Scott has to work with someone he'd rather not work with, the fallout from last week continues, Liam gets in major trouble, Derek teams up with Malia to find another pack, Stiles and Lydia work together to unlock the final part of the dead pool, and a scary new alliance seems to be formed....
Wow, Scott had a busy week. First, he busts into Garrett's gym locker and takes the money that is in there, then he has to team with Garrett to rescue Liam, and then he works with Chris Argent to find Kate in order to get Violet and rescue Liam. In the process he managed to get stabbed, run through several walls, and thrown around by a Berserker. Yeah, just a little busy. The promise he made at the end is going to drive the rest of the season methinks. Scott is bound and determined to save as many people as possible and he is not going to be in for an easy ride. With Kate and the Berserkers out there, the Benefactor's assassins looking, and now Peter working with Kate, this is not going to be easy for Scott to deal with.
Speaking of Kate, she is even more vicious than we have previously seen. She and the Berserkers took out at least 10-15 assassins (may have been more, lost count) and the only reason Scott and Chris are alive is that Kate didn't want Chris dead and called off the Berserkers before they could do permanent damage to Scott or Chris. As for her seeming to team up with Peter (never heard her actually accept, but it seems like she will), that is so not going to be a good thing. The two of them are two of the more dangerous enemies Scott has, particularly since Peter has spent a lot of time with Scott and his group and can probably predict what they'll do.
It was nice to see Malia with someone besides Stiles. Derek is losing his werewolf abilities and needed help. For all his faults, he can be a good teacher and that is what Malia needs right now. Well, that and learning how to deal with people socially. That girl has absolutely no filter. It is funny, but if she keeps busting out with lines like the one about sniffing for Scott, things could get tricky. Turns out Derek realized whose pack the recently killed wolves were a part of: Satomi. Remember the Japanese werewolf from the flashback episode last arc? Her. Turns out she turned to Buddhism to maintain control after her molotov cocktail outburst. Unfortunately, her pack appears to have been wiped out.
Stiles and Lydia team up again to work on cracking the rest of the deadpool. Well, that and warning Deputy Parrish that he is on the list. And apparently Parrish is unaware if he is supernatural because he seems to have no clue as to why he is on there. Well, either that or he is hiding it well (which is always possible). Going to Meredith was smart. Unfortunately, she wasn't any help because the Benefactor somehow go to her and scared her into silence. Watching Deputy Parrish threaten the Eichen House guard was quite amusing, as was Stiles' reaction/ And realizing that the last name (Derek) could be the name of someone who would die was a smart move on Stiles' part. Speaking of Derek and Stiles, Derek needs to stop underestimating Stiles. Yes, he is a bit of a hyperactive spaz but aside from Lydia, he is easily the most intelligent of the gang.
Poor Liam got caught by Garrett and stuck down a well. Climbing out was quite impressive, as was his howl. Without that, I don't think Scott would have found him as quickly. If he can keep learning from Scott, he will probably become a formidable force. I suspect that he will be a scrappy fighter too.
Until next week!
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
My Review of Falling Skies 4.06- Door Number Three
We spend the episode exploring how each of the Masons reacts to a development on the Lexi front.
Let's get the first few minutes out of the way. Hal and his group get to the sanctuary where they meet Tom, Weaver, and Matt and they are all reunited with Ben, Anne, and everyone else. Lexi then goes into a cocoon and that is what I want to concentrate on because that was the bulk of the episode.
Most of the Masons reacts in a fairly predictable way to Lexi being in the cocoon. Tom wants to get more information, Hal wants to eliminate a possible threat, Ben sees parallels between his life and Lexi's, Matt sides with Tom, and Anne looks for a way to free Lexi.
Let's start with Hal. Out of all of them, I was the most surprised at his reaction. Well, I was until I thought about it and think I understand some of his reasoning. Hal is not a biological father like Tom is, but he takes his responsibility to keep the people with him safe very seriously and that is where his head is. He is not looking at Lexi as a sister, but as a threat that needs to be eliminated. The other thing is that he is allowing himself to be easily swayed by the fear that people are feeling. To his credit, he does want to talk with Tom first unlike Pope, who naturally wants to shoot first and never bother asking questions at all.
Tom, on the other hand, has conflicting loyalties here. He wants to protect everyone, but he also wants to protect his daughter from harm. So he wants to be shown evidence that Lexi is dangerous before doing anything like killing her. I do think that he would kill Lexi if he had to, but he would torture himself about it afterward. And while I appreciate Weaver's opinion, I disagree that Lexi is an imminent military threat. Do I trust her? Hell to the no, but I do think that her heart is in the right place. She is just being pulled in two different directions by the Espheni and her family.
Ben, although he never said this, is obviously thinking about how he was treated. After all, when he was first returned to the 2nd Mass (and even afterwards), he was a pariah because of the harness. I don't know if he could kill Lexi if necessary, but he might be about the only one to stand a chance. I just worry that she'd be able to control him the way the Espheni do. Then there was the dream he had about him and Maggie. I have to say that when I saw that scene in the first preview, I was a little worried because I thought it might actually happen. The fact that it was a dream makes it a little less worrisome (what with her relationship with Hal), and I so hope the writers don't go for some sort of weird love triangle, because that would be truly wierd.
Anne, ever the mama bear, is looking for a way to save Lexi because she couldn't save Sammy. After that vision with Lexi, Anne is convinced that she just needs to be there for Lexi. That whole thing does worry me, if only because it was a rather sudden turn around in Anne's opinion. That being said, it was understandable given how maternal Anne can be and the fact that she wants so badly to save Lexi.
Matt is going with family and siding with Tom. We don't get a whole lot about his motivations, but I suspect they are pretty basic.
The crowd looking to kill Lexi was reacting out of sheer fear of the unknown. Like I said before, I don't trust Lexi and I do think that she may be dangerous. If the people continue to not trust her, she will definitely become dangerous because they will prove to her that humanity is violent and deadly. We also got to her from Lourdes why she is completely devoted to Lexi. She claims that Lexi helped rid her of fear. Not that I trust Lourdes either, but it was nice to get an explanation.
I also want to say that if anyone has the right to the benefit of the doubt, it is Tom Mason. He was right when he said that he has given so much to the people of the 2nd Mass. He has fought for them, killed for them, been taken to protect them, and so much more. Part of the problem is that Pope is really good at finding people's triggers and using them. Pope has a serious hate on for the Mason clan, which is part of the reason I was disappointed in Hal. Pope hates Tom, can't stand Ben, and thinks both Matt and Hal are spoiled princes. Pope also has the nasty habit (as noted above) of shooting first and then never asking questions. While it may be good to have someone like that around to give contrarian advice, he is not a good leader at all.
Next week looks like an all out battle with the Espheni. Until then!
Let's get the first few minutes out of the way. Hal and his group get to the sanctuary where they meet Tom, Weaver, and Matt and they are all reunited with Ben, Anne, and everyone else. Lexi then goes into a cocoon and that is what I want to concentrate on because that was the bulk of the episode.
Most of the Masons reacts in a fairly predictable way to Lexi being in the cocoon. Tom wants to get more information, Hal wants to eliminate a possible threat, Ben sees parallels between his life and Lexi's, Matt sides with Tom, and Anne looks for a way to free Lexi.
Let's start with Hal. Out of all of them, I was the most surprised at his reaction. Well, I was until I thought about it and think I understand some of his reasoning. Hal is not a biological father like Tom is, but he takes his responsibility to keep the people with him safe very seriously and that is where his head is. He is not looking at Lexi as a sister, but as a threat that needs to be eliminated. The other thing is that he is allowing himself to be easily swayed by the fear that people are feeling. To his credit, he does want to talk with Tom first unlike Pope, who naturally wants to shoot first and never bother asking questions at all.
Tom, on the other hand, has conflicting loyalties here. He wants to protect everyone, but he also wants to protect his daughter from harm. So he wants to be shown evidence that Lexi is dangerous before doing anything like killing her. I do think that he would kill Lexi if he had to, but he would torture himself about it afterward. And while I appreciate Weaver's opinion, I disagree that Lexi is an imminent military threat. Do I trust her? Hell to the no, but I do think that her heart is in the right place. She is just being pulled in two different directions by the Espheni and her family.
Ben, although he never said this, is obviously thinking about how he was treated. After all, when he was first returned to the 2nd Mass (and even afterwards), he was a pariah because of the harness. I don't know if he could kill Lexi if necessary, but he might be about the only one to stand a chance. I just worry that she'd be able to control him the way the Espheni do. Then there was the dream he had about him and Maggie. I have to say that when I saw that scene in the first preview, I was a little worried because I thought it might actually happen. The fact that it was a dream makes it a little less worrisome (what with her relationship with Hal), and I so hope the writers don't go for some sort of weird love triangle, because that would be truly wierd.
Anne, ever the mama bear, is looking for a way to save Lexi because she couldn't save Sammy. After that vision with Lexi, Anne is convinced that she just needs to be there for Lexi. That whole thing does worry me, if only because it was a rather sudden turn around in Anne's opinion. That being said, it was understandable given how maternal Anne can be and the fact that she wants so badly to save Lexi.
Matt is going with family and siding with Tom. We don't get a whole lot about his motivations, but I suspect they are pretty basic.
The crowd looking to kill Lexi was reacting out of sheer fear of the unknown. Like I said before, I don't trust Lexi and I do think that she may be dangerous. If the people continue to not trust her, she will definitely become dangerous because they will prove to her that humanity is violent and deadly. We also got to her from Lourdes why she is completely devoted to Lexi. She claims that Lexi helped rid her of fear. Not that I trust Lourdes either, but it was nice to get an explanation.
I also want to say that if anyone has the right to the benefit of the doubt, it is Tom Mason. He was right when he said that he has given so much to the people of the 2nd Mass. He has fought for them, killed for them, been taken to protect them, and so much more. Part of the problem is that Pope is really good at finding people's triggers and using them. Pope has a serious hate on for the Mason clan, which is part of the reason I was disappointed in Hal. Pope hates Tom, can't stand Ben, and thinks both Matt and Hal are spoiled princes. Pope also has the nasty habit (as noted above) of shooting first and then never asking questions. While it may be good to have someone like that around to give contrarian advice, he is not a good leader at all.
Next week looks like an all out battle with the Espheni. Until then!
Friday, July 25, 2014
Some thoughts about yesterday's Teen Wolf announcements
In case you hadn't heard, Teen Wolf was renewed for a 5th season yesterday. The season will consist of 20 episodes and Dylan Sprayberry (Liam) has been promoted to a series regular. While it is entirely too early to make any sort of speculation about the content of the season, I did want to express a few hopes that I have.
[1] I know Jeff Davis is fond of the 12 episode arc. He said that he likes it because it gives him 4 episodes for buildup, 4 episodes for the climax, and the 4 episodes of resolution. If you look at each arc thus far, you'll see that he follows this formula. I am curious how he'll deal with 20 episodes rather than 24. I hope he'll do two 10 episode arcs (3 build up, 4 climax, and 3 resolution). I could see him doing the first part as a 12 episode arc and then see if MTV gives him an additional 4 episodes for the season. I hope not, because if the additional episodes aren't given, we'll have an 8 episode arc that would probably feel very truncated.
[2] Given that they are currently in the senior year, I am wondering how many more seasons the show can last. I don't see this show surviving a transition to college, although anything is possible. I also don't see the old cast being kicked out for a new class (a la Glee or Saved by the Bell). I know some shows (like Degrassi) have successfully managed a transition, but I don't think many shows can do that and I honestly don't think Teen Wolf can. Don't get me wrong, I would like the idea, but I don't see it happening.
[3] Some other tidbits: Derek will apparently completely lose his powers, Peter's multi arc plan to become an Alpha again appears to be coming to a conclusion, and Lydia continues to learn about her powers. The last two, which have been spanning several arcs each, are part of the reason I love this show. Not many shows can successfully hold a storyline over several years, and Teen Wolf has done so very nicely in both of these cases.
Information obtained from http://tvline.com/2014/07/24/teen-wolf-stiles-malia-spoilers-season-5-comic-con/.
[1] I know Jeff Davis is fond of the 12 episode arc. He said that he likes it because it gives him 4 episodes for buildup, 4 episodes for the climax, and the 4 episodes of resolution. If you look at each arc thus far, you'll see that he follows this formula. I am curious how he'll deal with 20 episodes rather than 24. I hope he'll do two 10 episode arcs (3 build up, 4 climax, and 3 resolution). I could see him doing the first part as a 12 episode arc and then see if MTV gives him an additional 4 episodes for the season. I hope not, because if the additional episodes aren't given, we'll have an 8 episode arc that would probably feel very truncated.
[2] Given that they are currently in the senior year, I am wondering how many more seasons the show can last. I don't see this show surviving a transition to college, although anything is possible. I also don't see the old cast being kicked out for a new class (a la Glee or Saved by the Bell). I know some shows (like Degrassi) have successfully managed a transition, but I don't think many shows can do that and I honestly don't think Teen Wolf can. Don't get me wrong, I would like the idea, but I don't see it happening.
[3] Some other tidbits: Derek will apparently completely lose his powers, Peter's multi arc plan to become an Alpha again appears to be coming to a conclusion, and Lydia continues to learn about her powers. The last two, which have been spanning several arcs each, are part of the reason I love this show. Not many shows can successfully hold a storyline over several years, and Teen Wolf has done so very nicely in both of these cases.
Information obtained from http://tvline.com/2014/07/24/teen-wolf-stiles-malia-spoilers-season-5-comic-con/.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
My Review of Teen Wolf 4.05- I.E.D.
Kira has her first lacrosse game, Scott struggles to help Liam cope with his anger, Stiles and Scott fill the Sheriff in on what is going on, and Lydia calls in some help and manages to discover another part of the list...
So, the password for the second part of the list was "Aiden". That is the second member of Scott's pack who died last arc who is a password. So the question is who the third name is. The only other member of Scott's pack who died was Boyd (not counting Erica because she wasn't really in Scott's pack) and that was in Season 3A. Also, since Kate's name was on the second list, I think we can safely eliminate her as The Benefactor. It is still possible that either Chris or Gerard is The Benefactor though. At this point, it is really up in the air. What was really surprising is that Deputy Parrish is on the kill list. What exactly is he?
Talk about having your hands full. Not only does Scott have to worry about a lacrosse scrimmage as the team captain, he also has to worry about Liam flipping out and a groups of assassins. The good thing is that Liam wants to remain in control and Scott is doing a very good job handling him. Once Scott got off of his little kick as Derek Jr., he does a good job. It is a whole lot for him to handle, but with the help of the gang he can do it. I just hafta ask whether or not he killed Violet. At the very least, she was knocked out cold and I didn't hear a neck snap, so I think it is safe to assume she is alive, but we just don't know yet. Violet was definitely trying to kill him and found out why you don;t go after Scott.
Liam added a new wrinkle to his story this week. We already knew he had anger issues, but we didn't know he has Intermittent Explosive Disorder. Basically, he gets bouts of uncontrollable anger that are triggered by some outside event. Couple this with the aggressiveness of a werewolf and you have a truly bad situation. Stiles was not far off when he called Liam a ticking time bomb. As I said before though, Scott is helping Liam get control and if Liam can continue to control this, he will be fine. The problem comes when people purposefully set him off the way his old classmates did. Fortunately, Scott and Stiles were there to get Liam to calm back down.
I love Liam's friend Mason. His conversation with Liam as the captain of the other team was changing was hilarious. Mason was so plainly checking the guy out and Liam was hovering between amusement and annoyance. He was clearly annoyed that his best friend would find one of his tormentors hot while simultaneously amused at how poorly Mason hid it. Also loved that Mason asked Liam to let him have the guy after Liam finished with him.
Scott, Stiles, and Liam figured out that Garrett is one of the assassins after Scott and Stiles told Liam that the killer was on the lacrosse team and had something to do with the beer delivery. A blade in a lacrosse stick was a cool idea if only because lacrosse is so rough that it is easier to use the blade to incapacitate the target before killing them. And Violet being an assassin clearly clinched this in Scott and Stiles' minds.
Bringing Meredith back was a good idea for Lydia. I was surprised that Lydia didn't try to change the numbers to letters immediately. After all, using numbers as letters is not a new idea, particularly given the fact that Meredith was specific that they formed a telephone number. Good thing Malia had her head screwed on straight and pointed out the obvious to Lydia.
I loved Kira's quick talk with her dad. She so thought she was busted about the whole death list thing, only to find out he knew about the lacrosse team. His face as he attempted to put together what she was talking about was also quite funny. And she did quite a good job at lacrosse, even if she didn't follow Coach Winstock's instructions.
Until next week!
So, the password for the second part of the list was "Aiden". That is the second member of Scott's pack who died last arc who is a password. So the question is who the third name is. The only other member of Scott's pack who died was Boyd (not counting Erica because she wasn't really in Scott's pack) and that was in Season 3A. Also, since Kate's name was on the second list, I think we can safely eliminate her as The Benefactor. It is still possible that either Chris or Gerard is The Benefactor though. At this point, it is really up in the air. What was really surprising is that Deputy Parrish is on the kill list. What exactly is he?
Talk about having your hands full. Not only does Scott have to worry about a lacrosse scrimmage as the team captain, he also has to worry about Liam flipping out and a groups of assassins. The good thing is that Liam wants to remain in control and Scott is doing a very good job handling him. Once Scott got off of his little kick as Derek Jr., he does a good job. It is a whole lot for him to handle, but with the help of the gang he can do it. I just hafta ask whether or not he killed Violet. At the very least, she was knocked out cold and I didn't hear a neck snap, so I think it is safe to assume she is alive, but we just don't know yet. Violet was definitely trying to kill him and found out why you don;t go after Scott.
Liam added a new wrinkle to his story this week. We already knew he had anger issues, but we didn't know he has Intermittent Explosive Disorder. Basically, he gets bouts of uncontrollable anger that are triggered by some outside event. Couple this with the aggressiveness of a werewolf and you have a truly bad situation. Stiles was not far off when he called Liam a ticking time bomb. As I said before though, Scott is helping Liam get control and if Liam can continue to control this, he will be fine. The problem comes when people purposefully set him off the way his old classmates did. Fortunately, Scott and Stiles were there to get Liam to calm back down.
I love Liam's friend Mason. His conversation with Liam as the captain of the other team was changing was hilarious. Mason was so plainly checking the guy out and Liam was hovering between amusement and annoyance. He was clearly annoyed that his best friend would find one of his tormentors hot while simultaneously amused at how poorly Mason hid it. Also loved that Mason asked Liam to let him have the guy after Liam finished with him.
Scott, Stiles, and Liam figured out that Garrett is one of the assassins after Scott and Stiles told Liam that the killer was on the lacrosse team and had something to do with the beer delivery. A blade in a lacrosse stick was a cool idea if only because lacrosse is so rough that it is easier to use the blade to incapacitate the target before killing them. And Violet being an assassin clearly clinched this in Scott and Stiles' minds.
Bringing Meredith back was a good idea for Lydia. I was surprised that Lydia didn't try to change the numbers to letters immediately. After all, using numbers as letters is not a new idea, particularly given the fact that Meredith was specific that they formed a telephone number. Good thing Malia had her head screwed on straight and pointed out the obvious to Lydia.
I loved Kira's quick talk with her dad. She so thought she was busted about the whole death list thing, only to find out he knew about the lacrosse team. His face as he attempted to put together what she was talking about was also quite funny. And she did quite a good job at lacrosse, even if she didn't follow Coach Winstock's instructions.
Until next week!
Monday, July 21, 2014
My Review of Falling Skies 4.05- Mind Wars
Tom encounters 2 new people, Anne and Lexie have a major disagreement, the Espheni link to Ben has unexpected consequences, and Hal takes part in an unorthodox plan....
Before I start the review, I wanted to make sure you saw that Falling Skies was renewed for a fifth and final season. Really glad to know that it will be coming back and even more glad that they announced that it would be the final season. Not that I want the show to end, but I do hate it when a show is not told it is going to end and consequently ends on a cliffhanger, so at least we know that the show is ending so that things can be wrapped up. Now onto tonight's episode.
Anne and Lexie had an interesting battle of wills. Anne is still holding the Espheni hostage and Lexie is none to pleased about it because she considers this Espheni to be her father, which he is in a way. If he is the one who put his DNA into Anne when she was pregnant with Lexie, he could be considered her father. The fact that Lexie was willing to attack Anne the way she did is scary. And releasing the Espheni was not smart, although it was understandable given how Lexie views this Espheni. I wonder if the Espheni was causing Lexie's illness or if it was something else.
What happened to Ben leads me to conclude that the Espheni probably had something to do with Lexie's illness. The link to the Espheni, for some reason, took a serious toll on Ben. He didn't seem to have any issues last week and hasn't had any in the past, so the only reason why he would seem to be having problems now would seem to be because the Espheni is doing something in the link. Well, that and the fact that when Anne was beating the Espheni, Ben was being damaged too. Whatever it is, it cannot be a good thing, particularly because Ben was not in the immediate area when the Espheni was being beaten. We've seen pain be shared across the link before, but for there to be physical effects and bruising is something new.
I liked the Volm's unorthodox way of finding a safe path to Lexie's compound. Knocking the Mech (is that the proper name?) down and removing that part was smart. And the fact that the Volm totally missed Hal's sarcasm was amusing. I am assuming that the plan went as planned, either that or Pope's ramming the Mech with the truck was a good plan B.
Then there was Tom, Weaver, and Matt. So glad that Tom and Weaver are suspicious, because that saved both Weaver and Matt. When a complete stranger is somewhat evasive and greets you sort of like a brother, it is not a good thing if you are Tom Mason. The Espheni are *REALLY* desperate to get him given how big of a search they are conducting and the fact that they are using humans to find him. I am glad that he realized what the one brother had done and convinced the other one of the truth. Allowing your own nephews to die is completely despicable. The fact that he traded their lives for his is even more despicable.
I am also glad that Matt could not take that shot. He has had to grow up so quickly, that it is nice to see that he is not totally hardened yet. He, understandably, wants revenge for what happened to his dad and family, but he is not at the point where he is cold. Taking a human life should never be easy, so it is nice to see that he isn't there and that Weaver was able to help him realize what he could not do. Weaver is so good with Matt and always has been.
Until next week!
Before I start the review, I wanted to make sure you saw that Falling Skies was renewed for a fifth and final season. Really glad to know that it will be coming back and even more glad that they announced that it would be the final season. Not that I want the show to end, but I do hate it when a show is not told it is going to end and consequently ends on a cliffhanger, so at least we know that the show is ending so that things can be wrapped up. Now onto tonight's episode.
Anne and Lexie had an interesting battle of wills. Anne is still holding the Espheni hostage and Lexie is none to pleased about it because she considers this Espheni to be her father, which he is in a way. If he is the one who put his DNA into Anne when she was pregnant with Lexie, he could be considered her father. The fact that Lexie was willing to attack Anne the way she did is scary. And releasing the Espheni was not smart, although it was understandable given how Lexie views this Espheni. I wonder if the Espheni was causing Lexie's illness or if it was something else.
What happened to Ben leads me to conclude that the Espheni probably had something to do with Lexie's illness. The link to the Espheni, for some reason, took a serious toll on Ben. He didn't seem to have any issues last week and hasn't had any in the past, so the only reason why he would seem to be having problems now would seem to be because the Espheni is doing something in the link. Well, that and the fact that when Anne was beating the Espheni, Ben was being damaged too. Whatever it is, it cannot be a good thing, particularly because Ben was not in the immediate area when the Espheni was being beaten. We've seen pain be shared across the link before, but for there to be physical effects and bruising is something new.
I liked the Volm's unorthodox way of finding a safe path to Lexie's compound. Knocking the Mech (is that the proper name?) down and removing that part was smart. And the fact that the Volm totally missed Hal's sarcasm was amusing. I am assuming that the plan went as planned, either that or Pope's ramming the Mech with the truck was a good plan B.
Then there was Tom, Weaver, and Matt. So glad that Tom and Weaver are suspicious, because that saved both Weaver and Matt. When a complete stranger is somewhat evasive and greets you sort of like a brother, it is not a good thing if you are Tom Mason. The Espheni are *REALLY* desperate to get him given how big of a search they are conducting and the fact that they are using humans to find him. I am glad that he realized what the one brother had done and convinced the other one of the truth. Allowing your own nephews to die is completely despicable. The fact that he traded their lives for his is even more despicable.
I am also glad that Matt could not take that shot. He has had to grow up so quickly, that it is nice to see that he is not totally hardened yet. He, understandably, wants revenge for what happened to his dad and family, but he is not at the point where he is cold. Taking a human life should never be easy, so it is nice to see that he isn't there and that Weaver was able to help him realize what he could not do. Weaver is so good with Matt and always has been.
Until next week!
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
My Review of Under the Dome 2.03- Force Majeure
This week's episode was slightly better that last weeks, but unless it gets a whole lot better in a week or two, I'm outta Chester's Mill. They are relying on what should be a season 1 crutch of crisis of the week and repeating the science v. faith storyline without it going anywhere. I was really excited to see where that storyline would take us, but right now it is going in circles. There's a crisis. Believers claim it is the Dome communicating, Rebecca insists it's science (now she's back and it's giving me whiplash!). Julia and Barbie fight because she is insistent that the Dome is behind everything and he is a skeptic. This is the third week in a row with that type of story. I get doing this in the first season of a show when we're learning about the characters and world, but by the time you reach season 2, we've gotten to know the characters and the world, so they need to be explored a bit more.
Junior did have a half interesting storyline. Joe discovered that there was something going on that allowed an internet connection to the outside world and Junior saw a video from his mom that pointed him towards the latest religious fanatic who dated her in the past. Junior's exploration of his mom's past could be interesting if it became a major storyline and not relegated to the background behind the crisis of the week. And why did Joe go from wanting to kill the new girl (name Melanie Cross) to practically flirting with her in front of Norrie?
As I said above, this show has until the episode on the 28th to prove to me that it deserves to be watched. At that point I will make a decision. This will be my last review of the show unless I continue watching it because I don't want to spend time barely writing anything. So, on the 29th or so, I'll let y'all know what is happening.
Junior did have a half interesting storyline. Joe discovered that there was something going on that allowed an internet connection to the outside world and Junior saw a video from his mom that pointed him towards the latest religious fanatic who dated her in the past. Junior's exploration of his mom's past could be interesting if it became a major storyline and not relegated to the background behind the crisis of the week. And why did Joe go from wanting to kill the new girl (name Melanie Cross) to practically flirting with her in front of Norrie?
As I said above, this show has until the episode on the 28th to prove to me that it deserves to be watched. At that point I will make a decision. This will be my last review of the show unless I continue watching it because I don't want to spend time barely writing anything. So, on the 29th or so, I'll let y'all know what is happening.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
My Review of Teen Wolf 4.04- The Benefactor
Scott and the gang have their hands full dealing with Liam, Derek and the Sheriff investigate the Mute, Peter meets the Mute in a very unpleasant way, Lydia figures out what the stuff she was writing says, we meet two of the Benefactor's minions, and an old face returns....
I do have to feel sorry for Liam. Turns out he was pulled out if his last school after he took a crowbar to a teacher's car and more or less destroyed it. I assume he joined the lacrosse team (in part) to help him get out some of that aggression. Only thing is he ends up getting bit, kidnapped, and taped up by Scott. I must admit that watching Scott and Stiles try and figure out what to do with Liam in the beginning was utterly hilarious. Scott's spur of the moment plan really did suck and I cannot believe that they fell for his "crying". Really guys? I thought you were smarter than that!
Then when Kira was tasked with getting Liam to Lydia's lake house as a safe place to change, she had the most hilarious entrance. His face when she came down the stairs was totally classic and when she tripped and fell, I practically busted a gut laughing. Then when it turned out that he had invited all of his friends to the "party", it was just too damn funny. Good thing Lydia can throw a good party. Watching her be a responsible adult type and policing the party was one of the greatest things.
Fortunately for Liam, Scott is persistent. Scott's main problem is that he was trying to be like Derek, which is never a great plan. Scott is Scott and he really needed to be that for Liam. I kept wondering why it never occurred to Scott to Alpha out and help Liam that way. Then it occurred to me. Scott is trying very hard to maintain control because he bit Liam even after the hunters warned him about what would happen if he bit an innocent. Also, he was probably also remembering all the problems he had because Peter bit him. Scott, you ain't Peter, so don't worry about that. Just keep being yourself like you were at the end and things will work out just fine.
Turns out that Liam is totally freaking out about his parents seeing him as a monster. Scott just needs to keep reassuring him that werewolves are not inherently monsters. Did Scott make a mistake when he bit Liam? Sure, but it did allow Scott to save Liam's life. Unfortunately, I don't think the hunters will see it that way. They will see an Alpha who bit and turned an innocent.
Watching Stiles take care of Malia when she was turning just goes to show how far Stiles has come and how good he and Malia are for each other. Stiles is endlessly patient with her and tells her about his struggle with the nogitsune and his feelings of power that he got from what the nogitsune was doing. Malia is helping Stiles to become the man he is fully capable of being. I have to admit that I loved his response when Liam asked what he was, that was classic Stiles. Seeing Stiles taking care of Malia shows why we love Stiles. He is totally sweet and utterly loyal. Could Malia have hurt him badly? Sure, but by expressing confidence that she wouldn't be, he helped her to get the control she so desperately needed.
Turns out Garrett and Violet (Garrett's girlfriend) are working for the Benefactor who also hired the Mute. And that gibberish that the Mute was looking at and Lydia wrote down? It was a hit list for supernatural creatures in Beacon Hills. I think I saw the name of every member of Scott's pack (except Stiles, did someone else see him?) on the list as well as several other names I did not know. What has me worried is that the password to decode the gibberish was "Allison" which leads me to suspect that one of three people is the Benefactor: Gerard, Kate, or Chris. I am seriously worried that if it is Chris because he has the potential to easily do the most damage to Scott's pack since he is a trusted figure. But after what happened to Allison, let's just say that he would not be the first member of his family to become unhinged after the death of a loved one.
It was nice to see Chris return. He is the one adult (besides Deaton) that Scott can rely on about supernatural events. Melissa and the Sheriff are good for dealing with the messes, but Chris and Deaton help Scott learn how to prevent them and are much more experienced in dealing with them. Like I said above, that is why I am seriously worried about the possibility of Chris being the Benefactor. I really hope that they don't go there.
I was astonished that Peter took that axe to his chest and kept on going. Talk about resilience! And when he caught the Mute, that was more than a little vicious. I am glad the Sheriff didn't shoot Peter, because chances of killing Peter with one shot was exceedingly slim and a pissed off Peter is not what the Sheriff needed at that point. I must admit that when the Sheriff said that he was bringing in an expert, I half expected to see Lydia show up.
When Lydia was in that room and there was no noise coming out of her or Mason's mouths, I thought my stereo system had malfunctioned. It took me a little while to figure out that it was purposeful (my system has a weird habit of conking out randomly). Then when those faces were bulging out of the walls, it was just weird. I am not sure how either of those gave her Allison's name as a password, but they did somehow.
Until next week!
I do have to feel sorry for Liam. Turns out he was pulled out if his last school after he took a crowbar to a teacher's car and more or less destroyed it. I assume he joined the lacrosse team (in part) to help him get out some of that aggression. Only thing is he ends up getting bit, kidnapped, and taped up by Scott. I must admit that watching Scott and Stiles try and figure out what to do with Liam in the beginning was utterly hilarious. Scott's spur of the moment plan really did suck and I cannot believe that they fell for his "crying". Really guys? I thought you were smarter than that!
Then when Kira was tasked with getting Liam to Lydia's lake house as a safe place to change, she had the most hilarious entrance. His face when she came down the stairs was totally classic and when she tripped and fell, I practically busted a gut laughing. Then when it turned out that he had invited all of his friends to the "party", it was just too damn funny. Good thing Lydia can throw a good party. Watching her be a responsible adult type and policing the party was one of the greatest things.
Fortunately for Liam, Scott is persistent. Scott's main problem is that he was trying to be like Derek, which is never a great plan. Scott is Scott and he really needed to be that for Liam. I kept wondering why it never occurred to Scott to Alpha out and help Liam that way. Then it occurred to me. Scott is trying very hard to maintain control because he bit Liam even after the hunters warned him about what would happen if he bit an innocent. Also, he was probably also remembering all the problems he had because Peter bit him. Scott, you ain't Peter, so don't worry about that. Just keep being yourself like you were at the end and things will work out just fine.
Turns out that Liam is totally freaking out about his parents seeing him as a monster. Scott just needs to keep reassuring him that werewolves are not inherently monsters. Did Scott make a mistake when he bit Liam? Sure, but it did allow Scott to save Liam's life. Unfortunately, I don't think the hunters will see it that way. They will see an Alpha who bit and turned an innocent.
Watching Stiles take care of Malia when she was turning just goes to show how far Stiles has come and how good he and Malia are for each other. Stiles is endlessly patient with her and tells her about his struggle with the nogitsune and his feelings of power that he got from what the nogitsune was doing. Malia is helping Stiles to become the man he is fully capable of being. I have to admit that I loved his response when Liam asked what he was, that was classic Stiles. Seeing Stiles taking care of Malia shows why we love Stiles. He is totally sweet and utterly loyal. Could Malia have hurt him badly? Sure, but by expressing confidence that she wouldn't be, he helped her to get the control she so desperately needed.
Turns out Garrett and Violet (Garrett's girlfriend) are working for the Benefactor who also hired the Mute. And that gibberish that the Mute was looking at and Lydia wrote down? It was a hit list for supernatural creatures in Beacon Hills. I think I saw the name of every member of Scott's pack (except Stiles, did someone else see him?) on the list as well as several other names I did not know. What has me worried is that the password to decode the gibberish was "Allison" which leads me to suspect that one of three people is the Benefactor: Gerard, Kate, or Chris. I am seriously worried that if it is Chris because he has the potential to easily do the most damage to Scott's pack since he is a trusted figure. But after what happened to Allison, let's just say that he would not be the first member of his family to become unhinged after the death of a loved one.
It was nice to see Chris return. He is the one adult (besides Deaton) that Scott can rely on about supernatural events. Melissa and the Sheriff are good for dealing with the messes, but Chris and Deaton help Scott learn how to prevent them and are much more experienced in dealing with them. Like I said above, that is why I am seriously worried about the possibility of Chris being the Benefactor. I really hope that they don't go there.
I was astonished that Peter took that axe to his chest and kept on going. Talk about resilience! And when he caught the Mute, that was more than a little vicious. I am glad the Sheriff didn't shoot Peter, because chances of killing Peter with one shot was exceedingly slim and a pissed off Peter is not what the Sheriff needed at that point. I must admit that when the Sheriff said that he was bringing in an expert, I half expected to see Lydia show up.
When Lydia was in that room and there was no noise coming out of her or Mason's mouths, I thought my stereo system had malfunctioned. It took me a little while to figure out that it was purposeful (my system has a weird habit of conking out randomly). Then when those faces were bulging out of the walls, it was just weird. I am not sure how either of those gave her Allison's name as a password, but they did somehow.
Until next week!
Monday, July 14, 2014
My Review of Falling Skies 4.04- Evolve or Die
Tom searches for Matt, Weaver finds Jeanne, Pope finds something surprising, Anne finds out something disturbing, and Hal has to make a decision.....
Pope found something that is totally unneeded: a female version of himself. Now that there are 2 of him, this is going to be very interesting. Like Pope, Sarah thinks the invasion is the best thing that has happened to her and she is as devious as he can be. Then, when Hal was chewing out Pope (and rightfully so!) for leaving,, she jumps to Poe's defense. Wisely, Hal decided to back off a bit. Two major troublemakers in the same place is going to make life very interesting for everyone.
Anne had a major decision to make. When she found out the wackiness going on in Lexi's camp and that Lexi was meeting with the Espheni, she wisely decided it wasn't a good thing. She also, wisely, listened to Ben and decided to give Lexi a chance. Anne is right, the Espheni absolutely can not be trusted. Even if we hadn't seen the final scene (which, by the way, was totally cool), a betrayal was virtually certain. The Espheni ought to know by now that trying to keep control of Ben is not easy. I know that they can seize him if they want, but he is very strong willed and managed to read the Espheni's mind while linked to him. Ben is a smart guy and not easily deceived. Unfortunately, Lexi appears to be swallowing the Espheni's lies hook, line, and sinker, so I am seeing a confrontation at some point unless Anne or Ben can somehow get through to her. And given the power that she has displayed, I don't see Lexi going down easily.
Poor Weaver. he finds his daughter only to discover that she has been transformed by the Espheni. In the good news department, she is not under their control. I am not sure if that was because she might have been one of the first to be transformed or if it is because of who she is. I'm not sure why she attacked Cochise (unless that is some sort of Espheni programming or something), but saving Weaver was pretty cool. Gonna miss her, but I am glad Weaver has surrogate son in the form of Matt.
So glad that Tom found Matt and got him out of there. His impulse to save all the kids was a good one, but unfortunately he did not know about the brainwashing the Espheni have been using. And I am glad that girl helped get Matt and Tom out of there after the trouble she got Matt in last week because she stole the fence cutters. Unfortunately for Matt, I suspect that the next time we see her, she will be firmly under the Espheni's grip. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be wrong, but I don't see her successfully resisting without Matt there to provide support.
After some soul searching, Hal made a crucial decision. Even though Tom told him to stay put, he could not have known that the Espheni would be coming to the encampment that quickly. Hal was paralyzed because the last time he made a decision like this, someone died. I totally get why that would be paralyzing for him, he did need to focus on the here and now. Leaving that note for his dad was a smart move. Unfortunately, I suspect that by going to Lexi's camp, Hal is just going to find trouble. They obviously won't be allowed inside the camp without disarming, and if the Espheni find out that they are there, the Espheni may use their presence as a pretext for an attack.
As I said earlier, the Espheni mode of communication was totally cool. I'm not sure how compressing dirt makes a communicator, but the visual was striking. And I was right, the Espheni are planning on a multipronged attack. They want to use Lexi as a weapon and they want to hunt down Tom (I assume he is the Mason they were talking about) and kill him.
Until next week!
Pope found something that is totally unneeded: a female version of himself. Now that there are 2 of him, this is going to be very interesting. Like Pope, Sarah thinks the invasion is the best thing that has happened to her and she is as devious as he can be. Then, when Hal was chewing out Pope (and rightfully so!) for leaving,, she jumps to Poe's defense. Wisely, Hal decided to back off a bit. Two major troublemakers in the same place is going to make life very interesting for everyone.
Anne had a major decision to make. When she found out the wackiness going on in Lexi's camp and that Lexi was meeting with the Espheni, she wisely decided it wasn't a good thing. She also, wisely, listened to Ben and decided to give Lexi a chance. Anne is right, the Espheni absolutely can not be trusted. Even if we hadn't seen the final scene (which, by the way, was totally cool), a betrayal was virtually certain. The Espheni ought to know by now that trying to keep control of Ben is not easy. I know that they can seize him if they want, but he is very strong willed and managed to read the Espheni's mind while linked to him. Ben is a smart guy and not easily deceived. Unfortunately, Lexi appears to be swallowing the Espheni's lies hook, line, and sinker, so I am seeing a confrontation at some point unless Anne or Ben can somehow get through to her. And given the power that she has displayed, I don't see Lexi going down easily.
Poor Weaver. he finds his daughter only to discover that she has been transformed by the Espheni. In the good news department, she is not under their control. I am not sure if that was because she might have been one of the first to be transformed or if it is because of who she is. I'm not sure why she attacked Cochise (unless that is some sort of Espheni programming or something), but saving Weaver was pretty cool. Gonna miss her, but I am glad Weaver has surrogate son in the form of Matt.
So glad that Tom found Matt and got him out of there. His impulse to save all the kids was a good one, but unfortunately he did not know about the brainwashing the Espheni have been using. And I am glad that girl helped get Matt and Tom out of there after the trouble she got Matt in last week because she stole the fence cutters. Unfortunately for Matt, I suspect that the next time we see her, she will be firmly under the Espheni's grip. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be wrong, but I don't see her successfully resisting without Matt there to provide support.
After some soul searching, Hal made a crucial decision. Even though Tom told him to stay put, he could not have known that the Espheni would be coming to the encampment that quickly. Hal was paralyzed because the last time he made a decision like this, someone died. I totally get why that would be paralyzing for him, he did need to focus on the here and now. Leaving that note for his dad was a smart move. Unfortunately, I suspect that by going to Lexi's camp, Hal is just going to find trouble. They obviously won't be allowed inside the camp without disarming, and if the Espheni find out that they are there, the Espheni may use their presence as a pretext for an attack.
As I said earlier, the Espheni mode of communication was totally cool. I'm not sure how compressing dirt makes a communicator, but the visual was striking. And I was right, the Espheni are planning on a multipronged attack. They want to use Lexi as a weapon and they want to hunt down Tom (I assume he is the Mason they were talking about) and kill him.
Until next week!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
My Review of Under the Dome 2.02- Infestation
There's fall out from Angies murder and we get a scare of the week....
Honestly, I was pretty bored with this week's episode. Aside from the question of who murdered Angie and some of the attending issues, most of the episode seemed like filler. The whole storyline about the bugs and low food supply seems like a story right out of the first season. Granted, it sorta ended up feeding into the whole Big Jim storyline, but it was still sorta meh.
The question of who murdered Angie seems like it might be a big arc. There were 3 suspects named: Big Jim, Junior, and the lake girl. Both Big Jim and the lake girl seem to have been ruled out for now, but Junior has Angie's bracelet and he blacked out. I doubt he did it, but it seems pretty obvious that we are supposed to think he killed her.
The real saving grace for this episode is the continuation of the believers vs. skeptics storyline. Big Jim has come to believe that the Dome has a plan for him. This idea of his is being fed by the town cheering him on and Rebecca saying that he is the real leader. I was a little confused by her rather sudden turnaround from last week's episode. She seemed to be the solid skeptic, but now she is following Big Jim and his quasi-religious beliefs? Huh?
This is really about all I have for the episode. I really hope it gets better and fast or else I may end up dropping it.
Honestly, I was pretty bored with this week's episode. Aside from the question of who murdered Angie and some of the attending issues, most of the episode seemed like filler. The whole storyline about the bugs and low food supply seems like a story right out of the first season. Granted, it sorta ended up feeding into the whole Big Jim storyline, but it was still sorta meh.
The question of who murdered Angie seems like it might be a big arc. There were 3 suspects named: Big Jim, Junior, and the lake girl. Both Big Jim and the lake girl seem to have been ruled out for now, but Junior has Angie's bracelet and he blacked out. I doubt he did it, but it seems pretty obvious that we are supposed to think he killed her.
The real saving grace for this episode is the continuation of the believers vs. skeptics storyline. Big Jim has come to believe that the Dome has a plan for him. This idea of his is being fed by the town cheering him on and Rebecca saying that he is the real leader. I was a little confused by her rather sudden turnaround from last week's episode. She seemed to be the solid skeptic, but now she is following Big Jim and his quasi-religious beliefs? Huh?
This is really about all I have for the episode. I really hope it gets better and fast or else I may end up dropping it.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
My Review of Teen Wolf 4.03- Muted
After a gruesome beginning, there is a surprising twist at the end that I half expected, but not in the way I expected. There are lacrosse tryouts and Scott feels threatened, Kira's parents decide to move, there's something interesting about Derek, and Lydia's powers kick in and she discovers that she has a reputation at the sheriff's office....
The beginning scene was one I'd seen before because its been available online for some time now. A family, except for the youngest son (a teenager) is killed, but the son escapes. I almost laughed when Sheriff Stilinski was relieved that it appeared to be a "normal" murder and nothing supernatural. Only in Beacon Hills could a whole family being axed to death be something of a relief. Only problem? The family was not what it appeared. While they never actually said it, I feel safe when I say that I think the whole family were wendigos and that Sean (the son) transformed because of the stress and everything that was going on. Why else would they have a basement full of dead bodies?
What is up with Derek's eyes? I didn't notice the color initially (and they didn't really register with me last week), but when I looked back at it, I realized that they were gold/yellow. Does that mean that it is as if Paige never died? If so, is it possible that Derek could become the shows second True Alpha? That would be pretty weird and not good because Derek is not a good leader.
Poor Lydia has a reputation at the sheriff's department (at least) as someone who shows up at crime scenes. Good thing she was there with Parrish, because otherwise she couldn't have warned Scott in time to save his mother and Liam. And how exactly was she channeling that mute killer? At least, I think she was. The writing in the "notes" she let Malia borrow appear to have been the same as the writing the killer was looking at when he had that tube in his neck.
Speaking of Malia, she is having some serious trouble with school. She really needs someone to catch her up ASAP. I would assume that the school has testing of some sort, shouldn't it have noted that she really didn't know what someone her age should have known? Also, if anyone can help me with the timeline it'd be appreciated. Since Seasons 1 and 2 were sophomore year and I thought Season 3 was junior year, aren't they seniors now? Just trying to keep this straight.
Anyway, back to Malia, watching Stiles try and help her study was entirely too cute. He was trying so hard to help her study first and then get on with the making out, but she didn't want that (at first). And man, is she forceful with what she wants! I do think she and Stiles are really good for each other. They just need to get Lydia to help her learn math better. When Malia growled at Stiles right before going up to the board, I just had to laugh at the expression on his face.
Liam is cocky and he has earned that right. He is a damn good lacrosse player who Scott could only beat when Scott was allowing himself to use his wolf enhancements. Sorry Scott, but I don't see it as cheating. As long as he is careful with the strength, he is just using what are (now) his natural abilities to play the game better. Watching Scott and Stiles team up on defense to take the guys out one by one was just too much fun. Scott just needs to be a bit more careful when he gets upset. I know he didn't intend to use his strength on Liam, but apparently he did. To his credit, he immediately went to help Liam.
And Scott's pack is about to increase by one Beta now that Liam has been bitten. Yes, I know he could die, but I doubt it. Adding wolf senses to Liam's already impressive athletic skills is going to make Beacon Hills a hard team to stop. I also don't see Liam being particularly amenable to being Scott's Beta. Scott is probably going to have to throw his Alpha weight around before Liam comes into line (if he does at all).
So what is up with the mute killer? Does he hunt wendigos? Or did he kill that family for another reason? I doubt he is a hunter, otherwise he would have attacked Scott. Whatever he is, I expect more trouble from him before the season is over.
Scott and Kira are really cute together. I am liking this relationship as much (or maybe a little more) than I did Scott and Allison's. Because they were each other's first loves, Scott and Allison's relationship was very intense and dramatic. Scott and Kira have both been in relationships before and this is making most of their interactions a little lighter and a little more fun. When Scott pecked Kira on the lips before the class and then realized what he did, he got the funniest look on his face. Kira was just stunned, but definitely happy. She was over the moon when he came back for that big kiss later. I definitely want to see more of the two them. I just wonder how her being on the lacrosse team is going to affect their relationship.
Until next week!
The beginning scene was one I'd seen before because its been available online for some time now. A family, except for the youngest son (a teenager) is killed, but the son escapes. I almost laughed when Sheriff Stilinski was relieved that it appeared to be a "normal" murder and nothing supernatural. Only in Beacon Hills could a whole family being axed to death be something of a relief. Only problem? The family was not what it appeared. While they never actually said it, I feel safe when I say that I think the whole family were wendigos and that Sean (the son) transformed because of the stress and everything that was going on. Why else would they have a basement full of dead bodies?
What is up with Derek's eyes? I didn't notice the color initially (and they didn't really register with me last week), but when I looked back at it, I realized that they were gold/yellow. Does that mean that it is as if Paige never died? If so, is it possible that Derek could become the shows second True Alpha? That would be pretty weird and not good because Derek is not a good leader.
Poor Lydia has a reputation at the sheriff's department (at least) as someone who shows up at crime scenes. Good thing she was there with Parrish, because otherwise she couldn't have warned Scott in time to save his mother and Liam. And how exactly was she channeling that mute killer? At least, I think she was. The writing in the "notes" she let Malia borrow appear to have been the same as the writing the killer was looking at when he had that tube in his neck.
Speaking of Malia, she is having some serious trouble with school. She really needs someone to catch her up ASAP. I would assume that the school has testing of some sort, shouldn't it have noted that she really didn't know what someone her age should have known? Also, if anyone can help me with the timeline it'd be appreciated. Since Seasons 1 and 2 were sophomore year and I thought Season 3 was junior year, aren't they seniors now? Just trying to keep this straight.
Anyway, back to Malia, watching Stiles try and help her study was entirely too cute. He was trying so hard to help her study first and then get on with the making out, but she didn't want that (at first). And man, is she forceful with what she wants! I do think she and Stiles are really good for each other. They just need to get Lydia to help her learn math better. When Malia growled at Stiles right before going up to the board, I just had to laugh at the expression on his face.
Liam is cocky and he has earned that right. He is a damn good lacrosse player who Scott could only beat when Scott was allowing himself to use his wolf enhancements. Sorry Scott, but I don't see it as cheating. As long as he is careful with the strength, he is just using what are (now) his natural abilities to play the game better. Watching Scott and Stiles team up on defense to take the guys out one by one was just too much fun. Scott just needs to be a bit more careful when he gets upset. I know he didn't intend to use his strength on Liam, but apparently he did. To his credit, he immediately went to help Liam.
And Scott's pack is about to increase by one Beta now that Liam has been bitten. Yes, I know he could die, but I doubt it. Adding wolf senses to Liam's already impressive athletic skills is going to make Beacon Hills a hard team to stop. I also don't see Liam being particularly amenable to being Scott's Beta. Scott is probably going to have to throw his Alpha weight around before Liam comes into line (if he does at all).
So what is up with the mute killer? Does he hunt wendigos? Or did he kill that family for another reason? I doubt he is a hunter, otherwise he would have attacked Scott. Whatever he is, I expect more trouble from him before the season is over.
Scott and Kira are really cute together. I am liking this relationship as much (or maybe a little more) than I did Scott and Allison's. Because they were each other's first loves, Scott and Allison's relationship was very intense and dramatic. Scott and Kira have both been in relationships before and this is making most of their interactions a little lighter and a little more fun. When Scott pecked Kira on the lips before the class and then realized what he did, he got the funniest look on his face. Kira was just stunned, but definitely happy. She was over the moon when he came back for that big kiss later. I definitely want to see more of the two them. I just wonder how her being on the lacrosse team is going to affect their relationship.
Until next week!
Monday, July 7, 2014
My Review of Falling Skies 4.03- Exodus
Tom and the gang execute a daring plan to escape from the ghetto, a plans whose success hinges on one of the least likely people possible, Ben and Maggie confront Lexi, Anne has a dream, Matt makes a choice worthy of his father, and a reunion occurs....
The fact that Tom's plan ended up depending on Pope was just too weird. It did work though, so that's a good thing. It is nice to know that beneath the bluster Pope has changed enough to still throw his lot in with the gang if needed. Basically, the plan called for Tom to create a distraction big enough to draw off all the Skitters so that the tether could be severed by Dingaan thereby allowing the people to escape through underground tunnels. Setting fire to the Espheni Overlord definitely did that. What Tom didn't foresee was that the Dingaan would be injured and Pope would have to put on the Faraday suit and sever the tether.
I so cannot blame Tom or Weaver for not trusting Pope. Pope has shown too many times that he will put his personal welfare above the welfare of the people in general. On the other hand, Pope has also shown an increasing tendency to do the right thing when the chips are really down, which they definitely were this time. Pope just has to keep in mind that if he really wants to be trusted, he has to show that he is consistently worthy of that trust and not just occasionally so. I know he does not think highly of Tom or Weaver, but those three really have to work their issues out.
Ben is stuck in the middle of an almost impossible situation. Maggie is right that Lexi should have told everyone that she is meeting the Espheni. If what she is saying is true, I do get it. As a hybrid, she is uniquely qualified to act as a bridge between the humans and the Espheni. The major problem is that the Espheni have shown themselves to be untrustworthy, so it is very hard for Maggie and Ben to accept that Lexi is doing the right thing. Ben wants to believe Lexi, but he is definitely struggling with it. The interesting thing is that he himself was in almost the same situation with the rebel Skitters in season 2. He was the go between for his father and Red Eye. Granted, the situation is not exactly the same, but it is similar.
Now that Anne has been rejoined with Lexi and Ben, I wonder what she'll do. I missed some of the episode near the middle (right after a commercial break), so I might have missed something, but I did not see the point of her flashback with Karen. All it did was show us what we already know, that Lexi has Espheni DNA in her makeup. So my question is whether Anne will do anything about Lexi meeting the Espheni or not. I do wonder *IF* she can do anything, so the more appropriate question may be if she can do anything about it.
I admire that Matt lied to save Mira, but I wonder if it was the right thing to do. It was definitely something Tom would have done, but by saying that he took the bolt cutters, Matt may be setting himself up as a target. I will say that, after last week, I suspect that he may have been one already (and I think he knows it), so saying that he had done it might not have that huge of an impact aside from saving Mira's ass.
I have to wonder if the Espheni will do much to Matt. The entire Mason clan is obviously quite important to the Espheni plans, so they may need him alive. If you doubt me, witness how often they have tried to turn Tom. First at the end of season 1/beginning of season 2, in season 2 with Karen, and then again now. I think I may have missed a time or two. Because Tom is so important, they have tried to use his kids against him. Ben was captured and harnessed before Tom emerged as an effective human leader, but they put that thing in Hal last season, captured Anne and used her to create Lexi, and now they have Matt captive. The thing is that Tom is a serious and credible threat to the Espheni because he can rally a lot of humans to his side. If they can turn people against him or bring him to their side, it will be a major blow to the humans.
Until next week!
The fact that Tom's plan ended up depending on Pope was just too weird. It did work though, so that's a good thing. It is nice to know that beneath the bluster Pope has changed enough to still throw his lot in with the gang if needed. Basically, the plan called for Tom to create a distraction big enough to draw off all the Skitters so that the tether could be severed by Dingaan thereby allowing the people to escape through underground tunnels. Setting fire to the Espheni Overlord definitely did that. What Tom didn't foresee was that the Dingaan would be injured and Pope would have to put on the Faraday suit and sever the tether.
I so cannot blame Tom or Weaver for not trusting Pope. Pope has shown too many times that he will put his personal welfare above the welfare of the people in general. On the other hand, Pope has also shown an increasing tendency to do the right thing when the chips are really down, which they definitely were this time. Pope just has to keep in mind that if he really wants to be trusted, he has to show that he is consistently worthy of that trust and not just occasionally so. I know he does not think highly of Tom or Weaver, but those three really have to work their issues out.
Ben is stuck in the middle of an almost impossible situation. Maggie is right that Lexi should have told everyone that she is meeting the Espheni. If what she is saying is true, I do get it. As a hybrid, she is uniquely qualified to act as a bridge between the humans and the Espheni. The major problem is that the Espheni have shown themselves to be untrustworthy, so it is very hard for Maggie and Ben to accept that Lexi is doing the right thing. Ben wants to believe Lexi, but he is definitely struggling with it. The interesting thing is that he himself was in almost the same situation with the rebel Skitters in season 2. He was the go between for his father and Red Eye. Granted, the situation is not exactly the same, but it is similar.
Now that Anne has been rejoined with Lexi and Ben, I wonder what she'll do. I missed some of the episode near the middle (right after a commercial break), so I might have missed something, but I did not see the point of her flashback with Karen. All it did was show us what we already know, that Lexi has Espheni DNA in her makeup. So my question is whether Anne will do anything about Lexi meeting the Espheni or not. I do wonder *IF* she can do anything, so the more appropriate question may be if she can do anything about it.
I admire that Matt lied to save Mira, but I wonder if it was the right thing to do. It was definitely something Tom would have done, but by saying that he took the bolt cutters, Matt may be setting himself up as a target. I will say that, after last week, I suspect that he may have been one already (and I think he knows it), so saying that he had done it might not have that huge of an impact aside from saving Mira's ass.
I have to wonder if the Espheni will do much to Matt. The entire Mason clan is obviously quite important to the Espheni plans, so they may need him alive. If you doubt me, witness how often they have tried to turn Tom. First at the end of season 1/beginning of season 2, in season 2 with Karen, and then again now. I think I may have missed a time or two. Because Tom is so important, they have tried to use his kids against him. Ben was captured and harnessed before Tom emerged as an effective human leader, but they put that thing in Hal last season, captured Anne and used her to create Lexi, and now they have Matt captive. The thing is that Tom is a serious and credible threat to the Espheni because he can rally a lot of humans to his side. If they can turn people against him or bring him to their side, it will be a major blow to the humans.
Until next week!
Thursday, July 3, 2014
My Review of Under the Dome 2.01- Heads Will Roll
Welcome back to the Dome everyone. The episode had some very interesting, very surprising, and gross scenes. We meet 3 new characters, say goodbye to 2 old characters, and have an age-old debate looked at....
Science v. Faith is a debate that is very, very old. While I do think it was present last season as a (very) subtext (Dodee and Julia investigating the Dome v. the kids doing "what the Dome wants"), this episode brought the debate out swinging. If you remember last season ended with the a bright light emanating from the Dome as Barbie was set to be hung by Big Jim and Junior. Tonight's episode showed the results of that light and how various people reacted to it.
On the side of "We have to do what the Dome wants," we have Julia, Junior, Angie, Norrie, Joe, and (maybe) Big Jim. On the side of science, we have a new character, the new science teacher Rebecca Pine who insists that what is going on is fully explainable by science. Barbie is stuck in the middle. He seems to be purposefully taking an agnostic position to keep everyone happy, although he seems to lean towards the science side because that means that there is something he can actually do about what is happening.
I do love that the show left what happened open to interpretation. The massive magnet that Rebecca and Barbie (with others) set up had been up for a while just as Big Jim was ready to sacrifice himself to save the people of Chester's Mill and Julia was ready to save him right before the Dome cleared up. Was the timing of what Big Jim and Julia did coincidental? Or did they actually cause something to happen? We don't know and, frankly, I like it that way.
Rebecca said that the light was being caused by the Dome giving off electromagnetic waves which is why people have been hallucinating. The kids would insist that the Dome is sending them visions to tell them what to do. And don't forget, this episode was not the first time people have collapsed from the Dome. Joe and Norrie last season had seizures on at least 2 or 3 occasions. Also, they have been seeing a majority of the visions, so is it possible that whatever forces the Dome is giving off affects the developing teenage mind more than it does a grown adult's mind?
You could keep on picking up examples of this. Basically think of any time that the kids have seen something under the influence of the Dome. Although not explicitly asked last season, we now have to wonder if they are really having visions, or if the Dome is somehow causing them to hallucinate things. The problem with the hallucination theory is that they are mostly seeing dead people (the scene with a bloody Big Jim being a major exception), and they don't always know that they are dead (remember Norrie and her mom from last season?). Unless their subconscious is somehow what is giving them the visions, in which case (for example) Norrie's concern for her sick mother could have caused her to hallucinate about her and the kids' anxiety over what Big Jim was doing could have made them see him all bloody. Thoughts anyone?
Now for our characters. Angie and Linda bit the dust. Linda bought it while saving Barbie from being permanently attached to the Dome. Getting squashed by a truck cannot be a fun way to die. And Angie got hit with an axe. Also, not a fun way to go.
As for our new characters, we have the previously introduced Rebecca Pine, Sam Verdreaux (Junior's uncle and Big Jim's brother-in-law), and Pauline Rennie (Junior's mom!) who is somehow alive in a city that Junior dreamed about when he collapsed and is still painting things that are happening inside the Dome.
Assume that my Under the Dome reviews will always be out the Tuesday or Wednesday after the episode airs since I will never be able to watch and review it the night it shows. Just an FYI. Until next week!
Science v. Faith is a debate that is very, very old. While I do think it was present last season as a (very) subtext (Dodee and Julia investigating the Dome v. the kids doing "what the Dome wants"), this episode brought the debate out swinging. If you remember last season ended with the a bright light emanating from the Dome as Barbie was set to be hung by Big Jim and Junior. Tonight's episode showed the results of that light and how various people reacted to it.
On the side of "We have to do what the Dome wants," we have Julia, Junior, Angie, Norrie, Joe, and (maybe) Big Jim. On the side of science, we have a new character, the new science teacher Rebecca Pine who insists that what is going on is fully explainable by science. Barbie is stuck in the middle. He seems to be purposefully taking an agnostic position to keep everyone happy, although he seems to lean towards the science side because that means that there is something he can actually do about what is happening.
I do love that the show left what happened open to interpretation. The massive magnet that Rebecca and Barbie (with others) set up had been up for a while just as Big Jim was ready to sacrifice himself to save the people of Chester's Mill and Julia was ready to save him right before the Dome cleared up. Was the timing of what Big Jim and Julia did coincidental? Or did they actually cause something to happen? We don't know and, frankly, I like it that way.
Rebecca said that the light was being caused by the Dome giving off electromagnetic waves which is why people have been hallucinating. The kids would insist that the Dome is sending them visions to tell them what to do. And don't forget, this episode was not the first time people have collapsed from the Dome. Joe and Norrie last season had seizures on at least 2 or 3 occasions. Also, they have been seeing a majority of the visions, so is it possible that whatever forces the Dome is giving off affects the developing teenage mind more than it does a grown adult's mind?
You could keep on picking up examples of this. Basically think of any time that the kids have seen something under the influence of the Dome. Although not explicitly asked last season, we now have to wonder if they are really having visions, or if the Dome is somehow causing them to hallucinate things. The problem with the hallucination theory is that they are mostly seeing dead people (the scene with a bloody Big Jim being a major exception), and they don't always know that they are dead (remember Norrie and her mom from last season?). Unless their subconscious is somehow what is giving them the visions, in which case (for example) Norrie's concern for her sick mother could have caused her to hallucinate about her and the kids' anxiety over what Big Jim was doing could have made them see him all bloody. Thoughts anyone?
Now for our characters. Angie and Linda bit the dust. Linda bought it while saving Barbie from being permanently attached to the Dome. Getting squashed by a truck cannot be a fun way to die. And Angie got hit with an axe. Also, not a fun way to go.
As for our new characters, we have the previously introduced Rebecca Pine, Sam Verdreaux (Junior's uncle and Big Jim's brother-in-law), and Pauline Rennie (Junior's mom!) who is somehow alive in a city that Junior dreamed about when he collapsed and is still painting things that are happening inside the Dome.
Assume that my Under the Dome reviews will always be out the Tuesday or Wednesday after the episode airs since I will never be able to watch and review it the night it shows. Just an FYI. Until next week!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
My Review of Teen Wolf 4.02- 117
Until the very end, I was wondering where on earth the title of the episode came from. Then, it all made sense. Tonight, Peter met Malia (and it was awkward), everyone was trying to figure out what happened to Derek (ok, a little awkward), and Kate found Derek (majorly awkward). Sensing a theme anyone?
Yes, the theme of the night was awkwardness. Ok, it might as well have been. With Scott and Stiles keeping Malia's parentage from her, Stiles lying to Mr. McCall about who teen Derek was, and Scott lying to teen Derek about his family, it was hard to keep the stories straight. I was hoping Scott would tell teen Derek about his family, but I can't blame him for lying. After all, teen Derek had no memories about anything and was very confused about what was going on. If he had found out the truth at the police station, it is possible that he would have gone off before Scott could stop him. Lying to Malia about Peter is not nearly as understandable. I don't know if Peter asked that Malia be kept in the dark or if Scott and Stiles think they're protecting her, but I guarantee that if she finds out from the wrong person, it won't be pretty. As for lying to Mr. McCall, that is par for the course around the uninitiated, so nothing new there.
Watching Peter meet Malia for the first time was definitely awkward. For a second, I thought he was going to tell Malia who he was, but he didn't. I hafta say that the way he was talking to her sorta creeped me out. It was almost like he was flirting in a weird way. Very creepy. Speaking of Malia, when Stiles was relaying the story of Malia in his bed to Scott, I had to chuckle, particularly when he showed Scott his back. I am assuming claw marks of some sort were present. And poor Stiles ended up being the small spoon....
I was impressed with how fast Peter managed to put together everything about Kate. The look on his face when he realized that Scott was talking about Kate was a little scary and pretty intense. It was the face of an unhappy, semi-pissed off man. And he also put together her plan pretty rapidly. Deaging Derek to the point where he was still in love with her and would do anything for her was genius. My only question is how the heck did she do it?
Kate and teen Derek was off the charts creepy. He couldn't have been much more than 17 and she is at least 10 years older. Sorry, but that was just majorly creepy and awkward. It was made even creepier because we knew that she was only using him to get what she wanted and then she was probably going to kill him. <shudder>
Those Berserkers were impressive. They took apart both Scott and Malia in short order. Kira would have lasted longer except she stopped to smile at Scott and took her attention away from fighting the Berserkers. Dumb idea sweetie. And then teen Derek came to the rescue and, man, could he fight! I don't know how he could fight so well, but he did and somehow that turned him back into Derek. I knew teen Derek was only going to be in this episode (read an interview with Jeff Davis), but I wish he had stuck around longer. I think that could have been seriously fun watching everyone have to adjust to teen Derek.
Speaking of adjusting, poor Sheriff Stilinski looked like he was about to have a breakdown. Watching him go back and forth from the computer screen to teen Derek and then having that conversation with Stiles and Scott about time travel had me giggling.
Poor Lydia just keeps on finding dead bodies. When Kira realized that the tank was full even though Lydia pulled into a gas station, you could tell she knew something was up. And that ripped apart body was seriously disgusting. I have to give the props people kudos for that one.
I know I said it last week, but I am so glad to have Stiles back. He was in top form tonight, especially when he was in Scott's house with teen Derek. Unfortunately for him, the fallout from last arc continues in the form of unpaid bills for the Eichen House.
Next week, the introduction of 3 new lacrosse players. Until then!
Yes, the theme of the night was awkwardness. Ok, it might as well have been. With Scott and Stiles keeping Malia's parentage from her, Stiles lying to Mr. McCall about who teen Derek was, and Scott lying to teen Derek about his family, it was hard to keep the stories straight. I was hoping Scott would tell teen Derek about his family, but I can't blame him for lying. After all, teen Derek had no memories about anything and was very confused about what was going on. If he had found out the truth at the police station, it is possible that he would have gone off before Scott could stop him. Lying to Malia about Peter is not nearly as understandable. I don't know if Peter asked that Malia be kept in the dark or if Scott and Stiles think they're protecting her, but I guarantee that if she finds out from the wrong person, it won't be pretty. As for lying to Mr. McCall, that is par for the course around the uninitiated, so nothing new there.
Watching Peter meet Malia for the first time was definitely awkward. For a second, I thought he was going to tell Malia who he was, but he didn't. I hafta say that the way he was talking to her sorta creeped me out. It was almost like he was flirting in a weird way. Very creepy. Speaking of Malia, when Stiles was relaying the story of Malia in his bed to Scott, I had to chuckle, particularly when he showed Scott his back. I am assuming claw marks of some sort were present. And poor Stiles ended up being the small spoon....
I was impressed with how fast Peter managed to put together everything about Kate. The look on his face when he realized that Scott was talking about Kate was a little scary and pretty intense. It was the face of an unhappy, semi-pissed off man. And he also put together her plan pretty rapidly. Deaging Derek to the point where he was still in love with her and would do anything for her was genius. My only question is how the heck did she do it?
Kate and teen Derek was off the charts creepy. He couldn't have been much more than 17 and she is at least 10 years older. Sorry, but that was just majorly creepy and awkward. It was made even creepier because we knew that she was only using him to get what she wanted and then she was probably going to kill him. <shudder>
Those Berserkers were impressive. They took apart both Scott and Malia in short order. Kira would have lasted longer except she stopped to smile at Scott and took her attention away from fighting the Berserkers. Dumb idea sweetie. And then teen Derek came to the rescue and, man, could he fight! I don't know how he could fight so well, but he did and somehow that turned him back into Derek. I knew teen Derek was only going to be in this episode (read an interview with Jeff Davis), but I wish he had stuck around longer. I think that could have been seriously fun watching everyone have to adjust to teen Derek.
Speaking of adjusting, poor Sheriff Stilinski looked like he was about to have a breakdown. Watching him go back and forth from the computer screen to teen Derek and then having that conversation with Stiles and Scott about time travel had me giggling.
Poor Lydia just keeps on finding dead bodies. When Kira realized that the tank was full even though Lydia pulled into a gas station, you could tell she knew something was up. And that ripped apart body was seriously disgusting. I have to give the props people kudos for that one.
I know I said it last week, but I am so glad to have Stiles back. He was in top form tonight, especially when he was in Scott's house with teen Derek. Unfortunately for him, the fallout from last arc continues in the form of unpaid bills for the Eichen House.
Next week, the introduction of 3 new lacrosse players. Until then!
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