Tag Archives: American Television

TV Review – The Orville: A Happy Refrain

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TL;DR – A beautiful story about finding love in an unexpected place.  

Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Orville: A Happy Refrain. Image Credit: Fox.

One of the things that The Orville has focused on in its run so far is the relationships between the crew, both plutonic, but yes also romantic. Indeed, the show’s premise was based around the fact that Ed (Seth MacFarlane) and Kelly (Adrianne Palicki) have to work together even though they used to be married. However, there has been one relationship that has been on a very slow burn since Season One and today we get more of it.

So to set the scene, we open as Claire (Penny Johnson Jerald) is working on a research paper and asks Isaac (Mark Jackson) to give it a once over. The two have grown close since their shuttle crash-landed and Isaac helped watch over her children. It is during this exchange that Claire finally works out that she wants to take this relationship to the next level, but is that something Isaac can even do. Oh and Bortus (Peter Macon) wants to grow a moustache and it is amazing. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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TV Review – Star Trek Discovery: Point of Light

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TL;DR – This week we take a moment to look at many of the other stories swirling around Discovery, with a return of a few old friends.

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

Star Trek Discovery: Point of Light. Image Credit:. CBS Studios.

Review –

So far this season we have been focusing very much on the Red Lights, the Red Angels, and the potential threat (maybe) that they pose. However, at the end of Season One, there were a lot of plot threads still hanging there and this week we take a moment to say hello to some old friends, and also kick a bit of ass while we are doing it.

So to set the scene, in last week’s episode New Eden, we discovered that Spock is not only on leave but that he has checked himself into a mental health facility, and is refusing all contact from his family. Well, that’s great but no one told Amanda (Mia Kirshner) that she could not find a way to reach her son. She arrives with Spock’s medical files and one request to Michael (Sonequa Martin-Green) break the encryption, which would be a breach of protocol if everything had not just changed. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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TV Review – Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Four Movements

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TL;DR – Today is a goodbye, but then it also was the perfect goodbye to have

Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Four Movements. Image Credit: NBC.

Review –

The last-minute renewal of Brooklyn Nine-Nine was both a joy, but it was also tinged with a little bit of sadness. This is that even though B99 got a half and then a full season pick up, it was also announced that Chelsea Peretti would be leaving the show. Well, that time has come, but with all things Gina, it was a joy to watch.

So to set the scene, at the end of The Tattler Jake (Andy Samberg) had a heart to heart with Gina (Chelsea Peretti) about where she saw her future, and was she being held back at the 99? Well at the start of Four Movements we get to hear her answer as she announces to the whole team that she is leaving the 99 and then she hands in her two-week notice with a four-part interpretive dance movement. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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TV Review – gen:LOCK – The Pilot

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TL;DR – The Pilot combines a great story, with fascinating animation, and a voice cast that is here for it, so much fun to watch.

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

gen:LOCK – The Pilot. Image Credit: Rooster Teeth.

Review –

A while back there was some mention of Michael B. Jordan staring in an animated mecha series from Rooster Teeth, and you have to believe that this immediately caught my attention. This of course was added to when we got the little hints as to what the series is going to be about and the sheer bonkers voice cast that was coming on board. Well, today we get to see the final product, and well it does not disappoint.

So to set the scene, in 2068 the world is a very different place with a totalitarian government The Union rising up and slowly taking over the world with their nano-tech. There are very few governments left to stop them and all attempts to find a diplomatic resolution have failed. As The Polity trains for the coming war, Julian Chase (Michael B. Jordan) and Miranda Worth (Dakota Fanning) take some time away from The Anvil, their base of operations, to visit Chase’ mum Roberta (Shari Belafonte) in Brooklyn, New York. However, they are not visiting in person but through VR Holograms. After the prerequisite embarrassing stories about Chase’s childhood, the pair leaves just as The Union start their main attack on New York. The team race to defend the city but sometimes the only option left is a sacrifice. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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TV Review – The Good Place: Pandemonium & Season Three

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TL;DR – We come full circle as we explore what happens when Eleanor has to take over for Michael, oh and then the show kicks you right in the feels.   

Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Good Place: Pandemonium. Image Credit: NBC.

Today we have reached the end of The Good Place’s third season, and what a ride it has been. We have been from Australia to The Good Place to the Interdimensional Hole of Pancakes, and more. Throughout that time we have discovered the source of the problem plaguing the afterlife and watched as people continued to grow and develop even after they are dead. With that in mind today we will be looking at both the season finale Pandemonium and also an overview of the season as a whole.   

So to set the scene, in last week’s Chidi Sees the Time-Knife, The Judge (Maya Rudolph) set out the rules that would be used to govern this new experiments, and of course both Shawn (Marc Evan Jackson) and Michael (Ted Danson) were not happy, which probably means that it is a fair system. But we all know that The Bad Place does not play fair as they rattle Michael so much that Eleanor (Kristen Bell) has to step in a pretend to be the architect. However, as we soon find out, that is not the only way The Bad Place is playing dirty, because they are here to torture, and that is what they are going to do. Now we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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TV Review – The Orville: All The World Is Birthday Cake

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TL;DR – It explores what you would do in a First Contact situation when everything is taken out of your hands.

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

The Orville: All The World Is Birthday Cake

Review –

First Contact is one of those big deal moments in Science Fiction, it can be a moment of pure joy or a moment of devastation. When you first put that call out into the universe you do not know who will answer it and indeed, for those answering the call what will you find when you make planetfall. Today we explore one such scenario, with of course The Orville’s unique spin on it.

So to set the scene, we open on the planet Regor 2 as the scientist and First Prefect (John Rubinstein) send a simple message into the void asking if there was anyone else out there. A couple of years later the crew of the USS Orville were doing another run, this time picking up their new chief of security Talla Keyali (Jessica Szohr), and discussing upcoming birthdays when they receive a faint message. Quickly finding out that this is an unknown civilization the whole crew jump with the excitement of going on their first First Contact mission. After some initial pleasantries, everything was going fine until Kelly (Adrianne Palicki) mentions her upcoming birthday and everything falls apart. Now we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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TV Review – Star Trek Discovery: New Eden

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TL;DR – We get to see what Discovery will be exploring for the first half of the season, and it is an area Star Trek does not often venture.   

Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Star Trek Discovery: New Eden. Image Credit: CBS Studios.

Review –

There are some areas of discourse that Star Trek has not really delved all that much in to in its fifty odd years, and one of those is faith. Now, of course, there are references to it in The Original Series and Enterprise, and we do get more of it in Deep Space Nine, but still, the show has been very hands off. Well, last week in Brother we dipped our toes into faith, well today we dive all the way in.

So to set the scene, Captain Pike (Anson Mount) is continuing to command the USS Discovery to find out what the deal is with these red lights that appeared with purpose across the galaxy. Today they have found another red light but this is deep into the Beta Quadrant 100s of years away at maximum warp. There is no way any ship could get there, but then no other ship has the Spore Drive. So off to the Beta Quadrant, we go, and nobody was quite expecting to find what they find. Now we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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TV Review – Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Tattler

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TL;DR – We get a walk down memory lane and a look to the future.

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Tattler. Image Credit: NBC.

Review –

As the season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine continues, we get a blast into the past as the show goes back to the 1990s, which a bit different to last week’s dive into the 1980s. We also continue the theme of interweaving three narratives throughout the story which some work and some don’t quite get there.

So to set the scene, Jake (Andy Samberg) and Gina (Chelsea Peretti) are super excited because it is their 20-year high school reunion time. It was the time of long hair, just one earring, and denim … so much denim. It is also a little bit of a struggle for Jake because his final year of high school was tough as the whole school thought he has tattled on the most popular kid in the school, gaining him the nickname ‘The Tattler.’ But it’s been 20 years surely people will forget, well as they and Amy (Melissa Fumero) arrive one thing is clear, nobody forgets. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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TV Review – Carmen Sandiego: Season One

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TL;DR – This is everything a Carmen Sandiego series needed to be, fun, informative, full of beautiful animation, and a cast giving their all.  

Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Carmen Sandiego: Season One. Image Credit: Netflix.

Review –

I grew up in the age before the internet, yes there was a time even before the internet yelled at you when you wanted to log on. It was an era when you would get games on floppy disks, both big and small, and it was here where I first met the elusive Carmen Sandiego. She was the final boss in an epic quest that took you from the streets of Reykjavik to Sydney and everywhere in-between as you hunted down VILE and recovered the stolen artefacts. When you have one of the touchstones of your first forays into the world of media getting another reboot, you tend to go in cautiously. However, I needn’t of worried because this was a joy from start to finish.    

So to set the scene, we open as Interpol agents Chase Devineaux (Rafael Petardi) and Julia Argent (Charlet Chung) run down the list of places Carmen (Gina Rodriguez) has recently hit, Art Galleries, Banks, … an amusement park …? The only clue she leaves is her presence in all red, announcing to the world who just robbed you. Well tonight she is in Poitiers, France, and the agents will stop at nothing to bring her in, but see Carmen is a master at what she does, and she has a little help thanks to Player (Finn Wolfhard). After a quick escape, Carmen makes it to the train only to be intercepted by Crackle (Michael Goldsmith) someone from her past. Well, since they have a lot of time on their hands before they reach Paris, Carmen relates to him the important story about how she became the world’s greatest thief. Now from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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TV Review – The Good Place: Chidi Sees the Time-Knife

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TL;DR – With Time-Knife we get the big major push for the rest of the season and it is an interesting one indeed.

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

he Good Place: Chidi Sees the Time-Knife. Image Credit: NBC.

Review –

For the back half of The Good Place’s third season, we have jumped from Australia and have started ricocheting around the afterlife. Well in today’s episode we get to visit the last name dropped location in the series so far The Interdimensional Hole of Pancakes.

So to set the scene, during last week’s Book of Doug’s Michael (Ted Danson) and the gang – Janet (D’Arcy Carden), Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Tahani (Jameela Jamil), and Jason (Manny Jacinto) discover what is really stopping people entering The Good Place. It is not spies in the Accounting Department, it is that the world of 2019 is significantly more difficult to navigate and even buying a single tomato is enough points to send you to The Bad Place. With this information in mind, Michael calls a meeting with The Judge (Maya Rudolph) in The Interdimensional Hole of Pancakes, where she is weakest, to discuss what it is that they can do about it. Now we will be looking at the episode as a whole so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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