TV Recap #Binge Edition - #Supernatural, #QueensGambit, #StarTrekDiscovery

Happy Holidays Everyone!!

This year has been so sad and strange. Keeping oneself occupied is very difficult, even with the vasts amount of entertainment at our fingertips. I've watched more stuff on TV this year than the last few years combined, I'm sure!

So, let's get down to business!!

MAJOR SPOILERS

Supernatural - The final episodes.

I didn't binge this one, rather watched the last few ones weekly. I know covid changed the original ending they wanted, but I thought it was very fitting. I told my BFF about the penultimate episode and how they wrapped up the Big Bad storyline. He asked me how I thought it would end, and I pretty much got it right. Dean dead and happy in Heaven, Sam has the life he always wanted. Started and ended with the brothers. That's how I would have done it too, with a few differences. I'm not going to get into any of the controversy surrounding the final few episodes, I respect everyone's feelings on this and my take on it won't change minds anyway. 

Queens Gambit - Netflix

I learned to play chess as a kid, I wasn't very good then or now, but I still like to play on occasion. Funny enough, I started playing online a few months ago, because of covid, and had seen the main actress in Emma, so I figured I'd give the first episode a shot. I didn't move until I was done! The only thing that would have made the show better is if it were a true story. Great cast, great sets, and clothing, spot-on everything!

Star Trek Discover - CBS Access (S1 on reg CBS now)

I watched the pilot when it first aired on CBS a couple years ago. I refuse to pay for Access, but a friend of mine was nice enough to share. I'll admit, the first few episodes didn't feel like Trek to me. Once I got to episode 7 with Harry Mudd, I felt that Trek vibe again and really enjoyed it. Personally, I like it when they do a standalone plot alongside the big season arch. You have to watch them all to get the full story, unlike past Trek shows where they were mostly self-contained. I'm caught up and watching S3. New episode on tonight!

Queen Solo - Netflix

This is an African spy show that I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, there won't be a season two, which is a shame, because there are some unanswered questions from the first. Overall I found the pacing a little weird, but the characters were interesting and the story was pretty good. The fight scenes were pretty good, more believable than most action fight scenes, and it was wonderful seeing a story set in Africa.

The Outpost - CW

I remember watching this pilot when it first came out and didn't really care for it. When I saw it got a second season, I thought about going back and trying again, but I just wasn't in the mood. Then I noticed a friend of mine on Twitter tweeting with the cast. I asked for her opinion and decided to give it another try. This show is along the lines of the old Xena and Hercules shows from the 90s, but not as cheesy, (yes, there is some cheese, and I'm okay with that). The first season was rough, but a few of the side characters were good enough for me to keep going and I'm glad I did. It's an interesting show with a weird premise, but it works. 

Upload - Prime

I like Robbie Amel, he's cute, so I figured why not. I was pleasantly surprised with this show. It has a very Matrix-like story of Heaven being a digital playground. It was funny, emotional, and had a few great characters. Worth checking out!

Utopia - Prime

Weird, trippy, must pay attention to it carefully if you want to watch. Seeing John Cusak in that role was odd, but I thought he pulled it off well. I watched it a while ago, and nothing else really sticks out to me right now.

Lovecraft Country - HBO

Wow. Just Wow. Brilliant cast, fantastic characters, and another trippy story to make your head spin. There was one scene, where Tick and Co. are chased out of town by racists police officers, and it was the most suspenseful scene I've seen in a very long time. It's gross, not for the faint of heart, by any means, but well worth giving a try.

Emily in Paris - Netflix

I was really bored okay? It wasn't great, but I chuckled a bit. I'm not sure if they played into the French stereotype of being mean to non-French people or not. I don't know any people from France personally and have never been there, but they played that pard hard, and it got a little annoying.

My Didn't Finish list:

Next - Fox. Just meh.

Swamp Thing - I have a couple on my DVR, I may go back to it and finish.

Have any suggestions? I'm always looking for something new to watch these days!

2019 TV Recap #1! @NBCThisIsUs @AmericanSoulBET @CW_SPN

Most of my "regular" TV shows are coming to an end if they haven't already ended, and summer shows are already starting! I guess it's time to do another recap. It's been a fantastic season for TV. Only three episodes left of Big Bang Theory AND Game of Thrones!! AHHH!

I'm going to step in the way-back machine and hope my trusty list has all the shows I watch, sometimes it's hard to keep track. LOL

Spoilers.

You've been warned.

Seriously.

The Good Place - NBC
I have nothing but love for this show. I love the cast. I love the bonkers stories. I love the premise. I love Janet. That is all.

Project Blue Book - History
This was a new show for me this year, I couldn't help myself. "Kenzi" from Lost Girl, "Enzo" from The Originals, and "Littlefinger" from GoT are in it as well as the ubiquitous Neil McDonough, who most recently in the DC's Legends of Tomorrow has played Damien Darhk and is also in a couple of my other shows this year like Suits. He plays a great dick. LOL Anyway, this show takes real investigations from the Military and put an Ancient Alien spin on the outcomes. According to the showrunners, there won't be aliens, but I'm enjoying it so far.

Black Lightning - CW
I flipping love Anissa. I was a little tired of Tobias, as good a villain as he was, so I hope they move on from that storyline next season. I'm excited to see where they go. I love the real-life issues they tackle without being preachy and how the family always strives to look out for each other.

Legacies - CW
The only reason I watched the pilot was to see if any of The Originals cast showed up in flashbacks or memories or whathaveyou. I knew Alaric was going to be in the show, and I do love him, but I didn't think the "Creature Academy" thing would work for me. Guess it's good that they are rarely shown actually going to class, because what they do totally works. I'm surprised how much I'm enjoying this show. I'm sure it has to do with loving Julie Plec as a writer and showrunner. I've watched most of her shows on the CW and probably will, even with the few misses in recent years.

The Walking Dead - AMC
I didn't fast forward as much this season as I did last season when they focused on characters I didn't really give a crap about. I will say The Whisperers were terrifying and Alpha is as crazy as they come. I was a bit sad to see Henry go, I thought they did a great job with the actors playing him and showing his growth throughout the season. Now that Carol is single again, she needs to cut her hair. I still miss Rick, but not so much that I don't like the show anymore, which honestly surprised me.

American Soul - BET
One of the things I love about this new age of TV is seeing different stories about different groups of people. Not only is American Soul (loosely?) based on the formation and rise of Soul Train, it's a beautifully acted drama about life in the 60s and 70s from a viewpoint we rarely see on TV, Black America. The dancing is fantastic. The singing is AMAZING. Even the guest stars are great. If I could suggest one new show to watch, it would be this one, hands down.

This is Us - NBC
A good season, not great, but I still enjoy the flashbacks. Love the young kid actors playing the Big Three and think the direction they are going is interesting. It really would not be the same show without Milo, that's for sure.

Supernatural - CW
Wow. Just wow. I was not expecting that end, at all. FUCK CHUCK! Grr. He was such a great character prior to the last episode of the season. I'm not sure why (I mean I get it, he's GOD) they decided to make him Head Dick, but it makes sense as far as the show goes, not really what I would have done with the character. Last season coming up. It's going to be weird living in a world without Sam and Dean.

Did you watch any of these? What was your favorite show so far this season?

Jenn's TV Recap #3

Well, regular TV is over for the season. Do you remember when 90210 had their summer season? They pretty much started that trend. I have a few shows to look forward to this summer, sadly, only of them is NOT So You Think You Can Dance. Makes me sad.

Anyway, I have a nice long list of shows to recap for my final blog of this season. They are not in any order. POSSIBLE SPOILERS!

Seriously.

Last warning!

SUPERNATURAL
While I didn't really care about the Amara story line for the most part and really hate Rowena, Cass as Lucifer totally made up for it. Then they bring in Chuck at the end...confirming him as God? Freaking brilliant. The last few episodes of the season were fantastic. I'll never stop watching the Winchester Brothers. I don't care if they jump the shark or not.

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW
I should just go and live at The CW. I don't think the writers thought through this plot enough but for a short, first season, it was pretty good. I liked all the cheeky time travel easter eggs and tropes they pulled out. I hated how they bounced around time, just to end up back at the same spot they started. I did, however, like how they eventually split up into three teams in three times to beat three Savages. That was pretty brilliant and saved the season. And no lie, I was JUST starting to like Snart and then they kill him. Meh.

THE FLASH
This is probably my third favorite show on TV right now behind GoT and TWD. I love the entire cast, younger and older members. I love the fun and lightness. I don't mind the darker stuff either. Although I know the original Flashpoint story, it didn't work for  me how they got there at the end of this season. However, I got the man in the mask partially right, so I'm glad we get to see more John Wesley Shipp on the show.

AGENTS OF SHIELD
I've never had a problem with Skye/Daisy. This probably goes back to my comment once about acting. I can't, so unless someone is really bad and I don't believe they are the character they are playing, I probably won't notice much. That being said, Ward as HIVE was amazing. I'm really going to miss him. I think this show gets better each season, so I can't wait to see what they have in store for S4.

CASTLE
What a horrible ending! OMG, I know it was tacked on just "in case" they got canceled, but man, couldn't they have thought of something better? Or asked ABC for a two-hour movie tie up next season? There are a dozen ways they could have done this, but they chose to screw their fans and take the easy way out. Oh well. Don't have to worry about it anymore.

THE ORIGINALS
This is another one of those shows I'm not sure why I still watch. It's probably because I have a crush on Elijah. Love that character. I was SO excited to see Marcel die at the end of this season. He's always been one of my least favorite characters. He just rubs me the wrong way. However, his relationship with Davina was his saving grace. I hope Vincent sticks around next season. He's awesome. RIP Cami, I'll miss you most of all.

ARROW
I'm really happy they went all 24 and dropped a bomb. There is only so many threats the team can thwart without having hardly any consequences. I didn't care about Laurel's death. She was just an OK character, I liked her MUCH better on The Flash, so I hope they bring her back there. Damien was a badass character but I feel like there was something missing this season and I just can't put my finger on it. Next season should be interesting with Oliver as Mayor.

So that's pretty much it. Now I have lots of time to write some books this summer! What was your favorite new show this year? Did one of your old favorites surprise you this season?

Would you be interesting in reading a blog post about the new shows coming next season? I can start working on it if you guys are interested. :-)

Jenn's TV Recap #4!

Okay, I think this is the last one, right? Probably not, but for now, it's what I've got.

Possible Spoilers ahead!

Let's start with...

Agents of SHIELD (ABC)
Such a great season! Not sure about a few things, like where they're taking Simmons, and why they had to kill Trip, he was awesome! But I love the introduction of the Inhumans, and I had a feeling than Anya Jiaying was going to be bad. Shame, she was a great character to explore a little more. I kinda felt bad for Ward, for a minute, but then I got over it. Hope Cal comes back. Favorite characters will always and forever be May and Coulson.

American Idol (Fox)
Jax should have won. That is all.

Arrow (CW) That's a lot of A's...
I LOVE THIS FREAKING SHOW. Yeah, I am on a Superhero kick, and this is probably #2 but a close #2, I'll get to #1 later. Fave Characters are still Oliver, Dig, and Felicity, though I have to say Thea didn't bother me as much as normal. The fight scenes are some of the best on TV, hands down, and I don't think I'll ever get bored of watching Merlyn on screen.

CSI: Cyber (CBS)
I've given up on all the other CSI, though I will watching the two hour finale send off movie if Grissom comes back! However, nothing else was on, so I decided to watch, because I love the Beek and Bow Wow is so cute and Patricia just won the Oscar, so how could I not? It's more in the vein of Criminal Minds than a normal CSI show, so that probably helped. It also scared the CRAP out of me with what people can do online. Turn off your location people! Don't geo tag your photos! Yikes.

The Vampire Diaries (CW)
I'm in it for for the long haul, apparently. Now that Elena is gone, I'm curious to see where it goes. Her send off was HORRIBLE! I mean, really? A Magical Coma? Bleh. I don't like Enzo. I don't like their mother. I love Alaric and loved Jo...wtf? At least Jeremy came back to say goodbye. Meh. I'll watch for Damon.

Scandal (ABC)
Oh. My. God. When Eli screamed OLIVIA I had goosebumps. You go girl! Not that I think it'll last and the repercussions are going to be bad. Good on Jake for getting the fuck out. I would have, too. Fitz and Mellie are such an odd pair and honestly, he shouldn't have kicked her out. However, I think she'll do just fine. :-) They need to so something new with Huck, and if they're smart, they'll end next season, but I doubt that'll happen.

Mad Men (AMC)
Weird season. They did the best they could, I guess. I'm glad it's over, it wasn't great the last couple of seasons, I wanted more advertising drama, not people drama. Oh well.

The Flash (CW)
#1 Favorite Superhero Show! TIME TRAVEL!! You will always win me with Time Travel. Joe and Barry are the heart and soul of this show. The special effects are amazing. It's fun and lighthearted and serious and angsty all at the same time. What more could you ask for? A super, Supervillain? Yep, Wells/Thawne was fantastic and I'm so happy they're gonna find a way to bring Tom Cavanaugh back! I didn't really like the last bit after Barry came back from the past, I hope they have a good explanation because they have a lot of paradoxes to untangle.

Survivor (CBS)
I only watched half the season. I just wasn't into it. Glad Mike won, seems like he deserved it.

Supernatural (CW)
I like this season more than last, but I do miss the old school Supernatural. I will say, I am kinda tired of every season ender being about one of the brothers saving the other because of something stupid they did early in the season. As long as Cass and Crowley are back and someone please kill Rowena. Don't like her. At all.

So, that's it.

We have So You Think You Can Dance and Under the Dome coming up soon. I may check out one or two other summer shows, but you know, I should be writing!

How about you? Which Finale did you love, which did you hate?

Jenn's TV Recap Part 3

The Final TV Recap for the 2014 Mid-Season. Wow. It's really almost 2015 isn't it?

Time really does fly the older you get, huh?

All righty, here's part 3, as promised.

I know I'm missing some shows and I know I haven't finished all the mid-season finales yet, but I think I have enough to go with. :-)

Possible Spoilers

The 100

I'm really getting into the whole YA thing, though I can do without the love triangles. They're mostly annoying. So, I'm happy that it's no longer an issues on The 100. They got rid of the first love triangle in season one and while the second love triangle was interesting and felt more organic, I'm glad it's over, too. Now Clarke can get with Bellamy. Hey, I didn't say I don't want a little romance in my TV shows, I'm just over the love triangles. :-) Anyway, this is still one of my favorite new shows to
make it to season 2. I know it's not following the books as closely, which is probably a good thing considering the reviews I've read, but the characters on this show are amazing - from the parents to the kids to the creepy Mount Weather people and the Grounders. I can only imagine where this show is going but it has tremendous potential. It doesn't hurt there are lots of hot people either. <3 Lincoln!

Once Upon A Time

I hated the Snow Queen's story. They didn't do it justice at all. I would have rather seen more flashbacks with her and Emma and some other reason for the SQ to be all evil and whatnot. I'm also tired of the writers looping Regina about around again and again for no good reason. I don't have a very good feeling about the new Queens of Evil story line either, but...I'll stick around a bit longer and see what happens, but it may be my last season.

Supernatural

I'll never give up on the Winchesters. I'm not sure how I feel about this season, so far, but the addition of Crowley has been awesome...up until they introduced his mother. The few scenes with them have been funny, but I hope she doesn't stick around long. The last episode with Jimmy's daughter was better than I expected. It's nice how the writers bring back characters and actors from the earlier seasons and keep their stories intertwined with what Sam and Dean are dealing with currently.

Survivor

I will be honest, I fast forwarded through a bunch of the last several episodes but caught the finale which went down rather well. I still enjoy watching this show because it is a study in human behavior and sometimes it helps me flesh out a character - believe it or not. :-)

Newsroom

I still don't know why this show was canceled. I don't get all the Sorkin hate. I don't see his female characters as anything but female characters. I've know girls like each and every one of the characters portrayed on that show. Some are jerks. Some are smart. Some are girlie. Some are weak. Some are powerful. Some are strong. I actually liked all the Sorkin-logues. Above all else, I loved watching the news teams gather the stories and sources and despite the fact that it was all old news that happened months ago, I was sitting at the edge of my couch, pulse racing as I watched many of the shows. It really sucks that it's over. I would have loved to see their take on recent events including the Sony Hack. Oh well.

So, what has been your favorite show so far this year? Do you enjoy these recaps? Should I keep doing them? :-P