Category Archives: TV Reviews & Discussion

Mediawood bloggers review and discuss TV shows.

Bizarre But Fitting End to Fargo

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(Beware: Spoilers Ahead For the Finale)

Fargo wrapped up its ten-episode run on FX last night with with a tense, often gruesome hour and a half time slot. As bizarre as all previous episodes, the finale was also a real nail biter.

A very pregnant Molly wrestled with how involved to get in solving what was essentially her case, seeing that nobody else made the connections and stayed on it the way she did. Gus, watching her wrestle with it and fearing for her life, finally overcame his own fears with regard to Malvo and really stepped up.

The relationship between Greta and her newly anointed grandfather, Lou (Keith Carradine), was a satisfying thread to the family that Gus and Molly weaved throughout the series.  The jeopardy the family faced created the bulk of the tension in the episode.  The question of Lester’s survival provided not so much tension, but real curiosity, and at times, of course, the viewers were very much ready for his survival to be nonexistent.

The end to Malvo was a surprise and rather satisfying. The end to Lester was likely a little disappointing to those hoping for something more vicious.

The final moments, despite constituting a happy end for the Solverson-Grimly family, nonetheless felt a little somber. Fitting, since there wasn’t much joy in what they’d all experienced, just an end to the carnage.

(And no, it has not escaped our noticed that the brilliant law enforcement officer is named Solverson and the somewhat gloomy Gus is named Grimly. The psychotic, bad guy killer Malvo was equally subtle. Well played, Fargo. Well played.)

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By HodgePodge
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24: Live Another Day Episode 9

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I watched the ninth episode of 24: Live Another Day last night.   If you haven’t watched it and intend to do so, please don’t read further!

I have problems with this episode.

The premise that the President of the United States not only negotiated with a terrorist but surrendered himself in atonement for a drone attack which accidentally killed civilians disturbs me.

The president’s additional reason for this sacrifice is even more troubling.  He decides that having been recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s it is an appropriate sacrifice to make.  Really?  What does that say to other Alzheimer’s victims?  And this is a person in the very early stages who would have access to the very best healthcare…gee what a role model.

 

Please Save Us From Heroes

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There is a reason NBC’s Heroes fell out of favor with fans after an initial burst of wild popularity. For a show with immense potential and a great, if unoriginal premise (see our post about The 4400), the show ended up limping to its drawn out, long overdue demise after four seasons. Despite this, NBC has brought on show creator Tim Kring to helm a mini series follow up, called Heroes Reborn.

Planned to air in 2015 some time, the mini series details are still extremely scarce.  It is still unknown how many original series characters will be making a return, but it seems as though it will be light on them, with more focus on different characters, given that NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke said, “but we won’t rule out the possibility of some of the show’s original cast members popping back in.”

Winces among television fans around the Internet are an indication that this mini series really needs to deliver and generate some positive, well-earned buzz if it’s going to get viewers to point their remotes to their local NBC channel.

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By HodgePodge
Also see my Bubblews page here:
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Orphan Black Amazing Weirdness

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This show continues to be utterly weird and completely amazing. Season 2, episode 9 aired last night, June 14th, on BBCA. Last week saw the introduction of transgender clone Tony, and this week saw jaw-dropping developments with Helena.

In a show that naturally and effortlessly demonstrates the power of women, it was a risk to go into the territory of subjugating women for the purposes of essentially making them breeding stock. But the risk paid off as two of the women being abused took cringe-worthy and deliciously satisfying revenge.

The sight of an abuser in stirrups has to be a highlight for many, many women out there, and no further explanation why is really necessary.

Just one more episode in the season remains, and audiences should expect shock, twists and more generally amazing weirdness to feature heavily.

See the complete list of episodes here (but be careful of spoilers):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Orphan_Black_episodes

Check out the show’s official BBCA page here:
http://www.bbcamerica.com/orphan-black/

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By HodgePodge
Also see my Bubblews page here:
http://www.bubblews.com/account/137484-hodgepodge

Entertaining Weirdness of Fargo

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Just one more episode of Fargo remains, and the show continues to be weird, entertaining and unique, despite being a series reboot of an almost iconic movie.

Billy Bob Thornton never disappoints, and his Lorne Malvo character should prove as memorable as any of his other roles, including his Karl Childers role in Sling Blade.

Colin Hanks has been fun, too, but the real surprise is newcomer Allison Tolman, playing Deputy Molly Solverson. Her Molly is expressive, likable and utterly believable.

This show isn’t for everyone, but those who are okay with more risqué network cable  content and are okay with occasional gore might enjoy this series. Oh, the viewer must also enjoy weirdness.

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By HodgePodge
Also see my Bubblews page here:
http://www.bubblews.com/account/137484-hodgepodge

24: Live Another Day 4-5pm

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In the recently aired episode of 24: Live Another Day the Jack and his new accomplice Kate Morgan (formerly of Chuck) sped across the city.  In less than an hour, 4-5pm, they found the lair of the arms dealer they were seeking and got deliberately captured.   Kate got tortured, and just as they were about to succeed in their mission, Britain’s MI5 stormed in and ruined everything.  All this time Chloe was talking in Jack’s ear.

The most exciting part was watching the psychopathic Margot Al-Harazi send her daughter, robotic Simone, on a mission to kill her sister-in-law.  In the given hour Simone finds her victim and joins her for dinner before she kills her (she actually shed a tear).  Simone is ever obedient to Mummy dearest even after the mother showed some tough love by having her daughter’s fingers chopped off and murdering her husband in the last episode.  This is brings dysfunctional family to a whole new level.

The sister-in-law’s daughter, having witnessed her mother’s stabbing, escapes into the streets of London with Simone in pursuit.  The episode ends when Simone gets hit by a bus!

 

Teen Wolf: TV Series Review

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My daughter got my husband and myself interested in watching the Teen Wolf MTV series during it’s first season.  We are now downloading and watching season 3.  The show is obviously written for a teenage audience,  but we thoroughly enjoy it.  There is a great deal of comic relief.   In spite of battling monsters, and combatting all sorts of strange issues, these characters are first and foremost teenagers.  It is extremely funny to watch their priorities.

The acting on this little tv show is outstanding.  One of the actors particularly, Dylan O’Brien will one day be a household name, I’m sure.  He’s starring in an upcoming movie called The Maze Runner.

I was surprised to learn that my daughter stopped watching last season.  I had to laugh because she said it had become unrealistic and the storyline didn’t make sense.  Unrealistic….we’re talking about werewolves and demons and banshees and shape shifters, even a werecoyote.  I guess there’s a limit to how far some people will suspend their disbelief.

If you haven’t watched it I’d start at the beginning with season one.

 

frogkisser review

Originally published on Bubblews

The Wil Wheaton Project: S1-E1

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Making its debut tonight (Tuesday, May 27th) on SyFy network was the Wil Wheaton Project.

It’s something like The Soup, but for geared for science fiction and fantasy. Wil Wheaton is a likable host who clearly enjoys what he’s doing, and that makes it fun for viewers, too. The show pokes a little fun at the highlights for the week, but it also clearly revels in the genre programming covered.

The show featured special guest Chris Hardwick, aka The Nerdist and a few words from Shawn Ashmore, who plays Iceman in the X-Men movie franchise.

Next week, Felicia Day will drop in.

HBO’s The Normal Heart

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Based the acclaimed stage play by Larry Kramer, this HBO movie adaptation has a lot of Hollywood heavy hitters behind it, and they all delivered.

Heart wrenching, often uncomfortable, and frequently maddening, the movie portrays the early days of the AIDS epidemic from the perspective of a fierce gay rights activist. It highlights the sickeningly slow response on the part of government to do something about the deadly and mysterious illness that struck gay men first in the US.

Continue reading HBO’s The Normal Heart