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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the latest episodes of Teen Titans Go!, Batman Unlimited, Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors, Marvel's Avengers Assemble, Girl Meets World, Transformers: Robots In Disguise, Under The Dome, Defiance, Hannibal, and Scream.
Upcoming reviews include The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Blu-Ray), X-Men: Days Of Future Past: The Rogue Cut, Big Hero 6 (Blu-Ray), Once Upon A Time: Season 4, The Walt Disney Studios Short Films Collection, Tangled, Phineas And Ferb: Star Wars, Muppets Most Wanted: Extended Edition, Justice League: Gods And Monsters, Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack Of The Legion Of Doom, Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem, Teen Titans Go!: House Pests, Arrow: Season 3, The Flash: Season 1, Gotham: Season 1, Almost Human: The Complete Series, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (Blu-Ray), Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run, Airplane! / Airplane II: The Sequel: Double Feature, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Turbo: Volume 2, Power Rangers In Space Volume 1, Power Rangers In Space: Volume 2, Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Showdown In Dimension X, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Retreat!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return To NYC!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Samurai Jack: Season 4, The Wonder Years: Season 3, Haven: Season 5 - Vol. 1, and The Jurassic Park Trilogy.
Teen Titans Go! "Leg Day"
That was one of the biggest pieces of garbage the show has ever given us. Hyper-sexualizing the Titans is super creepy since all of their character designs don't look over 14 years of age. I am officially wigged out. 0.
Batman Unlimited "Boardwalk Battle"
Anyone else bugged that the Joker's Hammer looks to weigh twice what he does? I mean it LOOKS cool, but it also looks unrealistic and takes me out of the story a bit. Oh well. ***1/2.
Ultimate Spider-Man Web-Warriors "Inhumanity"
I was quickly bored with this. The Inhumans are the least interesting concept ever, and I can't believe they are getting a movie. They even wrecked the second half of Agents of SHIELD's second season. Bummer. **.
Marvel's Avengers Assemble "Avengers Underground"
Too much "Go Team!" and "Value of teamwork" platitudes which is strictly 80's cartoon stuff. We shouldn't put up with that in a modern cartoon. Stuff like that is why the recent Hulk 'toon was so insufferable. **1/2.
Girl Meets World "Girl Meets Yearbook"
That was pretty much annoying claptrap, and Farkle's "evolution" seems about as ill advised as Steve Urkel's during the last season of Family Matters. But there were exactly two interesting things about the episode.
1. Farkle changed identities instantly. He ALWAYS had that in the back pocket, and seemed to be looking for an excuse. He even messed with the teacher's desk placard. I have to think this kid would be great at faking his death.
2. I'm glad the series finally addressed the elephant in the room: Peyton Reed has WAY more chemistry with Sabrina Carpenter than he does Rowan Blanchard. They could chicken out, but if they actually run with this idea there are some juicy episodes in the making.
But this one? Sucked. *1/2.
Transformers: Robots In Disguise "Lockout"
Only thing that interested me this episode was the creepy dude at the end. Can't wait to see where THAT is going. Otherwise a dud. *1/2.
Under The Dome "Breaking Point"
I hated everything about that. I'd be inclined to say this was an epic shark jump, if the series hadn't already destroyed itself beyond repair in several previous episodes. The disappointment is no longer a surprise. It is to be expected.
Buying back the apocalypse was SO freaking stupid because CBS hyped the frell out of it. They are still even using it in the next week promo! I think that idea was a REALLY bad one, but the only thing worse than ending the world, is pretending it did and buying it back.
Love triangles. Hate 'em. Useless. And when paired with mind control, my two most hated tropes deliver a whole big bucket of suck.
I don't know what was more appalling: the disgusting things Norrie said to her mother, or the fact that they didn't move her. I loved Joe's look upon Norrie telling her mom they were having sex: "Leave me out of this train-wreck." This was the absolute wrong episode to kill off Caroline. Because I think her repentance was way too late. The fact that she wasn't moved before that makes me hate her.
If this was any other show I'd proclaim it the worst episode of the series. Since it's Under The Dome, it is merely below average. 0.
Defiance "When Twilight Dims The Sky Above"
Do you know what I loved about Datak's coldblooded advice to Amanda to serve up Nolan's head to the Votanis Collective? It was the correct one. And it's what she actually did. There was no other option. That's interesting to me.
I'm betting T'evgin is killed off next week. The fact that his actor isn't a series regular makes it a no-brainer. His scene with Stahma was appalling. He is REALLY bad at this "trying to dial it down a notch to live in peace" bit. Yeesh.
I liked this one. ***1/2.
Hannibal "And The Woman Clothed With The Sun..."
Pretty good. I love the stuff between Francis and the blind woman, just because it says something that HAS to be true: serial killers don't kill every single person they are ever alone with. They probably don't even kill most of them. Hannibal has had plenty of solo scenes with various characters before he was outed. Heck, he even had an entire solo subplot with Abigail this episode (although he did wind up killing her). That's a little bit unsettling.
A good episode. ****.
Hannibal "...And The Woman Clothed In The Sun"
That ending was amazeballs. Eating the painting. Brilliant.
And I think we've finally established that Bedelia actually IS crazy. I would not have guessed that, but there is obviously something in her that Hannibal saw potential with. She is just much better at hiding it.
Another wild sex scene. I cannot imagine NBC must have been happy with the visual effects department spending so much money on serial killer sex scenes and a blind woman touching a sleeping tiger. Hannibal, the series, looks amazing. But I think the fact that it has SO many weird visual effects is the thing that doomed it. NBC bought a procedural and wound up having to spend the money of a fantasy epic. As I said, it still looks amazing.
I will miss this series. ****1/2.
Scream "Betrayed"
Audrey was perhaps the worst red herring ever. The killer is tall and she is short. I don't know who the producers thought they were kidding.
Besides, the killer is a SERIAL killer. Audrey had no motive to kill Riley. And I'm a little bit perplexed that was never brought up.
The DNA evidence was tainted? How is that for the biggest cop-out of all time?
That was a great ending though. Unless Will is in on it (there were two killers in the first movie and one wounded the other to throw Sidney off) this means it's not him. My guess is still that it's Emma's creepy new boyfriend. We'll see. ***.
Revolution: The Complete Second Season
I was a bit disappointed. Not so much in the story, but in some of the characters choices they made this year. Aaron should NEVER be shown killing somebody and Charlie's newfound cynicism would have only been worth something if she were ever right about the situation.
The Patriots were a good concept even if the nanotech sort of got the series off track a bit. It finally became interesting in the season finale, and then BOOM, it's canceled.
I think the show was ultimately better than most people give it credit for, but I kind of feel it was something that would have gotten better and better with more seasons under its belt. Sort of like Haven. The first couple of seasons of Haven were nothing special, but the more they built on them, the more progressively awesome the show became in later years. I kind of got that vibe from Revolution but it was canceled in season two.
Best episodes of the season are the one with the DS9 parallels (One Riot, One Ranger), the introduction of the truly sadistic President of the United States (Happy Endings), Jason Neville's last episode (Austin City Limits), Miles' worst day ever ($#!& Happens), and the frustrating series finale (Declaration Of Independence). Worst episode is the one that nearly wrecked Aaron's character (Everyone Says I Love You).
I feel like this is a series that is definitely unfinished. I'll live with the series finale (no major characters in mortal jeopardy in the cliffhanger) but I really would have liked to have seen what happened next. Season Overall: ***. Series Overall: ****.
Born In The U.S.A.:
Still underwhelmed. Outside of the neat trick ending, this episode sort of hinted at everything that was going to go wrong with the season. First off, I don't care of Tracy Spiradakos is in her mid-20's. She looks freaking 15 and it feels beyond gross to see her exploited like that. Secondly, Stu Redmond is the dumbest possible alias Miles could have chosen. It not like Stephen King is unpopular, or that books aren't still a thing. It screams fake name as much as if he had gone by Peter Venkman or Marty McFly. I liked Billy Burke's reaction shot to being offered tea at the end though. And you do NOT want to give Tom Neville a purpose. I laughed at the fact that David Shwimmer was the last surviving Friend and part of a freak show. Cynthia is right: in that situation, somebody being nice is a valuable commodity. Aaron might feel useless but that's huge. #Aaronlives! ***.
There Will Be Blood:
I will say one thing for this show: they took a VERY interesting tack as to Aaron's feeling of being alive. He resents it. It's a freaking added complication to a life that was already scary enough. And it turns out that it's all about him. And Aaron desperately wants to not be important. And the universe is enraging him on the subject. Nobody does a sarcastic "Yay!" better than Zak Orth. The absolutely misery he is able to put in his voice when he does it is sublime. Miles had some good moments too. The Walker Texas Ranger tale being legendary was hilarious, as well as totally sad and pathetic, and his reactions to Titus's "computer art" was perfect: "Yikes!" And I love to hate Monroe. He again pulled the "You have no right to talk to me that way," card, which has always been the most insufferable thing about the character. He's in no position to continue to claim that. I love how confused the patsy looked before Neville killed him. He honestly didn't understand what was happening in that moment. He thought Neville was still on his side, and working an unknown angle right to the moment he put a bullet in his brain. Rachel should have done a better job at rallying the town to save Miles. He was the biggest gun they had, and risking two or three lives would be worth it to get back the guy who was going to save the town. Rachel is a very poor salesman. The "Four New Yorkers of Legend" could have just as easily been the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the Ghostbusters. Even the Fantastic Four would have fit. Ghostbusters is definitely funnier though. ****.
Love Story:
Reason #1037 Miles is invaluable: he is the only one with the presence of mind to take the wife. That's the only reason as many people survived that did. Tom Neville is an excellent liar. What I love about the scene is that Giancarlo Esposito plays it completely genuine, and as if he means every word. Only the viewer is aware it is b.s. because it doesn't play that way at all. I loved Monroe clocking the bounty hunter in the middle of him flirting with Charlie (that was a pleasant shock) and I love him and Charlie teaming up once they realized Rachel was wanted. Strange bedfellows and all. This was a good (and violent) one. ***1/2.
Patriot Games:
Gene pretty much nailed how stupid Rachel is. I've groused about what an idiot she is since last season, but the fact that she learned nothing from the Tower shows that she is pretty much a dullard and will never learn. Dr. Porter is right: why DOES Rachel have to be the one to fix the problem? How does she even know there IS a problem? The fact that Rachel is right is besides the point. Because she breaks into the Patriots' office the first chance she gets, and spills her entire story to a guy without vetting him first. The second thing is kind of understandable, since she knew him before the Blackout, but the breaking into the office thing was so dumb because she literally did it the first chance she got. A less reckless, smarter person would have kept their ear to the ground for information and learned all they could about the layout of the office before making a move. She should have had the sense to case the joint. And this episode shows that if you are going to mess with Tom Neville, you shouldn't tell him about it ahead of time. Rachel was not the only stupid person in this episode. I loved Monroe saving Charlie's life. I think Charlie thinks she is more insightful than she actually is. Because Monroe may be many things, but he is NOT a sociopath. Not a even little. He does not fit the criteria for that at all. He truly loves and cares about Miles and is always trying to impress him. A sociopath wouldn't be able to do that or even bother. One of the biggest things that's bugged me about this season is that the producers are trying to show that Charlie has gotten wise and insightful by having her state stupid or untruthful things. I'd take her jaundiced view of the world more seriously if she were correct. ***.
One Riot, One Ranger:
I was getting serious Star Trek: Deep Space Nine vibes from this. Specifically "In The Pale Moonlight" where Captain Sisko tricks the Romulans into joining the war against the Dominion. Miles is Sisko, the Texas Ranger is Senator Vreenak, and Monroe is, of course, Garak. Plain, simple Garak. My one regret is the Ranger didn't get ANY lines as memorable as Vreenak's "It's a FAAAAKE!". Stephen McHattie ruled. Do you know the messed up thing? Monroe's plan is actually a great one. It would have worked if Gene hadn't snitched. The great thing is that Monroe came up with it on the spot. It is exactly that kind of foresight which is what made him and Miles so formidable. I must remind you again, that Miles was smart enough to kidnap Titus' wife. The only other person that brilliant plan would have occurred to is Sebastian Monroe. Bass and Miles are excellent at making quick, snap decisions in life and death situations. Which is why they are still alive. Monroe's reaction to Miles line about him not going to be sucked into his dark pool again was priceless: "Uh huh.". Do you know what else I loved about the episode? The episode just out and out pointed out that Aaron is the sad and tragic character. Which is wild to me because that was obviously not going to be his original role at all. In the Pilot he is clearly sarcastic comic relief. Zak Orth is another one of those chubby comic actors that seem to be popular nowadays like Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, or Josh Gad. So the show was originally going to play to Orth's strengths in comedy. But they quickly realized that Orth was a SERIOUS actor, and worked best when he was messed up. Orth brings the pain on this show better than anyone else, which is probably why they were willing to lose their one comedy asset, or at least transfer part of that role to Miles. Aaron is also the first overweight character I've seen on a drama not played for laughs. As an overweight person, I cannot tell you how gratified I feel to see someone who looks like me being taken seriously. I loved Cynthia's reaction to him listing his over-qualifications for being a teacher. No pretense to this guy at all. Funny. I was a little surprised Neville was just going to leave Alleford there. I mean, I shouldn't have been (he's a butthole), but, man, even if he DIDN'T want to be a fugitive, he could have done more for her than he did. Then again, he might have guessed she knew stuff about Jason and was manipulating her into spilling it. It may have been malice on his part, but there is an equal chance it was cunning. I approve of the story point either way. This was a great episode. ****1/2.
Dead Man Walking:
As overstated as I believe Charlie's wisdom is this season, whenever she verbally abuses Rachel she is always 100% right. I don't think Charlie saying those true things makes her especially insightful though. Observing Rachel is stupid and selfish is pretty much low-hanging fruit. But yeah, why DIDN'T Rachel ask how Charlie was? And Charlie was right that she didn't want to hear that Monroe saved her life because she never listens to anybody. I love that Monroe's dying wish was to make peace with Miles. Do you know what I found interesting about his exploding at Miles upon the revelation that he hid his son? He didn't threaten to kill him over it. That part of his and Miles' relationship is completely over, and they are now Professor X and Magneto: Two friends on the opposite sides, who refuse to kill the other for any reason. Xavier and Magneto were the original frenemies so that's why it reminds me of that. I have to say Jason gloating over her mother's promiscuity is probably one of the grossest things the series ever did. And yet, it was interesting, because you knew it was pretty much the worst thing he could possibly say to his father. Hearing that about his late wife would be bad enough, but hearing his own son describe his mother as a "sweet thing" had to be appalling. I loved Tom calling Jason weak in that moment. It was the opposite reaction most parents would have (they'd be trying to reason with and comfort their kid) but the messed up thing is that if the brainwashing HAD took, it would have been completely true. Speaking of Tom, I love how uneventful his first meeting with Miles actually was in the grand scheme of things. You expect these characters to have lived nothing but big moments, but life isn't like that. Sometimes the biggest pains in the neck of your life are simply the guys you asked to help get you water and towels. I am tickled pink that General Carver is played by the same dude who played Batman on Beware The Batman. That's tight. As was the episode. ****.
The Patriot Act:
Loved the moment of Cynthia and Aaron lying on the ground and having an entire life-changing conversation using only their eyes. In that moment she knew he killed her husband, and that he knew, and that they both now know that she knows. Truly great acting from both of them. I'm a little bit miffed they are trying to buy back Gene's betrayal. It is entirely unnecessary. Gene is a relatively new character we don't care about, or even know anything about. The only reason he matters is because he's Rachel's father. He isn't somebody who NEEDS a redemption arc. In fact, I'd argue the character would have been more interesting without one. I loved seeing Monroe operating at diminished capacity. Because he still took out four guys. He IS Batman. When he's fighting the Scarecrow. I like that the episode took the tack that Jason was able to fight the worst part of the brainwashing. He's still programmed to do things outside of his control (and is still vicious) but as of now he WANTS to be on his father's side. Which as Alleford noted was huge. And NEVILLE correctly reminded her she was worried about the wrong guy. Funny. And I love how forgiving Monroe is to Miles about his son. A lesser show would have made them mortal enemies because if it, but Revolution was not that show. ****.
Come Blow Your Horn:
Rockne wrote this! This episode has a major flaw that almost wrecks it, but I'll talk about that last. There was still a ton of good. I liked Miles telling Charlie that the decision about whether or not to kill Gene was her mother's. It was a weird thing for a grown-up to set a limit about, but I actually think this is one of the only times on the series where Rachel deserved that consideration. But it's totally fair to blame Rachel for killing Nora. Rachel doesn't have a leg to stand on in that argument. I also adore Monroe making fun of Aaron's weight. Because the way he did it is completely unlike Tom Neville's maliciousness last season. Monroe is playful. He's kidding around in the hopes of form a guy bond. He's trying to calm and center Aaron by mildly p*ssing him off, while Neville was trying to scare him out of his wits. It's really interesting to me that ostensibly the same behavior can have two different meanings and outcomes, depending on how a person does it. Speaking of Neville and maliciousness, I think the most dreadful thing about him convincing the general to kill his wife is that in that particular scenario, it was the correct decision. That provocative. Even more-so because Neville did in with such glee and in the most insidious manner possible. He doesn't try to soften the blow, he makes it as deliberately awful as he possibly can. It's not even a case of him simply being honest about the situation. There is NO excuse for the "She must give it to you good" line other than to make him feel terrible. The general is being forced to make a horrific decision about his spouse that no sane person should ever be expected to have to make, and Neville is actually rubbing it in. What is wrong with him? It is stuff like that that leads me to believe Neville is the most evil character on the show. I love that when Cynthia accuses Aaron of knowing he killed her husband all along and slept with her without telling her, he doesn't set the record straight. Because he DIDN'T know. Up until the night he saved Miles' life, he had no idea he was responsible. But he refuses to make an excuse. He lets her judge him unfairly because he feels he deserves it. That's the mindset of an adult. Now my complaint: it is HUGE. These were easily the worst and most ill-advised flashbacks the show ever gave us. Horn is NOT a character we should need to be sympathizing with. Not every villain needs a rational motive and to be sympathetic. And it doesn't even help with understanding him because he is killed off in the next episode. Why SHOULD we be made to care about somebody who just randomly appeared and is killed off so quickly? If Horn were the Big Bad of the season, centering flashbacks around him would make sense. But since he's killed off in the next episode it is a bad piece of storytelling. I'm knocking off a star and a half for that. ***1/2.
Everyone Says I Love You:
A series low-point. Aaron was written entirely out of character. I do not for one second believe he would have asked the A.I. to kill everyone before he asked it to heal Cynthia. He's neither that stupid, nor that cold-hearted. The writers simply wanted to make him do something horrific and wrote him stupidly out of character to do it. Aaron is NOT a character who should "turn dark". He's the audience surrogate. And I resent being told by the show that the only way to survive in this kind of world is to become a murderer. I reject that notion. Completely. It is entirely untrue and I don't believe in it at all. This pretty much wrecked the episode. It's too bad because there were several interesting things going on. This probably is the best episode title in the series' history because pretty much everyone DOES say "I love you," at some point and that's the subtext, if not the plot. It is a very clever and accurate title that actually spoils nothing. And who doesn't love Monroe's "I'm Batman!"? Miles saying Aaron was worth dying for was absolutely true so I'm a bit appalled that the episode tried to show at the end that it wasn't. I also really love that Tom and Julia Neville's first reaction upon seeing each other alive after several months is to have train sex. They don't even greet each other first, they just get immediately down to business. And I really liked Miles begging for Rachel's help because nanotech was beyond him. But this episode shows everything that was wrong with this season, and ultimately the series in general. 1/2.
Three Amigos:
I love that this show decided not to have Monroe be the typical apologetic absentee father begging for his son's love like Ichabod Crane on Sleepy Hollow. He's immediately disappointed in him. And tells him so. He could be doing better. I love that. I also love after Rachel ridiculously says that Connor was always going to be a screw-up because he had Monroe's DNA, he wisely points out that she is in no position to play the "pure blooded parent" card. She freaking ended the world. Is that her expectation for Charlie now? Gene's apology to Aaron was beyond pathetic. In his defense, what could he possibly say? "Grace?" Heh. I love that apparently Mexico now has to keep out the Texan riff-raff. I love it when the show does stuff like that. Things can really turn on a dime, can't they? Good episode. ****.
Mis Dos Padres:
Connor won the argument by noting that only weak people are obsessed with weakness. I bet he always wanted to say that. Rewatching this makes me realize that Tom and Julia's plan falling apart should NOT have been a surprise. It is amazing how reckless and careless they are in this episode. Miles' reaction to Monroe's sacrifice was perfect "You're a d*ck." Great line reading from Billy Burke. Great to see Priscilla again and I love Aaron noting that Cynthia stuck by him to the end and was killed for it. The sad way Zak Orth said it killed me. And Grace Beaumont as Mother Abigail? I can see it. I liked this. ****.
Captain Trips:
Another title that is a Stephen King reference. I have to say, the Tom Neville portions were outright badly written. Seriously. I have a hard time believing Tom didn't see that trap coming. I love that Doyle laughed that he tried to talk his way out of it. That WAS hilarious. Even worse were the flashbacks where Julia insists to Tom that his greatest strength is that he is smart, and that they have to play to their strengths from now on. And then the show gives us the dumbest and most obvious trap somebody could possibly set. Just because those rednecks were dumb enough to fall for that doesn't mean that Tom was actually smart in doing it. It was the plan of a low-class idiot. If they were going to tease us with Neville outwitting these guys, they should have made it so he actually outwitted them. There was no elegance to this. And it ticks me off. I love the revelation that Jason never cracked, and the thing that undid Tom and Julia was each other. They were worrying about the wrong person. Again. Priscilla being forced on the trip with Aaron tells me exactly why the A.I. let Cynthia die. It didn't want anyone coming between its Mommy and Daddy. That's messed up, right? Speaking of which, I can't believe Monroe is dumb enough to believe Miles will help him reform the Republican. Heck, Miles won't even LET him and he expects him to be a part of it? Granted, staying on Miles' good side was STILL the correct idea, simply because there IS the remote possibility Miles wouldn't stand in his way under the right circumstances. But Monroe's reading of Miles about the subject is way off. Great cliffhanger too. ****.
Happy Endings:
I love the President. Because they didn't get a name to play him. He looks and sounds unremarkable. And he's all business and isn't even going to entertain Tom Neville's honeyed tongue for a moment. And he doesn't even stop eating breakfast. And when he starts talking about sending back pieces of Julia? Brrrrr! I love how P.O.-ed Monroe was to find out Connor and Charlie boinked. TMI, man. And I again am going to call b.s. on Charlie's wisdom and cynicism. Why? Because she was proven wrong by the end of the season. She isn't the sage she thinks she is, and the show thinking I should be impressed by her insights bugs me. Seeing Tom and Miles together makes me realize this is the first time this season Tom and Jason were with the other characters. I think the spookiest thing about the fundamentalist nutjob / nano plot is that this is exactly what Grace warned. What IS the difference between that and God? And how can you possibly convince a true believer? I love that Bret Michaels is still in Vegas and you can see Steven Tyler's mummified corpse. And the end was like Ocean's 11... If George Clooney and pals were incompetent. Seriously poor showing for the good guys. Loved Monroe totally kicking that giant's @$$. That was brutal. The weak spot was the mushy stuff with Miles and Rachel. Those aren't the characters for that. Still, the President means all is forgiven. ****1/2.
Fear And Loathing:
I had a problem with the fake-out ending over the air, but after seeing the brilliant conclusion, I don't anymore. And how great is Miles' totally misguided loyalty to Monroe? You back the play of the guys on your team. Nice. I think the best moment was the end of the teaser: "I have to teach you how to kill me." Not many father / son moments like THAT on TV. And the way he got his son into it was to tell him the truth about how his mother died. I love Duncan giving the army to Charlie, thereby totally neutering Monroe's first step to get back the Republic. How is it that Tom Neville STILL doesn't know how to correctly pronounce "Monroe"? Is he doing it to be insulting? If so, that's a fail because Monroe ain't even there. I love the joke that previous dogfights included Timberlake vs. Fatone, and the Baldwin Family Battle Royale. I like that joke because it says, in a few years after the apocalypse, Oscar winning movies and SNL gigs aside, when all is said and done, Justin will be thought of as nuthin' but N'SYNC. That is both sad and comforting. Any bad things? Yeah. Big time. The scenes of that guy trying to rape Charlie in the trailer were appalling. After Game of Thrones, I guess this is what passes for entertainment on television nowadays. I'm knocking off an entire star and a half because of it. ***1/2.
Dreamcatcher:
As great as this episode is, it doesn't hold up too well upon a closer inspection. Good stuff first: it was ingenious to make the nightmare world better than the real one. So even if Aaron wins, he loses. His "Yay," upon waking up in a room on fire summed the scenario up nicely. I also loved all of the little Easter Eggs and cameos, including Neville's TV commercial and a surprise reappearance from Nora. And this is Zelkjo Ivanek's best performance on the series. Horn was never quite human, but now that he no longer has to pretend to be, Ivanek kills it. Also I love Aaron offering Miles a thousand dollars for ten minutes of his time, just because it is instructive to how Aaron USED to solve problems before the Blackout. Gotta say, it's a pretty easy solution. Aaron with the sandwich in the trash was brilliant, because it helps us understand the world they live in now in a way few things do. Now to get to the flaws. First flaw: this is SUCH a television episode. This is NOT the mini-movie the show strives for every week. It's standard genre stuff, even if they completely reworked the subtext of the Fear Nightmare Trope. When Charlie sets Aaron off on his mission, I knew that was bogus. It was just a way to get the rest of the cast into the episode. The mission means nothing, accomplishes nothing, helps with nothing, and leads nowhere interesting. It is just the series running in place for 20 minutes. Full stop. Secondly Chris Hayes proclaiming "We have a jam-packed show for you," are not the words of a TV News pundit. Who do the writers think Hayes is, Wink Martindale? I also knew the first wake-up was a fake-out and I'm disappointed the show expects me to be surprised. The first wake-up is ALWAYS a fake-out. I would think people trying to subvert the trope would be aware of that. I kind of feel like the writers came up with the can't miss premise of "Aaron almost immediately knows the dream scenario is bogus" idea, which totally thumbs it's nose at other genre shows' nightmare tropes, and didn't bother working out all of the kinks. This episode would have been really special had they put the effort into the execution that they did into the high concept. ****.
Exposition Boulevard:
I think Miles seems entirely too conflicted here. Because he is pretty much in the right in every move he makes. He shouldn't be second-guessing himself. There was no harm in letting that kid go since their base had been compromised and it's location was the only valuable piece of intel he had. Sure, the kid could later kill somebody (and he DID try to assassinate President Carver). But he wasn't an obvious threat to them. And Miles was absolutely right to resist letting the kids live before their base was discovered. When Rachel give her badly written speech about doing the smart thing and doing the right thing, I'm like "This woman has never done the smart thing a day in her life". She has no business lecturing anybody else on morality. And I say that as someone who largely agrees with her that there are certain lines you shouldn't. My objection is that Rachel's ethics are entirely situational and selfish, and she can talk herself into doing whatever cr*ppy thing she WANTS to do, and at the end of the day accuse Miles of not being pure enough. She sucks. I love the President though. He talks about shooting a guy's family in front of his kid, and the worst part is his kid doesn't react. This is normal for Pop-Pop. Lookit the picture I drew! I especially loved him talking about "perversion" in Gitmo, just because that is the writer's explicit way to say that he is a conservative, and his fundamentalism is part of why he is so evil. The producers takin' a stand. Great stuff. I love Miles needling Monroe about wanting to restart the Republic. Like I said, they are Xavier and Magneto. Miles will try to stop him, but he won't try all that hard. They are past trying to kill each other. Priscilla and the fireflies was alarming. I loved Connor and Jason fighting because neither realize why they SHOULD be fighting, and Jason dies before it is even an issue. As of now, their tangle here seem like the coincidence to end all coincidences. I would have liked the episode better if it didn't constantly try to say how wrong Miles was. Because every prediction he made came true. Sigh. ***.
Why We Fight:
Listening to Charlie's idiotic "We're all gonna die anyways" speech made me realize exactly how much Rachel failed this kid as a parent. Charlie inherited her stupidity from her. I thought at first that it was a nice moment that Charlie went on the mission because I thought she was doing it to protect and have solidarity with her men, but when she says at the end "I was doing it for me", I was like "This kid's hopeless." I have to say I can't think of another episode that shows how casually Neville lies to get what he wants. Him telling Truman that he was secretly a devious, ambitious man was probably the biggest lie he has ever told anybody. Truman's a pussycat (at least at this stage of the game) and in the wrong profession. He becomes ruthless later on (to survive) but that ain't him yet. But Tom told him that because he desperately wanted to believe it was true, and that he wasn't as in over his head as he always felt. Also, I notice when Neville brings up Julia with Doyle he brings size into it. I personally bet Tom Neville's penis is microscopic. He wouldn't constantly be bringing it up it if wasn't. And how unlucky is Doyle? That ahole actually almost managed to take out Tom Neville. In fact, I'm betting he got farther than anyone else ever has. And Monroe chooses to raid the camp at the last moment. Monroe's timing this episode sucked for everybody. And all of the wisdom Miles showed last episode is down the crapper. I wish the characters would be written more consistently, but that is a problem that effects ALL television, not just this show. Still, I was aggravated at most of the characters by the end of this. **1/2.
Austin City Limits:
The thing that kills me about Neville and Jason is how much Tom refuses to listen to and hear what his son is telling him. Once the words "I just need you to hold it together for a little while longer," passed his lips, I knew they would never see each other again. Jason had nothing left to hold together. He was already fargone, but his father refused to accept it. This was easily the most Jason has ever spoken during an episode so it is fitting it is his last one. Mr. Friendly is into S&M! I think the Mrs. Affleck joke was a way for J.J. Abrams to hopefully work with Jennifer Garner again. If the show had made it to a third season she would have been dynamite stunt casting. The stuff with Aaron is wiggy for several reasons and it might not be were it anybody but him. First off, "What smells so good?" is disturbing and I probably imagine true. But I don't like thinking about it. Secondly, I love the way Zak Orth played the scene of the A.I. bringing up their sexual encounter. You could tell he was worried that he had raped Priscilla. When in reality, it was the A.I. who raped him. Not many guys would see it the way Aaron did, which is why as Cynthia noted, his niceness is such a valuable commodity. And the A.I. doesn't even NEED to say what happens if Aaron doesn't play ball. That warm smile says it all. Couple of complaints: the biggest being what the frell is Charlie's problem with Jason at the beginning of the episode? They've only seen each other once since the Tower (when Miles betrayed HIM) and the only reason he "screwed them over" was because his mother was being held hostage. And Charlie knew that. Why is she acting like he is the second coming of Sebastian Monroe? Secondly, I can't help feel that the A.I. should have done a better job masking itself. It's everywhere, right? So that means it should have sensed the Slavers coming during their entire journey and come up with a cover story to get Aaron to move around them. Of course Aaron is gonna be suspicious now. It's hard to take the I.A. as an almighty threat when it is as bad at problem-solving as Rachel is. Great episode though. The end killed me dead. ****1/2.
$#!& Happens:
Love how the episode figured out a way to give Miles the worst day ever. Empty first aid kit, cat poster, no booze, everything that could go wrong, went wrong. And yet by the end the cat is a symbol of hope and a guitar pick is his redemption. And he's turned into Andy Dufruense crawling through the muck. This episode really clarified the A.I. for the viewer. It is sinister. It's motives are entirely malevolent, whether it saved Aaron's life or not. Just the fact that it threatened to kill Priscilla and all of Aaron friends because Aaron was slightly bugging her is disturbing. And what was with that vision of Ben it showed Miles? There is no other way to read that as but malicious. Speaking of which, I pretty much wanted to smack Neville upon him talking about Charlie's candy @$$ and how sweet it must taste. That is not how a grown gentleman addresses a young woman. And I kind of think that the show is pushing it by making Neville as openly awful as he often is. He's supposed to be a smooth-talker. You ever hear Sawyer from Lost talk that way? Of course not. If we are truly supposed to believe he has a honey-tongue, he should be written with even an OUNCE of class. Otherwise this dude's influence is vastly overstated. The scene where he puzzled out Jason was dead just based on Charlie's facial expressions would have been completely devastating if Neville hadn't been acting like such a monster about his son seconds earlier. Giancarlo Esposito and Tracy Spirodakas still played the heck out of it though. I also love Monroe pointing out that Rachel's claims of the moral high ground are bogus. She's a screwdriver wielding psychopath. Interesting that they've had sex. I am going to call it straight up rape on Monroe's end. You cannot have consensual sex with a prisoner. By that definition anything you do to the person is unwanted. Bass is truly troubled if he believes he can shame Rachel about being raped by him as a betrayal of Miles. Sick. Speaking of, "We Built This City" being the earworm the A.I. loves is pretty much perfect for several reasons. First, Aaron hates it. Second, it is, as he noted, the worst song ever written. Third, it is relentless cheery which turns the A.I.'s passive-aggressive to Aaron into outright aggression. Fourth, as I said, it is an earworm. Last song you want stuck in your head, just like the A.I. is the last THING you want stuck in your head. It works on many different levels. And I think Monroe probably DOES know Miles better than Rachel does. That's not a compliment for Miles. She describes Monroe as a drug and I'm thinking all of the things she said Monroe was smothering Miles with were the exact same things Bass was saying she was smothering him with. They are both awful people for the same reason, so they should get along. Plus, I think she's wrong that Bass is a bad influence on Miles. It's the other way around. Miles was the dude who turned Monroe into a monster. Bass does not have that capability with Miles. But Monroe is still stupider than Rachel. You cannot think anyone who goes for the kiss in that moment is anything but a total moron. I loved the episode due to the end, but I didn't enjoy the parts with Neville, or Rachel and Bass. Those were the episode's weak spots. ****1/2.
Tomorrowland:
I liked Miles' plan but the truth is Monroe's wasn't terrible. The situation was pretty drastic. But I agree with Miles that they need to be the good guys. I think pairing the A.I. with Aaron is very interesting because, as Priscilla notes, he agrees with her. He dislikes people and thinks they're scary. Which is probably why the A.I. hasn't killed him. I loved her nightmarish domestic scenario. Super frightening, especially since she loves cheery music like "Happy Together". Also appalling was the mustard gas scene. The Patriots are truly evil. Neville's trap was excellent, but I'm betting if Revolution had gotten a third season we would have seen Julia again. Truman standing up to Davis was great too. Truman was right that it wasn't fair that he get the blame, when he is just following the orders of the guys who always took the control of his town from him. Very persuasive (if dangerous) argument. ***1/2.
Memorial Day:
How big a scumbag is Truman? He takes the necklace off Marian's body. I loved Rachel slapping Priscilla like that. The fact that she does crazy stuff like that is one of the few redeeming qualities of the character. And again "We Built This City" returns. They should have used it in the last episode too. That room of rats gave me the willies. Priscilla is angry. Whuh oh. I love how much fun Miles and Charlie had stealing the train. That DID look like a blast. ****.
Declaration Of Independence:
Could have been worse, could have been better. While I am pleased the series wasn't dumb enough to leave us with the heroes in mortal jeopardy, seeing that particular cliffhanger makes it REALLY feel as if the series is unfinished. Technically, the series ending cliffhanger isn't devastating. But I am still dying to know what would have happened next. I love the idea that Monroe was NOT going to go along with his son because it meant so much that Miles trusted him. I knew that was a huge moment and I'm glad the series had Bass treat it as seriously and significant as it was. And Miles was right to do that which makes it even better. And screw you Charlie, for being dead wrong about believing you were gonna lose the war. Girl is nowhere near as smart as she think she is. My favorite scene was the reveal of Monroe walking into the tent, while M.C. Gainey was all smiles while they killed every Patriot there. Texas does not mess around. I'm a little confused why the AI is telling Davis to leave the Patriots and travel to Idaho. Doesn't Texas have him locked up? I would think there would be a better candidate. Loved Jason's cameo and realizing J.D. Pardo would have returned in season three. Ultimately the series failed but the last episode was truly great. *****.
Deleted Scenes:
Love Story: Some icky scenes involving huge needles and the wife, including a riff on the Pulp Fiction adrenaline scene. Gross. **.
Patriot Games: There was initially a flashback in this episode, to five months earlier, when Rachel was going crazy. ***.
Three Amigos: Gene and Charlie puzzling over an orange. ***1/2.
Mis Dos Padres: Two scenes. First is another scene of Julia and Tom being shockingly obvious and the second is a quiet scene between Charlie and Gene. ***1/2.
Captain Trips: Three scenes. First is Julia acting extra suspicious, the second is Aaron and Priscilla walking through the forest, and the third is Miles and Monroe breaking into a warehouse. ****.
Happy Endings: Scene between Neville and Miles. ****.
Fear And Loathing: I really do not care about Duncan's backstory. **1/2.
Dreamcatcher: Some extra reaction shots from the Dreamscape. ***1/2.
Exposition Boulevard: Monroe really DOES say the creepiest things to his son. ***1/2.
Austin City Limits: While it is kind of cool seeing Jason get the drop on Connor, since the love triangle is barely mentioned, much less made a plot point, this part of the random coincidence just seems pointless. **1/2.
$#!& Happens: Where Jason's death is concerned, less is more. ***1/2.
Tomorrowland: 15 seconds of nothing. *1/2.
Declaration Of Independence: Alternate ending of Rachel getting stabbed. I'm betting the only reason they cut this was because the show was canceled. People would have been furious if they had left in. Heck, I would have been furious even if the series HADN'T been canceled. **1/2.
Revolution: Heading West:
Wow. I am a little bit shocked at how much disdain the writers throw towards the first season. They seem to be overthinking what the quality of a television series needs to be. Not everything needs to be Breaking Bad. And I think one of the worst things to happen to modern television is that modern audiences think that if something ISN'T as good as Breaking Bad, it's not worth watching. That is no way to be a TV fan, and speaking as someone who watched struggling genre shows in the 80's and 90's, that were always canceled after a season or two, I think modern audiences have turned into a bunch of spoiled babies. I would have KILLED to have had a show of Revolution's quality on the air in 1988. Great television was SO rare back then that I am fully able to appreciate GOOD television. Quantum Leap, but all justifiable metrics, was a badly written series, and used to always get nominated for the top prizes in the Emmys. It never won, but if Quantum Leap aired today the idea that it could POSSIBLY ever be nominated for Best Drama would be ludicrous. But I liked Quantum Leap. And I like Revolution. And I do not demand that every single TV show I watch be the greatest thing ever made and blow away everything I've watched before it. That's no way to live. But that is precisely how picky today's audiences are. And I kind of resent them turning up their noses at all of this good television that I would have given my right nut to watch instead of Who's The Boss or Growing Pains. Young viewers have no idea how lucky they are and routinely bash shows that I would have absolutely adored back in the day. And this writer's panel seems to be feeding into that same mindset. Which is stupid. How many other TV shows invented their own method of sword-fighting? I thought so. Season one was fine. The other b.s. thing to note is Rockne S. O'Bannon claiming nanotech was "virgin territory" for television. Him saying that makes me believe he hasn't watched the amount of television he's claimed. Nanotech works on this show because it is the ONLY sci-fi element. But it has been overdone to death on practically all other genre franchises. I usually consider it a shark-jump and when a show has run out of ideas. If you need to go with nanotech to write yourself out of a corner, your scenario was too complicated to begin with. Nanotech is a cliche. As I said, I don't begrudge Revolution, but unlike the brutal swordplay, Revolution got to the party late. I considered nanotech old-hat around 1995. Only Virtual Reality is a more dated sci-fi concept. Also annoying is to learn that the concept of the Patriots wasn't invented until the summer break. I really wish more TV shows had a better game plan in their series' Bible. The stuff that does (like Lost and Haven) is precisely as special as it is for that reason. **1/2.
Impact Revolution: Conversations With The United Nations:
ComicCon at the U.N.! I did NOT know that 1 in 5 people had no regular access to energy. I had no clue the number was that huge. I also loved learning that Titus' offering of tea to Miles earlier in the season was based on an actual experience from someone at the UN. Because it's hilarious. I also loved that woman saying that it's BEEN 15 years. The world really SHOULD have been looking at renewable energy like solar or windmills. The steam engines in season one are a good start, but it is not lost one me that since a woman recently invented a "make-it-yourself" refrigerator that runs without electricity, that should have been seen here too. I would think people in that scenario would have to be a LOT more creative than Revolution gives them credit for being. Everyone on the show just gives up and accepts it. Even living under warlords and militias there would still be scientists finding ways to work around it. That someone like Rachel is now essentially a farmhand bugs me. Aaron too. Scientists existed before electricity did. Interesting featurette. ****.
2013 Comic-Con Panel Q&A With Cast And Creators:
Do you know what I noticed? Billy Burke was a rude passive-aggressive ahole to Eric Kripke. He was constantly rolling his eyes. Do you know what else I noticed? He should have been. Kripke obviously thinks the show is deeper than it is, and having Burke knock the wind out of his sails by saying he didn't understand any of that was quite appropriate. I feel like Kripke was more paying attention to the fannish aspects on the show, without realizing that he was sharing a stage with some people who might not know, or even care about that. He was being too exclusive in the manner he was speaking. Maybe that's okay for a comic book convention, but I like that Burke doesn't think that means he has to put up with it. Burke noted something else interesting: the actors have practically no prep time, and that fact makes their job easier. And I gotta say, that makes sense. Just reacting to stuff on the day has got to bring in truer performances, and frankly if I were an actor in this show, and knew some of the things I'd be expected to do far ahead of time, I'd never want to go through with them. I'd be much more inclined to do some of the crazier stuff if I didn't have to think about it first. Ben Edlund is such a hippie. I also found out something about Giancarlo Esposito I didn't know. He's not scary in real life. That should be obvious, but what is NOT is that the guy isn't just not frightening; he's normal. Normally great actors who AREN'T intense in real life are annoying goofballs (see Lucas Bryant wrecking every press tour he does for Haven). But Esposito's just a normal guy. Which is cool. ****.
Gag Reel:
Not the show you want your cell phone to ring during. That rope bit at the end with Tracy Spiridakos at the end looked frustrating. I've had nightmares that have gone like that. **1/2.
Blu-Ray Menus: Animated. ****1/2.
Upcoming reviews include The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Blu-Ray), X-Men: Days Of Future Past: The Rogue Cut, Big Hero 6 (Blu-Ray), Once Upon A Time: Season 4, The Walt Disney Studios Short Films Collection, Tangled, Phineas And Ferb: Star Wars, Muppets Most Wanted: Extended Edition, Justice League: Gods And Monsters, Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack Of The Legion Of Doom, Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem, Teen Titans Go!: House Pests, Arrow: Season 3, The Flash: Season 1, Gotham: Season 1, Almost Human: The Complete Series, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (Blu-Ray), Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run, Airplane! / Airplane II: The Sequel: Double Feature, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Turbo: Volume 2, Power Rangers In Space Volume 1, Power Rangers In Space: Volume 2, Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Showdown In Dimension X, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Retreat!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return To NYC!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Samurai Jack: Season 4, The Wonder Years: Season 3, Haven: Season 5 - Vol. 1, and The Jurassic Park Trilogy.
Teen Titans Go! "Leg Day"
That was one of the biggest pieces of garbage the show has ever given us. Hyper-sexualizing the Titans is super creepy since all of their character designs don't look over 14 years of age. I am officially wigged out. 0.
Batman Unlimited "Boardwalk Battle"
Anyone else bugged that the Joker's Hammer looks to weigh twice what he does? I mean it LOOKS cool, but it also looks unrealistic and takes me out of the story a bit. Oh well. ***1/2.
Ultimate Spider-Man Web-Warriors "Inhumanity"
I was quickly bored with this. The Inhumans are the least interesting concept ever, and I can't believe they are getting a movie. They even wrecked the second half of Agents of SHIELD's second season. Bummer. **.
Marvel's Avengers Assemble "Avengers Underground"
Too much "Go Team!" and "Value of teamwork" platitudes which is strictly 80's cartoon stuff. We shouldn't put up with that in a modern cartoon. Stuff like that is why the recent Hulk 'toon was so insufferable. **1/2.
Girl Meets World "Girl Meets Yearbook"
That was pretty much annoying claptrap, and Farkle's "evolution" seems about as ill advised as Steve Urkel's during the last season of Family Matters. But there were exactly two interesting things about the episode.
1. Farkle changed identities instantly. He ALWAYS had that in the back pocket, and seemed to be looking for an excuse. He even messed with the teacher's desk placard. I have to think this kid would be great at faking his death.
2. I'm glad the series finally addressed the elephant in the room: Peyton Reed has WAY more chemistry with Sabrina Carpenter than he does Rowan Blanchard. They could chicken out, but if they actually run with this idea there are some juicy episodes in the making.
But this one? Sucked. *1/2.
Transformers: Robots In Disguise "Lockout"
Only thing that interested me this episode was the creepy dude at the end. Can't wait to see where THAT is going. Otherwise a dud. *1/2.
Under The Dome "Breaking Point"
I hated everything about that. I'd be inclined to say this was an epic shark jump, if the series hadn't already destroyed itself beyond repair in several previous episodes. The disappointment is no longer a surprise. It is to be expected.
Buying back the apocalypse was SO freaking stupid because CBS hyped the frell out of it. They are still even using it in the next week promo! I think that idea was a REALLY bad one, but the only thing worse than ending the world, is pretending it did and buying it back.
Love triangles. Hate 'em. Useless. And when paired with mind control, my two most hated tropes deliver a whole big bucket of suck.
I don't know what was more appalling: the disgusting things Norrie said to her mother, or the fact that they didn't move her. I loved Joe's look upon Norrie telling her mom they were having sex: "Leave me out of this train-wreck." This was the absolute wrong episode to kill off Caroline. Because I think her repentance was way too late. The fact that she wasn't moved before that makes me hate her.
If this was any other show I'd proclaim it the worst episode of the series. Since it's Under The Dome, it is merely below average. 0.
Defiance "When Twilight Dims The Sky Above"
Do you know what I loved about Datak's coldblooded advice to Amanda to serve up Nolan's head to the Votanis Collective? It was the correct one. And it's what she actually did. There was no other option. That's interesting to me.
I'm betting T'evgin is killed off next week. The fact that his actor isn't a series regular makes it a no-brainer. His scene with Stahma was appalling. He is REALLY bad at this "trying to dial it down a notch to live in peace" bit. Yeesh.
I liked this one. ***1/2.
Hannibal "And The Woman Clothed With The Sun..."
Pretty good. I love the stuff between Francis and the blind woman, just because it says something that HAS to be true: serial killers don't kill every single person they are ever alone with. They probably don't even kill most of them. Hannibal has had plenty of solo scenes with various characters before he was outed. Heck, he even had an entire solo subplot with Abigail this episode (although he did wind up killing her). That's a little bit unsettling.
A good episode. ****.
Hannibal "...And The Woman Clothed In The Sun"
That ending was amazeballs. Eating the painting. Brilliant.
And I think we've finally established that Bedelia actually IS crazy. I would not have guessed that, but there is obviously something in her that Hannibal saw potential with. She is just much better at hiding it.
Another wild sex scene. I cannot imagine NBC must have been happy with the visual effects department spending so much money on serial killer sex scenes and a blind woman touching a sleeping tiger. Hannibal, the series, looks amazing. But I think the fact that it has SO many weird visual effects is the thing that doomed it. NBC bought a procedural and wound up having to spend the money of a fantasy epic. As I said, it still looks amazing.
I will miss this series. ****1/2.
Scream "Betrayed"
Audrey was perhaps the worst red herring ever. The killer is tall and she is short. I don't know who the producers thought they were kidding.
Besides, the killer is a SERIAL killer. Audrey had no motive to kill Riley. And I'm a little bit perplexed that was never brought up.
The DNA evidence was tainted? How is that for the biggest cop-out of all time?
That was a great ending though. Unless Will is in on it (there were two killers in the first movie and one wounded the other to throw Sidney off) this means it's not him. My guess is still that it's Emma's creepy new boyfriend. We'll see. ***.
Revolution: The Complete Second Season
I was a bit disappointed. Not so much in the story, but in some of the characters choices they made this year. Aaron should NEVER be shown killing somebody and Charlie's newfound cynicism would have only been worth something if she were ever right about the situation.
The Patriots were a good concept even if the nanotech sort of got the series off track a bit. It finally became interesting in the season finale, and then BOOM, it's canceled.
I think the show was ultimately better than most people give it credit for, but I kind of feel it was something that would have gotten better and better with more seasons under its belt. Sort of like Haven. The first couple of seasons of Haven were nothing special, but the more they built on them, the more progressively awesome the show became in later years. I kind of got that vibe from Revolution but it was canceled in season two.
Best episodes of the season are the one with the DS9 parallels (One Riot, One Ranger), the introduction of the truly sadistic President of the United States (Happy Endings), Jason Neville's last episode (Austin City Limits), Miles' worst day ever ($#!& Happens), and the frustrating series finale (Declaration Of Independence). Worst episode is the one that nearly wrecked Aaron's character (Everyone Says I Love You).
I feel like this is a series that is definitely unfinished. I'll live with the series finale (no major characters in mortal jeopardy in the cliffhanger) but I really would have liked to have seen what happened next. Season Overall: ***. Series Overall: ****.
Born In The U.S.A.:
Still underwhelmed. Outside of the neat trick ending, this episode sort of hinted at everything that was going to go wrong with the season. First off, I don't care of Tracy Spiradakos is in her mid-20's. She looks freaking 15 and it feels beyond gross to see her exploited like that. Secondly, Stu Redmond is the dumbest possible alias Miles could have chosen. It not like Stephen King is unpopular, or that books aren't still a thing. It screams fake name as much as if he had gone by Peter Venkman or Marty McFly. I liked Billy Burke's reaction shot to being offered tea at the end though. And you do NOT want to give Tom Neville a purpose. I laughed at the fact that David Shwimmer was the last surviving Friend and part of a freak show. Cynthia is right: in that situation, somebody being nice is a valuable commodity. Aaron might feel useless but that's huge. #Aaronlives! ***.
There Will Be Blood:
I will say one thing for this show: they took a VERY interesting tack as to Aaron's feeling of being alive. He resents it. It's a freaking added complication to a life that was already scary enough. And it turns out that it's all about him. And Aaron desperately wants to not be important. And the universe is enraging him on the subject. Nobody does a sarcastic "Yay!" better than Zak Orth. The absolutely misery he is able to put in his voice when he does it is sublime. Miles had some good moments too. The Walker Texas Ranger tale being legendary was hilarious, as well as totally sad and pathetic, and his reactions to Titus's "computer art" was perfect: "Yikes!" And I love to hate Monroe. He again pulled the "You have no right to talk to me that way," card, which has always been the most insufferable thing about the character. He's in no position to continue to claim that. I love how confused the patsy looked before Neville killed him. He honestly didn't understand what was happening in that moment. He thought Neville was still on his side, and working an unknown angle right to the moment he put a bullet in his brain. Rachel should have done a better job at rallying the town to save Miles. He was the biggest gun they had, and risking two or three lives would be worth it to get back the guy who was going to save the town. Rachel is a very poor salesman. The "Four New Yorkers of Legend" could have just as easily been the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the Ghostbusters. Even the Fantastic Four would have fit. Ghostbusters is definitely funnier though. ****.
Love Story:
Reason #1037 Miles is invaluable: he is the only one with the presence of mind to take the wife. That's the only reason as many people survived that did. Tom Neville is an excellent liar. What I love about the scene is that Giancarlo Esposito plays it completely genuine, and as if he means every word. Only the viewer is aware it is b.s. because it doesn't play that way at all. I loved Monroe clocking the bounty hunter in the middle of him flirting with Charlie (that was a pleasant shock) and I love him and Charlie teaming up once they realized Rachel was wanted. Strange bedfellows and all. This was a good (and violent) one. ***1/2.
Patriot Games:
Gene pretty much nailed how stupid Rachel is. I've groused about what an idiot she is since last season, but the fact that she learned nothing from the Tower shows that she is pretty much a dullard and will never learn. Dr. Porter is right: why DOES Rachel have to be the one to fix the problem? How does she even know there IS a problem? The fact that Rachel is right is besides the point. Because she breaks into the Patriots' office the first chance she gets, and spills her entire story to a guy without vetting him first. The second thing is kind of understandable, since she knew him before the Blackout, but the breaking into the office thing was so dumb because she literally did it the first chance she got. A less reckless, smarter person would have kept their ear to the ground for information and learned all they could about the layout of the office before making a move. She should have had the sense to case the joint. And this episode shows that if you are going to mess with Tom Neville, you shouldn't tell him about it ahead of time. Rachel was not the only stupid person in this episode. I loved Monroe saving Charlie's life. I think Charlie thinks she is more insightful than she actually is. Because Monroe may be many things, but he is NOT a sociopath. Not a even little. He does not fit the criteria for that at all. He truly loves and cares about Miles and is always trying to impress him. A sociopath wouldn't be able to do that or even bother. One of the biggest things that's bugged me about this season is that the producers are trying to show that Charlie has gotten wise and insightful by having her state stupid or untruthful things. I'd take her jaundiced view of the world more seriously if she were correct. ***.
One Riot, One Ranger:
I was getting serious Star Trek: Deep Space Nine vibes from this. Specifically "In The Pale Moonlight" where Captain Sisko tricks the Romulans into joining the war against the Dominion. Miles is Sisko, the Texas Ranger is Senator Vreenak, and Monroe is, of course, Garak. Plain, simple Garak. My one regret is the Ranger didn't get ANY lines as memorable as Vreenak's "It's a FAAAAKE!". Stephen McHattie ruled. Do you know the messed up thing? Monroe's plan is actually a great one. It would have worked if Gene hadn't snitched. The great thing is that Monroe came up with it on the spot. It is exactly that kind of foresight which is what made him and Miles so formidable. I must remind you again, that Miles was smart enough to kidnap Titus' wife. The only other person that brilliant plan would have occurred to is Sebastian Monroe. Bass and Miles are excellent at making quick, snap decisions in life and death situations. Which is why they are still alive. Monroe's reaction to Miles line about him not going to be sucked into his dark pool again was priceless: "Uh huh.". Do you know what else I loved about the episode? The episode just out and out pointed out that Aaron is the sad and tragic character. Which is wild to me because that was obviously not going to be his original role at all. In the Pilot he is clearly sarcastic comic relief. Zak Orth is another one of those chubby comic actors that seem to be popular nowadays like Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, or Josh Gad. So the show was originally going to play to Orth's strengths in comedy. But they quickly realized that Orth was a SERIOUS actor, and worked best when he was messed up. Orth brings the pain on this show better than anyone else, which is probably why they were willing to lose their one comedy asset, or at least transfer part of that role to Miles. Aaron is also the first overweight character I've seen on a drama not played for laughs. As an overweight person, I cannot tell you how gratified I feel to see someone who looks like me being taken seriously. I loved Cynthia's reaction to him listing his over-qualifications for being a teacher. No pretense to this guy at all. Funny. I was a little surprised Neville was just going to leave Alleford there. I mean, I shouldn't have been (he's a butthole), but, man, even if he DIDN'T want to be a fugitive, he could have done more for her than he did. Then again, he might have guessed she knew stuff about Jason and was manipulating her into spilling it. It may have been malice on his part, but there is an equal chance it was cunning. I approve of the story point either way. This was a great episode. ****1/2.
Dead Man Walking:
As overstated as I believe Charlie's wisdom is this season, whenever she verbally abuses Rachel she is always 100% right. I don't think Charlie saying those true things makes her especially insightful though. Observing Rachel is stupid and selfish is pretty much low-hanging fruit. But yeah, why DIDN'T Rachel ask how Charlie was? And Charlie was right that she didn't want to hear that Monroe saved her life because she never listens to anybody. I love that Monroe's dying wish was to make peace with Miles. Do you know what I found interesting about his exploding at Miles upon the revelation that he hid his son? He didn't threaten to kill him over it. That part of his and Miles' relationship is completely over, and they are now Professor X and Magneto: Two friends on the opposite sides, who refuse to kill the other for any reason. Xavier and Magneto were the original frenemies so that's why it reminds me of that. I have to say Jason gloating over her mother's promiscuity is probably one of the grossest things the series ever did. And yet, it was interesting, because you knew it was pretty much the worst thing he could possibly say to his father. Hearing that about his late wife would be bad enough, but hearing his own son describe his mother as a "sweet thing" had to be appalling. I loved Tom calling Jason weak in that moment. It was the opposite reaction most parents would have (they'd be trying to reason with and comfort their kid) but the messed up thing is that if the brainwashing HAD took, it would have been completely true. Speaking of Tom, I love how uneventful his first meeting with Miles actually was in the grand scheme of things. You expect these characters to have lived nothing but big moments, but life isn't like that. Sometimes the biggest pains in the neck of your life are simply the guys you asked to help get you water and towels. I am tickled pink that General Carver is played by the same dude who played Batman on Beware The Batman. That's tight. As was the episode. ****.
The Patriot Act:
Loved the moment of Cynthia and Aaron lying on the ground and having an entire life-changing conversation using only their eyes. In that moment she knew he killed her husband, and that he knew, and that they both now know that she knows. Truly great acting from both of them. I'm a little bit miffed they are trying to buy back Gene's betrayal. It is entirely unnecessary. Gene is a relatively new character we don't care about, or even know anything about. The only reason he matters is because he's Rachel's father. He isn't somebody who NEEDS a redemption arc. In fact, I'd argue the character would have been more interesting without one. I loved seeing Monroe operating at diminished capacity. Because he still took out four guys. He IS Batman. When he's fighting the Scarecrow. I like that the episode took the tack that Jason was able to fight the worst part of the brainwashing. He's still programmed to do things outside of his control (and is still vicious) but as of now he WANTS to be on his father's side. Which as Alleford noted was huge. And NEVILLE correctly reminded her she was worried about the wrong guy. Funny. And I love how forgiving Monroe is to Miles about his son. A lesser show would have made them mortal enemies because if it, but Revolution was not that show. ****.
Come Blow Your Horn:
Rockne wrote this! This episode has a major flaw that almost wrecks it, but I'll talk about that last. There was still a ton of good. I liked Miles telling Charlie that the decision about whether or not to kill Gene was her mother's. It was a weird thing for a grown-up to set a limit about, but I actually think this is one of the only times on the series where Rachel deserved that consideration. But it's totally fair to blame Rachel for killing Nora. Rachel doesn't have a leg to stand on in that argument. I also adore Monroe making fun of Aaron's weight. Because the way he did it is completely unlike Tom Neville's maliciousness last season. Monroe is playful. He's kidding around in the hopes of form a guy bond. He's trying to calm and center Aaron by mildly p*ssing him off, while Neville was trying to scare him out of his wits. It's really interesting to me that ostensibly the same behavior can have two different meanings and outcomes, depending on how a person does it. Speaking of Neville and maliciousness, I think the most dreadful thing about him convincing the general to kill his wife is that in that particular scenario, it was the correct decision. That provocative. Even more-so because Neville did in with such glee and in the most insidious manner possible. He doesn't try to soften the blow, he makes it as deliberately awful as he possibly can. It's not even a case of him simply being honest about the situation. There is NO excuse for the "She must give it to you good" line other than to make him feel terrible. The general is being forced to make a horrific decision about his spouse that no sane person should ever be expected to have to make, and Neville is actually rubbing it in. What is wrong with him? It is stuff like that that leads me to believe Neville is the most evil character on the show. I love that when Cynthia accuses Aaron of knowing he killed her husband all along and slept with her without telling her, he doesn't set the record straight. Because he DIDN'T know. Up until the night he saved Miles' life, he had no idea he was responsible. But he refuses to make an excuse. He lets her judge him unfairly because he feels he deserves it. That's the mindset of an adult. Now my complaint: it is HUGE. These were easily the worst and most ill-advised flashbacks the show ever gave us. Horn is NOT a character we should need to be sympathizing with. Not every villain needs a rational motive and to be sympathetic. And it doesn't even help with understanding him because he is killed off in the next episode. Why SHOULD we be made to care about somebody who just randomly appeared and is killed off so quickly? If Horn were the Big Bad of the season, centering flashbacks around him would make sense. But since he's killed off in the next episode it is a bad piece of storytelling. I'm knocking off a star and a half for that. ***1/2.
Everyone Says I Love You:
A series low-point. Aaron was written entirely out of character. I do not for one second believe he would have asked the A.I. to kill everyone before he asked it to heal Cynthia. He's neither that stupid, nor that cold-hearted. The writers simply wanted to make him do something horrific and wrote him stupidly out of character to do it. Aaron is NOT a character who should "turn dark". He's the audience surrogate. And I resent being told by the show that the only way to survive in this kind of world is to become a murderer. I reject that notion. Completely. It is entirely untrue and I don't believe in it at all. This pretty much wrecked the episode. It's too bad because there were several interesting things going on. This probably is the best episode title in the series' history because pretty much everyone DOES say "I love you," at some point and that's the subtext, if not the plot. It is a very clever and accurate title that actually spoils nothing. And who doesn't love Monroe's "I'm Batman!"? Miles saying Aaron was worth dying for was absolutely true so I'm a bit appalled that the episode tried to show at the end that it wasn't. I also really love that Tom and Julia Neville's first reaction upon seeing each other alive after several months is to have train sex. They don't even greet each other first, they just get immediately down to business. And I really liked Miles begging for Rachel's help because nanotech was beyond him. But this episode shows everything that was wrong with this season, and ultimately the series in general. 1/2.
Three Amigos:
I love that this show decided not to have Monroe be the typical apologetic absentee father begging for his son's love like Ichabod Crane on Sleepy Hollow. He's immediately disappointed in him. And tells him so. He could be doing better. I love that. I also love after Rachel ridiculously says that Connor was always going to be a screw-up because he had Monroe's DNA, he wisely points out that she is in no position to play the "pure blooded parent" card. She freaking ended the world. Is that her expectation for Charlie now? Gene's apology to Aaron was beyond pathetic. In his defense, what could he possibly say? "Grace?" Heh. I love that apparently Mexico now has to keep out the Texan riff-raff. I love it when the show does stuff like that. Things can really turn on a dime, can't they? Good episode. ****.
Mis Dos Padres:
Connor won the argument by noting that only weak people are obsessed with weakness. I bet he always wanted to say that. Rewatching this makes me realize that Tom and Julia's plan falling apart should NOT have been a surprise. It is amazing how reckless and careless they are in this episode. Miles' reaction to Monroe's sacrifice was perfect "You're a d*ck." Great line reading from Billy Burke. Great to see Priscilla again and I love Aaron noting that Cynthia stuck by him to the end and was killed for it. The sad way Zak Orth said it killed me. And Grace Beaumont as Mother Abigail? I can see it. I liked this. ****.
Captain Trips:
Another title that is a Stephen King reference. I have to say, the Tom Neville portions were outright badly written. Seriously. I have a hard time believing Tom didn't see that trap coming. I love that Doyle laughed that he tried to talk his way out of it. That WAS hilarious. Even worse were the flashbacks where Julia insists to Tom that his greatest strength is that he is smart, and that they have to play to their strengths from now on. And then the show gives us the dumbest and most obvious trap somebody could possibly set. Just because those rednecks were dumb enough to fall for that doesn't mean that Tom was actually smart in doing it. It was the plan of a low-class idiot. If they were going to tease us with Neville outwitting these guys, they should have made it so he actually outwitted them. There was no elegance to this. And it ticks me off. I love the revelation that Jason never cracked, and the thing that undid Tom and Julia was each other. They were worrying about the wrong person. Again. Priscilla being forced on the trip with Aaron tells me exactly why the A.I. let Cynthia die. It didn't want anyone coming between its Mommy and Daddy. That's messed up, right? Speaking of which, I can't believe Monroe is dumb enough to believe Miles will help him reform the Republican. Heck, Miles won't even LET him and he expects him to be a part of it? Granted, staying on Miles' good side was STILL the correct idea, simply because there IS the remote possibility Miles wouldn't stand in his way under the right circumstances. But Monroe's reading of Miles about the subject is way off. Great cliffhanger too. ****.
Happy Endings:
I love the President. Because they didn't get a name to play him. He looks and sounds unremarkable. And he's all business and isn't even going to entertain Tom Neville's honeyed tongue for a moment. And he doesn't even stop eating breakfast. And when he starts talking about sending back pieces of Julia? Brrrrr! I love how P.O.-ed Monroe was to find out Connor and Charlie boinked. TMI, man. And I again am going to call b.s. on Charlie's wisdom and cynicism. Why? Because she was proven wrong by the end of the season. She isn't the sage she thinks she is, and the show thinking I should be impressed by her insights bugs me. Seeing Tom and Miles together makes me realize this is the first time this season Tom and Jason were with the other characters. I think the spookiest thing about the fundamentalist nutjob / nano plot is that this is exactly what Grace warned. What IS the difference between that and God? And how can you possibly convince a true believer? I love that Bret Michaels is still in Vegas and you can see Steven Tyler's mummified corpse. And the end was like Ocean's 11... If George Clooney and pals were incompetent. Seriously poor showing for the good guys. Loved Monroe totally kicking that giant's @$$. That was brutal. The weak spot was the mushy stuff with Miles and Rachel. Those aren't the characters for that. Still, the President means all is forgiven. ****1/2.
Fear And Loathing:
I had a problem with the fake-out ending over the air, but after seeing the brilliant conclusion, I don't anymore. And how great is Miles' totally misguided loyalty to Monroe? You back the play of the guys on your team. Nice. I think the best moment was the end of the teaser: "I have to teach you how to kill me." Not many father / son moments like THAT on TV. And the way he got his son into it was to tell him the truth about how his mother died. I love Duncan giving the army to Charlie, thereby totally neutering Monroe's first step to get back the Republic. How is it that Tom Neville STILL doesn't know how to correctly pronounce "Monroe"? Is he doing it to be insulting? If so, that's a fail because Monroe ain't even there. I love the joke that previous dogfights included Timberlake vs. Fatone, and the Baldwin Family Battle Royale. I like that joke because it says, in a few years after the apocalypse, Oscar winning movies and SNL gigs aside, when all is said and done, Justin will be thought of as nuthin' but N'SYNC. That is both sad and comforting. Any bad things? Yeah. Big time. The scenes of that guy trying to rape Charlie in the trailer were appalling. After Game of Thrones, I guess this is what passes for entertainment on television nowadays. I'm knocking off an entire star and a half because of it. ***1/2.
Dreamcatcher:
As great as this episode is, it doesn't hold up too well upon a closer inspection. Good stuff first: it was ingenious to make the nightmare world better than the real one. So even if Aaron wins, he loses. His "Yay," upon waking up in a room on fire summed the scenario up nicely. I also loved all of the little Easter Eggs and cameos, including Neville's TV commercial and a surprise reappearance from Nora. And this is Zelkjo Ivanek's best performance on the series. Horn was never quite human, but now that he no longer has to pretend to be, Ivanek kills it. Also I love Aaron offering Miles a thousand dollars for ten minutes of his time, just because it is instructive to how Aaron USED to solve problems before the Blackout. Gotta say, it's a pretty easy solution. Aaron with the sandwich in the trash was brilliant, because it helps us understand the world they live in now in a way few things do. Now to get to the flaws. First flaw: this is SUCH a television episode. This is NOT the mini-movie the show strives for every week. It's standard genre stuff, even if they completely reworked the subtext of the Fear Nightmare Trope. When Charlie sets Aaron off on his mission, I knew that was bogus. It was just a way to get the rest of the cast into the episode. The mission means nothing, accomplishes nothing, helps with nothing, and leads nowhere interesting. It is just the series running in place for 20 minutes. Full stop. Secondly Chris Hayes proclaiming "We have a jam-packed show for you," are not the words of a TV News pundit. Who do the writers think Hayes is, Wink Martindale? I also knew the first wake-up was a fake-out and I'm disappointed the show expects me to be surprised. The first wake-up is ALWAYS a fake-out. I would think people trying to subvert the trope would be aware of that. I kind of feel like the writers came up with the can't miss premise of "Aaron almost immediately knows the dream scenario is bogus" idea, which totally thumbs it's nose at other genre shows' nightmare tropes, and didn't bother working out all of the kinks. This episode would have been really special had they put the effort into the execution that they did into the high concept. ****.
Exposition Boulevard:
I think Miles seems entirely too conflicted here. Because he is pretty much in the right in every move he makes. He shouldn't be second-guessing himself. There was no harm in letting that kid go since their base had been compromised and it's location was the only valuable piece of intel he had. Sure, the kid could later kill somebody (and he DID try to assassinate President Carver). But he wasn't an obvious threat to them. And Miles was absolutely right to resist letting the kids live before their base was discovered. When Rachel give her badly written speech about doing the smart thing and doing the right thing, I'm like "This woman has never done the smart thing a day in her life". She has no business lecturing anybody else on morality. And I say that as someone who largely agrees with her that there are certain lines you shouldn't. My objection is that Rachel's ethics are entirely situational and selfish, and she can talk herself into doing whatever cr*ppy thing she WANTS to do, and at the end of the day accuse Miles of not being pure enough. She sucks. I love the President though. He talks about shooting a guy's family in front of his kid, and the worst part is his kid doesn't react. This is normal for Pop-Pop. Lookit the picture I drew! I especially loved him talking about "perversion" in Gitmo, just because that is the writer's explicit way to say that he is a conservative, and his fundamentalism is part of why he is so evil. The producers takin' a stand. Great stuff. I love Miles needling Monroe about wanting to restart the Republic. Like I said, they are Xavier and Magneto. Miles will try to stop him, but he won't try all that hard. They are past trying to kill each other. Priscilla and the fireflies was alarming. I loved Connor and Jason fighting because neither realize why they SHOULD be fighting, and Jason dies before it is even an issue. As of now, their tangle here seem like the coincidence to end all coincidences. I would have liked the episode better if it didn't constantly try to say how wrong Miles was. Because every prediction he made came true. Sigh. ***.
Why We Fight:
Listening to Charlie's idiotic "We're all gonna die anyways" speech made me realize exactly how much Rachel failed this kid as a parent. Charlie inherited her stupidity from her. I thought at first that it was a nice moment that Charlie went on the mission because I thought she was doing it to protect and have solidarity with her men, but when she says at the end "I was doing it for me", I was like "This kid's hopeless." I have to say I can't think of another episode that shows how casually Neville lies to get what he wants. Him telling Truman that he was secretly a devious, ambitious man was probably the biggest lie he has ever told anybody. Truman's a pussycat (at least at this stage of the game) and in the wrong profession. He becomes ruthless later on (to survive) but that ain't him yet. But Tom told him that because he desperately wanted to believe it was true, and that he wasn't as in over his head as he always felt. Also, I notice when Neville brings up Julia with Doyle he brings size into it. I personally bet Tom Neville's penis is microscopic. He wouldn't constantly be bringing it up it if wasn't. And how unlucky is Doyle? That ahole actually almost managed to take out Tom Neville. In fact, I'm betting he got farther than anyone else ever has. And Monroe chooses to raid the camp at the last moment. Monroe's timing this episode sucked for everybody. And all of the wisdom Miles showed last episode is down the crapper. I wish the characters would be written more consistently, but that is a problem that effects ALL television, not just this show. Still, I was aggravated at most of the characters by the end of this. **1/2.
Austin City Limits:
The thing that kills me about Neville and Jason is how much Tom refuses to listen to and hear what his son is telling him. Once the words "I just need you to hold it together for a little while longer," passed his lips, I knew they would never see each other again. Jason had nothing left to hold together. He was already fargone, but his father refused to accept it. This was easily the most Jason has ever spoken during an episode so it is fitting it is his last one. Mr. Friendly is into S&M! I think the Mrs. Affleck joke was a way for J.J. Abrams to hopefully work with Jennifer Garner again. If the show had made it to a third season she would have been dynamite stunt casting. The stuff with Aaron is wiggy for several reasons and it might not be were it anybody but him. First off, "What smells so good?" is disturbing and I probably imagine true. But I don't like thinking about it. Secondly, I love the way Zak Orth played the scene of the A.I. bringing up their sexual encounter. You could tell he was worried that he had raped Priscilla. When in reality, it was the A.I. who raped him. Not many guys would see it the way Aaron did, which is why as Cynthia noted, his niceness is such a valuable commodity. And the A.I. doesn't even NEED to say what happens if Aaron doesn't play ball. That warm smile says it all. Couple of complaints: the biggest being what the frell is Charlie's problem with Jason at the beginning of the episode? They've only seen each other once since the Tower (when Miles betrayed HIM) and the only reason he "screwed them over" was because his mother was being held hostage. And Charlie knew that. Why is she acting like he is the second coming of Sebastian Monroe? Secondly, I can't help feel that the A.I. should have done a better job masking itself. It's everywhere, right? So that means it should have sensed the Slavers coming during their entire journey and come up with a cover story to get Aaron to move around them. Of course Aaron is gonna be suspicious now. It's hard to take the I.A. as an almighty threat when it is as bad at problem-solving as Rachel is. Great episode though. The end killed me dead. ****1/2.
$#!& Happens:
Love how the episode figured out a way to give Miles the worst day ever. Empty first aid kit, cat poster, no booze, everything that could go wrong, went wrong. And yet by the end the cat is a symbol of hope and a guitar pick is his redemption. And he's turned into Andy Dufruense crawling through the muck. This episode really clarified the A.I. for the viewer. It is sinister. It's motives are entirely malevolent, whether it saved Aaron's life or not. Just the fact that it threatened to kill Priscilla and all of Aaron friends because Aaron was slightly bugging her is disturbing. And what was with that vision of Ben it showed Miles? There is no other way to read that as but malicious. Speaking of which, I pretty much wanted to smack Neville upon him talking about Charlie's candy @$$ and how sweet it must taste. That is not how a grown gentleman addresses a young woman. And I kind of think that the show is pushing it by making Neville as openly awful as he often is. He's supposed to be a smooth-talker. You ever hear Sawyer from Lost talk that way? Of course not. If we are truly supposed to believe he has a honey-tongue, he should be written with even an OUNCE of class. Otherwise this dude's influence is vastly overstated. The scene where he puzzled out Jason was dead just based on Charlie's facial expressions would have been completely devastating if Neville hadn't been acting like such a monster about his son seconds earlier. Giancarlo Esposito and Tracy Spirodakas still played the heck out of it though. I also love Monroe pointing out that Rachel's claims of the moral high ground are bogus. She's a screwdriver wielding psychopath. Interesting that they've had sex. I am going to call it straight up rape on Monroe's end. You cannot have consensual sex with a prisoner. By that definition anything you do to the person is unwanted. Bass is truly troubled if he believes he can shame Rachel about being raped by him as a betrayal of Miles. Sick. Speaking of, "We Built This City" being the earworm the A.I. loves is pretty much perfect for several reasons. First, Aaron hates it. Second, it is, as he noted, the worst song ever written. Third, it is relentless cheery which turns the A.I.'s passive-aggressive to Aaron into outright aggression. Fourth, as I said, it is an earworm. Last song you want stuck in your head, just like the A.I. is the last THING you want stuck in your head. It works on many different levels. And I think Monroe probably DOES know Miles better than Rachel does. That's not a compliment for Miles. She describes Monroe as a drug and I'm thinking all of the things she said Monroe was smothering Miles with were the exact same things Bass was saying she was smothering him with. They are both awful people for the same reason, so they should get along. Plus, I think she's wrong that Bass is a bad influence on Miles. It's the other way around. Miles was the dude who turned Monroe into a monster. Bass does not have that capability with Miles. But Monroe is still stupider than Rachel. You cannot think anyone who goes for the kiss in that moment is anything but a total moron. I loved the episode due to the end, but I didn't enjoy the parts with Neville, or Rachel and Bass. Those were the episode's weak spots. ****1/2.
Tomorrowland:
I liked Miles' plan but the truth is Monroe's wasn't terrible. The situation was pretty drastic. But I agree with Miles that they need to be the good guys. I think pairing the A.I. with Aaron is very interesting because, as Priscilla notes, he agrees with her. He dislikes people and thinks they're scary. Which is probably why the A.I. hasn't killed him. I loved her nightmarish domestic scenario. Super frightening, especially since she loves cheery music like "Happy Together". Also appalling was the mustard gas scene. The Patriots are truly evil. Neville's trap was excellent, but I'm betting if Revolution had gotten a third season we would have seen Julia again. Truman standing up to Davis was great too. Truman was right that it wasn't fair that he get the blame, when he is just following the orders of the guys who always took the control of his town from him. Very persuasive (if dangerous) argument. ***1/2.
Memorial Day:
How big a scumbag is Truman? He takes the necklace off Marian's body. I loved Rachel slapping Priscilla like that. The fact that she does crazy stuff like that is one of the few redeeming qualities of the character. And again "We Built This City" returns. They should have used it in the last episode too. That room of rats gave me the willies. Priscilla is angry. Whuh oh. I love how much fun Miles and Charlie had stealing the train. That DID look like a blast. ****.
Declaration Of Independence:
Could have been worse, could have been better. While I am pleased the series wasn't dumb enough to leave us with the heroes in mortal jeopardy, seeing that particular cliffhanger makes it REALLY feel as if the series is unfinished. Technically, the series ending cliffhanger isn't devastating. But I am still dying to know what would have happened next. I love the idea that Monroe was NOT going to go along with his son because it meant so much that Miles trusted him. I knew that was a huge moment and I'm glad the series had Bass treat it as seriously and significant as it was. And Miles was right to do that which makes it even better. And screw you Charlie, for being dead wrong about believing you were gonna lose the war. Girl is nowhere near as smart as she think she is. My favorite scene was the reveal of Monroe walking into the tent, while M.C. Gainey was all smiles while they killed every Patriot there. Texas does not mess around. I'm a little confused why the AI is telling Davis to leave the Patriots and travel to Idaho. Doesn't Texas have him locked up? I would think there would be a better candidate. Loved Jason's cameo and realizing J.D. Pardo would have returned in season three. Ultimately the series failed but the last episode was truly great. *****.
Deleted Scenes:
Love Story: Some icky scenes involving huge needles and the wife, including a riff on the Pulp Fiction adrenaline scene. Gross. **.
Patriot Games: There was initially a flashback in this episode, to five months earlier, when Rachel was going crazy. ***.
Three Amigos: Gene and Charlie puzzling over an orange. ***1/2.
Mis Dos Padres: Two scenes. First is another scene of Julia and Tom being shockingly obvious and the second is a quiet scene between Charlie and Gene. ***1/2.
Captain Trips: Three scenes. First is Julia acting extra suspicious, the second is Aaron and Priscilla walking through the forest, and the third is Miles and Monroe breaking into a warehouse. ****.
Happy Endings: Scene between Neville and Miles. ****.
Fear And Loathing: I really do not care about Duncan's backstory. **1/2.
Dreamcatcher: Some extra reaction shots from the Dreamscape. ***1/2.
Exposition Boulevard: Monroe really DOES say the creepiest things to his son. ***1/2.
Austin City Limits: While it is kind of cool seeing Jason get the drop on Connor, since the love triangle is barely mentioned, much less made a plot point, this part of the random coincidence just seems pointless. **1/2.
$#!& Happens: Where Jason's death is concerned, less is more. ***1/2.
Tomorrowland: 15 seconds of nothing. *1/2.
Declaration Of Independence: Alternate ending of Rachel getting stabbed. I'm betting the only reason they cut this was because the show was canceled. People would have been furious if they had left in. Heck, I would have been furious even if the series HADN'T been canceled. **1/2.
Revolution: Heading West:
Wow. I am a little bit shocked at how much disdain the writers throw towards the first season. They seem to be overthinking what the quality of a television series needs to be. Not everything needs to be Breaking Bad. And I think one of the worst things to happen to modern television is that modern audiences think that if something ISN'T as good as Breaking Bad, it's not worth watching. That is no way to be a TV fan, and speaking as someone who watched struggling genre shows in the 80's and 90's, that were always canceled after a season or two, I think modern audiences have turned into a bunch of spoiled babies. I would have KILLED to have had a show of Revolution's quality on the air in 1988. Great television was SO rare back then that I am fully able to appreciate GOOD television. Quantum Leap, but all justifiable metrics, was a badly written series, and used to always get nominated for the top prizes in the Emmys. It never won, but if Quantum Leap aired today the idea that it could POSSIBLY ever be nominated for Best Drama would be ludicrous. But I liked Quantum Leap. And I like Revolution. And I do not demand that every single TV show I watch be the greatest thing ever made and blow away everything I've watched before it. That's no way to live. But that is precisely how picky today's audiences are. And I kind of resent them turning up their noses at all of this good television that I would have given my right nut to watch instead of Who's The Boss or Growing Pains. Young viewers have no idea how lucky they are and routinely bash shows that I would have absolutely adored back in the day. And this writer's panel seems to be feeding into that same mindset. Which is stupid. How many other TV shows invented their own method of sword-fighting? I thought so. Season one was fine. The other b.s. thing to note is Rockne S. O'Bannon claiming nanotech was "virgin territory" for television. Him saying that makes me believe he hasn't watched the amount of television he's claimed. Nanotech works on this show because it is the ONLY sci-fi element. But it has been overdone to death on practically all other genre franchises. I usually consider it a shark-jump and when a show has run out of ideas. If you need to go with nanotech to write yourself out of a corner, your scenario was too complicated to begin with. Nanotech is a cliche. As I said, I don't begrudge Revolution, but unlike the brutal swordplay, Revolution got to the party late. I considered nanotech old-hat around 1995. Only Virtual Reality is a more dated sci-fi concept. Also annoying is to learn that the concept of the Patriots wasn't invented until the summer break. I really wish more TV shows had a better game plan in their series' Bible. The stuff that does (like Lost and Haven) is precisely as special as it is for that reason. **1/2.
Impact Revolution: Conversations With The United Nations:
ComicCon at the U.N.! I did NOT know that 1 in 5 people had no regular access to energy. I had no clue the number was that huge. I also loved learning that Titus' offering of tea to Miles earlier in the season was based on an actual experience from someone at the UN. Because it's hilarious. I also loved that woman saying that it's BEEN 15 years. The world really SHOULD have been looking at renewable energy like solar or windmills. The steam engines in season one are a good start, but it is not lost one me that since a woman recently invented a "make-it-yourself" refrigerator that runs without electricity, that should have been seen here too. I would think people in that scenario would have to be a LOT more creative than Revolution gives them credit for being. Everyone on the show just gives up and accepts it. Even living under warlords and militias there would still be scientists finding ways to work around it. That someone like Rachel is now essentially a farmhand bugs me. Aaron too. Scientists existed before electricity did. Interesting featurette. ****.
2013 Comic-Con Panel Q&A With Cast And Creators:
Do you know what I noticed? Billy Burke was a rude passive-aggressive ahole to Eric Kripke. He was constantly rolling his eyes. Do you know what else I noticed? He should have been. Kripke obviously thinks the show is deeper than it is, and having Burke knock the wind out of his sails by saying he didn't understand any of that was quite appropriate. I feel like Kripke was more paying attention to the fannish aspects on the show, without realizing that he was sharing a stage with some people who might not know, or even care about that. He was being too exclusive in the manner he was speaking. Maybe that's okay for a comic book convention, but I like that Burke doesn't think that means he has to put up with it. Burke noted something else interesting: the actors have practically no prep time, and that fact makes their job easier. And I gotta say, that makes sense. Just reacting to stuff on the day has got to bring in truer performances, and frankly if I were an actor in this show, and knew some of the things I'd be expected to do far ahead of time, I'd never want to go through with them. I'd be much more inclined to do some of the crazier stuff if I didn't have to think about it first. Ben Edlund is such a hippie. I also found out something about Giancarlo Esposito I didn't know. He's not scary in real life. That should be obvious, but what is NOT is that the guy isn't just not frightening; he's normal. Normally great actors who AREN'T intense in real life are annoying goofballs (see Lucas Bryant wrecking every press tour he does for Haven). But Esposito's just a normal guy. Which is cool. ****.
Gag Reel:
Not the show you want your cell phone to ring during. That rope bit at the end with Tracy Spiridakos at the end looked frustrating. I've had nightmares that have gone like that. **1/2.
Blu-Ray Menus: Animated. ****1/2.
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Date: 2015-08-26 05:46 am (UTC)Ultimate Spider-Man Web-Warriors "Inhumanity" - They aren't really doing a lot with the Royal Family, I feel like. They're just there. In one limited series, Triton was super old, which I found interesting, and I'm pretty sure Black Bolt's powers in this episode don't work that way. I guess Marvel is pushing them so much so they'll replace mutants.
Marvel's Avengers Assemble "Avengers Underground" - Kind of par for the course for this show, though.
Revolution: The Complete Second Season - Would've gotten better, I'm sure, but it also needed a big budget. I felt claustrophobic this season, and they could've worked Patriots in with nano better, I agree.
Born In The U.S.A.: Ehh, Liz Lemon (briefly) fell for Peter Venkman. And David Schwimmer simply ate the other Friends.
Patriot Games: I feel like there was a longterm goal for Charlie's development and she kind of had to go through the cynical (but not totally right or informed) position as part of it.
One Riot, One Ranger: You're right about Aaron, and I feel like Hurley was ALMOST there in the sense that his bad luck and insanity were pretty dark concepts as far as backstory goes, but he was too comedic most of the time.
Dead Man Walking: One of the biggest things a rewatch of this series would teach me is that Bass really did stop trying to kill Miles at one point. For a lot of it, I felt like if he saw a chance, he would take it.
Austin City Limits: Yeah, too bad the Governer Affleck stuff is totally out the window at this point.
$#!& Happens: Episode weakspots, maybe, but I really dug this one and what Miles went through.
Declaration Of Independence: Between Charlie's riding the train and her conversation about the future with Miles, I dunno, again, it felt to me like her character would take a different turn next season.
Revolution: Heading West: Yeah, it was what? VR in the 80's, nanotech in the 90's and then genetic engineering? What are we on now, tachyon fields or something? I can't keep track of this stuff, but nanos are definitely old by now (even MST3K had a running joke about nanobots in the satellite).
2013 Comic-Con Panel Q&A With Cast And Creators: Once an actor is comfortable enough with their character, I think, the best thing for them to do is just read the script and go with their gut. It's less acting and more feeling. And I always love hearing stories about how a director will surprise an actor by telling an actor one thing and having the other react to it on the spot. As for Esposito, I believe it, I remember that bit of him at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade a year or two ago.
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Date: 2015-08-26 08:44 am (UTC)Born In The U.S.A.: 30 Rock is a comedy. And it shows how dumb Liz is for falling for that.
One Riot, One Ranger: Jorge Garcia simply did comedy too well. Zak Orth knows how to bring the pain in the tragic moments so they allowed him to be serious.
Dead Man Walking: All throughout the second season Bass refuses to even threaten Miles' life, no matter how big a jerk Miles is to him. After what Miles said to Monroe in the first season finale neither has been trying to kill the other.
Austin City Limits: If the series had continued it wouldn't have to be because it's an alternate reality. I doubt the Afflecks even HAD a nanny after the Blackout. Besides in this reality, Ben is dead and has been for awhile. Maybe Garner would like playing with that idea.
$#!& Happens: I loved the episode too. I gave it four and a half stars. I just can't stand Tom Neville.
Revolution: Heading West: Rockne O'Bannon is a sci-fi writer who claims to watch a lot of TV. He created Farscape for Pete's sake. There is no excuse for him not knowing how played out nanotech is.
2013 Comic-Con Panel Q&A With Cast And Creators: What happened at the parade?
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Date: 2015-10-02 03:31 am (UTC)Austin City Limits: That is an acceptable explanation.
2013 Comic-Con Panel Q&A With Cast And Creators: He was in the audience watching it and the hosts said hi to him. He seemed super nice and friendly and not scary at all.
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Date: 2015-10-03 10:01 am (UTC)2013 Comic-Con Panel Q&A With Cast And Creators: That's cool.