tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72504551781135995222024-03-05T14:39:31.926-05:00221BBCWhere Life and Television CoalesceAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-67342918180508394272017-07-16T18:42:00.002-04:002017-07-16T18:42:32.658-04:00Jodie Whittaker is The Doctor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXH9RafEm3D7RV_-ItgPPSF9Nc5kQiygwktmzxvMdK0aN1UZnvSskYdAgizzfPV9U8fHCHtxJ7PJ_AE7O6qJd9-b8awxEo98NDOxQsgl3r4cl-uFRN20xfnGRaS96E6XCyu2IrSHc5xTM/s1600/jodie+whittaker+the+doctor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXH9RafEm3D7RV_-ItgPPSF9Nc5kQiygwktmzxvMdK0aN1UZnvSskYdAgizzfPV9U8fHCHtxJ7PJ_AE7O6qJd9-b8awxEo98NDOxQsgl3r4cl-uFRN20xfnGRaS96E6XCyu2IrSHc5xTM/s320/jodie+whittaker+the+doctor.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! WOOHOO!</div>
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A woman is the Doctor! Anything is frikkin' possible! Thank you, BBC, thank you, Chris Chibnall, thank you, everybody everywhere for everything! I can't frikkin' WAIT until December!</div>
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The Thirteenth Doctor! Welcome, Jodie! As Nine would say, I know you will be "fanTAStic!"</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-67055294529780594802017-07-12T21:24:00.002-04:002017-07-12T21:24:33.634-04:00#SaveNetNeutrality!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbiVGEaN2s-xBrFLeCa1OJSQnmEnY67RgJBeEAzJlgSoZFvgfqhLB5nslktuTTqx6WgZOk1MB_868lqCUGL96lKKRieribQbN8yV_D1YGvZJiBncqe5qvm_6Uee6DTj2zFjpKwUpabxI/s1600/LOADING.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbiVGEaN2s-xBrFLeCa1OJSQnmEnY67RgJBeEAzJlgSoZFvgfqhLB5nslktuTTqx6WgZOk1MB_868lqCUGL96lKKRieribQbN8yV_D1YGvZJiBncqe5qvm_6Uee6DTj2zFjpKwUpabxI/s1600/LOADING.jpg" /></a></div>
We deserve a free, fair, and open Internet!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-17311092719651036242017-05-18T22:27:00.000-04:002017-05-18T22:36:49.243-04:00Legends of Tomorrow: CAPTAIN COLD IS COMING BACK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8isY88zj_cSab__rkGNHe_OehQBrrYG6uTReYjeC1Ej5tjMb31CIu2pqNrzVpqTXlj-W-Xsy5bWXEoyCV86LAP7aKfa7Rw5N3kThSAcGMIg2rn6wtk92lDSTrOP-wqKLHuKY4fMJqQA/s1600/captain+cold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8isY88zj_cSab__rkGNHe_OehQBrrYG6uTReYjeC1Ej5tjMb31CIu2pqNrzVpqTXlj-W-Xsy5bWXEoyCV86LAP7aKfa7Rw5N3kThSAcGMIg2rn6wtk92lDSTrOP-wqKLHuKY4fMJqQA/s320/captain+cold.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This I know is true: our favorite ice-cold crook is coming back to Legends of Tomorrow.</div>
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How do I know? Because of The Flash's excellent Season 3 episode "Infantino Street," where Barry time travels and snatches Leonard Snart out of his mission with the Legends to help him save Iris.</div>
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As always, Wentworth Miller is the snarky, delightfully hammy badass we all know and love, and it's an entire episode of Shark Week references and wonderful things like Snart telling Cisco if he saves his life he'll put in a good word for him with Golden Glider. </div>
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They steal the alien power source, escape King Shark, and Barry brings Snart back to 1892 Siberia, where Snart gives him a surprisingly heartfelt pep talk about being a hero. (Did someone say bromance? And, the Coldflash shippers go wild!)</div>
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Before he leaves to go back to the present, Barry tells Snart to look after himself. "No strings on me," Snart replies, stabbing all Legends fans directly in the heart.</div>
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Barry speeds away, and then it happens: Snart stands there, considering. And as he heads back to the ship, he murmurs, "There are no strings on me...There are no strings on me..."</div>
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BOOM. Do you know what this means? The writers heard us. They know we love Captain Cold. And they had him say that line - TWICE - to let us know that he is coming back.</div>
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What else confirms this? Legends Season 2 ended with the Legends breaking time - the universe has turned inside out and time is running amok, twisting cities out of shape and rewriting history. This leaves the way open for Snart to find his way back - he died inside the explosion of the Oculus, which was the center of time itself. If time is broken, it's the perfect gateway to set Snart free from wherever he was trapped within the Oculus' remains.</div>
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"But that's impossible," you say! "He couldn't have survived the explosion!"</div>
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Well, wasn't he just in ARGUS? The facility with the most top-secret, most powerful weapons and tech Planet Earth has ever seen? Would he be Captain Cold if he passed up an opportunity to snatch something along the way? Something to help him survive the death he knows is coming?</div>
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My theory: the Legends have ripped open a hole in time, and find Snart in some alternate universe just below ours where the Oculus has kept him trapped. Maybe we'll get hints every few episodes, him appearing for just a second or things moving or disappearing to let us know the existence of this other plane of reality. And then they find him - and at the end of the season he can rejoin the crew of the Waverider, as <i>our</i> Leonard Snart, the hero.</div>
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If this is what's happening, Legends of Tomorrow writers, take a bow - I'm so excited for Season 3 and what's in store for us with the return of Leonard Snart!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-31256617586208133282017-05-04T11:22:00.001-04:002017-05-08T14:02:13.402-04:00Doctor Who: Why I'm For a Female Doctor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODdawZe8eOuD525BcY44SPN6gR64WbPh4mpMTDTEl7VPXM7PdWp7uibTPWn3DltfVKwCHxExpnlP8KsWJyXCLPotJXZP7zNHo_MHBaspoTLw0_6AX3P4VqvCDyt51c3X6o2V6H2p4DXk/s1600/female+doctor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODdawZe8eOuD525BcY44SPN6gR64WbPh4mpMTDTEl7VPXM7PdWp7uibTPWn3DltfVKwCHxExpnlP8KsWJyXCLPotJXZP7zNHo_MHBaspoTLw0_6AX3P4VqvCDyt51c3X6o2V6H2p4DXk/s320/female+doctor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's 2017.</div>
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It's time.</div>
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Especially in the era of Trump/May, we need her now more than ever.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-79640812426679213082017-04-19T15:34:00.000-04:002017-04-19T15:34:04.214-04:00Let's Talk Sherlock: Season 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxboK8CwV4nhJIy-8UDfIElHy-LZNrZvyEkcgrbjBWPs9mCwKA3Via3AuO-7hqwrQpPQtPq4o4Sir3xlgIJ4NQiAkQSKPprwX3b0xgTlHKes1iS55EnBAsU8aCBIy1HCFU9LpCHRRDIos/s1600/sherlock-season-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxboK8CwV4nhJIy-8UDfIElHy-LZNrZvyEkcgrbjBWPs9mCwKA3Via3AuO-7hqwrQpPQtPq4o4Sir3xlgIJ4NQiAkQSKPprwX3b0xgTlHKes1iS55EnBAsU8aCBIy1HCFU9LpCHRRDIos/s320/sherlock-season-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, I know it's been awhile since Season 4 aired. Things have changed a lot in this country since January, and I've been busy trying to fight against it, but I finally wanted to take the chance to comment on the potentially final season of this wonderful show. (As always, spoilers.)</div>
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Sherlock is the reason I became a screenwriter - or, as Sherlock would say, "It's where I began." I had never seen a show like this - frankly, television hadn't. Yes, we'd seen classic literature adapted for the modern day, but never in this way, and not half as well. Did the initial idea seem a bit gimmicky? Yes; Benedict Cumberbatch reportedly almost didn't take the role because he didn't want the premise to be thought of as a gimmick. Did it exceed all expectations and change how television is done? Oh, yes.</div>
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Other crime dramas have begun showing text messages on screen and using similar visuals to accommodate characters' growing use of technology - producers used to be afraid of doing that. Sherlock changed that, showing it could be done and done well. In 2008, Breaking Bad became the new gold standard for television, showing that a show could be cinematic and artfully done and still draw a massive audience. Sherlock enjoyed the same rise, becoming a smash hit and drawing a huge international audience, paving the way for shows like Hannibal and Game of Thrones to stretch the limits of what television can be and how it can be filmed.</div>
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I will say this: Seasons 1 and 2 of Sherlock are some of the best television I've ever seen. Yes, you had your middling episodes that were just okay - "The Blind Banker" and "The Hounds of Baskerville" - but book-ending them were masterpieces of writing and cinematography and editing and acting and composing. Who will ever forget the first time they saw "A Study in Pink"? How can someone not be in awe of the utter beauty and grace of "A Scandal in Belgravia"? How can there be any denying the raw emotional punch of "The Reichenbach Fall"? It was these episodes that made us love Sherlock and made it a part of our lives and a part of pop culture at large. There was razor-sharp wit and heart-ripping emotion and the beauty of a pitch-perfect tribute to a source material you could tell was very near and dear to the hearts of its creators. On top of it all, it became its own original entity - for many, Benedict Cumberbatch will forever be Sherlock Holmes, just like Jeremy Brett was for so many who watched the Granada television series. There was an intent of purpose to Sherlock that you only see in the best of shows - the sure hand of a show runner who knows where they want their creation to go and is masterful at taking their audience along for the ride. That was Season 1 and 2 - a hell of a ride.</div>
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Then came Season 3. After the fall from St. Bart's roof that broke all our hearts, Sherlock "resurrected," coming back from the dead - but he came back different, and so did the show.</div>
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In my opinion, since then, the show never regained the resplendence it once had.</div>
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I didn't hate Season 3; it's still an enjoyable series to watch. But the show lost its momentum, that intent of purpose that set it above the rest. It didn't seem to know what it wanted to be anymore - was it a James Bond action film? A buddy comedy? A dark psychological thriller? It lost its identity, and thus that classic feeling that episodes like Study and Reichenbach had. And I'll tell you why: because it became a tribute to itself rather than the Conan Doyle source material it was so deft at adapting.</div>
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Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are both huge Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fans - that's why they created the show in the first place. Every piece of Sherlock is meant to enhance what Conan Doyle originally wrote, and it did it well, from the Baker Street Irregulars becoming the homeless network, to Dr. Watson's journal becoming John's blog, to Holmes's notes and correspondence becoming Sherlock's texting and online research - every adaptation just worked so well. The cracks only appeared when the show began to idolize itself and its own fanbase.</div>
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"The Empty Hearse" is an episode dedicated to the fans, which was a nice touch, but it was also when the show began to rely too heavily on its own success to create its own narrative. It also parallels with the point when Sherlock's detective work became less about actually solving mysteries and more about how those mysteries revealed Sherlock's psyche and his own past. Exploring a main character's psyche isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if it's the only thing the show focuses on, it's too weak of a narrative to drive the momentum of an entire show.</div>
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In essence, I think the problem lies in that Moffat and Gatiss fell in love with their own show, and thus became blind to any ideas that were potentially bad for it. </div>
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And that's how you get Season 4, The Season That Was Almost Great.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKOgTs5hh9fvBxRKbt6AhR6jZKt4GF_NyAA7_PAcmTsULIof-7MpBPOrCjznA2A-Ykz55KxctpW7bF0cKpzTpE6w1mymWZydG4D9lKCHcLAynzz6yxl0XbythAuPIWp4qLfIoCPfHjeY/s1600/sherlock+dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKOgTs5hh9fvBxRKbt6AhR6jZKt4GF_NyAA7_PAcmTsULIof-7MpBPOrCjznA2A-Ykz55KxctpW7bF0cKpzTpE6w1mymWZydG4D9lKCHcLAynzz6yxl0XbythAuPIWp4qLfIoCPfHjeY/s1600/sherlock+dog.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>The Six Thatchers</i></div>
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Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this episode! Rachael Talalay is one of my favorite directors, and (though some may disagree with me) I loved the unique touch she brought to this episode, with the visuals of the rolling die and the smashed plaster busts, etc. I loved that we finally got a proper, brain-twisting mystery in The Case of the Ghost Driver, the way they explored Mary's past and its conflict, and I thought it was really interesting to see the unraveling of John and Mary's relationship, since that wasn't a route I was expecting the writing to go. This was the Sign of Three, the Blind Banker, the Hounds of Baskerville of Season 4 - the episode that's not an instant classic, but it's well made and enjoyable.</div>
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It's up to the other two episodes to determine if we are back to the caliber of Seasons 1 and 2. So:</div>
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<a href="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/bakerstreet/images/e/e0/The_Lying_Detective_Screencap.png/revision/latest?cb=20170109201731" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/bakerstreet/images/e/e0/The_Lying_Detective_Screencap.png/revision/latest?cb=20170109201731" height="207" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The Lying Detective</i></div>
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Yes. YES. This episode is by far the best of Season 4, and quite possibly the best episode we've had since Season 2. Moffat does it again with a terrific and terrifying riff on Conan Doyle's "The Dying Detective."</div>
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This episode has that classic feel that Scandal and Study have: the reality-bending visuals, the sharp humor, the mind-bending twists and turns, and a slam-bang finish with a twist no one was expecting. Toby Jones, or, to us Whovians, the Dream Lord from "Amy's Choice," does a fantastic job as the villain Culverton Smith, who still doesn't pass the mark for creepiness set by Magnussen, but gets pretty darn close. The most arresting moment comes when Smith is suffocating Sherlock, telling him to "maintain eye contact" so he can watch the life leave his eyes. I don't know about you, but that got a genuine chill down my spine.</div>
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This is also Mrs. Hudson's best episode, with Una Stubbs getting to have a ton of fun driving a sports car (I know, I know, stunt driver, but still) with a kidnapped Sherlock in the back and laying into Mycroft, John, <i>and </i>Sherlock all in one episode. We see Sherlock and John's relationship unravel, and get to see a touching relationship grow between Sherlock and his new friend Faith. The visuals for Sherlock's drug high are also surreal (echoing his near-conscious state in "A Scandal in Belgravia") and well done.</div>
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Then, we get the mother of all twists: Faith Smith was not actually Faith Smith. And John's one-time fling, a woman we only know as "E," is not actually "E." And John's new therapist is not actually a therapist at all. They are, in fact, the same woman - Eurus Holmes, Sherlock's mad sister (is this an argument for Moffat's female characters all being interchangeable? Okay, I digress). Biggest shocker of them all: she, not Moriarty, is the one behind the cryptic message that left us all hanging at the end of Season 3 - "Miss me?"</div>
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<i>The Final Problem</i></div>
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It's unfortunate that the title seems to have been a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, as "The Final Problem" is a bit, well, problematic.</div>
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I could go on and on about all the issues this episode has. Suffice it to say, all the issues that had been building since Season 3 finally came to a head; in this episode, I watched the show collapse under the weight of its own self-importance.</div>
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Not to say it didn't have its good moments. I really enjoyed the connection Sherlock and Eurus had playing their violins - in fact, I was really excited for Sherlock to have a great female villain (I count Irene Adler as more of an antihero). But her ultimate characterization didn't live up to the hype.</div>
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If I nit-pick, we'll be here all day, so let's just start with what could be fixed:</div>
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At the heart of it all is Eurus's characterization - and what a mess it is. Here is this hyper-intelligent human being, and Moffat and Gatiss don't seem to know what to do with her. We go slightly sci-fi when it's revealed she's apparently smart enough to control people's minds. How? It's never explained.</div>
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Eurus is meant to be a mysterious figure, but she also needs to be defined. Part of the problem is Mycroft and John being there with Sherlock. It would have been a lot more effective to have scenes with just Eurus and Sherlock; that way, we could have gotten a feel for their relationship without other people there to distract. If we really felt the need for them to be there, Eurus could have had them kidnapped to show up at some point later in the torture maze.</div>
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Oh, yes, I forgot - there's a torture maze.</div>
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A lot of things in Eurus's prison/maze don't make sense. Though it was a cool visual, how did Sherlock not see that there was no glass in Eurus's holding cell? And then let's not even get started on the actual maze, where things just get more and more surreal, with three men popping out of nowhere to be hanged, a coffin with "I love you" written on it, etc. This shark isn't jumping, at this point it's grown wings and is <i>flying</i>.</div>
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Then we get to the twist at the end, where Sherlock accuses Eurus of killing his dog when they were young. But apparently it wasn't a dog; it was Sherlock's friend, who Eurus was jealous of for having Sherlock's attention. So in the end, all Eurus ever wanted was for her brother to love her.</div>
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...I suppose it could have worked, if Eurus's character was written better. But as it stands, it just comes off as, well, clunky. And ultimately unearned.</div>
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It's really a shame about the treatment of Eurus; if she'd been fleshed out as a character, if Moffat and Gatiss had focused more on the details and emotion of her story and less on the surrealism of the visuals, I think we could have had something. </div>
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(Side rant, you can skip this if you want: </div>
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It's really a shame about the treatment of most of the female characters, actually. I get that the original stories had mainly male characters, but come on. Mary's ghost is still there, but, well, she's a ghost; and Molly, arguably one of the most beloved characters of the show, had barely any screen time. I get that the show isn't called Molly, but it almost felt like they were afraid of putting her on screen. What gives?</div>
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I will admit I do "ship" Sherlock and Molly, but I'm fine with just seeing their friendship grow, and with all the build-up they gave to her character in Season 3, I was really excited to see what they had planned for her in Season 4.</div>
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Two minutes in "Six Thatchers." Four minutes in "Lying Detective." </div>
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Well, no worries, I was all set for there to be a huge reveal - that Sherlock and Molly had some kind of plan to get Culverton Smith and that they talked it over in the ambulance when Molly was supposed to be examining Sherlock, or maybe Molly could possibly be part of the plan to get them out of Eurus's prison - but there was nothing. At least Louise Brealey absolutely killed it in her one scene in Final Problem - and that was it, that was all she got. What a waste of a brilliant actress. What a waste of a brilliant character. I love Mrs. Hudson to death, but can't there be more than one woman on the show at a time? /endrant)</div>
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"The Final Problem" ends with, seemingly, the end of the show - all the characters come back to a repaired 221B, and we get a farewell voice-over from Mary that actually got me a little choked up. This show has been with me through high school, through college, through graduation and beyond - it helped shape the kind of person I am and the career field I want to go into. If this is truly the end, I'll be sad to see it go - but it was probably an okay point to end on, too.</div>
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If we do end up having a Season 5, I hope Moffat and Gatiss learn from their mistakes. But whatever happens - at least we'll always have Seasons 1 and 2!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-65833069216101623232017-01-04T00:02:00.000-05:002017-01-04T00:02:20.453-05:00Forward, Always<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7gtw5Vn1SoiO9bGzAe4YktD4A1qR8e_Xdfrd3kUmnUO-zamTUhmkdMJ7zxWUJArp42Z9X8qQkAssX3s-jumFF1-ibrRqoIamUypTxCtEBsjShSV5CLy2gZv6HaiOzr4UnJEpc3IJNt0/s1600/atlanta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7gtw5Vn1SoiO9bGzAe4YktD4A1qR8e_Xdfrd3kUmnUO-zamTUhmkdMJ7zxWUJArp42Z9X8qQkAssX3s-jumFF1-ibrRqoIamUypTxCtEBsjShSV5CLy2gZv6HaiOzr4UnJEpc3IJNt0/s320/atlanta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This blog has over 10,000 views! I never thought I'd be able to say that. I am forever grateful to the people who voluntarily read my babblings about Sherlock and Doctor Who, Legends of Tomorrow and Agent Carter, and just life in general. It means a lot that you enjoy my writing and that I can hopefully add something good to your day. :)<br />
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My last post was musings on where the next year would take me. Well, I've decided to take matters into my own hands - I'm moving to Atlanta.<br />
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Gutsy? Maybe. But necessary more than anything else. Things just haven't been working out the way I wanted them to - no grad school, no job in film. I had one internship as script supervisor on a film set (insert <a href="http://www.libertymeanthefilm.com/">shameless plug</a>), which was very educational, but it wasn't long-term. And after I was twice rejected from the writers' programs for ABC/Disney, NBC, Warner Bros/CW, and CBS, I had to stop and recollect. What could I do now?<br />
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After searching around Columbus for opportunities in film, it became very clear: there were none. Or at least very few, which wouldn't be enough to get me anywhere. After having an obligatory anxiety attack, I picked myself back up and came to the only conclusion: Columbus wasn't working out. So, I needed to move.<br />
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LA would be the ideal choice, but it's a bit out of my price range. Fortunately, my aunt, who lives outside Atlanta, happened to mention that there had been a ton of job opportunities for film in the area recently. After having another freak out about what my subconscious was telling me I had to do, I calmed down and researched film in Atlanta, and it's true - Atlanta is becoming the "Hollywood of the south." I texted my aunt about it a little, she offered me a place to stay while I look for a job, and there was no reason to say no. Well, no reason except fear, which I've been learning to give a swift kick out of my life and subconscious. I have no time for it. It's only restricting the potential for what I can be, and I'm glad that I'm at a point where I can say that.<br />
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Am I scared? Oh, yes. Do I let that stop me? No. Fear is an obstacle to overcome, and I'm learning to overcome it. I'm afraid of driving, I'm afraid of being in new places, I'm afraid of not knowing what's going to happen next. That's no excuse not to live my life, and I'm going to live it, fear be damned.<br />
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While I'm looking for a job, I will still be writing reviews for Sherlock, Doctor Who, Pure Genius, and the new Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events on <a href="http://www.tracking-board.com/sherlock-review-the-six-thatchers/" target="_blank">The Tracking Board</a>, so you can keep up with my writing there, if you'd like. I'm also hoping to have my actual screenwriting featured on the web series <a href="http://www.collabfeature.com/billion-pitch/">A Billion To One</a>, which I've been writing for for a while, so I'll keep you updated on that.<br />
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Who knows where this will take me. I'm moving, and I'm also moving forward - thanks for being there with me for it. As the Doctor says, we're all stories in the end - I hope mine can be a good one!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-30248322881800178102016-10-26T23:44:00.001-04:002016-10-26T23:50:48.219-04:00Looking Up: The Election, Screenwriting, Anxiety, and Moving Forward<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s057kmnvykcE8rgbGlgOil-t2eGEMSKXwuxN6c7g9hx6wd0r7pNR1Pv_q26qtrBrJ5TMUg3tf8HMGufSIsK5yPJ8W37dijjvvSfLhyphenhyphenKmh3jF8S0efv4uEOwxpX8Ulg_JJPPWOJHznAY/s1600/atlanta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s057kmnvykcE8rgbGlgOil-t2eGEMSKXwuxN6c7g9hx6wd0r7pNR1Pv_q26qtrBrJ5TMUg3tf8HMGufSIsK5yPJ8W37dijjvvSfLhyphenhyphenKmh3jF8S0efv4uEOwxpX8Ulg_JJPPWOJHznAY/s320/atlanta.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlanta</td></tr>
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Well.<br />
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It's been quite a year, hasn't it?</div>
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Seriously, 2016 can just...end. Any time now. It's probably one of the worst years in recorded history, right behind the year of the Black Plague and when the meteorite killed the dinosaurs - although depending on your perspective, it could be considered worse, as that enabled us to survive. So, worse than a meteorite destroying most life on Earth. Yes. That sounds right. </div>
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I feel like we'll all be able to breathe a little easier once this election's over - I'm hoping, anyway. I won't get into political affiliations or which candidate is better/worse, as that seems to simultaneously increase the blood pressure of anyone within a five-mile radius, whether they're actually reading the article or not. It's like everyone's all ready and raring to lose their minds on anything that sounds remotely like it could somehow disagree with them. No matter what your views, I think we can all agree that this election has brought out the ugliest side of America - a hateful, divisive side that I'd hoped was something that no longer existed in modern society. I was wrong - and that makes me sad and frustrated and discouraged more than anything else.</div>
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Anyway. What am I here to talk about? Well, my life, I suppose. It's a strange thing - life - especially with the surging political environment surrounding it right now.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicago</td></tr>
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I read somewhere that dogs who pull sleds, up in Alaska or Canada, for the Iditarod and such, love their work so much, they will literally run themselves to death unless they're told to stop. That's been me the past year and a half.</div>
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I love screenwriting. I found it my junior year of college, and I only wish I'd found it sooner, because it is the best. I love typing out a scene, seeing it form in my head, and (if I'm lucky) watching it unfold on screen - a dream somehow brought forth, crossing dimensions, into reality. That is the closest thing we have to magic, my friends. Through editing and VFX and great directing and choreography and acting, we can make the impossible possible. And that is what I love about film and television.</div>
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But, passion is a double-edged sword. I can write for hours - four hours at a stretch, sometimes longer if I get really into it and don't want to lose the "flow" (which is a real things, by the way, however corny it sounds). But there's never been a time I've gone past four hours where I haven't regretted it. That passion lights me up for the day, makes me feel invincible and ready to take on anything - and then the next day I'm an empty shell, the light extinguished, any trace of energy gone, aching through to my very bones.</div>
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In other words: urrrgh.</div>
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I don't know if it's a high I'm looking for, an escape or what; I have learned to balance it a little better, although it's been a struggle sometimes to rein myself in when I just know I could keep going, on and on into the night, and who knows what story idea or character arc will fade forever if I don't keep going...! I am like those sled dogs - I love it so much that I work myself into the ground.</div>
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I think now I may be using it as revenge against my adult life. Because I am an adult now - and it's a lot harder than I thought.</div>
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I refuse to let college be the best years of my life - but sometimes I understand why people say that. Adulthood is hard, man. You can't pass the buck. You have to take care of things - sometimes unpleasant things. A lot of boring things. Things that just need to be done, and no one else is going to do them, no matter how inconvenient or irritating they are. So you do them. And you finally appreciate your parents doing them for you for most of your life up to this point - and cringe over the fact that's it now your turn.</div>
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On days when I'm working, just drowning in everything I need to do - job applications, scripts, networking, research - I try to look up at the sky, and find a name for the color it is. It doesn't have to take long - I've settled on "cerulean" before, or "the color of the marble I had in fifth grade when we played marbles that day in our living room" - just long enough to remind myself to take a breath, stop, and look around at the whole world around me, instead of feeling trapped inside my head with all my own little problems. I started doing this when I realized one day that I hadn't looked at the sky in awhile - I had no clue what it looked like or how the clouds even looked. I think it's a sign we've reached adulthood when we stop finding shapes in the clouds - it's kind of sad.</div>
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I read a book called The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster when I was in elementary school. In it, a boy called Alec, who can see everything except what's right in front of his face, shows Milo, the main character, the city of Reality. In it, the people living there go about their daily lives, going in and out of buildings, heading to work in the morning and heading back home at night, moving in and around the city like normal - except they haven't looked up in so long, they haven't realized that the city no longer exists. They open and close doors that aren't there, they go in and out of buildings with no walls. That image has haunted me; I know I don't want to live a life like that. Forgetting about finding hope or real joy in life, even in something as small as changing up your daily routine, from taking a different route to work or stopping to look up at the sky. Reality doesn't have to be like that - it shouldn't be.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/9b/2d/f2/new-york-city.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/9b/2d/f2/new-york-city.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New York City</td></tr>
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I spend a lot of my time in pain. Most of it is mental - anxiety kicks me up out of bed in the morning, saying, "You need to get something done today, or else you're worthless!"; depression drags me back down, groaning, "What's the point, I might as well just lie here anyway, for all it's going to matter." In case you're wondering, yes, I know this is not healthy - I'm working on finding a therapist, and I've found different ways to cope. It still doesn't change the struggle of every day - those first few moments where the realization floods in: Oh, right. I am an adult. I need to get up and go make money. I need to get an apartment. I need to have friends, I need to check in with my family. I need to contribute to society. It's no wonder I feel like sometimes we're all going a little insane.</div>
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You know what, though? I'd rather have the pain than apathy. We are put on this earth to feel something - not just stare numbly into a gray and lifeless future. Sometimes circumstances aren't optimal. Sometimes, life sucks. But complacency is not something I choose to accept. If I'm here, I'm here for a purpose, damn it - and even if I don't know what that is right now, I'm going to find it.</div>
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Just look at this planet we're on - we are at the exact point in the universe, in the exact right atmosphere, where we are neither scorched by the sun nor frozen to death in deep space. We are alive in a world of seven billion people - and no one is exactly alike, nor has there been or ever will be another human being exactly like them. Incredible! Look at all these beliefs and religions and cultures and histories - what nuances, what momentous decisions hung in the balance to impact exactly how our world would look today, down to each culture's core values and what each country teaches its children in school. No matter how hopeless the world feels right now, it's still amazing to see what we've achieved, how far we've come - and how much we can still accomplish.</div>
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I haven't given up - in myself, or in the world at large. Wherever the coming year takes me, whether that's Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, or LA, wherever it takes our country after this election, or consequently where it takes the world, I have faith we can move forward - on to something better, with the help of Someone bigger.</div>
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I don't know what you believe; for me personally, I do believe in God and a heaven. And heaven isn't a place of white fluffy clouds and gently twanging harp music - I don't know who we can blame for that portrayal, whether it's Dante or Renaissance painters, but it's wrong. Heaven isn't boring. Heaven is that ache you feel in your chest when you've seen something so beautiful it grabs your heart and won't let go. Heaven isn't harp music - it's the 1812 Overture, with booming cannons and everything, blasting out til it fills your whole being. Heaven is beauty that makes your heart swell - not necessarily over something visually pleasing, but over power, strength, tenderness, anything that makes your blood sing through your veins and reminds you that you're alive. I think we see bits of heaven every day, if we can remember to look up - and I think that's what can save us from all the anger and bitterness left from this year. We can still look up.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-43580534140658286382016-09-29T11:40:00.001-04:002016-09-29T14:03:36.342-04:00Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 - An Overview (Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Left Behind</b></div>
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<i>Lost in time. Brainwashing ensues (for at least two people).</i></div>
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The good: </div>
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-This episode introduces the concept of "time drift," when an individual lost in time tries to reaffirm their identity by returning to what's familiar - hence, Sara returning to the League of Assassins. It's an interesting psychological concept; I wish we'd gotten to explore it a little more.</div>
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-SARA'S AWESOME FIGHT - Holy crap, I could watch Caity Lotz fight all day. I mean, the choreography is amazing, and Caity makes it look so awesome, so smooth and beautiful and yet powerful at the same time. Sara's had some great fights, but I think this one is the best yet.</div>
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-THE REVEAL - Chronos is Mick! I confess, if I hadn't read it somewhere online, I probably wouldn't have seen this coming (I really need to stop reading comment sections). I love this twist. Mick is great for one-liners, and Dom does a fantastic job with what he's given, but because of the writing, Mick's been very one-note. Ironically, with the brainwashing from the Time Masters, Mick becomes more three-dimensional as a character, and we get to see a different side to him. This is the episode I realized Dominic Purcell could actually act; in his scene with Snart, Mick comes across as truly menacing, a genuine threat, and we know it's serious when he threatens Lisa. He, above all, knows how much she means to Snart.</div>
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-SNART IS A BADASS - Why does no one acknowledge this?! It's like they just assume Snart is awesome, so no one even reacts anymore - which, you know, of course he's awesome, but can he get some recognition at least? He <i>broke off his hand</i> to stop them from killing Mick. Broke off. His. Hand. I get there was a lot going on, but come on! I guess at this point no one expects any less - he's just Leonard F'ing Snart!</div>
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<a href="http://utbgeek.com/home/bradu25/public_html/utbgeek/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/LOT2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://utbgeek.com/home/bradu25/public_html/utbgeek/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/LOT2.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a></div>
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The bad:</div>
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-I wish we'd gotten to see some of the two years Kendra and Ray spent together in the 50's. This relationship obviously isn't going to last - it's clumsy at its worst and benign at its best - but it would have more emotional weight if we could actually see them getting to know each other and settling into their status as a couple. Why the writers invented this romance, I don't know, because it's obvious it's only around to cause conflict when Carter inevitably shows back up, who Kendra will ultimately end up with because of the writers' obsession with DESTINY (god, if I never hear that word again...), but if we're stuck with it, the least they could do is try to give us something to be invested in. Even if it was only five or ten minutes out of the episode, it would have been a lot more satisfying than just hearing out-of-context snippets about lucky water vases, however "cute" that may be.</div>
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<b>Best Quotes:</b></div>
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[Sara and Kendra playing Life]</div>
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Sara: "Congratulations. You're a doctor."</div>
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Kendra: "You know, I thought about going to medical school once."</div>
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Sara: "Here you go. Ten-thousand dollar salary."</div>
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Kendra: "That's it? I made more as a barista."</div>
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Sara: "Well, it's 1958. You're lucky to make that as a woman."</div>
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Kendra: "Touche."</div>
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Snart: (to Mick) "Would you mind loosening these [handcuffs] up a little before you leave?"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFmSmZei0N7bMrWECva2FkI0dgpx5UwxrxKheCQ5LMola6P6r_BUJ6T5oljAN04Meo16G168f2bk9eqXtlmgri4SpZ3uojAwJBK3OytTPOTx_Bt1quQq7ogUXkKvYiXaFWk7Wumu08g/s1600/palmer+statue.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFmSmZei0N7bMrWECva2FkI0dgpx5UwxrxKheCQ5LMola6P6r_BUJ6T5oljAN04Meo16G168f2bk9eqXtlmgri4SpZ3uojAwJBK3OytTPOTx_Bt1quQq7ogUXkKvYiXaFWk7Wumu08g/s320/palmer+statue.PNG" width="218" /></a></div>
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<b>Progeny</b></div>
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<i>Let's Kill (Baby) Hitler</i></div>
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The good:</div>
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-Props to the actor who plays Per Degaton, Cory Gruter-Andrew. The majority of Per's scenes are with Vandal Savage, and Gruter-Andrew just acts Casper Crump off the screen. Finally, we have a villain who's actually intimidating, and he's, what, twelve?</div>
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-The fact that the team's plan to save the world breaks down into Team Robot Army and Team Kidnapping is a better summary of the show than anything I could ever think of</div>
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-Snart turns into an Internet meme for a few seconds and actually says "Yaaaas" XD</div>
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<a href="https://66.media.tumblr.com/8696f7d13ef52ce524002abf20e0b461/tumblr_o5c5wp39E21s0unxto1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://66.media.tumblr.com/8696f7d13ef52ce524002abf20e0b461/tumblr_o5c5wp39E21s0unxto1_500.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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Because honestly, what else would you say?</div>
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-Jax's face when Ray introduces himself as Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a thing of beauty:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix21EvfwQVHnIP43nHAp8BLGR64Li-IkVnx1Ypfu5_ruzZS-p99VgKFfHRQ6NOedG21BhBzkV-6AEp6LQO1jFgbYmsG9m3CZpdc1FP7nxpM8cYzcAOBQNs0vFxybBTDgA2379OzjwVd9w/s1600/jax+progeny.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix21EvfwQVHnIP43nHAp8BLGR64Li-IkVnx1Ypfu5_ruzZS-p99VgKFfHRQ6NOedG21BhBzkV-6AEp6LQO1jFgbYmsG9m3CZpdc1FP7nxpM8cYzcAOBQNs0vFxybBTDgA2379OzjwVd9w/s1600/jax+progeny.gif" /></a></div>
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The bad:</div>
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-There is way too much going on in this episode. Kidnapping Per Degaton, attempting to kill Per Degaton, the virus, the robot army, Ray's potential fatherhood, Snart and Mick's conflict - I would say this should have been split into two episodes, if the environment was interesting enough to stay in for that long. Sadly, it is not; it's like every generic dystopian future ever. I wish they'd been more creative with it.</div>
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-LACK OF TENSION - We know Rip's not going to kill Per; he's a douchebag sometimes, but he's not a murderer. Likewise, we don't care about Ray maybe having a kid he didn't know about; it's nice that Ray cares enough to be distressed about it, but when there's a giant robot army attacking, I don't really care whose pants you've been in!</div>
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-SNART - I feel like the writers lost track of where Snart's character development was, because he just feels off this entire episode. The Snart from the pilot may have been okay with killing a kid, but not the Snart from Marooned, or even as far back as Blood Ties. Also, what was Snart's plan when he proposed the fight between him and Mick? Mick's built like a wall; there's no way Snart's going to win. So Snart wants to die? But he's not really acting like it. The only conclusion that leaves is that Snart assumed that Mick wouldn't kill him - but he had no way of knowing that, and he's never showed great faith in Mick's (small) potential for mercy, anyway. The "man with a plan" felt like he was flying blind here - again, off. </div>
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-Criminal under-use of Jewel Staite, who only got five minutes of screen time, tops. Any Browncoats watching, including this one, were extremely disappointed.</div>
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Also:</div>
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Sara, HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET CAPTURED??</div>
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<a href="http://utbgeek.com/home/bradu25/public_html/utbgeek/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/LOT5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://utbgeek.com/home/bradu25/public_html/utbgeek/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/LOT5.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Best Quotes:</b></div>
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Jax: "If we're going to be checking out the future-"</div>
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Sara: "We should probably invite the Nerd Twins."</div>
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The Nerd Twins is now my favorite description of Ray and Stein.</div>
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Sara: [to Snart] "So stop being an ass, and go deal with it."</div>
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Sara Lance, life coach.</div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTas5BJR1S7DCvtrjLZT3HZZ3Q-eTa-yyED2nQPl0Fw-AxcxaRc5hTbGms0MXgqRkGIKD18honcgA6GdlIrrRiAP9tXBVF1OZjSYt-DwDCRCum4ymWdJaLDpwu8wcCjga1dcYqgMcYXV0/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-04-14-21h31m08s948.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTas5BJR1S7DCvtrjLZT3HZZ3Q-eTa-yyED2nQPl0Fw-AxcxaRc5hTbGms0MXgqRkGIKD18honcgA6GdlIrrRiAP9tXBVF1OZjSYt-DwDCRCum4ymWdJaLDpwu8wcCjga1dcYqgMcYXV0/s320/vlcsnap-2016-04-14-21h31m08s948.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>The Magnificent Eight</b></div>
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<i>Not-So-Quiet on the Western Front</i></div>
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The good:</div>
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-This episode is definitely one of the show's best. Finally, after nearly a whole season of flailing around trying to find its way, it finds its niche: a genre piece, in the style of old westerns, with some sci fi thrown in - I'm getting Firefly vibes and I like it!</div>
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It's got a ton of atmosphere, it's a lot of fun, and, except for a few moments with Stein trying to save the kid, it never slows down - you always feel like you're always on your way to the next adventure. </div>
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We get a bar brawl with the whole team after Snart shoots somebody (of course), Sara drinks Mick under the table, Ray gets to be John Wayne and stand up to the resident oppressive gang, Snart gets to be a sharpshooter (again, no one seems surprised by this! He's a thief, how would he know how to be a sharpshooter?? Because he's Leonard F'ing Snart. At least Jax gives him some credit this time!), Rip gets to do a quick draw duel, and the Legends get to scare the crap out of the townspeople when they reveal their powers in the final showdown. True to the show at its best, it's absolutely crazy, and absolutely fantastic.</div>
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-Jonathan Schaech is excellent as Jonah Hex, and his bromance with Rip is quite entertaining. I hope they bring him back next season!</div>
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-I loved how Snart refused to leave Jax behind. Within the Legends, Jax is everybody's kid brother, even Snart's.</div>
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-Also, in a show with mostly male leads, Sara and Kendra getting to do some bonding is always appreciated.</div>
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<a href="https://598d5fcf392acad97538-395e64798090ee0a3a571e8c148d44f2.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/8976037_dcs-legends-of-tomorrow-episode-11-review_tb3be925d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://598d5fcf392acad97538-395e64798090ee0a3a571e8c148d44f2.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/8976037_dcs-legends-of-tomorrow-episode-11-review_tb3be925d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The bad:</div>
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-The Hunters were a bit too easily defeated. Otherwise, a solid episode!</div>
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The ugly:</div>
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-I suppose Jonah Hex's face? (which Ray is foolish enough to try to volunteer to fix)</div>
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<b>Best Quotes:</b></div>
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[Snart shoots attacking gang member]</div>
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Stein: "You killed him!"</div>
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Snart: "You're welcome."</div>
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Mick: "You haven't drunk with me."</div>
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Sara: "Is that a challenge, Mick?"</div>
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Mick: "Line 'em up."</div>
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<a href="http://media.comicbook.com/2016/04/legends-of-tomorrow-180028.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.comicbook.com/2016/04/legends-of-tomorrow-180028.png" height="177" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Last Refuge</b></div>
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<i>Babies.</i></div>
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The good:</div>
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-Fantastic work by one of my favorite directors, Rachel Talalay, who has also directed episodes of Doctor Who, Supernatural, The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, and Sherlock. The final fight of this episode especially is stunning.</div>
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-I really liked the villain for this episode, the Pilgrim. Her powers of manipulating time are such an intriguing threat for the team to face off against. While Faye Kingslee's acting may have been a bit wooden at times, her delivery of the line "You don't need to understand" had me cracking up. I know the Pilgrim was eventually reduced to a pile of ash, but can we find a way to bring her back? With a show based in immortality, reincarnation, and a magical resurrection hot tub, there has to be a way!</div>
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-The one scene that really got to me was between Jax and his father. Franz Drameh doesn't always get his time to shine in this show, and it was a pretty short scene, but he managed to bring so much emotion to it. In a show that oftentimes opts for a lot of running around and yelling rather than just slowing down and letting its characters and their emotions <i>breathe</i>, Drameh brought the emotional resonance the episode needed...making the perfect case for why next season they should give him more screen time! </div>
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<a href="http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2016/04/19/lgn112b0568bjpg-6d9da3_765w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2016/04/19/lgn112b0568bjpg-6d9da3_765w.jpg" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
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"This isn't my element." God help me, even dumb jokes</div>
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like this make me laugh. Bless you, Leonard Snart!</div>
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The bad:</div>
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<br /></div>
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- PACING - This would be a pretty amazing episode - if it kept up its momentum. But, as with a lot of the other episodes, the pacing just goes up and down, break-neck, then slouching, then back to break-neck as we race against the Pilgrim, but then stop along the way to meet Rip's mother and to have the Legends interact with their younger selves. I get it - these are essential elements to the plot, and I love them as individual scenes; Mick's scene especially with younger Mick is great. But together they just feel jumbled, letting the necessary tension die and leaving the audience unsure as to what level of concern they should be feeling for the imminent threat. I hope the writers work out this issue in Season 2, because it's letting a lot of potential go to waste.</div>
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-Ray, do not make out with your fiancee when your formerly dead fiancee is just on the other side of the door. That is wrong. On so many levels.</div>
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<a href="http://www.reviewstream.com/images_items/uWC7z72xW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.reviewstream.com/images_items/uWC7z72xW.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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Also:</div>
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Younger Sara: (looking at Sara) "But she's-"</div>
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Mick: "Quite the badass."</div>
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I love how Mick is basically the president of the Sara Lance fan club. </div>
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<b>Best Quotes:</b></div>
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Kendra: "Ray and I are happy together. We should be able to enjoy that before I have to drop the whole "doomed love affair" thing on his head."</div>
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Sara: (sarcastic) "Yeah, I mean, who wants a relationship based on honesty and communication?"</div>
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Quentin: "I always knew that you'd end up caring for people. Protecting people."</div>
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Sara: "Well, I learned it from my dad."</div>
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<a href="http://geekingforeveryone.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/the-atom-versus-leviathan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://geekingforeveryone.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/the-atom-versus-leviathan2.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Leviathan</b></div>
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<i>Rock 'Em-Sock 'Em Robots!</i></div>
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The good:</div>
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-The best part of this episode is definitely the giant robot fight. I don't usually go in for stuff like Transformers, and I haven't seen Pacific Rim, but dang it if I didn't feel my inner child cheer when the giant Atom busted up the Leviathan. Woo! No doubt about it, it's awesome.</div>
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-CASSANDRA - Okay, so Jessica Sipos' acting was a little wooden, but I think the actress was running into the same problems as Kingslee did with the Pilgrim: trying to be stoic and commanding, which unfortunately comes across as bland and wooden when it lacks intensity. (For an example of what we need, see Caity Lotz's performance in Left Behind; she was cold and commanding, but she had an intensity that made her intimidating, and pretty mesmerizing to watch). But, I think this character has potential, and I'd like to see her come back. I think the writers were also trying to show a little spark between her and Snart, which was fine, but if they're going with the whole Sara/Snart pairing, Sara would totally kick Cassandra's butt - and then they'd probably make up and go for coffee or something.</div>
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<a href="http://previously.tv/m/2016-04-29-lot-bracelet-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://previously.tv/m/2016-04-29-lot-bracelet-01.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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The bad:</div>
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-CASSANDRA - Cassandra is way too easy to convince to turn against her father. Yes, it's interesting to see Snart of all people be the one to guide someone into the light, but if you're Vandal Savage's daughter, I don't think it would just take a half an hour of talking and walking around a refugee camp to convince you to turn your back on your father's entire evil empire, ergo your whole life and everything you've ever known. We needed something a bit more; as it is, it's just too easily resolved.</div>
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-MICK - What happened to Mick? It's like his entire personality reverted to what he was like before they even stepped on the Waverider. Maybe it's the writers' way of showing he's breaking away from his identity as Chronos. I mean, he's hilarious, but it felt out of place, and way too sudden!</div>
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-TIME TRAVEL RULES - Here is where it's most visible why the time travel aspect of this show isn't working. Rip says he can't go back to save his family because "time wants to happen." Yet, he's constantly worried about the team botching the timeline, saying "time is in flux." So which is it? If time wants to happen, why can't they do whatever the hell they want? If time is in flux, why is "destiny" brought up in every single episode? If time is in flux, <i>destiny doesn't exist</i>. You can't have it both ways. It's a real shame, because other shows, like The Flash, do time travel so well; it figures that the DC show whose premise is actually based in time travel can't seem to write it well!</div>
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-KENDRA - *scream of anguish*</div>
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Oh, Kendra. Why? Why do you have to be written so horribly? You could have been great. You could have been like Sara - three-dimensional, complex, likable, and badass - and yet, you're as awful as she is awesome.</div>
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This show is supposed to pivot on Kendra. She's the only one who can kill Savage; it's supposed to be her story that's driving this entire show.</div>
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AND YET.</div>
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She is one of the weakest, worst written characters I've ever seen. She isn't given even a vague rendering of a personality, she can't seem to physically exist within a story line without a love interest giving her a reason to be there (Cisco, then Carter, then Ray), and any kind of moment where she could potentially be amazing - taking down soldiers, rescuing members of the team - is immediately followed by her getting knocked out, kidnapped, or otherwise just negating her presence within the show. There is literally an entire episode, Progeny, where she does nothing but daydream, mooning around the ship while having flashbacks about Carter. And then here, when she finally has a chance to fulfill the only reason she's been around - to kill Savage - SHE CAN'T. </div>
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Oh, my god, Carter reincarnates! You'll see him again! Even then, you literally know a person who came back from the dead - maybe there's another option there? You know there's reincarnation, immortality, resurrection, and just plain magic - why are you even worried about death at this point?? The entire fate of humanity is hanging in the balance! Smash Savage's head in!!</div>
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I feel so sorry for this actress. She's a successful singer, dancer, and actress on Broadway - she took over for Patina Miller as the Leading Player in <i>Pippin</i>, which is no small feat - and I feel like, with a little more experience, she could be a pretty good film/television actress. But, with the material they're giving her, there's nothing to work with. Don't hate Ciara Renee for this - she deserved better. Be disappointed in the writers for not being able to write more than one female character at a time who has actual depth and personality. </div>
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<b>Best Quotes:</b></div>
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Rip: "Now, in order to capture [Savage], I require the services of-"</div>
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Mick: "Killer, Klepto, and Pyro!"</div>
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Rip: "Bingo."</div>
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That's it. That's the show I want to watch. <i>Killer, Klepto, and Pyro </i>- where Sara, Snart, and Mick steal the jump ship and go through time causing shenanigans. I would watch the hell out of that.</div>
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Snart: (to Mick) "How about we play this like Chicago?"</div>
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<a href="http://thearrowverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/lgn114a_0090b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://thearrowverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/lgn114a_0090b.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>River of Time</b></div>
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<i>The One Where Everyone Takes Stupid Pills</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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This episode makes my brain angry. It's arguably the worst episode of the entire show, which is a shame, because it also has one of the best lines of the season (more on that later). What frustrates me is, I get what they're going for - Savage going all Hannibal Lecter and turning the team against each other. That idea could be a really interesting episode; the problem is, the writing isn't strong enough to make the situation plausible. </div>
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Savage isn't intimidating enough, or apparently smart enough, to manipulate the team in ways that we can believe; instead, the only way to get the team to where the writers want them to be - in conflict and without hope - is by them being really, really stupid. </div>
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Okay, first, the good:</div>
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-SARA - Captain Sara Lance. I love this so much. And the great thing is, I can believe it! If anyone's going to pilot the ship, out of all the Legends, it would be Sara.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio02TLWeu8nCmrAjghQ-LG6iV7nmauBZowD1w7Xs0nqogb6m1CpO3iUva6Z-iqQdG2R3wCpnwOIS7z-BZFe1wr6g8NA-MKGHtM1aB_TxNBTwvUQROWldT_2sODfs8vRY9ptu01AsWx4Z8/s1600/captain+sara+lance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio02TLWeu8nCmrAjghQ-LG6iV7nmauBZowD1w7Xs0nqogb6m1CpO3iUva6Z-iqQdG2R3wCpnwOIS7z-BZFe1wr6g8NA-MKGHtM1aB_TxNBTwvUQROWldT_2sODfs8vRY9ptu01AsWx4Z8/s320/captain+sara+lance.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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-THE END OF "KENDRAY" - Holy god, I'm so glad this pairing is over. The actors did the best they could, but we could see from the beginning that it was pointless. And now it's gone - hopefully never to return.</div>
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-CARTER - I guess the trick to making a character more interesting in this show is brainwashing them. Carter returns as Scythian Torvil, and wow - Falk Hentschel can actually act! Evil Carter is so much more interesting than regular Carter ever was.</div>
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-FIRESTORM - The one truly emotional moment is between Jax and Stein when Stein sends Jax back to 2016. It's touching to see how far their partnership has come since the pilot - now it's not just a partnership, it's a friendship.</div>
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-"Alexa" - I love when Snart or Mick make references to their criminal past together. It adds a lot to their partnership - plus the way Alexa was brought up again at the end was a nice touch on the writers' part.</div>
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<a href="http://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Legends-of-Tomorrow-114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Legends-of-Tomorrow-114.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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The bad:</div>
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-RIP - Rip is the worst leader ever. Yes, send Jax to die - your guilty conscience definitely makes up for that!</div>
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-RAY - Ray is not this stupid. He wouldn't let Savage out of his cell just because of some wounded pride. For Ray, ego is not the problem, so it doesn't make sense for him to be the one to let Savage out. That's stupid writing.</div>
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-"TWISTS" - Savage has been traveling through time? <i>And</i> he's working with the Time Masters? Whoa - actually, no, Rip should have suspected this from the start. Especially as a former Time Master. These twists aren't clever; they're so frikkin' obvious! </div>
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-CARTER DYING - I laughed so hard when Savage stabbed Carter. Seriously, writers, you brought this character back <i>just to kill him again?</i> Ultimately he didn't die, but come on; I shouldn't be laughing when a character is quite possibly dead! </div>
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List of things Carter Hall is good at: </div>
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-getting stabbed by Vandal Savage.</div>
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<b>Best Quotes:</b></div>
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<b><i>Savage: "Who are you to stand against me, Vandal Savage, destroyer of empires?"</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Snart: "Leonard Snart, robber of ATMs!"</i></b></div>
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This is, undeniably, the best quote of the season. Not only is it a great line, but the way Wentworth Miller delivers it, with pure, unabashed pride, makes it gold. I wish this was in a better episode, because it cracks me up every time!</div>
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Rip: "You, Miss Lance, you're going to be our navigator."</div>
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Sara: "I was League of Assassins, not NASA!"</div>
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<a href="http://static.tvbuzer.com/images/news/Be/Best-Legends-of-Tomorrow-Quotes-from-Destiny-57412-6-50986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static.tvbuzer.com/images/news/Be/Best-Legends-of-Tomorrow-Quotes-from-Destiny-57412-6-50986.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Destiny</b></div>
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<i>FEELINGS.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Finally, we get to the show at its finest. Destiny course-corrects and fixes the flaws that have marred the majority of Legends of Tomorrow's episodes - this time it actually has steady pacing, it builds tension, it shows character development, and it ties the season together under a genuinely intriguing plot element. </div>
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Also it stabs you in the heart. </div>
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Any show that can bring me to feel that strong of an emotion towards a fictional character has my respect. Good job, writers. I hate you.</div>
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The good:</div>
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-SNART - I suppose this was planned from the beginning. Looking back, I guess I should have seen it coming. Snart is so clearly set up as the snarky, cynical villain of the crew, and his subsequent journey towards hero is meant to make us love him even more. </div>
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Snart is undoubtedly the best part of every episode; he always has something enjoyably sarcastic to say about the situation at hand, he's consistently a stone-cold badass, and watching him interact with the other characters - Mick, Sara, Jax, even Ray - is always solidly entertaining. That's why I was sure the writers wouldn't kill him off; he's the best part of the show. With how much Legends of Tomorrow can struggle otherwise, no way would the writers kill off its strongest element!</div>
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I was wrong. </div>
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I'd like to give credit not only to the writers, but to Wentworth Miller, whose subtleties within his performance as Snart truly sold his character arc from villain to hero - in fact, really made the character that the whole fandom unanimously loves. The hamminess of his Captain Cold persona is what makes him such a fun character, but it's just that - a persona. What made Snart great was when we got to see past the Captain Cold mask - when he opened up to Sara, when he refused to leave Jax behind, the look on his face when Mick revealed himself as Chronos. With a lesser actor, I think this character might very well have ended up being inconsistent and a bit irritating; with Miller, though, he's complex, three-dimensional, and always a welcome presence on the screen.</div>
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It'll be interesting to see where they take this character in Season 2. I was a bit frustrated when I heard he would only be recurring, and apparently he's evil. Again (please don't let this negate his entire character development in Season 1; that would also be frustrating). I have my own theories about Legion of Doom Snart, and I think the show is definitely worse off for him not being on the team, but, hey - he'll be recurring on the other DC shows, too, which will be fun, and we have Vixen and Citizen Steel joining the crew. I'll wait to see what the writers do with it. Regardless, I'll definitely miss Season 1's Leonard Snart.</div>
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-SARA/SNART - There's a term in the domain of Tumblr known as "trash." Before this show, it never applied to me.</div>
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Now it does.</div>
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<a href="http://previously.tv/m/2016-05-13-lot-header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://previously.tv/m/2016-05-13-lot-header.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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Maybe it's because it was the unlikeliest of pairings, and yet somehow it works beautifully; it's definitely because Miller and Lotz's chemistry is off the charts in any scene they're in together; it's also because the writers had nothing to do with it. That's why it works so well - it's not forced. The actors just decided to go with it, and because of that, it's one of the strongest elements of the show. </div>
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I could go on and on about why I love them so much, but I'll spare you the details and just say this: it feels honest. It feels genuine. There's no bullcrap between them, no secrets or drama or typical melodramatic nonsense - it's just two equally awesome people who become great friends, and then fall in love. More of this, CW. Please. </div>
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The bad:</div>
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Not much to say here. Everything actually works really well; it feels like the writers kept all this stuff up their sleeve and then finally revealed it in this episode - which makes for a great episode, but I wish they'd had more ideas at their disposal so the rest of the season could have been as good. If you're saving everything good for last, there's no guarantee people will stick around 'til the end to see it. </div>
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The twist with the Oculus, Sara and Snart saving the day, Jax doing his own bit of saving the day, Mick and Ray bonding, a very small amount of screen time dedicated to Savage and Kendra - like River of Time is the showcase for the show's biggest flaws, Destiny is a display of the show at its best. I hope the writers take note and give us more of this next season.</div>
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<b>Best Quotes:</b></div>
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[Snart waves deck of cards]</div>
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Sara: "Not in the mood."</div>
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Snart: "I was going to apologize for pulling a gun on you, but apparently I was just following a script."</div>
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Sara: "Doesn't make you any less of a jerk."</div>
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Snart: "...Guilty."</div>
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Snart: (to Time Masters) "There are no strings on me."</div>
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Again, from a lesser actor, this line would have come across as cheesy; from Miller, though, it's decidedly badass.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://screencrush.com/files/2016/05/legends-sara-pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://screencrush.com/files/2016/05/legends-sara-pic.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Legendary</b></div>
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<i>Third Time's the Harm</i></div>
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Remember those meteors? The one from Night of the Hawk? Vaguely? Also there was one in Pilot, Part 2? No? Well, too bad, because apparently they're the point of everything - at least according to the season finale.</div>
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The good:</div>
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-SARA - Sara finally finds out about Laurel's death...and it's heartbreaking. Caity Lotz's performance is amazing here; we see Sara go from disbelief and grief, to calm rage, to outright fury, and back to grief, pleading for Rip to take her back to save her sister. And, knowing Laurel's death comes on the heels of Snart's - I'm amazed Sara is even still standing. But she gets back up, and she kicks ass, like she always does - and that's why I love her. I think that's why it's so satisfying when she finally gets to SNAP Savage's neck. YES.</div>
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Which brings me to:</div>
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-KILL, KILL, KILL - I have never been so happy to see a villain die. The team gets to kill Savage three different times, in three different time periods, and I was practically cheering the whole way. Kendra finally gets to stab him - YES! Mick burns him - WOO! Sara snaps his neck - AWW YESSS! That's for being the worst, least intimidating, two-dimensional villain I've ever seen on screen! DIE! DIE, YOU BADLY WRITTEN, PAPER-THIN EXCUSE FOR A CHARACTER! DIE!</div>
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<br /></div>
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-TRANSMUTATION - Firestorm has a new superpower! With Stein and Jax getting pushed to the side a lot this season narrative-wise, it was great to see them finally have something just for them to marvel at and experiment with. Can't wait to see how they use this next season!</div>
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<br /></div>
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-GOODBYE, HAWKS - The Hawks decide not to keep traveling with Rip - thank god. Apparently when show runner Phil Klemmer sat down with the writers and they tried to think of stories for Hawkman and Hawkgirl next season, they couldn't think of any, so they decided to bench them for now. Klemmer says it's because they'd already focused a lot on their story, so there wasn't much left to work with. I personally think it's because THEY'RE THE MOST BORING CHARACTERS EVER. Goodbye - only have Kendra come back when she has a personality and no love interest!</div>
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-JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA - Pretty great cliffhanger for next season. I know the Justice Society is the precursor to the Justice League, so it'll be interesting to see who they bring in for it. Our first official member is Rex Tyler, a.k.a. Hourman, who has superpowers for one hour by taking a special pill. I guess we'll see how this show interprets his powers/back story.</div>
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-SNART AND MICK - Oh, god, that last scene between Mick and past Snart. What are feelings and why do they hurt *SNIFF*</div>
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<a href="https://pmctvline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/legends-of-tomorrow-hourman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://pmctvline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/legends-of-tomorrow-hourman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The bad:</div>
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-RIP - Oh, my god, <i>no one cares</i>. I stopped caring about Rip and his family ten episodes ago. Your grief does not give you the excuse to treat everyone around you like crap and put everyone else's lives in danger. Even when he risks his own life, it's totally pointless - holy god, <i>you don't have to die</i>. You have a jump ship! <i>Use it!</i> God, this is so stupid. I hope next season the writing for Rip is better, because as of this moment he is down there with the Hawks as one of my least favorite characters. Don't make me do that to Rory Williams!</div>
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-METEORS - If the meteors are such an important part of the show that they comprise the whole of the season finale, maybe they should have been brought up before. More than once. Maybe.</div>
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-LACK OF SNART - I kept waiting this entire episode for a snarky remark about the ridiculousness of everything going on. And then I'd remember - <i>oh, right</i>. In an episode as insane as this, we really need someone there who's willing to mock it, just to keep <i>something</i> grounded in reality. As it is, there was definitely a void there that I hope isn't felt so terribly in Season 2.</div>
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Whatever this episode's flaws, I have to concede that it definitely has a full barrage of great lines. So, without further ado:</div>
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<b>Best Quotes:</b></div>
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Sara: "Glad we're past the point of worrying about the timeline!"</div>
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Me, too, Sara. Me, too.</div>
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Ray: "We don't need weapons."</div>
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Stein: "He's right. We have superpowers!"</div>
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Stein: "I never thought I'd utter these words, but I think we need a Nazi."</div>
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Sara: (to Savage) "A Time Master is never late."</div>
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[Bird monsters attack]</div>
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Ray: "Seriously? These guys again?"</div>
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[Firestorm turns meteor to water, washes over Sara's shoes]</div>
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Sara: (facetious) "Aw, man, you got my boots wet!"</div>
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[Hawks fly away after their final farewell]</div>
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Mick: "Every time they do that, I get hungry for chicken." (chomps chicken leg)</div>
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So, a weak finale for a bumpy Season 1. </div>
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When Legends of Tomorrow is bad, it's really bad, but when it's great, it's so much fun. I can see the flaws, I know it's not a great show - but god help me, I love it. The cast is perfect, the premise is ridiculous and fun and awesome, and I can't wait to see what happens in Season 2. We've got Citizen Steel and past Vixen joining the team, no more Vandal Savage or Time Masters, Justice Society versus Legion of Doom (including a certain Captain Cold who somehow isn't dead) - just, give me all of it. I love its ridiculous, over-the-top insanity, and I can't wait for next season!</div>
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See you on Thursday, October 13th for "Out of Time"! Until then, Legends!</div>
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<b>Best Season 1 Episodes:</b></div>
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<b>Pilot </b>(<i>bar scene)</i></div>
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<b>Fail-Safe</b></div>
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<b>Star City 2046</b></div>
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<b>Marooned</b></div>
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<b>Destiny </b><i>(best episode)</i></div>
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<a href="http://cdn1us.denofgeek.com/sites/denofgeekus/files/2016/09/legends-of-tomorrow-season-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn1us.denofgeek.com/sites/denofgeekus/files/2016/09/legends-of-tomorrow-season-2.jpg" height="243" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-90214388454297488772016-08-18T00:08:00.000-04:002016-08-24T13:53:28.334-04:00Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 - An Overview (Part 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6or-kloSF30oTM9Rf2XhsJJ0_8z3OOF7Vxkkbv68Nu_s3AAw2Z3QwjqMjIhTNun2fDgiFq8XacraOfHseCFUB928oIzCPNXTxO9JIkaymdibYh2ytJ0yl2zF2i6j_Bjaq41kYe2pYpTc/s1600/Legends+of+Tomorrow+splash+page.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6or-kloSF30oTM9Rf2XhsJJ0_8z3OOF7Vxkkbv68Nu_s3AAw2Z3QwjqMjIhTNun2fDgiFq8XacraOfHseCFUB928oIzCPNXTxO9JIkaymdibYh2ytJ0yl2zF2i6j_Bjaq41kYe2pYpTc/s320/Legends+of+Tomorrow+splash+page.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Welcome to DC TV's craziest show yet - a time travel show featuring two reincarnating hawk gods, a reformed assassin, two master criminals, a miniature-sized superhero, and a flaming nuclear man (who's actually two men). Did we mention the main villain is also immortal? Legends of Tomorrow! Enjoy your stay! </div>
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Time travel can be a bit rough, though; there may be some, um, bleeding from the eyeballs. </div>
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Gideon! Plot a course for Legends of Tomorrow, Season 1 - An Overview!</div>
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(*Spoilers*)</div>
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<a href="http://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Legends-of-Tomorrow-101-part-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Legends-of-Tomorrow-101-part-3.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Pilot, Part 1</b></div>
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So, if you've watched the other CW superhero shows, you know Arrow and especially The Flash had pretty strong pilots (I liked Supergirl's pilot, too, although I seem to be in the minority on that one). You set up your world, you introduce your main character, and you (hopefully) give the audience a reason to keep watching.</div>
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The problem with this show is that there are NINE main characters, all with stories to tell. True, they had all been introduced on either Arrow or The Flash before this show started, but, for novices like myself at the time, their stories still needed to be told. </div>
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Unfortunately, that takes up a huge chunk of the episode, as well as just seeing Rip round them all up and introduce himself and <i>his</i> story. Then we have the season-long arc with Vandal Savage and the Hawks to explain, and my god, could the writers have chosen a more complicated story line for that arc. </div>
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(The answer is no, no, they could not.)</div>
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So, too much exposition and talking makes for a not-so-great pilot - except for one scene:</div>
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<i>The bar fight scene with Sara, Snart, and Mick.</i> If you watch nothing else of this show, watch that scene. It finally shows how great this show can be, with Sara kicking butt and Captain and Tenille's "Love Will Keep Us Together" playing in the background. My kudos to you, writers; that scene is pure gold - and pinpointed, in my opinion, the three best characters on the show.</div>
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I also really like the fact that the Legends aren't actually legends, as revealed by Rip. A team of supposed losers fighting to save the world in defiance of their fate is much more compelling than people who already know they're destined for greatness.</div>
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<b>Best Quotes:</b></div>
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<b>Snart: "Why did we become criminals?"</b></div>
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<b>Mick: "Because we hate work and love money."</b></div>
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<b>Sara: "If we have the power to change the world, don't you think we have the power to change our own fate?"</b></div>
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<a href="http://cdn3-www.superherohype.com/assets/uploads/2016/01/LOT21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn3-www.superherohype.com/assets/uploads/2016/01/LOT21.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Pilot, Part 2</b></div>
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Fortunately, Part 2 is a bit more evenly paced than Part 1. The Legends land in 1975, sneaking into a weapons auction. But not just any weapons auction - this one is for nuclear warheads, and bids are placed by firing your gun into the air. First of all, that is awesome - and a prime example of the ridiculous, amazing spectacle that makes this show so much fun to watch.</div>
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Other highlights: Sara kicking butt again (while stoned, I might add), Ray and Snart having to work together to break into Savage's house (Ray is just such an adorkable puppy it drives Snart up the wall, and I think that's what makes their scenes together so entertaining), and then - and then Carter dies.</div>
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We are two episodes in, folks. One of the Legends is already dead. What.</div>
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I have to hand it to the writers, that takes some serious guts (specifically, Carter's - I'm sorry). Of course there's the whole reincarnation aspect, so we know he'll be back, but wow - that's one way to fix your overcrowding of characters, I guess!</div>
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Also, Stein's younger self - spot on imitation of Victor Garber's Stein. Nice job, Graeme McComb!</div>
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<b>Best Quotes:</b></div>
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<b>Sara: "I could be unconscious and still be able to kick the ass of a few rent-a-thugs from 1975."</b></div>
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<b>Stein: "This is right when I meet my future wife, Clarissa. So obviously, we wouldn't want my former self tempted by a sexy assassin from the future."</b></div>
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<b>Sara: "Aw, you think I'm sex-"</b></div>
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<b>Stein: "Do not finish that sentence."</b></div>
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<a href="http://cdn1.sciencefiction.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/lot-snart-family-emerald.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn1.sciencefiction.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/lot-snart-family-emerald.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Blood Ties</b></div>
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This episode is a prime example of what stopped this show from reaching its full potential before Destiny (its best episode and the <i>second-to-last</i> episode of the season): it's too dang FRAGMENTED.</div>
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Example:</div>
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Main plot: Sara and Rip break into a bank to steal Savage's funds. Another awesome fight scene for Sara, where her struggle with bloodlust from the Lazarus Pit is placed front and center, but before it can overcome her completely, she and Rip take a captive to obtain more information on Savage.</div>
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MEANWHILE:</div>
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Kendra is lying unconscious in the med bay, pieces of Savage's dagger trapped in her bloodstream and heading for her heart (did anyone else miss the part in the last episode where the dagger actually broke?). Ray has to shrink down to get into her bloodstream to pew-pew the pieces into smithereens (which could still probably cause some damage) with Stein there for emotional support. But, Ray has a crisis of confidence.</div>
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<i>Side note: Was anyone else terrified when Ray panicked when he was inside Kendra's veins? I know they wouldn't do that on this show, but in the back of my mind I was terrified Ray was going to shoot up to full size and Kendra would just go SPLAT! Ughh. Give me a frikkin' anxiety attack.</i></div>
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MEANWHILE:</div>
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Snart steals an emerald and goes to his childhood home, ending up having an unexpected heart-to-heart when he runs into his younger self. He gives the emerald to his father, who physically abused him and his sister when they were kids, so his father won't be sent to jail for stealing it, since it was after he got out of prison that the abuse started.</div>
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The conversation between Snart and his childhood self is a really touching scene. Hats off to Wentworth Miller, who injects some much-needed pathos into Snart and makes this a really lovely, sad, heartbreaking moment. We've never seen Snart without a smirk on his face; this is the first time we've seen him be absolutely sincere and genuine, and that really makes the episode. I mean, look at him:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiBaR5QeXHBzyEq_bQgs0_QBt3IrXFgc1nwJoNFejPscrv5NZhP-CWxP9riwatBLCTs3EExRrF8dwt3X3I1pyQQhq-XO5bnIknwR_GIwl3UBPjg4vzG8ghP4nHfQLi8nsTIZ-JDMAK6A/s1600/snart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiBaR5QeXHBzyEq_bQgs0_QBt3IrXFgc1nwJoNFejPscrv5NZhP-CWxP9riwatBLCTs3EExRrF8dwt3X3I1pyQQhq-XO5bnIknwR_GIwl3UBPjg4vzG8ghP4nHfQLi8nsTIZ-JDMAK6A/s320/snart.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The fact that he can switch from that face to one of pure hatred when his father enters the room gives such an emotional charge to the whole scene, and also makes us aware of just how hard and cynical Snart has had to become in order to leave his past behind. Even though this scene is so out of place from everything else happening in this episode, it's probably the first moment of real emotional connection to one of the characters, and for that I will give the writers their due.</div>
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<b>Mick: "We know how to case banks. We're practically bankers."</b></div>
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<b>Snart: "Except we take the money <i>out</i>."</b></div>
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<b>Jax: "Is there anything you think about other than yourself?"</b></div>
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<b>Snart: "Yes. Money."</b></div>
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<a href="http://fangirlish.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/LGN104B_0039b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://fangirlish.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/LGN104B_0039b.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>White Knights</b></div>
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No question, this is Captain Cold's episode, and Wentworth Miller makes the most of every minute of it, with Snart's snarky drawl and trademark smirk.</div>
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True, this episode probably focuses too much on Snart (considering there are seven other characters who need something to do), but I can't help it - I just love everything he does in this. From that swoon-worthy catch of the military officer at the Pentagon, to stealing Valentina Vostok away from Ray's failed attempts at romance, Snart is cool, confident, and a surprise ladies' man- who knew? Smooth as ice, indeed!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain "Steal Yo Gurl"</td></tr>
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Of course, there are other, probably more important things going on, too: we get our first genuinely intriguing villain, Dr. Valentina Vostok, who wants to create a Soviet Firestorm; Time Master Druce tries to kill Rip, our first clue that the Time Masters aren't a particularly nice bunch; and Sara and Kendra spar on the Waverider - which, while interesting, lacks weight since it remains outside of the main conflict. <i>Blend </i>your story lines, blend, come on!</div>
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I do love the ending when Snart pulls his gun on Rip. Their perpetual tug-of-war of leadership in the team is already apparent, and that tension gets jacked to the max when Snart threatens Rip. Leading the Legends isn't an easy job, but, I have to say, at this point I think Snart would make a better leader than Rip. The only thing stopping him is he has to learn to care about the team as much as he does Mick or his sister Lisa. Rip is trying to save the world, but his motivation is ultimately selfish - a fact that will definitely come back to bite him.</div>
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<b>Ray: "Better go bone up on Vostok's CV."</b></div>
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<b>Snart: "I guess I'll bone up on the ballet. Gideon: bone me."</b></div>
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[Best line, and line delivery, of the episode, I swear. I bust out laughing every time]</div>
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<b>Vostok: "You used me. You work for the American government."</b></div>
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<b>Snart: "I'm wanted by the American government, does that count?"</b></div>
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<b>Fail-Safe</b></div>
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This is finally an episode that feels like it can stand on its own, that it knows the kind of show it is, the story it wants to tell and how to tell it. Everyone has something to do; no one is off on little side missions that have nothing to do with the main plot. We have focus, we have clarity, we have even tone and pacing. <i>Finally</i>. Let's show what this show can do!</div>
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Mick, Ray, and Stein are captured - time for a rescue mission (and plenty of Prison Break references)! Sara, Snart, and Rip engage the Bratva to break into the gulag.</div>
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<i>A stray observation: I don't know if this is a coincidence that this episode is written by two (presumably) straight women, but there are a ton of shirtless scenes here - for Rip in the sauna, and for Mick and Ray when they're being tortured. Is this shameless gratification, or just per the CW contract?</i></div>
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<i>And then there's Snart, J chillin' (metaphorically) in his robe:</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockin' the white cotton</td></tr>
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Meanwhile, Vostok is trying to get the Firestorm formula out of Stein. Ray and Mick are in prison, and they're tortured in front of Stein to make him confess. Rip tasks Sara with killing Stein if the mission fails, and, at long last, Vostok succeeds in merging with Stein to create the Soviet Firestorm. Fail-Safe's plot is solid, which finally gives this show the vehicle to showcase what makes it worth watching: the relationships between the characters.<br />
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Ray and Mick are a fascinating combination I never thought would work, but, strangely, it does. Mick works best with his opposites; that's why he and Snart work so well together. Ray is the exact opposite of Snart, yet somehow he and Mick work, too. How?</div>
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Well, Snart and Ray place emphasis on different things: Snart is all about the mind, tactics and strategy and planning ahead, while Ray is all about the heart, caring about other people. Mick and Snart's partnership is divisive, with Snart as the brains and Mick as the muscle; Ray and Mick's temporary partnership, however, is more inclusive, with Ray as the heart, and, because of this natural vulnerability and compassion, inviting Mick to also be more compassionate. Mick likewise tries to teach Ray to be more of the muscle and look out for himself. It's an interesting dichotomy, but one that works surprisingly well. It also rounds out Mick as a character a bit more; after Ray takes a beating for him, you can tell he's surprised and touched, and thus more open to caring about somebody else on the team besides Snart, even if he won't admit it.</div>
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Stein and Jax as Firestorm is also a great relationship that gets explored here, one that shows how much their trust has grown, and Jax's belief in Stein ultimately saves them from Vostok's Firestorm. But my favorite relationship is the episode's biggest surprise: Sara and Snart.</div>
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<i>Snart </i>stops Sara from killing Stein? Is this still Captain Cold we're talking about? Apparently, yes - and that's what makes this episode for me.</div>
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From the pilot, Snart's interest in Sara has been clear, but more so as someone to flirt with than to actually care about. Here, though, his actions speak volumes: he recognizes her struggle with self-doubt - trying to ignore her own personal objections for the greater good, her desperation that her dark past might finally result in something worthwhile. He sees that, and seems to understand; for some reason, he wants her to be better. He knows she is better. And so it's him who ultimately convinces her to spare Stein.</div>
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This seems to come right out of the blue, and yet, somehow, it fits. The assassin who wants to reform, the hardened crook who believes in her - that's a story I'll keep coming back for.</div>
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<b>Jax: [after sprinting across prison yard] "Barry Allen who?!"</b></div>
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<b>Snart: "Sara, don't do it."</b></div>
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<b>Sara: "I don't have a choice. It's the only way to save Star City - the future."</b></div>
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<b>Snart: "That's how a killer thinks. And that's not you anymore."</b></div>
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<b>Star City 2046</b></div>
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I hadn't seen Arrow before watching this episode, so I wasn't that invested in what was going on. I'm on Season 2 now, and while I am enjoying it, I'm just not as into it as I am this show or The Flash. If you're an Arrow fan, you'll probably enjoy this episode; I know a lot of people did. As for me, I'll say I wish Grant Wilson had been a bit more intimidating. </div>
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I did, however, love how Snart was completely bored out of his mind in the criminals' den! That was unexpected, and thus frikkin' hilarious.</div>
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<b>Mick: "We're not going to sit here, are we?"</b></div>
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<b>Snart: "Why don't we stretch our legs at that bank we passed three blocks back?"</b></div>
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<b>Sara: "That's not Oliver Queen."</b></div>
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<b>Ray: "Sure dresses like him."</b></div>
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<b>Snart: [dodging arrow] "Shoots arrows like him!"</b></div>
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<b>Marooned</b></div>
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Well, here we are: the episode that made me fall hard for Legends of Tomorrow. </div>
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I've <a href="http://221bbc.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-marooned-1x05-made-me-love-legends.html">gushed</a> on and on about this particular episode already, so I'll keep it short(ish) here. But I can't help it: I really love Marooned.</div>
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Structure-wise, this episode was a huge relief in that it <i>finally</i> laid the groundwork to give Legends the solid foundation it needs to work as a show: the back story of Rip and his wife Miranda, the reason for why the Legends exist as a team in the first place.</div>
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We also got a little world building, as the team encounters a new threat: time pirates, criminals who illegally use time travel to commit crimes throughout the time-space continuum. Now that's an interesting idea, considering with law and order (the Time Masters) you always have someone bent on defying it, and I hope we get to explore that idea even more in Season 2.</div>
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But what's really great about this episode is the relationships explored within it. The main conflict is the most tragic one: Snart and Mick, who have been at odds since Snart knocked Mick unconscious and forced him back on the Waverider in Star City 2046. Seeing that partnership break down is frikkin' heartbreaking, especially since it's been established from the start how loyal they are to each other. But Snart's loyalties have changed, shown particularly well in the scene between him and Sara when they're freezing to death in the engine room. Once again, Wentworth Miller and Caity Lotz's chemistry is amazing, and in their conversation it comes through loud and clear: Leonard Snart has finally found his heart.</div>
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Which makes it even more crushing when, at the end of the episode, after Mick has placed all of the Legends' lives at risk by letting the pirates take over the ship, Snart is forced to take Mick off and "deal with him." </div>
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If your eyes don't water even just a little when Snart and Mick are having that conversation at the end - well, you're made of sterner stuff than I. And then when Snart actually fires his gun at Mick, presumably killing him - "What! What?! What!!" (Me, when I first saw it.) It's <i>so</i> sad...</div>
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And yet...</div>
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...amazing! <i>That's</i> how you end an episode! What a cliffhanger! What an unforgettable ending! Woo! YES!</div>
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<b>Best Quotes:</b></div>
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<b>Ray: "Captain's log, stardate 837.9. We're awaiting word from the away team aboard the Acheron."</b></div>
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<b>Sara: "I don't think Mick's problem is with the ship."</b></div>
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<b>Snart: "You think it's with me."</b></div>
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<b>Sara: "You did knock him out and force him to leave 2046 Star City - which is like Disneyland for felons."</b></div>
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<b>Night of the Hawk</b></div>
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The mid-season finale is set in the 1950's, where a meteorite is turning rowdy teenagers into bird monsters, all kept hidden in an insane asylum under the care of Dr. Curtis Knox, a.k.a. Vandal Savage.</div>
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This is the show's first attempt at genre work - in this case, 50's horror movies. Some parts work, some parts don't; the surprising thing is, the one thing that hasn't been working all season finally does: Vandal Savage.</div>
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Up to this point, Savage has just been a drain on the show, sapping the energy from every scene he's in. I don't know who's responsible for this casting, and who knows, maybe Casper Crump has done good work elsewhere, but my god - is it possible for someone to have a negative amount of screen presence? Because with Crump as Savage, I might as well be watching static. </div>
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Damien Darkh, for his whole two minutes of screen time in Pilot, Part 2 had more presence than Savage has had through a whole half season's worth of episodes. Granted, the writing is a bit thin, with the character basically going for taking over the world as his main life goal, but for Pete's sake - do you have to be so <i>dull</i> while doing it?</div>
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In this episode, Savage works a little bit better as the villain, mostly because the focus isn't so much on him as Earth's eventual dictator as it is on him as the (in his mind) jilted lover. Savage's influence across the whole of time is too broad for us as the audience to know what amount of concern we should be feeling; however, when he shows up on Kendra's doorstep, follows her around at the dinner party, stands way too close during an otherwise normal conversation, and brushes his finger across her face as he leaves - well, we get that creepy, stalker-ish vibe loud and clear. Now imagine your stalker has access to all of time - now we have more of an understanding of the threat Savage poses, to her and Carter, at least, and thus the team.</div>
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Other notables: There's a bit of commentary in this episode about racism and homophobia in the 50's, and I like that the show addresses that, especially the comment about the idyllic 50's being an illusion burnished by nostalgia. In related news, Sara finds romance with a nurse at the asylum, and that is very cute; I especially liked seeing Sara sailing in to rescue her love from the monsters. That's a heroic moment usually reserved for a knight on a white horse - I see some justice in it being the White Canary's!</div>
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There's also Snart in disguise as a G-man. And, yes. Just yes. Ten points to the wardrobe department!</div>
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<b>Stein: "Come on, Ms. Lance. Even someone as jaded as yourself can't deny how idyllic this time was."</b></div>
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<b>Jax: "Yeah, if you're white."</b></div>
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<b>Sara: "And a man. And straight."</b></div>
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<b>Stein: "Okay, okay, I get the point."</b></div>
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<b>Stein: "We mustn't dawdle. I believe our lunch hour is nearly at an end. Come along, nurse."</b></div>
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<b>Sara: "Just so you know, Ra's al Ghul taught me to kill someone slowly. Over the course of days..."</b></div>
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And thus, we've hit the mid-season hiatus. </div>
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Despite its flaws, and unevenness in the tone and pacing, I love this show - this ridiculous, bizarre, wonderful show. It's a bit of Star Trek, a bit of Firefly, a little bit if you took The Flash and smashed it together with Doctor Who - my point is, it has such potential, and that's what I love about it. We'll see if it reaches that potential in the second half of the season, which I'll recount in Part 2. </div>
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Until then, my fellow Legends!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-83819855545899505322016-07-21T17:41:00.000-04:002016-08-13T18:33:02.916-04:00What Legends of Tomorrow Means to Me<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6zaaA20-fgmAwgfYrLkAOJMJWdIPtN9XE-jFGtUVvtTsQEKZvNrtuRskTCErCIdxWEI-0vNqlz5RaYyg-vVOPxFdy_SGwZTMcRDKlb8GQ93xQL56wfuej35ZDhN6YIauw2VhwwuTFD4/s1600/LA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6zaaA20-fgmAwgfYrLkAOJMJWdIPtN9XE-jFGtUVvtTsQEKZvNrtuRskTCErCIdxWEI-0vNqlz5RaYyg-vVOPxFdy_SGwZTMcRDKlb8GQ93xQL56wfuej35ZDhN6YIauw2VhwwuTFD4/s320/LA.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Los Angeles</td></tr>
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(This is going to be more of a personal post; just FYI.)</div>
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I may have to end this blog, so I thought I'd leave with as honest of a post as I can.</div>
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2016 has been utter crap. I know a lot of people are feeling this way, too, now, what with "Brexit" in the UK and the whole circus act that is the US presidential election. With the horror of black lives taken by police, and the tension that's risen with it. It feels like the world is going to hell. </div>
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For me, personally, it's felt like that for awhile.</div>
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I won't spend this whole post complaining; I know no one wants to read that. But just to summarize my year thus far: in March, my grandma on my dad's side died; I found out in April that a friend I knew in college committed suicide; and in May my grandma on my mom's side died, suddenly, from an accident. I think you'll understand that I was terrified the whole month of June, sick with the thought that someone else I loved was going to die, and I could only breathe again when July 1 finally came.</div>
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The fear still hasn't gone, though; it's there with me now, every day. I don't think it would surprise anyone that I was officially diagnosed soon after with severe anxiety and moderate depression. The anxiety I've had most of my life; the depression, though, is a more recent development, mainly from (what I've perceived) as failure after failure, and grief. It will hit, like earthquake tremors, on random days. Sometimes I can forget it's there; most of the time I lie in fear, waiting for it to hit and afraid for when it will, hating that this is something I have to be afraid of at all. </div>
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What gave me hope, on gray days when I couldn't feel anything, and on black days when everything hurt, as silly as it sounds, was Legends of Tomorrow.</div>
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I never really liked the idea of escapism; I don't want to be the kind of person who runs away from their problems. But when the entire world surrounding you just hurts, when there is no escape - well, I found a precious piece of joy in this amazing, bizarre, ridiculous, fantastic, absolutely wonderful show.</div>
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Like I said, fear has become a constricting hold on my life. When I wake up in the morning, I have a fleeting second of relief before all the things that terrify me rush into my head - money, job, my future, health, dating, etc. I wake up scared, and I hate it.<br />
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Sara Lance is what fearlessness looks like. She is completely confident in who she is and what she can do, and she takes no crap from anyone. She is also brave enough to love people for who they are, and I think that's the most fearless thing anyone can do.</div>
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If there's anyone I want to be, it's Sara Lance. I have her White Canary symbol on my phone case; it seems like a small thing, but it means I have a constant reminder to be like her. She reminds me to be fearless; even if on a lot of days I fail, I know I can keep trying. And maybe one day I'll suddenly realize the fear is gone; I'll be like Sara Lance as the White Canary, free to enjoy life and unafraid of anything.</div>
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Another character I love quite possibly as much as Sara Lance is Leonard Snart. His intelligence, his ability to make a snarky comment about any situation - but mainly his heart. </div>
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I never thought I'd have a hard time trusting people; if anything, I've been too trusting in the past. You become a pseudo-adult and suddenly it's harder to keep in touch with people, or find time to see each other in either of your busy schedules - time passes, and you wonder how many real friends you have left.</div>
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Snart makes me believe that I can keep my faith in people, even when I feel alone. Watching him grow from a selfish a**hole to someone so protective of the team and so genuinely in love with Sara - well, it makes me want to trust people again. Because people are capable of so much. They have so much potential. And I want to see that play out, for them to become their best selves. I want to see that from myself, too.</div>
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(Also, I want to mention the actor who plays Leonard Snart, Wentworth Miller, is a huge advocate of mental health and self-care, and is quite possibly one of the loveliest people on earth, with a gentle soul and a kind heart. Thank you, Wentworth - your self-care month on your Facebook page got me through April. Thank you so, so much.)</div>
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Of course, there's so much else to love about a show about time traveling superheroes and villains. What it really gave me was an hour of wonderful insanity every week away from everything around me - and I cherished it. I could laugh myself silly at Mick growling lines like "I love the 70's!", cheer obnoxiously whenever Sara kicked butt (which she does quite often and very well), and seriously just enjoy the crap out of something so crazy and fun and wonderful. This show saved me. I know it sounds silly, but it gave me joy. After an episode was over, it was back to the real world, but at least for the rest of that day, I felt a little lighter.</div>
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Now, about the picture at the beginning: I am a screenwriter. I'm aiming to be a TV writer, however long or however much that takes. Los Angeles is where I need to go to make that happen.</div>
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And I am terrified.</div>
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This is nothing new. I'm not the first person to relocate there from however-many miles away; but right now I don't know where I'm going to work or where I'm going to live. Or if I'm even going to succeed. I could completely fail. </div>
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Anxiety/depression isn't a big help in this, either (if that's not obvious enough already).</div>
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I know I want to write, someday, for Legends of Tomorrow. Maybe even The Flash. Supergirl, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and, eventually, if I'm really and truly blessed by the universe, Doctor Who. I want to inspire people; I want to give them hope, like Legends of Tomorrow did for me. </div>
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I'm no one special; I just hope that one day I can be successful enough to write a show that gives people hope. Because it's something I needed. I think it's something everyone needs. To be reminded of the good things in the world, and of the good people who are in it.</div>
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Those are the true legends.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-72278084235279014932016-04-20T23:19:00.000-04:002016-07-14T09:22:49.474-04:00Brief Thoughts on Supergirl Season 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Supergirl</u></b></div>
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Genre: Superhero, drama</div>
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Number of seasons: 1 (renewal pending)</div>
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Best episodes: </div>
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-Pilot</div>
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-Falling (definitely the best of the season)</div>
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-Worlds' Finest (crossover with the Flash!)</div>
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Thoughts:</div>
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I'm so conflicted over this show. There are aspects of it that I genuinely love: Melissa Benoist is absolutely perfect as Supergirl; the reveal of Martian Manhunter was brilliant and definitely one of the most consistently intriguing parts of the show; Cat Grant, while at first seemingly a cardboard-cutout stereotype of the b*tchy boss lady, became the show's secret weapon in that she evolved into a sympathetic and complex character, while still dishing out a ton of great one-liners. I also love Kara's relationship with her sister Alex; that, as well as Kara's bond with Cat, is the real heart of the show. In fact, this show has so much heart; it focuses on hope and compassion as the means to save the world, and, while DC Comics characters on the big screen are currently solving their problems by beating the crap out of each other and destroying whole cities, that's refreshing to see.</div>
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Having said that...there are definitely things the writers need to work on. For one thing, the show needs better villains. Astra and Non were such a non-threat throughout the series, the finale felt anticlimactic. The other villains, like Vartox, the Helgrammite, Reactron, Jemm - does anyone even remember them? Maybe Supergirl needs to go to a serialized format instead of procedural, because villain-of-the-week plots just aren't working. Also, please no more soapy relationship drama. I kind of expect it from the CW, because it's the CW, but you would think CBS would be a bit better about it. If anything, just make Kara's love interests more interesting - James Oleson is the most boring man on the planet, and it reflects badly on Kara when she's continually attracted to someone so dull. The Flash had more chemistry with Kara in one episode than James had with her the entire season!</div>
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Needless to say, Supergirl's status for renewal is uncertain right now. I wouldn't say I'd be heartbroken if it didn't get a Season 2, but I would be sad; whatever its flaws, this show has potential, and I would love to see what the writers could do once they fix the missteps from this season.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-51633210602667885192016-03-06T00:05:00.000-05:002016-04-16T10:18:50.576-04:00How "Marooned" Made Me Love Legends of Tomorrow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How did this become my new favorite show? (Besides Agent Carter, of course.)<br />
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I didn't start watching this expecting to love it. I started watching it because Rory, I mean Arthur Darvill, is a Time Lord, I mean Time Master, piloting a TARDIS, I mean Wave Rider, through time and space. With EIGHT companions along for the ride. Essentially I think I was just going through Doctor Who withdrawal (no new episodes until Christmas - urgh), so this was the "diet Doctor Who" I could sate myself with until then.</div>
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I wasn't all that impressed with the pilot. It was just a big ol' exposition dump, with too much arguing between the alleged "legends" and not enough action/plot. </div>
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But...I decided to give it another chance.</div>
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And you know what? It got better. Not to say the episodes didn't still have their flaws, but each episode was a little better than the last. And some of the characters started to grow on me - oddly enough, Captain Cold, whose snark, intelligence, and complexity completely made up for the ridiculous name; White Canary, fearless and fun-loving, and a stone-cold badass; and even, at moments, Rip Hunter, mainly because Darvill's acting is beautiful, as usual.</div>
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Through the next few episodes, the Legends carried out a bank heist, a rescue from a Russian gulag, a battle in future Star City...and then came "Marooned."</div>
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This episode reminds me a little of Firefly's phenomenal episode "Out of Gas." With all the Star Wars and Star Trek references in it, I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd dropped a Firefly reference!</div>
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But seriously, guys: I love this episode. I. Love. It.</div>
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First off, every single member of the cast has something to do, which is awesome! One of the show's problems has been, inevitably, the size of its cast; it's hard to come up with a story every week where every single Legend is needed. The writers have manufactured sub-plots for when some of the characters have to take a backseat; some of them worked (Snart going back to talk to his childhood self comes to mind; great acting from Wentworth Miller), but most of them feel a little clunky. Here, though, that is (mostly) not the case:</div>
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<b>RIP</b></div>
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Here we get some important back story on Rip's conflict with the Time Masters and his love story with his wife Miranda. Though probably the weakest part of the episode (for some reason, Darvill and Alex Duncan just didn't seem to have the right chemistry), it finally gave us a glimpse of how deeply Rip is grieving and how desperate he is to save his family. The opening also captured that desperation very effectively, with Rip obsessively re-watching a holographic message his wife and son left him before their untimely deaths. </div>
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I think this can explain why he blundered straight into a trap on the other ship; he's so desperate he's just not thinking straight.</div>
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<b>STEIN</b></div>
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Woo! Stein found his inner badass! Played by the delightful Victor Garber, I think one of the best parts of the episode was when Stein took out that pirate and stole his beret, lol.</div>
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I also loved the little tidbit of a back story that we got from Stein's childhood. It's nice to see him having fun. Space Ranger Stein, indeed! </div>
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<b>JAX</b></div>
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Okay, so the other half of Firestorm didn't get to do as much. But I loved his reaction to Stein's awesome entrance, and also getting in between Rip and Rory when they're arguing shows he's got guts. He did try to break them out, and at least on this mission he wasn't kidnapped or left behind on the ship!</div>
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<b>SARA</b></div>
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I frikkin' love Sara. Seriously, she is such a badass. Caity Lotz is a trained martial artist, so she does all her own stunts and fight sequences. I love whenever Sara gets to kick ass, because it always looks amazing; I love that I can watch and believe that she is beating the crap out of six guys at once.</div>
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What I also love is her sense of fun. Because she is such a great fighter, following TV trope #203, she should be the cold b*tch - but she's not. She's really up for anything, whether that's kicking butt or partying at a bar (and then kicking butt right after). She's faced death, so what is there left to be afraid of? </div>
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The interesting part of that is, what she really has to fear is herself. Sara has her dark side, a bloodlust left from being raised from the Lazarus pit. Seeing her struggle to keep that bloodlust under control shows some great acting on Lotz's part. Sara's struggle also shows how strong she is, and the fact that she tries so hard to keep it together to help the team just makes me admire her all the more.</div>
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Regarding other skills, she can also keep up with Snart's level of snark, which I frikkin' love. Which brings me to:</div>
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<b>SNART</b></div>
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Holy crap, I love this actor. I'd never heard of Wentworth Miller before this show; I've never seen Prison Break, I haven't watched Arrow or The Flash yet, I just stumbled in to Legends not knowing what to expect. And I got this sneering, snarky, sarcastic, wonderfully over-the-top yet just-understated-enough performance for his portrayal of Captain Cold. And I love it.</div>
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It's sometimes hard to know how to play a character in a comic book show, because the plots and characters can be so completely out there and insane, but they still have to be relatable on some level. Miller, I think, manages to strike the perfect balance between sneering comic book anti-hero and real, believable human being. His portrayal is easily one of the most enjoyable things about the show, and the fact that Snart's also probably the most complex character makes it even better.</div>
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Within seven episodes, Captain Cold has changed as a character - whereas before he cared only about himself, his partner, and his sister, his circle is now opening up to include the Legends. Snart's found his heart, and the subtlety of Miller's performance within that arc is what really sold me on that piece of character development. I guess I'm just a sucker for a good redemption arc. </div>
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Which also plays into what I'm going to mention next, for better or for worse:</div>
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<a href="http://images.tvfanatic.com/iu/s--y9OOx00X--/t_slideshow/f_auto,fl_lossy,q_75/v1456617699/snuggling-for-warmth-dcs-legends-of-tomorrow-s1e7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.tvfanatic.com/iu/s--y9OOx00X--/t_slideshow/f_auto,fl_lossy,q_75/v1456617699/snuggling-for-warmth-dcs-legends-of-tomorrow-s1e7.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sara/Snart...otherwise known as #CaptainCanary</div>
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I ship it, okay? I ship it, ship it, ship it. Some actors just work really well together, and Wentworth Miller and Caity Lotz have some frikkin' great chemistry. </div>
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Snart and Sara were definitely my favorite characters from the get-go; they've been fleshed out the most in regards to character development, and both are seeking redemption in their own way - Sara from her killer's instinct, Snart from his own selfishness and criminal ways. My thinking is, this character is awesome, and this character is awesome...wouldn't they be <u>really</u> awesome together?</div>
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What cemented it for me was "Fail-Safe," when Snart stopped Sara from killing Stein. That was just so...un-Snart-like, I knew something big had changed. I think Snart does have feelings for Sara; I'm not sure he's ready to admit to himself what they are. But we can see that he's changed, and, well - love'll do that. I'm just saying. </div>
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I'm not sure what Sara's feelings are yet. She and Snart certainly seem to get along the best out of all the Legends, whether that's starting a bar fight or, in this case, playing cards. Oh, and confiding in each other while nearly freezing to death. (I absolutely did not squeal when we saw Snart had given Sara his jacket to keep warm. Nope. Not at all.)</div>
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We'll see where the writers take it; personally, I can't stand to see good chemistry wasted. If they're setting up a Snart/Sara romance, I'm all for it. It can take awhile for all I care, as long as we get the payoff....And if it doesn't happen, I'll just be over here quietly shipping it anyway.</div>
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Character-wise, in finding he cares about the team, Snart's less inclined to act like the brutal, unfeeling criminal he was. Unfortunately, Rory doesn't understand this change, which leads us to the most tragic conflict of the episode:</div>
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<b>RORY</b></div>
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It was genius to cast Heatwave and Captain Cold with the two actors who played brothers on Prison Break. Miller and Dominic Purcell brought that brotherly bond to Snart and Rory, which made the ending of this episode even more tragic.</div>
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Rory isn't my favorite character, but I do like him (really, if there was a show with just Snart, Rory, and Sara, I'd watch the heck out of it). He's a great contrast to Snart, which makes this conflict feel inevitable, with Snart growing and changing while Rory still just wants to burn and kill and steal. Rory's one good trait is his loyalty to Snart; that was emphasized by Snart's story about Rory saving him when he was jumped by the other kids in juvie. So we can understand Rory's sense of betrayal when Snart no longer sides with Rory's criminal inclinations.</div>
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Add on top of that Rip's insults, spewed from the depths of his desperate frustration, and Rory is done with the Legends. He may not be as smart as Snart, but he's still a very dangerous threat - now one that has to be taken care of.</div>
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The final scene of this episode is just heartbreaking. You can feel Rory's hurt and anger as Snart aims his gun at him. Wentworth Miller frikkin' got me in this scene; that anguish on his face was enough to make me start tearing up. Who would have thought that this show would make me cry? Freakin' Wentworth Miller - this scene is a stab to the gut, and the tears in Snart's eyes just make it all the more heart-wrenching.</div>
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In the end, though, did Snart kill Rory? I don't think so. That line - "Only one of us is walking out of here alive" - has me thinking maybe he froze his legs to the ground or something (if that's the case, nice one, writers). Really, though, it doesn't even matter if he let him live - the betrayal's been made, and I don't think it's one Rory will ever forgive Snart for.</div>
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<b>Other sub-plots:</b></div>
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While the other Legends are experiencing a lot of doom and gloom, Ray, meanwhile, is his usual adorkable ray of sunshine; Brandon Routh has awkward charm down to a science. He goes out in the Atom suit to repair the hole in the ship, and we get a nice exchange between him and Kendra - before he, you know, nearly dies. </div>
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While this is probably the second-weakest sub-plot, it did give us a scene where Ray's character was rounded out a little more. We don't always get to see much of him when the other Legends are experiencing their share of drama, so it was nice to see him get a bit more screen time.</div>
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<b>KENDRA</b></div>
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Oh, Kendra; someday you'll get your own story line.</div>
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I've been waiting for Kendra to quit moping in the shadows and start being a frikkin' Legend. This episode she got to do some actual ass-kicking - woo! Finally!</div>
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I don't know if I'm 100% behind the whole Ray/Kendra thing - for one thing, it's going to be super awkward when Carter comes back (although that can be as far in the future as the writers want it to be, he was by far the worst actor on the show). But hey, why not - if this is what gives her more screen time, maybe that will lead to a plot line that doesn't involve a potential love interest.</div>
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<b>Overall:</b></div>
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This episode was just pure fun, with a huge smack of heartbreak at the very end. It also had a ton of Star Wars and Star Trek references. Some people may have thought it was a bit much; I, however, was enjoying myself too much to care. The time pirates, while maybe not the most well established villains, were the necessary vehicle to get this story rolling, and once it did - wow! We learned so much about Rip, Sara, Snart, and Rory, as well as getting to watch Stein immensely enjoy kicking some butt. Throw in some fantastic fight sequences, DC Comics references as secret commands for Gideon to fly the ship (nice one, Rip), a scene that showcased the exceptional chemistry between Sara and Snart, and no Vandal Savage - this episode was all I ever wanted from Legends of Tomorrow. </div>
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And now I'm in it for the long haul. Kudos to you, LoT Writers Room; I'm hooked!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-42728158857840649292016-03-03T22:20:00.003-05:002016-05-01T19:53:27.674-04:005 Reasons Why Agent Carter Absolutely Needs a Season 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What you are looking at above is one of the most badass women in the Marvel universe, and possibly one of the best female characters on television right now. Her name is Agent Peggy Carter, and she is wonderful, in every sense of the word.</div>
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You've seen me mention the show Agent Carter <a href="http://221bbc.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-bit-of-detour-other-tv-shows-to-watch.html">before</a>, and there's a good reason I'm bringing it up again: because it needs to be renewed, and here are a few reasons why:</div>
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<a href="http://images.vcpost.com/data/images/full/34740/agent-peggy-carter.jpg?w=590" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.vcpost.com/data/images/full/34740/agent-peggy-carter.jpg?w=590" height="209" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>1) Peggy herself</b></div>
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The way the writers have crafted this character is phenomenal, and Hayley Atwell does a magnificent job playing this amazing woman. Peggy Carter is tough, intelligent, charming, witty, charismatic, and compassionate, a true leader who people rally around, because she inspires trust and compassion - she's an inspiration, period. Even her doubters, who initially scoff at her because of her gender, end up trusting her with their lives, and she never lets them down. </div>
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She's a genuinely complex character, and it's fantastic to see a woman portrayed on screen who feels real. She's tough, but never cold; she's kind, but never weak. Even in her moments of potential weakness (which she has, because she is actually a multi-dimensional, complicated character), she has her friends to help her through, and Jarvis, Sousa, Rose, etc., would all follow her to the end of the line, and we as an audience can see why. Seeing a woman in a leadership position where she is so obviously in her element is awe-inspiring, and I would love to see more characters like her, both in the Marvel universe and in television/films in general.</div>
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Peggy Carter, ladies and gentlemen. If you don't love her, you are wrong.</div>
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<a href="http://images-cdn.moviepilot.com/images/c_fill,h_393,w_786/t_mp_quality/cospxihbpkuihnvzv2hs/marvel-s-agent-carter-a-little-song-and-dance-review-866068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images-cdn.moviepilot.com/images/c_fill,h_393,w_786/t_mp_quality/cospxihbpkuihnvzv2hs/marvel-s-agent-carter-a-little-song-and-dance-review-866068.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>2) Its uniqueness as a show</b></div>
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There's no doubt about it, there is no other show on television like Agent Carter. Its status as a period piece gives it a unique chance to give us a delightful run through the late 1940's, with fantastic costume design, classic cars, and nostalgic settings like a New York Automat; with its comic book roots, it's also able to have a little fun along the way.</div>
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While Season 1 was a bit more focused on drama, Season 2 lightened the tone considerably, bringing out the best comedy we've seen yet from the writers and actors, particularly James D'Arcy (as Edwin Jarvis). With the show settling comfortably into that vein of lightheartedness (for the majority of the season, anyway), we got some memorable sequences that cemented the kind of playfulness that I think can be seen as the show's signature: action sequences set to 1940's songs, Peggy's dream sequence with its homage to old Hollywood musicals, etc. </div>
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You won't see anything like this on any other show, and the fact that Agent Carter can pull it off is a testament to its awesomeness, and the clarity and focus of its showrunners' vision.</div>
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<b>3) Its perfect cast</b></div>
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We've already mentioned the magnificence that is Hayley Atwell. Do you know who else is fantastic? James D'Arcy as Edwin Jarvis - Peggy's loyal driver, best friend, surprise badass, and incredibly hilarious comic relief. I love the bond between Peggy and Jarvis - they truly would do anything for each other. Their friendship is the heart of the show; the fact that it started with Peggy punching him across the face now seems more than a little amusing.</div>
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I could spend all day describing these awesome actors - Enver Gjokaj as Daniel Sousa, I love him to death, he is a fantastic actor, and perfect for this role; Chad Michael Murray - even when Thompson is an a-hole, you still feel like there's more to him than he shows, and there is; Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, one of the great comedic highlights of any episode; and Wynn Everett as Whitney Frost - I mean wow, she knocked it out of the park; this is one scary-as-heck villain, but complex as well.</div>
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On top of it all, the actors all seem to genuinely enjoy working together and being on Agent Carter; it would be a crime to split up such a perfect cast, whose enthusiasm and love for the show they're in shines through in their amazing performances.</div>
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<b>4) Potential story lines</b></div>
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Season 2 is way too soon to stop the show; there's just so many more story lines it could explore. This is the woman who founds SHIELD; wouldn't it be great to actually get to the point where we see her create it?</div>
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This works on the period drama side of things, too; how cool would it be to see the show move through the 50's, maybe even the early 60's, and watch how the stories evolve with the changing times? Season 1 dealt with the aftermath of World War II, Season 2 with the Red Scare and the beginnings of nuclear warfare - what other parts of history could be worked into the narrative?</div>
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Whatever the writers have planned for Season 3 (and they apparently do have something planned, <i>we just need to get there</i>), this show has so much more mileage in it, it would be a shame to cut it off when it's just found its niche.</div>
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<b>5) THAT CLIFFHANGER</b></div>
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Even with cancellation looming on the horizon, the writers <i>still</i> ended the season on a cliffhanger. I really admire their optimism - but seriously, what the heck?? The key? Peggy's file?! Thompson??! If this show gets cancelled, we will never know the answer to these questions. And, according to the show runners Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, apparently it's something pretty great. GAH.</div>
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So, what can we do to save the show? Here are a couple things ABC has said we can do to get their attention:</div>
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-<b>Re-watch the episodes!</b> Even if you just have Hulu running in the background while you do other stuff on your laptop, ABC keeps track of online views, so the more views Agent Carter gets, the better!</div>
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-<b>Tell ABC! </b>Use the link below to tell ABC what you love about the show and that they should renew it. Through the link, you can email them, or you can call them and leave a message. Both of these take less than 30 seconds to do - I both emailed and called them, and you can, too!</div>
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<a href="http://agentcarter.net/let-abc-know-how-much-you-love-agent-carter">http://agentcarter.net/let-abc-know-how-much-you-love-agent-carter </a></div>
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-<b>Tweet/Facebook about it! </b>Use Twitter and Facebook to get the message out <i>#RenewAgentCarter</i></div>
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It's a complete shame such a wonderful show is facing cancellation, and we need to do something about it. Talk about it on social media, blog about it, join forces with your friends and/or fellow Agent Carter fans to blitz comment sections of articles about the show, like Agent Carter's Facebook page, etc. - if we're loud enough, we can make our voices heard! Let's "do as Peggy says" - #RenewAgentCarter!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-13061359350783625492016-01-24T20:22:00.002-05:002016-01-24T20:23:32.504-05:00Sherlock: The Abominable Bride and What It Means for Season 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, it's been confirmed: filming for Season 4 starts in April 2016, and we'll have it on our televisions by January 2017. I'll not deny it, that's a lot of waiting, but at least we got a Christmas(ish) special to sate us while we wait. (Note: <b>*SPOILERS AHEAD*</b>)</div>
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And what a Christmas special it was! Completely and utterly insane, but so entertaining, and it gave us so many wonderful things:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doctor Hooper! Molly rocks the mustache better than John, lol</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fat Mycroft! Good lord, lol</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spy Mary! I'm so glad they kept her back story</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mrs. Hudson and her protest of silence against her not speaking in the stories, lol<br />
"Give her some lines, she's perfectly capable of starving us!"</td></tr>
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And sight gags like this:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speedwell's! In Internet speak: "Aw yiss!"</td></tr>
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And of course, the ultimate reveal (or, one of them):</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Miss me?"</td></tr>
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So, what did I think of the special? Well, let's talk about three things:</div>
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<b>The MESSAGE</b>: So, to my surprise (and I'm pretty sure everyone watching), this special ended up being about feminism.</div>
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As a feminist myself, I can't say that I found myself against the notion when I realized what the episode was truly about. I was just a bit taken aback, since I don't think any Sherlock episode before has really had a message. Was this a bold move or a potentially damaging one? (I suppose that question really sums up all the choices made for this episode!)</div>
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I confess I was a bit unsure of the execution when the camera lingered on Mary after Holmes and Watson went dashing out to solve another case. <i>Is this whole episode going to be her complaining about how unfair it is for women in this time period?</i>, I wondered. I mean, it certainly was unfair, but that wasn't what I'd come to watch.</div>
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But then Mary receives the message from Mycroft, and we discover a fantastic thing: that in this story line she's still a spy, and she, too, dashes off to solve the Abominable Bride case. I personally love this addition to the show's canon; I even sort of wish it was part of the Conan Doyle stories. Mary Watson is so rarely in said stories, and is so casually killed off, perhaps now we can say her many absences were because she was on spy missions, and her death must have happened in the field, so its true circumstances had to be hidden from Watson. I'll definitely keep that head canon, as it's so much better than what we have.</div>
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Through the mystery of the Abominable Bride, we are ultimately led to the secret society behind it, what Watson temporarily labels the League of Furies:</div>
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How to describe this scene? It's not offensive, at least not intentionally. I mean, the hoods were probably a poor choice, especially when you're trying to portray these women in a positive light, but I think the costumes were supposed to be purely for effect, not necessarily as part of their portrayal as women - as Moriarty says, "Is this crazy enough for you? Gothic enough?" The hoods were simply to invoke the mood of a classic Conan Doyle mystery, of shadowed halls and secret cults and mysteries stranger than our imaginings. So, I wasn't offended; I can see why other people might be, but I don't think that was ultimately the intent.</div>
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Then why was I still uncomfortable watching this?</div>
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After thinking about it, I realized it wasn't the message that was making me uncomfortable; it was the execution of said message. Because this speech is so heavy-handed, so smack-you-across-the-face, just not subtle at all.</div>
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I'm uncomfortable because it's bad screenwriting.</div>
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The whole episode stops in its tracks just for Sherlock to explain to us exactly what we're supposed to take away from this episode. There's no subtlety, no nuance, nothing for us to figure out for ourselves - no, it's just <i>words, words, words</i>. Ugh.</div>
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Up to this point, I really liked how the portrayal of the women of the Sherlock universe had been handled: Molly disguising herself as a man to be taken seriously in what's seen as a man's profession; Mary getting out from underneath John's condescension to solve cases and mysteries for the British government; Mrs. Hudson protesting her character's silence, because so many women are often ignored and made to think their words and opinions don't matter; and Lady Carmichael and her fellow Brides, taking up arms against a world that tells them they are lesser, that their suffering doesn't matter, that verbal and emotional abuse is their lot in life. I see all these women, and I understand them; perhaps murder is a bit much, but I understand the emotions behind it.</div>
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We don't need Sherlock Holmes to explain that to us.</div>
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It's interesting, actually, how Sherlock is portrayed as a feminist in this version, while in contrast John is portrayed as a misogynist (and pretty much any other -ist in the book). Sherlock sees Lady Carmichael as an intelligent and discerning individual, and says so. While he says it to spite her husband, it has a genuine ring to it, and that genuine respect holds true when he comes across the society of Brides. He understands their motives, their anger, their resentment, and thus their rebellion (he just explains it in a few too many words). </div>
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Intriguingly, it seems that his feelings cross over to the modern universe, as we see Molly and Janine as two of the vengeful Brides, and also flashes of them from His Last Vow. I think we're supposed to conclude that Dr. Hooper's surprising hostility arises from Sherlock remembering Molly's anger at him for taking drugs, and knowing she would be angrier still if she knew he was on drugs now. Sherlock's guilt over deceiving Janine shows when her Bride self speaks of men betraying women and treating them badly. He knows he is one of those men, and so, in this drugged-up mess of a mind palace, he is condemning himself.</div>
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This crossing-over into the modern day story line leads us to our second important aspect:</div>
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<b>OVERLAPPING UNIVERSES:</b></div>
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What do you think? Too much overlap? Just enough? Is it entertaining? Obnoxious? Clever? Too clever?</div>
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The mind palace is a narrative device introduced in Season 2 in The Hounds of Baskerville, and was featured prominently throughout Season 3, especially in His Last Vow. In this episode we see it as the story's ultimate framing device, as it's left vague as to whether modern Sherlock is creating his Victorian era persona via the mind palace and a pretty heavy drug cocktail, or Victorian era Sherlock is dreaming up modern Sherlock through a heavy dose of cocaine. To be honest, I love the ambiguity; the last shot especially is wonderful in showing the the two dimensions side by side and that Sherlock Holmes, no matter what century he's in, is always "a man out of his time."</div>
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What bothered me about the mind palace, though, is that it may have taken away from a perfectly good mystery. It's around the hour-mark that Holmes discovers the society of Brides, and in that we have our mystery solved. I don't know about you, but I've missed having good mysteries in Sherlock; Season 3 was good, but it didn't really have any great cases except for His Last Vow, and even that was more about Sherlock's own flaws and shortcomings than it was about the case itself. In The Abominable Bride, we actually got a pretty intriguing mystery, and to see it solved in the end was immensely satisfying. There was just one hang-up: Lady Carmichael. Why did she hire Holmes to uncover the society she herself was a part of? It's at this point that the mind palace really comes into play (and the last half hour of the special is completely crazy because of it), but I couldn't help feeling it took away from the satisfaction of a good resolution.</div>
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If we actually got a good mystery out of the mix, I think I might have been fine with just an hour-long special; they could have come up with a reason for Lady Carmichael to bait Sherlock Holmes. Maybe she wanted to see if he could figure it out, as a test; if he couldn't, they were safe from anyone else who would try to uncover them. If he could, then maybe they could ask him to join them, or at least help their cause. I don't know; I just know the mind palace part of it didn't feel strictly necessary.</div>
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Don't get me wrong; I love Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty. I'm glad they were able to bring him back because he is just perfection as the off-kilter Jim. But in speaking of the story in general, I'm not sure the mind palace was really beneficial to it. </div>
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The mind palace is a clever idea, and it definitely gives Sherlock as a show a unique look and feel. But the mind palace is only meant as a narrative tool; when it becomes the whole of the narrative structure, the show becomes purely style over substance...which brings me to what I'm worried about for Season 4.</div>
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<b>SEASON 4:</b></div>
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At the end of The Abominable Bride, Sherlock announces that Moriarty is definitely dead, and he knows exactly what he's going to do next. All the rest of the characters, understandably, react to his statement like this: ???</div>
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So, is Moriarty dead or not? Did this special give us an answer? Well, I believe it did, so here's my interpretation of Moffat and Gatiss' hijinks:</div>
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The Abominable Bride started out as just one person, Emelia Ricoletti. When she died, her friends took her place - really, anyone could be the Bride, as shown by Janine and Molly dressing up as her to scare Lord Carmichael and to distract Holmes and Watson while Lady Carmichael killed her husband. </div>
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How it ties into Moriarty is this: Moriarty is dead. However, other villains can still use his image to intimidate and to distract Sherlock and John from whatever's really going on. Like the Bride, Moriarty's identity can be taken on by anyone - including whoever's responsible for the image of his face flashing up on every screen in England. </div>
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Of course, I may be wrong; you never know what insanity Moffat is going to pull out of his sleeve, and we've still got a good two or three months before filming starts for him to dream up a new interpretation of what's <i>really</i> going on. But I do think this theory makes the most sense in regards to the special. Even if Moriarty is dead, they can still bring Andrew Scott back via the mind palace, which I think is part of the reason why they're using it more and more.</div>
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My fear for Season 4 is that it will be more of Season 3. Not that Season 3 was bad, but it was nowhere near the kind of quality Seasons 1 and 2 were. Moffat and Gatiss are focusing less and less on good stories and more and more on the characters. It's not like they're bad characters, either; it's just that the stories need to be used as a vehicle to expand on those characters, not the other way around. The characters themselves don't have the chance to shine or evolve when the narrative around them is weak. To be fair, the show has gone through a lot of the more well-known Conan Doyle stories, but still, isn't adapting material what you're good at, "Mofftiss"? There are still so many stories left, surely you can find a way to create a good story out of some of the most entertaining mysteries ever written?</div>
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To be perfectly honest, even with its flaws, The Abominable Bride is a genuinely good piece of entertainment; I've watched it three times, and I know I'll watch it again. Its dialogue is well written, its characters are awesome, it has more than a few hilarious moments as well as some genuinely creepy scenes with the Bride, the mind palace is insane but enjoyable stuff, and all the Conan Doyle references really are a treat for anyone familiar with the stories. It just needed a bit more focus to be on par with the likes of A Scandal in Belgravia, A Study in Pink, The Reichenbach Fall, etc.</div>
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I hope Moffat and Gatiss realize what they need to work on and fix it, then take what they're good at already and wrap it all up in a good mystery. That's what we need for Season 4, and I can't wait to see what's in store for us when it does eventually come around.</div>
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January 2017 - we've waited this long, we can make it!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-64285094993611767172015-12-10T23:28:00.001-05:002015-12-15T12:07:36.614-05:00Doctor Who Season 9 So Far: Episodes 10, 11, and 12<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Thoughts on <i>Face the Raven</i>, <i>Heaven Sent</i>, and <i>Hell Bent</i></b></div>
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Well, here we are at the end - and what a fantastic season it's been! I know I was pleased (for the most part) with Season 8, but this season just completely knocked it out of the park. Season 8 was the warm-up - <i>this</i> was the real thing, the Doctor Who that I've missed for awhile now. </div>
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Season 4 still reigns supreme as my favorite season of New Who, but this season gave it a run for its money, with Davros, Missy, ghosts, the Fisher King, Vikings, an immortal, Zygons, Sandmen (...okay, maybe not that last one), a quantum shade, the Veil, and last but certainly not least, THE TIME LORDS AND GALLIFREY (I can't believe I called it, I was hoping we'd end up there, and then we frikkin' did!!). </div>
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On top of it all, we had to say goodbye to a companion, Clara Oswald, who has been with us since Season 7. The last few episodes of a season are always emotional, and this was no exception. I actually cried at all three of them. Three episodes in a row; I don't know if I've ever done that for a show before. When you combine great writing and great acting and great directing, you can hit people right in the heart, and that's what these episodes did for me. No time to waste (although Eleven would beg to differ, since time is not the boss of you) - let's get right to them!</div>
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<b>Episode 10: Face the Raven</b></div>
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Here we have our second episode this season from a female writer, Sarah Dollard. And my kudos to you, Ms. Dollard, because you nailed it. This episode is <i>beautiful</i>.</div>
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First of all, I love the idea of the trap street; if you've ever been in London, it does have all sorts of side streets that crop up everywhere, so it's even somewhat plausible that an alien camp could be hidden somewhere in London. The concept of a refugee camp is interesting, too, particularly with how much damage the Doctor and his various conflicts with alien species create - we're seeing the victims left behind, and ones not of this world at that. </div>
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After spending a little too long looking for the trap street (that's my only real complaint about this episode), we finally find it - and who should be the head of the camp but Me, with a fresh new threat tattooed black around her neck: a chronolock, linked to a quantum shade in the form of a raven. This whole idea of a raven bringing death is very Gothic, and the atmosphere of this episode is saturated with that mix of darkness and thrill. The close streets feel claustrophobic, the threat of the raven looms, we have enemy aliens living in close quarters with only the light from the glowworms protecting their identity (another really clever idea, combining Gothic and sci fi elements wonderfully), and a murder mystery to solve before time runs out. Oh, heck yes.</div>
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And then, of course, the name of the episode comes into play in the most tragic way possible.</div>
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Clara has been set up since Season 8 to want to be the Doctor. Though Flatline was a major indication, or perhaps fanned the flame, of this desire, Season 9 is when it became most obvious in her character arc. She wants to be as smart, as capable, she wants control of every situation just like he has, and to be able to fix things like he does. Over time, as she's spent more time in the TARDIS, she's grown more confident, until she's giving orders to UNIT and standing up to the Mire. That's all fine and good - great, even - until that confidence turns to arrogance.</div>
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I think I can say that most of us didn't expect Clara's death to be like this. I mean, she's the Impossible Girl - shouldn't her death be the consequence of something earth-shattering, saving the universe or some such bombast? Most companions get a huge send-off, like the Battle of Canary Wharf for Rose, or the Master taking over the Earth for Martha. But here, it's on a much smaller scale. </div>
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Maybe that's the point - I mean, you can't get much bigger than splintering yourself across the Doctor's entire timeline in order to save him. Maybe Steven Moffat realized that, and decided to go a bit more subtle, a bit more intimate. Whatever the thought process, I sincerely approve of it. This was not how I thought she would go, but it ended up being perfect.</div>
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Clara's Achilles' heel is her arrogance - she wants to be the Doctor, but she can't. Her trying to be the Doctor, to be clever and take control and try to be three steps ahead of everyone else, ends up being her doom, and that is why her end is perfect - because it feels inevitable. One way or another, we would have ended up here eventually.</div>
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The showstopper of this episode is, obviously, Clara's goodbye. I couldn't help feeling incredibly proud of her. She doesn't try to run, or deny anything; she accepts the situation, and does everything right - assuaging Rigsy's guilt, protecting Me, and consoling the Doctor, who for once feels completely powerless. This scene is so well written, and so well acted, by both Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi. Clara knows the rage the Doctor is capable of, and so she lets him know that she won't accept his grief as an excuse to hurt anyone: </div>
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<i>Clara: "You're going to be alone now. And you're very bad at that. You're going to be furious, and you're going to be sad. But listen to me: don't let this change you...You can't let this turn you into a monster. So I'm not asking you for a promise. I'm giving you an order. You will not insult my memory. There will be no revenge. I will die, and no one else here, or anywhere, will suffer."</i></div>
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And then the Doctor whispers, "Clara-", his voice cracking, and that is when I started crying.</div>
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You can feel the pain in this conversation; they never have to say it, but you know Clara and the Doctor love each other. The Doctor would tear the skies apart for Clara, and that is why she knows she needs to tell him not to when she dies. This lingering goodbye is one of the saddest scenes we've had in a long time, made even sadder by the fact that, even though she forbids him to, the Doctor watches as the raven claims Clara's life. Doctor, why do you <i>do</i> that to yourself?</div>
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Because he blames himself. And that is also one of the saddest parts of being the Doctor.</div>
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I can't say much else except, what a send-off. Last year's Christmas episode, Last Christmas, was supposed to be Clara's goodbye, and it was perfect - and then Coleman changed her mind to come back, so Moffat had to rewrite the episode at the last minute. I wasn't altogether sure if they would be able to match the quality of that beautifully sad departure, but I think they have with this. Again, my kudos to you, Sarah Dollard; I look forward to anything you write for Doctor Who in the future!</div>
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<b>Notable Quotes:</b></div>
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[Clara and the Doctor meeting Rigsy's baby girl]</div>
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Doctor; (to Rigsy) "Did you make this human?"</div>
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Clara: "Oh, Rigsy, she's gorgeous."</div>
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Doctor: "She's better than that - she's brilliant!"</div>
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Doctor: "Bring the new human. No, don't bring the new human. I'll just get distracted." </div>
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Who would have thought - even Twelve loves babies!</div>
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Clara: "Well, if Danny Pink can do it, so can I."</div>
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Doctor: "Do what?"</div>
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Clara: "Die right. Die like I mean it. Face the raven."</div>
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Doctor: "No, this is not- This can't be happening."</div>
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Clara: "Maybe this is what I wanted. Maybe this is it. Maybe this is why I kept running. Maybe this is why I kept taking all those stupid risks, kept pushing it."</div>
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An interesting look into Clara's psychology - a self-destructive urge, created by her grief over Danny and encouraged by her desire to be the Doctor. For all of Clara's bravado, she has been slowly, silently spinning out of control, and it kind of makes me sad that her friendship with the Doctor seemed to do her more harm than good. I think the problem was they were too much alike; two Doctors is always cause for trouble, and this was no exception.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMAaeCTcMIH6bw4JDKwU7o-dkZ8l6n0zK31iMaqz1MXY6AcCughc6J8qenw7sS7cYxhcvSH8OiCk8qhMlH6cMaxKFUvX16LY1vhNSqa-S2ACBNKbnGHkCD6ufN-yclS8-695kmGcxjvE/s1600/doctor+who+diamond+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMAaeCTcMIH6bw4JDKwU7o-dkZ8l6n0zK31iMaqz1MXY6AcCughc6J8qenw7sS7cYxhcvSH8OiCk8qhMlH6cMaxKFUvX16LY1vhNSqa-S2ACBNKbnGHkCD6ufN-yclS8-695kmGcxjvE/s320/doctor+who+diamond+wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Episode 11: Heaven Sent</b></div>
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Oh, my god. I have no other words. Just oh, my god.</div>
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This episode is spectacular. </div>
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Really, just magnificent. Peter Capaldi holds us captivated for a solid 45 minutes, and it's one of the best things I've ever seen on television. This is Twelve's finest hour, hands down. This will go down in Who history as one of, if not the best episode Twelve has ever had. Because it's amazing. Writing by Steven Moffat, acting by Peter Capaldi, directing by Rachel Talalay - all just amazing.</div>
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The funny thing is, the story isn't even that original. It's been done before, with all its Gothic-y, mind-bending awesomeness. But the execution is that fantastic - you're confused for forty minutes and then completely blown away in the last five. I love television that makes me think, that makes my brain feel like electricity is scorching through it when I'm figuring something out (I am a Ravenclaw, after all), and - well, there's a reason we say "mind blown"; it literally felt like my brain was imploding when the twist was revealed. After an eternity of feeling confused, suddenly everything made sense, and IT. WAS. AWESOME.</div>
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Just like the Doctor, we're dropped into a place where we have no idea where we are, what's going on, or who the immediate threat is. Like the Doctor, we're still grieving over Clara, and want to find whoever's responsible for her death. And like the Doctor, we slowly figure out what's going on, piece by carefully laid piece.</div>
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Within that strange puzzlebox of madness, Twelve finally has a proper monster: the Veil.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog0L8E_hRwro7Hlrn2epDlix0LgPU21M0ot4LuzcfzCyAmCsxkGSxWneYBrioILbf1d0_Z1RHMz9GnsFI6p4zw8Zu9GRb-fXSfUPuU5DhAD8qBYed9w7iwghFLa93geag79eX-sNaYfI/s1600/doctor+who+the+veil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog0L8E_hRwro7Hlrn2epDlix0LgPU21M0ot4LuzcfzCyAmCsxkGSxWneYBrioILbf1d0_Z1RHMz9GnsFI6p4zw8Zu9GRb-fXSfUPuU5DhAD8qBYed9w7iwghFLa93geag79eX-sNaYfI/s320/doctor+who+the+veil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Death personified, it hunts the Doctor from the get go, stalking him, accepting confessions as payment until it comes back around, until the Doctor must give up his life when he runs out of hidden truths to tell. This is a haunting presence, preceded by the sound of buzzing flies - a graphic combination of sound and imagery that makes this monster even creepier, if that was even possible.</div>
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What's really great about this set-up is that we see the clues from the start. At the very beginning, during that amazing monologue, we see the bloody footprints, someone pulling the lever, the hand burning to dust. But we don't know, we don't understand the weight of what we're seeing, until the very end, when it hits all at once, straight to the gut.</div>
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I won't tell you how much I cried during this episode. I won't, because I would probably be too embarrassed by it. It was during the montage at the very end, when everything comes to light, everything comes together, and you realize that the Doctor has been dying and, essentially, regenerating, over and over, for billions of years, to protect a secret he must keep. Looking at that diamond wall, he knows how excruciatingly long it will take him to break through it. And still he keeps going. Even when he knows he'll have to die, over and over. Even when he wants to give up, when he knows he could, he still keeps going. Because of Clara. Who gives him the will to do it. Living, dying, running, fighting, on and on, while the stars change position above and the skulls pile up in the sea.</div>
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The Doctor is so brave. And that's why I cried. He's braver than I ever thought possible. Because of Clara. Because of how much he cares.</div>
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The speech to go along with his fight is perfect, too:</div>
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<i>Doctor: "There's this emperor, and he asks the shepherd's boy, 'How many seconds in eternity?' The shepherd's boy says, 'There's this mountain of pure diamond. It takes an hour to climb it, and an hour to go around it. Every hundred years, a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on the diamond mountain. And when the entire mountain is chiseled away, the first second of eternity will have passed.' You must think that's a hell of a long time. Personally, I think that's a hell of a bird."</i></div>
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I cheered and clapped at that last line, as he finally smashes through the diamond wall. Something so triumphant at the end of what seemed like such a futile mission was the perfect ending.</div>
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And then, just to top it all off, we get another surprise: the enemies were the Time Lords. And the planet on the other side of the diamond was...Gallifrey!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZrvWaeslFnH_xlwZR655h0fjsS2mJKdqp8Zm1YCGGlTBaEbvtjAA-bATpI9mNITNMqxTDyz1QJhmSlO9QeEJF3Lqh-V5iBrrIL0ePgZ4aGvWq2Khbl6EcOFxPCq4L7Lx5ZLWVuTFib0/s1600/doctor+who+hell+bent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZrvWaeslFnH_xlwZR655h0fjsS2mJKdqp8Zm1YCGGlTBaEbvtjAA-bATpI9mNITNMqxTDyz1QJhmSlO9QeEJF3Lqh-V5iBrrIL0ePgZ4aGvWq2Khbl6EcOFxPCq4L7Lx5ZLWVuTFib0/s1600/doctor+who+hell+bent.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Episode 12: Hell Bent</b></div>
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And so we're here, at the season finale. I didn't think there was any possible way to top Heaven Sent; it was just too good. And I was right - but to the writers' credit, they did give us a solid episode to end on, and, after last year's so-so finale, I appreciate that.</div>
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This episode essentially has two storylines: past and present - the past with the Doctor and Clara on Gallifrey, and present, with the Doctor telling the story to Clara at the diner. Personally, I think both of these storylines have both their good and bad points, adding up to a satisfying conclusion plot-wise, but maybe not so much character-wise.</div>
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I will explain.</div>
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So, starting off, the Doctor doesn't say a word for the first ten minutes of this episode. That must be the longest the Doctor has ever gone without talking. Ten and Eleven could never have done that, no way; but Nine could have, and I think that's what I love about the Doctor we see in this episode. We see the war-weary soldier Nine personified so well, and to see the intimidation factor build and build as the Doctor's silence stretches is something awesome to see. He doesn't need words; he just uses silence, and the attack eyebrows, of course, until they bring him what he wants: President Rassilon, no longer Timothy Dalton, but an older, power-hungry tyrant. Nine's theme music even plays for a few seconds when the Doctor stands up to Rassilon, telling him to get off his planet.</div>
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What a way to come home!</div>
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Then we bring Clara back into the story, and here's where I feel the narrative starts to go wrong.</div>
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Clara's death was perfect. She died in the trap street, the Doctor grieved, and her memory helped him through all those years in the confession dial, keeping him strong and making him brave. That's how I wanted to remember Clara - brave, and compassionate, and strong, staring down death with no hint of fear.</div>
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And then the Doctor decides to take time into his own hands. Because that always ends well.</div>
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Stealing Clara from her death in the moment before her last heartbeat, the Doctor kills a Time Lord in their way before he and Clara escape to the depths of the capitol. </div>
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Doctor, what the hell are you doing?! </div>
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I mean, I don't care if on Gallifrey "death is just another word for man flu"; you just murdered someone!</div>
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The next few minutes reveal a big issue with this episode: pacing. We had a beginning that stretched out with the Doctor's silence, and now we have a middle that's being crammed full of Time Lord mythology, the matrix and cloister wraiths and time-frozen monsters and just too much <i>stuff </i>that doesn't matter all that much to the story we're trying to tell.</div>
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On the other hand, it is nice to see the Doctor and Clara together again. But Clara knows something is off; when the Doctor won't tell her what, she demands it of the newly-regenerated general (white man to a black woman - not that subtle, Moffat, but I do appreciate that now we have on-screen proof of Time Lords being able to switch genders!).</div>
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And then we find out: the Doctor was in the confession dial for four and a half billion years.</div>
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You can guess what I started doing at this moment. </div>
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Clara's face just says it all: the shock and the pain and the anguished love for her friend, who used all his grief to fuel him through eons of psychological torture. He did it to keep the secret, but that was never the point after all; the point was to save her. </div>
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He endured all that, all that time, just for her. And he wasn't even going to tell her.</div>
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Maybe I'm just too sensitive for my own good (and believe me, I know), but stuff like that hits me hard. I mean, that is a complete and total love that spanned billions of years, years filled with pain and grief where he could have given up so easily. But he didn't. All for her. </div>
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In a world where it often feels like everyone's trying so hard to protect their own hearts, it's astounding to see someone willing to love so openly, and so much, with their whole heart, without fear of the consequences and in spite of the pain of loss. He could have turned bitter and given up; instead, he kept going, punching away at that diamond wall, all for the slimmest chance that he would break through and force the Time Lords to bring Clara back. </div>
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The relationship between Twelve and Clara has never been a romantic one. There have been hints, but ultimately they are just best friends. But no matter what anyone says, this is a love story; there's no other context for it. Whether romantic or the deepest friendship the universe knows, the Doctor loved Clara so much he fought for four and a half billion years just to see her again. And if that doesn't break your heart, I don't know what will.</div>
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Now we have the great escape - the Doctor and Clara steal a classic-design TARDIS (it's the round things!) and head for the stars, running from the Time Lords just like the Doctor did all those years ago. And for a moment, it feels like just another wild adventure, the Doctor and Clara back together again.</div>
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But Clara's heartbeat doesn't restart. And suddenly the Doctor has a decision to make.</div>
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Here we get an echo of Donna's story. I didn't want Clara's memories erased, but I couldn't see how else the episode could end, with the Doctor standing with the neural block in hand.</div>
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Never would I have thought that it would be <i>the Doctor</i> who loses his memories.</div>
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It is a pretty nice twist, especially since we had assumed throughout the whole diner scene that it was Clara who had had forgotten, and the Doctor would leave quietly, like he did with Donna, leaving her to live out her life in peace.</div>
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But no - Clara, in the end, does, in fact, get to play the role of the Doctor, observing him without his memories of her and sending him on his way to live a life without her. </div>
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I'm not sure this works so well in practice as it does in theme. Yes, it's poetic justice, but isn't it a little cruel for Clara to let him go without trying to tell him who she is? Does she think she's being kind, since she's seen the consequences of him losing her, and doesn't want that to happen again? Is she doing it for the good of the universe, to protect it from the Doctor's grief when he does inevitably lose her again? I'm not sure. I wish it had been made clearer what her main motivation was for leaving him behind.</div>
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Which brings me to my one true issue with this episode:</div>
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Every companion needs a character arc, with noticeable developments and a contrast to themselves at the start that needs to be fulfilled by the end of their time with the Doctor. For Rose it was ambition; for Martha it was self-worth; for Donna it was empathy.</div>
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Right now Clara's arc is less clear, but I think part of her development as a character is she's learned to accept responsibility for her own actions. In Season 7 she depended on the Doctor to fix everything; in Season 8 she was forced to fix problems on her own; in Season 9 her recklessness sometimes overshadowed her sense of responsibility, but in Face the Raven, instead of trying to run away or desperately fix a problem that couldn't be solved, or even blame someone else for it, she accepted her death with grace and faced it with courage. That is what I truly admired her for - her courage, and her compassion, even shown in her last moments by her comforting those around her.</div>
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For Clara's character arc to be complete, and for us as the audience to have closure on her as a character, she needs to go back to Gallifrey and back into her time stream and die on the trap street again. As she has been telling the Doctor over and over, "It's my time. Everyone faces the raven. I have to die." It's her chance to, for once, actually be <i>better</i> than the Doctor, to stop running and face the consequences.</div>
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So what does she do?</div>
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AVOIDS THEM.</div>
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Don't get me wrong, I think it's a fun idea for her and Me to go flying around in a TARDIS. BUT NOT AS PART OF HER CHARACTER ARC.</div>
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It was so simple. All she had to do was die, and we would have had that closure that's so essential to a good story. But for some reason, Steven Moffat felt the need to keep her around, for a guest star appearance sometime in the future or something, I seriously don't know.</div>
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I dare you, Moffat, I double dog dare you, to KILL OFF A MAJOR CHARACTER AND KEEP THEM DEAD. Sure, in real life, a person might decide to avoid death no matter what they've said earlier. <i>But that isn't good storytelling.</i></div>
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Okay. I've said my piece. Besides that MAJOR misstep in basic storytelling, I think it was a successful episode. The Doctor is the Doctor again, as shown by him putting on the Doctor-y velvet coat, and - BAM! - catching a new sonic screwdriver the TARDIS made for him. My fellow Whovians, THE SONIC SCREWDRIVER IS BACK!</div>
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Looking at it, it's kind of funny how themes change over time. In Season 8, when the Doctor was supposed to be all stern and minimalist, he never would have had a screwdriver like this. I mean, I was surprised at how flashy it is! The lights keep flashing around and around, and the light is actually really big this time, and what even kind of design is this? I think I saw someone describe it as "disco crayon steampunk," and that's a bizarrely accurate description. If the Doctor wants to be Doctor Disco, I guess this is the right sonic for him!</div>
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But anyway - Season 9 is over, but we have the Christmas episode to look forward to! Last year's was a delightfully bizarre mix of <i>Alien</i> and <i>Inception</i>; this year's looks like a fun little comedy, where Twelve meets River Song! I can hardly wait!</div>
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<b>Notables:</b></div>
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-I love the inclusion of Clara's theme being played on Twelve's guitar. It's such a subtle and beautiful touch.</div>
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-Rassilon: "Who the hell does he think he is?"</div>
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General: "The man who won the Time War, sir."</div>
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OHHHHH</div>
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-Kind of random, but Me looks gorgeous in this episode. Just saying.</div>
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-So, does this mean we're going to run into Clara again when we inevitably run into Me somewhere down the line?</div>
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-I was kind of hoping that waitress Clara would be one of her echoes, a nice callback to her status as the Impossible Girl. Ah, well :)</div>
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-I love all the little tributes to the Doctor's past in this episode. The song from Mummy on the Orient Express playing in the diner, which happens to be the diner from The Impossible Astronaut, the mention of the Ice Warrior from Cold War - it's genuinely lovely, although I hope this doesn't mean we're going to be losing Capaldi anytime soon!</div>
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<b>Series 9 Final Ranking:</b></div>
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<b>1. Heaven Sent (Ep. 11)</b></div>
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<b>2. The Zygon Inversion (Ep. 8)</b></div>
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<b>3. Face the Raven (Ep. 10)</b></div>
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<b>4. The Girl Who Died (Ep. 5)</b></div>
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<b>5. The Witch's Familiar (Ep. 2)</b></div>
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<b>6. Under the Lake (Ep. 3)</b></div>
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<b>7. Hell Bent (Ep. 12)</b></div>
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<b>8. The Woman Who Lived (Ep. 6)</b></div>
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<b>9. Before the Flood (Ep. 4)</b></div>
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<b>10. The Magician's Apprentice (Ep. 1)</b></div>
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<b>11. The Zygon Invasion (Ep. 7)</b></div>
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<b>12. Sleep No More (Ep. 9)</b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-67523487803822662762015-11-20T18:51:00.001-05:002015-11-22T20:45:06.071-05:00Doctor Who Season 9 So Far: Episodes 7, 8, and 9<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Thoughts on <i>The Zygon Invasion</i>, <i>The Zygon Inversion</i>, and <i>Sleep No More</i></b></div>
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Well, this has been an interesting few weeks, hasn't it? I know for me it's been strange, since in the course of three weeks we've had an episode I felt almost no emotional connection with, an absolutely fantastic episode that had me feeling like we finally, FINALLY met the Twelfth Doctor, and an episode that amused, bored, and frustrated me all at the same time. </div>
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What to do with Season 9, an incredibly solid season thus far, when we hit a bit of a rough patch? Well, let's waste no time before speculating and complaining and marveling about this crazy, amazing, wonderful show; <i>allons-y!</i></div>
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<b>Episode 7: The Zygon Invasion</b></div>
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I don't usually leave a Doctor Who episode feeling emotionally distant from it, but this one I did. Why? </div>
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Well, as you all know by now, I loved the episode Kill the Moon from last season, and so was eagerly awaiting Peter Harness' contribution for this season. </div>
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And...well, for Kill the Moon, I could kind of ignore the political subtext because the argument itself was based around the notion of the value of life, which has always been an intrinsic element of the show. The Doctor values life in any form, human or alien, and does everything he can to save those lives - hence why he called himself the Doctor. It's such an integral part of his character, so when the plot came down to whether to save humanity or a creature that's the only one of its kind, I could push the similarities to the abortion issue aside, because really, it was all about saving lives, no matter how relevant or irrelevant to current issues.</div>
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Not so here, in The Zygon Invasion.</div>
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To be fair, it's not bad to have a political subtext within a Doctor Who episode; with such a versatile premise, why not? But the problem with this episode for me is that it didn't really feel like a Doctor Who episode. Even with red rubbery Zygons running around, for the majority of the episode it just felt like a political drama that happened to include the Doctor and Clara.</div>
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Not to say that there weren't any good moments; I loved seeing Osgood again, no matter what species she may be now (well, isn't that a sentence only talking about Doctor Who could generate), and the line about the Doctor wearing question-mark underpants was frikkin' hilarious - and an image I'll never be able to erase from my brain!</div>
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Overall, though, I didn't really feel engrossed in the episode until the very end, when Clara is revealed to be Zygon Clara, or Bonnie, I guess is the name she's picked. (Dalek Clara, Zygon Clara - what's next, CyberClara?) </div>
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But yes, the reveal actually had me excited. It was pretty clever (especially with the visual cue of Clara putting her hair up, so we know exactly when she became Bonnie) - and then the episode ended.</div>
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Cue anguished cry of impatience from me on the couch.</div>
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Even with some elements I enjoyed, I don't like leaving Doctor Who feeling like I spent an hour watching something I didn't care about...Thank goodness the next episode was amazing!! </div>
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<b>Episode 8: The Zygon Inversion</b></div>
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I don't think this episode needs much of an introduction; it's hard to forget. Everyone watching collectively sat transfixed as the Doctor delivered That Speech. You all know what one.</div>
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In this episode we see the Twelfth Doctor at his most vulnerable, most heartbreakingly open, within a tragically timely narrative, as not a week after this episode aired, ISIS set off terrorist attacks in Paris and Lebanon. Globally, we are witnessing attacks of war, and no one knows war better, or despises it more, than the Doctor.</div>
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After a fantastically atmospheric opening, a wonderful world-saving team-up between the Doctor and Osgood, and Clara and Bonnie engaging in a surreal game of lie detector, we get to the final showdown: the Osgood Box(es). What a completely ingenious visual; a "scale model of war," as the Doctor puts it. Kate on one side representing humanity, Bonnie on the other representing the Zygons, and the Doctor caught in the middle, as he always is, trying to dissuade each of them from destroying the other. We're back where we were in The Day of the Doctor, and this time the Doctor won't leave, not when he can try to fix it.</div>
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Twelve has felt a little cold, a little distant, especially last season, even going as far as abandoning Earth in its hour of need. In this season, he has warmed, become more compassionate underneath his signature bluntness, and nowhere is the transformation more complete than here, in this moment, in pleading with Bonnie, and even Kate, to spare the lives of their species:</div>
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<i>Doctor: "When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die. You don't know whose children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken! How many lives shattered! How much blood will spill until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning - sit down and talk!...I mean, do you call this a war, this funny little thing? This is not a war. I fought in a bigger war than you will ever know. I did worse things than you could ever imagine, and when I close my eyes, I hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count!"</i></div>
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This is the Doctor with any hostilities, any sarcasm, any pretenses stripped away. This is the essence of the Doctor - all that pain, all that heartbreak, all that loss. </div>
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Do you see those eyes? They no longer pierce or ridicule; they're open, vulnerable. And tired. Tired from trying to save the universe from people who are making the same mistake he nearly did.</div>
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But what makes the Doctor isn't his darkness and despair; it's the compassion formed from that, and how he uses it to help others see past their own anger, see the people standing on the opposite side of the battle field, not as enemies, but as precious lives worth saving.</div>
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<i>Doctor: "And do you know what you do with all that pain? Shall I tell you where you put it? You hold it tight, until it burns your hand. And you say this - no one else will ever have to live like this. No one else will ever have to feel this pain. Not on my watch!"</i></div>
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In a world where people are killing each other over beliefs or wealth or long-held resentment or any number of reasons, here in this family television show is the greatest message of compassion I know. Pain and tragedy doesn't have to make us bitter and hard-hearted; we can take that pain, and turn it into empathy for others' pain. </div>
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Bloodshed and bombings claim lives, but they don't have to claim our regard for our fellow human beings, whether they stand beside us or live across the globe. Some people are full of hatred, and sometimes that won't change; don't let that make you forget the ones willing to serve others, to listen, to live with a compassionate heart and say, "No one else will ever have to feel the pain I felt. Not on my watch."</div>
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<b>Notable moments, to end on a lighter note:</b></div>
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Osgood: "I've never seen you smile before."</div>
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Doctor: *smiles wider* "Dazzling, isn't it?"</div>
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(also, the Doctor drives!)</div>
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Doctor: "London!...What a dump!"</div>
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Osgood: "Why do you have a Union Jack parachute?"</div>
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Doctor: "Camouflage."</div>
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Osgood: "Camouflage?"</div>
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Doctor: "Yes; we're in Britain."</div>
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Doctor: "Are you flirting with me? You know I'm over 2,000 years old? I'm old enough to be your Messiah!"</div>
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Clara: "Take care of you."</div>
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Osgood: "You take care of him. Don't let him die or anything."</div>
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Clara; "What if he's really annoying?"</div>
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Osgood: "Then it's fine."</div>
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-Kudos to Jenna Coleman, who was excellent playing both Clara and Bonnie. I think we sometimes forget how good of an actress she is, since it's a rare episode that she gets to really be versatile. Bonnie and Clara have the same face, but I would never confuse the two!</div>
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-So, Osgood has joined the ranks of Captain Jack Harkness, Rory Williams, River Song, and Clara Oswald in characters who died and came back (what is Moffat's obsession with this?), and could potentially keep coming back, over and over. Osgood's around as long as there are Zygons left in the universe!</div>
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-The Doctor mentions Clara's absence felt more like a month rather than five minutes. Is this some kind of clue? Did we miss something in his and Clara's adventures? Did Clara actually die, and he's just gone back on her timeline so he could see her again? Is that even possible? I don't know, I'm just trying to prepare myself for what's inevitably going to be a terrible, stab-to-the-gut sad exit for Clara.</div>
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<b>Episode 9: Sleep No More</b></div>
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Oh, dear. I...I don't even know what to do with this episode. Did this even happen, or was it a strange, strange nightmare?</div>
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It's the first found-footage episode for Doctor Who, but I wish a more worthy episode could have been awarded that benchmark because - wow, was this weird.</div>
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Things I liked: some of the Doctor and Clara's banter was amusing; the Mr. Sandman song was a fun detail; and the general premise had potential. Overall, though, it just feels like a bunch of random ideas that are just not coming together into a conglomerate whole.</div>
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Killer. Sleep dust. How is that scary?</div>
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This whole episode is trying to be scary, but it's just not working. Mostly because no matter how hard you try, sleep dust is not scary, and the monsters look like actors in morph suits with yellow papier-mache thrown on them. What the actual heck? I know Mark Gatiss likes his references to Classic Who, but did we really need a monster that looked like what they used in the 60's because they had no budget back then? Was it intentional? If it was, why, and if it wasn't, how did that ever get approved?</div>
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Also, the story just feels like a mess. I don't even know if I was following it all correctly. People go in the Morpheus machines and sleep, but because it's such an intense process the sleep dust builds up more than usual and becomes its own living entity, which in turn tries to eat people? And over time the people with sleep dust in their eyes eventually become the carnivorous sleep dust themselves? Why is "carnivorous sleep dust" even a phrase that exists?</div>
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Even Capaldi couldn't save this one. He's brilliant as usual, but at the end of his big Macbeth speech about the phrase "Sleep no more" and how sleeping makes us human, I still couldn't help busting out laughing. Even the Doctor can't pass these monsters off, or this episode, for that matter, as something to take seriously. (Actually I should be kind of mad, as this may have forever ruined my favorite Shakespeare play.)</div>
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Gatiss is a big Doctor Who fan, and he tries to have fun with his episodes, but this just fell flat. Let's just move on from this - and please, for the love of God, Gatiss, don't write a sequel!</div>
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This week's episode is Face the Raven (which I was kind of hoping was an Edgar Allan Poe episode, but watching the trailer, sadly I don't think it is) - is this Clara's exit, her time to face death? How will Moffat rip our hearts out this time? And most importantly, how will the Doctor deal with her loss?</div>
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<b>Season 9 Ranking So Far:</b></div>
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<b>1. The Girl Who Died (Ep. 5)</b></div>
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<b>2. The Zygon Inversion (Ep. 8)</b></div>
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<b>3. The Witch's Familiar (Ep. 2)</b></div>
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<b>4. Under the Lake (Ep. 3)</b></div>
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<b>5. The Woman Who Lived (Ep. 6)</b></div>
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<b>6. Before the Flood (Ep. 4)</b></div>
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<b>7. The Magician's Apprentice (Ep. 1)</b></div>
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<b>8. The Zygon Invasion (Ep. 7)</b></div>
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<b>9. Sleep No More (Ep. 9)</b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-89158670852017088842015-10-30T18:24:00.002-04:002015-11-05T22:33:51.262-05:00Doctor Who: Season 9 So Far - Episodes 4, 5, and 6<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Thoughts on <i>Before the Flood</i>, <i>The Girl Who Died</i>, and <i>The Woman Who Lived</i></b><br />
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<b>Episode 4: Before the Flood</b></div>
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"So...who really wrote Beethoven's fifth?"</div>
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<b>Framing</b> - I loved the start of this episode! Having the Doctor address the camera is a bold move, but of course Peter Capaldi can pull it off, so why not? He then proceeds to describe a bootstrap paradox - "Google it," which I did, as many other Whovians did, I'm sure - using the creation of Beethoven's fifth as an example. The electric guitar making a return appearance, the Doctor then plays us out to a rock version of that musical piece as the opening credits roll. In a word, fantastic! </div>
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(Can we keep this theme music? It matches this Doctor much better than the electronic trills!)</div>
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<b>The story</b> - Not as riveting as Under the Lake, but it's interesting seeing the Doctor dealing with the paradox of going back in his own timeline (which you should never, ever do, by the way, unless it's inconvenient, or you forget) and O'Donnell and Bennett becoming temporary companions. The ghost Doctor naming victims also adds some great suspense.</div>
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<b>The Fisher King</b> - To tell you the truth, I was expecting a little more from the Fisher King. I know he was supposed to be scary, but mainly I just ended up feeling sorry for the actor who was stuck inside that awkward, easily-overbalanced costume.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple times I was genuinely worried he was going to topple over.</td></tr>
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<b>The ending</b> - It was really cool how they brought it all back to the bootstrap paradox, with the Doctor being inside the stasis chamber all along, etc. However, it also made the ending feel kind of rushed. It was like the writer realized he only had ten minutes left in the episode, so he just wrapped it all up, not bothering to show us how the ending was actually achieved. So, clever in illustrating the paradox, but also maybe a little lazy? In any case, I don't think this episode was as good as Under the Lake, but it still had its moments. Such as:</div>
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Notables:</div>
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-O'Donnell: "It's bigger on the inside! It's bigger on the inside!" Oh, O'Donnell, why did you have to die? </div>
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-The effect where Cass "hears" by putting her hand on the floor and feeling the vibrations from the ax being dragged by the ghost. The tension in that scene was awesome!</div>
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-Clara: "Doctor, if you love me in any way, you'll come back." BAM, right to the feels.</div>
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-Even though O'Donnell and Bennett didn't get a chance for their relationship, I'm glad Cass and Lunn got their happy ending!</div>
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<b>Episode 5: The Girl Who Died</b></div>
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I'll admit it, I've watched this episode four times now. I love, love, love it. Never thought I'd say that about a story with Vikings!</div>
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Here we have a collaboration between Steven Moffat and Jamie Mathieson, the writer of Mummy on the Orient Express and Flatline, both fantastic episodes last year. After another winner with The Girl Who Died, I have to say, Jamie Mathieson would be my vote for next show runner! </div>
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The Good:</div>
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Oh, my goodness, where to start? There's so much to love!</div>
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-<b>RIP, sonic glasses</b> - was I the only one who cheered when the sonic glasses were snapped? Not that I hate them, I'm just ready for the screwdriver to be back! Maybe Twelve can have his own when it eventually does return - I vote purple!</div>
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-<b>Odin</b> - first of all, the Doctor's fake Odin impression is hilarious; it's the very worst imitation of how you would think a god would sound, and funny in revealing just how stupid the Doctor thinks the Vikings are (and he is, of course, very wrong; nice try, anyway, Doctor). And then we have an Odin who looks like God from Monty Python and the Holy Grail:</div>
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-<b>Clara</b> - Clara was frikkin' awesome standing up to the head of the Mire. This was her shining moment in this episode, and Jenna Coleman nailed it. She manages to intimidate Odin, break down his intention and his own analysis of her and Ashildr, and convinces him to leave Earth. Also, she gets points for this quote: "The universe is full of testosterone. Trust me, it's unbearable." </div>
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-<b>Ashildr</b> - Ashildr is such an interesting character. She's a product of her time, so it makes sense she would challenge the Mire even if it ultimately wasn't a great idea. But she's out of her own time, too, telling stories and feeling a bit of a misfit. I love watching her and the Doctor connect - he's a misfit in his own society as well, so to see him listening to her and understanding her is what gives this episode such great heart. She's lost inside her own head, but at the same time she is so connected and compassionate towards the people around her; she's uncertain about herself and her own identity, but brave and passionate when it comes to defending her village. In short, I'm so glad the Doctor saved her, even if the consequences are yet to be seen.</div>
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-<b>"I speak baby"</b> - What started out as a line employed for comedic effect in the long-ago days of Craig and Stormaggedon is transformed in this episode into something oddly poetic, as the Doctor translates the crying of Lofty's baby. It's a strange scene, yet in Capaldi's capable hands it's turned into something that I'd say is even beautiful. </div>
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-<b>The Doctor's names for the Vikings</b>, lol</div>
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-<b>Slapstick comedy</b> - In a surprising moment of hilarious slapstick, a training sequence abruptly cuts to its aftermath, where fires are burning, horses run wildly, and I think even a few buildings lie partially collapsed, lol</div>
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-<b>Fire in the water</b> - If you really care that electric eels can't be found anywhere near that particular geographic area, you need to lighten up a bit. It's a brilliant ending to a great story, making it possible for the Vikings to use the Mire's technology against them in a great example of bad karma!</div>
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The Bad:</div>
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-<b>Warrior juice</b> - The Mire's motivation for invading was a little odd (You really like the taste of mashed-up Viking adrenaline? Maybe there's some green Gatorade in there to give it flavor, who knows), but in any case, it doesn't really take away from the rest of the story.</div>
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The FEELS:</div>
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-When Clara puts her hand on the Doctor's face when he's listening to the baby cry. It's such an intimate gesture, so sweet and caring.</div>
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-When the Doctor covers Ashildr's hand with his when he puts the helmet on her. It's such a small gesture, and it only lasts a couple seconds, but I'm so glad they showed that. I'm sure it meant the world to her that he believed in her, and that one gesture said it all.</div>
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-The Doctor: (to Clara) "Look at you, with your eyes. Your never-giving-up. Your anger. Your kindness. And one day, the memory of that will hurt so much that I won't be able to breathe. And I'll do what I always do - I'll get in my box and I'll run and I'll run, in case all the pain ever catches up." This, this is what defines the Doctor. So much love and compassion, and because of that, so much heartbreak. If anyone ever says this is just a silly sci-fi show, I'll show them this scene, because it perfectly illustrates both the beauty and the tragedy of the Doctor's life.</div>
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-Flashback to Ten and Donna - what a perfect way to explain why Twelve chose that face. Thank you, Russell T. Davies!</div>
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-Doctor: "Immortality is everybody else dying. [Ashildr] might meet someone she can't bear to lose. That happens, I believe." *looking at Clara* As Tumblr would put it, I CAN'T EVEN</div>
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So now the Doctor has a predicament on his hands: what will happen to Ashildr? How will she cope with being immortal? Can she? I don't know, but that final shot (amazing cinematography, by the way) looks foreboding; those eyes will <i>haunt</i> you:</div>
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Notables:</div>
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"They went willingly to Valhalla. As would we all." </div>
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"I wouldn't. Well, I wouldn't! I'm not good with heights."</div>
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"What are you going to do, raise crops at them?"</div>
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"If necessary!"</div>
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"When I say jump, you say how high!...unless it's across a gap of some kind, which of course means you jump horizontally."</div>
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"He's actually upgraded his phobia."</div>
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"I'm the Doctor, and I save people! And if anyone happens to be listening, if you have any kind of problem with that, to hell with you!"</div>
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<b>Episode 6: The Woman Who Lived</b></div>
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Here we have it: our first episode written by a female writer since Helen Raynor in Seasons 3 and 4! The Woman Who Lived is written by Catherine Tregenna, who's also written for Torchwood, and we'll have another female writer, Sarah Dollard, for episode ten, Face the Raven!</div>
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So, what did I think of this episode? Overall, it felt very...sad. This episode is preoccupied with Ashildr dealing with her immortality, which of course is mirrored by the Doctor's own brand of immortality. Even though she leads a thrilling double life as highway robber the Knightmare and noblewoman Lady Me, she feels empty; her heart has grown hard across years of tragedy and losing loved ones, leaving the Doctor to try to help her find her compassion again.</div>
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The most touching moment was when the Doctor read Me's diaries - it really showed how difficult her life had been, and emphasized the even greater tragedy of her not being able to remember it all. The parts she does remember have fueled this overwhelming anger, masking a deep and awful loneliness, much like the Doctor when he travels alone (Time Lord Victorious, anyone?). While the Doctor is able to run away from his problems with the TARDIS, Me is forced to live through it, and that has made her into someone very bitter and very desperate.</div>
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It's that desperation that makes her scheme with Leondr plausible. Although he wasn't fleshed out all that much, and consequently was probably the weakest part of the episode, we can see why she would go with him, even though she knows it may mean her death. At this point she's just tired of living, even suicidal, which is hard stuff for a kids' show. </div>
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Ultimately, though, the Doctor manages to show her that she does care about other people. I love her face when she realizes it, like "Dammit, I do care!" Maisie Williams is amazing, in both this and The Girl Who Died; in this episode I can believe she's lived for 800 years. She makes us feel that weight, all that tragedy and loneliness carried around with her for so long. To see her character find the strength and compassion to save the townspeople was a grand transformation to witness, and it made me excited for what else her character can bring to the show in future. I personally can't wait for Me to show up again, whatever episode or season that may be!</div>
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Notables:</div>
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-I loved that they showed glimpses of Me's different lives. I wanted that segment to keep going, it was fascinating!</div>
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-I wonder if Sam Swift the Quick really is immortal now? Will he stay with Me? Would that even work?</div>
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-Are they bringing back Captain Jack Harkness?? Please do! :D</div>
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<b>Season 9 Ranking So Far:</b></div>
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<b>1. The Girl Who Died (Ep. 5)</b></div>
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<b>2. The Witch's Familiar (Ep. 2)</b></div>
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<b>3. Under the Lake (Ep. 3)</b></div>
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<b>4. The Woman Who Lived (Ep. 6)</b></div>
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<b>5. Before the Flood (Ep. 4)</b></div>
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<b>6. The Magician's Apprentice (Ep. 1)</b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-25813487175857833812015-10-07T15:28:00.001-04:002015-10-14T15:05:52.151-04:00Doctor Who: Season 9 So Far - Episodes 1, 2, and 3<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Thoughts on <i>The Magician's Apprentice</i>, <i>The Witch's Familiar</i>, and <i>Under the Lake</i></b><br />
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So, Season 9 has begun! After seeing some of the trailers and watching the short prequel episodes, I was pretty excited to get going - and the first episode didn't disappoint! Who's ready for some new adventures in time and space? <i>Allons-y!</i></div>
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<b>Episode 1: The Magician's Apprentice</b></div>
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First off, the picture above tells you all you need to know about the season opener: the Doctor, on a tank, wearing sunglasses, playing the bass line to his own theme song on an electric guitar. In other words, awesomeness personified.</div>
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I mean, wow! Last year we got a dinosaur spitting out the TARDIS, this year we got the Doctor riding in on a tank! I'll give Steven Moffat this, he knows how to create a spectacle!</div>
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This episode really was a lot of fun. It was thrilling, intriguing, entertaining - its only flaw was it didn't really have much of a plot, but for a season premiere, I think that can be forgiven, as long as all the set-up eventually pays off. So, without further ado:</div>
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<b>The teaser</b> <b>- </b>A great opening sequence! First of all, we got a new monster - the hand mines. Though they may be a rip-off of the monster from <i>Pan's Labyrinth</i>, they're definitely creepy-looking, and actually pretty effective for building tension early on in the episode.</div>
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And then the reveal! I had no idea! As soon as the boy said his name, I gasped and jumped out of my chair! This is an enemy we haven't seen since the end of the Tenth Doctor's era! It's been so long, I don't even remember what happened to Davros! But now he's back, and apparently the Doctor played a part in creating his genocidal tendencies, so...yeah, Doctor, not so good. But what a fantastic reveal to start off the episode!</div>
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<b>The theme song -</b> they kept the electronic trills, ugh. They changed the theme song each season for the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, why can't they do it for Twelve?</div>
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<b>The Whoniverse</b> - You forget sometimes how big the Doctor Who universe really is, so it was kind of cool to watch Colony Sarff (another great monster; he doesn't look that scary until you find out what he actually is, and then he's <i>really</i> creepy) go from planet to planet looking for the Doctor, from the Shadow Proclamation (which I don't think we've seen since the Tenth Doctor's era, either!) to Karn. If we're visiting all these older locations, I wonder if we won't be back on Gallifrey by the season finale!</div>
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<b>Clara</b> - Clara still kicks ass, and even more so than usual, to tell the truth. When she's called into UNIT and takes charge right away, figuring out what's going on before Kate Lethbridge-Stewart or even the scientific team, it started to remind me of Rose and how confident she became while traveling with the Doctor. In The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, Rose starts giving the spaceship crew orders and generally taking charge while the Doctor is down exploring the cavern. It was so great to see Rose's progression as a character in those scenes, and it's great to see Clara doing the same thing. I mean, in Season 7 she never did anything on her own or took initiative, and now she's bossing UNIT around! I kind of love it. As Missy says, "You go, girl."</div>
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Also, side note, I love her leather jacket.</div>
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<b>Missy</b> - Still alive, still evil! I have to admit, Missy is starting to grow on me. Michelle Gomez gives this wonderfully insane performance, and it injects such life into every scene she's in. You never know what Missy's going to do, whether she's going to save you or kill you, and to be fair, I don't think she knows, either! It's also interesting to see her being jealous over the Doctor; we think of the Master and the Doctor as each other's greatest enemy, but at the same time, she gets jealous when Clara claims to be the Doctor's best friend, and the same with Davros claiming to be his archenemy: "I'll scratch his eye out." So Missy wants to be the Doctor's greatest frenemy? I think her problem is she just wants to be the Doctor's everything, period. Regardless, definitely looking forward to seeing more of Missy!</div>
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<b>The Doctor</b> - Oh, my goodness, the Doctor. This is exactly what I wanted from last season and I never got, and now it's here, and it's wonderful. The Doctor is emotional; he is emotionally invested in his actions and in the people around him and his relationship to them and it feels right, it feels like we have a chance to finally really get to know the Doctor again. Last season the writers spent all their time wanting us to worry about whether the Doctor is a good man, when what we really should have been concerned with is: does the Doctor care? And with this episode I can say yes, yes, he does.</div>
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The Doctor seems to think he is going to die - I guess he assumes Davros is coming to kill him? - and so we get a telling look into the Doctor's troubled psyche when he sends his last confession to Missy, throws a huge farewell party for himself, and hugs Clara. He hugged Clara! My heart melted and broke at the same time. How broken must he feel to hug Clara of his own accord? But it also shows how much he cares about her, and I'm so glad that finally comes through. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But seriously, was that not the most adorable moment ever.</td></tr>
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But, unfortunately, we can't forget that this episode is ultimately about the Doctor leaving a child to die. How are we supposed to feel about that? The Doctor made a poor choice, but could that one choice really have created the Davros he knows and hates? The moral gray area is interesting, but maybe a bit heavy for the fun tone the rest of the episode was setting. Ah, well; we'll see if the set-up pays off in the second part.</div>
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So the Doctor, Missy, and Clara get taken to Davros' infirmary. The Doctor meets Davros again, while Clara and Missy go exploring. And lo and behold, they discover they are on the planet...Skaro! </div>
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For a millisecond I thought we had already found Gallifrey and subsequently lost my mind, but then it was Skaro and I was rendered sane again, lol. Even so, it actually was a pretty good reveal. </div>
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And then of course the Daleks proceed to kill Missy and Clara.</div>
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Really? It's the season premiere and there was no heart-ripping, emotional moment beforehand, so they can't be dead. My money's on it will explain how Missy escaped death the last time.</div>
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In my opinion, a pretty great season opener! I'm excited for Season 9; it feels a lot more focused than Season 8, with the characterization of the Doctor and Clara finally fixed in place, and darker in tone, a bit like Season 6 (my favorite season of Eleven's run). Bring on The Witch's Familiar!</div>
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<u>Notables</u>:</div>
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-No more sonic screwdriver? No; no, you wouldn't take that away, Moffat...would you?</div>
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-So if the Doctor has referred to himself as looking like a magician, is the magician's apprentice young Davros?</div>
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-Doctor: "You've got one chance in a thousand. Focus on the one." I love it, I really do, when the Doctor says things like this. Your Ten is showing, Doctor. :)</div>
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-Doctor: "Clara, my Clara." He called her "my Clara" in Dark Water, but this time it feels really heartfelt, and genuinely heartbreaking.</div>
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-What's on the confession dial? Will we see it eventually? Maybe as part of Clara's departure from the show?</div>
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-Doctor: "It's my party, and all of me is invited!"</div>
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<b>Episode 2: The Witch's Familiar</b></div>
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I found the first two-thirds of this episode absolutely delightful. As for the last third - well, we'll get to that. For now:</div>
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<b>Missy</b> - This episode is really Gomez's time to shine, and she does; Missy is frikkin' hilarious. Just look at all the outrageous stuff she does in just one episode!</div>
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<li>hangs Clara upside down and talks about eating her if she gets hungry </li>
<li>makes a pointy stick to use as a weapon against the Daleks (Clara: "Can I have a stick, too?" Missy: "Make your own stick.")</li>
<li>nonchalantly pushes Clara down a hole to measure the distance ("...Twenty feet.")</li>
<li>pokes holes in a Dalek</li>
<li>pokes Davros in the eye!! I seriously wanted to high-five her when she did that, lol</li>
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She's just so crazy, and she's so obviously enjoying it!<br />
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It's also interesting seeing Missy and Clara team up, even if the pairing doesn't work as well as the Doctor and Clara. It's unfortunate that Clara comes across as a little bit dumb in this episode, as she trusts Missy when she really shouldn't. I suppose Missy is really the only one she can trust on an unknown and dangerous planet like Skaro, but even so...if Missy tells you to get inside a Dalek, don't do it. Just don't. </div>
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<b>Dalek Clara</b> - This was an interesting callback to Oswin in Asylum of the Daleks; are we going to get more references to Clara's other selves throughout the season to lead up to her final farewell? Whatever the purpose, it was intriguing to see what these scenes added to the Dalek mythology. I'd never thought about emotion firing the Daleks' guns, but it does make a weird sort of sense.</div>
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<b>The Doctor and Davros</b> - Even with Missy's endless shenanigans, the scenes that really make this episode are between the Doctor and Davros. Their whole conversation is intense, philosophical, psychological warfare between enemies who have been fighting for centuries. </div>
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For me, these scenes are what really made me love the Doctor again. I've always loved him, no matter what the face, for his compassion. Last season he felt so cold and distant; this season it's like he's finally found his heart, and it makes me love him all the more.</div>
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Doctor: "I didn't come because I'm ashamed. I came because you're sick and you asked."</div>
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Davros: "Compassion, then."</div>
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Doctor: "Always."...</div>
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Davros: "It will kill you in the end."</div>
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Doctor: "I wouldn't die of anything else."</div>
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Excuse me while my heart just melts. Twelve, again, your Ten is showing. :)</div>
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And it's that compassion that shapes these scenes. I love the moment where the Doctor and Davros actually start laughing together, at the absurdity of their whole relationship; it's in that moment that both of them actually feel human, and you feel their connection as they see each other, not just as an enemy, but as someone who was trying to do what was right, whether it was misguided or not.</div>
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I don't care who you are, the Doctor offering up his regeneration energy when Davros doesn't have enough strength to open his eyes to see one last sunrise, is one of the most heartrending moments of Doctor Who we've seen in a long time. I mean, my god; I could feel the tears misting up out of nowhere, taking me completely by surprise. The whole scene was just so touching and lovely...</div>
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Which is why I don't buy the end of the episode.</div>
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Call me a hopeless romantic (and I hate to admit it, but I am) but I don't believe the Doctor knew the whole time that Davros was lying. Peter Capaldi is an amazing actor, but I don't think the Doctor is. There was genuine feeling there; I think, despite the Doctor's denial, he used that super-powered brain of his that we saw build a new and improved vortex manipulator in four nanoseconds at the beginning of the episode in Missy's flashback/story, to figure out how he could still win. And he did, thank goodness, by the skin of his teeth, like always.</div>
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Which brings me to:</div>
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<b>Dalek sewers</b> - clever or stupid? It's a clever concept, the ultimate karma of the Daleks being destroyed by their own kind, but the actual execution looks kind of...well, gross, for starters. I mean, the climax of the episode is watching Dalek sewage drown other Daleks. Needless to say, it jarred me out of the viewing experience a little.</div>
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<b>The last third</b> - So, yes, the last third of the episode is predictable, and actually feels a bit rushed. We get a moral tagged on - "Friends, enemies, none of that matters, as long as there's mercy" - which I don't think was strictly necessary. Unfortunately there are a few moments in this episode where the subtlety is not strong, and to have this message hammered home wasn't a great way to end an otherwise well written episode. Sometimes the moral can be written in and feel more organic, such as in Mummy on the Orient Express last year with "Sometimes all you have are bad choices, but you still have to choose," where it worked because it's a private moment between the Doctor and Clara, and not a vague moralistic message to a child who has no context for the Doctor's meaning.</div>
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Overall, even with a couple clunky moments, I thought this episode was thoroughly enjoyable. We've ended our first two-parter of Season 9; now on to something hopefully a little less convoluted: Under the Lake!</div>
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<u>Notables</u>:</div>
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-The Doctor stealing Davros' chair!! "Admit it; you've all had this exact nightmare...Anyone for dodge-ems?"</div>
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-Davros has to find the only other chair on Skaro for the Doctor to sit on; that is actually hilarious.</div>
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-I'm just wondering, why does Davros keep his eyes closed? I'm not really up on my Classic Who lore, but is there a reason for it, or is it just to make him look scarier?</div>
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-Did Steven Moffat just forget that in The Big Bang a Dalek begged River Song for mercy?</div>
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-Sonic sunglasses - how long are these going to be around before we get the sonic screwdriver back?</div>
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-Are we really supposed to wonder why the Doctor left Gallifrey? He's so unlike the other Time Lords I just figured it was because he didn't fit in!</div>
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<b>Episode 3: Under the Lake</b></div>
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Ghosts! I don't think the show's done that before. The closest thing I can think of are the "ghosts" in The Unquiet Dead back in Season 1, and those turned out to be an alien species called the Gelth. So what are these ghosts, and why are they haunting an underwater mining facility?</div>
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This episode is written by Toby Whithouse, who's also written the thoroughly entertaining School Reunion (Season 2), the "meh" episodes The Vampires of Venice (Season 5) and A Town Called Mercy (Season 7), and the brilliant The God Complex (Season 6). So how does this stand up in his Doctor Who CV? So-so, enjoyable, or amazing?</div>
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<b>Characters</b> - We meet most of our characters right off the bat, in the crew sent to investigate the mystery spacecraft. With so many characters, it's difficult to make each of them a distinct personality within such a short time limit, and unfortunately that's a small failing of this episode. Even so, it's good that we get to know them at least a little:</div>
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<i>Cass</i>: Oh, my goodness, I love Cass. Seriously, what a badass! When Moran is killed early on in the episode (which is a shame, considering how good an actor Colin McFarlane is), she steps up to lead, and you can tell the crew trusts her completely. She's tough, and incredibly smart - even the Doctor comments on it. My favorite part was when she stood up to the Doctor; it's not easy to stand your ground against the smartest person in the room, but she did, to protect her crew, and you could tell he respected her for it. Go, Cass!</div>
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<i>O'Donnell</i>: How refreshing is it that the two most defined members of the crew are women? I'm just saying, that hardly ever happens. But yeah, O'Donnell; how can you not love her? She's a huge fangirl of the Doctor, which I think most Whovians can relate to, but she's smart and focused when it comes to doing her job and saving the crew. I loved her blush when the Doctor compliments her. She's totally fangirling inside her head, but she doesn't let it distract her from the task at hand. More female characters like these two, please!</div>
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<i>Pritchard</i>: The corporate a-hole we all love to hate. I think the Doctor had the best response to him: "It's okay, I understand. You're an idiot."</div>
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<i>Lunn</i>: We didn't get to know too much about Lunn, but I loved seeing how close he and Cass are. You can tell from their interactions that he isn't just her translator, he's also her best friend. :)</div>
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<i>Bennett</i>: Bennett didn't get much characterization beyond science nerd and occasional coward, but there's also still time to get to know all of these characters in the second part. I thought O'Donnell punching him playfully in the arm after he got away from the ghosts was interesting - could there maybe be something there?</div>
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<b>The monsters</b> - Another creepy creature to add to the ever-growing roster, the ghosts with empty skulls is definitely a great scary image!</div>
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<b>The Doctor and Clara</b> - I think this episode really shows how solid the Doctor and Clara's friendship has become. It's an established partnership, it feels comfortable; they're constantly glancing at each other to share reactions, and they know what the other's thinking without having to say a word. Even better, they laugh at each other's jokes! It's great to finally be here, after a rocky start at the beginning of Season 8, and see how much they've grown as friends. When the Doctor says, "Trust me, don't you, Clara?" and puts his hand up on the glass, you feel that connection.</div>
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<b>The explanation</b> - So herein lies my main problem with the episode. When Cass is able to lip-read and figure out what the ghosts are saying (called it!), it unravels what feels like a vague explanation for the turn of events. The words the ghosts are mouthing are coordinates, directions to the base. The Doctor explains them, but I'm not sure I buy it: </div>
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<u>The dark</u>: Space. So they're directing them to another planet, that makes sense.</div>
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<u>The sword</u>: Orion's sword. In the whole galaxy, there's only one constellation in the shape of sword? Okay, well, maybe it's the most well known or something.</div>
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<u>The forsaken</u>: This is where the explanation starts to feel a bit tenuous. How is Scotland the only forsaken place on the planet? Clearly there are others, unless the aliens have seen <i>Skyfall</i> and are using that as a reference.</div>
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<u>The temple</u>: The church. All right, that's fair.</div>
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Is it really possible for such vague directions to lead an alien race here? As for the four markings on the wall, I don't feel that worked as well as it could have. The audience can't experience the same sensation as the crew, so while the words felt strangely familiar to them, it still felt completely random to us. </div>
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Overall, I'd say this episode is somewhere between School Reunion and The God Complex quality-wise for Mr. Whithouse. It has great atmosphere, creepy monsters, characters we like, and showcases the Doctor and Clara's bond; it just gets a little too unclear at the end with the explanation of what all's going on. In other words, great set-up, not a fantastic pay-off. Still, it's good enough to keep us intrigued for next week. I have three questions that I hope get answered:</div>
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1) Why can the ghosts only handle metal objects? </div>
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2) Why didn't the ghost kill Lunn?</div>
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3) Why the heck is the Doctor a ghost?? (Great cliffhanger!)</div>
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Notables:</div>
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-The cards! I think this was one of the best parts of the episode. I think my favorite was, "I didn't mean to imply that I don't care," lol</div>
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-After the cynical Doctor of last season, it's so great to see the Doctor getting excited about things again! And when he gets excited, he starts talking really fast, a bit like Ten once again - "Why can they only handle metal objects, ooh, I didn't know I noticed that"</div>
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-The Doctor's "don't go native" speech to Clara was sweet, but unnecessary. It's nice to see, though, that traveling with him isn't just her "hobby" anymore; it's her life, and she loves it, as would we all!</div>
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Next week: the second part of Whithouse's two-parter, Before the Flood!</div>
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<b>Season 9 Ranking So Far:</b><br />
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<b>1. The Witch's Familiar (Ep. 2)</b><br />
<b>2. Under the Lake (Ep. 3)</b><br />
<b>3. The Magician's Apprentice (Ep. 1)</b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-10617621725438365572015-09-16T16:53:00.001-04:002015-09-16T17:05:38.670-04:00Doctor Who: Season 8 in Retrospect, and Onward to Season 9!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2BuPHG55D49joHYyWoxXeuUu5I893C81jY6NiNk08D_2H2p37sLEJBd-MKjgCdVI_PmxACAlTs68_EwkRLTu-FQm1fWQSjviCQVDaBIxF5oWl9UwixGYR0MrVy21W9xAiDj6ufkEp0w/s1600/doctor+who+season+9+promo+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2BuPHG55D49joHYyWoxXeuUu5I893C81jY6NiNk08D_2H2p37sLEJBd-MKjgCdVI_PmxACAlTs68_EwkRLTu-FQm1fWQSjviCQVDaBIxF5oWl9UwixGYR0MrVy21W9xAiDj6ufkEp0w/s320/doctor+who+season+9+promo+pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And we're back! It has been awhile, hasn't it? Life got a bit busy over the summer, but really we've all just been killing time until the next season of Doctor Who. And on Saturday, it'll be here at last! I don't know about you, but I'm excited. :)</div>
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How has Season 8 held up since last year? Well, I re-watched it in preparation for Season 9, and you know what? It wasn't bad. It wasn't great, I'll give you that - we haven't had a truly great season since Seasons 4 and 5 - but Season 8, from purely an entertainment standpoint, is still enjoyable. </div>
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Did some of my opinions change? Yes, and I'll tell you if they did and why:</div>
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<b>Deep Breath - Exciting, if a bit unfocused</b></div>
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--You can't top some of the imagery in this episode - a dinosaur in London, the half-faced man - and the story does keep you intrigued, but the plot gets a little lost along the way. Still, it's a solid introductory episode for Twelve.</div>
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<b>Into the Dalek - Decent</b></div>
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--Not bad, not great, it's stuck on the middle ground of good, with a few drawbacks in the plot and characters keeping it from being truly top quality.</div>
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<b>Robot of Sherwood - Entertaining, but mostly forgettable</b></div>
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--Although I did enjoy this episode more the second time around, besides the Doctor's duel with a spoon I can't think of many parts of it that are really all that memorable.</div>
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<b>Listen - A potential classic</b></div>
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--An unexpected dive into the Doctor's psyche. While a confusing plot stops this episode from becoming an instant classic like Blink, there's definite substance here, plus one of the creepiest monsters we've met (or haven't met, rather) on the show, at least for awhile.</div>
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<b>Time Heist - Decent</b></div>
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--A clever idea that sometimes falls flat in its execution, but still an entertaining episode!</div>
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<b>The Caretaker - Decent</b></div>
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--The Doctor as a janitor never gets old, and this episode holds welcome character development for Clara. More urgency within the plot and more focus on the villain would probably have made this stronger.</div>
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<b>Kill the Moon - [Controversial]</b></div>
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--I can't help it, I still really love this episode. No, it wasn't as good the second time around, but I still love its message, and I feel like the people who dislike Kill the Moon are the ones trying to politicize it. Can't we just appreciate it for what it is - a piece of writing that shows us the Doctor still cares about life in all its beauty and wonder - and not argue about possible symbolism? However you take it, the visuals and the writing, especially in the second half, are pretty great.</div>
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<b>Mummy on the Orient Express - A potential classic</b></div>
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--I'd just like to thank Jamie Mathieson for bringing his genius ideas to life in Season 8. This episode is wonderful, with all its callbacks to previous Doctors, and so is Flatline. I'm actually a bit upset that Mathieson is only writing one episode for Season 9, and it's a shared episode at that! But, if it's anywhere near as good as Mummy or Flatline, I look forward to it immensely!</div>
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<b>Flatline - A potential classic</b></div>
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--A stunningly creative idea executed in genius fashion. This is what Doctor Who is all about!</div>
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<b>In the Forest of the Night - Boring</b></div>
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--An episode where the Doctor really doesn't have any effect on anything that's happening, and Danny at his most annoying. Ugh.</div>
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<b>Dark Water - A potential classic</b></div>
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The writing, acting, directing, even the music - all incredible! Suspenseful and thrilling, with great pacing and a chilling concept (especially for a kids' show!)!</div>
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<b>Death in Heaven - Decent</b></div>
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--Okay, I'll admit it, this episode isn't as bad as I originally thought. I guess I was so surprised and delighted by the excellence of Dark Water that I amped myself up too much for the finale and ended up being disappointed. It's not a great finale, but it's not bad - the whole "love is a promise" thing still seems a little too convenient for the final plot resolution, but I'll take it.</div>
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(On a side note, Missy killing everybody kind of made me wonder if, at least in this episode, she's supposed to be a representation of Steven Moffat. Particularly when she's holding on to the inside of the crashing plane and going "Nyoooow," I wonder if that's how Moffat's critics picture him running the show - crashing it straight into the ground with a crazed smile on his face, lol.)</div>
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Overall, I think Season 8 was good, it just wasn't a banner year for Who. There was good writing, but also some mediocre stuff, and I feel like a lot of people didn't think it balanced out in the end. </div>
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As for new characters, Danny Pink was probably the weakest part of Season 8; it was like Season 5 if Rory hadn't been awesome. Clara just doesn't need a love interest; it makes things needlessly complicated, and things are already complicated - it's Doctor Who! Having said that, I think Missy was a great addition, with Michelle Gomez turning in a wonderfully insane performance, and I look forward to seeing her in Season 9!</div>
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<b>Season 9:</b></div>
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So what have we got for Season 9? A lot of two-parters, apparently, which could go either way. Missy's back, Osgood is back (everyone called that one, I think!), and, to my surprise and delight, Rigsy is back! We actually have two female writers on staff - Catherine Tregenna and Sarah Dollard - which is the most New Who has had, with Helen Raynor being on staff for seasons 3 and 4. We've also got Hettie MacDonald, the director of Blink, back for two episodes! And, from the look of the trailer, I can't wait for the Doctor to wear sunglasses and play guitar, and I'm looking forward to finding out who Maisie Williams' character is!</div>
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Season 9 starts on Saturday! <i>Allons-y!</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-34575107960965726052015-06-20T00:28:00.003-04:002016-02-25T16:31:00.645-05:00A Bit of a Detour: Other TV Shows to WatchSeeing as we won't have Season 9 of Doctor Who until September, and the Christmas special for Sherlock is obviously even further away (with Season 4 not filming until 2016 - ugh), I won't have much to talk about until then. So, I thought I would leave you with some of my personal recommendations for other shows to watch while we're waiting for Sherlock and Doctor Who to return:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQwAzch6eHJox69UaNonSuGdETsyuaJ2tupbWQT3uwMr0vgwEJYBZA5_oTmaaUJpLsF1djk2g6xdKPikM2CPfAdI_VMJ0sbuqKF1c0N3QjWft7sGBK1spRrgfdTr04Vybl35NMizWxoo/s1600/FIREFLY.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQwAzch6eHJox69UaNonSuGdETsyuaJ2tupbWQT3uwMr0vgwEJYBZA5_oTmaaUJpLsF1djk2g6xdKPikM2CPfAdI_VMJ0sbuqKF1c0N3QjWft7sGBK1spRrgfdTr04Vybl35NMizWxoo/s320/FIREFLY.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Firefly</u></b></div>
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Genre: Space western</div>
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Number of seasons: 1</div>
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Best episodes: Our Mrs. Reynolds; Objects in Space</div>
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Created by Joss Whedon, this is one of the best shows ever produced, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. The crew of an illegal salvage (space)ship evades the corrupt Alliance government through heists pulled throughout space and on distant planets. There is not a single bad episode of this show, and its personal best are up there with television's best ever. The acting is great, the writing is great, the pacing, the stories, the complexity of the universe the characters inhabit (or should I say, the 'Verse) - everything is marvelous.</div>
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...And Fox had to ruin it by cancelling it after one season. Idiots.</div>
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Anyway, definitely go watch this show. It is phenomenal in every respect; you really come to love everyone in the crew - Mal, Wash, Zoe, Kaylee, Jayne, Inara, Book, Simon, River - and after awhile Serenity (their ship) starts to feel like home. The only bad thing I can think of for this show is when it's over, you'll be sad there isn't more.</div>
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Where to watch: Netflix</div>
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<b><u>Agent Carter</u></b></div>
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Genre: Comic book, action, drama</div>
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Number of seasons: Season 2 set to air January 2016</div>
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Best episodes: Pilot; A Sin to Err</div>
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This is my new favorite show, and I'll tell you why: because Peggy is frikkin' awesome, that's why. There is no agenda here, no obnoxious "strong female character" to be shoved down our throats as cheap compensation for our pleas to have real, relatable women on screen. No, what's great about this show is that it doesn't make a big deal about gender - yes, it has its obvious points to make about sexism, but they aren't grating. Peggy has nothing to prove; she doesn't <i>need</i> to prove anything. She's an agent, and a badass one at that, who's just trying to do her job, and she does it damn well. She's not amazing because she's a woman - her gender is incidental. She's amazing because she's Peggy frikkin' Carter, and it's so refreshing to see that mindset on television at last. Give us more shows like this, please - where gender is important because it's <i>not</i> important within that fictional universe. Never mind that this show is also a ton of fun to watch, with great action and suspense and witty dialogue. Go watch it now, and catch up before Season 2!</div>
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Where to watch: Hulu</div>
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<u><b>In the Flesh</b></u></div>
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Genre: Horror, drama</div>
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Number of seasons: 2</div>
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Best episode: Season 1, episode 3</div>
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In the Flesh is a hard show to describe, but it is definitely worth a watch. I would say a good description of it is an intelligent take on the zombie genre. In the show, Britain experiences an event called the Rising, where the dead rise from their graves and come back as zombies, attacking the living. When it turns out that the "Rotters" can be medicated and returned to a normal state, it lies with Kieren to deal with his family, who are still in pain over his death and now are frightened and emotionally disturbed by his return, and find his place in a society that sees his kind as monsters. </div>
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I'm not going to lie, Season 1 was some of the most emotionally intense television I've ever watched. It is also a British show, so, as well as plenty of drama, it has its share of dry humor, such as the government trying to force everyone to be politically correct in referring to zombies as suffering from "Partially Deceased Syndrome." It's also, to my pleasant surprise, a show very positive towards the LGBTQ community, showing queer relationships in a respectful light that is, quite frankly, very refreshing.</div>
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Where to watch: Youtube (unfortunately that seems to be the only place it's available)</div>
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<b><u>Downton Abbey</u></b></div>
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Genre: Period drama</div>
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Number of seasons: Season 6 (final season) set to air in 2016</div>
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Best seasons: 1-3</div>
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This show is just lovely, pure and simple. The first three seasons are the best, taking you through history and the subsequent changes in society by showing the fluctuating divide between the aristocratic family the Crawleys, owners of Downton Abbey, and their servants. With how many characters move through Downton's halls, it's astounding that you feel like you know and love them all: not just Lord and Lady Grantham and their daughters, and of course Lady Violet, but Carson, Mrs. Hughes, Bates, Anna, Daisy, etc. About midway through Season 2 (my favorite season), Downton starts to feel like home. There's so much to love; it's unfortunate that after Season 3 it seemed to lose its stride a bit, but it still has all the charm and wit to keep us enthralled as it heads towards its final season.</div>
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Where to watch: cokeandpopcorn.ch</div>
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<u><b>Supernatural</b></u></div>
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Genre: Horror, drama</div>
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Number of seasons: Season 11 set to air October 2015</div>
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Best seasons: 1-6, 8</div>
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How to describe this show that I love in spite of myself? Is it pandering? Yes. Is it sexist? Yes (although, in fairness, it's been getting better...). Is it pretty ridiculous? Yes. </div>
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But is it AWESOME? Hell. Yes.</div>
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Want great comedy? Watch "Hollywood Babylon," "Changing Channels," "Yellow Fever," or "The French Mistake." Want fantastic drama? Watch "The End," "What Is and What Should Never Be," "The Man Who Would Be King," and just pretty much all of Season 5. As well as delivering on both genre fronts, it's a show that's not afraid to be self aware and truly, hilariously meta, with episodes like (again) "The French Mistake," "Fan Fiction," "The Real Ghostbusters," and "The Monster at the End of This Book." Watching the show grow from seasons 1-5, going from hunting monsters to hunting demons, to fighting demons and angels, to getting mixed up in the war between heaven and hell and facing the apocalypse - I mean, WOW. What a grand master plan for showrunner Eric Kripke, and in the end, it really did give us an amazing arc for the story and the characters.</div>
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The show has started going downhill in recent years, unfortunately, as Kripke left after season 5; season 7 was a mess, and while season 8 pretty much saved the show, season 9 and 10 were not all that great. Still, it's definitely worth it to start watching, if only for the Kripke years and the characters you meet along the way - Dean, Sam, Cas, Bobby, Ellen, Jo, Jodie, Charlie, and so many more.</div>
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Where to watch: Netflix</div>
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<u><b>Breaking Bad</b></u></div>
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Genre: Drama</div>
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Number of seasons: 5</div>
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Best episode: Ozymandias</div>
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While Sherlock and Doctor Who still remain my favorite shows, Breaking Bad is, hands down, the best show I've ever seen. Everything about it is quality - the acting, the writing, the cinematography, the editing, the music, EVERYTHING. If you haven't seen this, go watch it now. Even if you're a bit wary of the concept - a high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with terminal cancer starts cooking meth to pay for his treatment and provide for his family - give it a chance. It is so complex, so engrossing, and executed with such integrity and intent of purpose, you know that you are in the hands of a master showrunner. My kudos to you, Vince Gilligan - you gave us one for the ages.</div>
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Where to watch: Netflix</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-41554407476437630602015-04-18T21:00:00.000-04:002015-04-20T13:33:39.087-04:00A Bit of a Detour: Some Supernatural SillinessAs August and, consequently, Season 9 of Doctor Who is a ways away, and Season 4 of Sherlock is even further away (eight months 'til the Christmas special, guys - we can do this!), I thought I would mention one of the other shows that I enjoy. You may have heard of it; while Sherlock and Doctor Who are two of the three biggest fandoms on the Internet, now we can address the third:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69Hn8Q2PRPrTGJokwVG1wGfk5TUXlvkNCOssR1wp9FyFUHPel_u9CflLt6ABo0LEX7KFo0MhBeArESeeTILUDW0fVrCNDjWvpRcyreCG3we_bmqxjhXZh4SEWocfveXwpCV4j32Wd8Rc/s1600/supernatural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69Hn8Q2PRPrTGJokwVG1wGfk5TUXlvkNCOssR1wp9FyFUHPel_u9CflLt6ABo0LEX7KFo0MhBeArESeeTILUDW0fVrCNDjWvpRcyreCG3we_bmqxjhXZh4SEWocfveXwpCV4j32Wd8Rc/s1600/supernatural.jpg" height="135" width="320" /></a></div>
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Supernatural, a monstrous (heh) hit for the CW, about two attractive brothers (as with all CW shows, the attractive part is key) who also happen to hunt monsters.</div>
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Now I'll say it, I'm a little embarrassed to admit I watch this show. It's gimmicky, and there's no denying its rather obvious marketing tactic (the original tagline for the show was "Scary Just Got Sexy." Really.).</div>
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Still, I have to hand it to Eric Kripke and the show runners after him, they (mostly) managed to get beyond the pandering to actually create an intriguing storyline and, honestly, really awesome characters. I won't go into it all now (that's for another post, another day), but I've never seen another show do what this show has done. We thought Sherlock's "Empty Hearse" was meta? Watch Supernatural's "The French Mistake" or "Fan Fiction" and see just how self aware (and hilariously so) a show can be. </div>
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Ultimately, what keeps the show going is its characters. Dean? Frikkin' love him. Castiel? Love him even more; I think he's actually my favorite, he is fantastic. I'm not a huge fan of Sam, but Bobby, Ellen, Jo, Crowley, Jodie, Charlie - you find yourself surprised at just how much you love them all.</div>
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So, what I have for you today, as part of our detour from Wholock, is a small tribute to Supernatural:</div>
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You'll know the song 'Uptown Funk' from it being played on the radio pretty much 24/7. It's a great song, very catchy, very upbeat. Well, a fellow Supernatural fan and I were discussing that song, and pretty soon we came to the conclusion that a Supernatural parody of it would actually be really fun to write. So, without further ado, here is <b>Doomsday Funk</b> (from the perspective of Dean, of course):</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfwM0NojWgq7mpBIiHt6cYPsAGVhjHXiy02ywBVbGI_SfDZcLxsRww77YSGhNUuhY4nTWONdblFFn1eWusxdRd0N0QmpEvn3KSO0bpr37XmjdQNdtH7YycYiOLJQ2_q3SRTZ-YKYJdJo/s1600/supernatural+1967+chevy+impala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfwM0NojWgq7mpBIiHt6cYPsAGVhjHXiy02ywBVbGI_SfDZcLxsRww77YSGhNUuhY4nTWONdblFFn1eWusxdRd0N0QmpEvn3KSO0bpr37XmjdQNdtH7YycYiOLJQ2_q3SRTZ-YKYJdJo/s1600/supernatural+1967+chevy+impala.jpg" height="124" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>This road, that ice cold </i></div>
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<i>Demon hunter, that corpse cold</i></div>
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<i>This one for them dead girls,</i></div>
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<i>Them bled girls, straight cut to pieces!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIF07OxgZam6W6ujqRwS6RLIeh1ySRF69d7tSfQ-3PDE9wsRgn6BMqaaCs-IiMhzQu1QpQklugloGHpAteZtGs9I2BpxfxoNqaFUAqcnS7v0S7UZ6M2LZYDSVTwmfgtjjIAaBwq5kGmw/s1600/supernatural+hook+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIF07OxgZam6W6ujqRwS6RLIeh1ySRF69d7tSfQ-3PDE9wsRgn6BMqaaCs-IiMhzQu1QpQklugloGHpAteZtGs9I2BpxfxoNqaFUAqcnS7v0S7UZ6M2LZYDSVTwmfgtjjIAaBwq5kGmw/s1600/supernatural+hook+man.jpg" height="131" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>Drivin', stylin', livin' it up in the city</i></div>
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<i>Got Chuck in from heaven</i></div>
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<i>Wanna kiss myself, I'm so pretty!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCT50UEUqhEDkaPLE7lpsclfB-C_lrAyEEgMBL8qpIXB6tu22GHSzy5H4_h5NSR7tGoEjSs_2VfhuXaNgVuDKdpV2gMSoQk594IPLQwvFXpOr6o1o4SCFTkV4s0n6NkHG_efI3qrW-PRk/s1600/supernatural+dean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCT50UEUqhEDkaPLE7lpsclfB-C_lrAyEEgMBL8qpIXB6tu22GHSzy5H4_h5NSR7tGoEjSs_2VfhuXaNgVuDKdpV2gMSoQk594IPLQwvFXpOr6o1o4SCFTkV4s0n6NkHG_efI3qrW-PRk/s1600/supernatural+dean.jpg" height="199" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>I'm too hot (hot damn)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Call the FBI and a fireman</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BPVwPNQuVIMP_Umlhp_w-owcmtPYsRx41pao2UdoqtKYN9TC7-KhiI0HFwSrGoXCyTQcYdXhXMOGlbwxHTAO1N22Qo4pfKqPUk8QO1ncVkSPpUnCJyrsorAGaIFVMubXkswwJbPLQU0/s1600/supernatural+fbi+badges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BPVwPNQuVIMP_Umlhp_w-owcmtPYsRx41pao2UdoqtKYN9TC7-KhiI0HFwSrGoXCyTQcYdXhXMOGlbwxHTAO1N22Qo4pfKqPUk8QO1ncVkSPpUnCJyrsorAGaIFVMubXkswwJbPLQU0/s1600/supernatural+fbi+badges.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>I'm too hot (hot damn)</i></div>
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<i>Make a demon wanna retire, man</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotwEdBKXVRFeZWJHTUB68FTYQkuCTCJY5XXJkfONcsmCEyhMpoSEfTfTOMPummnOJa9egQ1KkVNz27cJPP-DQH3dxUHJosmjPpsI0s5fdVV5sx51-nJGKNAfnZgYelXyVGDTZsOyoA3k/s1600/supernatural+crowley.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotwEdBKXVRFeZWJHTUB68FTYQkuCTCJY5XXJkfONcsmCEyhMpoSEfTfTOMPummnOJa9egQ1KkVNz27cJPP-DQH3dxUHJosmjPpsI0s5fdVV5sx51-nJGKNAfnZgYelXyVGDTZsOyoA3k/s1600/supernatural+crowley.png" height="176" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>I'm too hot (hot damn)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Say my name, you know who I am</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>I'm too hot (hot damn)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Am I bad 'bout those honeys, break it down</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Cas saved me, hallelujah (OOH)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Cas saved me, hallelujah (OOH)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__aT0Al0GC70070gemTvUGKMCtYRTDDZtzRJPfVpWHNHxkD9iHNqQx-laLgq4Q0zo0R2bqbQg0gdA0BOhdc2tMpLaah0Q6iA7NfhnLIqp4hS3ZW5Ss8vT5IFw_ZgrnTJUyWZjJOB08BU/s1600/supernatural+cas+handprint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__aT0Al0GC70070gemTvUGKMCtYRTDDZtzRJPfVpWHNHxkD9iHNqQx-laLgq4Q0zo0R2bqbQg0gdA0BOhdc2tMpLaah0Q6iA7NfhnLIqp4hS3ZW5Ss8vT5IFw_ZgrnTJUyWZjJOB08BU/s1600/supernatural+cas+handprint.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>'Cause Winchesters gon' give it to ya</i></div>
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<i>'Cause Winchesters gon' give it to ya</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Tuesday in the Myst'ry Spot</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Don't believe me, just watch (come on!)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oexZ9sOL62B4neF0FBZVB4I3YqU5LgJbo7jLl8-wRV13GT43d661-r8xSG9DlQWQjw68cbuuxglGb_Tx0QrtKw0f9EZmM0mZCXE87qmPEpLS0XAh4TZvFYulqQldhVRhdPqxHsaiLMM/s1600/supernatural+mystery+spot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oexZ9sOL62B4neF0FBZVB4I3YqU5LgJbo7jLl8-wRV13GT43d661-r8xSG9DlQWQjw68cbuuxglGb_Tx0QrtKw0f9EZmM0mZCXE87qmPEpLS0XAh4TZvFYulqQldhVRhdPqxHsaiLMM/s1600/supernatural+mystery+spot.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Stop, wait a minute</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Fill my flask, put some liquor in it</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Take a sip, a case maybe</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Sammy, get Baby!</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Ride to Harlem, Hollywood,</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Listening to rock, heavy,</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>If we show up, we gon' show out</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Smoother than a ride in the Chevy</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOXmnoHD6vFQHot2iqSPLQtE1aA_8EW1K3_oy4aIEa49Z_G5PqvYI3tGiGucw5FBUlApfoPKGKUMZX8QXCPWaxrTrmVBKIlm0mUu4jTlqJchCjC6GhGkhgfing-JAwU81MRCcWyacJYk/s1600/supernatural+impala+dean+and+sam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOXmnoHD6vFQHot2iqSPLQtE1aA_8EW1K3_oy4aIEa49Z_G5PqvYI3tGiGucw5FBUlApfoPKGKUMZX8QXCPWaxrTrmVBKIlm0mUu4jTlqJchCjC6GhGkhgfing-JAwU81MRCcWyacJYk/s1600/supernatural+impala+dean+and+sam.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>I'm too hot (hot damn)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Call the FBI and a fireman</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>I'm too hot (hot damn)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Make a Leviathan retire, man</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFo1E8qcUJko1oRL-jfTl2C0AtGs1SUrnZyizfqzzZVyUsKFQPjCN4zajQMqZRbQi6nDBRldEXIceA81PiAaMWNA9UzYwZdrpxJ2dctF0No9wuIw7e_MN6t3_ZiKcvE_NdUBBm6ZAgyxY/s1600/supernatural+roman's%2Bdeath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFo1E8qcUJko1oRL-jfTl2C0AtGs1SUrnZyizfqzzZVyUsKFQPjCN4zajQMqZRbQi6nDBRldEXIceA81PiAaMWNA9UzYwZdrpxJ2dctF0No9wuIw7e_MN6t3_ZiKcvE_NdUBBm6ZAgyxY/s1600/supernatural+roman's%2Bdeath.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>I'm too hot (hot damn)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Witch, say my name, you know who I am</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsFm9ZqJRBbdSmFNQFKiFGg_fADUu2pZRsmtw02tAuQMgt3OSuSF5pn7duGiU6AgqEvYW6a4D-9EElSyovWU5dMqFj-HoLLsi8WptCmOt4QE0WoCis-B2yGzgZVf6UpMQRECVNUUF-sQ/s1600/supernatural+rowena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsFm9ZqJRBbdSmFNQFKiFGg_fADUu2pZRsmtw02tAuQMgt3OSuSF5pn7duGiU6AgqEvYW6a4D-9EElSyovWU5dMqFj-HoLLsi8WptCmOt4QE0WoCis-B2yGzgZVf6UpMQRECVNUUF-sQ/s1600/supernatural+rowena.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>I'm too hot (hot damn)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Am I bad 'bout those honeys, break it down</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Cas saved me, hallelujah (OOH)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Cas saved me, hallelujah (OOH)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>'Cause Winchesters gon' give it to ya</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaBrNYrTJ6Yi0JIYqVlYiexQqaiOf30R1x8K6FxVb6aGlbUQboCHrja5zJ9HyUGrZPQPc_gAmMIZMolOQxc5w2B_M1KgQaR9ws-fb92Mj7kUbAFZls1pMknAhVaeU9d2cfMByHsoRhjg/s1600/supernatural+sam+and+dean+pose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaBrNYrTJ6Yi0JIYqVlYiexQqaiOf30R1x8K6FxVb6aGlbUQboCHrja5zJ9HyUGrZPQPc_gAmMIZMolOQxc5w2B_M1KgQaR9ws-fb92Mj7kUbAFZls1pMknAhVaeU9d2cfMByHsoRhjg/s1600/supernatural+sam+and+dean+pose.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Tuesday in the Myst'ry Spot</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Don't believe me, just watch (come on!)</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>"Before we die, let me tell you somethin'..."</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Hell will funk you up, hell will funk you up</i></div>
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<i>Hell will funk you up, hell will funk you up...</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xiEdNTdoh17b_H7tWeHLNbR3LKOcM9e-N5Xb4w9Xd8USRPj7XUHygpJd0vKVwQGKioFhchaCvl78xXemnBJtoseL0o6Ii4jK_H7tfg_GhV6GLD94RdIG4YCJI8Lt5vIy80wra4iEZ-E/s1600/supernatural+dean+hell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xiEdNTdoh17b_H7tWeHLNbR3LKOcM9e-N5Xb4w9Xd8USRPj7XUHygpJd0vKVwQGKioFhchaCvl78xXemnBJtoseL0o6Ii4jK_H7tfg_GhV6GLD94RdIG4YCJI8Lt5vIy80wra4iEZ-E/s1600/supernatural+dean+hell.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(sorry for the feels)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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(Etc.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm sure the Supernatural exec producer will be contacting me soon to write one of their episodes, or at least their new theme song! :P</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-2438909801831208062015-03-26T19:29:00.001-04:002015-03-27T12:06:59.616-04:00The Women of Sherlock: Mary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmEC2N6MY9s8cQMmQmObL8sxyS32FgsD30CJ65wpVYu3PyAUh5jzgMhOcyuVSUos5wLCyMdFxpvtoyDgAmnjihllgLSNnh9179LgPR7PoOnzNEtBWVMnv5lcp8G7BAePzJ4vZnVF1O0Y/s1600/mary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmEC2N6MY9s8cQMmQmObL8sxyS32FgsD30CJ65wpVYu3PyAUh5jzgMhOcyuVSUos5wLCyMdFxpvtoyDgAmnjihllgLSNnh9179LgPR7PoOnzNEtBWVMnv5lcp8G7BAePzJ4vZnVF1O0Y/s1600/mary.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Mary Morstan Watson</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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First episode: The Empty Hearse</div>
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Seen also in: The Sign of Three, His Last Vow</div>
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<br /></div>
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Occupation: CIA agent (former), assassin (former), nurse</div>
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<br /></div>
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Show history: We're first properly introduced to Mary when John is about to propose to her during their dinner date, approximately two years after Sherlock's untimely death. Sherlock, of course, chooses this exact moment to reveal himself as "not dead," which overshadows the intended proposal just a bit.</div>
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A few days later, Mary alerts Sherlock to a text she's received from an unknown number - a threat against John's life. Sherlock and Mary run to the rescue to pull John out of a Guy Fawkes' Day bonfire, which, we later learn, Charles Augustus Magnussen had him placed in.</div>
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In "The Sign of Three," John and Mary are finally married - and there also happens to be a murderer on the loose, who has targeted one of the wedding guests. Though John tries to keep Mary safe and away from his and Sherlock's crime solving, she is having none of it, and helps them solve the case. At the end, in the midst of the celebration of the wedding and of the murderer being found, Sherlock also deduces that Mary is pregnant.</div>
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In "His Last Vow," the tables really turn, as Mary is revealed to be an ex-CIA agent out to kill Magnussen, who holds sensitive information about her "work" during her time as assassin A.G.R.A., before she escaped to the UK and changed her identity. Sherlock manages to kill Magnussen in the end, protecting Mary, John, and the soon-to-be-born Watson baby.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My take on her: In short, I like Mary. A lot of fans were worried that her presence would majorly disrupt the great dynamic between Sherlock and John, and I think that was an understandable concern. But, thanks to the writers, Mary was not just some killjoy; she wants Sherlock and John to still be friends and solve cases, and she loves danger as much as John does, which is one of the many reasons why they make such a wonderful match. </div>
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My only problem is the twist in "His Last Vow." I guess it is a pretty interesting twist, and I could see the blocks being laid in "Hearse" and "Sign" to build up to it, so it's not like it was completely out of left field. I just wish that Mary didn't have to have some dark past to be seen as an intriguing character. She doesn't need to be an assassin to be awesome; she's awesome because she's frikkin' Mary Watson.</div>
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As for her future in the show, a lot of fans are worried that she'll be killed off, since she does die in the original books. I hope she doesn't; it would be such a waste of a great character. Plus, John doesn't need to have his heart broken again; he's already had that too many times already! </div>
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As for the baby, I'm not so sure about that, either. A baby has never boded well for a TV show; while I think watching Sherlock interacting with a small child would probably be the cutest thing ever, I can't imagine it working very well for the show in the long-term. Mary and John can't just drop everything and run off to solve crimes with Sherlock when there's a baby that needs taken care of 24/7. But what are the alternatives? Mary has a miscarriage? The kid dies?? No, I don't think so. </div>
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Whatever ends up happening, I'm very interested to see how the writers handle this!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-8499231343731497722015-02-18T17:11:00.000-05:002015-02-18T23:54:49.751-05:00The Women of Sherlock: Donovan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxFS2OZV-xqnyoMC2Ou_kwhcrK8ilE6XYdkig28sh6VoQhlBYN8q7QLwKVFDTnEEpC8geoKMSCWTCPUXHSJ77duvh0mkk1ZsNz0s76TpuhwYmSshlntGnHn-N1t944SXiO9XpzJ-ArY4/s1600/donovan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxFS2OZV-xqnyoMC2Ou_kwhcrK8ilE6XYdkig28sh6VoQhlBYN8q7QLwKVFDTnEEpC8geoKMSCWTCPUXHSJ77duvh0mkk1ZsNz0s76TpuhwYmSshlntGnHn-N1t944SXiO9XpzJ-ArY4/s1600/donovan.jpg" height="320" width="220" /></a></div>
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<b>D.S. Sally Donovan</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
First episode: A Study in Pink</div>
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Seen also in: The Great Game, The Reichenbach Fall, The Sign of Three</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Occupation: Detective sergeant for Scotland Yard</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Show history: First seen at a press conference with Lestrade, Donovan is properly introduced as a general pain in the butt in "A Study in Pink" at the crime scene when she calls Sherlock "Freak"; he, in turn, deduces that she is having an affair with Anderson. When Sherlock abandons John, Donovan warns John to stay away from him, as he is a "psychopath."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In "The Great Game," Donovan hands Sherlock the phone when one of Moriarty's "voices" calls and asks for him. Her penultimate contribution to the show occurs in "The Reichenbach Fall," when she is the one who raises suspicions about Sherlock setting up the crimes himself, which leads to his eventual downfall in becoming a fugitive from justice and committing "suicide." </div>
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Last seen in "The Sign of Three," she helps Lestrade arrest the Waters crime family.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
My take on her: I try not to hate on Donovan too much. Even if she can come across as a bitch, she's really only trying to do her job; Sherlock is the one who keeps intruding on the police's work, even if he does help them solve the crimes in the end. Detective Sergeant is a hard rank to get to, so she obviously is intelligent and has the skills to get to where she is. Add in the fact that there aren't many female Detective Sergeants, and you can see why being routinely insulted by an amateur detective, even if he does happen to be a genius, would make anyone a little irritated. Calling him "Freak" is probably mild compared to what she really wants to call him. </div>
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It's really too bad Donovan seems to have served her purpose within the show. Her character existed to bring the show full circle from "A Study in Pink" to "The Reichenbach Fall"; we barely saw her in Season 3 because there's not much left for her to do. She's demonized within the show, a bit unfairly; as I've said before, there's not many people left who will call Sherlock on his crap (minus Molly in "His Last Vow" - those slaps!), so it's sad we seem to be losing one of them.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-81581974503808575542015-01-17T18:05:00.000-05:002015-01-28T16:58:22.316-05:00The Women of Sherlock: Irene<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcoGVLBf8nUlItdwxs8D8dp3DvDa_b00T3PFb9Sy4v4LIEDXQmOgwY9vtbGMkM3q0fnC07fF6rxxpX80xDfYoDEam9QnJP2IJBWs77Ct5_RZys56JWrVmSut9Hf6eNaStHt5FLiQalns/s1600/irene+adler+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcoGVLBf8nUlItdwxs8D8dp3DvDa_b00T3PFb9Sy4v4LIEDXQmOgwY9vtbGMkM3q0fnC07fF6rxxpX80xDfYoDEam9QnJP2IJBWs77Ct5_RZys56JWrVmSut9Hf6eNaStHt5FLiQalns/s1600/irene+adler+(2).jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a></div>
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<b>Irene Adler</b></div>
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First episode: A Scandal in Belgravia</div>
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Seen also in: The Sign of Three (cameo)</div>
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Occupation: Dominatrix</div>
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Show history: Irene Adler crosses paths with Sherlock when she blackmails the royal family with pictures she's taken of one of its members. As Irene, or, as she is professionally known, "The Woman," is a dominatrix, these pictures are of an extremely compromising nature and a huge potential scandal for the royal family. Mycroft sets Sherlock on the case to reclaim the pictures, which leads Sherlock to a surprising discovery: Irene is nearly as intelligent as he is, and a worthy opponent within their battle of wits.</div>
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What starts out as a clash of the minds turns into a clash of hearts, as Sherlock and Irene's relationship becomes complicated as they grow more and more fascinated by each other. Before Sherlock, Irene has never met a man (or woman) who could resist her sexual charms; before Irene, Sherlock has never met a woman who is a match for his intellectual prowess. The potential for an intriguing, incredibly complex dynamic between them is crushed, unfortunately, when Irene is found dead, sending Sherlock into a quiet, but genuine, grieving period.</div>
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Sherlock's world is turned on its head, though, when six months later Irene reveals herself to be alive and well. She was in danger and had to disappear, and so left her camera phone with all her blackmail on it in Sherlock's care so that it would be kept safe until she could return. She asks Sherlock to decipher a coded email for her, which he does, and secretly sends Moriarty the decoded message. The message essentially brings Mycroft's operation for MI6 to a grinding halt and gives Irene the leverage to blackmail the British government into giving her whatever wealth and power she wants.</div>
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It looks as if Irene has won, until Sherlock realizes the code that unlocks her phone, which has read I AM _ _ _ _ LOCKED: I AM <u>S</u> <u>H</u> <u>E</u> <u>R</u> LOCKED. This reveals her genuine feelings for Sherlock, however ruthless her deception may have been, and unfortunately gives Mycroft access to all her blackmail, leaving her utterly defeated in all her strategic manipulations.</div>
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A few months later, Mycroft informs John that Irene has been executed while on the run in the Middle East. Though John tries to hide the truth from Sherlock, Sherlock hides his own secret from John: that Sherlock saved Irene's life just as she was about to be executed. </div>
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My take on her: I think Irene is a pretty polarizing character for the fans, for obvious reasons. Steven Moffat takes a classic character from the Sherlock Holmes canon and reworks her in a very clever, very modern, and very risky (and risque) way. </div>
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On the one hand, it's refreshing to see a female character who is very confident and comfortable with her sexuality (as well as being the first lesbian character on the show). On the other, that also makes her fall into the category of a cliched "strong woman" in Steven Moffat's repertoire: sexually voracious, good with a gun, etc. These characteristics, while not necessarily bad, are not what make a woman a strong character. </div>
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I am glad that they made her very intelligent; her scenes of going back and forth with Sherlock are incredible to watch. But in the end, she is also defeated by something that has become part and parcel of a stereotype for women in television and films: she is defeated by her emotions. </div>
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To reiterate: Irene can't win the game against Mycroft and the British government because she can't handle her emotions over Sherlock. I'm sorry, but that's just lame.</div>
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It's not completely one-sided, I suppose; Sherlock's emotions get the better of him, too, as he risks his life to save hers for no apparent logical reason - the only reason he could do so would be because of his affections towards her, however hard he tries to hide them.</div>
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So, while I can't hate Irene, I can't completely love her, either. She has such a fascinating build-up for her character, only to be let down by her inability to control her emotions - a disappointing resolution to what is otherwise a fantastic episode and an intriguing character.</div>
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Given her cameo in Sherlock's mind palace in "The Sign of Three," it looks like we may be seeing more of Irene in Season 4. Hopefully she can be redeemed from her cliched ending in "Scandal," and given a resolution more worthy of such an awesome character. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17243792374400043756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250455178113599522.post-14244410605506787152014-12-09T21:23:00.002-05:002014-12-09T21:23:41.270-05:00The Women of Sherlock: Mrs. Hudson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrn-dcIKRvxZilTjqQ9_X6688ZLgLDtGzekT1R5ukIGFN6F8FFAEcGRRU-fuPWxXQwifKkxq_wVXqxBPNXc4RDpfyJ31AZSx7WLcjaCnPSBdAIAwYc2c6GmesaG0HSF1i1xMq_o1xUuU/s1600/mrs+hudson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrn-dcIKRvxZilTjqQ9_X6688ZLgLDtGzekT1R5ukIGFN6F8FFAEcGRRU-fuPWxXQwifKkxq_wVXqxBPNXc4RDpfyJ31AZSx7WLcjaCnPSBdAIAwYc2c6GmesaG0HSF1i1xMq_o1xUuU/s1600/mrs+hudson.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Martha Louise Hudson</b></div>
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First episode: A Study in Pink</div>
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Seen also in: The Blind Banker, The Great Game, A Scandal in Belgravia, The Hounds of Baskerville, The Reichenbach Fall, The Empty Hearse, The Sign of Three, His Last Vow</div>
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Occupation: Landlady to 221B and 221C Baker Street</div>
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Show History: Mrs. Hudson is introduced as Sherlock and John's landlady when John first moves in with Sherlock; Sherlock is able to afford the flat, it seems, because he ensured Mrs. Hudson's husband would be executed for his crimes, namely murder. Although Mrs. Hudson is constantly reminding Sherlock and John that she's "not your housekeeper," she provides them with plentiful cups of tea and biscuits, and even manages to partially save John's date with Sarah in "The Blind Banker" by coming by with a tray of snacks. In "The Great Game," she also becomes crucial to solving the Connie Prince murder case, as her knowledge of celebrity gossip inadvertently reveals to Sherlock the cause of Prince's death (Botox). </div>
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In Season 2, Mrs. Hudson has become something of a mother figure for Sherlock; she has clearly entered into Sherlock's small circle of friends who he loves dearly. His fury when she is violently interrogated by CIA agents in "A Scandal in Belgravia" reveals just how much she has come to mean to him; the agent he throws out the window surely won't forget that any time soon. In "The Hounds of Baskerville," she is seen attempting to kindle a relationship with the butcher working downstairs, which Sherlock promptly squashes; in "The Reichenbach Fall," she is one of the three targets Moriarty chooses for his assassins, and thus one of the three people - besides John and Lestrade - that Sherlock cares about most and would sacrifice his life for. </div>
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In Season 3, Mrs. Hudson's back story is filled in a little more. "The Empty Hearse" shows her as still a member of Sherlock's circle of close friends when she is one of the people he chooses to visit when he "resurrects." In "The Sign of Three," she basically predicts the plot of "His Last Vow," as she tells John that her husband 1) cheated on her with many women, 2) ran a drug cartel, and 3) murdered a man by shooting him in the head, which are almost identical to when Sherlock 1) dates Janine, 2) takes drugs when he is undercover, and 3) kills Charles Augustus Magnussen in "His Last Vow." We also find out (thanks to Magnussen's files) Mrs. Hudson's full name (Martha Louise Hudson, maiden name Sissons), that she was an exotic dancer, and that she is apparently addicted to marijuana. </div>
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My take on her: Una Stubbs is flawless as Mrs. Hudson, and does a perfect job of balancing both the motherly and quirky sides of the character. Mrs. Hudson may come across at first as a bit scatterbrained, but she is nobody's fool, especially when she manages to hide Irene's phone for Sherlock in "Scandal" during the CIA agents' interrogation. Although her meandering chatter may have Sherlock putting her on "semi-permanent mute," she always has words of wisdom to offer him and John (or, as she likes to call them, her "boys"), and hilarious anecdotes about her own bizarre past. Personally, I hope Mrs. Hudson never leaves Baker Street; as Sherlock would say, "England would fall!"</div>
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