TV Reviews -

Alex's TV Reviews

True Blood: Season 2

With season 3 underway it seemed to make sence for me to give you the season 2 review!Season 2 starts up right after the end of season 1, with Sookie and Bill's romance well underway, Jason is confused and lost after being accused of the murders from the previous season and sets out to find his place in the world, joining a religous organization dedicated to anti-vampire activities. Sam tries to find meaning in his ability and Lafayette also finds himself in danger and way over his head after peddling V.This season seemed a lot less focused than the first one, with loads of sub plots and several new characters, the story jumps about all over the place but finally settles down towards the end as the plot lines merge! I personaly didnt think much of the maenad plot line, it just felt a bit out of place, but I wont spoil it for you! Overall it was not quite as serious as the first season, with a lot more "comedy" moments and plenty of SOOOKKEEII's from Bill (the writers even nod to to the overused phrase in the se3 premier) but still an amazing show well worth watching!
Final Rating: 4.5

Blackadder

Back in 1983 the BBC turned this popular radio comedy into a tv sitcom. The main character, Edmund Blackadder is played by the amazing Rowan Atkinson and each season sees him in an iconic historical time. Season 1 is set during the raign of King Richard III and IV, season 2, during Queen Elizebeth I rule, season 3 is set in the 18th and 19th century and the final season is set during the first world war. several one offs and charity episodes also take place, often spoofing well known stories such as "A Christmas Carol". Lord Blackadder is always seen with his trusty (if disgusting) servant Baldric, played by Tony Robinson and eather the totally inept Lord Percy Percy played by Tim McInnerny, Prince George or Lieutenant George, both played by Hugh Laurie. the charactersusually find themselves in dangerous situations and have to find a way out, more often than not they end up making things 10 times worse!Each season consists of 6, 30 min plot-driven episodes making it a great show to watch when you dont have a lot of free time! full of lovable characters and a large number of guest appearances such as Sir Rik Mayall. Blackadder is a must for any "Britcom" fans and is sure to lure in anyone experiencing the world of British TV comedy for the first time.
Final Ratings:
Season 1: 4/5
Season 2: 4.5/5
Season 3: 4/5
Season 4: 5/5

The Big Bang Theory (Seasonless)

The Big Bang Theory which has just wrapped up it's third season and has a fourth confirmed, is a sitcom set in California and follows the antics of Sheldon, Leonord and friends. Sheldon and Leonord are both physicists with super high IQ, who share an apartment. The girl next door, Penny and friends Howard and Rajesh are main characters as well. Each episode is stand alone story with little to link from one week to the next, however this makes it a great series if you dont want to follow the super complex plot lines from the likes of lost or heroes and keeps you interested in the fast passed comedic style. the stories and jokes usually revolve around the super smart aspects of the characters playing off against there social ineptitude, turning up to a fancy dress party dressed as the doppler effect is one example! The series is a good demonstration of how "geek" is the new in thing, with common references to MMORPGs, new technology, superheros, movies and comics. I would defiantly recommend this to anyone who wants a light hearted show to watch after a hard day at work. a few of the jokes may not make a whole lot of sense to us people without a Ph.D in advanced theoretical physics but the way the jokes are told and the body language and reactions of cast make up for it and more!
Final Rating: 4/5

Fringe: Season 1

First Aired in 2008, Fringe is about a small group "FBI" agents as they work to solve all the unexplained cases, using fringe science. Sounds a lot like X-files right? Well there are a large number of similarities, but Fringe brings new ideas into the world of the unexplained. It was created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who between them are the creative minds behind some of the most memorable shows and movies in recent years (Star Trek, Eagle Eye, Watchmen, Lost and Transformers) and stars a great list of TV pros (John Noble, Lance Reddick and Blare Brown). Season 1 Kicks off as the main character, Olivia Dunham is tasked with solving a bizarre case. Her investigations quickly lead to Walter Bishop and his son Peter. Walter is an ageing "fringe" scientist who was locked away after a fatal lab "accident" resulted in the death of an assistant. After successfully solving the case the Bishops are allowed to continue their bizarre experiments in order to unravel the mysterious "Pattern" unknown link between all the strange goings on in the area. Each episode is a self contained story, however as each case is solved the "pattern" starts to emerge reveling a great season plot arc the ends with a classic "wait?...what just happened!?" cliffhanger. After you purge your head of all the X-files-like similarities, Fringe season 1 will really start to grow on you, as will the characters (especially Walter and his unique outlook on life and death)! The series provides just enough answers to questions to stop you having "lost" moments but also keeps a lot back to surprise you with later. A must see if you ask me!
Final Rating: 5/5.5

True Blood: Season 1

First aired in 2008 with a second season in 2009 and a 3rd set to start June 2010, True Blood is based on the 'Southern Vampire Mysteries' series. Based in the fictional town of Bon Temps, the show centers around Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) a waitress with an unusual gift who meets a "mainstreaming" vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Set in a world where a blood substitute has been developed, vampires have revealed their existence and most strive to co-exist with humans. The show has a stone focus on sex, drugs and religion and is definitely not one for the kids! The show is refreshing, risky with themes that other shows shy away from. Rather than putting a soft padded lining around the conflict, it shows the ugly "truth" in all its gory fullness! Right from the start of the opening title (some of the best I have seen ever in movie or television) you know your in for a treat! At the start of season 1, the quiet, out of the way town of Bon Temps gets a unusual visitor. The Vampire, Bill Compton moves into his family's old home with the intention of settling down to a normal (un)life and attempts to gain the trust of the locals. At the same time Bill moves to town, a series of bloody murders take place with the prime suspect, Sookie's brother Jason! (Ryan Kwanten) as tension mounts, the season finale ends in a classic slasher horror style race to find the killer before the death toll mounts up! This show is a must see for anyone craving a more adult take on the supernatural.
Final Rating: 5.5/5

Firefly: Season 1

Written and directed by Joss Whedon. Firefly first aired in late 2002 but was unfortunately cut after the filming of 14 shows. However due to amazing support from fans a feture length movie was released that saw the whole cast back on the screen together and tided up the stories ending. When most people think about TV sci-fi they probably see the ultra clean and tidy spaceships of the federation flying about shooting knobbly headed aliens, or big contraptions with flashing lights that manipulate the space time continuum. Firefly however takes those ideas and throws them in a big muddy puddle! Set 500 years in the future, humans have successfully depleted the Earths resources and moved to another solar system. After the inevitable war for power between the Alliance and the Independents there is relative peace. The story follows the crew of a small ship called Serenity, as they travel around from planet to planet in search of work, avoiding the Alliance and the dangerous "Reavers" .The 9 main characters are as different from each other as they could be, you have the Captain, Mal, an ex soldier who fought for independence and lost, His 2nd in command Zoe, a warrior who also fought in the war. Inara, a high class registered companion. Jayne: a hired gun who will do anything if the price is right. Kaylee: the ships mechanic. River: who was the subject of unknown experiments. Simon: Rivers’ brother who is dedicated to help her recover. Wash the ships pilot and Zoe's husband. And finally Shepherd Book: a preacher with a mysterious past. As varied as the cast is, I would not be able to pick a favorite, each actor fitting there role perfectly. Though set on a spaceship the stories are all very realistic with no time travelling, teleporting, laser wielding aliens! I would highly recommend this to show anyone, even if you hated Joss's other shows like Buffy give this one a go, it’s a whole different kettle of fish! The only reason I’m not giving it a 5 is because Fox messed the show up so much!
Final Rating: 4.5