Category Archives: TV Reviews

Reacher: New York’s Finest – TV Review

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TL;DR – There comes a point when you are on the run where it is time to start fighting back.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription that viewed this series.

A pissed off Reacher.

As we start heading towards the pointy end of the season, there comes a moment when things have to start hitting the rubber. You can only prolong the inevitable so long before you start losing the tension. This week, we can see the start of that shift happening as the team decides not to play defensive anymore.

So to set the scene, at the end of Burial, we discovered just how brutal these people are as they use a tripwire IED to kill a sniper. Their opposition is trying to erase everyone from existence, even the people working for them. Now they see the lengths their opposition is going to. Well, it is time to take the battle back to them. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: I Plunge to My Death – TV Review

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TL;DR – A more contained story that brings with it strengths and weaknesses.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

The Gateway Arch

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

When you have a ticking timebomb with regard to your quest, you need to start moving it. Indeed, our team has to make it across the continental USA in a couple of days, or all is lost. I just hope you don’t have a wave of upset monsters and feuding gods chasing after you.

So to set the scene, after tangling with the Medusa in We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium, the gang  Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri). Decide to hop on a train to make up some missed time. But things start looking dire when their train cabin is trashed while they are out to breakfast. Good thing there is a friendly lady (Suzanne Cryer) that can help … right … ? We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Reacher: Burial – TV Review

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TL;DR – Bookended by two fantastic action sequences, it shows that Reacher is peak-Dad Show Energy, but also more than that.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription that viewed this series.

The American flag over a coffin.

Reacher Review –

Last week, we dived into the first half of Reacher’s Second Season, and it was fantastic. It hit the same energy of the first season, with the added bonus of getting the team back together. With all of that energy behind it, I wondered if its central premise could hold up to the end because righteous Reacher might need to get dirty.

So to set the scene, Reacher (Alan Ritchson) has stayed behind in New York with O’Donnell (Shaun Sipos) to help his family bug out and move to safety as they turn their focus on New Age Technologies. This company seems to be having a bad case of wanting to kill them all. Meanwhile, Neagley (Maria Sten) and Dixson (Serinda Swan) have made it to Denver, Colorado, to see just what is going on in the software division of this new missile company when bullets start flying. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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NCIS: Sydney – Blonde Ambition & Full Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – They may have saved the best for last with a banger of a season finale.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this series.

The surf off Sydney.

Well, we have come to the end of the first season of NCIS: Sydney. It has been an odd season, with moments of highs and also a lot of frustrations. However, things started to coalesce towards the end, and I wondered if the show could stick the landing.   

So to set the scene, we open at a kids birthday party where a deeply bad clown is performing for the kids, but things turn sinister when the clown steals the birthday boy. Meanwhile, they have the secretive woman Anna (Georgina Haig) they captured in Bunker Down, who has been a thorn in everyone’s side since Gone Fission. The team is wondering why Anna feels so secure even though she is in handcuffs and locked to a desk when the call comes in that the child that was stolen was JD’s (Todd Lasance). We will be looking at the episode and season as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Pokémon Concierge: Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – It is bringing Pokémon into a new medium while being charming to its very core.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this show.

End Credit Scene – The final episode has an end credit scene.

Haru and Psyduck

Pokémon Concierge Review –

Well, today, we looked at a show that came out of nowhere and had me excited the moment I locked eyes on it. To be fair, I am an easy mark when it comes to Pokémon. I’ve been playing since Yellow. However, this felt like a fresh take on a formula that has, in many ways, been done to death, and I am glad to say that having now watched it, I was right.  

So to set the scene, Haru (Non/ Karen Fukuhara) is not having the best time. First, her boyfriend of six years breaks up with her over text message (what an arse), then a presentation didn’t go to plan, and worst of all, her work bestie quit. This series of unfortunate events leads Haru to make a drastic career change and become a concierge at the Pokémon Resort. Haru is nervous as to what she will need to do on her first day of work, but out of everything she was expecting, having Miss Watanabe (Yoshiko Takemura/ Lori Alan) tell her to enjoy the resort was not anywhere on her list. Now from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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Reacher: Season 2 – Part 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – They take the format that worked from the first season and bring in a team to elevate it.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription that viewed this series.

Reacher walking away from the carjacker he just beat up.

Reacher Review –

Lee Child is an author that I know by name, but I have never gotten a chance to read any of their work. But I do get to see some of their adaptations from time to time. The films with Tom Cruise were fine, but back in 2022, they found the right combination when they cast a mountain of a man as Reacher and let them loose on a corrupt town. Today, we look at the first part of the second season to see if they can strike lighting twice.   

So to set the scene, it has been two years since Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) spent time in Georgia and took down a corrupt town and their money laundering program. Since then, he has continued to float around America, moving from town to town with nothing but his toothbrush holding him down. When he tries to get some cash out of the ATM, he first takes down a carjacker and then realises that someone has left an SOS in his bank account. One call later and he is on a plane to New York to meet up with Frances Neagley (Maria Sten) because someone is targeting their old MP unit. Now from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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Letterkenny: Season 12 – TV review

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TL;DR – Like all endings, it is bittersweet, with moments of longing, frustration, and sadness, all there with the joy of seeing people being able to stick the landing.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I watched these episodes on SBS.

Katy talks in front of the Letterkenny sign.

Letterkenny Review –

Well, like death and taxes, all things have to come to an end at some point, and today, we are looking at a series that made it to twelve seasons, a rarity in this day and age. If you want to have a look at the series as a whole, you can read our review HERE. But today, we are going to jump into that final season. One of familiarity and change.  

So to set the scene, there are a couple of stand-up comedians in town, and that has the whole gang thinking that they could take a swing at it. Wayne (Jared Keeso) is not that great at crowd work, Dan (K. Trevor Wilson) is as funny as ever, Daryl (Nathan Dales) is the big surprise of the evening, but when Katy (Michelle Mylett) comes out to roast the town, she brings a flamethrower. This creates a vibe that has people thinking about their place in the world and if they are stuck. Some flirt with moving, others explore new life choices, but then others find new friends and pull at the fabric of the town. We will be looking at the series as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium – TV Review

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TL;DR – We get a slightly updated look at a tragic story.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Starting a quest.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Well, we have been running through this story at a decent clip. I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher was all about introducing us to this world, and I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom set up Camp Half-Blood. But episode three is here, and it is time to go on a quest, I sure hope nothing untoward happens.

So to set the scene, after declaring that there is a quest, Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) is sent to visit The Oracle (Jennifer Shirley), who reveals what is coming but also that a friend will betray him. Well, all Percy needs to do is pick the two people who will come with him on the quest and without thinking, he chooses Annabeth (Leah Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri). Okay, a quest is starting, and they need to get to Los Angeles, but wait, why are they taking the bus and not a plane? We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road – TV Review

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TL;DR – It hit the energy that you wanted for the first time a Doctor and their Companion met – chaos, fun, with a hint of sadness.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post Credit Scene – Depending on which version you are watching, there is something before the credits proper start, but after the end of the episode.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

The TARDIS flying through space.

Doctor Who Review –

We have just barrelled through the 60th Anniversary specials with The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder, and The Giggle; however, we are not done yet. There is a tradition that has been more or less followed throughout the years, and that is a special Christmas Episode. It has been a while since we had a Christmas special that was also our first proper introduction to a new Doctor, but let’s dive in to see if they can pull it off.

So to set the scene, one Christmas Eve, a stranger came to the old church on Ruby Road. A woman cloaked in black dropped her daughter off at the church at midnight and left. She was named Ruby after the street, but no one knew who her mother was or why a time-traveling Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) appeared. In 2023, Ruby (Millie Gibson) is just an average woman going through her life, well, almost normal. Because you see, there is a trail of bad luck that keeps following her around. The bad luck that spawns from tiny little hands pulling out electric plugs. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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Letterkenny – An Exploration of a Uniquely Canadian Romp

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TL;DR – This is a delightful insight into a part of Canadian life.

Disclosure – I watched these episodes on SBS.

There are 5000 people in Letterkenny. These are their problems.

Letterkenny Review –

As Christmas Day approaches (or if you are outside of Canada, you will get it on Boxing Day), it means that a Canadian institution is drawing to a close. It’s a show I discovered once by seeing a GIF on Imgur about kids falling off bikes, which is an odd entry point into a deeply amusing series. We have explored Letterkenny previously, but before we dived into the final season later this week, I thought it would be an excellent time to examine just what makes Letterkenny work as well as it does.

So to set the scene, welcome to Letterkenny, a town of 5,000 in rural Canada, and these are their problems. In this small town, we have several distinct groups. The Jocks, which given this is Canada, are the Hockey Bros Reilly (Dylan Playfair) and Jonesy (Andrew Herr). Who is into getting Ws, takedowns, snipes, and billet sisters. You have the Skids, led by Stewart (Tyler Johnston) and Roald (Evan Stern), who spend most of their time in their parent’s basement consuming illicit material and playing video games. Then there are the Christians with pastor Glen (Jacob Tierney) and his complicated relationship with who he is, oh and the local Mennonites Noah (Jonathan Torrens) and Anita Dyck (Sarah Wayne Callies). The Natives from the local reservation are led by the infamous and illusive Aunty Tanis (Tiio Horn), who oscillates between an ally and an enemy. But of course, no discussion about Letterkenny can be made without the contribution of The Hicks, Wayne (Jared Keeso), Katy (Michelle Mylett), Daryl (Nathan Dales), Dan (K. Trevor Wilson), and of course, the McMurray’s (Dan Petronijevic & Melanie Scrofano), and Gail (Lisa Codrington) who runs the bar. They are the heart of the town and also, sometimes, its fists.

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