Random tv thoughts

[donutsweeper]

Yeah, okay I suck at reaction posts. Here's some general vague and not spoilery and intentionally vague reviews/thoughts on what's airing these days.

Haven- Okay, so I'll admit I was nervous with how S4 was going and that nervousness turned into disappointment at the end of "Lost and Found" (two weeks ago's episode) mostly because it the show seemed to be taking a much more obvious route than usual. But then came the end of "The New Girl" and I was proven wrong. Good work show. I could do without the Guard and Jordan's one note 'Grrr, KILL HIM' storyline, it's gotten well overdone, but even so, this show rocks. Awesome show is awesome and if anyone wants to check it out all the episodes are available for streaming here.

Sleepy Hollow- I love this show, I haven't fallen so hard for a show like this in AGES. It's clever, the acting is amazing, the cast outstanding and SO DIVERSE. Yes, there are historical inaccuracies, but it's never relied on plot holes or the baddies reading the script ahead of time or people just doing head scratching things to get the story to move along and it is SO refreshing. I'm really enjoying it. Sadly it's going on sabbatical until after baseball is over, but that'll give people a chance to watch its five episodes and be caught up for when it comes back in November.

Agents of SHIELD- This article pretty much encompasses my feelings for the show. I wanted to like it, but I don't, it's a cookie cutter team-fighting-the-unknown show I've seen numerous times before but peopled with the blandest, cardboard cutout types I've seen in ages. I tried, but... I give up.

Supernatural- There's potential here and it's certainly better than the robo-Sam or leviathan days, but it's just kind of there. I'll probably continue to watch, but there's no passion behind my interest anymore.

Person of Interest- I want to like this show more than I do. The characters are great, especially how wonderfully the women are written, but it's relied on some poor plot twists of late. Last week's episode had two (or two major and one minor, depending how you count them) and the big ones left me scratching my head- was I supposed to be surprised by them? They were so obvious I had assumed we were supposed to have known the plot was heading that way... which is not a good thing when it turns out we weren't. Oh well, I'll keep watching but if I miss an episode I'm not going to go out of my way to track it down.

Arrow- First, I love Felicity, Diggle and Oliver and their interactions and storylines and everything about those three when they get together. The rest of the show though? UGH. Now Laurel is the "GRR, VIGILANTE BAD! MUST SMASH!" character now? Do we really have to have that plot going on, show? Do we seriously NEED to have a character like that on the canvas? (hint, the answer is NO) and the addition of the new superhero onto the canvas and the story behind her... just no. *sigh* Come on show, don't make it so hard for me to be fannish about you.

The Tomorrow People Typical CW crap, unfortunately. Freakishly pretty people muddling their way through mediocre scripts with outright ridiculous plots. I tried for two weeks to give a damn, I just can't watch anymore. I am done.

Elementary I am not a fan of the 'ripped from the headlines' kind of plotting and that's what this season has felt like to me. I still love Joan and Sherlock and their interactions and Bell and Gregson are great, along with Clyde, but overall the episodes are just 'meh'. Oh well, maybe they'll pick up and hopefully Mrs Hudson will appear again.

Upcoming shows

White Collar starts tonight... I am apathetic at best regarding it's return. The show took a massive nose dive with the Nazi loot storyline and had vaguely started to pull itself out of the mire when it divebombed back in with the MESS of a season finale last year. I'm planning on watching it but... the shine of the show is off.

Covert Affairs returns tonight as well and it's up against Elementary, not sure what I'll do there. At one point I loved this show, but the last season and a half have been TERRIBLE. There were serious plot holes and dropped story arcs and just logical missteps that make no sense. It makes me sad.

Grimm starts in a few weeks, I'll be watching it whenever it returns.

Comments

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Mum and I are enjoying Agents of SHIELD, but i do think Joss Whedon is an acquired tasts, and some people like his shows and a lot of people don't. Which is cool. My only complaint about this one so far, is that it seems very breezy, like we're watching a plot on fast forward. I felt that way about the first season of SGA, though, and it settled itself out. I do feel when the show takes a moment to breathe and be about the characters, it works.

And I'm completely with you on Elementary. It keeps trying to be a procedural, and it needs to be about characters who solve crimes not solving crimes with some characters. That's what makes Sherlock work for me, the crimes aren't the focus, it's about Sherlock and John and everyone, and sometimes they solve mysteries. Elementary has some great moments at the start and end of the episode, but doesn't have a chance to explore them while the lacklustre crimes are going on. I want to see more of those moments.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I like some Whedon stuff just fine, Agents is just... flat. If there was more depth to the characters it'd be better but as is, it's just not worth my time.

I want Elementary to shine! I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels it should focus more on the characters than the mystery, because Joan! and Sherlock! and Clyde! (etc :D)

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

I do love that Elementary provides all the moments I need for characters. Everything character wise is spot on. I always feel the episode feeling good about it.

[jupisan.livejournal.com]

I stopped dvring Agents. Wanted to like it but didnt.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Same here. It's such a shame, isn't it?

Love your Ichabod and Abbie icon! I should make a Sleepy Hollow one.

[jupisan.livejournal.com]

thanks for the icon love. making SH icons is fun.
SH is just a good show.
damn Baseball.
you can use this icon. btw.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

We have to wait until Nov 3!! *flails a little* I like to make my own icons, but thank you for the offer :)

[pielover62.livejournal.com]

Yay! for "Sleepy Hollow'! I Love this show! The mythology is clever and I like the interaction between Ichabod and Abbie. I love the way he looks at her sometimes.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Doesn't Sleepy Hollow feel like the writers have a real sense of where they are going and what they are trying to accomplish? It's wonderful.

And they cast Ichabod and Abbie SO WELL, those two just are great together! :)

[haldane.livejournal.com]

I gave up on Agents half way through the first episode, and then spent the rest of the week trying to work out why. My daughter's a total Avengers/Whedon fangirl, and she can't stand it either.

Might have to take up Sleepy Hollow, husband is following it.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I really, really like Sleepy Hollow (as was probably obvious from my little blurb about it here) so I heartily recommend you do!

It's too bad about SHIELD, but oh well.

[amythest-n-ice.livejournal.com]

The Tomorrow People? Seriously? Did they learn NOTHING from the LAST time they tried to remake that? It already tanked once on pretty people and no substance. The original might have been a little cringe worthy in places, but you could love it because it was NOVEL!!

Can't really comment on your other shows, Supernatural has always made me cringe, I don't like Sam and Dean, and I haven't seen any of the others, lol.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Hollywood will remake anything they think might bring in money, and more than once. It's kind of pathetic.

Sleepy Hollow just started airing in the UK supposedly, you might be able to find it there?

[amythest-n-ice.livejournal.com]

Hmm, will have to look out for that, that one actually sounds interesting, from what I've seen on comments around LJ

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

info: http://www.tvwise.co.uk/2013/10/sleepy-hollow-opens-strong-universal-channel/

[amythest-n-ice.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I shall definitely have to try to catch that :)

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Yay! Hope you like it! :)

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

sleepy hollow is far and away the most batshit thing i watch and i am enjoying it immensely, by which i mean ichabod and abbie are my favorites. they just have such nice chemistry and abbie is all kinds of fabulous and ichabod in the 21st century is just fun. i wasn't sold on it in the beginning but it totally grew on me. the historical inaccuracies drive me nuts but i'm really trying not to be bothered by them. really, really trying.

i'm totally over jordan and the guard on haven - i was never sold on the guard to begin with, tho - and i don't like jennifer because first she was a plot device and now she doesn't have a purpose, and nathan is kind of consumed with his own emo in a way that makes me want to smack him, but i loved the very end of the new girl and i think duke makes everything better. and i'm kinda curious where they go from here. and the season is definitely getting better.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Sleepy Hollow's historical inaccuracies are rather frustrating at times, but, oddly for me, I'm willing to let it slide most of the time, the show is just that good.

Yeah, the guard never made a whole lot of sense, especially being the gun-toting, we run this town, kind of manner they seem to think they are. I can't imagine that kind of thing having worked when the Chief was alive. Jennifer has played her role, I'm surprised she's sticking around, especially since she wasn't at comic con and Colin Ferguson (William) was and his role appears to be done now that Audrey has left the barn. Oh well, she's not as annoying as Jordan at least.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

i think jennifer's role now is to be duke's love interest, which really isn't any better than her being a plot device to find audrey. i'm not impressed.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Yeah, same here. She could be interesting if they gave her something to do but as is, there isn't much for her to do.

[geekslave.livejournal.com]

Still in the liking it, but not loving it camp with both "Sleepy Hollow" and SHIELD.

Have only seen the season premiere of SPN and not the second episode. Overall I enjoyed it, but I don't like this thousandth rehash of something wrong with Sam and Dean lying to him.

I'm actually loving "Elementary" this season. I've seen the complaint before about the plots not being great, but the season premiere and the second episodes plots were really engaging to me. And I love the characters so much, I don't really care about any plot problems. I actually think this is a show that it's characters always come first. The plots are basically there to reflect on whatever issues the characters are having that week. And unlike most procedurals, usually the mysteries are wrapped up fairly early and the show deals with the characters' issues, which I love.

Stacey

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

ITA on Supernatural--you've described my current relationship with it perfectly (except you didn't mention the nostalgic feeling for a show and fandom that were once so completely engaging and are now pretty well gone...)

I'm feeling more interested in Agents of SHIELD after last week's episode, but I can't really argue with you on the fundamental problems. It's workmanlike--at best, each episode gives a tiny glimpse of the Jossiness that I hoped would saturate the show's heart. I said I'd give it six episodes to start to draw me in on an emotional level, so I owe it two more eps before I decide to bail.

Grimm starts next week! I'm looking forward to it.

I thought PoI surged ahead with the episode before last, featuring the three female characters working together, then sank back down with the all-too-obvious plot twists and predictable ending that were like something that might have surprised us in a show in 1975. Sigh...

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Poor SPN.... maybe it'll improve?

SHIELD- I hope it improves and works for you. If it does some mid-season retooling and I hear good things maybe I'll check it out again.

YES! GRIMM! Can't wait for that.

Yeah, that women-centric episode of POI was pretty good, but then this last one just lacked all oomph. *sighs*

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I can't help feeling that any show that still has an actual as-broadcast television audience has to cleave so hard to the middle of the road that it's basically committing artistic suicide in its own defense.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

That probably does explain the formulaic feel to most shows these days.

[karaokegal.livejournal.com]

Still working through that last season of Arrow, but it just doesn't seem worth the emotional effort. I'm a Barrow-stan and I'm there for that reason only, which I'm pretty straight-forward about. I'd say this shows creators are so tone-deaf as to what their characters really sound and act like that the "likeability" factor will never happen.