The Day of The Doctor - Initial Reactions

Intro

I've used some personal abbreviations in these notes so here's what they mean:

10 - David Tennant

Doctor - Matt Smith

WD - John Hurt

SPOILER WARNING

The following Initial Reactions are for Doctor Who, "The Day of the Doctor." If you haven't seen it, please don't read these. Go watch it first.

Doctor Who - "The Day of the Doctor" - Initial Reactions

• Original titles! AWESOME!
• Teacher Clara at the school Suan went to. Interesting.
• Why is he reading Advanced Quantam Mechanics?
• Someone's airlifting the TARDIS. For why?
• Hello UNIT. Kate has the same ring tone I do.
• Why would you grab the TARDIS while he's not in there?
• Elizabeth the First gave him orders.

"Why shouldn't I have a job? I'd be brilliant at having a job." - Doctor

• It's kind of a gorgeous painting, despite the destruction. 3D oil painting of the last day of the Time War.
• W00t, Time War and Dalek music.
• Shooting a message in the wall while Arcadia falls? Okay then... Well now that makes a bit of sense.
• That is an awesome table.
• That's an interesting mostly destroyed building... Cool looking weapon, too. Very steam punk.

"Why is there never a big red button?" - WD

• Well hello Rose. She's being all weird... all Wolfy. She's the interface, so that makes sense.
• The suffering really, really bugs him.
• As a punishment, it kind of works. When I say kind of, I really mean great, as punishments go... painful.
• He married her, too? Alrighty then.
• Rather cool we get to see that bit with Elizabeth.
• She's not the real Elizabeth... weird.
• Zygon.

"Big red rubbery thing, covered in suckers." - 10

"Oh good lord, Doctor. Nice one." - 10

• Threatening a rabbit with that ridiculous speech. Lol.
• Why is he throwing fezzes at himself?
• Why is it all sandy?

• "Hey you. Are you sciencey?" - Doctor
• "Someday, you could just walk past a fez." - Clara

• Tennant does not look as good in a Fez.
• Oh God, this Sonic gag is going to annoy people.
• Okay, those two together is slightly amusing.
• The Fez helps figure that out then. Interesting.
• UNIT dating issue, solved by Dating Protocol.

"Why are you pointing your screwdrivers at me? They're scientific instruments, not water pistols." - WD

• Poor Clara.
• You big Liar, 10.
• Hello Weeping Zygons.
• Sucks for that chick, but at least she's a bit clever.
• Memory stuffage going on. TARDIS proof room.
• Captain Jack gave UNIT a vortex manipulator. Interesting.
• Yep, American time travel movies always end up horribly.
• Everyone's been taken over by Zygons. How rather sad.
• Clever Clara.

"The man who regrets and the man who forgets." - Rose Interface

"Sorry. It just occured to me. This is what I'm like when I'm alone." - Doctor

• No one actually locked the door. That's hilarious.
• Oh joy, more taking over the planet nonsense.
• So they essentially made Elizabeth a bit more awesome... and married The Doctor to her.
• He is such a liar. Hello coral TARDIS.

"Hey look. The round things."
"I love the round things."
"What are the round things?"
"I have no idea." - Doctor and 10

• Kate vs Kate

"Cup o Soup. What is Cup o Soup?" - WD

• Hero shot of Doctors. Brilliant.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor. Sorry about the Dalek." - WD, 10, Doctor

• That's a very clever solution. Except inhalers are helpful.
• The weapon turned into a bit of TARDIS console... or at least looks like that... and a flower.
• THE COAT!!! I miss that coat!

"You were The Doctor on the day it wasn't possible to get it right." - Doctor

• T_T

"Never cruel or cowardly."
"Never give up. Never give in." - 10, WD

"Bad Wolf Girl. I could kiss you."
"Yup, that's gonna happen." - WD, Rose

• ALL OF THEM! ^_^
• That's brilliant! ^_^ T_T
• Hello Capaldi!
• No catch phrase for WD, then.
• I'm so crying right now.

"And if I grow up to be half the man you are, Clara Oswald..." - WD

• Regeneration into 9 now. W00T.

"Oh, never say nothing." - 10

• Frigging again with you?! Seriously, 10? Slightly better than last time, but really?
• TOM BAKER!!!! That was unexpected. XD
• Roundels on the wall of that room. Yup, I noticed.

Housekeeping

Reviews will be forthcoming... hopefully. My brain's kind of on: THAT WAS AWESOME right now.

Love ya, Jessie

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - Princess Twilight Sparkle - Initial Reactions

Intro

I know I said I wasn't gonna do these anymore, but... circumstances of excitement and art projects made me want to put up my notes. So... here ya go!

SPOILER WARNING

The following Initial Reactions are for My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Season 4, Episodes 1 and 2: "Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1" and "Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 2". If you have not seen the episodes, please go watch them before reading through these. There are spoilers.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - "Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1" - Initial Reactions

• Figured the flying lessons were at the beginning of the episode.
• Are they in Canterlot?
• Oh gosh, that was an epic crash and burn.
• Oh the shadows! I love that hallway thingy. And hey, highlights!
• Pinkie Pie is so amusing... and Pinkie Promise! Oh, Pinkie Pie.
• What is Twilight goes nuts without her friends?
• I enjoy Spike face-planting into the floor.
• Luna!
• Celestia's face looks weird for some reason. Probably the angle.
• I love how Pinkie Pie is sending party letters to Twilight.
• Oh noes, dark snakey vine...
• NOOOOO! They can't be gone!!!!!
• I love the overly dramatic guards.
• Hey look, there's a brown guard! That was unexpected.
• Poor Fluttershy's animals.
• Of course the apples would be all no-nonsense about the invasion. And Big Mac! That's so amusing.
• Oh, Rarity... And oh gosh! It's messing up magic. And then you blame is on Sweetie Belle. Bad big sister.
• Weaken all the ponies' abilities!
• Random seatbelts on Twilight. Poor Spike, smashing into a window.
• Pinkie sense in action!
• GAAAASP!!!
• When in doubt, blame Discord.
• Discord singing Winter Wrap Up!!!!
• So far, this episode is AWESOME!!

"Would I lie to you?" - Discord
"YES!" - Twi, Rarity, Dash, Pinkie, AJ
"Uhm, maybe." - Fluttershy

• Don't steal AJ's hat!
• Her magic is all Darkside now? Wha huh?
• "Doesn't seem to be working then suddenly working" cliche
• So why is Luna suddenly going all Dark Side again?
• Hello Nightmare Moon.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - "Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 2" - Initial Reactions

• Okay, but what are you doing back in the first place?
• Epic Nightmare Moon kills everything thingy... and seriously injures Celestia.
• OOOOOHHHHHH FLASHBACK! That's a relief.
• TO THE MOON!!!
• Oh, Discord. How amusing.
• So... we're doing a big flashback episode? Yay world building.
• The Tree of Harmony. Taking the elements ended up weakening the tree?
• Did she stutter, Dashie?
• Call backs to the first Season! W00T!
• Except it's a rather awesome looking croc. Teamwork FTW!
• No, dude. Just because Twilight's a princess doesn't mean she can't help. This is super sad!
• Poor cherry Berry and Cosmic! Was that Cosmic? Either him or Comet Tail.
• Way to twist that, Discord. Why are you messing with her so much?
• Stop doubting Twilight, RD. Seriously?
• Fall down a flight of Sombra-esque stairs...
• Dude, did you guys learn nothing about teamwork?
• Way for AJ to be a badass.
• Oh, now we do the teamwork thing.
• No crap, dude. You guys are ridiculous sometimes.
• No, that's your friendship, AJ. And I'm right!
• Yup, that rainbow is the most powerful thing ever.
• Why does Celestia walk with her wings outstretched but Luna doesn't?
• Keys? Season 4 Quest?
• Discord's lovely banners are lovely.
• Go Fluttershy. And Discord in a maid uniform! Lol.
• Last bit of flashback potion... Plunder Seeds? Huh.
• OOOOO!!! Twilight has a new crown!
• Yay Luna! T_T
• Well that was cool! And she stuck the landing!

Housekeeping

I am currently working on an art project I've had sitting around so... my review is gonna have to wait. I'll also be posting my notes/Initial Reactions to the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary episode after it airs... along with a review... I'm so excited!!!!

Love ya, Jessie

Hiatus Announcement

Alright, my plans for reviewing everything this Season have come crashing down around my ears completely, especially given this week. I've decided that it's in my best interests to take a break from reviewing things. I'm tired of apologizing for it, and yes, I know I don't have to, but there it is. Due to work and laziness and tiredness and general brain-not-wanting-to-function, reviewing episodes has become a bit of a chore. I'm going to take this break and recharge. Hopefully I'll come back with better reviews and whatnot.

That said, this Saturday I will most likely be putting up reviews for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Doctor Who. Season 4 of MLP starts Saturday morning and the 50th Anniversary Episode of Doctor Who airs Saturday as well. I have the great fortune of being off on Saturday so I'll be able to watch both of these things. I also have very few people with which to express my excitement/views on things so... reviews will probably happen despite my being largely on hiatus.

Also, if I feel like reviewing something, I will. If not, I'm not apologizing for it. I'm currently at least a week behind on a lot of things and I've also got podcasts to listen to. When I say things are crashing around my ears, I really mean it.

Thank you very much for reading my reviews and more blog-y blog posts. I hope you continue on with me, despite my lack of current-ness with my reviews.

Trailers (Because I Feel Like It)

Love ya, Jessie

Arrow - League of Assassins - Review

Intro

Took a short break from reviewing things yesterday and found out, annoyingly, that my internet or computer hates me. I managed to watch last week's episode of The Originals, with many stops for loading and things. When I went to watch Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, I was too annoyed to wait while it did much the same. It even stopped an annoyingly long time to load while I was watching Once Upon a Time last night, luckily, though, I was able to watch most of that episode unhindered.

Today I had better luck watching Once Upon a Time in Wonderland on Chrome so I think I'll just use that to watch everything else I have to. However, I do have to work today so I've just got this one review for you.

If you actually read that little rant, thanks. If not, well, it was rather inconsequential so... meh.

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for Arrow, Season 2, Episode 5: "League of Assassins." If you have not seen the episode, you should go do that before reading this review. Even my character lists contain spoilers.

Arrow - "League of Assassins" - Review

Characters:

• Oliver Queen - Played by Stephen Amell. Main character. Also known as "The Hood" or "The Vigilante" or "The Arrow."
• John "Dig" Diggle - Played by David Ramsey. Oliver's bodyguard/driver.
• Felicity Smoak - Played by Emily Bett Rickards. Oliver's Executive Secretary/techie.
• Thea Queen - Played by Willa Holland. Oliver's younger sister. Roy's girlfriend. Runs Verdant.
• Moira Queen - Played by Susanna Thompson. Olly and Thea's mother. Currently in jail.
• Dinah "Laurel" Lance - Played by Katie Cassidy. Oliver's ex-girlfriend. Works for the DA.
• Sara Lance/Black Canary - Played by Caity Lotz. Laurel's sister. Olly's ex. Currently vigilante-ing around Starling City.
• Officer Quentin Lance - Played by Paul Blackthorne. Laurel's father.
• Adam Donner - Played by Dylan Bruce. The District Attorney. Laurel's boss.
• Jean Loring - Played by Teryl Rothery. Old friend of Moira's and her attorney.
• Al Ow-Al - Played by Navid Negahban. League of Assassins member. Trained Malcolm Merlyn. Deceased.
• Dr. Anthony Ivo - Played by Dylan Neal. Runs the boat off the Island.

Review:

I was actually really happy with this episode. It had a lot of what I was expecting and some things I wasn't. I enjoyed getting some Sara back story, but I'm glad we didn't get everything all at once. In my opinion, Caity Lotz did a better job portraying her younger counterpart than Stephen Amell does. That's also really saying something since Stephen does an awesome job portraying young Olly. I honestly can't wait to see what happens/happened to Sara down the line.

Speaking of which, I really ended up liking Sara. I've heard people talk about how Caity Lotz's portrayal is rather wooden, but it works for me. I figure Sara's been through some really horrible stuff and been trained as a warrior so her emotions had to get buried deep. Olly, in comparison, hasn't been through as much, or at least not the same level of stuff, and is better at playing up his "civilian" persona when need be. He's also got Dig and Felicity to help soften him. The place where both Olly and Sara allow their true emotions to be seen is around their families, which Sara did.

"League of Assassins" was lousy with fight scenes. When I say that, I don't mean that the fight scenes were horrible, I just mean there were a lot of them. As usual, the fighting was very well done and showcased the skills of each character without going over the top. I felt like the fights carried more weight this time around, mostly because we could worry about Sara or Officer Lance getting killed. I'm pretty sure Olly's not gonna get killed any time soon as he's the title character so... that always takes a bit out of the suspense for me.

I'm back to being really annoyed with Laurel. It's great she's mostly off The Arrow's case, but this grief/guilt kick she's on isn't doing her any favors. The fact that she's ended up on Moira's case is annoying. Apparently there wasn't really another way to keep her relevant to the story. I honestly don't have anything more than that to say about Laurel.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Sara being at Olly's was initially weird. Can't wait to see how he explains the destruction.
• I love that Felicity is awkward around more than just Olly.
• I'm glad Lance had a conflict of emotions over Sara leaving.

Favorite Lines:

"She always did have the worst taste in friends." - Lance

"Guns are a coward's weapon. What are you without your side arm?"
"A guy with a spare." - Al Ow-Al and Lance

"Who do you think you raised." - Thea

Housekeeping

Uh... I'm only really putting this here because I need a breaker-thing before I sign off.

Love ya, Jessie

Grimm - "One Night Stand" - Review

Intro

Alrighty then, after a nice refreshing lunch, I'm ready to launch into my second Grimm review of the day. And this one's on time! Yay!

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for Grimm, Season 3, Episode 4: "One Night Stand." If you haven't seen the episode, I suggest you do so before reading my review. Even my characters lists contain spoilers.

Grimm - "One Night Stand" - Review

Characters:

• Detective Nick Burkhardt - Played by David Giuntoli. Grimm. Juliette's boyfriend. Hank's partner.
• Juliette Silverton - Played by Bitsie Tulloch. Human. Nick's girlfriend.
• Monroe - Played by Silas Weir Mitchell - Wieder Blutbad. Rosalee's boyfriend.
• Rosalee Calvert - Played by Bree Turner. Fuchsbau. Monroe's girlfriend.
• Captain Sean Renard - Played by Sasha Roiz. Hexenbiest. Royal.
• Detective Hank Griffin - Played by Russell Hornsby. Human. Nick's partner.
• Sergeant Wu - Played by Reggie Lee. Human.
• Adalind Schade - Played by Claire Coffee. Former Hexenbiest.
• Sebastien - Played by Christian Lagadec. Renard's spy.
• Daniel Hopkins - Played by Pritesh Shah. Human. Deceased.
• Jake Barnes - Played by Michael Welch. Human. Love interest of Elly.
• Sarah Mahario - Played by Sara Fletcher. Naiad.
• Anna Mahario - Played by Lauren Luiz. Naiad.
• Elly Mahario - Played by Stephanie Nogueras. Naiad. Deaf.
• Abel Mahario - Played by Brian McNamara. Naiad. Father of Sarah, Anna, and Elly.
• Dominic - Played by Derek Ray. Naiad. Engaged to either Sarah or Anna.
• Jesse - Played by Coltron James. Naiad. Engaged to either Sarah or Anna.

Review:

I was incredibly impressed with this episode of Grimm. We got an interesting mix of Mythology and Fairy Tale with the Naiads. The story very much reminded me of a modern retelling of The Little Mermaid. I enjoyed the look of the Naiads and the bit of their culture we got to learn in this episode. I found it interesting that they could die pretty quickly from dehydration and the makeup showing that was awesome. My arms started to itch just looking at those girls.

The Naiad culture surrounding mating and whatnot was infuriating. It's completely believable that archaic traditions would still hold in certain regions, as we've seen before with the Coyotl Wesen. I seriously wanted to beat Dominic and Jesse up myself for the way they treated Elly and her sisters. I thought the concept of "cutting" Naiad webbing was reminiscent of any kind of mutilation, especially female genital mutilation, in this context.

The parts of the episode detailing Rosalee moving in with Monroe were super adorable. My favorite parts there were Rosalee shoving Monroe out the door with Hank and Nick and the scene with the ugly rabbit. Rosalee essentially shoving Monroe out the door was hilarious. I feel like they're almost married already. I thought it was completely realistic that Monroe would both try too hard and also be a bit afraid of sharing bits of himself he didn't before.

Lastly in the review section, I'd like to talk a bit about Nick's abilities. We got to see him display his super-hearing almost on purpose. We saw his fighting skills, which I'm gonna assume included some level of extra strength, by the looks of things. We saw some enhanced sight underwater when Nick went to rescue Elly. And then we saw that he was underwater for a lot longer than he should have been and Hank saw some death-palor or something. I didn't really notice, though I looked for it after Hank mentioned it. Nick's definitely moving down the road of being more super-human than before. I'm liking the slow transition there.

Overall, "One Night Stand" was an impressive episode. I very much enjoyed all the effect, the makeup, the dialogue, and the story. It was a fun ride and I can't wait to see what's coming next week. Looks like something suitably creepy.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Everyone got to be super cute today.
• Renard knows about Adalind now. Yay.
• Love the underwater stuff, especially the lack of other noise. Didn't even notice if there was music during that bit.
• Juliette doesn't know about Nick's mom and is now gonna suspect him of having an affair or something. This is why Juliette checking Nick's email is a bad thing.

Favorite Lines:

"Let's round up the unusual suspects." - Renard

"No one is [normal], Jake. It's Portland." - Nick

Housekeeping

Let me know what you thought of the episode or my thoughts on it in the comments below, if you would. I'm curious.

As I did not get very far at all into my catching up yesterday, I'm going to go attempt to do that. Again I've got my nephew this evening so I've got a limited amount of time to actually do much. I'll catch up with things eventually.

Love ya, Jessie

Grimm - "A Dish Best Served Cold" - Review

Intro

This review will be done entirely in note-form. I watched the episode, but hadn't actually taken notes on it, so I jotted down some notes later that night. They're longer than my usual "Miscellaneous Notes," but if you were expecting a full review for this episode... I'm sorry to disappoint. My head just wants to get on with the review for this week's Grimm instead.

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for Grimm, Season 3, Episode 3: "A Dish Best Served Cold." If you haven't seen the episode, please do so before reading my notes/review. Even my character lists contain spoilers.

Grimm - "A Dish Best Served Cold" - Review

Characters:

• Detective Nick Burkhardt - Played by David Giuntoli. Grimm. Juliette's boyfriend. Hank's partner.
• Juliette Silverton - Played by Bitsie Tulloch. Human. Nick's girlfriend.
• Monroe - Played by Silas Weir Mitchell - Wieder Blutbad. Rosalee's boyfriend.
• Rosalee Calvert - Played by Bree Turner. Fuchsbau. Monroe's girlfriend.
• Captain Sean Renard - Played by Sasha Roiz. Hexenbiest. Royal.
• Detective Hank Griffin - Played by Russell Hornsby. Human. Nick's partner.
• Sergeant Wu - Played by Reggie Lee. Human.
• Adalind Schade - Played by Claire Coffee. Former Hexenbiest.
• Graydon Ostler - Played by Dan Bakkedahl. Bauerschwein. Chef.
• Bud - Played by Danny Bruno. Eisbiber. Refrigerator repair man. One of Nick's friends.
• Sebastien - Played by Christian Lagadec. Renard's spy.

Notes/Review:

• Interesting mystery on both sides of the Atlantic. Renard will soon know that Adalind was working with Frau Pech.
• I liked the solution to the Blutbad poisoning. I figured it was a ruse when Hank poked Monroe, though. Nick's reaction to accidentally killing his friend would have been much worse than it was if he'd actually done it. I do kind of wonder where they got all the Blutbaden to pull that off, but it was cool.
• Nick's zombie side-effects seem to be medically unexplainable.
• Loved the little Scoobie party over Nick moving out of Monroe's. Was not expecting that. Monroe covered surprisingly well.

Housekeeping

Okay, now on to the review for last night's Grimm, since I have time. W00T for unexpected days off.

Love ya, Jessie

Supernatural - "Dog Dean Afternoon" - Review

Intro

This is probably the shortest review I've done in a long time, that might tell you something about the episode. However, what it tells you is up to your interpretation.

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for Supernatural, Season 9, Episode 5: "Dog Dean Afternoon." If you haven't seen this episode, do so before reading my really short review. It might be short, but it contains spoilers.

Supernatural - "Dog Dean Afternoon" - Review

Characters:

• Sam Winchester/Ezekiel - Played by Jared Padalecki. Younger Winchester with an Angel healing him from the inside.
• Dean Winchester - Played by Jensen Ackles. Older Winchester.
• Dave Stephens - Played by Brock Johnson. Colonel's owner. Deceased.
• Colonel - Voiced by Al Rodrigo. German Shepherd. Only witness to his owner's death.
• Chef Leo - Played by Steve Valentine. Villain.

Review:

Well that was certainly a comedy episode, wasn't it? I don't really have much to say about this episode. Jensen did an excellent job doing dog stuff without going over-the-top... except for the poodle bit, but let's not go there. The villain was... weird. I didn't mind the weirdness of it, really, he was just strange. The concept of eating animal parts to get their abilities was interesting. The only other show I can think of that's done something akin to this is Inuyasha. Some of the demons will eat other demons' hearts to gain their strength/powers. Which, come to think of it, really has nothing to do with this so... meh.

Yeah... I'm annoyed Ezekiel showed up again. There wasn't really much point to it and I'm tired of him showing up.

Favorite Line:

"Always knew I'd find the source of all evil inside a vegan bakery." - Dean

Housekeeping

That's probably going to be my last review for today. I have to go watch stuff now and I've got my nephew to babysit later this evening. So yeah... gonna be getting reviews up slowly but surely.

Love ya, Jessie

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - "FZZT" - Review

Intro

Okay, I'm just gonna stop apologizing for late posts. This is, after all, the era of watching TV whenever we want so... if you're reading this review, I'll assume you're interested in my views and we'll just forget the fact that I'm really behind and getting even more behind as I type.

Life sucks, people.

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Season 1, Episode 6: "FZZT." If you have not seen this episode, I highly recommend doing so before reading this review. Spoilers are imminent.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - "FZZT" - Review

Characters:

• Agent Phil Coulson - Played by Clark Gregg. Not dead. Leader of Level 7.
• Agent Melinda May - Played by Ming-Na Wen. Pilot of the Bus. "The Cavalry."
• Agent Grant Ward - Played by Brett Dalton. Black Ops Specialist.
• Skye - Played by Chloe Bennet. Computer hacker. Member of Rising Tide.
• Agent Leo Fitz - Played by Iain De Caestecker. Engineering.
• Agent Jemma Simmons - Played by Elizabeth Henstridge. Biochem.
• Tony Diaz - Played by Vincent Laresca. Victim of the Chitauri virus.
• Agent Blake - Played by Titus Welliver. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent.

Review:

Although I hadn't yet gotten around to reviewing this episode, I listened to some podcasts about it. I mention this because I was somewhat amused by the inability of people to pronounce this episode's title. I was less amused when I went on IMDB today and found the title included periods between the letters, like it was an acronym... which it's not. "FZZT" is a visual sound effect like the ones used in the comics. This particular sound effect describes the sound electricity makes when moving from one object to another. I thought this was obvious, but apparently I was wrong.

Now that the title's been discussed/explained in entirely too much detail, we can get into the meat of "FZZT." We got a very interesting Avengers tie-in via the Chitauri helmet and virus. While I didn't know about the virus at first, I quickly figured out that whatever was going on with the floating guys was going to affect Simmons. After all, there was obviously something wrong with her in the previews and she got obviously shocked by the first floating guy. I'd originally suspected mind control of some sort, but AoS continues to disappoint on that front. I did, however, enjoy the virus aspect. To make matters worse, we had the added tension of Joss Whedon's tendency to kill off characters so there was no guarantee Simmons was going to live through this.

That said, I had a lot of fun watching Fitz and Simmons struggle working apart and then excel working together. I thought how they dealt with Simmons' possible death was pretty realistic. It was also heartbreaking to watch. I cried. It was also touching to see the rest of the team caring for Simmons in their own ways. Their relief after Ward saved Simmons was pretty darn awesome.

I thought the parts with Coulson were interesting. He's really not feeling himself and feeling the weight of his death. I'm happy he's trying to figure out what's wrong with himself, even if it didn't yield the results anyone was expecting. I especially enjoyed the scene between Coulson and May at the end of the episode. Her advice to him was incredibly poignant.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Making fun of ward is hilarious.
• The Dwarf drones are back!
• Damn you, Whedon! You can't kill her off now!
• Was not expecting Ward to make fun of Gemma making fun of him.
• That's a pretty awesome scar there, Coulson.

Favorite Lines:

"I don't sweat. I glisten." - Coulson

"Whether it was eight seconds or forty, you can't go through a trauma like that and not come out changed." - May

Housekeeping

I've got my review of last week's Supernatural ready to go next to me so... I'll be posting that very soon after posting this.

Love ya, Jessie

Sleepy Hollow - "The Sin Eater" - Review

Intro

Again, sorry very much for the long delays. I've honestly been too tired to even think about doing anything writing related. It's really not good and I should do something about it, but I doubt that will happen. For now, you'll just have to deal with my horribly late reviews for things.

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for Sleepy Hollow, Season 1, Episode 6: "The Sin Eater." If you haven't seen this episode, I would recommend doing so before reading this review. There are spoilers.

Sleepy Hollow - "The Sin Eater" - Review

Characters:

• Lieutenant Abigail "Abbie" Mills - Played by Nicole Beharie. The "Second Witness." Saw the Four Trees as a child with her sister.
• Ichabod Crane - Played by Tom Mison. The "First Witness." Sort of time traveled from the Revolutionary War to the present because of his magical blood connection with the Headless Horseman.
• Captain Frank Irving - Played by Orlando Jones. Sleepy Hollow's Police Captain.
• Katrina Crane - Played by Katia Winter. Ichabod's wife. Trapped in a purgatory run by Moloch.
• The Headless Horseman - Played by Richard Cetrone. Death incarnate.
• Jennifer "Jenny" Mills - Played by Lyndie Greenwood. Abbie's sister. Saw the Four Trees as a child with her sister.
• J. Rutledge - Played by James Frain. Member of the Free Masons.
• Arthur Bernard - Played by Tongayi Chirisa. Member of the Colonial Resistance.
• Colonel Tarleton - Played by Craig Parker. Demon. Ichabod's former commander.
• Henry Parrish - Played by John Noble. The Sin Eater

Review:

I'm probably in the minority on this episode. I didn't enjoy it as much as I have the others. I'm not sure what cause it, but it probably had something to do with too much exposition and the inclusion of the Freemasons.

Most of Ichabod's story was told to us and not shown satisfactorily. Mind you, a lot of what was going on was going on in his head, but still. I think the looks on his face and his conversations with Bernard and Katrina along with the fact that he saw Tarleton's demonic face should have been enough without all the voice over. Also, I was confused by Katrina in the flashbacks. Considering we know she's a witch, I'm assuming she was posing as a Quaker nurse, but I'm not entirely sure so... that was weird. The reveal of Colonel Tarleton as a demon was pretty cool. I especially liked that Ichabod saw his demonic face and was really disturbed by it. The flashback story was important in explaining what guilt ("sin") Ichabod was carrying around with him, but I think it could have been done better.

Abbie's section of the story should have been more interesting than it was, especially with the inclusion of Jenny. Don't get me wrong, I found Abbie's vision to be cool and her dedication to find Ichabod endearing, but I wasn't blow away by it. There was also a serious lack of anything for Jenny to do. She essentially turned into a version of first Season Giles from Buffy in this episode, except without the Britishness or demonology books. For all there was to do, she probably could have done it from her cell/hospital room.

As for the Freemason stuff, I'm tired of them popping up everywhere. Their role in shaping the US is constantly scrutinized by everyone and their mother, especially on the History and Discovery channels. Which I watch a lot of. Their inclusion here served only to get background on Ichabod. They didn't do anything but stand around making idle threats and being ineffective. The whole thing reminded me, retrospectively, of The Order of the Dragon from Dracula.

Lastly, I can't wait to see what John Noble does with the Sin Eater character. I loved him in Fringe and he was awesome in his limited role here. The rest of the episode clearly annoyed me so... sorry for the largely negative review, I guess. I can't be Sally Sunshine all the time.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Oh joy, baseball = America. Not impressed.
• Katrina-Bird is back.
• The Sin Eater is a cool concept.
• Okay, but seriously, they weren't going to kill off Ichabod. Get real.
• What was the significance of Ol' Headless finding Ichabod's grave?

Favorite Lines:

"What is the point of baseball?
"Please. Enlighten me." - Abbie and Ichabod

"You know, there are two things in life I believe a person should hold onto for as long as possible: virginity and skepticism." - Captain Irving

Housekeeping

Let me know what you thought of the episode, what your thoughts are on the Freemasons, or even what you've thought of the series so far in the comments. Please and thank you.

Again, sorry for the long delays in getting these reviews up. It's probably going to keep happening, especially as I'm now working and the holidays are fast approaching. Glad my Christmas shopping is already done.

Love ya, Jessie

Once Upon a Time - "Dark Hollow" - Review

Intro

Making a slight change in at least the order I do my reviews in. Since I watched Once Upon a Time last night, I might as well do the review that's technically scheduled for today instead of waiting until I can do it chronologically.

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for Once Upon a Time, Season 3, Episode 7: "Dark Hollow." If you haven't seen the episode, I would watch it before reading this review. Even my character lists contain spoilers.

Once Upon a Time - "Dark Hollow" - Review

Characters:

• Emma Swan - Played by Jennifer Morrison. Daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White. Birth Mother of Henry Mills. Product of True Love. "The Savior."
• Regina Mills - Played by Lana Parrilla. Mother of Henry Mills. Step-Mother of Snow White. The Evil Queen.
• Prince Charming/David Nolan - Played by Josh Dallas. Father of Emma Swan. Husband of Snow White.
• Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard - Played by Ginnifer Goodwin. Mother of Emma Swan. Wife of Prince Charming. Step-Daughter of Regina Mills.
• Henry Mills - Played by Jared Gilmore. Son of Emma Swan, Baelfire, and Regina Mills. The Truest Believer.
• Captain Killian "Hook" Jones - Played by Colin O'Donoghue. Pirate.
• Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold - Played by Robert Carlyle. Father of Baelfire. Grandfather of Henry Mills. The Dark One. Regina's mentor.
• Neal Cassady/Baelfire - Played by Michael Raymond-James and Dylan Schmid. Son of Rumplestiltskin. Father of Henry Mills.
• Peter Pan - Played by Robbie Kay. Big Bad of Wonderland.
• Felix - Played by Parker Croft. Peter's messenger... or something.
• Ariel - Played by JoAnna Garcia Swisher. Mermaid.
• Belle - Played by Emilie de Ravin. Rumple's True Love. Storybrooke Librarian.
• Archie Hopper/The Cricket - Played by Raphael Sbarge. Storybrooke's resident Psychiatrist.
• Blue Fairy/Mother Superior - Played by Keegan Connor Tracy.
• Grumpy/Leroy - Played by Lee Arenberg. One of the Seven Dwarves.
• Michael Darling - Played by James Immekus. Youngest of the Darling children. Kept alive by Pan.
• John Darling - Played by Matt Kane. Middle Darling child. Kept alive by Pan.
• Wendy Darling - Played by Freya Tingley. Eldest Darling child. Captive of Pan.
• Granny - Played by Beverley Elliott.
• Tinker Bell - Played by Rose McIver. Yup, that Tinkerbell.

Review:

We got to go back to Storybrooke today! That was a giant breath of fresh air, I have to say. Like, I love the Neverland stuff, but there's only so much jungle I can take. It was nice to be in a lighter area for once. Also, all the magic in this episode was awesome. I'm a sucker for the sparkles and the lava-y effects.

I very much enjoyed seeing everyone in Storybrooke. It was cool to see how Granny and Archie are attempting to take care of Belle, even if she's being Mopey-pants. I was also glad to see Belle and Ariel hit it off right away. They're one of those pairs I never thought I'd see put together. They made a great team, even if Ariel was incredibly distracted.

Jumping back a bit, I thought the cloaking spell was pretty cool. I was surprised to see John and Michael's car actually make it through, mostly, before it slammed down. Actually, I didn't think they'd made it into Storybrooke. I thought they'd somehow ended up on the other side or something. I don't know why I thought that, but the reveal of who they were later was actually a giant surprise to me... as I was putting the pieces together anyway. I figured out who they were before it was revealed on the show.

Speaking of, we finally found out who the other person in the cages was. Of course it would be Wendy. I was surprised to see her still a young Wendy, instead of grown up more, like her brothers. It was also interesting to see her sort of working with Pan. I think he's holding her brothers' lives over her head, like he's doing to them with hers. Also, that entire thing with Henry was obviously a manipulation of him. He's being played like a fiddle and doesn't even realize it. I wanted to smack him again.

I wasn't at all impressed with the "Dark Hollow." It wasn't very dark at all, just very red. Like a dark room, but brighter. I figured Neal and Hook would fight over whatever they had to do there, because fighting over things that aren't Emma but are stand-ins for Emma in front of Emma is such a good plan. That was dumb, but gave Emma a chance to use her one magic lesson. I think Emma learning magic is going to throw a wrench into her and Neal's relationship. However, I'm very glad Emma put her foot down with the boys. Henry is her priority and them fucking things up is unhelpful and annoying.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Regina honor her bargain with Ariel at the end of the episode. I didn't really think she'd reneg on that, but it was still nice to see. Uhmm... also, Pandora's Box? Really? How did Belle even know what that was on sight? That bugs me. A lot.

As I said in my last review, we're definitely getting toward the mid-season finale. All the pieces are falling into place. I like that we don't really know what Pan's goal is here, though watching the preview for next week seriously spoils that. Don't do it, if you haven't already. I can't wait to see what happens next week.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Time in Neverland: 5 days... presumably.
• Hook actually annoyed me this episode with his telling Neal and messing with Emma. I dislike obvious love triangles.
• Using Ariel's tail to get free was very clever. I missed Belle.
• Skull Rock actually exists. Why am I not surprised.

Housekeeping

Let me know what you thought of the episode in the comments. Follow me on Twitter!

Also, that's gonna be it from me today. I've got some stuff to do before work... and then work... and sleep.

Love ya, Jessie

Once Upon a Time - "Ariel" - Review

Intro

Only a week late with this one. If I keep at the pace I'm going, I might get caught up after all... but no, probably not. My grandparents are coming into town and that always throws a wrench in my predetermined schedule...

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for Once Upon a Time, Season 3, Episode 6: "Ariel." If you haven't seen this episode, I would go do that before reading my review. Even my character lists contain spoilers.

Once Upon a Time - "Ariel" - Review

Characters:

• Emma Swan - Played by Jennifer Morrison. Daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White. Birth Mother of Henry Mills. Product of True Love. "The Savior."
• Regina Mills - Played by Lana Parrilla. Mother of Henry Mills. Step-Mother of Snow White. The Evil Queen.
• Prince Charming/David Nolan - Played by Josh Dallas. Father of Emma Swan. Husband of Snow White.
• Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard - Played by Ginnifer Goodwin. Mother of Emma Swan. Wife of Prince Charming. Step-Daughter of Regina Mills.
• Henry Mills - Played by Jared Gilmore. Son of Emma Swan, Baelfire, and Regina Mills. The Truest Believer.
• Captain Killian "Hook" Jones - Played by Colin O'Donoghue. Pirate.
• Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold - Played by Robert Carlyle. Father of Baelfire. Grandfather of Henry Mills. The Dark One. Regina's mentor.
• Neal Cassady/Baelfire - Played by Michael Raymond-James and Dylan Schmid. Son of Rumplestiltskin. Father of Henry Mills.
• Peter Pan - Played by Robbie Kay. Big Bad of Wonderland.
• Felix - Played by Parker Croft. Peter's messenger... or something.
• Ariel - Played by JoAnna Garcia Swisher. Mermaid.
• Prince Eric - Played by Gil McKinney. Human. Ariel's True Love.
• Belle - Played by Emilie de Ravin. Rumple's True Love. Revealed to be Pan's Shadow in Neverland.

Review:

I have never really been a fan of The Little Mermaid. Even reading the original tale, I wasn't enamored with it. However, I surprisingly enjoyed Once Upon a Time's take on the story. I'm really glad they spared us a remake of the movie, instead moving things along to weeks or months later. I was, however, kind of surprised at the audacity of Ariel to essentially throw Snow under the bus without even thinking about asking her if she wanted to be a mermaid. What even was that? I'm glad Ariel got to stab Regina with a fork and help Snow get away, even if that ruined her shot with Eric. I was slightly amused that Ariel's voice was taken away only after she stabbed Regina, but it made more sense than walking around in pain... which only really makes sense if you've read the original story and know the back story on it.

I thought the concept of the Echo Cave was pretty awesome. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. With a name like "Echo Cave" you just sort of think people get lost because of all the echoing. I very much liked the airing of everyone's secrets. I was getting extremely annoyed with David keeping his tie to Neverland a secret. I was, however, expecting Snow and Emma's "secrets" to be what they were. Of course Snow would want another child and of course Emma's afraid of the pain associated with Neal. These weren't actual secrets as far as the audience goes.

I thought Regina was awesome this episode, even if we didn't get much with her in the present. The teaching scene with Emma was great, even if I think she could find something other than rage to channel. However, Regina's just teaching the way she was taught and it's fire so... rage works for that. It was fun seeing Regina and Rumple team up, especially when she yells at him for being dumb. As for the flashbacks, I thought Regina's plan to impersonate Ursula was awesome. Lana did a wonderful job with the movement and the accent during that scene, even if the wig was ridiculous.

As for Rumple this episode... he was being Mopey McMoperson. I was more worried about his psyche when the Belle hallucination started acting all weird. However, all that was pushed aside when Regina came in and revealed Pan's shadow. I'm glad he appears to be getting his mojo back now that Regina's given him ideas. Hopefully it'll be something that will help him get back into Neal's good graces... or something.

Anyway, "Ariel" was a solid episode. We're definitely doing the slow build toward the mid-season finale now. I'd say more, but I'll leave that for the next Once Upon a Time review.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Ursula was a sea goddess? Also, she makes crappy threats.
• Wasn't expecting Snow to blurt out the info about Neal.
• Pan kind of reminds me of Ben from Lost with all that manipulation.
• I want to know the actual story on Rumple's dad.

Favorite Lines:

"You wanna follow the evil munchkins' dirt road, be my guest." - Regina

"Don't kill the messenger, love." - Hook

Extras:

A translation of the original The Little Mermaid can be found: HERE.

Housekeeping

Let me know what you thought of "Ariel" in the comments. If you've read the original tale, let me know what you thought of that as well.

Love ya, Jessie

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Review

Intro

Despite how swamped/lazy I've been lately, I managed to finish my current reread of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I'm actually surprised it took me so long. I started this reread in August and it's now November. I shudder to think how long it's going to take me to reread Goblet of Fire, though I'm planning to attempt keeping up with Alohomora's reread, now that I've started the book.

SPOILER WARNING

Although I find a spoiler warning for this book rather silly at this point, if you haven't read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban don't read my review until you have done so. My review will contain spoilers. Also, if you haven't read/listened to it, where have you been? Living under a rock? Get on that!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - Review

Characters:

• Harry James Potter - Main protagonist. Gryffindor.
• Hermione Jean Granger - Harry's Best friend. Gryffindor.
• Ronald "Ron" Bilius Weasley - Harry's Best friend. Youngest Weasley male. Gryffindor.
• Sirius "Padfoot" Black - Main antagonist. Animagus. Former Gryffindor. Marauder.
• Remus "Moony" John Lupin - Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Werewolf. Former Gryffindor. Marauder.
• Severus Snape - Potion Master. Head of Slytherin House.
• Draco Lucius Malfoy - Antagonist. Slytherin.
• Professor Sybil Trelawney - Seer. Divination teacher.
• Buckbeak - Hippogriff.
• Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew/Scabbers - Animagus. Former Gryffindor. Marauder.
• There are too many characters to list. I think I've got the main bunch of this book listed here, though.

Review:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my all time favorite Harry Potter book. That said, I hadn't realized until this reread that most of my enjoyment of this book is drawn mainly from chapters 18 and 19. Everything else serves to set up the events of those chapters and the ones after. PoA is also the most normal year Harry ever had at Hogwarts, I believe. There honestly isn't much that goes on and so the book jumps through the year like it's playing leap-frog with the events.

The main thrust of the PoA story, for me at least, is The Marauder's Map and the characters surrounding it. The Marauder's Map is an interesting concept, though scrutinizing it shows a few massive plot holes, though most of those show up later in the series. The Map has been shown to reveal the true identity of anyone within Hogwarts. It was previously owned by the Wesley Twins who, while probably not using it to spy on people in other dormitories, probably would have noticed that Peter Pettigrew was constantly with Ron. I honestly wouldn't have thought about this plot hole if it hadn't been for the internet, so you can take it or leave it.

The first of the Marauders is the most infamous of the group, one Sirius Black. He is mentioned first in Chapter 2, though not actually seen until much later. Sirius is the main antagonist of this book, though it's later revealed he's not much of an antagonist. Sirius was purported to have turned the Potters over to Lord Voldemort and also to have murdered Peter Pettigrew and a number of Muggles. He was sent to Azkaban and, at the beginning of the book, has managed to be the first person to escape the prison. It isn't revealed until the last chapters of PoA that Sirius is innocent of both charges.

The second Marauder we meet in chapter 5, one Remus Lupin. Lupin is the latest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He is somewhat mysterious in that we know next to nothing about him until the final chapters of the book. He is very fond of Harry and Harry of him so we see Remus is a very good light. Remus is also revealed to have been friends with Harry's parents, though this doesn't do much to strengthen the bond between he and Harry.

The final member of the Marauders we meet is Peter Pettigrew. However, as it's revealed much later in the book, we've known Peter from the very start of the series. Peter is, in fact, Scabbers, Ron's rat. He is revealed as having been the spy among the Potters' friends. He faked his death to escape whatever fate he had coming to him. Unfortunately, Peter escapes before he is able to face any punishment for his crimes.

Of course, my main interest in the Marauders, also including James Potter, is the back story surrounding them and the Map. I say "of course" because I've previously reviewed some Marauder's Era fanfiction. The birth of Marauder's Era fanfiction began based solely on the information we as a fandom gleaned from information provided by Prisoner of Azkaban.

I think it took me such a long time getting through PoA this time around because I was chomping at the bit to get to the end of the book. Reading through the previous chapters kind of became a bore, quite honestly. I feel like knowing the end of the story made the rest seem like extraneous material. It wasn't horrible extraneous material, but at the same time, it didn't make me want to keep reading this time around.

However, the first couple times I read PoA, I ripped through it at a much faster pace. I really do enjoy the book as a whole, not just the last few chapters.

Housekeeping

Alright, that might not have been my most awesome review ever, but... meh. It'll have to do. Let me know what you thought of the book in the comments.

Next up: Either a Nuzlocke Challenge update (yeah, that's been a long time coming) or a review of something... depends on my mood.

Again, I'm sorry for getting so behind and whatnot. I've been working and tired and unmotivated lately. I'll try to break out of that funk sooner rather than later.

Love ya, Jessie

Update as of 11-9-13

Unfortunately, due to the circumstances surrounding my general life at the moment, I probably won't be catching up with reviews any time soon. I will still be posting reviews, they just won't be entirely current. I will also still be watching shows, reading books, and watching movies in the meantime, even if I don't blog about it.

If you would like to keep up with the goings on in my life, please follow me on Twitter. I'll be posting there most often.

Thank you very much for reading and I'm incredibly sorry for the delays.

Love ya, Jessie

Reign - "Kissed" - Review

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for Reign, Season 1, Episode 3: "Kissed." If you haven't seen the episode, I suggest doing so before reading this review. There will be spoilers.

Reign - "Kissed" - Review

Characters:

• Queen Mary Stuart of Scotland - Played by Adelaide Kane.
• Sebastian "Bas" - Played by Torrance Coombs. Son of Diane and Henry.
• Prince Francis II of France - Played by Toby Regbo. Eldest son of Catherine and Henry.
• Queen Catherine de' Medici of France - Played by Megan Follows. Henry's wife and mother of Francis.
• Nostradamus - Played by Rossif Sutherland.
• King Henry II of France - Played by Alan Van Sprang. Father of Henry, Charles, and Bas.
• Prince Charles of France - Played by Peter DaCunha. Third son of Henry and Catherine. Betrothed to Madeleine. 
• Claude de Guise - Played by Shawn Doyle. Mary's uncle. 
• Kenna - Played by Caitlin Stasey. Mary's Lady in Waiting.
• Greer of Kinross - Played by Celina Sinden. Mary's Lady in Waiting.
• Lola - Played by Anna Popplewell. Mary's Lady in Waiting.
• Aylee - Played by Jenessa Grant. Mary's Lady in Waiting.
• Prince Tomas of Portugal - Played by Manolo Cardona.
• Leith - Played by Jonathan Keltz. Kitchen Boy.

Review:

Here's where that thing I said in my last Reign review about Historical Drama comes into play. Mary is being politically forced to accept Tomas' marriage proposal. However, if you know anything about history, Mary Stuart marries Prince Francis, not a Portuguese prince. So... however much we, as viewers, might be vying for Mary to marry Tomas for whatever reason, it's not going to happen. It's also the CW's custom to draw out this relationship drama for as long as possible so there will probably be more of this nonsense to come.

I found Greer's dilemma to be much more interesting than Mary's. Greer is in a tough position, politically speaking. Her family isn't even a little bit royal and she's mostly on her own as far as finding someone to marry goes. Not only that, but because she basically has to marry into a higher standing, she can't afford to follow her heart if it happens to lead to a certain kitchen boy.

Francis learned a hard lesson during this episode, though it's one that doesn't really make sense to me in the execution of it. How do the English have enough people on the ground in France to kill six companies of men? Francis' plan should have worked. It sucks that Bash almost died getting away from the English, or whatever he was doing that go him horribly wounded. It sucks that Francis had to figure out that he can't just lead with his heart. I did, however, enjoy Francis attempting to blackmail his father. It was slightly amusing.

There was a lot of political maneuvering in this episode. There was also a lot of explanation of the political maneuvering. I think that might be because of the usual audience of the CW. Most are probably tuning in for the drama and need the historical political stuff explained to them. I don't know. Maybe I'm underestimating the general CW viewership.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• I'm seriously starting to have issues with the music.
• During the dancing scene, Mary, Tomas, and Francis were dressed in similar fabrics, or at least similar-looking fabrics. They might be connected or something, she says knowing full well that was the point.
• The symbolism of Nostradamus' predictions is coming to bite everyone.

Housekeeping

I think that's going to be it from me today. I hurt my thumb yesterday and all these spaces are painful.

Love ya, Jessie

The Vampire Diaries - "Monster's Ball" - Review

Intro

Another day, another dent in my review back log. Luckily, we live in this age of not watching stuff when it actually comes out... or so the media says anyway.

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for The Vampire Diaries, Season 5, Episode 5: "Monster's Ball." If you haven't seen this episode, please watch it before reading this review. I spoil things.

The Vampire Diaries - "Monster's Ball" - Review

Characters:

• Elena Gilbert - Played by Nina Dobrev. Jeremy's older sister. Damon's girlfriend. Doppelganger and Vampire.
• Jeremy Gilbert - Played by Steven R. McQueen. Elena's younger brother. Sees ghosts. Hunter.
• Stefan Salvatore - Played by Paul Wesley. Damon's younger brother. Elena's ex-boyfriend. Vampire. "Shadow-Self" of Silas. Amnesiac.
• Damon Salvatore - Played by Ian Somerhalder. Stefan's older brother. Elena's Sire and boyfriend. Vampire.
• Matt Donovan - Played by Zach Roerig. Works at Mystic Grill. Human. Possessed by a Traveler named Gregor.
• Caroline Forbes - Played by Candice Accola. Vampire. Elena's best friend. Tyler's girlfriend.
• Bonnie Bennett - Played by Kat Graham. Witch. Jeremy's girlfriend. Elena and Caroline's best friend. Deceased.
• Tyler Lockwood - Played by Michael Trevino. Hybrid. Caroline's boyfriend.
• Jesse - Played by Kendrick Sampson.Vampire.
• Dr. Wes Maxfield - Played by Rick Cosnett. Human. Works at the college. Studying the effects of vampirism.
• Silas - Played by Paul Wesley. Original "Stefan" doppelganger. Vampire.
• Nadia Petrova - Played by Olga Fonda. Vampire. Long lost daughter of Katherine.
• Katherine Pierce - Played by Nina Dobrev. Former Vampire. Doppelganger. Walking "Cure." Mother of Nadia.
• Aaron - Played by Shaun Sipos. Human. Some relation of Dr. Maxfield. Former friend of Megan's.
• Qetsiyah/Tessa - Played by Janina Gavankar. Witch. Silas' spurned lover.

Review:

Holy Ridiculous Loopholes, Batman!

My opinions on this episode aren't incredibly enlightening and there's not really a lot to talk about, in my opinion. I will try my best to squeeze something out of my sparse notes, but don't expect a whole lot. This episode wasn't really full of things to discuss.

First thing, the "Silas gets his powers back while Stefan is dead" loophole. I sort of understand how that works, but since Stefan is a vampire and therefore dead to begin with, it sort of falls apart. Also, it's just dumb. Like, why even have a loop hole like that? I suppose it served to get Stefan angrier at Damon and showed Qetsiyah to be less brilliant as a character. The entire concept there was just dumb.

Gonna jump back to the beginning of the episode and Dr. Maxfield. I think it's good that someone's looking into what happens to a new vamp if they don't feed. However, I'm not sure why it's Maxfield or why Jesse seems to be lasting so long without feeding. It's just weird.

Nadia being revealed as Katherine's daughter wasn't much of a revelation, really. It figures it was something like that. Not to mention someone on Hypable's Vampire-Hype Podcast theorized that. I don't care either way, though I do wonder what Nadia's going to do about it.

Damon's plan to bring Bonnie back made me groan. Why can't we just let her stay dead? Yeah, it's taking a toll on Elena, but she seems mostly fine. I don't like that Jeremy's on board with the plan. I don't like that they're prepared to do whatever it takes to get Bonnie back. Bonnie's been a raging bitch for most of the series, damn it!

Lastly, the Tyler situation. Why bring him back at all if he was mostly there to dump Caroline? Nail in coffins, I suppose.

I was not impressed at all by this episode. It was just kind of there. I am interested to see what happens in the aftermath of Silas apparently draining Katherine, but other than that... I'm beginning to not care.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• I kind of like the new Stefan. He's crafty.
• Katherine being motherly all of a sudden is creepy.

Housekeeping

Next up, my review for last week's Reign.

Love ya, Jessie

The Originals - "Sinners and Saints" - Review

Intro

Up to last week in terms of reviews now. Like, exactly a week.

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for The Originals, Season 1, Episode 5: "Sinners and Saints." If you have not seen the episode, I recommend watching it before reading this review. I will spoil things.

The Originals - "Sinners and Saints" - Review

Characters:

• Elijah Mikaelson - Played by Daniel Gillies. Oldest of the surviving Mikaelsons. Original Vampire.
• Rebekah Mikaelson - Played by Claire Holt. Youngest of the surviving Mikaelsons. Original Vampire.
• Niklaus "Klaus" Mikaelson - Played by Joseph Morgan. Middle surviving Mikaelson. Original Hybrid.
• Marcel Gerard - Played by Charles Michael Davis. Ruler of New Orleans. Klaus' protege. Vampire.
• Davina Claire - Played by Danielle Campbell. Marcel's witch.
• Sophie Deveraux - Played by Daniella Pineda. Leader of the witches.
• Hayley Marshall - Played by Phoebe Tonkin. Werewolf. Carrying Klaus' child.
• Father Kieran - Played by Todd Stashwick. Human. Reverend of the church Davina lives in.
• Jane-Anne Deveraux - Played by Malaya Rivera Drew. Witch. Sophie's older sister. Deceased.
• Bastianna - Played by Shannon Eubanks. Witch. Deceased.
• Sean - Played by Matt Kabus. Human. Cami's twin brother. Father Keiran's nephew. Deceased.
• Monique Deveraux - Played by Yasmine Al-Bustami. Witch. Jane-Anne's daughter. Sophie's niece. Deceased.

Review:

Oh my, the exposition. Also, I got my wish. We got back story on Davina. It really wasn't what I was expecting, but it was cool nonetheless. It was interesting to get the story of what happened in New Orleans between the witches and the vampires from three different points of view. We as the viewers get the whole story, whereas the Mikaelsons and Hayley sort of have to piece it together. Although, it seems Elijah already did that.

I was surprised that the ban on magic was only eight months old. I'd been thinking it had lasted a lot longer, though it explained how Marcel ended up with Davina. Speaking of, Davina is less crazy than I'd thought she would be. I was kind of viewing her as a sort of Claudia from Interview With The Vampire rather than what she actually is. All that power didn't come to her naturally as well, which made me a bit more comfortable with her. I also like that her attachment to Marcel came because he saved her life.

I'm not sure what to think of the ritual or its aftermath. It's clear that Sophie thinks finishing the ritual will bring her niece back to life. It's clear Davina thinks she and the other girls will stay dead. I think the tie to the ancestral magic is an interesting concept. I also don't think the witches will loose their powers, just become incredibly weakened.

I thought the fight between Marcel and Klaus would have been fun to see play out. We got to see Klaus being a brat again for a bit there.

I liked that Elijah was able to connect to Davina more than anyone else. He's rather good at that, as we saw with his connection to Elena Gilbert. I think Elijah might have a thing for Hayley as well. It might even be mutual. I think I might be okay with that.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Davina is still super creepy. Her blood being really powerful is interesting.
• I'm currently siding with Davina here.
• I like that Rebekah views Hayley as family, even if she doesn't show it in a way that makes sense to Hayley.
• Everyone saying "The Harvest" kept reminding me of Buffy.

Housekeeping

Gonna have to stop the reviews here, I'm afraid. I've got chores to complete and then babysitting my nephew. I might decide to do some more reviewing after Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tonight, but don't get your hopes up. Ah well, at least I did three.

Love ya, Jessie

Once Upon a Time - "Good Form" - Review

Intro

Second review for today. Still not sure how many I'm gonna be cranking out, but it might be a veritable flood.

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for Once Upon a Time, Season 3, Episode 5: "Good Form." If you haven't seen it, save yourself with spoilers and go watch it.

Once Upon a Time - "Good Form" - Review

Characters:

• Emma Swan - Played by Jennifer Morrison. Daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White. Birth Mother of Henry Mills. Product of True Love. "The Savior."
• Regina Mills - Played by Lana Parrilla. Mother of Henry Mills. Step-Mother of Snow White. The Evil Queen.
• Prince Charming/David Nolan - Played by Josh Dallas. Father of Emma Swan. Husband of Snow White.
• Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard - Played by Ginnifer Goodwin. Mother of Emma Swan. Wife of Prince Charming. Step-Daughter of Regina Mills.
• Henry Mills - Played by Jared Gilmore. Son of Emma Swan, Baelfire, and Regina Mills. The Truest Believer.
• Captain Killian "Hook" Jones - Played by Colin O'Donoghue. Pirate.
• Neal Cassady/Baelfire - Played by Michael Raymond-James and Dylan Schmid. Son of Rumplestiltskin. Father of Henry Mills.
• Peter Pan - Played by Robbie Kay. Big Bad of Wonderland.
• Felix - Played by Parker Croft. Peter's messenger... or something.
• Captain Liam Jones - Played by Bernard Curry. Hook's older brother. Deceased.

Review:

Hooray! Back story on Hook! I was super excited for this. I should have known it would be a bit lackluster. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but the back story itself wasn't as fun as the earlier/later bits of back story we already have. It was pretty awesome seeing Hook in something other than his black pirate gear. It was also pretty awesome that he was able to temporarily save his brother. The lack luster bits were mainly on Liam's shoulders.

Liam would probably have been more interesting if he'd a) had more of a personality and b) hadn't been so dumb. I did not connect with him at all. I mainly wanted to whack him over the head with something. If there's someone who lives in the place you're visiting or whatever and they tell you that the plant you're looking for is poison, frigging listen to them! Don't dismiss them because they're "younger" and don't poison yourself with the plant to prove a point. Liam clearly failed on both counts and died because of it.

I liked the budding "bromance" between Hook and David. It was fun to see, even if David was being ridiculously judgmental the entire time. Also watching David go through what would have been the last hours of his live was... strange. He seemed to have parts where he was perfectly fine and then parts where his punches went completely wild. I liked that Hook gave David the choice of whether or not to drink the water. It showed that Hook is honorable, even if his methods aren't always the best ever.

I thought the dynamic between Emma, Snow, and Regina was interesting. Emma's essentially the tie-breaker between what has been fed to us as ultimate good and ultimate evil. I think at this point, Regina's plans are more likely to bear fruit than Snow's. Snow comes from a place, mentally speaking, where never doing something that could be perceived as wrong is better than ending up with the results you want. Yeah, Regina is a bit rough around the edges, but her plan made the most sense.

I'm not going to talk about the Emma/Hook kiss. It was there. I have nothing to say about it.

I'm not sure how I feel about Henry at this point. On the one hand, he seems to be falling in line with Pan's plan for him and on the other, he's being really sulky. I wasn't really phased by anything that went on with him, except the bit with the mirror. A) Thinking the mirror thing is Pan's doing is really strange. Pan's mostly been upfront with what he wants from Henry. B) Did Henry really throw the mirror away and break it? It has more chance of being found now and it's broken. This bugged me, a lot.

But yeah, pretty solid episode. I enjoyed the ride.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Just how big was Pegasus supposed to be?
• What was so important about Hook killing David? Like, why did it have to be Hook?
• Emma and Regina referred to Henry as "our son" FINALLY!

Favorite Lines:

"Listen to my mother?" - Emma

"At least you got to say goodbye. Most people don't get that much." - Hook

"That you were stubborn? Yes, I gathered that rather quickly." - Hook

"She didn't. I did. That's what I'm here for." - Regina

"What I wouldn't give for another sleeping curse." - Regina

"I don't do rum." - Regina

Housekeeping

On to the next review!!!! This one only took 25min to crank out.

Love ya, Jessie

The Vampire Diaries - "For Whom the Bell Tolls" - Review

Intro

Alrighty then. I just finished watching this week's episode of Sleepy Hollow and my brain's a little frazzled. that review probably won't be up for a couple days, at least. Today's number of reviews, however, is entirely up to the amount of stuff I have to do/get distracted by.

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for The Vampire Diaries, Season 5, Episode 4: "For Whom the Bell Tolls." I recommend watching the episode before reading my review because I will spoil things. It's in my nature.

The Vampire Diaries - "For Whom the Bell Tolls" - Review

Characters:

• Elena Gilbert - Played by Nina Dobrev. Jeremy's older sister. Damon's girlfriend. Doppelganger and Vampire.
• Jeremy Gilbert - Played by Steven R. McQueen. Elena's younger brother. Sees ghosts. Hunter.
• Stefan Salvatore - Played by Paul Wesley. Damon's younger brother. Elena's ex-boyfriend. Vampire. "Shadow-Self" of Silas.
• Damon Salvatore - Played by Ian Somerhalder. Stefan's older brother. Elena's Sire and boyfriend. Vampire.
• Matt Donovan - Played by Zach Roerig. Works at Mystic Grill. Human. Possessed by a Traveler named Gregor.
• Caroline Forbes - Played by Candice Accola. Vampire. Elena's best friend. Tyler's girlfriend.
• Bonnie Bennett - Played by Kat Graham. Witch. Jeremy's girlfriend. Elena and Caroline's best friend. Deceased.
• Tyler Lockwood - Played by Michael Trevino. Hybrid. Caroline's boyfriend.
• Jesse - Played by Kendrick Sampson. Human.
• Dr. Wes Maxfield - Played by Rick Cosnett. Human. Works at the college.

Review:

Essentially, this episode was a recap episode. It was a creatively done recap, but it was definitely a recap. I was mostly pleased because Jeremy finally told everyone that Bonnie's dead! Unfortunately, she's not going away so... that kind of soured things for me a bit.

I'd completely forgotten that "Remembrance Day" was a thing. I vaguely remember it happening earlier in the show, but other than that, it served a more plot-based purpose than I would have thought. It was interesting to see Stefan and Elena sort of rehashing their romance, even if that did add more fuel to the Stefan/Elena fire. It was somewhat annoying because I'm soooooo over Stefan/Elena. I'm glad the show found a way to hopefully kill it for good, though so... I guess it was okay.

I really had no interest in the Caroline parts of the episode. I love Caroline, don't get me wrong, but seeing her hanging around with Jesse and getting annoyed at Stefan was rather boring.

I thought the exploration of Stefan's "Ripper" thing was cool. Not sure whether or not his emotion baggage was actually tied to the "Ripper" thing, but it's as good a theory as they come. It was stated at some point that the reason Stefan put the pieces of the people he killed back together was because he was guilty about it so the psychological aspect worked for me.

I was really glad Jeremy finally told people about Bonnie being dead. I cannot express the amount of happy I felt at that. The funeral was... weepy. I cried, but mostly because everyone else was crying and the music was affecting me. I'm glad Bonnie's dead and now all I want from her is to GO AWAY. GAH!

But yeah, not really much else to say about the episode. That's the problem with recap episodes, even well done ones that aren't meant to feel like recaps.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• I liked Matt trying to figure out what was wrong with him in a very human way.
• Being threatened by someone inside your body is never good.
• What's with the knife?
• And look, Tyler showed up randomly.

Favorite Lines:

"You're a vampire, not a caveman." - Damon

"Hey, I never said I know what I'm doing." - Damon

Housekeeping

Slowly creeping closer to getting caught up with these reviews. I'm really sorry these are so late, but if it helps, I'm planning to get them done in the next couple of days... in which time I will also get more behind because I'm working while my shows are on. Drat.

Love ya, Jessie