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shadowkat1. Note to ABC...while the obvious self-promotion of Dancing with the Stars on General Hospital was funny, the advertisement of Hannah Montana on Last Resort did not work. Submarine's have sonar for a reason.
Speaking of which, where are the reviews of Last Resort? Am I the only person who watched this? I found it to be rather funny in places, ludicrious and completely unrealistic, but funny. Considering the fact that it is meant to be an epic drama and romance, this is not necessarily a good thing. Shawn Murphy should stick to cops and robbers.
2. The Angels Take Manhattan
I've read everyone else's reviews, so will try not to repeat other's thoughts. I liked the episode better than some did. But I'm admittedly not a fan of the first three seasons of New Doctor Who (pretty much forgot them with a few exceptions) nor have I watched Old Who.
Also it bears keeping in mind that of all the companions, Rory and Amy were my favorites. They were snarky, smart, self-deprecating, and had interesting real life stories in their own right. So of course I was moved by the episode and loved it. It's weird in Moffat era Who, my favorite characters are River, Rory, Amy and then Eleven. While in RTD era it was Doctor Who 10, Doctor Who 9, Jack, Sarah Jane, Donna, Martha, Rose. Which may be the reason? If you aren't crazy about the companion or can't identify with them - the show won't work for you, will it?
Few points/contradictions I've noticed in others' reviews regarding key plot points - that I'd like to clarify, or at least this was how I viewed them:
* Melody (River) wrote the book. Amy wrote the after-ward, which the Doctor rips out at the beginning of the show and refuses to let either of them see - because he hates endings and once he realizes the book is about them, he knows he must stop reading it - or what he reads will become true. (Self-fulfilling prophecy, which is why learning one's own future is a bad idea.)
So the question arises, how did Melody/River get the book to Amy, in order for Amy to write the afterward and to publish it?
This is actually explained, albeit not clearly. Remember River doesn't have a Tardis, she has a time-displacement device similar to Captain John and Captain Jack (who may well have gotten the technology from River, or she got it from them, all three are somewhat ambiguous and borderline psychopathic characters - something about time travel.) Anyhow, the Doctor states that he can't take "The Tardis" back to that specific era of NY, because it's caught between various temporal disruptions and would tear the Tardis apart. I'm guessing the temporal disruptions could keep Rory and Amy stuck in the city as well, it's not clear. (But let's face it what tv series is clear about this sort of thing? TV writers suck at science and logistics.) Anyhow, as River explains to Rory early on - she can come to that era while the Doctor can't as easily, because she has a time-disruption device that helps her jump around without a Tardis. The disruption doesn't tear humans apart (or the Angel's wouldn't be able to send people to that era, nor does it tear the Angel's apart, just the Tardis.)
Therefore, River could visit her parents, but the Doctor can't. This is why she's not that upset by what happens. She's upset for the severance of the Doctor and her parent's ties.
She knows they love each other. And the fact that she can't visit them with the Doctor any longer. But River herself can visit them.
* The house was destroyed by the temporal imbalance but the Angels weren't destroyed. The Angel sent Rory and River back as revenge. They can't feed off of them, though. All they could do was send them back in time. Hence the reason - Rory and Amy got sent back to NYC.
* While it may be possible for Rory and Amy to leave NYC, it's not clear that you can, this area may be closed off to people who don't have a time displacement bracelet. What does not make a lot of sense is why River can't just loan the Doctor her bracelet and let him visit them. Possibly because he doesn't want to without the Tardis? Or he can't handle time travel without the Tardis? It's not explained. (But hey, it's tv, they never explain this stuff.)
* The reason the Angels weren't sending people back in Time in S5, was because time and space went wonky - and there was a rip in the continuum caused by the Doctor. As a result they couldn't send people back and couldn't jump themselves, so they were murdering people in other ways. Resourceful buggers these weeping angles are. (Although "statues" is a better term and I love the fact that they can be lurking as any statue, makes them quite terrifying. Personally, I find Angels scarier and far more interesting than Daleks, which to me are sort of stupid. But keep in mind - I never watched Old Who, so don't know much about the critters.) Now that time isn't wonky and there's no longer a rip in the fabric, the Angel's have gone back to their original modus operandi...or what they like to do best, send people back in time.
* I get fascinated by narrative structures. And how tales are told. Moffat plays with it. The whole roman-a-clef bit has been done before. But this has a twist in that it is solved by chapter headings. Also the writer and lead detective is River Song. A woman. Usually she's the femme fatale. But not in this case. And the writers mislead us in the beginning with the privet detective who is male. Lovely.
The episode worked for me. But I can see why it might not work for everyone.
3. Once Upon A Time.
Problem with this show is the casting. The four leads aren't that interesting. And the writing is a bit..hollow. It's hard to care.
That said, I do like the pro-feminist subversion of classic and somewhat sexist Disney animated children's tales. Note, I said children's tales, not fairy tales. In Once, it's really about stories. Which means all those animated films Disney did are basically fair game. The only restriction? Anything Disney or ABC does not own the copyright to or can't obtain the copy-rights to. In other words, if its in the public domain or owned by Disney it's fair game.
Also the narrative structure which keeps changing is rather fascinating and not at all difficult to follow. Whoever is writing this thing is clearly more interested in playing with narrative style and classic children's story thematic setups (not to mention plots) than they are characters. The character's often feel a bit on the flat side.
That said, both Rumplestilskin and Regina look like they are about to get a bit more rounded and less two-dimensional. To be fair, Rumple always was more rounded, Regina required work. This gives me hope. I really would like to see a redemptive arc for both characters, mainly because it's more interesting. Characters that stay bwahhah evil or ambiguous can get predictable and boring after a bit, unless you use them sparingly.
ie. One note. Which was Regina pretty much all of last season. If they want the show to last, they either have to kill her off, or develop her further, one or the other.
In some respects, Once is that rare series, where I actually prefer the episodic mystery of the week to the serialized back story. LOST is another example of that. The serialized back story really isn't all that interesting. But Once has possibilities. They set up a lot of stuff in this past week's episode that has definite potential - far more potential actually than last season.
* Who is David Anders - Mr. Whale? He could very well be Captain Hook. The teasers this summer keep showing someone walking into Rumplestilskin's store and putting on the trade-mark hook. And Ander's would make a great hook - but he's not the one we see in the preview behind the wheel of a ship. So I don't know. He could be anyone. One of the many reasons I prefer this series over Grimm is the unpredictability of the mystery of the week and who the supporting characters are. (I've also seen one too many tv series that are exactly like Grimm. Once on the other hand isn't like anything I've seen. It's in a class all its own.) At any rate, we do know he's pissed at the Evil Queen for making him one of her patsies, and for taking his life away from him.
* The introduction of Mulan is intriguing. More intriguing is she's introduced as part of Sleeping Beauty's tale. Merging Sleeping Beauty/Mulan and Snow White is a work of genius.
Particularly when both Charming and Emma fought Maleficient...and won, while Phillip, not so much. Rather pleased Phillip got the shaft. The team-up of Emma Swan, Snow White, Aurora and Mulan has great potential. I always liked the chinese fairy tale and Disney animated film of Mulan. Also like the fact that she's wearing armor. Just wish the actress was a tad better. I like the actress playing Aurora though.
* The mystery guy at the beginning - my mind went to Emma's erst-while and deadbeat lover and Henry's father. And he could still be that. That guy is wandering around out there somewhere. And it is more than possible that he too is a storybook character. At any rate, we know the mystery guy at the beginning is a story-book character and that he is connected to someone in Storybook who knew about the curse and knew about his existence.
This can be either Jefferson, Regina, Rumplestilskin or Pinnochio - those are the four people who remembered prior to the breaking of the curse. It can't be anyone who did not remember prior to the breaking of the curse - because how would they know he's out there?
(Granted applying logic to these things isn't always the best idea, see LAST RESORT and REVOLUTION for examples.) So...he's either a friend of the Mad Hatter (Jefferson), a friend of Rumplestilskin (can't be his son, he doesn't know where his son is - I still think it would be awesome if Rumple's son turns out to be Henry's father - this makes Henry the grandson of Prince Charming/Snow White and Rumplestilskin. If I were writing this - I'd go that route, just for the irony.), or a firend of Pinnochio....did Pinnoc have friends? We're given Pinnoc story, so I doubt it. White Rabbit makes the most sense.
If he's a drug dealer...definitely the White Rabbit. (shout out to shipperx for coming up with it, didn't think of it myself. I keep forgetting about Wonderland). Doubt he's Peter Pan, because...again have to be a friend of someone.
*I'm guessing Aurora was asleep for a different reason than the original Disney Story told us. Possibly to save her kingdom or her Mom - since that would be in keeping with the general theme of the series - kids and parents. The series really isn't all that interested in romantic entanglements. Those are secondary.
* Regina and Rumple use magic but don't like the price. They get what they want, but it doesn't give them what they truly desire. Regina wants to get rid of Snow and Emma, that's her goal throughout the previous season - but ironically - Emma gives Regina her power back, and it is Emma and Snow who fight to save Regina's life, while Charming/David would just as soon see her dead. Emma does it in part for Henry. Then when they are sucked down the portal along with the wraith who ends up killing Prince Phillip before Mulan can vanquish it, Regina thinks she has everything. But Henry tells her that he's done with her until she finds a way to reunite him with Emma and Snow. Until then he's with his grand-dad, David, who Regina tried to kill, but Henry saved. Regina's weakness is Henry.
Rumple has similar problem - to have Belle, he has to be careful. She calls him on his twisting of words, and doesn't buy his excuses. Granted she decides to stay with him, but only after she realizes that the only way to keep him from becoming a monster - is to attempt to check his behavior. She wants to save him or at the very least make the attempt. Whether or not she can is unknown. It could go either way. Depends on Rumple.
The two actions are reverse of each other - Henry leaves Regina (realizing that sticking by her clearly didn't work, so leaves her - after issuing an ultimatum), while Belle initially leaves Rumple but comes back (stating that leaving him clearly didn't work, so maybe if she sticks with him - she might be able to help him become a better man?) Interesting writing choice. Both have a lot to answer for. After all - it's their actions that resulted in the curse that ravaged their lands and thrust them into our world or "reality" - where magic acts differently.
* The present day tale and the fantasy land tales are appearing to merge. Emma and Snow aren't thrust into the past, but into the remainder of the storybook lands that the Rumple and Regina's curse ravaged.
What I like most about Once is I really have no idea where they are going. And the narrative structure continues to intrigue me. If you are fussy about acting, well-developed characters and great dialogue - it will probably annoy you. It's tv, I tend to be flexible. As long as I'm not bored, annoyed, or wandering off...I'm fine.
4. Revenge - great opener with lots of twists and turns. Another series I can't predict. These are rare gems.
Also Emily Thorne is delightfully wicked. She's a great anti-hero. The type that you root for in spite of yourself. Mainly because her actions make sense. You understand where she is coming from.
Plus we get Jennifer Jason Leigh popping up. Haven't seen her in a long time. Last year was about Emily's father, this year is about her mother and the secrets regarding her mother's past.
Sigh...the old tv shows are so much better than the new ones so far. I haven't really seen any new tv series, outside of maybe Copper that I plan on keeping. Haven't seen Call the MidWife yet, so will let you know. (Has anyone else seen this - no one mentions it on flist. Bletchly gets a lot of mentions - but I can't find it, so it's clearly not available on US television as of yet.
Speaking of which, where are the reviews of Last Resort? Am I the only person who watched this? I found it to be rather funny in places, ludicrious and completely unrealistic, but funny. Considering the fact that it is meant to be an epic drama and romance, this is not necessarily a good thing. Shawn Murphy should stick to cops and robbers.
2. The Angels Take Manhattan
I've read everyone else's reviews, so will try not to repeat other's thoughts. I liked the episode better than some did. But I'm admittedly not a fan of the first three seasons of New Doctor Who (pretty much forgot them with a few exceptions) nor have I watched Old Who.
Also it bears keeping in mind that of all the companions, Rory and Amy were my favorites. They were snarky, smart, self-deprecating, and had interesting real life stories in their own right. So of course I was moved by the episode and loved it. It's weird in Moffat era Who, my favorite characters are River, Rory, Amy and then Eleven. While in RTD era it was Doctor Who 10, Doctor Who 9, Jack, Sarah Jane, Donna, Martha, Rose. Which may be the reason? If you aren't crazy about the companion or can't identify with them - the show won't work for you, will it?
Few points/contradictions I've noticed in others' reviews regarding key plot points - that I'd like to clarify, or at least this was how I viewed them:
* Melody (River) wrote the book. Amy wrote the after-ward, which the Doctor rips out at the beginning of the show and refuses to let either of them see - because he hates endings and once he realizes the book is about them, he knows he must stop reading it - or what he reads will become true. (Self-fulfilling prophecy, which is why learning one's own future is a bad idea.)
So the question arises, how did Melody/River get the book to Amy, in order for Amy to write the afterward and to publish it?
This is actually explained, albeit not clearly. Remember River doesn't have a Tardis, she has a time-displacement device similar to Captain John and Captain Jack (who may well have gotten the technology from River, or she got it from them, all three are somewhat ambiguous and borderline psychopathic characters - something about time travel.) Anyhow, the Doctor states that he can't take "The Tardis" back to that specific era of NY, because it's caught between various temporal disruptions and would tear the Tardis apart. I'm guessing the temporal disruptions could keep Rory and Amy stuck in the city as well, it's not clear. (But let's face it what tv series is clear about this sort of thing? TV writers suck at science and logistics.) Anyhow, as River explains to Rory early on - she can come to that era while the Doctor can't as easily, because she has a time-disruption device that helps her jump around without a Tardis. The disruption doesn't tear humans apart (or the Angel's wouldn't be able to send people to that era, nor does it tear the Angel's apart, just the Tardis.)
Therefore, River could visit her parents, but the Doctor can't. This is why she's not that upset by what happens. She's upset for the severance of the Doctor and her parent's ties.
She knows they love each other. And the fact that she can't visit them with the Doctor any longer. But River herself can visit them.
* The house was destroyed by the temporal imbalance but the Angels weren't destroyed. The Angel sent Rory and River back as revenge. They can't feed off of them, though. All they could do was send them back in time. Hence the reason - Rory and Amy got sent back to NYC.
* While it may be possible for Rory and Amy to leave NYC, it's not clear that you can, this area may be closed off to people who don't have a time displacement bracelet. What does not make a lot of sense is why River can't just loan the Doctor her bracelet and let him visit them. Possibly because he doesn't want to without the Tardis? Or he can't handle time travel without the Tardis? It's not explained. (But hey, it's tv, they never explain this stuff.)
* The reason the Angels weren't sending people back in Time in S5, was because time and space went wonky - and there was a rip in the continuum caused by the Doctor. As a result they couldn't send people back and couldn't jump themselves, so they were murdering people in other ways. Resourceful buggers these weeping angles are. (Although "statues" is a better term and I love the fact that they can be lurking as any statue, makes them quite terrifying. Personally, I find Angels scarier and far more interesting than Daleks, which to me are sort of stupid. But keep in mind - I never watched Old Who, so don't know much about the critters.) Now that time isn't wonky and there's no longer a rip in the fabric, the Angel's have gone back to their original modus operandi...or what they like to do best, send people back in time.
* I get fascinated by narrative structures. And how tales are told. Moffat plays with it. The whole roman-a-clef bit has been done before. But this has a twist in that it is solved by chapter headings. Also the writer and lead detective is River Song. A woman. Usually she's the femme fatale. But not in this case. And the writers mislead us in the beginning with the privet detective who is male. Lovely.
The episode worked for me. But I can see why it might not work for everyone.
3. Once Upon A Time.
Problem with this show is the casting. The four leads aren't that interesting. And the writing is a bit..hollow. It's hard to care.
That said, I do like the pro-feminist subversion of classic and somewhat sexist Disney animated children's tales. Note, I said children's tales, not fairy tales. In Once, it's really about stories. Which means all those animated films Disney did are basically fair game. The only restriction? Anything Disney or ABC does not own the copyright to or can't obtain the copy-rights to. In other words, if its in the public domain or owned by Disney it's fair game.
Also the narrative structure which keeps changing is rather fascinating and not at all difficult to follow. Whoever is writing this thing is clearly more interested in playing with narrative style and classic children's story thematic setups (not to mention plots) than they are characters. The character's often feel a bit on the flat side.
That said, both Rumplestilskin and Regina look like they are about to get a bit more rounded and less two-dimensional. To be fair, Rumple always was more rounded, Regina required work. This gives me hope. I really would like to see a redemptive arc for both characters, mainly because it's more interesting. Characters that stay bwahhah evil or ambiguous can get predictable and boring after a bit, unless you use them sparingly.
ie. One note. Which was Regina pretty much all of last season. If they want the show to last, they either have to kill her off, or develop her further, one or the other.
In some respects, Once is that rare series, where I actually prefer the episodic mystery of the week to the serialized back story. LOST is another example of that. The serialized back story really isn't all that interesting. But Once has possibilities. They set up a lot of stuff in this past week's episode that has definite potential - far more potential actually than last season.
* Who is David Anders - Mr. Whale? He could very well be Captain Hook. The teasers this summer keep showing someone walking into Rumplestilskin's store and putting on the trade-mark hook. And Ander's would make a great hook - but he's not the one we see in the preview behind the wheel of a ship. So I don't know. He could be anyone. One of the many reasons I prefer this series over Grimm is the unpredictability of the mystery of the week and who the supporting characters are. (I've also seen one too many tv series that are exactly like Grimm. Once on the other hand isn't like anything I've seen. It's in a class all its own.) At any rate, we do know he's pissed at the Evil Queen for making him one of her patsies, and for taking his life away from him.
* The introduction of Mulan is intriguing. More intriguing is she's introduced as part of Sleeping Beauty's tale. Merging Sleeping Beauty/Mulan and Snow White is a work of genius.
Particularly when both Charming and Emma fought Maleficient...and won, while Phillip, not so much. Rather pleased Phillip got the shaft. The team-up of Emma Swan, Snow White, Aurora and Mulan has great potential. I always liked the chinese fairy tale and Disney animated film of Mulan. Also like the fact that she's wearing armor. Just wish the actress was a tad better. I like the actress playing Aurora though.
* The mystery guy at the beginning - my mind went to Emma's erst-while and deadbeat lover and Henry's father. And he could still be that. That guy is wandering around out there somewhere. And it is more than possible that he too is a storybook character. At any rate, we know the mystery guy at the beginning is a story-book character and that he is connected to someone in Storybook who knew about the curse and knew about his existence.
This can be either Jefferson, Regina, Rumplestilskin or Pinnochio - those are the four people who remembered prior to the breaking of the curse. It can't be anyone who did not remember prior to the breaking of the curse - because how would they know he's out there?
(Granted applying logic to these things isn't always the best idea, see LAST RESORT and REVOLUTION for examples.) So...he's either a friend of the Mad Hatter (Jefferson), a friend of Rumplestilskin (can't be his son, he doesn't know where his son is - I still think it would be awesome if Rumple's son turns out to be Henry's father - this makes Henry the grandson of Prince Charming/Snow White and Rumplestilskin. If I were writing this - I'd go that route, just for the irony.), or a firend of Pinnochio....did Pinnoc have friends? We're given Pinnoc story, so I doubt it. White Rabbit makes the most sense.
If he's a drug dealer...definitely the White Rabbit. (shout out to shipperx for coming up with it, didn't think of it myself. I keep forgetting about Wonderland). Doubt he's Peter Pan, because...again have to be a friend of someone.
*I'm guessing Aurora was asleep for a different reason than the original Disney Story told us. Possibly to save her kingdom or her Mom - since that would be in keeping with the general theme of the series - kids and parents. The series really isn't all that interested in romantic entanglements. Those are secondary.
* Regina and Rumple use magic but don't like the price. They get what they want, but it doesn't give them what they truly desire. Regina wants to get rid of Snow and Emma, that's her goal throughout the previous season - but ironically - Emma gives Regina her power back, and it is Emma and Snow who fight to save Regina's life, while Charming/David would just as soon see her dead. Emma does it in part for Henry. Then when they are sucked down the portal along with the wraith who ends up killing Prince Phillip before Mulan can vanquish it, Regina thinks she has everything. But Henry tells her that he's done with her until she finds a way to reunite him with Emma and Snow. Until then he's with his grand-dad, David, who Regina tried to kill, but Henry saved. Regina's weakness is Henry.
Rumple has similar problem - to have Belle, he has to be careful. She calls him on his twisting of words, and doesn't buy his excuses. Granted she decides to stay with him, but only after she realizes that the only way to keep him from becoming a monster - is to attempt to check his behavior. She wants to save him or at the very least make the attempt. Whether or not she can is unknown. It could go either way. Depends on Rumple.
The two actions are reverse of each other - Henry leaves Regina (realizing that sticking by her clearly didn't work, so leaves her - after issuing an ultimatum), while Belle initially leaves Rumple but comes back (stating that leaving him clearly didn't work, so maybe if she sticks with him - she might be able to help him become a better man?) Interesting writing choice. Both have a lot to answer for. After all - it's their actions that resulted in the curse that ravaged their lands and thrust them into our world or "reality" - where magic acts differently.
* The present day tale and the fantasy land tales are appearing to merge. Emma and Snow aren't thrust into the past, but into the remainder of the storybook lands that the Rumple and Regina's curse ravaged.
What I like most about Once is I really have no idea where they are going. And the narrative structure continues to intrigue me. If you are fussy about acting, well-developed characters and great dialogue - it will probably annoy you. It's tv, I tend to be flexible. As long as I'm not bored, annoyed, or wandering off...I'm fine.
4. Revenge - great opener with lots of twists and turns. Another series I can't predict. These are rare gems.
Also Emily Thorne is delightfully wicked. She's a great anti-hero. The type that you root for in spite of yourself. Mainly because her actions make sense. You understand where she is coming from.
Plus we get Jennifer Jason Leigh popping up. Haven't seen her in a long time. Last year was about Emily's father, this year is about her mother and the secrets regarding her mother's past.
Sigh...the old tv shows are so much better than the new ones so far. I haven't really seen any new tv series, outside of maybe Copper that I plan on keeping. Haven't seen Call the MidWife yet, so will let you know. (Has anyone else seen this - no one mentions it on flist. Bletchly gets a lot of mentions - but I can't find it, so it's clearly not available on US television as of yet.
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Date: 2012-10-03 06:55 pm (UTC)