Torchwood: Miracle Day – The Blood Line
Posted on 10. Sep, 2011 in Ann Perkins Must Die, News, Sticky
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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by Steven Lawson
After a promising start followed by a mishmash of episodes ranging from pretty damn good to nigh unwatchable, the fourth season of Torchwood ends not with a bang — and for that matter, not even a whimper — but with a resounding “meh.”
I think it’s undeniable at this point that Torchwood has not benefited from the change from monster of the week to season-long arc, but I’m left wondering if the problem was that the plot simply wasn’t interesting enough to keep viewers engaged, or if Davies’ inability to plot a proper story arc is to blame. Looking back on the pre-Moffet era of NuWho, I can’t help but feel that his arcs declined in quality exponentially as time went on.
Bad Wolf was epic, the Daleks and Cybermen were pretty cool, it was neat to see The Master but Doctor Jesus was complete rubbish, and I don’t even want to think about planets in the sky or Timothy Dalton. Yet Torchwood’s arcs seemed to keep getting better, or at least better than that whole Abaddon thing.
Perhaps the success of Children of Earth just went to his head, or maybe he simply ran out of ideas for stand-alone episodes. Whatever the case may be, by the time we found out what was causing the Miracle, I had already lost interest. And it’s a shame, because The Blood Line wasn’t as terrible as it could have been. And I think it’s unfortunate that it had to be the endcap to a storyline that would have worked so well as a miniseries but was instead distilled into an entire season; spread too thin to be truly engaging.
To be perfectly honest, I would be surprised if Torchwood returned for a fifth season. In fact, I’m not entirely sure I want it to. I don’t think I’d particularly enjoy seeing a post-Miracle world. And that’s a strange thing to say, considering how much I’d been looking forward to it being back on the air. But as the season finale neared its conclusion, Jack mentioned the Racnoss living in the center of the Earth.
And for a moment everything was better.
It was then that I realized why I even liked Torchwood in the first place — it’s because I love Doctor Who — and if my options are a Torchwood that doesn’t mesh with the Whoniverse, or no Torchwood at all…well, think my choice is probably obvious.
The Monday night-er
Posted on 24. Oct, 2011 in Guilty As Charged, News, Sticky
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
It’s officially one month into the fall season of television. This is a very exciting time. Big decisions are made. Some we regret, others we will stand by until the bitter end. The first three to four weeks of a season will make or break a show. Story arches are started, characters are introduced, and opinions are developed. If flaws and kinks are not fixed in 4 episodes or less, chances are, you’ve lost your viewership.
The decisions we make this coming after this month will change our lives. Our schedules, our dvrs, and our social lives will be directly affected. For the next nine months we will live with the decisions we’ve made this week. With such monumental decisions on your horizon, I’m here to make it a little easier.
This week I’m going to let you in on what I’ve been watching…the good, the bad, and the guilty pleasures. Hopefully it will help you decide what your next 9 months look like.
How I Met Your Mother
One hour of How I Met Your Mother is the perfect start to a much anticipated premiere week. Episode one picked up right where last season left off….with us wondering who Barney is marrying. While all signs point to Robin, the episode move on to show us that she still has feelings for Barney, but he’s clearly moved on. While we anxiously await the reveal of “Mom,” it looks like we also have to wait to see who Uncle Barney ends up with as well. In other news, Marshall pulls a Marshall and screws up the annoucement of Lilly’s pregnancy/Punchy’s wedding and Ted gets sentimental at a wedding…shocker!
But with episode coming out so strong, it left me wondering if HIMYM blew its wad early. Nope! Ted’s back in the dating game, and stealing Barney’s moves. Barney shows his devotion to getting the girl of his dreams (and takes a page from Ted’s book). And Marshall is up for his dream job at an environmental law firm. Streaking history, be dammed, Marshall is determined to do what he can to get this job. HIMYM returned to its glory with these two episodes. It was the last 15 seconds of episode two that sealed it’s greatness for me though. My jaw hit the floor when we ran into…wait, I’m so not going to be the girl that spoils it for you!
The season is keeping up the strong start, it’s definitely maintained a spot on my watch list. Robin is starting court mandated therapy, Katie homes is slated to make an appearance as the slutty pumpkin, and my only response is to high five the writers in hopes that this season will continue on a legend….wait for it….dary path.
GaC says stick with this one! Or go back and start with season 1 if you’ve not watched before. They broke out of their season long slump from last year and are on an upward trajectory.
Two and a Half Men
Ashton proved to me that he could do more than play Kelso from That 70′s Show….clap….clap….clap. But even if Ashton played lovable mopey-pants, he couldn’t save HORRIBLE writing! My biggest issue with this show, both with and without Charlie Sheen, is it’s absolutely disgusting portrayal of women. They are flat, one-dimensional characters that are apparently unresistant to anybody but John Kryer’s character. ”oh, you poor thing, you tried to kill yourself tonight because your finace dumped you?” Normal girl’s reaction: “um, i’m sorry to hear that” as every bell and whistle in her head goes off warning her of extreme emotional dependancy and instability. The Two-and-a-Half girl? She shoves the mopey-pants’s face in her boobs and takes him and a friend home for a threesome. Riiiight.
I was curious to see if I’d like the show with Ashton any better. It turns out it wasn’t Charlie I hated so much, it’s the actual show itself. Thank goodness it is staying at the 9:00 time slot and something better will be on to fill that half hour void for me after HIMYM.
GaC says…what a waste of a half an hour!
2 Broke Girls
A few weeks in now and it’s still on my radar. Kat Denning shows us an extremely likable, sassy Max that we are growing to love. Her quick tongue and soft heart for her rich blonde sidekick make the show. There are definitely some flaws still, but I see this show as having potential. Caroline, the rich blonde sidekick previously mentioned, is horribly unlikable for most of the pilot. Unlikeable may not be the right word…let’s go with unbelievable. A few weeks in though, and I think these girls have chemistry. And at the end of the day, chemistry will make or break a show.
GaC say….if your watching HIMYM anyway, you won’t regret keeping CBS on for another half an hour. The second best sitcom the network has to offer.
Playboy Club
I have to be honest, I was not at all excited about this one. I read the pilot this summer, saw it as a Mad Men knock off with a sort of twist, and wrote it off. Well on the night it premiered I stumbled on it, I couldn’t be regret it more.
Unfortunately, not for the reasons you’d assume with that intro. I LOVED it! But controversial topics aren’t on NBC’s yes-list, and they canned the show after just three weeks, not even showing the rest of the shows they have filmed. It was shot beautifully and and the story lines were dynamic enough to keep me intrigued. I’ll forever wonder what happened to Maureen as she got into the car with the son of the mob boss she killed.
GaC says…NBC disappointed me big time by cancelling this one.
Gossip Girl
To set the record straight, I’m coming into this season declaring that if it comes down to it, I am prepared to drop GG. Story lines have become ridiculous and the characters have lost their flair. We’ve seen the demise of both Little J and Vanessa, Dan and Mr. Humphrey have succumbed to the lures of the Upper East Side. The story of the kid from the wrong side of the tracks ended several seasons ago, leaving us with a rich people problem. A rich people problem is fun to watch, yes, but it does all become a bit unrelatable.
So, this season starts with Serena as an office PA/personal assistant on a movie set in LA. Suddenly a glimmer of relatability? minus the fact that she is running around set in heels and she isn’t at all concerned about paying rent like everybody else that is in this field, yes…yes it is! Nate and Chuck are typical Nate and chuck. Blaire is marrying a prince and is (gasp!) pregnant, and Dan is having no problems getting his works published back in New York, whether he likes it or not. Same ol, same ol. I wasn’t completely turned off…and I have to admit that I am curious as to what is going to happen as Blaire starts showing a baby bump and what will happen as the wedding nears, but I won’t be holding out much longer.
Hart of Dixie
Summer from The OC is back!! I have been excited about this show since this spring. I was handed the pilot script and told “I feel like this is the kind of show you may like.”. That person obviously knows me well. The pilot wasnt groundbreaking or shocking (maybe because I read it??) but it was cute. As much of a brat Zoey Hart is, we still root for her…sort of. The writing is a bit cheesy and the way in which they paint a small southern town may be a bit offensive at times to this southerner, but I’m willing to look past it forward a while. There are definitely some weak points, but I guess I’ll be back. It may not be on my must watch as soon as it’s up online list, but I’ll stay involved.
GaC says…it’s no first season of Gossip Girl, but it sure is better than the last season of it. Give it a shot…although it may be a show you only admit to your closest friends that you watch.
