TV Show Reviews

Anne with an E Season 2 (2017-?)

Anne with an E Season 2 (2017-?)

Network:

Netflix

Creator:

Moira Walley-Beckett

Starring:

Amybeth McNulty

Geraldine James

R.H. Thomson

Dalila Bela

Lucas Jade Zumann

Dalmar Abuzeid

Cory Gruter-Andrew

Plot:

The adventures of a young orphan girl living in the late 19th century. Follow Anne as she learns to navigate her new life on Prince Edward Island, in this new take on L.M. Montgomery’s classic novels.

Review:

Season 2 of Anne with an E is better than the first season. I liked the first season, but this adds new characters and some LGBT and racial story lines that I freaking loved.

Anne, Amybeth McNulty, is still at times annoying. At one point I screamed at the TV because of her, but she was also so sweet and accepting.

Cole, Cory Gruter-Andrew, the new boy at school is an artist and sweet and after a night a Diana’s aunt’s house realizes he’s gay. That he’s not alone and that there are others like him. His life is difficult, but his part of the story ends on a positive note.

Gilbert, Lucas Jade Zumann, is working on a ship out in the ocean where he meets Bash, Dalmar Abuzeid. Bash is a free black man from Trinidad. He shows us a whole new side of the time and world. It’s sad and at times unrealistic, as much as I would like it to be. Bash and Gilbert make plans for their future and return to Avonlea. Gilbert goes back to school, Bash tries to survive a Canadian winter. Eventually, Bash falls in love and Gilbert makes him a full partner on the farm.

Diana, Dalila Bela, discovers that her aunt loved another woman. She struggles with this, while Anne and Cole embrace it immediately. Being the sweet, loving girl that she is, she eventually realizes that love is love.

This season was really sweet, with a fair amount of drama. Some struggles with PTSD and medical issues, on top of everything else. I loved it. I really hope that we get a third season, while it’s not sticking strictly to the books, I love what they’re doing and I want more.

5/5

Supernatural Season 13 (2005-?)


Supernatural Season 13 (2005-?)

Network:

CW

Creator:

Eric Kripke

Starring:

Jensen Ackles

Jared Padalecki

Misha Collins

Samantha Smith

Mark Pellegrino

Ruth Connell

Alexander Calvert

Kim Rhodes

Briana Buckmaster

Jim Beaver

Plot:

Two brothers follow their father’s footsteps as “hunters”, fighting evil supernatural beings of many kinds, including monsters, demons, and gods that roam the earth.

Review:

I make myself wait until an entire season of Supernatural is complete and on Netflix before I watch because I can’t take the torture of watching it week by week. I started watching it by binging and watching it any other way just doesn’t work.

Season 12 was a great season, in my opinion one of the best, so I expected there to be a dip with Season 13 and I do feel like there was one. 13 had Sam, Jared Padalecki, seemingly stepping back from all the growth he’d made in the previous season. He was back to being in Dean, Jensen Ackles, shadow, following his lead, and not really doing much. It was a return to previous seasons and I, personally, dislike steps back, especially if they last an entire season.

At the end of Season 12 we saw a lot of death, since it’s Supernatural a lot of that was overridden or alternatre reality versions of the same characters were reintroduced. It’s one of the things that I love about the show, people rarely stay dead. Charlie, Felicia Day, is back and I’m beyond excited about it. I am concerned about bringing back Bobby, Jim Beaver, because I love his character so much but the boys have kind of moved on. Well, I say that but really have they? Nah, you can never move on from Bobby.

Mary, Samantha Smith, continues to make some selfish decisions this season. I understand that her life, or lack thereof, has been rough, but the shit her sons have been through you’d think she’d want to stick around. Instead she seems to be looking for ways to get away from them. She’s a hunter, sure, but she’s always pushing her boys away, it feels like there’s no love there.

Lucifer, Mark Pellegrino, was the main evil this season. They worked with him off and on, which had me shaking me head because you could see the betrayal coming a mile off. He’s evil and needed to be gone a while ago, though, I always enjoy how Pellegrino plays him. The finale had him and Dean fighting in a pretty amusing fight that had them thrashing about in the air before he was ultimately killed by Dean with the aid of Sam.

The big new addition to this season was Jack, Alexander Calvert, for a while you don’t know if he’s going to be bad or good and while he spent most of his time on the good side I can see some issues in his future. I’ve never been a huge fan of adding a younger cast mate to a show as a sort of newbie (I’m looking at you final season of Charmed) but he grew on me. I can see a future there and I really hope that they roll with it and don’t just kill him off for the emotional impact.

Best episode of the season was by far the Scooby Doo episode. Oh my god that was incredible, it has easily joined the list of my favorite Supernatural episodes and I can’t wait to watch it over and over. It was perfect.

Least favorite episode of the season was the finale. It was super predictable and I’m a bit tired of the whole angel possessing one of the brothers thing. It’s happened a lot, though, it has been a while. Feels like a throwback. I also thought the fight between Dean and Lucifer looked silly, their legs flailing in the air. Dean did look hot in the hipster hat though, so that was nice.

Biggest disappointment of the entire season though was that Wayward sisters didn’t get picked up. Jodi, Kim Rhodes, and Donna, Briana Buckmaster, are some of my favorite characters. I had such high hopes for that show. Supernatural with all women, how could you not want that? Huge loss, still sad.

My hope for season 14 is that Sam returns to being his own man and not just Dean 2.0. I hope that Jack doesn’t go bad and that he embraces the flannel and life of being a hunter. I hope that Dean is saved quickly and something else happens. I hope there is more Bobby, though, please don’t have him hook up with Mary. (It’s going to happen, I know it, I’ll deal when it does) I hope there is more Charlie too. Also, every episode is a Scooby Doo episode. Surely, that’s not too much to ask?

4/5

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Seasons 4 & 5


Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Seasons 4 & 5

Network:

ABC

Creator:

Maurissa Tancharoen

Jed Whedon

Joss Whedon

Starring:

Clark Gregg

Ming-Na Wen

Chloe Bennett

Ian De Caestecker

Elizabeth Henstridge

Henry Simmons

Natalia Cordova-Buckley

Jeff Ward

Plot:

The missions of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.

Review:

I dropped Shield three episodes into season 4. Later I heard so many people talking about how amazing it was and how the last two seasons were the best and after watching several other superhero shows I decided to go back and give it another shot.

First off, I have to disagree about Season 4, it was very much more of the same for me. The virtual world they were in was interesting, but went on way too long. I never warmed up to the Ghostrider arc.

Season 4 overall, was alright, but didn’t do much for me. It just kept dragging out the relationship drama more and the big bad never seemed to be beat, but they were fighting it forever. It was draining. Just when you thought there was a resolution, they’d discover some new connection, or their “solution” would have all kinds of bad consequences.

Finally they beat it, take a breath, and then disappear. I was all prepared to drop Shield again, but the Season 4 finale had me deciding to try out at least the first episode of 5, which then had me watching the entire season.

Season 5 was, for me, when things finally got good. I love time travel, I love space, and Fitz, Iain De Caestecker, as a mercenary is something I never knew I needed in my life until now. The first half was fun, though, by the end it had gotten increasingly darker as more revelations about the future were made. They finally get back home and things just get horrible.

It was back to the constantly trying to fight an inevitable conclusion that finally wasn’t resolved until the last episode. It’s one thing to hint at something throughout a season, but having it basically be the focus for entire episodes is just draining. I just wanted it to be over. I wanted Fitz and Simmons, Elizabeth Henstridge, to be together and not fighting to survive the destruction of the world. I wanted Deke, Jeff Ward, to stop being a love sick puppy and go back to being a Dollar Store Starlord. I wanted Daisy, Chloe Bennett, to just be gone. And please, everyone, just get off of Yoyo, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, back. She made a hard decision that needed to be made and most of the team *cough* Daisy *cough* were being absolute hypocritical assholes about it.

The ending had me in tears. Not because Phil, Clark Gregg, was leaving, even though he’s one of the best characters, but because they fucking killed Fitz. But then, they didn’t. There’s a second one floating in space waiting for them to find him, because of course there is, but that’s honestly the only reason I’m going to watch the next season. I’m really hoping for a less world ending season and more of a focus on smaller things. Leave the world to the Avengers, please.

2/5

12 Monkeys Season 4 (2015-2018)


12 Monkeys Season 4 (2015-2018)

Network:

SyFy

Creator:

Travis Fickett

Terry Matalas

Starring:

Aaron Stanford

Amanda Schull

Barbra Sukowa

Emily Hampshire

Todd Stashwick

Plot:

Follows the journey of a time traveler from the post-apocalyptic future who appears in present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will nearly destroy the human race.

Review:

After four seasons of everything going wrong that could I was a bit afraid of this season. What if it didn’t live up to the others? What if the ending sucked? What if they all died and the world ended?

Well, a lot of people died, lots of tears were shed, everything that could do wrong did, and yet I still loved the ending.

SPOILERS

It was a bit sappy, but I freaking love sappy, especially after all the bad that’s happened to everyone. I was kept guessing up until the last minute, made me really doubt whether or not things would be great or just alright. So glad they went with great.

In order to know if they followed everything exactly and didn’t break any of their own rules I’d have to go back and re-watch the whole series and probably make notes. A lot happened, tons of time travel, lots of rules, and I’m not the most critical of those things, so it’s possible they messed up somewhere. I don’t think they did and if they did it wasn’t hugely obvious so I’m willing to cut them so slack.

I love time travel so I’ll always give it a shot, 12 Monkeys is much darker than I usually like, but it’s got just enough light and hope to not be completely depressing. The main and side characters are great, not too good or bad, flawed but ultimately do the right thing. I really loved the series and I’m glad we got the final season we deserved.

5/5

Jane the Virgin Season 4 (2014-?)


Jane the Virgin Season 4 (2014-?)

Network:

CW

Creator:

Jennie Snyder Urman

Starring:

Gina Rodriguez

Andrea Navedo

Yael Grobglas

Justin Baldoni

Ivonne Coll

Jaime Camil

Anthony Mendez

Brett Dier

Plot:

A young, devout Catholic woman discovers that she was accidentally artificially inseminated.

Review:

I sobbed like a little baby in season 3 when Michael, Brett Dier, died. Gina Rodriguez’s gut wrenching scream/sob tore my heart. I took a while to warm up to Michael but once I did I was on board team Michael the entire time and then to have him die, it was horrible. I was so glad they did a time skip afterwards because I honestly don’t know if I could have handled the grief.

Anyway, the end of season 3 had Jane finding her first love and I immediately hated him. He would never be as good as Michael and he wasn’t, but I’d kind of warmed up to him and then he came out as Bi and I was really happy. Didn’t love him for her, but he was a good guy and I hoped he would at least stick around as a friend. We had a fairly good episode where he described what being Bi was and Jane realized she had an issue, but then came to terms with it. Next episode she’s deciding to tell him she loves him and he decides to leave for LA. I wasn’t a fan of the timing, it felt too much like bi-erasure, but I never wanted them to wind up together so I dealt with it.

Then Petra, Yael Grobglas, was revealed as Bi and things were fine. I loved that they never even really talked about it. She fell head over heels for Rosario Dawson, naturally, and apart from some surprise from Jane and Raf nothing was really said about it. It was great, she’s honestly one of the best characters, though, you never quite know if she’s telling the truth or not.

Jane moves on, things progress, tons happen, and naturally she winds back up in the arms of Rafael, Justin Baldoni, it was bound to happen, they’re always falling for each other at the worst times, but for once the stars aligned and things worked out. Not a huge fan of them together, but since Michael wasn’t around I was fine with it. They were happy, they have strengths and weaknesses that work together.

At the end of the season it’s revealed that Xo, Andrea Navedo, has breast cancer. It was rough. Those last few episodes I watched in terror of what they would do with her. The last episode I just kept waiting for something horrible to happen. Watching her and Rogelio, Jaime Camil, work on their marriage and become a strong couple has been wonderful to see. They work so well together and they seem solid which the series really needed.

The last episode was as climactic as I’ve come to expect. I actually screamed at the reveal and I never do that. My husband was laughing at me and I just kept screaming. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know how they’re going to explain it or how the relationships are going to change or even if I want them to. I need answers!!

I don’t have cable and I hate watching CW shows on their app or website, it never seems to work correctly for me, so I end up waiting for it all to be on Netflix. During that wait I end up forgetting how much I love Jane the Virgin but I doubt I will this time. I might actually have to watch live when the new season starts because I have to know. I have to!!

5/5