TV Rampage - Television Reviews |
A look at what's currently on television ...
Supergirl
Season 1 (CBS)
Supergirl is proof of so many things; Network TV (CBS, ABC and
NBC) is where good ideas go to die; even great producers can’t launch a quality
show on a Network, and Melissa Benoist looks great in a Supergirl costume.
I
love Supergirl. I’ve read her comics for decades; I have statues, posters and
lots and lots of Supergirl comics. So I was looking forward to the Supergirl show and determined to like
it. Sometimes determination fails. The pilot wasn’t bad, but made it clear that
I was not the audience for the show. That’s fine. As the weeks went by, I tried
to suss out who was the audience for
the show. At first I thought women, ages 16-24. Nothing wrong with that. As the
execution got worse, I figured the audience was girls 5-15. Even that may be
aiming high. Now I think it could be girls aged 5-10 ... possibly with mental
disabilities?
On Supergirl the TV
show, Melissa Benoist plays Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin who also survived
the destruction of Krypton by rocketing to Earth. She is adopted by kindly
parents and now works in some dumb made up city, even worse than the usual DC
Comics dumb made up cities. She is surrounded by a cast of politically correct
supporting characters that check all the right PC boxes. Her sister Alex (Chyler
Leigh) is especially annoying; always super-caring, always so earnest in her
loving care-bear caringness. Viewers are subjected to possible vomiting by her
performance at any given moment.
Mecad Brooks plays Jimmy James Olsen,
who has switched races from the comic. Mecad is a good actor stuck in a
thankless role. Because he is a minority on a Network show, he has to be
perfect in every way. He too is so earnest and caring, always saying and doing
the right thing at the right time. I’m surprised when he smiles there’s not a
CGI gleam on his teeth and a “ting!” sound. What a one-dimensional, flat
portrayal and character. His girlfriend is Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan Tatum), yes,
sister of Lois and probably the most despicable character on Network
television. In one episode she goes out of her way to say how much she hates
white men (she’s white), especially older white men who run companies. Nice.
Rounding out the cast is Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart), owner of media
conglomerate CatCo where Kara works. She’s the only character with a
personality, unfortunately that personality is a b----. Finally, Jeremy Jordan
plays Winn Schott, Kara’s platonic friend who wants something more. His
character exists to be overshadowed by Jimmy Olsen and pine for Supergirl. The
men on this show feel things so deeply their vaginas must ache all the time.
It’s a weekly toss up whether the acting, dialog or plot is the worst aspect of
the show. A recent episode adapted one of the finest Superman stories ever
told, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ “For the Man Who Has Everything” from Superman Annual #11. The special
effects were excellent, but the writers removed everything that made the story
great, and viewers were left with a dull, gold plated turd. Like most aspects
of Supergirl.
Melissa Benoist does
make a fine Supergirl. Producers definitely went for the girl-next-door persona
(rather than the porn star look chosen by the Smallville producers). She’s likable and relatable. It’s too bad
she’s trapped in a brown miasma of mediocrity like Supergirl. I swear Network execs have someone on staff whose job is
to take out all words in scripts over three syllables, then make sure plots are
spoon-fed to an apathetic audience. It’s hard to believe Supergirl is produced by the same team who does The Flash and Arrow shows on the CW Network. Arrow
is great and Flash may be the best
superhero show of all time. Again, it goes to prove even good producers can’t
produce quality on ABC, NBC and especially CBS. Awful.
Rating: * out of 5 stars
The Flash Season 1 (CW)
From the ridiculous to the sublime. I’m a year behind
on The Flash (I didn’t have the CW
until recently) so I just finished season one on Netflix. This really is an
inspirational superhero show. There is a joy to The Flash unlike any other show on television, superhero or
otherwise. Grant Gustin plays the Flash. At first I thought he was too young to
pull off the role, but his performance showed viewers almost immediately that
he was up to the task. The theme of The
Flash is pretty straightforward; he runs fast and fights supervillains. His
supporting cast includes Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon, Danielle Panabaker as
Caitlin Snow, and Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells.
I thought Cisco would be a
typical annoying, eye-rolling PC character, like Jimmy Olsen on Supergirl. No. Every Flash cast member is a three
dimensional character with a personality, hopes and dreams. No, Valdes turns in a wonderful performance as a young,
super smart scientist/inventor who has taken it upon himself to name all of the
supervillains who come out of the woodwork to fight the Flash. And Caitlin
Snow, reeling from the recent death of her fiancée, exudes intelligence and
depth along with her grief. Harrison Wells has a closet-full of secrets he
keeps close to the vest—until they boil over and become the main plot device
for season one.
The Flash revels in
superhero tropes and shorthand while still making them accessible to the casual
viewer. Longtime comic geeks can spot Easter egg after Easter egg with no harm
done to folks who don’t recognize any of them. And the villains are the high
point of the show. Captain Cold (a scenery-chewing Wentworth Miller) is a
riveting bad/not bad guy. In season one, Flash also takes on comic book rogues
such as Weather Wizard, Heatwave and even telepathic Gorilla Grodd—all with a
sense of whimsy and fun few other shows possess. There is such a joy of life in
Flash running around, fighting bad guys, saving lives and trying to romance
Iris West, the love of his life. And that fun is totally contagious to viewers.
The Flash is a triumph that I truly
love watching.
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars
Better Call Saul Season 2 (AMC)
Is Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul producer Vince Gilligan capable of producing a bad
show? Well yes, Battle Creek on CBS
was a disaster—further proof major Networks ruin shows. But season two of Better Call Saul, a prequel/sequel to Breaking Bad (my favorite non-genre TV
show of all time) once again sets the creative bar high. The law career of
Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) the eventual Saul Goodman, is rising fast. He is
hired by a large successful firm to run his class-action suit against a
conglomerate of retirement facilities. His relationship with Kim Wexler (Rhea
Seehorn) is heating up, and his life is finally showing signs of being a
success. But Jimmy, always his own worst enemy, just can’t take both feet out
of the gutter. Lounging at a hotel with Kim, he can’t resist grifting an
annoying investment manager. He wants to make a commercial for his class action
suit—instead of waiting for the firm’s approval, he runs it without their
permission and pays hell for it. Is he totally self destructive, or would he
just be happier on his own rather than part of the machine?
Meanwhile,
enforcer/parking booth operator Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) sinks deeper
into questionable activities in order to earn money to support his widowed
daughter-in-law. How far will he go to protect and shore up her failing life?
Drama doesn’t get better than this, especially in Saul’s complex and well-researched plots and fine, nuanced
performances by all creative folks involved. If you’re not watching this, why
not?
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars
Colony Season 1 (USA)
In Colony, aliens have taken over the United States and possibly the
world. California is divided up into sections, run by local (human) governors
working for the invaders. Former Army Ranger and cop Will Bowman (Josh
Holloway) takes a job with the occupation, partially to save lives and
partially to find his youngest son, separated from his family when the aliens
invaded. His wife Katie (perpetual wife/girlfriend actress Sarah Wayne Callies)
happens to work for the resistance, and feeds them insight and information from
Will regularly, without Will's knowledge. They all walk a delicate tightrope of secrets, hidden agendas
and moral dilemmas. Peter Jacobson is especially good as a weaselly local
governor who tries to avoid bloodshed and unpleasantness, but can be ruthless
when pushed. He also isn’t above enjoying the rewards and prestige that come
with his position.
This show is enjoyable and worth watching, mostly for
Holloway’s charismatic performance. But it has some problems. One, the budget
isn’t high enough to allow for a lot of action, so the plots are mostly limited
to gun battles and political intrigue. Two, and I know this is on purpose, but
season one is almost over and the aliens have never been shown, nor their motives/goals examined. Today more than ever shows have to give viewers
reasons to tune in, and there have been a thousand alien invasion shows. What
do the aliens want? Where do they come from? What do they look like? It seems
the producers could give viewers a crumb of information to keep them
interested. Instead, we just get another sci fi show that takes place in the
near future about an unknown force occupying the U.S. It’s good, but it’s been
done. As of now, nothing makes the show unique or special. Hopefully the final few episodes will answer some of these questions and give viewers a reason to watch season two. If there is a season two.
Rating: *** out of 5 stars
Married at First Sight Season 3 (fyi)
*Spoilers*
This season just ended and is truly must-see television. Each
season, three couples are matched by “experts” and meet on the altar as they
are joined in holy matrimony. After the honeymoon, they live together for five
weeks and decide whether to stay married or get divorced. “Reality” shows are anything but, and I’m not
sure how much editing and manipulation goes into this particular show. But I
tend to believe that generally the producers are telling the story that
actually happened. The experts and the couples involved call this process “the
experiment.” Here are the couples that were chosen this year.
David and Ashley:
David is a nice guy. He’s tall, handsome and looks like a Viking. Ashley is a
stunningly beautiful woman. From the altar, viewers could tell he was smitten,
she looked like she swallowed something sour. Ashley rejected David at first
sight, and never gave him a break or tried to make it work in any way. It’s
sad, some beautiful women never develop a personality or sense of humor, they
don’t have to. They can get by in life on their looks. I’m not sure if Ashley
is such a woman, but it sure seems so. David tries his little heart out and she
is not interested. Why did she sign up for this? In the middle of the
experiment, David makes the mistake of texting another woman he thought was a
friend of Ashley’s and asking her out for drinks, ostensibly to talk about
Ashley. Turns out Ashley doesn’t know the woman that well and accuses David of
asking her for a date. Did he? He denied it, but it definitely wasn’t a good
move. Ashley then used that as an excuse to ride out the rest of the experiment
keeping David at a cold and distant arm’s length.
The Decision: David’s
decision was to stay married, I think because of Ashley’s looks. Ashley
couldn’t reject him fast enough, and chose a divorce. That just made him want
her more. Just go for the divorce/annulment, pal! This is not the one for you.
Or anyone who wants a sane, loving relationship. She’s a frosty one.
Neil and
Sam: Neil is a thin, dark-bearded quiet type, Samantha is an outgoing, somewhat
immature bank manager. Sam is used to guys like her dad; alpha males that take
charge and do manly stuff. Neil is much more laid back, and on their honeymoon
Sam is a little too vocal about Neil’s, in her perception, lack of masculinity.
She makes several comments that a wife should not say to her husband about his
manhood. A few weeks in, Neil has had enough and confronts Sam about it, as he
should. This results in a 180-degree turn, as Sam now respects and starts to
love him a little, and he can’t get over her callous comments and attitude.
The
Decision: At the end of the experiment, Sam is smitten and asks him to stay
married. He ultimately rejects her, asking for a divorce. She walks out of the
studio, on camera, and breaks down, heartbroken. Watching that, the show seems
smarmy and exploitive, playing with people’s emotions for ratings. While this
is true, these are adults and they signed up for this. I don’t think any of
these couples realized what they signed up for until they lived it.
Tres and
Vanessa: Tres and Vanessa are probably the nicest couple to appear on the show
and the couple who viewers have most rooted for. He’s a thoughtful car
salesman; she’s a happy and smiling party planner. They had chemistry from the
altar and, with some ups and downs expected from this pressure cooker
situation, got along well. These folks meshed on screen, snorkeling on their
honeymoon, giving gifts and talking during the experiment and holding hands in
the limo on the way to the decision shoot. They just seemed like nice, likable
people who the show may have helped find each other.
The Decision: They decided
to stay married. The question is, will it last?
Next week’s wrap-up show takes
place six months after the decision. The “experts” will talk to all of the
couples (some of them separately, I’m presuming). We’ll see if Tres and Vanessa
are still together and if Neil and Sam are still apart. I’m guessing David is
still pining for Ashley and Ashley is still basking in her own afterglow. I
realize the show is playing with people’s emotions and the “experts” are
somewhat mercenary, but I just can’t look away. This show is the crack of
television.
Rating: **** out of 5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment