Thoughts, ramblings and other stuff

One of the worst thing about CW is that I want to like their shows because they produce a lot of SF&F stuff but I kept being repealed by all the cheep melodrama, self-obsessed heroes and the worst offender of all protagonist centred morality. I quit both Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries because I couldn't handle it any longer. But I keep watching Arrow because it did unlikely thing - it actually improved.

I was annoyed with Ollie last season - the way he kept admonishing anyone who tried do the same things he did how what they are doing is wrong while going around killing people who usually did nothing but protecting bad guys. Being security for bad guys is not a crime unlike what he did and they had a perfect reason to try to kill him. And then he came off as a horrible hypocrite when he explained to Helena how her killing spree was wrong while his was OK because he had a list.

But he did learn and I find him much more likeable this season. It also help he does has have a team now - I just love both Felicity and Diggle and they make Ollie a more relatable character. I loved when they went for him to the Island because that what friends do. And the whole cover conversation about secretaries, coffee and black drivers was priceless. I also like Sarah - I always suspected she would return but I didn't expected recast so glaringly obvious (it still feels slightly ridiculous but it also explains why they made Laurel blonder this season). And the Island flashbacks are always fun.

The only thing I don't like about this season is the way they sidelined and make Laurel unlikeable. She suffers from a typical problem of a character who doesn't know the secret - it always makes them look stupid and/or wrong - and I'm afraid she would become this show's Lana Lang - hated because delaying romance for plot reasons requires her to be left out.

I'm still watching Haven but I'm not sure why. Its problem with introducing new female characters and killing them off (same for the black ones, really) became more and more problematic over the years. I was happy for a moment when this season started and it miraculously turned out that Jordan wasn't dead (despite all the gun wounds) but we all know how that turned out. Add to this the fact that they introduced Duke's new brother for the obvious purpose of him going serial killer psycho (they even got Dexter's brother to play him to make it obvious enough and then he uses Dexter body disposal method) so Duke could kill him and destroy his own trouble so he cannot stop what is happening now. And all we see from Wade killing spree are the women he kills.

The whole Audrey and Nathan love story became this tragic soulmate thing that makes them both unlikeable jerks (especially Natahn). It's hard to disagree with Jordan assessment of Nathan actions and that makes me hate her being killed off even more. The only person who behaves like a responsible adult who is Duke and it's weird to looking back to think that he would turn out to be the good guy in this whole mess.

And then there are all the abandoned story lines - like noone cares what happened to the son of Sarah and Nate - the very Colorado Kid that is behind all this mess. Or random changes of coroners. You can see I'm nitpicking now - sure sign I'm fed up and everything bugs me in the wrong way. I just can't any more and even Colin Ferguson being ridiculously evil can't make it any better.

The fact that they introduce new female character doesn't help either as she is 1. love interest for Duke (look how that worked out for Evi) and 2. guess what is her storyline now that the barn thing is over (if you guessed the search for birth parents you get nothing - by now is way to obvious). But just for the record - I'm suspecting Jennifer to be a daughter of Audrey's previous incarnation - Lucy (maybe with Chief Wuornos) - or something like that and that's why she is connected to barn and agent Howard put her for adoption. I'm also expecting her to die - how can we ever let go of the triangle.

American Horror Story - The Coven is about bunch of witches this season and I find it surprisingly entertaining. The first season was interesting but the second wasn't and I stopped watching half way through but this one added both Kathy Bates and Angela Basset so I came back. It still has some iffy elements - but people much better qualified then me are talking about it. I just wanted to say that while I find their use of rape and racial abuse awful I think it's good that they provoked all this discussion (and some of the things shown are straight from headlines). The fact that the show runners just love going overboard for a snap moment or cool visuals even if that doesn't make any sense (except for sex dream logic) and general fetishisation of everything they can is at least annoying and most often despicable.

The preformances of Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates and Angela Basset's are great and the confrontation's between them are even better. They are all despicable in their own way but obviously Kathy Bate's one is the worst because she is plays a real, historical character who were exactly as bad as they say and the worst part of the show is when they make us care about her. The best parts are connected to Fiona's fight to stay in power and inability to come to terms with getting old and her war with Marie Laveau. And all the gifs. And there are also Frances Conroy and Patti Lupone who are also both fun to watch.

My favourites among the new generation are Nan and Queenie. I especially love Nan's confidence. I wish one of them was the new supreme. And if not them then the Lilly Rabe's character - the resurrection witch. But I'm pretty sure it will turn out to be Zoe as it's usually the most bland, PoV character who is special.

For now I enjoy the zombies and a Frankenstein monster - the magic version and witches in black and wearing hats.

I'm behind on Revolution and I probably won't bother to go back. It's plot is even less coherent then last season and that was bad. I also hate how just took back the whole power is back thing and substituted it with nanobots are obsessed with the Google guy now. Deaths, betrayals and sudden personality shifts seem to come without a rhyme or reason and I can't even make myself care. I'm sure that we get magical nanobot healing for everyone soon - it seems we already get almost no wound infection problems even though antibiotics expired a decade ago.

Once Upon a Time - should really finish with the whole Peter Pan/search for Henry storyline. I was expecting Peter Pan to be Rumpel's father (who isn't family on this show?) for few episodes now and everyone running around in circles in fake jungle isn't making this any more exciting. The best episode this season was the one back in Storybroke and it was a "lets all be friends" type of story with children cartoon level of plot depth. I don't know how much more of characters making disappointed faces at each other while doing nothing constructive I can take. And then when they do something it's like kindergardeners were picking those choices. Neal distrusting Rumple so Peter Pan can take Henry again. Fight between Neal and Hook for a lighter (and Emma - generally the whole triangle thing is extremely badly handled and with their level of family connections also sort of creepy in a soap opera level). All of the rescue attempts with characters randomly sulking off in a different direction every now and then. They just need some better threats and most of all better writing. You cannot go forever just on the "how did they reimagined this Disney character" curiosity.

Grim has become once again a wessen of the week episode and even though I liked the last one I'm only really interested with the Renard family plot (both Captain schemes and Adalind quest).

Elementary is also so good now - I love how Joan gets better and better at her detective skills (she caught Sherlock and her friend and the whole London trip was about her solving things) and I'm intrigued by Mycroft (I didn't suspect Rhys Ifans could look so good poshed up). I suspected Mycroft to be behind the whole father thing and I knew he has some ulterior motives. The whole thing couldn't just be about reconciliation with Sherlock - that's not how Holmeses work. But I enjoy his interactions with both his brother and Joan and I'll be waiting for him to come back. After all this is the arc for this season and I want to know who he was talking with.

I still love Person of Interest but I'll write about it after the current arc ends.

I watch Scandal and love every dramatic chipmunk moment of it even if half of them makes no sense - like the whole Olivia parents mess. I don't care about the romance too much but if pressed I'm TeamJake just because I'm tired of the whole back and forth co-dependant thing with Fitz - they should quit each other through detox like drugs.

I'm still watching Revenge even if it also doesn't make sense. Is Nolan still rich or not - and if all these giant billion dollar companies tanked what with the global economy? Pretending neither terrorist attack nor the Initiative has ever happened. Or the baby. Trying to make us hate Aidan so people would be back to Emily/Jack ship. Etc. etc. But I want to see what !Emily's big plan is all about this time and if she can at least nail one Grayson.

Oh, and I love The Good Wife this season. I didn't know watching the characters we love going at each other throats is going to be so much fun. It is awesome but I'm a little sad about Diane and losing the Illinois Supreme Court nomination. I wonder if this become a part of the ethics war Melissa George's character starts with Peter (she acts like she really wants him to trip on something, I wonder why?).

I was afraid Fringe would devolve into silly treasure hunt but they do not seem to really care about that. Instead they just hit you where it hurts. I didn't expect them to kill off Etta last week. Or at least not so soon. She was awesome and competent and she never gave up. This made my conviction that the solution to Observer invasion will involve time travel and resetting the Universe (again) even stronger (I though it from the first time we saw the invasion last season). After this week episode I'm even more convinced of that. I think that - one - Observers' future is so devastated one more black hole means nothing - two - but that time wormhole will let our heroes go and stop Observers. In other news - Peter is becoming an Observer! And it was just a con stunt! Now that promo reminded me of the Dark City.

Haven really got the fandom railed with the Friday episode. The way they love to stir the shipping wars and keep all the ships alive and kicking makes me LOL. Sweet. Obviously Nathan will be brought back to life so I'm not to worried about that. I was more shocked by the fact that Colorado Kid was Sara's child.

I was expecting Tommy to either work for or be the bolt gun killer after that first episode. However, now I think it isn't Tommy. The real Tommy died in that motel room and the killer shapeshifted into him and took his place. That's why he change his mind and stayed.

My other unfounded speculation (just from what I saw in the next week promo). Audrey doesn't say she always loved Nathan she says it to Colorado Kid. She doesn't shoot Claudia Black. James Cogan is the shapeshifter (his father trouble) and she shoots him. Lets see next week how close to the truth I get.

Once Upon the Time was full of revelations too. Family revelations. We finally know who is Henry's father. We finally got Emma's flashback (I liked how this time present action was fairytale land and flashbacks were real world). We know what happened - how they met, why she went to jail, why he left her, why she is so distrusting. So many explanations. Now, I just want them to tell us Charming's name. Only mister Booth became somewhat creepy stoker or maybe Rumpel light - manipulating people's lives for his own goal. I wonder what he used to have in that box to make Neal go with the whole plan. And what about that dream?

I think I forgot to mention yesterday that my watch broke few of days ago. I'm used to having a watch on all the time.  I've been using a spports watch that one can bathe and swim in for years. A cheap one as I tend to hit everything with it so it doubles as wrist protector. I never take it off. I had serious problem with keeping track of time these past few days. Luckily I just got an replacement.

Meanwhile in his new book Stephen King wants to make the world a scarier place and put the scary back into vampires. I don't know how it'll go with all the romance fantasy (also called urban fantasy) novels writers. Who would their heroines fall in love in? Werewolves?

Neil Gaiman shared his photos from the latest visit to his homeland showing off with his dinner with sir Terry and stealing TARDIS. Too bad that Weeping Angel didn't get him. Or maybe good if he was planning another book with Pratchett.

And those in need of cheap entertainment can go to Whatever and see Scalzi baiting the crowds by reviewing Atlas Shrugged. He is however policing the comments so there shouldn't be too much wank.

And I was right. ( Haven 1x12 Spoilers )

Eureka started yesterday and was so much fun I watched it twice. I didn't realize how much I missed the denizens of Eureka. Jack, Allison and Henry. Jo and Fargo.

( Spoilers for Eureka 4x01 )

It all reminds me of the end of season 1. I wonder if they will try to live with the changes or try to fix it.


I also watched the premiere of Haven. It wasn't bad but it wasn't very good either. It certainly wasn't gripping.

None of the heroes was really memorable. The main mystery of the origins of Audrey Parker is not all that interesting either.

( Small spoilers for Haven 1x01 )

I will give it couple more episodes but it doesn't seem like something I'll like. The trailers for this were more interesting then the episode itself. And after a day I don't even remember much of it. Maybe it's because I've seen too many stories about some sinister supernatural conspiracy and small towns (Happy Town, Persons Unknown). Maybe it was a bad idea to pair it with Eureka. After over the top comedy of it Haven seem little bland.