Oh my, reviews!
There's a lot of reviews on the docket today, because I forgot to talk about some episodes of Doctor Who and Torchwood I'd covered before! There's also some new stuff, so here:
First, my review of The Last Airbender.
Friend Who Is Interested In Torchwood (Meat) and I popped in some TW about a week and a half ago, the first episode being Random Shoes. It was okay, even though it was another Gwen-centric episode; as versipellis had pointed out, Gwen is The Normal One of the group, but I feel a lot of focus has already gone into her in the first series, whereas Tosh and Ianto have been mostly riding the backseat. I didn't have too strong a feeling for this one, though. Eugene's dad was a gigantic prick, and I felt bad for Eugene for believing it had been his fault that he left...I also wanted to hug Eugene, because he'd been completely dicked over by his friends. The scummy-looking one who worked at the video store is an atrocious human being, but at least the other friend was man enough to admit it.
Out of Time was next up, and I really, absolutely adored it. There were so many poignant moments in this episode! I absolutely love Diane for being such a free spirit for somebody from the 1950s; nothing, not even government regulations, could keep her grounded. As always, it's nice to see Owen behave like a human being; I'm no casanova, but I know what it's like to be taken out of my comfort zone by something closely tied to it. Him openly admitting to being "fucking scared" by how Diane blinded him just...I mean, wow.
I also quite liked Emma-Louise, and how she represented her home era so well...I actually got really mad at Gwen for trying to keep her from getting a job in London, as well as John when he yelled at her for having a fun time with their new flatmates (though Gwen doesn't have the excuse of being from the 50's, whereas I'm willing to give John the benefit of a doubt). She gets bonus points for being the only one of the three to acclimate herself to her new life.
John...I've got mixed feelings about him. A lot of what I disliked about the character wasn't out of character, which is good, and I really did empathize with him over the "loss" of his son, but he lost much of my sympathy for yelling at Emma-Louise (as mentioned above) and for committing suicide (even though I understand why he did it). Props to Jack, though, for being man enough to sit with John as he died, rather than running away...even though it was kind of creepy.
The End of Time, oh my, oh my ;___; I watched this with the full group of friends interested in Doctor Who a few days after the above Torchwood episodes, and it ran me through the emotional wringer. I want to get this out in the open first, though: John Simm is absolutely sexy with blond hair, and even sexier in a pink sundress and heels. I would do him in an instant...but there's a loooong line of Doctor Who actors I would "do in an instant," and John would have to wait at the very end, as I would do them in chronological order of me wanting to do them in an instant.
Anyway. After having watched four series' and three specials where the Doctor's companions were mostly younger people, having Wilf join him was kind of a trip (and also, Wilf is awesome). The moment where Wilf says he'd be proud to have the Doctor as his son, and when the Doctor later says he'd be proud if Wilf was his dad, were very touching. I was also torn about Donna...I wanted her to remember so badly, but I also love her too much to let her die ;__; She is slowly gaining on Martha as my favorite Companion. I also wanted to hug the Master once he'd found out that the Time Lords had put the drumbeat into his head, and I'm thrilled that he redeemed himself in the end...but I want to know where he disappeared to and I hope he's okay ;_;.
I feel terrible for Wilf, though. When I cheated and watched the last 15-20 minutes of David Tennant!Doctor's run, the scene where Wilf says his last goodbye to the Doctor made me cry - I figured Wilf was just astute enough to notice. Now that I know Wilf knew the Doctor was dying once the business with the Master and the Time Lords had ended, the final farewell is dampened and doesn't carry as much impact. The fact that the Doctor went off on him for getting trapped in the booth...I totally understand where he was coming from, but Wilf had been acting selflessly in the process, and, and, and. Sadface :<
Overall, I'm bummed to see David Tennant go, but I look forward to seeing what Matt Smith has to offer. Here's to hoping Netflix gets series five soon!
Yay, another Owen-centric episode! About a week had passed since watching The End of Time, and Meat and I were watching Torchwood, while Steve and Mar were there with us, not really paying attention. We watched Combat, and...I dunno. Nothing much to say. I really like Owen, so I forgive him of having a lot of episodes dedicated to him. Maybe that makes me a hypocrite. >_> Poor Weevils, I guess? The whole idea of throwing one's self to a vicious creature like that feels really artificial, though, even for a Doctor Who-niverse concept. I'm kind of sad that this is the one that Noel Clarke wrote...
Next was Captain Jack Harkness. Wow, what a busy episode! @__@ It felt really Ghostbustersish to me, which isn't a bad thing, but Tosh having a prominent role in the episode, doing the Tosh Thing, was really cool. I love how clever she was! It felt like the race thing was a nice touch; Tosh being of Japanese descent in an era just before the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor really put me on edge, in a good way. It was nice finding out more about Jack's past - I'd always kind of suspected "Jack Harkness" wasn't his real identity (because how else would somebody with a Chula space ship parked near Big Ben during the London Blitz also be a captain in the British military?), and it was nice having that confirmation. The interaction between our!Jack and real!Jack was incredibly vivid and made me a little wibbly, and I really loved the romantic sequence between the two. It further validates my point of how US television and movies can't portray homosexuality seriously; the dance, followed by the last-second make-out between both Jacks, really made me melty and d'awwww. <3
Owen, though...man. Seeing this gave me a clearer understanding of why he stepped into the Weevil cage, though. Losing Diane made him self-destructive. Whenever he and Ianto clashed in this episode, I secretly rooted Ianto on, because as much as I love Owen, even I know he was making a stupid decision. >_>
And lastly, the Torchwood Series 1 finale, End of Days. Man, talk about an intense episode ;___; First, watching Rhys and Gwen flirt in bed, and Rhys slap his butt felt...very human. I know I've brought that up a loooooot in this entry, but that does not invalidate my point! Seeing that woman with the Bubonic Plague made my toes curl, and then! Rhys dying, oh my god ;_____; I was really bummed, I had gotten to like Rhys, and Jack and Gwen's reaction to it made me want to cry. So when the entire team turned on Jack in favor of opening the rift, it felt real; normally I'd be a little leery of it, though I believe Tosh had a pretty flimsy reason to want to do it.
I could go on and on about Owen, and I promise this is the last time I'll do it this entry, but I loved seeing him breaking down and crying into Jack's shoulder in the end. Not out of spite...only because I love seeing jerky characters act like normal people every once in a while.
And yay, TARDIS noises :D
Last up on the docket is a series a friend introduced us to called Pretenders. The rundown is that it features this Rainman-kind of guy named Jarod, who is capable of reenacting events, or personalities, or mindsets, or memories, by putting himself in the involved person's perspective. When he was a kid, a government agent called The Centre kidnapped Jarod and used him to their own ends, his findings being sold as military weapons. Now an adult, Jarod breaks out of The Centre and goes on the lam, fancying himself a vigilante, looking to right what everyday wrongs he can.
The show wasn't bad, it felt good watching The Little Guy win out against Big Money thanks to Jarod's interference, but after four episodes, it began to feel very samey. Jarod integrates himself into a high-paying job of some sort using his pretender abilities (as a doctor, or a member of the coast guard, or a jet pilot, or a security officer in a casino); the place he's chosen as his employer has one or more corrupt employee near the top of the chain that can't be "taken down" conventionally. Jarod gains the trust of these people and slowly gains information about them and their misdeeds, along the way becoming fascinated with little things that we take for granted, as he's been locked in a basement for three decades (silly putty, fake dog poop, bikes, ice cream, etc). Meanwhile, The Centre has people out trying to capture Jarod and bring him back, always a day late and a dollar short as Jarod thinks ahead and avoids being caught. Meanwhile, he'll find people who have been blackmailed into the misdeed of the episode and gets them to tell the truth by presenting some evidence of their connection. By this point, Jarod will have recruited a sidekick of some sorts, and as he begins to tie everything together, he'll have this sidekick dress up as a bank guard or air conditioner repairman, etc, to incriminate or keep away particular people. Jarod either kills the perpetrators of the misdeed of the episode in an ironic, subtle fashion (poisoning a doctor who had severed a young boy's spinal cord, letting a corrupt coast guard officer go adrift with no radio and no way back to land, etc), or manipulates them into a position where they get the shit beaten out of them by a third party, and sends proof to the victims of the misdeed of the episode that allows them to come into a substantial amount of money that they'd been denied due to aforementioned misdeed. Like I said: not bad, just samey.
Anyway, I've been working on and off on this journal for almost twelve hours, and I'm sleepy. NIGHT NIGGAS.
First, my review of The Last Airbender.
Friend Who Is Interested In Torchwood (Meat) and I popped in some TW about a week and a half ago, the first episode being Random Shoes. It was okay, even though it was another Gwen-centric episode; as versipellis had pointed out, Gwen is The Normal One of the group, but I feel a lot of focus has already gone into her in the first series, whereas Tosh and Ianto have been mostly riding the backseat. I didn't have too strong a feeling for this one, though. Eugene's dad was a gigantic prick, and I felt bad for Eugene for believing it had been his fault that he left...I also wanted to hug Eugene, because he'd been completely dicked over by his friends. The scummy-looking one who worked at the video store is an atrocious human being, but at least the other friend was man enough to admit it.
Out of Time was next up, and I really, absolutely adored it. There were so many poignant moments in this episode! I absolutely love Diane for being such a free spirit for somebody from the 1950s; nothing, not even government regulations, could keep her grounded. As always, it's nice to see Owen behave like a human being; I'm no casanova, but I know what it's like to be taken out of my comfort zone by something closely tied to it. Him openly admitting to being "fucking scared" by how Diane blinded him just...I mean, wow.
I also quite liked Emma-Louise, and how she represented her home era so well...I actually got really mad at Gwen for trying to keep her from getting a job in London, as well as John when he yelled at her for having a fun time with their new flatmates (though Gwen doesn't have the excuse of being from the 50's, whereas I'm willing to give John the benefit of a doubt). She gets bonus points for being the only one of the three to acclimate herself to her new life.
John...I've got mixed feelings about him. A lot of what I disliked about the character wasn't out of character, which is good, and I really did empathize with him over the "loss" of his son, but he lost much of my sympathy for yelling at Emma-Louise (as mentioned above) and for committing suicide (even though I understand why he did it). Props to Jack, though, for being man enough to sit with John as he died, rather than running away...even though it was kind of creepy.
The End of Time, oh my, oh my ;___; I watched this with the full group of friends interested in Doctor Who a few days after the above Torchwood episodes, and it ran me through the emotional wringer. I want to get this out in the open first, though: John Simm is absolutely sexy with blond hair, and even sexier in a pink sundress and heels. I would do him in an instant...but there's a loooong line of Doctor Who actors I would "do in an instant," and John would have to wait at the very end, as I would do them in chronological order of me wanting to do them in an instant.
Anyway. After having watched four series' and three specials where the Doctor's companions were mostly younger people, having Wilf join him was kind of a trip (and also, Wilf is awesome). The moment where Wilf says he'd be proud to have the Doctor as his son, and when the Doctor later says he'd be proud if Wilf was his dad, were very touching. I was also torn about Donna...I wanted her to remember so badly, but I also love her too much to let her die ;__; She is slowly gaining on Martha as my favorite Companion. I also wanted to hug the Master once he'd found out that the Time Lords had put the drumbeat into his head, and I'm thrilled that he redeemed himself in the end...but I want to know where he disappeared to and I hope he's okay ;_;.
I feel terrible for Wilf, though. When I cheated and watched the last 15-20 minutes of David Tennant!Doctor's run, the scene where Wilf says his last goodbye to the Doctor made me cry - I figured Wilf was just astute enough to notice. Now that I know Wilf knew the Doctor was dying once the business with the Master and the Time Lords had ended, the final farewell is dampened and doesn't carry as much impact. The fact that the Doctor went off on him for getting trapped in the booth...I totally understand where he was coming from, but Wilf had been acting selflessly in the process, and, and, and. Sadface :<
Overall, I'm bummed to see David Tennant go, but I look forward to seeing what Matt Smith has to offer. Here's to hoping Netflix gets series five soon!
Yay, another Owen-centric episode! About a week had passed since watching The End of Time, and Meat and I were watching Torchwood, while Steve and Mar were there with us, not really paying attention. We watched Combat, and...I dunno. Nothing much to say. I really like Owen, so I forgive him of having a lot of episodes dedicated to him. Maybe that makes me a hypocrite. >_> Poor Weevils, I guess? The whole idea of throwing one's self to a vicious creature like that feels really artificial, though, even for a Doctor Who-niverse concept. I'm kind of sad that this is the one that Noel Clarke wrote...
Next was Captain Jack Harkness. Wow, what a busy episode! @__@ It felt really Ghostbustersish to me, which isn't a bad thing, but Tosh having a prominent role in the episode, doing the Tosh Thing, was really cool. I love how clever she was! It felt like the race thing was a nice touch; Tosh being of Japanese descent in an era just before the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor really put me on edge, in a good way. It was nice finding out more about Jack's past - I'd always kind of suspected "Jack Harkness" wasn't his real identity (because how else would somebody with a Chula space ship parked near Big Ben during the London Blitz also be a captain in the British military?), and it was nice having that confirmation. The interaction between our!Jack and real!Jack was incredibly vivid and made me a little wibbly, and I really loved the romantic sequence between the two. It further validates my point of how US television and movies can't portray homosexuality seriously; the dance, followed by the last-second make-out between both Jacks, really made me melty and d'awwww. <3
Owen, though...man. Seeing this gave me a clearer understanding of why he stepped into the Weevil cage, though. Losing Diane made him self-destructive. Whenever he and Ianto clashed in this episode, I secretly rooted Ianto on, because as much as I love Owen, even I know he was making a stupid decision. >_>
And lastly, the Torchwood Series 1 finale, End of Days. Man, talk about an intense episode ;___; First, watching Rhys and Gwen flirt in bed, and Rhys slap his butt felt...very human. I know I've brought that up a loooooot in this entry, but that does not invalidate my point! Seeing that woman with the Bubonic Plague made my toes curl, and then! Rhys dying, oh my god ;_____; I was really bummed, I had gotten to like Rhys, and Jack and Gwen's reaction to it made me want to cry. So when the entire team turned on Jack in favor of opening the rift, it felt real; normally I'd be a little leery of it, though I believe Tosh had a pretty flimsy reason to want to do it.
I could go on and on about Owen, and I promise this is the last time I'll do it this entry, but I loved seeing him breaking down and crying into Jack's shoulder in the end. Not out of spite...only because I love seeing jerky characters act like normal people every once in a while.
And yay, TARDIS noises :D
Last up on the docket is a series a friend introduced us to called Pretenders. The rundown is that it features this Rainman-kind of guy named Jarod, who is capable of reenacting events, or personalities, or mindsets, or memories, by putting himself in the involved person's perspective. When he was a kid, a government agent called The Centre kidnapped Jarod and used him to their own ends, his findings being sold as military weapons. Now an adult, Jarod breaks out of The Centre and goes on the lam, fancying himself a vigilante, looking to right what everyday wrongs he can.
The show wasn't bad, it felt good watching The Little Guy win out against Big Money thanks to Jarod's interference, but after four episodes, it began to feel very samey. Jarod integrates himself into a high-paying job of some sort using his pretender abilities (as a doctor, or a member of the coast guard, or a jet pilot, or a security officer in a casino); the place he's chosen as his employer has one or more corrupt employee near the top of the chain that can't be "taken down" conventionally. Jarod gains the trust of these people and slowly gains information about them and their misdeeds, along the way becoming fascinated with little things that we take for granted, as he's been locked in a basement for three decades (silly putty, fake dog poop, bikes, ice cream, etc). Meanwhile, The Centre has people out trying to capture Jarod and bring him back, always a day late and a dollar short as Jarod thinks ahead and avoids being caught. Meanwhile, he'll find people who have been blackmailed into the misdeed of the episode and gets them to tell the truth by presenting some evidence of their connection. By this point, Jarod will have recruited a sidekick of some sorts, and as he begins to tie everything together, he'll have this sidekick dress up as a bank guard or air conditioner repairman, etc, to incriminate or keep away particular people. Jarod either kills the perpetrators of the misdeed of the episode in an ironic, subtle fashion (poisoning a doctor who had severed a young boy's spinal cord, letting a corrupt coast guard officer go adrift with no radio and no way back to land, etc), or manipulates them into a position where they get the shit beaten out of them by a third party, and sends proof to the victims of the misdeed of the episode that allows them to come into a substantial amount of money that they'd been denied due to aforementioned misdeed. Like I said: not bad, just samey.
Anyway, I've been working on and off on this journal for almost twelve hours, and I'm sleepy. NIGHT NIGGAS.