You can tell that a blog has passed its prime when it resorts to reviews. Unless, of course, it self-consciously and deprecatingly refers to its being passed its prime, in which case it is so brilliant as to be in a category all its own: “Sarcastically Over-Compensatingly Laziness-As-Genius,” or SOCLAG.
Luckily, none of that applies to this blog post, which is simply a review of some shows I’ve been watching online.
Daredevil
Synopsis: An allegedly blind guy has inexplicable super powers, beats up bad people and doesn’t shave.
Pros: Acceptable acting, impressive fights scenes, and the patience to wait an entire season before acquiring a superhero costume.
Cons: Very few female characters; they over-did his super-sensing powers so much that his blindness is just a cover – he needs a weakness.
Best line: “Where’s this asshole’s hand?”
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Synopsis: A woman who grew up in an underground bunker where she was kidnapped for 15 years now lives in New York City with Carol Kane.
Pros: The first season had some hilarious sight gags and technology jokes; just when you think they are strictly 2-dimensional, there’s some character development; Carol Kane is in it.
Cons: Sometimes the writing gets too surrealistic and absurdist, making the characters less interesting; the Blast From the Past “I grew up in a bunker” device loses steam as Kimmy adapts to modern life; also, I could do without the stale gay, racial, regional and even hipster stereotypes and jokes.
Best Gag: The iPhone bit
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Synopsis: Very attractive people with super powers fight each other.
Pros: the special effects look cool; women aren’t just love interests.
Cons: Because it’s not the movies, all the top-tier S.H.I.E.L.D. superheroes (the Avengers) are strangely on vacation; it takes too long to type “S.H.I.E.L.D.”
Orphan Black
Synopsis: A confusing array of people and groups fight one another and it has something to do with clones.
Pros: Tatiana Maslany – because it’s a show about clones, Maslany plays a diverse panoply of characters, all with different accents and mannerisms, from a lesbian biochemist to my favorite, a psychotic yet lovable Eastern European assassin. Maslany is amazing.
Cons: a bit over-the-top with all the killing – it’s hard to understand why the different groups are so quick to shoot, torture and blow each other up.
Writer/director obsession: butts – there are a lot of gratuitous naked butts
Best line: When Sarah’s young daughter asks, “What’s a Republican?” her grandmother answers, “Oh, sweetheart, let’s not give you nightmares.”
Grace and Frankie
Synopsis: Who cares? Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are in it.
Pros: Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are in it; so are Sam Waterston and Martin Sheen.
Cons: Season two, episode one includes a Sassy Black Receptionist Woman at a hospital. Where did this now ubiquitous stereotype come from? Why would writers for a show busting stereotypes about old and gay people write in this character?
Best bit of season one: Lily Tomlin on the phone with Mike, Apple’s tech specialist for old people.
Yes, I watch other TV shows, but if I include them I will look at this post and think that all I do is binge-watch TV. Even worse, my mother will think that. So, I’ll stop here & invite you to click on the following daisy:
This is my 2007 thesis for Lesley University's Masters of Education in Curriculum Design, focusing in Conflict Resolution and Peaceable Schools:
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