Saturday, November 15, 2014

The Fallen Canary

It's been an interesting few weeks with so many show returning and others getting into their stride, so here's a rundown of some of them.


Arrow: Season 3 kicked off to an impressive start with the death of Sara. I hate that the character died but the mystery of her death should provide good material for the chunk of the new season and the fact that it's helping to steer Laurel in a certain direction can go either as well. Meanwhile the 'will they/won't they?' with Oliver and Felicity is being handled well enough but the jury is definitely still out on Brandon Routh's Ray Palmer just yet. I want to like him but I don't, not for now.


Downton Abbey: This series has certainly not been the best one (though a slight improvement on the previous one). I have to admit that Isis's death was more interesting than the dawdling with Edith and Marigold and the double tedium of the Mary's love life and 'who killed Green?' saga, both of which seem be dragged out too long at this rate. Rose's wedding to Atticus, while lovely did seem a tad rushed and the less of Denker, the better for me. On the plus side, every scene with Violet and Isobel is golden and I thought I spotted some potential with Thomas and aspiring footman, Andy as well. One can hope the latter somehow makes it to Downton as an employee because after this series plot, Thomas is in desperate need of something that resembles a good time.


Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD: This season has been enjoyable and adding Lance's ex-wife into the mix has certainly helped to even out the male/female ratio on the show, which is definitely not a bad thing. The scenes between the reunited Fitz and Simmons have definitely been a highlight as well as the introduction of Ward's brother, Christian and the ongoing saga with Coulson and May as well. It's amazing what a year can do for a show creatively but unless the ratings for this series pick up and fast, I have a horrible feeling that ABC will wield the axe on it.


Once Upon A Time: I was sceptical about the inclusion of Frozen franchise but merging it with The Snow Queen and taking some creative liberties has done wonders for the show. I'm not gonna pretend that everything has worked - Hook's brief deal with Gold was trite, Snow's been reduced to being an idiot and I'm caring less and less about Regina/Robin but the friendship between Emma and Elsa, the darker side of the former's powers and everything concerning Ingrid has been gripping to watch. I'm actually going to miss Elsa when she leaves and a part of me really wants Ingrid to get some kind of redemption arc as well.


Scandal: I really hope that SkyLiving aren't going to waste time and will air Season 4 (as it's kind of weird watching a previous season while current seasons of Grey's Anatomy and How To Get Away With Murder are airing on SkyLiving/Universal respectively). The last few episodes have been brilliant though - both Maya and Rowan are the parents from hell, Jake has gotten a lot more darker, Mellie had an affair of her own (more power to her) and Cyrus's relationship with James got the flashback treatment upon the latter's violent death. Olivia flipping back and forth between her job and unhealthy relationships with Jake, Fitz and Rowan though has been a little frustrating and it's hard to get a hold on Quinn's loyalties or what Huck will do next but other than that, I can't wait to see how the last two episodes will cap off this season.


The Flash: I've only caught the first two episodes of this season so far but damn it, I love it. I think even as much as I currently enjoy Gotham. It's arguably lighter than Arrow and there's definitely elements of Smallville to it but as a show, it's bloody fun to watch with Grant Gustin perfect as Barry Allen. The supporting characters are decent enough (though Iris is potentially in danger of being an early series Laurel) but it's really Harrison Wells who is standing out the most so far. Overall though, it's no wonder this series is doing wonders for the CW at the moment.


The Vampire Diaries: With the fifth season ending on that ending, the opening episodes of the sixth season haven't been that exciting. Maybe it's just that truth be told, I just don't give a shit about Damon and his boringly toxic relationship with Elena. In fact, I feel sorry for Bonnie being lumbered with him in that place they are while half the cast can't enter Mystic Falls while the rest of them brood and feel sorry for themselves. Even Stefan has been somewhat tedious in these episodes with his distancing of Caroline. Hopefully things kick into gear soon because this isn't a great start to the new season.


- Matthew Goode will be appearing the Christmas special of Downton Abbey as a potential suitor for Mary. The show has been renewed for a sixth season.
- Karen Gillan's comedy series Selfie has been cancelled by ABC and it's remaining episodes pulled from the schedules.
- Tommy Flanagan will be playing a villain named Malcolm Black in the second half of Revenge's fourth season.
- Alex Kingston will appear in the Christmas episode of Arrow.
- The Scarecrow will be coming to Gotham in the second half of the first season.
-  Victoria Smurfit will be playing Cruella DeVille in the second half of Once Upon A Time's fourth season.
- The TV version of Scream will not feature Ghostface but a similar looking killer. Think with a flesh type of mask.
- Marcia Gay Hayden will be appearing in the second half of How To Get Away With Murder's first season.
- Witches Of East End has been cancelled after two seasons.
- Homeland has been renewed for a fifth season.

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