Sleepy Hollow Season 3 Finale

*Spoiler alert* Please do not read any further unless you have "witnessed" (haha!) the latest episode of Sleepy Hollow!!You have been warned....

If you have seen the season 3 finale, I am sure you understand the reason it has taken me almost a week to even comment about it, let alone write a post.

We were promised a third season of "getting back to the core story of the Witnesses" at the end of season 2. What we received was a kick in the gut.

Abbie Mills sacrificed herself to destroy Pandora and save the world. Now half of our beloved team is no more. Ichabod Crane is left with the quest of finding her "soul's replacement" and an odd mix of secondary characters to assist him. The only remaining character from the outstanding first season other than Crane, is Abbie's sister, Jenny. 

Now, I am going to skip over the controversial issues (which may or may not be of merit; since I have no quotes directly from Ms. Beharie regarding her departure, and that is the only word I will accept as truth, I can only speculate.) because this isn't a forum for that sort of discussion. This is a blog about TV. Not the politics or gossip behind it.

Moving on. 

This show started out with a major hook. It's second season started off with interesting material but it soon felt like the writers were literally making it up as they went. This is what I believe may have caused the show to make the decisions they did in season 3. While season 2 started out with the Crane family intrigue, the tempo slowed and shifted too much focus on create a villain out of Katrina Crane. 

With Katrina and Henry out of the mix, I was hoping for a more back-to-basics-witnesses-against-the-evils-of-the-world-that-are-somehow-tied-to-Crane's-lifetime-or-the-Mills'-ancestors kind of season. I got a load of new faces instead.

The new group (I'm going to be completely honest, I barely remember their names. Chances are I had to look them up. That might speak volumes.) consisting of Danny, Joe (who was introduced in season 2 but given series regular status in season 3), and Sophie never really got any back story or character depth. The Hidden One and Pandora made interesting antagonists though very underdeveloped characters. I guess what I am getting at is after the seemingly off-course writing of season two, season three was grasping at straws.

Killing off major characters is nothing new. It's always been there in shows like these. But not one of the two MAIN characters. The story and the writers say that Abbie's story was over. She did what she was supposed to do. The next volume will continue without her. 

I have a hard time with this. I love Tom Mison. I love Nicole Beharie. I love the guest stars. I have hope for a new season with Icabod's sense of humor and odd fashion sense but I don't know if that will play as well on screen without Abbie's sense of humor and ability to keep Crane grounded in the current rather than his past.

I suppose I will have to wait and see if it even gets renewed for a fourth season. I have very mixed feelings about watching if it does get renewed.

RIP Abbie Mills

#AbbieMillsDeservedBetter

The Walking Dead: Season 6 Finale

*SPOILER WARNING*

Please use caution when scrolling. I am not one to post right after an episode. I give you at least a couple of days to catch up. Don't get mad at me if you keep scrolling and haven't watched the most recent episode. 

I, like many TWD fans, have very mixed emotions after the much anticipated season 6 finale. I have been a fan of the comics for some time and knew what Negan represented long before our group even made it to Terminus. So did a load of other people. 

While I can't speak specifically for anyone but myself, I feel it is safe to say that the overall concensus of this finale cliffhanger was much like finally getting to that perfectly planned night of romance, only to have it completely botched right before climax by a screeching infant.

Boom! Not Pee Pants City. More like Flaccid Pants City.

....Ok. Let me stop here and just say I love this show. I really do. If you knew me at all, even via Twitter, you've seen the massive love I have for this series.

I might whine about my favorites getting killed off but I don't really want the writers to actually listen to me. Writing is their livelihood, not mine.

Besides, I have the dolls. I can make my own show where no one but zombies die if I wanted.

I'll keep watching until the writing starts to suck, I mean really really suck, And, even then, I will still watch it until the very end because that is how I am. (Remember Heroes? Yeah, I watched every single minute.)

I can't say everyone will do the same. I can't say that I won't get to the point where I can't watch it anymore. Who knows? I just don't think the writers should take the threats of rioting so seriously.

So this isn't a complete bashing of this wonderful series. Just a partial beating....

Jeffery Dean Morgan, in my opinion, is the perfect Negan. I also believe Chandler Riggs is the perfect Carl and Michael Cudlitz is the perfect Abraham. 

See where I'm going with this?

They perfectly look the part. 

When I heard he had been cast as Negan, I knew two things. One, he would really bring this villian to life and, two, he wouldn't be seen until the season 6 finale.

With that, I also knew that someone was going to die at the hand of Negan via Lucille because of the comics. The who didn't really matter all that much because I knew someone was going. There was no way to bring Negan into the picture WITHOUT his classic comic book entrance.

So I, like many others, prepped for months for the heartbreaking blow. 

My point is WE HAVE BEEN WAITING AND SPECULATING ABOUT WHO DIES FOR MONTHS ALREADY. Why drag it out even further? 

The articles and interviews are all over the internet of Gimple and crew defending the cliffhanger. 

The new story opens here; The end of 6 really is the end of 6; Nothing more could be told; blah blah blah.

While it is typical television drama prose to give the audience a reason to tune in the next season, I believe they could have accomplished a cliffhanger with Carol, Morgan and the Kingdom characters. In a sense, they did.

We have no idea who Helpful Horseman in football padding really is or where he is taking our only surviving season 1 female, who has been shot no less than three times. 

Couldn't they have possibly revealed who died and then cut to the scene with Carol and Morgan being "saved"?

We could have had time to absorb -insert character speculation here-'s death and still feel compeled to tune in next season to see where the hell Carol is going??

I guess I just feel I was ready to let someone go in April, rather than in October.

Let me know what you thought in the comments section!!!

Thanks for reading!! 

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaack (sorta)

It has been quite a while since I have updated the blog.

3 years is a lot of time.

Shows have come and gone. Awards have been given and stowed away, likely gathering dust.
Many things have changed in 3 years.

At any rate, I just wanted to make an appearance and, eventually, I will be updating with actual content....not this kind of stuff.

With that, I bid you farewell for now.
Be back soon!

April

1st Annual Emmy Hangover Edition

Welcome to my 1^st Annual Emmy Hangover Edition!

Ok, I have to warn you. This will turn into an overall bitchfest. I was happy with some, indifferent with others, and seriously upset in the remainder. Here, I will explain my reasoning.

Since most of the TV I enjoy is in the Drama category, we shall start there.

What began as a promising evening for Breaking Bad with Aaron Paul taking the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama, the series would not take any other awards home. Out of six nominations for Primetime Emmys, it would only rake in the one win. One episode, “Face-Off”, managed to walk away with five nominations in the Creative Arts Emmys, yet took not one award away from it.

I find this all ASTOUNDING. I cannot wrap my head around it. Granted, I am a little prejudice. I adore this show. It is nothing short of breathtaking in every way imaginable. The acting, writing, cinematography, dialogue, tension..all set the bar extremely high for the rest of cable television.

While I congratulate Aaron Paul, I really think Giancarlo Esposito should have taken the award home. His portrayal of Gus Fring was phenomenal. Esposito is a master in his craft and made the character one that struck fear in people while also making them admire and adore him. We only got to enjoy him for a short time but Gus will forever be one of the most talked about death scenes in TV history. Esposito displayed the essence of his character in that scene. Aside from the outstanding makeup, Esposito owned that segment.

He is the problem, in my humble I-have-no-professional-reasons opinion. The nominations are based on specific episodes submitted to the committee. The one submitted for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama by Esposito was “Hermanos”; Paul’s episode was “End Times”. Knowing these two specific episodes, I can see clearly why Paul took the trophy. I am going to assume you know these episodes as well but for fun, Paul’s episode is the one where he confronts Walt for poisoning Brock at gunpoint then decides it was Gus.

Esposito’s episode was the flashback to Gus’ previous interactions with Don Eladio and showed the murder of Max. While this episode was Gus-centric and was a fantastic presentation of this characters background, I don’t think it was his best episode as an actor. This particular episode was midway through the season, where “End Times” came directly before the epic finale. The tension, while ever present on this show, was not as thick at this point. Frankly, “Salud” is the episode that I would have submitted for Esposito. It’s a mere two episodes after “Hermanos” yet it carries an entirely different tone. (This is the episode where Gus, Jesse, and Mike go to Don Eladio’s and manage to wipe out the Mexican Cartel.) Esposito was magnificent.

Moving on…..

Homeland was the big winner in the Drama categories. I can’t lie to you guys and tell you I watched it. I have not watched it. Actually, I never watched Homeland or Downton Abbey. I don’t know why really other than the fact that I was busy watching the other five nominated shows. This means I cannot honestly say Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, or Boardwalk Empire should have won, though I would have preferred any one of them, particularly Breaking Bad.

With that being said, the competition was really fierce this year in the Drama category. With the spectacular dramas that have been airing in recent years, it is hard to cheer for just one show. I was torn the minute I saw the nominees listed.

 I’ll be honest here. I don’t really watch much that isn’t drama related. I hate reality TV (don’t our lives suck enough without having to watch other people purposely make theirs suck too??), I don’t watch much in the way of sitcoms (there are a couple), and the Variety category is sketchy for me (only because I don’t catch them on a regular basis unless I’m really interested in a guest or something). The Mini-series category is something I must address.

Most of the nominations in the Mini-series category are unknown to me. I have heard of them but didn’t watch most. The only two that fit this area that I actually saw were Sherlock and American Horror Story. Again, this means I can’t say Game Change sucks or any of that kind of stuff.

Jessica Lange took home the Supporting Actress award for her performance in AHS as Constance. She was every bit of excellent in her role. The series itself was nominated for a whopping 17 Emmys total (12 nominations in the Creative Arts) and only took away two. The other award was Hairstyling.

What I think happened here seems to be a popular thought among others. Horror related themes are regularly avoided by the Emmys, even in the Creative Arts area, out of a general misgiving about the horror genre. The general feeling I get from this is “we don’t want it to win and get a bunch of uptight people upset so we will just nominate the hell out of it and vote for something else as the winner”.  People are still uptight about certain words and pictures so horror is going to get the blame for anything weird. Also, AHS had a school shooting scene and we all know how people get about that kind of thing.

The Comedy category is now going to be called the Modern Family awards. The entire cast was up against themselves for the acting awards. I have not seen it. Sorry guys, I am sure it is totally hilarious. I tend not to pay attention to sitcoms until they are in syndication. Judge me if you want. I will watch the reruns when there is nothing else on or I’m in between shows. It’s background fun. What can I say?

I digress. My point is when everyone on one show is nominated for the same awards, is there anything else on worth watching in the Emmy voters eyes? Six out of twelve of the nominated Best Supporting Actors and Actresses were from Modern Family. Let me put that another way; they had enough nominations to make their own category. It seems as though they are the jocks of this high school. They win all the awards without giving any shots to the nerdy kids. Sure “it’s an honor just to be nominated” but let’s be real. As well deserved as the award may be, it seems a little bit on the unfair side.

I don’t have anything to say about the rest of the awards themselves but I would like to say the best skit of the night was the Breaking Bad homage to The Andy Griffith Show. If you didn’t catch it, you really should.

Until next year!!

*Movie Review* Beginners –Tough subjects treated with beauty & elegance

So you are wondering what this sci-fi loving, zombie fascinated nerd chic is doing watching a romantic, comedy-drama. I know. Not normally something that I would sit down and watch.

I can honestly say, I am not one that likes stereotypical things. This is not a stereotypical film. It's too artistic for that.

Starring Ewan McGregor (without his super sexy Scottish accent..*sigh*) as Oliver, the film shows a deeply saddened man in his late thirties trying to deal with the loss of his father Hal, played by Christopher Plummer. So that’s what you think at first.

Basically, the film is mainly set in 2003. It introduces us to a son who has very recently lost his father to cancer. Then, through a series of stills and Oliver’s narration, we find out Hal was gay.

It is very difficult to put this review down in writing as it is hard to describe the artistry put into this picture. It’s not like there is a coming out scene per se. It’s more along the line of viewing the world through Oliver’s memories of these pivotal moments. Please bear with me while I try to sum this up enough for you to watch it.

As a child, nothing is as it seems. The marriage his parents had was one of friendship and love but not a loving and happy one. Georgia knew Hal was gay and proposed to him anyway in 1955. I think she hoped things would change. Of course, she was Jewish and didn’t even know it until she was 13. Her father, Oliver’s grandfather, tried to hide the fact they were Jewish and it was something in which they were ashamed. She dropped being Jewish and he dropped being homosexual. They got married and had Oliver.

Oliver sees his parents’ relationship differently. The loving goodbye kisses he saw Hal give Georgia when he would leave for work were once perceived as marital bliss. After Hal came out to his son, Oliver looks back to these kisses with a new perspective.

Oliver is down in the dumps after Hal’s death. His friends drag him to a party and here he meets a girl, Anna (Melanie Laurent). He then is able to draw parallels with what he learned about love from his parents and how he treats romantic relationships.

Since this film goes back and forth from Oliver’s youth and adulthood, it is easy to see “why” he acts the way he does. The only time he ever saw his father truly “in love” was after Hal found a boyfriend (Andy, played by the wonderful Goran Visjnic) through the use of a somewhat awkward personal ad.

To make his even more melancholy, Oliver is a commercial artist that has been assigned in coming up with an album cover for a band called The Sads. Talk about having a bummer kind of year.

Between the art, the fine acting, the compelling web of mistruths between a family, the camera singling out the lonely character in a frame and the dialogue…well there is nothing bad about this movie. It is not a happy go lucky piece but it is comedic in parts. Of course, it’s somewhat dry humor told in a very somber atmosphere.

Ok so I am probably writing the lamest possible review in history regarding this marvelous film. All I can really put into words is how beautifully done this is and art is not lost in film.

Just go watch it already. It’s not even 2 hours long. If you don’t like it, I would love to hear about it.

ABC Fall Update & Aw man, they cancelled The Killing

They finally went and did it. ABC released their fall premiere dates yesterday.
I only mentioned 2 shows worth checking out on my previous ABC post but that means two things. One, I need to update you on the dates these shows premiere. Two, I forgot to mention a show that looks promising called Last Resort.
So here I will give you those dates and some info on the upcoming Last Resort.

666 Park Avenue - Sundays, 9pm CST
Premieres September 30th

Once Upon A Time - Sundays, 7pm CST
Premieres September 30th

(For heaven's sake, Sunday night DVR'ing should be some kind of Championship sport...)

Last Resort - Thursdays, 7pm CST
Premieres September 27th

If you have seen the ads on TV, you may have an idea about the show's premise. Basically, a crew from the US Navy decides not to follow orders to launch nuclear missiles against Pakistan. This officially makes the ballistic missile submarine crew enemies of their own country.
With this being an election year, it may serve as a commentary on the way the country works. Could be very interesting.
For you Falling Skies & Once Upon A Time fans, our fair Jessy Schram (Karen, Cinderella) is also going to be in this show that is currently filming in Hawaii.

Now for the sad news...
AMC has officially decided to cancel The Killing. For anyone who has read my blog, you know I am a huge fan of this show. Oddly, the news of the cancellation comes the day after Michelle Forbes (Mitch) won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in their television awards.
I am sad but have hope. Fox Studios issued a statement that they will "proceed to try and find another home" for the series.
In the meantime, I will continue to be an avid supporter of this series as it contained some of the best writing and acting on television.

Breaking Bad - Thoughts from last week (premiere)

Last week was the epic return of the beloved Breaking Bad. I am thrilled it is finally back. As we get ready for episode two, it’s time to review where we stand.

Intro (or Did I miss something?!) – 

We see Walt celebrating his 52^nd birthday at a Denny’s. He has hair, a New Hampshire D.L. and some need to get hardcore firearms.

My first thought was, WTF? How is he STILL alive? Ok, second thought since the first one was, DUDE! HAIR!

So the cancer hasn’t killed him yet. That’s good news. He has spare Benjamins (tip to the waitress), also good news. It doesn’t look like he has been busted by the “man” yet. Again, more good news. That is, if you are a fan of Walter White’s crazy ass.

This intro seems to be one of those that Vince Gilligan likes to use to tease us. Floating eyeball ring a bell? This is a tactic in which Mr. Gilligan excels. He also always comes through with an answer to these teases as well.

Main plot (or MAGNETS BITCH!) –

So they got Gus. Mike is none too pleased about his boss’ death but has the brains to know that if he doesn’t help, he will go down with the rest of them.

Glad to see Jesse as the one to get some credit for coming up with a pretty damn good idea. The actual act of using the magnet turned into yet another close one for our favorite criminals.

Now our guys think they are good because Walt says so. Hate to tell ya Walter but you got another thing coming.

Based on the little address in Gus’ picture, Walt is going to have more trouble.

Hank & the DEA - 

I’m pleased that Hank is up and doing what he does best again. I was a little unhappy that he didn’t get much time last week but I am sure that will be changing.

They don’t know how close they really are to the maker of the blue.

Walt & Skyler - 

He forgives her? As much as she has done, I’m not 100% sure what he is forgiving. The money? Sleeping with Ted? Going behind Walt’s back to Saul for help with Ted? All of this?

She is freaked. Who knows how she is going to react as the season goes on. Skyler is not a stupid woman but now she is in a very awkward position. She has assisted Walt in all of this. She has as much to lose as he does. The difference between them is he is no longer afraid of anything, she is afraid of him.

All that being said, I can’t wait for tonight’s episode. I would really like to see more of Hank & Marie. Hank had so much figured out and now is starting to get confirmation he was correct about Gus. When the meth starts to show up again, he will know that Gus wasn’t the only man in this game. Marie is just plain funny. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Marie and Hank (and let’s face it, Saul), sometimes this show would be too heavy.