Category: Television

Television

Conviction: S1E6 #StayWoke

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Conviction is just going for it and taking no prisoners.

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This episode’s case is about a white cop who was shot at a black activist rally as she was working crowd control, and a white jury found a black defendant guilty.

It’s very racially charged, with the cast being divided on who is, or should be guilty, and who is, or should be, innocent.

It’s brave of the writers of this show to take on such a strong social inequity, especially against the backdrop of current times.  I think it’s sometimes easy to forget that screenwriters are Californians, and they have the power to write shows that are watched by the entire rest of the country, and it’s incredible that they take the time to show the struggle between the two sides.

Hayes character is becoming more fleshed out, and thank goodness for that.  The angry adult woman acting out against her mother and family and silver spoon was not going to hold up for much longer.  The struggle will be to keep her character going from this point forward.

Television

Timeless: S1E5 The Alamo

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Yes, we all remember the Alamo.

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So it’s obvious that I wrestle with this show for a bit.  It’s kitschy and entertaining and fun to watch, but as far as deep meaning or value goes, it can often gloss over the important bits in lieu of adventure.

It’s not that the show is particularly dense in what the overall stories are, but since we’re leaving those stories behind in order to focus on whatever point in time we travel to, the point in time has to be interesting.

And interesting is not what the Alamo is.  Inspiring, yes.  A great point in Texan history, yes.  But as far as an exciting chain of events go, individual battles aren’t the truly interesting part of history.  It’s the aftermath of what happens, and it’s difficult to share that on screen.

This episode was a strongpoint for Wyatt, the soldier sent along to protect them and kill the bad guy.  You got to see him and his dedication to others around him, which is a real saving grace for his character.

I’ll keep watching.  The history major in me can’t stop.

Television

Conviction: S1E5 The 1 Percent Solution

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The Hayley Atwell show continues.

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Hayes has finally pissed off her family enough that they are giving her the silent treatment, and I’m happy about that because there’s less characters that take away time from the main cast and the investigative team who are really the interesting people in this show.

The case this week is about a young man who was helped out by a very well-off family (a Blind Side reference was definitely made). The case is less interesting than previous ones, probably because rich people doing bad things is a trope that has definitely been overused.

I have to be honest, this continues a trend of the show being more interesting than the case. A huge problem for a show that’s designed to be a case per episode that’s supposed to support the stories of the cast. Perhaps the writers could watch a few episodes of Criminal Minds, who has perfected the art of telling a two interconnected stories.

There was a redeeming moment for the previously hated character of Hayes’s mother, which will hopefully make her family life more interesting to watch.

Episode 5 is probably the weakest that I’ve seen so far. I need there to be more at stake in the lives of these characters. Fingers crossed that this happens.

Television

Timeless: S1E4 Party at Castle Varlar

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I forgot the entire reason why I love this show and I’m sorry.

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My last review of Episode 3 got a little bit harsh, and I think the film major part of me got too strong.  See, most of being a film major is being overly obsessed with “substance” and “deeper/hidden meaning” and now it’s gotten to the point where when something exists almost purely for the entertainment value, I sometimes forget the value in that, and I’m sorry.

So, now let’s go back to Timeless.  Episode 4: The Nazi Episode.  Because nothing that goes back in time could ever ignore the presence and existence of Nazis.  Just watch the History Channel.  The only things that occurred in history are Nazis and aliens.  And sometimes Romans.

American Nazi supporters in 1944.  Once again, this show does confront something that has prevalence to the modern world.

And here we meet Ian Fleming.  Who worked as an actual spy before writing the infamous James Bond series, who they must work with in order to stop the Nazis and the evil Flynn from…whatever their plan is.

Really the most exciting part is that we as an audience now see the start of a budding romance between the two lead characters, and that’s truly all that matters because the chemistry between them is so strong my TV is about to explode.

Now that I’ve returned to a point of just being entertained by this show, it’s so much more enjoyable.  It’s exciting, and adventurous.  We know how adventure works from years of Indiana Jones and King Arthur and seeing adventures, and this show brings the undeniable sense of adventure into the modern age.

Television

Timeless: S1E3 Atomic City

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The kitschy-ness is starting to rub off to reveal a deep lack of substance.

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We begin with Lucy Preston, the main character, attempting to acclimate to her new life that has been changed with their changing of history. Before much can happen, we are whisked away back to work, where she learns they’ll be traveling to Vegas in the 1960s, where Jack Kennedy will make an appearance.

The characters mesh into the world, once again, fairly easily and quickly. It’s during this time we meet the creator of the time machines (who I thought was dead) but apparently is with the villain for some reason. We get no answers, only more questions, which I’m assuming will go unanswered.

The stakes in this episode don’t seem nearly as high as previous ones, probably because the story of JFK has been beaten to death with a stick by film and television, especially in the past few years. Not a good choice for a third episode.

I’m hoping episode 4 picks up the show a little bit, because episode 3 was a definite lull.

Television

Conviction: S1E2 Bridge and Tunnel Vision

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I think I’m mostly watching this show for Hayley Atwell.

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And here we are.  The second episode.  I think a lot of people consider the first episode of a show the “make or break” of a show, but for me it’s the second episode.  The characters have been introduced, the basic storyline that’s going to control the show has been established, and now, the challenge is for the writers to keep it going.  And this is where we’ll really see whether or not this show truly has substance.

Conviction begins with the cast beginning their mornings, a good idea for reminding viewers of what they’re watching, and who these people are.

Immediately, we move into the office space where they discuss their next case, which is a former case from the D.A., a man who put them all together into this task force.

Once again, the cases are there as a backdrop against what is really happening, and act as a catalyst for other events.

Hayes Morrison, the lead character, is in an ongoing struggle with the DA Wallace.  For me, the second episode seems like a bit soon for this battle between them to truly happen, however it does make for an exciting second episode, because now, what’s the rest of the show going to be about?

There is also the ongoing dispute between Hayes and her mother, which, at only episode 2, is already becoming dull and forced.  It’s been done, it’s an old trope, and quite frankly, fairly exhausting.  It’s going to take something actually happening for this to become at all interesting.

Once again, I fall back to my love of Hayley Atwell as my reason to keep watching this show.  She controls every single scene she’s in and is a force of nature.

Television · Uncategorized

Quantico: S2E1 Kudove

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Quantico’s premier of season 2 was strong, and the challenge will be to keep it up.

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For those of you who haven’t watched Season 1, I highly recommend you go back and watch it, however, you don’t really need to in order to understand what’s going on in Season 2, which is something I really appreciate.

We start with an intense act of terrorism against a summit of national leaders, and Alex Parrish is somehow at the center of it all.  In order to understand the present, we must go back to the past to understand how we and this new cast of characters reached this point.  Alex and Ryan have both been recruited into the CIA clandestine service, and are back in training.  Against this, their tumultuous relationship is playing out as well.

Why I like it: This show keeps a breakneck pace, and for entertainment purposes it’s one of the best shows out there right now.  It seamlessly goes between the past and present, action and moments of calm without feeling jolted and forced.

What is forced, however, is the entire relationship between Ryan and Alex.  The complete and total lack of chemistry between the two is exhausting, and that it’s really the only mainstay between s1 and s2 means that it’s going to be something I’m going to have to suffer through for a while longer.

This is one of the few shows I’m continuing to watch this fall season, and I’m excited to see more.

Television

Conviction: S1E1 Pilot

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I may be a little biased on this review because Hayley Atwell can honestly do no wrong.

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Conviction is a crime drama that centers around an investigative task force created to exonerate wrongfully convicted criminals.  The first episode showed that this is a tour-de-force for this premier season, due largely in-part to it’s diverse range of characters.

Why I loved it: As I said, Hayley Atwell is everything and this show is here to prove it.  Her character isn’t meant to be likeable; she is a defense lawyer who has worked very hard in life to push away emotions and uses sex appeal and insults in order to get what she wants.  Filling in the cast is what I bet will be a future love interest golden-boy, a paralegal who has a few secrets from her past, an investigator whose tension with the NYPD is going to be an important part of this series, and an ex-con working their forensics.

The one caveat I had with this show is that it gave too much too quickly in the first episode, rather than setting up issues for future episodes.  There’s blackmail, yes, but all the characters are mostly aware of it.  There was already an emotional heart-to-heart between Atwell’s character and her mother, and the tension between her and her boss comes close to really being there, but somehow falls short of the mark.  This show will struggle with maintaining interest without any huge story arcs, and hopefully some will arise in the next few episodes.

All in all, this show is staying on my watch-list, and I’m excited to see what is going to happen with it.

Television

Timeless: S1E1 Pilot

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Timeless is kitschy as hell and I loved watching every minute of it.

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Essentially, there’s three random characters: A history professor, a soldier, and a scientist who must travel through time following the evil bad man who is trying to destroy certain points in history.  Along the way they grow as people, very predictable things happen, and it remains very basic and very exciting.

Why I loved it: The kitschy-ness of it all makes it loveable.  What it lacks in actual substance, it’s saved by sheer enjoyability.  It’s altogether a simple notion and execution, and when we have an onslaught of overwrought television whose characters’s complexities are almost as difficult to follow as the actual plot, it was refreshing to simply sit back and be entertained and actually enjoy watching what was going on.

As I mentioned, it is a very basic script and execution, and that is, ultimately, going to be the downfall.  As of yet, there’s no reason for me to actually care about the characters and what is happening in this time travel world.  A troubled soldier blames himself for the past, a history professor really loves her mom, a bad guy who, as of yet, doesn’t particularly have any motivation to what is going on, and a black scientist whose story about confronting racism in the past could actually provide great chutzpah to the script is included, but almost to comedic effect.  A cliffhanger that will only be revealed by time.  In an imaginary checklist of basic adventure stories, this show would probably tick off the majority of them.

If the series continues for more episodes before getting pulled, the trick will be making the audience care about the characters by adding depth and actual emotion to the surrounding events.  Keep the kitschy-ness, but please, also grab ahold of my heart.