TV roundup with a lot of OUaT
Dec. 8th, 2015 09:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedi_of_urthFlash 2x08
I thought about waiting and watch the two parts of the crossover back-to-back tomorrow night, but I didn’t feel like waiting. I’m definitely enjoying this crossover, everyone seems to have brought they’re A-game and there’s a lot of balls in the air during this story. At times the plot back at STAR Labs felt a little padded, but it was in service of bigger things, like finally dealing with Patti maybe finding some things out; and I don’t believe for a second this is the last we’ll hear of the speed drug; although Jay’s presence in this story felt a little forced even though the logic made total sense. Now I’m feeling more inclined to my kind-of-suspicion for a while that the grave in the premier will belong to baby-mama or the Oliver-progeny, as I’ve always had a hard time believing it would be one of the series regulars; and I really do want to see where this goes from here because they certainly played it like Oliver had put the pieces together. It’s an interesting choice to set the Flash episode in Star City while apparently the Arrow ep in Central City. Lingering questions, is Nyssa on the League squad that showed up here? Is Sara going to be in the second part? Or Ray? Why does Oliver have to continue tempting the TV gods by being so fulfilled in his relationship? Why do I spend most of my time talking about Arrow characters in a reaction to a Flash episode?
Arrow 4x08
I’m mot sure that one was quite as good as part one, but it was a hell of a lot more focused. Unfortunately I don’t care for a lot of the conclusions that it came to. Worst decision still has to go to Malcolm for the stinger, although he also is a contender for biggest hypocrite with threatening Oliver if something happens to Thea, after last season he so does not get to play that card. While I’m sure Oliver’s decision is going to blow up in his face, I don’t want to call it a straight up bad decision, because I can understand why he made it; I don’t like watching knowing it’s going to go horribly bad, but I understand it. And I have to agree with Cisco, Kendra and Carter don’t seem to like each other very much, even in the flashbacks they didn’t have any chemistry and I’d really rather not see them forced together in LoT; I wasn’t exactly shipping Cisco/Kendra (although this episode did more to make me want to than other eps) but if TPTB want us to like the Hawks together they should have something more to hold on to. I’d have to go back and rewatch it, but I feel like Barry should have picked up on the lying being what Felicity was pissed about in the first loop if he picked up on the kid part of the fight, she was pretty clear on that point; so I think it’s a bit contrived that Barry couldn’t give better advice. In fact Barry gave Oliver the advice I wanted Felicity to be able to give (“As someone who grew up without a dad” etc.). I am a bit curious how this plays as a two-parter watched together, because the two parts have really different tones and focuses. Also much like last season’s crossover at this point, the Flash half was at least as focused on the Arrow characters as the ones from that show, while the Arrow half was mostly focused on its own characters (barring the Hawks). Anyway, still good, but didn’t sit as well with me as part 1, but both were good episodes.
Agents of SHIELD 3x09
This episode had a really weird vibe to it. The character deaths were just to abrupt, the team talking about Ward too meta, a lot of things too forced or forced too quickly, and the ending was pretty much ridiculous. Add to that that more than ten years after TXF ruined episodes called ‘Closure’ I still have a visceral reaction to the idea. At points during the episode I got the feeling it was building to something big ad that was why the start felt so rushed, but it’s a two-parter so it seems to me they should have taken more time with the build-up. All that said, Mack turns out to be a pretty good leader but I don’t think he feels he’s ready for it long-term. I just don’t have a ton to say on this one I guess, it was mostly pretty meh.
OUaT 5x07
That was a pretty decent episode. A couple of good twists I didn’t necessarily see coming, a couple of well done if expected tweaks to mythology, maybe a long way to go for only a little forward plot motion but okay. Only thing that really stood out to me was how little I continue to buy Emma/Hook; they’re chemistry is all ‘I want to bone you’ and not at all ‘I love you’ no matter how many times they try and make me by it. But all told, solid and decent episode.
OUaT 5x08
Kind of messed up that I just commented on how much I do now buy Emma/Hook and then there’s an episode that really expects me to believe it, and I laugh during sad scenes (okay, I’m easily emotionally manipulated, so I laughing, but also kind of thinking about crying but not actually feeling it). I knew as soon as Emma said she was doing it for Hook that he was some kind of zombie whose death was somehow caught up in this. Not that that’s been at all the way it was portrayed until now in the season, but that’s another rant. Looks like this and the next one originally aired the same night, so I might as well watch the rest and see if it improves any (maybe it will kill Hook, that would make me happy).
OUaT 5x09
So...why were these shown as a two-parter? It wasn’t a horrible episode, it was mostly okay even, but my two serious questions are why to show it with the last one and how the hell do the timelines make any kind of sense? It’s been a pretty long time since I watched any old episodes of this show, but I can not make sense out of Mulan’s path through the series. Also, why were there two years between Fergus’ death and Merida becoming queen? How did Red get from the Enchanted Forest to the Camelot realm? Also, did they intend that I would think the helm was in the hands of clam McGuffin? Considering Merida is in Storybrook does any of this really matter to the story? Okay, so I guess it raised a few more questions than I said at first, but really, why make it a two-parter?
OUaT 5x10
Well, if these reviews were longer and more thinky I actually have a few thoughts brought on from this one. But first, I did not like the episode, everybody pretty much sucked in it and the plot is so full of holes you could drive whole realms through them. Also, apparently this show has a mythology that includes the Greek Underworld and the Holy Grail now, I guess it did before, but it jumps out at me now.
But for once let’s do some deeper thoughts, since so much of Emma’s character seems to be under scrutiny here it shouldn’t surprise you it’s about her. For one, Hook may be an asshole whose death I’m rooting for now more than ever, but he’s not wrong much here. Emma’s choice to save him was the wrong choice and basically killed the man she professed to love (even if I fail to believe he was really redeemed before this happened). It was a selfish move and one that fully deserves to have consequences. However, I have to take issue with the people crucifying her for taking this on herself instead of asking for help, because they have spent years telling her she is the Savior and so guess what, she thinks she can save people with her own power. Again, saving Hook was the wrong choice; figuring out how to deal with that situation without the rest of the yokels, probably wrong but understandable to me.
Also, was Rumple sliced with Excalibur or not? I thought so, but maybe it was just the hook? Because if it was Excalibur we’re just going to end up back where we started.
OUaT 5x11
I hadn’t really intended to catch all the way up on this show, but I guess I have. And to say upfront, barring the last 5-10 minutes this episode was perfectly fine, not exactly great or high quality drama, but fine; then everything past Hook’s death was pretty bad. I don’t even feel like getting into all the way it was bad, or all the ways I expect this show to completely mishandle the arc the have set up (so far I’m not convinced they actually know the difference between the Greek Underworld and the Christian Hell, though thy kind of paid lip service to it). As little priority as I put on this show in the first half, probably even less in the second, and leave it at that for now.
I thought about waiting and watch the two parts of the crossover back-to-back tomorrow night, but I didn’t feel like waiting. I’m definitely enjoying this crossover, everyone seems to have brought they’re A-game and there’s a lot of balls in the air during this story. At times the plot back at STAR Labs felt a little padded, but it was in service of bigger things, like finally dealing with Patti maybe finding some things out; and I don’t believe for a second this is the last we’ll hear of the speed drug; although Jay’s presence in this story felt a little forced even though the logic made total sense. Now I’m feeling more inclined to my kind-of-suspicion for a while that the grave in the premier will belong to baby-mama or the Oliver-progeny, as I’ve always had a hard time believing it would be one of the series regulars; and I really do want to see where this goes from here because they certainly played it like Oliver had put the pieces together. It’s an interesting choice to set the Flash episode in Star City while apparently the Arrow ep in Central City. Lingering questions, is Nyssa on the League squad that showed up here? Is Sara going to be in the second part? Or Ray? Why does Oliver have to continue tempting the TV gods by being so fulfilled in his relationship? Why do I spend most of my time talking about Arrow characters in a reaction to a Flash episode?
Arrow 4x08
I’m mot sure that one was quite as good as part one, but it was a hell of a lot more focused. Unfortunately I don’t care for a lot of the conclusions that it came to. Worst decision still has to go to Malcolm for the stinger, although he also is a contender for biggest hypocrite with threatening Oliver if something happens to Thea, after last season he so does not get to play that card. While I’m sure Oliver’s decision is going to blow up in his face, I don’t want to call it a straight up bad decision, because I can understand why he made it; I don’t like watching knowing it’s going to go horribly bad, but I understand it. And I have to agree with Cisco, Kendra and Carter don’t seem to like each other very much, even in the flashbacks they didn’t have any chemistry and I’d really rather not see them forced together in LoT; I wasn’t exactly shipping Cisco/Kendra (although this episode did more to make me want to than other eps) but if TPTB want us to like the Hawks together they should have something more to hold on to. I’d have to go back and rewatch it, but I feel like Barry should have picked up on the lying being what Felicity was pissed about in the first loop if he picked up on the kid part of the fight, she was pretty clear on that point; so I think it’s a bit contrived that Barry couldn’t give better advice. In fact Barry gave Oliver the advice I wanted Felicity to be able to give (“As someone who grew up without a dad” etc.). I am a bit curious how this plays as a two-parter watched together, because the two parts have really different tones and focuses. Also much like last season’s crossover at this point, the Flash half was at least as focused on the Arrow characters as the ones from that show, while the Arrow half was mostly focused on its own characters (barring the Hawks). Anyway, still good, but didn’t sit as well with me as part 1, but both were good episodes.
Agents of SHIELD 3x09
This episode had a really weird vibe to it. The character deaths were just to abrupt, the team talking about Ward too meta, a lot of things too forced or forced too quickly, and the ending was pretty much ridiculous. Add to that that more than ten years after TXF ruined episodes called ‘Closure’ I still have a visceral reaction to the idea. At points during the episode I got the feeling it was building to something big ad that was why the start felt so rushed, but it’s a two-parter so it seems to me they should have taken more time with the build-up. All that said, Mack turns out to be a pretty good leader but I don’t think he feels he’s ready for it long-term. I just don’t have a ton to say on this one I guess, it was mostly pretty meh.
OUaT 5x07
That was a pretty decent episode. A couple of good twists I didn’t necessarily see coming, a couple of well done if expected tweaks to mythology, maybe a long way to go for only a little forward plot motion but okay. Only thing that really stood out to me was how little I continue to buy Emma/Hook; they’re chemistry is all ‘I want to bone you’ and not at all ‘I love you’ no matter how many times they try and make me by it. But all told, solid and decent episode.
OUaT 5x08
Kind of messed up that I just commented on how much I do now buy Emma/Hook and then there’s an episode that really expects me to believe it, and I laugh during sad scenes (okay, I’m easily emotionally manipulated, so I laughing, but also kind of thinking about crying but not actually feeling it). I knew as soon as Emma said she was doing it for Hook that he was some kind of zombie whose death was somehow caught up in this. Not that that’s been at all the way it was portrayed until now in the season, but that’s another rant. Looks like this and the next one originally aired the same night, so I might as well watch the rest and see if it improves any (maybe it will kill Hook, that would make me happy).
OUaT 5x09
So...why were these shown as a two-parter? It wasn’t a horrible episode, it was mostly okay even, but my two serious questions are why to show it with the last one and how the hell do the timelines make any kind of sense? It’s been a pretty long time since I watched any old episodes of this show, but I can not make sense out of Mulan’s path through the series. Also, why were there two years between Fergus’ death and Merida becoming queen? How did Red get from the Enchanted Forest to the Camelot realm? Also, did they intend that I would think the helm was in the hands of clam McGuffin? Considering Merida is in Storybrook does any of this really matter to the story? Okay, so I guess it raised a few more questions than I said at first, but really, why make it a two-parter?
OUaT 5x10
Well, if these reviews were longer and more thinky I actually have a few thoughts brought on from this one. But first, I did not like the episode, everybody pretty much sucked in it and the plot is so full of holes you could drive whole realms through them. Also, apparently this show has a mythology that includes the Greek Underworld and the Holy Grail now, I guess it did before, but it jumps out at me now.
But for once let’s do some deeper thoughts, since so much of Emma’s character seems to be under scrutiny here it shouldn’t surprise you it’s about her. For one, Hook may be an asshole whose death I’m rooting for now more than ever, but he’s not wrong much here. Emma’s choice to save him was the wrong choice and basically killed the man she professed to love (even if I fail to believe he was really redeemed before this happened). It was a selfish move and one that fully deserves to have consequences. However, I have to take issue with the people crucifying her for taking this on herself instead of asking for help, because they have spent years telling her she is the Savior and so guess what, she thinks she can save people with her own power. Again, saving Hook was the wrong choice; figuring out how to deal with that situation without the rest of the yokels, probably wrong but understandable to me.
Also, was Rumple sliced with Excalibur or not? I thought so, but maybe it was just the hook? Because if it was Excalibur we’re just going to end up back where we started.
OUaT 5x11
I hadn’t really intended to catch all the way up on this show, but I guess I have. And to say upfront, barring the last 5-10 minutes this episode was perfectly fine, not exactly great or high quality drama, but fine; then everything past Hook’s death was pretty bad. I don’t even feel like getting into all the way it was bad, or all the ways I expect this show to completely mishandle the arc the have set up (so far I’m not convinced they actually know the difference between the Greek Underworld and the Christian Hell, though thy kind of paid lip service to it). As little priority as I put on this show in the first half, probably even less in the second, and leave it at that for now.
