Ever since Sleepy Hollow's fan betrayal, I've been reluctant to write this review of Blindspot. Season one of Sleepy Hollow was fast and fun,but its quick and drastic decline in season two and beyond seemed to be a lesson for me:you can't praise a show in its entirety based on its first season alone. For this reason, I'll praise the first season of Blindspot as a standalone recommendation, and this time, I'll keep my expectations in check for anything beyond s1.
Blindspot is about an amnesiac Jane Doe. Found in Time Square in an unmarked bag and covered in new tattoos, Jane becomes FBI Agent Kurt Weller's most consuming case. The tattoos are the key to Jane's identity, and to hundreds of major FBI cases as well. There are a lot of moving parts to this show. Each week, the friendships of the FBI team and Jane are tested, strengthened, or broken. Mistrust runs rampant, as do secrets. The big overarching questions are who is Jane really, who or what organization put these intricate clues in tattoo form on her body, and can Jane even trust her past or current self?
So far this season has been filled with intrigue, twists and turns, and solid acting/writing. There are consistently new levels being added to the mystery, and all the characters get an adequate amount of play. It reminds me very much of a less science fiction Fringe, with a better first season.
With only the finale episode left, I can't wait to see what kind of reveals and cliffhangers emerge about Jane's identity and her past. I'm very excited about season two, and though my expectations are cautiously kept, they remain high.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Revoking A Recommendation - Sleepy Hollow
I should have known one season was too little to base a television recommendation on, and now I'm eating my words. Today marks the first and hopefully one of the few times I will ever feel the need to revoke a television recommendation, and I feel very strongly about it.
Season one of Fox's Sleepy Hollow was lightning in a bottle, and one of the shows I was most excited about for that television season. It was zany,fun, exciting and had a lot of heart. The two main leads were probably what attracted me most to the show -- Nicole Beharie as Abbie Mills and Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane had a chemistry most shows could only dream about, a tender and charming Mulder and Scully-esque vibe. The cases were fun, the heroes equal parts snarky and badass, and the headless horseman aspect was just crazy enough to work.
It was also awesome and refreshing to see a show with a diverse cast: it had a black female protagonist, and wonderful supporting roles for Orlando Jones and Lyndie Greenwood and even arguably John Cho. In season one, everyone got a piece of the action and the storytelling was fast-paced and energetic.
Then in season two, it all started going wrong, and most people are in agreement as to why. Spoilers ahead.
In season two, we started seeing less and less of the main cast and more about Crane's family which just wasn't as interesting. I kept tuning in to see Ichabod and Abbie fight demons together and potentially start the foundations of a relationship (much like Mulder and Scully or Booth and Bones), but instead I had to sit through learning about Ichabod's son, wife, exes and revolutionary enemies. Meanwhile, Abbie didn't get to do much of anything and neither did Captain Irving or Jenny Mills.
One of the last episodes I truly remember enjoying was season two, episode 9, "Mama." I think the reason for this is that it went back to focusing on Abbie, her intriguing past, and utilizing the strong connection between her and her sister. After that, though, the show started slipping really fast. It was just boring and drawn out, missing all the energy and charm of season one.
I'm a pretty loyal viewer of my shows; once I'm hooked, I'm generally in it for the long haul. But they killed what I assumed would be an overarching Big Bad, and they also killed off Captain Irving in a very anticlimactic way and that was my breaking point. I just couldn't understand why they would take away the characters with the most potential while leaving non-starters like Katrina and Henry Crane. Mid-season two is when I officially stopped watching, but I kept an eye out on the fandom in case the show ever seemed to right itself enough to draw me back in. Unfortunately, I have since heard about the season 3 finale, and it looks like things just went from bad to worse.
Another spoiler warning, just in case.
They killed off Abbie. Abbie Mills, the lead of the show, the most enjoyable part of the show. Not only this, they did it a in way that makes it seems like she was only there to support Ichabod Crane this whole time. Well, this isn't sitting well with most fans, me included. This has been part of a disturbing television trend where black characters are being killed off to shove white characters further in the limelight, and people are tired of it.
The backlash is literally everywhere right now, and it should be. Fans are questioning the treatment of the black characters, and there's a twitter campaign that's been revived: Abbie Mills Deserves Better. She really did, and so did the show, and the fans.
There is very little to be excited about from a renewed Sleepy Hollow now that Abbie is gone, and I find myself hoping it gets the boot. It's really hard to see something that had so much potential dig its own grave, but that's what has happened with this show, and I have to take back my once glowing reviews for it.
Season one of Fox's Sleepy Hollow was lightning in a bottle, and one of the shows I was most excited about for that television season. It was zany,fun, exciting and had a lot of heart. The two main leads were probably what attracted me most to the show -- Nicole Beharie as Abbie Mills and Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane had a chemistry most shows could only dream about, a tender and charming Mulder and Scully-esque vibe. The cases were fun, the heroes equal parts snarky and badass, and the headless horseman aspect was just crazy enough to work.
It was also awesome and refreshing to see a show with a diverse cast: it had a black female protagonist, and wonderful supporting roles for Orlando Jones and Lyndie Greenwood and even arguably John Cho. In season one, everyone got a piece of the action and the storytelling was fast-paced and energetic.
Then in season two, it all started going wrong, and most people are in agreement as to why. Spoilers ahead.
In season two, we started seeing less and less of the main cast and more about Crane's family which just wasn't as interesting. I kept tuning in to see Ichabod and Abbie fight demons together and potentially start the foundations of a relationship (much like Mulder and Scully or Booth and Bones), but instead I had to sit through learning about Ichabod's son, wife, exes and revolutionary enemies. Meanwhile, Abbie didn't get to do much of anything and neither did Captain Irving or Jenny Mills.
One of the last episodes I truly remember enjoying was season two, episode 9, "Mama." I think the reason for this is that it went back to focusing on Abbie, her intriguing past, and utilizing the strong connection between her and her sister. After that, though, the show started slipping really fast. It was just boring and drawn out, missing all the energy and charm of season one.
I'm a pretty loyal viewer of my shows; once I'm hooked, I'm generally in it for the long haul. But they killed what I assumed would be an overarching Big Bad, and they also killed off Captain Irving in a very anticlimactic way and that was my breaking point. I just couldn't understand why they would take away the characters with the most potential while leaving non-starters like Katrina and Henry Crane. Mid-season two is when I officially stopped watching, but I kept an eye out on the fandom in case the show ever seemed to right itself enough to draw me back in. Unfortunately, I have since heard about the season 3 finale, and it looks like things just went from bad to worse.
Another spoiler warning, just in case.
They killed off Abbie. Abbie Mills, the lead of the show, the most enjoyable part of the show. Not only this, they did it a in way that makes it seems like she was only there to support Ichabod Crane this whole time. Well, this isn't sitting well with most fans, me included. This has been part of a disturbing television trend where black characters are being killed off to shove white characters further in the limelight, and people are tired of it.
The backlash is literally everywhere right now, and it should be. Fans are questioning the treatment of the black characters, and there's a twitter campaign that's been revived: Abbie Mills Deserves Better. She really did, and so did the show, and the fans.
There is very little to be excited about from a renewed Sleepy Hollow now that Abbie is gone, and I find myself hoping it gets the boot. It's really hard to see something that had so much potential dig its own grave, but that's what has happened with this show, and I have to take back my once glowing reviews for it.
Saturday, March 12, 2016
The Red Rising Trilogy
Last year, I did a massive book challenge, Popsugar's Reading Challenge for 2015. I read a lot of great books for this challenge and was just barely able to finish all 52 books three days before the start of the new year. For a look at what I read, check out my Reading Challenge Pinterest Board. Among these books, I read the first two novels in the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown (the last one wasn't out yet.) My friend Katie had recommended them to me long before this, but I finally took the dive to discover that these books are pretty brilliant!
I like to describe Red Rising as Game of Thrones in space. It's a science fiction dystopian novel, and has similarities to series' like The Hunger Games and Ender's Game. (Just realized all these novels have 'game' in them, how weird is that?) Red Rising is intense and not for the faint of heart. Tons of violence, action, space slang, cursing -- and morally ambiguous but lovable characters.
The story revolves around Darrow. Born a Red, Darrow is essentially an unknowing slave of the Gold race. His people are frequently hanged and whipped for speaking out, and he spends his life working in the dangerous mines of Mars, nearly guaranteeing an early death due to the harsh conditions. It's a hard life, but Darrow is generally resigned and okay with it, until his wife Eo does something to change everything in Darrow's small world. Eo's dream is a better life for Reds and other lowColors, to "break the chains" of their slavery and oppression. With Eo as his guide and his constant reminder of what he's working towards, Darrow is thrust into the world of the Aureate. Enhanced by genetic modification, surgery, education, and physical therapy, Darrow disguises himself as a Gold and enters into The Institute, a military training school where he can rise to a position powerful enough to take down Gold from within. However, Darrow learns that Gold society is just as cruel as the one he left behind and that it's eat or be eaten, kill or be killed. Through it all, Darrow finds confusing friendships and loves with those he's meant to destroy.
To be honest, the Red Rising trilogy is probably the most brutal thing I've ever read, not for the young or those sensitive to violence. There is war, graphic death, off-page rape, abuse and more. If you can handle that level of intensity, these books will by turns haunt you and charm you, make you laugh, scream, cry and want to throw the book across the room. If you're into science fiction, action, and/or dystopian fiction you'll definitely want to check these out.
I like to describe Red Rising as Game of Thrones in space. It's a science fiction dystopian novel, and has similarities to series' like The Hunger Games and Ender's Game. (Just realized all these novels have 'game' in them, how weird is that?) Red Rising is intense and not for the faint of heart. Tons of violence, action, space slang, cursing -- and morally ambiguous but lovable characters.
The story revolves around Darrow. Born a Red, Darrow is essentially an unknowing slave of the Gold race. His people are frequently hanged and whipped for speaking out, and he spends his life working in the dangerous mines of Mars, nearly guaranteeing an early death due to the harsh conditions. It's a hard life, but Darrow is generally resigned and okay with it, until his wife Eo does something to change everything in Darrow's small world. Eo's dream is a better life for Reds and other lowColors, to "break the chains" of their slavery and oppression. With Eo as his guide and his constant reminder of what he's working towards, Darrow is thrust into the world of the Aureate. Enhanced by genetic modification, surgery, education, and physical therapy, Darrow disguises himself as a Gold and enters into The Institute, a military training school where he can rise to a position powerful enough to take down Gold from within. However, Darrow learns that Gold society is just as cruel as the one he left behind and that it's eat or be eaten, kill or be killed. Through it all, Darrow finds confusing friendships and loves with those he's meant to destroy.
To be honest, the Red Rising trilogy is probably the most brutal thing I've ever read, not for the young or those sensitive to violence. There is war, graphic death, off-page rape, abuse and more. If you can handle that level of intensity, these books will by turns haunt you and charm you, make you laugh, scream, cry and want to throw the book across the room. If you're into science fiction, action, and/or dystopian fiction you'll definitely want to check these out.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Binge-watch: Sherlock
Welcome to my next binge-watch segment, in which I thank Netflix for the many hours of entertainment it provides me. This time around, I gave Sherlock a try and I'm so glad I did.
To be honest, I am not sure why it took me so long to get into BBC's Sherlock. It had been recommended to me and I was fairly sure I could get some enjoyment out of it. It might have been because it's a BBC show and therefore I was less constantly reminded to do so, or because both of the actors were relatively unknown to me, and this type of procedural didn't scream WATCH ME NOW. I started watching with my friend David, as we make our way through various shows (I've gotten him through Community, he got me through Ray Donovan, and we keep up on shows we've both already seen like Parks and Recreation.)
The first thing I noticed about the first episode of Sherlock was that I struggled to adjust to its pacing. My attention span has been shaped by sitcoms and 40 minute shows. This is something I've encountered even when watching movies these days, especially if I'm only semi-interested in them. My mind wandered during explanations regarding the case, but my interest and enjoyment was also consistently brought up again by the humorous banter of Sherlock and Watson. By the third episode, I had fallen in love with those two and their bromance (I'm a true sucker for bromance, and this one reminds me of Peter and and Neal from White Collar) and this was enough to make me love the show as a whole. I also found myself adjusting easier to the longer format, although I'm still having my mind blown by the short seasons (series, as they call them in the UK). I feel like I just met these two characters but they've already been through so much, unlike in American shows where you'll see the trivialities of what you can assume is every major case they work on or the day to day life in sitcoms. Sherlock has already spanned more years than we ever got to see.
The end of series 2 was incredibly moving and powerful and sad, and I jumped into series 3 with my whole heart. I am now completely caught up on the series and facing a hiatus unlike any I've faced before (movie-length episodes need movie length shooting schedules). In the meantime, I'll be jumping into fandom like no other (I've already drawn Sherlock and Watson and am soon to hit the tumblr obsession) and wait like the rest of the rabid Sherlock fans. In any case, I am so glad I have this new show to enjoy and talk to others about and look forward to for an uncomfortably long time.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
The Fault In Our Stars Review
A friend recently recommended a download of Adobe Digitial Editions so that I can have access to more books. While it's certainly not my favorite way to read, it has given me a chance to get cheaper books which fit in my current budget, and anything that lets me read more is a great thing. One of the first things I read in this manner was The Fault In Our Stars.
This was a book that I kept hearing about in various ways, from friends and various must-read lists. I heard about it so much that I started to assume that it was vastly overhyped. How could it possibly live up to all of that?
Honestly, it mostly did. The story is about Hazel Grace, a sixteen year old girl with terminal cancer of the lungs and how she copes with the idea of dying, having to leave her family, and making friends and relationships with people that her loss will most likely hurt. Through group therapy, Hazel meets Augustus Waters. She's immediately attracted to him and they form a friendship with hints of much more. They share books with each other, and both take great enjoyment from An Imperial Affliction, a fictional book which ends mid-sentence without providing closure for any supporting characters. Hazel's dream has always been to find out what happened to the characters, but the recluse author has never responded to any of her fan mail. Through Augustus's efforts, she may learn the answers and live her dream.
What Hazel and Augustus share is a young love always meant for tragedy -- Hazel's health is poor while Augustus's cancer is in remission. This is the status quo for most of the book, and really shows what kind of hardships such a battle entails.
What Hazel and Augustus share is a young love always meant for tragedy -- Hazel's health is poor while Augustus's cancer is in remission. This is the status quo for most of the book, and really shows what kind of hardships such a battle entails.
Unlike other cancer/terminal illness books, this one isn't about overcoming the obstacles. It's about facing them together, and knowing the realities of fighting cancer are not one of "being strong" but having it take you over and eventually letting go. It's very insightful, and I admit that I cried quite a bit towards the end.
This isn't my favorite book ever, and it does tend to stray a little too girly for my usual taste, but it got me to care about the characters. I do understand the hype now, and I am glad I read it. I will happily look for more books by the author in the future.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The Conjuring
I recently watched The Conjuring with a couple of friends and I can honestly say we had a great time. The film was pretty much everything you could ask for in a horror movie. The story itself is nothing new; a family looking for a new beginning moves into a new house, family meets demon but can't move because they sunk all their money into the home, and in any case the demon has attached to them and would follow them anyway. All your standard horror plots, but what really made it good was all the build-up and suspense.
Most of the movie was like a tease -- something glass would break or a door would open and you would expect something to be there but it'd be nothing. In this way, it really put you in a realistic position of the family. Things happen and you rationalize, tell yourself there's nothing there, that everything is fine. It was the wind, or just the house being creaky, or your eyes playing tricks. That's what really built up the horror of this film until finally it all snapped and the true horrors of the house are revealed.
Definitely recommending this for fans of the genre, and here's a trailer for those interested!
Most of the movie was like a tease -- something glass would break or a door would open and you would expect something to be there but it'd be nothing. In this way, it really put you in a realistic position of the family. Things happen and you rationalize, tell yourself there's nothing there, that everything is fine. It was the wind, or just the house being creaky, or your eyes playing tricks. That's what really built up the horror of this film until finally it all snapped and the true horrors of the house are revealed.
Definitely recommending this for fans of the genre, and here's a trailer for those interested!
Friday, January 3, 2014
Community is Back -- Really Back
When a show begins to fizzle and lose the magic, it's hard to recapture it. Community season 4 seemed to be the beginning of the inevitable decline, with the creator Dan Harmon being fired and the on-set drama between Harmon, Chevy Chase, and pretty much everyone else. Season 4 was by far the worst season, with forgettable and mostly laugh-less episodes. There were a few gems, but it mostly missed the point of everything that made Community great and was instead a cheap imitation trying to live up to something it just couldn't pull off.
By some weird miracle, the show still managed a season 5 pick-up. I didn't have high hopes for it, even after it was announced that Dan Harmon would be returning. Chevy Chase was gone, Donald Glover was announced to be leaving shortly. How could it possibly return to its former glory with all odds against it?
Well, I'm here to say I was wrong. Last night's episodes cleverly entitled "Repilot" and "Introduction to Teaching" proved it is possible to reclaim the road with the right driver at the wheel. There's no doubt in my mind that Dan Harmon's kind of a jerk, but absolutely brilliant. He fixed and excused season four by subtly writing dialogue that mentioned that last year there was "a gas leak in the school." He reminded us why we love these characters, and how those one-liners are gold, and simultaneously moved the characters forward into new roles and conflicts. I laughed so hard I cried, just like the good ole days with the Greendale Human Beings, those lovable losers we missed dearly.
Still, we haven't seen episodes without Troy yet and it's too early to tell if they can hold up this quality without both him and Pierce, who I'll also miss despite my distaste for Chevy. Meanwhile, the season 5 premiere had record low ratings though I blame that on whoever decided to schedule it on January 2nd against new episodes of ratings-hog The Big Bang Theory. It is also possible that even a number of loyal fans skipped out because of the rough season 4 and were waiting to see what critics would have to say before they invested their time into it. Community has never been a ratings winner though, so I'm gonna just thank the tv gods that have allowed it to run this long.
Can't wait to see the rest of this season!
By some weird miracle, the show still managed a season 5 pick-up. I didn't have high hopes for it, even after it was announced that Dan Harmon would be returning. Chevy Chase was gone, Donald Glover was announced to be leaving shortly. How could it possibly return to its former glory with all odds against it?
Well, I'm here to say I was wrong. Last night's episodes cleverly entitled "Repilot" and "Introduction to Teaching" proved it is possible to reclaim the road with the right driver at the wheel. There's no doubt in my mind that Dan Harmon's kind of a jerk, but absolutely brilliant. He fixed and excused season four by subtly writing dialogue that mentioned that last year there was "a gas leak in the school." He reminded us why we love these characters, and how those one-liners are gold, and simultaneously moved the characters forward into new roles and conflicts. I laughed so hard I cried, just like the good ole days with the Greendale Human Beings, those lovable losers we missed dearly.
Still, we haven't seen episodes without Troy yet and it's too early to tell if they can hold up this quality without both him and Pierce, who I'll also miss despite my distaste for Chevy. Meanwhile, the season 5 premiere had record low ratings though I blame that on whoever decided to schedule it on January 2nd against new episodes of ratings-hog The Big Bang Theory. It is also possible that even a number of loyal fans skipped out because of the rough season 4 and were waiting to see what critics would have to say before they invested their time into it. Community has never been a ratings winner though, so I'm gonna just thank the tv gods that have allowed it to run this long.
Can't wait to see the rest of this season!
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