TV Show Reviews

Re-Watch Fringe (2008-2013)

Fringe

Fringe (2008-2013)

Network:

Fox

Starring:

Anna Torv

Joshua Jackson

John Noble

Jasika Nicole

Plot:

A television drama centered around a female FBI agent who is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.

Review:

Fringe was one of those shows I came too late, but once I got into it I watched every week. It took a couple of false starts, but by the time I got into the second season I loved it.

It’s been a little while since it was off the air and when I saw that Netflix had the entire series on streaming I decided to go back and experience the episodes back to back.

Binge watching really exposes a shows flaws and how much a story changes. The first few episodes of the show had a real X-Files vibe going on, which turned me off the first time I tried to watch it. If I want X-Files I’ll watch X-Files. Once you get past those episodes, though, it really gets its own feel.

In season four of Fringe there was an episode that came out of the blue. In the previous episode, The Consultant, there were some major plot points with the main bad guy David Robert Jones (basically a terrorist that wants to reboot the world). You’re thinking awesome what’s going to happen next, but the following episode, Letters of Transit, has them in the 2063 and has nothing to do with the story arc. The episode would have worked better as the season finale as a sort of this is what you have to look forward to, but I’m sure there was some sort of network bullshit that caused the episode to be aired at that time. Whatever the reason it’s episodes like that which made the show difficult for viewers to just jump into.

So much happens in the show that things that would cause a continuous ripple effect in any other show are almost forgotten three episodes down the line. Which is fun but like I said, makes it hard for random people to just jump in. Now that it’s on Netflix I hope it gets more attention and people discover the gem that it is.

4.5/5

House M.D. (2004-2012)

House

House M.D. (2004-2012)

Network:

Fox

Starring:

Hugh Laurie

Omar Epps

Robert Sean Leonard

Lisa Edelstein

Plot:

An antisocial maverick doctor who specializes in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way using his crack team of doctors and his wits.

Review:

I watched the first four or five seasons of House way back in the day on Hulu. I then tried to watch it live but for whatever reason couldn’t get into it. Now that all the episodes are on Netflix I decided to give it another shot.

I started at the very beginning so I’d get the full experience of binge watching. Plus I didn’t remember all the character intricacies, though I did remember a surprising number of episodes.

Love the relationship between Wilson and House. The fact that Wilson can mess with his mind is pretty awesome.

I preferred the first four seasons, the fifth season focused on relationships too much. I liked the sexual tension between Cuddy and House better than when they actually did stuff. I also preferred when each episode had a patient in the clinic that helped House figure it out.

When they started teasing with the last few episodes that Wilson was going to die I was pissed off. I could handle House dying but Wilson would have made me hate the show. I know the way they left it you could infer that Wilson does die, but I like to think that he comes to his senses and does the chemo and gets all better. Then he and House spend the rest of their days in Mexico or some South American country being doctors.

4/5

Girl Meets World

girl meets world

Girl Meets World (2014-)

Network:

Disney

Starring:

Rowan Blanchard

Ben Savage

Sabrina Carpenter

Danielle Fishel

Plot:

A decade after “Boy Meets World,” Cory and Topanga Matthews are married and have two children. Their daughter, Riley, faces life lessons through her family, friends, and school, as her parents did when they were younger.

Review:

So I get that this show is not for me, but I was a fan of the original and tuned in.

I haven’t seen 22 Jump Street but I’ve heard that there are an over abundance of nods to the fact that it’s a sequel. This show suffers from the same thing. The entire first episode there were comments about how Riley, Rowan Blanchard, was going to make this her world. Corey, Ben Savage, even made some comment about Riley going out and meeting the world. By the end of the show it was like please don’t…damnit you did it again.

It also had the definite feel of a Disney show. The original, from what I remember, was a sitcom. This one has that feel that all Disney shows seem to have, a bit too over the top. All the characters are a little too over exaggerated.

For the most part I liked the Riley character but the character of Farkle, Corey Fogelmanis, was incredibly obnoxious.

Ultimately I think when it gets past the fact that it’s a “sequel” and finds its own footing it will be better.

2.5/5

Mystery Girls Episode Review

mystery girls

Mystery Girls Episode Review

Network:

ABC Family

Starring:

Jennie Garth

Tori Spelling

Miguel Pinzon

Plot:

The comedy series follows two former detective TV show starlets brought back together by a real-life mystery.

Review:

So I have an unexplainable fascination with Tory Spelling. I’ve watched her reality TV shows, I’ve read her books, I pick up any magazine that has her featured, and I can’t explain why. I never watched Beverly Hills 90210 and I’ve never really liked any movie I’ve seen her in. Still when I read about this I immediately set my calendar up to remind me to record.

First off I knew the premise of the show going in but I must have somehow missed where they explained it in the first episode. The opening scene was so ridiculous and over the top I thought it had to be a flash back to their show. It wasn’t.

Throughout the episode you could piece together that they were once on a TV show together and solved mysteries but what they were doing now wasn’t really explained. They had an office together and I guess they were detective but why were they doing it now?

I thought the first episode was going to be an origin story I guess. Reading more into it the episode that aired first was actually the third episode. I’d really like to know why they did that because if you hadn’t read anything about the show you would have no idea what was going on.

I’ll tune in for another couple of episodes but I don’t see myself sticking around for more than that.

2/5

The Last Ship

The-Last-Ship-logo-wide-560x282

The Last Ship

Network:

TNT

Starring:

Eric Dane

Rhona Mitra

Adam Baldwin

Plot:

The crew of a naval destroyer is forced to confront the reality of a new existence when a pandemic kills off most of the earth’s population.

Pilot Review:

I didn’t know much about this show going in, just that a ship was involved. I saw part of an ad for it while my husband was watching NASCAR and it was enough to pique my interest.

Now having watched the pilot episode I’m looking forward to more. The basics are a US Navy ship on a secret mission that even the Captain didn’t know the full extent of comes out of radio silence after four months to find out the world is being decimated by a disease. Turns out the two scientists on his ship have been working on finding a cure and they think they might have found the missing link.

The first episode mainly deals with the ship finding out that the world is screwed and more than likely their families are dead. It also sets up future conflicts fairly well with an attack made by who they think are Russians. Of course there’s also a spy because there seems to always be with these sorts of things.

There’s already been a romantic relationship teased between two lieutenants, hopefully it doesn’t play a huge part and at least they don’t appear to be married. There’s also some tension between the Captain and his XO. It will be interesting to see how this story develops and just how much will be seen of the world outside the ship.