

Rachel singing Take A Bow- amazing and perhaps even better than the Rihanna version

The Wire season 5- if a thing such as perfection actually exists, The Wire might possibly be the perfect TV show. Thought season 5 wasn’t its best season; the show from start to finish was amazing, simply incredible. The DVD’s have moved to the top of my DVD’s-to-Buy list and I can’t wait to watch the whole show again. Everything about this show- writing, acting, casting, settings- everything was sensational. I was a little worried that the show was overrated, but this is one of the rare times when the praise that is heaped on the show actually is true.

I want to do a show blog on it, but there is just so much to blog on, I’m not sure I could, maybe after my re-watch. I’ll probably do a favourite characters list at some point thought it will probably be very long!!

The final few episodes of the show left me numb, completely in tears and blown away. The final episode wasn’t perfect, it was very bittersweet, a few happy endings but not many; quality wise, it was excellent and a nice tribute the city of Baltimore.

If I give you any advice it would be to watch this show-start to finish and do your best to avoid spoilers. You won’t regret it!!