In order to better justify the time that I spend keeping up with various TV shows (though whether or not to continue calling them TV shows in a day where my TV sits dormant is up for debate), I thought it might be a good idea to share my thoughts on them in blog form. I want to note that these are not reviews in the strictest sense – these are perhaps mini-reviews, with my thoughts immediately upon rewatching them without additional research. Still, if you’re on the edge about whether or not to watch any given Sci-Fi related show or you just want to know what I think about it, this column is for you.
Episodes are listed in the order I watched them, rather than the order of airing. If you’re not sure about the airdate, Wikipedia is a useful tool. All episodes discussed have aired within a week of one another, however.
Gotham: Red Hood is a necessary companion to the previous week’s episode. That episode was mentioned multiple times as a way to definitively introduce the Joker into the series, and indeed introduced a child that seemed to be possessed by the combined spirits of Mark Hamill and Jack Nicholson. “Red Hood”, therefore, is needed to complete this origin, by providing a title that the Joker held before actually becoming the Joker. As a standalone episode of Gotham, this episode is perfectly fine: it features an element of Gotham in a way that Jim Gordon must deal with it, before it would spiral out of control and become something Batman would need to deal with. Unfortunately, as part of a multi-pronted “Joker origin” it falls flat, simply because it has nothing to do with the previous story and not nearly the dramatic potential. The supporting stories crawled along at just the minimal required amounts and are not remotely worth mentioning.
Agent Carter: Valediction was the season finale and the end of the intermission that was Agent Carter Season 1. Ultimately, I prefer watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Rather than one likable star, a side-kick, and a handful of supporting characters mostly of varying degrees of unlikability, the parent show features arguably at least two leads in what functions more as an ensemble cast of protagonists. Either more or less importantly, I have no idea what Agent Carter‘s relationship to Marvel is, although I find the aesthetics and the characters of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to be more enjoyable.
Still, Agent Carter is its own show, and is likely to improve now that its main character has some degree of respect among her peers and isn’t constantly hiding from them. Similarly, the only character with enough personality to be considered having one is also no longer in hiding. So, two points for next season. “Valediction” also gains points in treating a comic-style villain (a man who can hypnotize anyone who speaks with) seriously when there has been no note of such a thing in the show before. So, all told, “Valediction” was a success that paints the rest of the season bleakly yet makes me look forward to the next one.
Arrow: Nanda Parbat was disappointing. In fact, this entire season has been a waste of time. The villain from Season 1 does something horrible and Ollie defends him for barely defined reasons. Of course, this defines Mr. NoSupermanLetMeDie, but it still has led to some ridiculous actions on the behalf of Green Arrow. His goal this episode is just as bad: he is going to save the life of the man he failed to kill so that Thea doesn’t feel responsible for his death. This, of course, being a villain that he either has to execute or will be forced to keep fighting him in future seasons of the show. It’s getting beyond ridiculous. There are elements I enjoy about Arrow, but quite a few that I do not, and this episode has as much of the latter as it can without introducing Ollie to a new love interest.
Power Rangers: Dino Charge: Return of the Caveman just feels out of place. It’s not that it doesn’t work as an episode – as the fourth episode of the series, it would be rather difficult to make that assertion. Rather, the presence of Kota in Episode 3 was what was completely out of place, and switching these episodes would have fixed that without causing any problems. Other than the fact that I don’t see how someone can live thousands of years without aging and still talk like a caveman (so many other ways they could have addressed this)
Insomniatic 