Friday, October 31, 2014

'Paper Moon' -- SPN 10x4


Warning: Spoiler Alert

Normally, I would be all over an episode that had to do with werewolves (seeing as how I love them the way that I do), but I felt like Show was just retreading things that it's gone over before over and over and over again ... not that that isn't A Thing with Show (the writers really seem to love sticking to one formula and never moving away from it). And the fact that the mantle of Sibling Emo Band was taken up by a couple of sisters (on top of the boys pounding it into the ground) made that trope that much more tired. Also tired is the fact that the older sib is the one who is messed up, but who still functions, and the younger one is the one who is completely the Ebil (younger sis being the ebil werewolf, and Sammy being the true vessel of Lucifer).

But the fact that Dean seemed to at least be brushing up against the idea that sometimes the two of them should stay dead might mean that this is the final season and that when one of them dies, it will finally be the end. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, since Show has kind of brushed up against that idea before, and it hasn't stopped the writers from continuing to kill one of them and bring them back for more seasons (as well as let us know through Ash that the boys have died and come back more times than we are actually aware of).

This whole episode left me feeling that the writers should have left Dean being a demon, and possibly let him be the Big Bad of the season, instead of curing him, cuz it seems like they are going to possibly rehash that whole thing with Sam being addicted to "demon blood" (which I still assert does not exist, since demons are non-corporeal). I have the feeling that they're going to get at least slightly emo about things, and I'm going to want to stab both of the boys in the eye.

And with us now being a few episodes into the season, it would be nice if we had a clear Big Bad to worry about, instead of it feeling kind of like the season is just going to be drifting slightly (and that the whole thing really should have ended at the end of season five ... which it should have).

'And the Abyss Gazes Back' -- SH 2x06



Warning: Spoiler Alert

Ahh, so that's what Henry wanted the Piped Piper's bone flute for ... blackmailing Joe Corbin into giving him the jar of stuff that would allow him to get his mom pregnant with a demon baby. I was kind of expecting that it would end up being something ... bigger? ... maybe, but as far as the mythos of the show goes, getting a way for Moloch to enter into our world is pretty huge a thing (it's pretty much the thing right now).

I don't know why I would have been kind of surprised to find out that Corbin had a family, but I was. The way that Jenny and Abbie seemed to take up all of his time (in kind of an obsessive sort of way) made me imagine that he didn't have any family, and that the two of them were it. But knowing that there was at least one son and (possibly) a wife/baby mom in the picture puts a new spin on things. Now, we've got to add neglectful dad/husband to the picture (along with manipulator and super secret keeper). And now it makes me wonder just how much of what was going on Joe and his mom knew about ... and if Joe's mom was still with Corbin when he died (or if she got sick of all of the secrets and bailed, cuz I don't get the feeling that Corbin would have shared everything with her, and she may have had the feeling that he had gotten slightly obsessed over something that she may not have thought was real).

I get the feeling that Irving is completely boned and that no matter what anyone does, he is going to be under the thumb of Henry for the rest of his life (and beyond). At this point, I kind of want Irving to just turn and start doing War's bidding, since it doesn't seem like there is going to be any chance for anyone to free him from the contract that he signed; dragging out the possibility of him getting free kind of seems pointless and slightly boring (not to mention that it would be someone that the writers of SPN would do, and they typically turn things like that into a complete yawnfest).

Speaking of SPN, I know that since I watch a lot of shows that have kind of the same themes running around in them, I'm going to see some overlap, but the fact that SPN had a Wendigo episode early in season one, I felt like that kid in "South Park" that kept saying "Simpsons did it" through the whole episode. There have got to be more things that they can branch out into that won't give me flashbacks to episodes of other shows.

'Thanks for the Memories' -- Grimm 4x01


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I'm kind of hoping that Nick not having his Grimm powers will last for a little while, cuz I'm sure that there are some interesting things that they could do with it ... but I don't want it to last as long as they had Juliette's memory loss lasted (that was far too long and out of control). I have the feeling that they would be able to do quite a few things with him trying to figure things out (knowing that there are all of the Wesen out there, but not knowing who is, or what kind); plus, trying to help the kid figure things out as well, without putting her in so much danger that she wouldn't be able to get herself out of it. Sure, she's on her way to being a completely awesome Grimm, but she's a little too ... unstable? ... when it comes to cleaning up messes afterwards, and she seems like she might have a touch of a tendency to panic. But I get the feeling that the longer she stays with Nick and Juliette (and if the two of them continue to try to work on being solid), the kid will end up feeling a bit more secure about life and being a Grimm (cuz she'll have a place that feels like home, and people in her life that feel like family).

Speaking of the kid: she didn't annoy me nearly as much in this episode as she had the tendency to do when she was first introduced (those first few episodes with her, I kind of wanted to punch her). If she continues to mellow out a bit (feeling secure that she has someplace that is home), I think that she may be a good addition to the team ... and I may continue to not want to punch her. Also, good on her for remaining cool when the pressure was really on ... even if she did want to run at one point (but then, I don't think I could blame her for that one).

Yet again, so very close to telling Wu exactly what it is that's really going on with the world. I really want Wu to be a part of the gang, and not just cuz it would probably be better for his peace of mind if he knew the truth of what was going on. It's more that I like that character, and I think that he would be an asset to the team once he knows the truth of what's going on ... not that he's not already an asset without realizing just how much he is at this point.

There wasn't enough of what was going on with Renard in this episode, but I have the feeling that we'll probably find out more about what's going on with him in later episodes. I don't get the vibe that he's in danger of being written off of the show, and not just cuz he's our doorway to the royals. The writers would have to crazy to write off a character that provides so much tension to the plot (in the sort of "what are his motivations"/"what is he really up to" sort of way). I don't see them wanting to get rid of someone who could provide so much delicious writing for them. Of course, the actor may want to move on to something else, but I don't see that being the case right now, either.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

'Soul Survivor' -- SPN 10x03


Warning: Spoiler Alert

Well, that was rather disappointing. It only took the course of one episode for Dean to be "cured" from being a demon. I was hoping that the Dean as Demon storyline would have lasted until the end of the season, since it seems like it would have created a much more dynamic season, and would have forced the writers away from the normal formula that they've had since season one. But now, there will be no more Dean as the possible Big Bad of this season, and I am rather disappointed.

Also, am I the only one who thought that his cure went a little too quickly? It only took the course of one episode ... it seems like it would have taken longer than that (or at least, it seems like it would have been far more interesting if it would have lasted longer, especially since Sam and Cas had no real clue as to whether or not it would actually work on him, even if it lasted around the course of one episode for Crowley to start acting human again). If they had played it out over a couple of episodes, the writers could have at least built up the tension over whether or not it might work, and could have gotten people to actually care a tiny bit about what might happen. Ok, I'm sure that there are some people who still care (since I've seen some reaction videos from the season finale for season nine, when it was reveled that Dean had gone all black eyes), but I'm not in that category any more ... I've been tired of he formula for quite a long time now.

I am very suspicious over the fact that Crowley helped Cas get some more grace. Seeing as how he's the King of Hell again (and the fact that he's still a demon), the fact that he's helping an angel with something is highly suspicious and makes me wonder what exactly it is that he has up his sleeve (which I'm sure is something). I don't get the feeling that he's going to try and get Dean to be his BFF again, since he seems to think that it's over between the two of them (even if he's turned all emo over the fact that he's lost his one true love).

But even if I'm suspicious about him and his motivations, I don't think that he's going to turn into this season's Big Bad ... and now that it's looking like it's not going to be Dean either (even if he does still have the Mark of Cain making him trip balls), I am wondering what the writers are going to do with that. Unless the motivation for the boys this season is going to get the Mark of Cain back to Cain ... which doesn't seem all that amazing as far as motivations for an entire season go (especially when it might (hopefully) be the final season). It seems like there should be something ... bigger than that for the overall baddie for the season, but maybe that's just me.

'The Weeping Lady' -- SH 2x05


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I'm starting to become rather suspicious over the fact that all of these weird occurrences, and ghosts, and Horsemen, and whatever seem to have some sort of origins that lead back to Ichabod (doesn't seem that there are that many in the way of having a connection with Abbie, but we have at least two Horsemen and a ghost that has been haunting Sleepy Hollow for two hundred years that are connected to Captain Skinnyjeans in some way). That is far too many in the way of coincidences ... more than I think should be all that normal even if he is one of the Witnesses.

I won't lie that it was kind of awesome to see Henry get dressed down by Morloch, cuz it's sometimes fun to see the bad guys get kicked in the ribs for trying to overreach ... well, at least when it's a baddie that isn't completely awesome and someone that you would love to win. I have a feeling that Morloch is going to be super pissed when he realizes that Henry has something else going on with the Pied Piper's bone flute (cuz I really don't think that he has any idea of what Henry is doing with that ... something awesomely evil, I'm sure). I have the feeling that all of this overreaching, and desire to get personal revenge on his parents, is going to be the ultimate downfall of War (since he's making their suffering a little too personal and seems to be forgetting the larger plan that he's supposed to be working toward).

The fact that Katrina has been lying to Ichabod about pretty much everything is certainly going to put a damper in their relationship, and I really feel bad for him. It's gotta be a blow to think that you know someone, be completely in love with them, think you can trust them ... and then, find out at pretty much every turn that they've been keeping huge secrets from you the entire time. I'm not sure how he's going to be able to trust her from now on. I don't see him just leaving her to remain in danger by staying with Abraham/Death, cuz he's a stand up guy, but I don't see him ever having the same amount of trust in her that he had before. Maybe this is part of the plan of the writers to bring in the love triangle aspect a little more strongly, since Ichabod and Abbie have a very solid relationship, and neither of them has done anything to make the other doubt any motivations.

Should it make me more suspicious of Hawley now that we know that he's also had (what appears to have been) a sexual relationship with Jenny? The fact that he knows both of them, and he seems to have been working angles on both of them, makes me think that there might be something more going on with this one. I really hope that it turns out that he's the Han Solo of the group (where you aren't completely sure about him in the beginning, but in the end, he turns out to be a valued member of the Scooby Gang).

Thursday, October 16, 2014

'Reichenbach' -- SPN 10x02


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I'm trying to decide if the writers are trying to make us think (through the use of the title) that Dean is dead (and that we may end up getting a psych out later when they realize that they can still make money off of the character. ::cough::SirArthurConanDoyal::cough::), or if we're supposed to think that this new dude is going to be the show's Moriarty ... or something of the like. Or it could be that I'm overthinking the whole thing, and they don't mean either of those things, and if it doesn't, it doesn't seem like the use of Reichenbach would make that much sense (what with the word being associated so much with the supposed death of Sherlock (and the actual death of Moriarty)).

I'm really hoping that they don't bring Metatron back into the show. He wasn't nearly as awesome and awe inspiring as I had hoped that he might be before they introduced him as a character (what with Metatron being one of my more favorite angels). If any of the angels or fallen angels of previous season were going to come back to be an antagonist again, I'd much rather have Lucifer or YED ... not that either of them have much of a chance of coming back onto Show at this point.

But speaking of Metatron, I don't believe him when he was telling Cas that he still has a part of his grace out there somewhere; it seems just too much like something he would say to mess with Cas's head while he still had the chance to do so. And if we do suddenly find out that there is still a part of his grace hanging out somewhere, I won't lie ... I'm going to feel kind of cheated. I know that there are plenty of Cas fangirls out there that would be completely psyched that Cas would be able to survive this season (and possibly into another season, if there is one ... which I really hope there isn't), but from a story standpoint, it feels like a complete cheat to build up that he's dying, and then, randomly give him the Get Out of Death Free card. It feels lazy on the part of the writers if they go that route, like they wrote themselves into a corner and couldn't think of anything that might actually get them out of the predicament they had put themselves into. So, in that way, I do hope that Cas finds out that Metaron was lying to him.

'Go Where I Send Thee ...' -- SH 2x04


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I really liked the idea of the Pied Piper being some sort of crazy ninja and loved them showing him going all Nightcrawler all over the place. But I'll also admit that the use of the Pied Piper made me want season four of "Grimm" to hurry up and come on (and only partly cuz I want to know how Nick is going to get his Grimm powers back (cuz let's be real, we all know that he's going to ... you can't have a show about a Grimm when the main character isn't a Grimm anymore)).

The thing that I really found interesting about this episode wasn't even in the A storyline ... it was the stuff in the B line ... the stuff with Irving. Of course someone who is completely evil is going to try and trick people into serving him, or doing stuff for him, but there has to be some sort of loophole that the gang can use since Irving was tricked into becoming one of War's bros. It may turn out to be something rather tricky, since he signed that contract in blood ... and did do it willingly (even if he really should have read the thing before he signed it). I don't get the impression from the way that the writers have been writing his character that they don't like him (I get rather the complete opposite impression, in fact), or that they want him to turn into one of War's lackies. So, there has to be some kind of loophole that the gang will find later on (and I'm kind of hoping that it's Jenny that finds it, since it's always awesome when she is able to get one up on Captain Skinnyjeans and her sister).

I'm also wondering what is going on with that bone that Henry wanted, what sort of spell he has in mind for it, and if that spell has anything to do with the house that he was born in. I almost get the impression that we might be supposed to think that it has something to do with Abbie and Ichabod directly, but I think that it will end up being used against them in a more roundabout way. The fact that the bone had something to do with the Piper and family (it being what the Piper used to perpetuate his revenge against this one family through the generations), I wonder if Henry isn't doing something with it that has to do with the house that he was born in. He quite obviously has something planned when it comes to that house, and I almost have the feeling that it might be something familial. It still might be that he is using the house as some sort of base of operations to heighten his power (what with the connection that it has to his birth), but with the addition of the bone ... it makes me wonder if he might have plans for Ichabod and Katrina (something more than just that one is a Witness, and they are both working for the forces of Good).

And with the way that the writers are focusing in on War and Death, it makes me think that Conquest/Pestilence and Famine may not show up all that much in Show. It would awesome if they showed up more than those couple of times that they have (and having Conquest/Pestilence in more than just the showrunners showing the four of them riding together). What would be kind of cool (if the writers could pull it off) would be if they kind of dealt with the riders in turn ... once they were able to defeat/push back War or Death, one of the others came forward to pick up some of the evil slack. But granted, War and Death are the two that seem like they would be more interesting from a writing (and viewing) standpoint ... unless they built up the whole Anti-Christ theme that is associated with Conquest. That could turn out to bring some really interesting TV.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

'Black' -- SPN 10x01


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I wonder what really happened to Jared's shoulder ... but not really enough to go looking for a reason why he would have been in a sling (and the writers would have felt the need to add something in there about how a demon messed him up while he was looking for Dean). And how is it that Jared's the one that ends up in the slings and the casts, but not Jensen? I guess Jared needs to not be a giant klutz. ;) But then, it has been six seasons or something since he broke his arm, so maybe he's not such a giant klutz.

Even if I knew that it would mean there would be no show, I kind of wish that Sam would just let Dean go ... hell, that's a good way for there to be no show anymore, and as much as Show has been making me crazy in the head the past few years, maybe that's a good thing. It would be easier to just walk away than to wish that the whole thing would explode, but I've invested far too much time into Show at this point, and it's hard to walk away when you've been in on the long haul like this.

I get the feeling that we're supposed to care and wonder about who this dude is that has kidnapped Sam cuz he's so pissed off at Dean from back in the day. But the problem is that I don't really care about who he is ... and only part of that comes from it not making a whole lot of sense to me that he's going after Dean now. If he's a hunter, why haven't we ever heard about this rift until now (and why is it such a surprise to Sam)? And if he's a demon, why would he be so stupid as to go after Dean now that he has the First Blade and the Mark of Cain, especially since he doesn't seem to be so stupid that he doesn't know that Dean has either of those things (like the idjits that Crowley has been getting to start stuff with Dean)? Whatever the case may be, if past is prologue, I have the feeling that there's going to be all kinds of build up, and we're going to be let down by the reveal.

I kind of hope that Cas does end up dying by the end of the season ... mostly cuz I get the feeling that he has a free pass cuz he's so popular ... and there may still be a bit of residual resentment over the fact that they killed off Bobby (and then, didn't bring him back, except as a ghost for a few episodes, and then, as a cheat in Sam's dream), and he was hella popular, too.

Since they made a point in the episode to let us know that Metatron is now permanently in prison (that the door to his cell is always going to be there), it makes me wonder if there would feasibly be more prophets now. If he's all locked up, and the magics that he used to make sure that there wouldn't be anymore prophets is out of commission, theoretically there should be. But I have the feeling that even if there are going to be more, they have run their course on the show. It's not just that Kevin was popular and killed (and the writers broke an entire fanbase by doing it), I got the feeling from last season that the writers were exiting the prophets from the show's mythos with the death of Kevin (especially since the tablets don't seem like they're going to be as integral to the show as they were before). However, I would love to at least have a throwaway comment about how there is a new prophet around ... as well as another comment about, "I wonder what ever happened to Chuck."

'Root of All Evil' -- SH 2x03


Warning: Spoiler Alert

If they hadn't had the whole thing with the Coins of Zakynthos on "Grimm," I think that I may have enjoyed the whole addition of the 30 pieces of silver subplot that's been added to this show. But since "Grimm" already did it two seasons ago, I couldn't help thinking "'Grimm' already did this." Sure, the 30 pieces of silver (and its reference to Judas isn't exactly the same thing (and the addition of it being about Judas did make me think of Dracula 2000), but the fact that there are multiple coins, and that they're kind of important kept making me think of the other show. Not what the writers were hoping for, I'm sure.

I kind of hope that they never find anymore of the coins, cuz I would find that intensely satisfying as someone who enjoys some things to be up in the air (especially when they are things of folklore and mythology). I have the feeling that if all of the coins were brought together at any point, something terrible would end up happening, and even if I would enjoy them remaining somewhat of a mystery, I have the feeling that the writers are going to end up bringing all of the coins together at some point in the future ... maybe in the last season of the show (where they will be the lynchpin for the victory that either side is trying to attain). I really hope that isn't what ends up happening, but I have the horrible feeling that that's exactly what's going to happen.

I did enjoy the addition of the lovable rogue into the show, since I think it'll bring about a fun dynamic into what's going on ... and part of what will make it so very fun will be that it will probably be so very, very annoying to Ichabod and Abbie. Can't you just see Ichabod continually getting flustered by someone who is so blasé about rules and such, and Abbie wanting to shoot him in the face? I can, and it makes me want to giggle uncontrollably.

Henry going to the house where he was born ... there has to be some sort of significance to that ... more than just that it feels somewhat circular to use the house you were born in as a kind of base of operations for mass murder. There has to be some kind of power that he is expecting that he will be able to get from the place; it may partially come from the fact that he was born there, but it may also partially come from the fact that the ground, and the walls, and everything about the house itself is probably used to having magic preformed there (and soaking in the effects of what's going on). The place already seems like it might have started to go bad, but it also still seems like it at least has a bit of residual magic going on in there, so it may not be that hard for Henry to get things going in a bad way from there.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

'The Kindred' -- SH 2x02


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I wasn't as impressed with this episode as I might have been. I think that part of it is that I've started to grow kind of tired of the captive trope that Katrina has been living in since the very beginning of the series. They have now saved her from Purgatory, and they very really had the chance of saving her again this time. I can understand her talking Ichabod into leaving without her, as having a mole within the Horsemen's Hideout would be dead useful, but at the same time, I'd like to have something a little bit more come from her. She's supposed to be this super powerful witch, and I'd really like to see the proof of that (besides just hearing about it from other characters, cuz at a certain point, it just doesn't seem all that believable. And besides that, I would love to see another female character on the show who doesn't only skirt the edges of being cliché with needing someone (like her husband) come and save her ... even though she's supposedly powerful enough to do it herself. Yes, we have Abbie and Jenny kicking ass in all manner of ways, but I'd still like to see Katrina go all Willow from season six of "Buffy" on some demons. It would make me all kinds of happy on the inside.

I'm really hoping that I'm misreading what's going on, and they're not gearing up for a love triangle, since that would be all kinds of ... what's the opposite of awesome? Yeah, that. The whole thing of this is that Abbie and Ichabod are besties (in the best sense of the word, where they really do get each other, and they genuinely care about each other and have each other's backs), but that's not the same as being compatible when it comes to a romantic relationship. Ichabod + Katrina =/= Ichabod + Abbie.

I'm also wanting to find out more about the other two Horsemen, as we haven't spent nearly enough time exploring either of them ... in that there pretty much hasn't been any exploration at all. I'm really hoping that we don't find out that the two of them are also connected to Ichabod (or Abbie) in some way, since we're already pushing it with two Horsemen tied up with Ichabod. Sure, the two of them are important as being Witnesses, but that doesn't mean that everything is going to be tied up with them that way.

The new sheriff ... I'm still not entirely sure what I think about her. I kind of want to see her eventually join Team Witnesses, whether she starts off as a non-believer, or she starts of on Team Moloch. At this point, either way they paint her in the beginning is going to be kind of tired (whether it's Team Moloch, or he being the one blinders on, since both of those things have already been done within the police force in season one). But then, her joining Team Witnesses might be kind of cliché, too, since that's kind of what's happened before as well with both the people who didn't believe, and those who were Team Moloch.

I'm also still not completely convinced that they're not still in Purgatory, especially after the comment Abbie made about trusting Ichabod so completely that she very nearly drank some water, even while knowing that she shouldn't. Sure, it just could have been a comment that the writers threw in there that is supposed to get us ready for the possible coming of a love triangle, but I'm really wanting to read it as a possibility that we're misreading everything that is happening.