Sleepy Hollow: Mama (209)

(No words needed)

Why “Mama” is the Best Sleepy Hollow Episode Ever.  Ever!

1.  There’s hardly anything more potent than the relationships between mothers and daughters, especially one as tragic as that of the Mills girls.  Sleepy Hollow delivered all of the emotion and angst in spades.

Perfect casting!

2.  Aunjanue Ellis:  They needed an awesome (and beautiful) actress for the part of Lori Mills, and they got it.  I can’t think of anyone better suited.

3.  The two girls who play young Abbie and young Jennie are absolutely perfect.  I was impressed with them last year, and it’s reinforced with every appearance.  Another coup for the casting department!

3.  Abbie and Jenny tearing at the wall to get at the drawing underneath the plaster.  It began as a curiosity but quickly became more and more frantic, underlying their need to know more about their mother.

A Gotham Quickie

Spirit of the Goat (106)

Hey!  Ben Edlund’s script for Gotham finally aired.  And it was surprisingly… not funny.  Granted, Gotham’s tone doesn’t lend itself to humor, but it does have its moments.  Take last week’s attack on our heroes (Detectives Gordon and Bullock, in case you were wondering who the heroes of this show are) by an elderly professor and his walker, and Bullock’s interrogative “What’s altruism?”  This week’s comedy came in the form of an interchange between Jim Gordon and Bullock’s wheelchair-bound ex-partner, Dix (delightfully played by Dan Heydaya) about Bullock.  And let’s not forget Bruce Wayne’s “I don’t know why he chose an ungulate for his totem?”  Ha!

Look at that. Harvey Bullock has a heart.

Harvey Bullock was given some depth of character which actually made him not only sympathetic, but also pretty savvy.  Ten years ago, Harvey was a go-get-em policeman, which got his partner (said Dix/Dan Heydaya) confined to a wheelchair.  It turns out Harvey is not only paying for Dix’s care, he also supplies him with questionable (meaning “girlie”?) magazines.  And Bullock actually figures out who’s really behind the murders.  You know, detective work.

So where’s Jim Gordon in all this?  Having a snooze-inducing conversion with his fiance, the show-sucking Barbara Kean.  She wants him to “let her in,” to tell her hisss…zzzz.  Then she has another useless conversation with her former roommate/lover, the even-more show-sucking Montoya, to leave Jim alone.  Montoya tells Barbara to .. blah blah blah.

Seriously, is there any reason for this MCU sub-plot?  Isn’t there enough dramatic material with all the city corruption, warring mob-bosses, and nemeses to be?

Procrastinator’s Roundup, Part 3: Meh Monday

So many shows to watch on Monday.  So little to say about them.  Which is why I won’t be covering any of them in any regular manner.

Gotham

I continue to watch Gotham, but in general have little to say about it.   What I enjoy most about the show is what critics seem to dislike, the inclusion of young Bruce Wayne.  But this is what gives the story its heart.

Alfred & Bruce: The best (i.e., my favorite) reason to watch Gotham

We’re told Jim Gordon is a decorated combat veteran, and the son of the city’s one-time District Attorney who was killed before his time, yet these haven’t been addressed since the pilot.  Nor has there been much effort to portray him as a lone policeman fighting corruption.  The only depth of character we’ve seen is his relationship with his fiance Barbara Kean, and that’s not only boring, it’s currently on the outs.  (And will hopefully remain so.)  I’d love the writers to explore the history of Gordon’s father.  Was it really a random car accident that killed him?

Gordon’s partner Harvey Bullock is an enigma.  He may not be on the take, but he’s not a do-gooder like Gordon.  We’ll likely learn more about him as the series progresses, which might add some depth to him.   Supposedly the next episode, “Spirit of the Goat” (106), explores some of Harvey’s history.

Doctor Gotham Hollow SHIELD

A Roundup of Doctor Who, Gotham, Sleepy Hollow, and Agents of SHIELD

(Guess I better get this posted before another week goes by.)

Doctor Who: The Caretaker (106)

Peter Capaldi’s Doctor makes me smile.  Until he gets all pissy and judgemental.  His new found dislike of soldiers doesn’t make sense.  But I enjoyed the episode.  Clara admitted she loved Danny (although what’s been shown of their relationship really hasn’t borne that out).  Danny learned about the TARDIS.  I’m not sure where the show will go from here.  Surprise me, Steven Moffat.  In a good way!

An Eleven look-alike!  When I first saw him in the teacher’s meeting, I thought it was just a tongue-in-cheek nod to the past.  But he turned out to have a slightly larger role to play.  It was cute, even if a little egocentric for the Doctor.

There as a new creature to cause havoc with the world, but I kind of felt sorry for it.  It had to play third string to the Doctor wreaking havoc with Clara’s classes, and the whole Doctor/Danny debacle.  Surely something so destructive should be seen again.  Yes?

Gotham: Selina Kyle (102)

Would you believe anything out of this guy’s mouth?

Catching Up with Monday

I’m sure this is an easy question for any Whovian.  What’s the connection between Gotham and Doctor Who?

Gotham:  Pilot (101)

It’s a grand turnout for the funeral of Thomas and Martha Wayne.

Yes, it’s dark and dreary, with a film noir/graphic novel feel, but it fits.  I’m on board, at least for now.

Not having an in-depth knowledge of the Batman legend, I may be at a disadvantage, but I don’t see it that way.  Yes, I know about the major villains, but not their backgrounds; and I know next to nothing about James Gordon.  So I can watch the story unfold as its told, without the quibbles that happen when shows depart from well-known (and well-loved) stories.

What’s New This Fall?

Last year, the 2013 television season brought us several new scifi-oriented shows.  Only a couple of them survived.  Does this year bode as well (or as poorly) for the genre?  I’m not sure.   I’ve been checking out some of the new show previews on Xfinity.  Here’s what I’ve gleaned so far.  Interestingly, these three remind me of three current shows.

Gotham (Fox)

The Gotham cast: All the main players are here.

The most highly-anticipated show of 2014 is a prequel to the Batman saga.  As with Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I’m behind the power curve, having seen only a handful of the many Batman movies made in the last several years.  Ratjer, my exposure to the Batman world came from the Adam West Batman series of yesteryear; and its campy, cartoonish vibe was much different from the dark, forlorn tone of the movies and (I suspect) the comic books.

CANCELLED!

Well crap.  Intelligence was cancelled in favor of another season of The Mentalist.  That makes yet another show down the drain.  My Current SciFi category is going to be significantly smaller next season.   Let’s look at the count.

Intelligence – CANCELLED!

Almost Human – CANCELLED!

Dracula – CANCELLED!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Renewed!

Freshmen programs:

24: Four O’Clock p.m.’s a Bitch

Want a show where nothing goes right?  Welcome to 24: Live Another Day.

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM was a veritable smorgasbord of how to fuck up a plan.  Any plan!  Let’s count ’em.

FU #1:  Last week, the CIA raid on the terrorist compound turned out to be a trap.  An armed U.S. drone, controlled by the terrorist, demolished the building, but we didn’t know if anyone survived.  The two series regulars, station chief Steve Navarro (played by my beloved Benjamin Bratt) and new agent Eric Ritter survive, but four “red shirts” don’t.  (FYI, Benjamin Bratt looks fabulous with his face all dirty—and bloody.)

Eric and Steve survive!

What to Do? What to Do?

Chloe’s back! With a rad haircut and tons of eyeliner.

Its Monday evening and I don’t have anything to watch!  After a season of Sleepy Hollow, Almost Human, Intelligence, and Warehouse 13, not to mention my silly obsession with Charlie White Dancing with the Stars, my evening is free.

Well, there is 24: Live Another Day, complete with London and Benjamin Bratt.  I suppose it could pass for science fiction as much as Last Resort.  Like Last Resort, 24 takes place the real world (of fiction), with real problems.  But its premise and action are so bizarre, it goes beyond plain fiction.  Perhaps we could say Chloe’s mad computer skills tip the show into the science fiction realm.

Or, I could just watch last night’s Believe.

 

Almost Human Breaks Its Mold… Almost

It’s true!  After complaining about the show’s sameness last week, “Beholder” (112) broke a few of the rules.  It also gave us a few surprises and something serious to think about along the way.

John Kennex gets beat up. This never gets old!

The initial sparring between John Kennex and Dorian is actually funny.  I laughed out loud—several times.  Dorian answers John’s phone, plays oblivious, and tells the caller John is gesturing that he doesn’t want to talk to her.  Dorian coins the term “holo-block.”  When John contemplates “Whatever happened to two people sharing a meal and connecting, you know?” Dorian responds “I do.” “You wouldn’t know!”  (See, this is funny because Dorian doesn’t eat. )  The exchange plays on the great chemistry and timing between Karl Urban and Michael Ealy.  Even Capt. Maldonado gets in on the quips, telling Detective Stahl she keeps John around because “I lost a bet.”

A couple weeks ago, we learned  Valerie Stahl is  a “chrome,” a woman genetically engineered for beauty, intelligence, and any other desirable trait.   Police work is deemed beneath the dignity of chromes and Valerie hasn’t moved in chrome circles in a while.  She says cryptically hers is “a long story.”  I think I’m supposed to care, but I don’t.