TV Wrap Up

This is where I wrap up and review all the TV I've been watching this month.

The Magicians Season One, Episodes 5-9

This show continues to stun and engage me!  I'm even considering picking up the books again... we'll see, though.  It's gotten much darker- extremely darker (I'm looking at you episode nine- you're just messed up!)- but it's managed to pull off this darker tone quite a bit.  While Quentin's storyline is the most engaging, I'm rather curious to see where Julia's story goes, since I have absolutely no idea at this point.  It has started to falter in the last two episodes, so I hope they start to do more with her again.  And, officially, I have a favorite character: Eliot!  He just comes off the screen and is so lively!  If you watch the show, I'm curious to know who your favorite is, so please comment below!

The Flash Season Two, Episodes 11-13

I just finished the first part of the Earth-2 storyline and I adore it so much!  I mean, yeah, more than that has happened in the few episodes I saw this month, but that storyline is just so great!  And the wardrobe?  I love it!  I think that may actually be my favorite thing about that world.  Wow was that episode awkward though, haha :)  If you watch you know what I'm talking about- the good kind of awkward.

Arrow Season Four, Episodes 11-13

Can I just say Felicity is my role model?  I mean, she's freaking awesome, even confined to a wheel chair.  Which, by the way, there need to be a bunch more wheel-chair bound bad ass characters, because I've noticed a lack in media (shall we get on that Hollywood?).  This whole business with Malcolm and his hand had me on the edge of my seat, which was wonderful.  I loved being swept up completely by this show again.

Legends of Tomorrow Season One, Episodes 2-4

This show has gotten much better, I must say.  And the MVP of the team is Martin Stein, who has to be my absolute favorite and an absolute surprise!  Also shining in the show (to no one's surprise, I'm sure) are Captain Cold and Sara, who's amazing.

Shadowhunters Season One, Episodes 8-10

The parallel universe episode has to be my favorite so far.  It was so cool and I'm so glad they've gone in this direction.  I know the show still has many flaws, but, you know what, I'm really glad it's on the air and that it's getting a season two, because seeing these characters come to life has been such a joy.  My biggest problem right now is Lydia and Alec because MALEC people MALEC!  Let's see how this pans out, though.  I enjoy Lydia outside of the part where she's killing MALEC, but whatever.

The Shannara Chronicles Season One, Episodes 3-6

I'm still really enjoying this show, and, while it drags occasionally, still seems to play like a movie.  It keeps me entertained and always guessing what will happen next.  I have no idea where the show is going but I'm expecting to enjoy it!  Again, I only have one problem, and that's the strange love triangle they're working so hard to push.  I get it, everyone's into everyone, but can we please skip over all of it (since it's underdeveloped) and just move on with the exciting bits?

Daredevil Season Two, Episodes 1-4

I'm going to do a full review of the show at some point, but since I wasn't able to binge it this year (I had more pressing things going on the day it dropped, aka C2E2) I'm only able to catch an episode or two a week.  I love what I've seen so far, especially the Punisher, who is the centerpiece of the show this season.  He's fantastic and it's one of those roles that just draws my attention every time he's onscreen.  I really hope Netflix gives him his own show, sooner rather than later, because it would be phenomenal!

Graphic Novel Review: Daredevil- Born Again

Author| Frank Miller  Artist| David Mazzucchelli  Rating| 4.5 Stars

Edition| Kindle eBook

Buy Links| Amazon*/Barnes and Noble/Book Depository

For those of you who have been around the blog any time in the past year have probably noticed that I absolutely adore Daredevil.  I've reviewed quite a few Daredevil graphic novels this year, and while some of them aren't that great, others are fantastic.  This aligns with the latter and is probably the second best that I've read.

Graphic Novel Review: Daredevil Yellow

Author| Jeph Loeb  Artist| Tim Sale  Edition| Kindle eBook  Rating| 3 Stars

Buy Links| Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Book Depository*

This serves as an origin story for the title character.  I've been reading Daredevil stories for about two years (maybe more) now and can safely say he was one of the first real characters that really interested me in comics.  Unfortunately, this was one of my least favorite Daredevil books.

Graphic Novel Review: Daredevil Ultimate Collection (Vol. 1)

Authors| Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev
Edition| Kindle eBook
Publisher| Marvel
Genre| Superhero Comic
Rating| 4 Stars

Yes, I am still a little hungover from the Daredevil TV series, thanks for asking.  It has abated some, but every once in a while I just have to re-watch parts of it and dream of the next season, which is still much to far away.  This is the first Daredevil graphic novel I've read in a while, so it was a treat.

My biggest issue was the first story arc.  It was four or five issues (read: chapters) and seemed really out of place.  It wouldn't have been as bad if it was advertised a little clearer that it was there.  It takes place from Ben's point of view, and the art is very confusing.  In fact, I really hated the art.  Each issue got very little done expect Ben's inner monologue, and that grew very tiring, to say the least.  Were I just reviewing this short arc, I would give it merely one star.  Luckily, I'm not.

The rest of the story was pretty good, and I think it may even be a direction the show starts to head next season, or in a few seasons.  I'd love to give a summary, but it would be rather spoilery, so I'll refrain.  I'm sure there's a description floating somewhere around the internet.

My favorite part of the whole collection was how naturally the story built on itself.  One problem occurred, and while working on resolving that story, another, related one, would pop up.  They slowly culminated until I can determine there are at least three very distinct and interesting things happening at once.  I do wish there had been some closure, but I'm sure there is in the next two volumes, which I'm eager to get to.

There were also several fun cameo's that I couldn't get enough of.  Both Spider-Man and Black Widow make appearances that I wasn't really expecting, and it was really interesting to see that interaction within the superhero community.

If you're just coming off of watching the Netflix show, then I recommend this collection for sure.  You won't be too lost, though there is a gap, and you'll have a lot of fun trying to predict when, and if, the show will get to this point.

A+ TV Review: Daredevil (Season 1)

Watch| Netflix Streaming
Starring| Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock/Daredevil); Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page); Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson); Vincent D'Onofrio (Wilson Fisk); Toby Leonard Moore (James Wesley); Vondie Curtis-Hall (Ben Urich); Ayelet Zurer (Vanessa Marianna); Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple)
Rating| A+

This was my most anticipated show of the year.  I love Charlie Cox (from his role in Stardust) and I love Daredevil (from the few graphic novels I've read him in, particularly Marvel 1602) and I love Marvel, so nothing could go wrong.

And nothing did go wrong.  This, ladies and gentleman, is how you make a television series.  Being able to binge watch it didn't hurt, either.  I can't say anything bad about this show.  I think it hit all the marks it promised to, and I loved everything about those targets.  However, it is VIOLENT.  Graphically violent.  It's not a family show like Agent Carter or SHIELD or even the rest of the Marvel movies right now.  It's dark, and scary, and breathtaking, and bloody.  You've been warned.

Personally, I like a lot of violence in shows and movies.  I don't like it on network TV where any small child could view it, but the more heads rolling the better.  I don't like needless violence like in slasher pics, because it's just happening for the gross out.  Daredevil hit it in the middle.  There were some parts where you could see the blood or the guts or the exposed rib cage on a decaying corpse, but the violence wasn't just made up of moments like that.  It required reading between the lines and listening for bones cracking and people screaming.  And I enjoyed the rawness behind the fighting choreography.  The idea that Matt is just a street level hero was completely sound and well kept.  He takes as many punches as he gives and it's a nice change of pace.

The villains were a high light.  D'Onofrio shines like a star in this show.  His villain has made it into my all time favorites.  A good villain makes for a great hero and an even greater story.  And he's not the only good villain.  His "grunts" and "underlings" are just as good.  I felt threatened by them all like they were real people.  And they were each given a past and thoroughly three-dimensional.  Not just the villains, though, but all the characters.  Besides Matt (who was AWESOME in every sense of the word), Foggy, Karen, and Ben, were individuals with their own goals.  Not just good; but human.  One of my favorite things about the show is that everyone is humanized.  Even the bad guys were just people and not something more (perhaps we should talk about Madame Gao somewhere else...), which was a major theme of the show.

I loved the fact that this show didn't play around with love to much.  There were moments of tenderness between certain characters, but it wasn't a major story line.  And in a situation such as was happening on this series, it would make sense that romance takes a back seat.  It kept the show real and the characters interesting.  Another thing that I loved was that there were no plot holes.  There are moments left open (for later seasons) but they have little bearing on the plot.  Even when there were questions, or things that didn't make sense, they happened for a reason.  Everything came full circle in some really cool and unexpected ways.

The only disappointment... no Easter egg for Age of Ultron or Jessica Jones.  AoU comes out in less than a month so I suppose if I have to I can wait ;)

Basically, this show is worth getting Netflix for if you don't have it already.