Lady of the Not Creepy Lake

Not much of a preamble here tonight except to say that I'm dropping 666 Park Avenue from my watch list. There will be a review explaining why after tonight's initial reactions.

Once Upon a Time - "Lady of the Lake" - Initial Reactions

• The girls look awesome in their battle clothes. ^_^
• And there goes the cloak.
• Clotheslined, go figure.
• Lancelot gone bad, interesting.
• Yes, Cora, you did. You lying liar.
• Lies.
• You request an audience with prisoners?
• And stupid code names again, Henry...
• Of course he's gonna be a little snot and not go to school.
• Lancelot goes good again?
• I'm sooooo shipping Aurora/Mulan.
• A very good question.
• Of course he did, because he's not an idiot.
• You could have just blessed the marriage and pretended it was your plan all along.
• I love Snow reacting in the background there, that was awesome.
• It's not simple, stop being a little snot.
• Why are you packing, Regina?
• Oh, figures.
• Sneaky, sneaky.
• You're all surrounded and stuff... and very badass to just take them all pretty easily.
• Snow's more badass than you, Aurora.
• Yup, make as much noise as is humanly possible. That's a wonderful plan.
• Ogres don't seem so scary.
• Snow's such a badass. Because you didn't know that already...
• A woman he's going to mourn over because Charming killed her.
• The lake totally dried up without the Lady.
• You really needed to cover your tracks and go to the vault later, Henry.
• The hearts are beating.
• All Henry's reall concerned about is himself and not actually getting Snow and Emma back.
• No, don't give it to her from the shell, but it in the ridiculous canteen.
• It's like Narnia.
• Because she didn't drink.
• Lancelot totally followed you.
• Because the Grail skilled worlds on him.
• Or that's Cora.
• Trapped in the rug!
• Go Mulan.
• Of course it wasn't gonna be that easy.
• For yay! Also, obviously.
• And now you know.
• 
• Cora's found something...
• Yay for Hatter!
• Time for the cutesy scene.
• And George is still running around.

666 Park Avenue - "The Dead Don't Stay Dead" - Initial Reactions

• Creepy dolls in a creepy box in the creepy basement you went into even though it was not a common sense thing to do.
• This blond does not kick ass which means she's going to die probably.
• Creepy little girl with a creepy doll...
• So who is this purple-shirted girl?
• Time for him to be creepy guy again...
• Writing lies is never a good thing.
• Significance of flowers?
• I really don't like judgemental rich people.
• Seriously? You're apparently an intelligent man, what made "Of course it's true, I read it in the paper" come out of your mouth?
• This business stuff is seriously uninteresting.
• Yeah... this is so getting into the territory of my not caring at all.
• So what's the price on Annie's wish?
• Interesting side effects... figured that was gonna be it.
• So... why does he want Henry so badly?
• Obviously cleared streets are obvious.
• Olivia clearly has issues.
• Lech Brian is being strange in an effort to do the right thing, good.
• She's so match-y match-y with her bed.
• Not the creepy basement again...
• Blood running down the door and creepy little girl. How obviously horror movie.
• Wouldn't be a show in the city without a club...
• Stalker Alexis is obviously a stalker.
• She's gonna die because of her crazy story.
• This is stuff is seriously boring as all get-out.
• I think the remedy to Brian's problem is to stop feeding the OBVIOUS BIMBO.
• Now that's a jealous look if I ever saw one.
• That paper is too new to be as old as it should be, or at least as worn as it should be.
• What was the point of him hiring Henry if you're just gonna kill him?
• "Creepy little girl" isn't actually that creepy. Nikolas from Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton has more creep than she does.
• Boring, boring, boring.
• Get your butt out of that basement, Jane. And stop walking down there with no shoes on, it's dangerous.
• Don't open the creepy case, idiot. And don't do what you just did, it's stupid.

666 Park Avenue - "The Dead Don't Stay Dead" - Review

     I've decided not to watch anymore of 666 Park Avenue. Most of the show bores me. I honestly don't care whether or not Gavin gets his ridiculous building. I have no connection with Jane. In fact, I think she's ridiculously inept at this whole "I'm gonna investigate the Drake" thing. I think she needs to go watch some horror movies and take a hint. Don't do the stuff they do. And what's so special about Henry anyway? He seems really boring to me.

      Also, the "scares" in this show. They're cheap and not actually creepy. In fact, they're really obvious. I decided to take a look at the Twitter feed for 666 Park Avenue today and I think most of the people who are watching have never read a supernatural thriller in their lives. Buffy had creepier moments and it was hilarious and not built for the creep-factor. I guess if I want creepy TV, I'm gonna have to catch-up on Supernatural.

     With no real answers as to what's going on and mystery that's pretty much forgotten for most of the episodes... I've really got nothing tying me to 666 Park Avenue so I'm dropping it.

Housekeeping

I did end up watching Grimm on Saturday, but I didn't write any initial reactions as I was eating while watching. That said, I should have a review for last Friday's episode up soon.

Love ya, Jessie.

Magical Reviews

I'm starting to think my blogging schedule is never going to get back to normal... which means you get the SPOILER-IFIC reviews for this week's Once Upon a Time and 666 Park Avenue on Wednesday instead of closer to the day of airing. On the one hand, I guess this reflects the way we watch TV these days. On the other hand, it annoys me a little. But having a few days to think about the episodes and review them at my leisure makes for better reviews... that's what I'm hoping anyway...

Once Upon a Time - "We Are Both" - Review

     So, we got some more back-story on Regina this episode. I quite liked that. It's not the sort of beginning to Regina's fall into darkness I thought it was going to be, but I liked it. I thought, until the end of the episode at least, that Cora had become the Red Queen due to being pushed through the looking glass. I can't wait to see what she ends up doing with Snow and Emma. Can't wait to see what else happens with Snow and Emma. But anyway, back to Regina. I find it interesting that she thought about killing Snow BEFORE the magic corrupted her and that she decided to stay and collect Power. Her misery is not just Snow's fault, it's hers.

     I think Charming and Henry's relationship is going to be interesting. It's already interesting that Henry's latched onto him as his grandfather so easily. I'm glad Henry's back to just not liking Regina. However, he's still being annoying, cocky, and ridiculous. The way they set up Charming teaching Henry to use a sword in the preview for next week was cute. Not sure what that means for Charming's "Heroic quest," but it was cute. I also find it interesting that Charming rejects the David side of himself. Just point-blank dismisses that. Nope, don't wanna be that person so I'm just gonna ignore it... mostly.

     I do still want to know why Regina doesn't remember who Jefferson is. She was working so closely with him in both Fairytale Land and Storybrooke and she just... forgets. I like that he'd ended up in an over-turned car when Charming found him and I'm glad to see him back, even if he does run away almost immediately.

     I would also like to know where the hell the man-puppet that was Pinocchio/August went. There was a random shot of him either this episode or the last one and then he just disappears. Geppetto is looking for him and Pinocchio couldn't just get up and walk away in his current state...

     Okay, now for the non-discussion-y part of the review known as: stuff I liked. Ruby/Red and her role in the episode. Gone is the girl who dressed like a hooker and was pout-y at her grandmother. Here she's confident and in charge. I like Granny with her crossbow and how that was addressed by a slightly annoyed Red. Regina remembering her past and letting Henry go with Charming. Regina's expanded relationship with Rumple. Still don't know exactly what's going on there but I can't wait to find out.

     Stuff I didn't like: Dr. Whale. I know he's going to be explained sometime this season, but for now he's just randomly popping up, quipping, and getting dismissed. I did not like Cora at all. She seemed creepier this time around, somehow. And you know when Snow wakes up that she's going to be recognized... it's just not a good situation. I didn't like how Mulan just throws Emma and Snow in "The Pit" without even asking for an explanation. "Nope, you apparently caused this mess, you get to be prisoners." Seriously? Why does no one ever ask for an explanation first?

     Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. It caught me directly after each super annoying commercial and reeled me back in. Which is more than I can say for other shows... But anyway... "We Are Both" was a really solid episode that expanded the universe, had good character development, and is making me want more Once Upon a Time.

666 Park Avenue - "Murmurations" - Review

     I'm just gonna come out and say it: I didn't like this episode. I felt no connection with anyone but Jane and she wasn't really even doing much other than having weird dreams. I felt to sympathy for Danielle and although I'm slightly curious as to what exactly is going on with her, I'm not sure I really care at this point. Gavin was creepier than usual, but at least he didn't have all that back and forth from last week. His wife was really just window dressing in this episode so not much to say there. I do want to know why Henry is so special. He's going to be a hero, apparently, but how and why are still a mystery. He seems incredibly boring.

     I'm extremely annoyed with Brian. I know he's a guy and is lusting after Alexis, but seriously? You know the girl is trouble and you keep looking at her, knowing she's watching you and getting completely the wrong idea... or possibly the right one... But Brian initially seemed like a nice guy. Nice guys don't cheat on their wives while they're in the hospital. And speaking of Louise, I don't like her. At all. All she seems to care about are the bills. It's kind of scary how much she cares about the bills...

     And then there are the birds and the exterminator. Uhm... what? Like seriously, what? I really don't understand what's going on with that or why it makes sense to keep the birds there...

     Anyway, this episode really didn't tick any boxes with me. I think if I don't like the next episode I'm going to stop watching.

Housekeeping

Okay so... I'm not promising anything, but I should have a Grimm review for you soon... probably tomorrow... and a Supernatural season 7 review. Also, if you haven't checked out my DeviantArt at all, or lately, I've added a few more OC Pony-related pieces. I've also acquired a Trixie Lulamoon and customized her hair to be close to show-accurate, which you can see in my Facebook pony gallery.

Don't hesitate to leave me a comment or follow me on Twitter.

Love ya, Jessie.

We Are Both Murmurations?

Yeah, sometimes my mixing of episode titles doesn't really end up making sense... but on the plus side, I have a nice SPOILER WARNING for you. After this sentence, SPOILERS will begin for Once Upon a Time - "We Are Both" and 666 Park Avenue - "Murmurations."

Once Upon a Time - "We Are Both" - Initial Reactions

• Lol, Grumpy.
• Must prove ourselves!
• Magical Barrier! Poor Sneezy.
• Wow that wreaked a lot of havok.
• What? The Diner is closed?
• Red continues to be awesome.
• Well creepy vines suck, don't they, Regina?
• Hmm... interesting side effect.
• Two hours isn't really a lot of time.
• Gotta focus, Regina, not get angry.
• Little Snow's so cute!
• And here's where Snow's perfect little bubble is broken.
• Or not.
• Regina's mom knew Rumple. Interesting...
• Book, book, find the book!
• Yeah, really, Regina, calm down and focus.
• Tada!
• I hate commercials.
• I enjoy how Disney can't take soundbites from their movies for their commercials - referring to a Cinderella blu-ray commercial.
• Oookay, Rumple. Way to be creep-tastic.
• It's obvious what that is, Henry.
• Way to be cocky and annoying, Henry. As usual...
• James is definitely much better than David. And Rumple gets a snarky remark about it.
• Yup, you can't find your son now, Rumple.
• Rise of the Guardians looks cool. - commercial/trailer
• I really do love Rumple in fairy-tale land.
• I think Regina's mom is the Red Queen as of right now.
• Follow the raggedy hat, Charming.
• Jefferson!
• Granny in old lady clothes with her crossbow. ^_^
• The Bitch Is Back!
• Second favorite Hatter after the one in Alice.
• Listen to Red, she's the only person being logical.
• Yes, Henry, climbing out the window immediately is SUCH a GOOD plan...
• Big ass cupcake does not mean happily ever after, Regina.
• Cora, you suck.
• That's not how it works, Cora.
• That's a lot of people I wouldn't have thought would be in that line...
• Awesome speech there, Charming. Goes to prove that off-the-cuff is sometimes very good.
• So essentially... Regina had a chance to leave and stayed behind anyway? No wonder her life was so miserable...
• The first good thing she's done in ages.
• Oh yay, heroic quest.
• That sword is going to damage his jacket.
• Lol, dwarves.
• So where's the man-puppet?
• Oh just burn it.
• Ouch...
• Creepy jail woman... and Cora! Fuck! That's not good.

666 Park Avenue - "Murmurations" - Initial Reactions

•  Gavin reminds me of Rumple from Once Upon a Time, except not nearly as fun.
• Oh no, not paperwork!
• Not sure how I feel about bell-hop guy.
• Rattling walls aren't good.
• Yeah, Jane, just rip that wall apart. That's a great plan.
• Are birds better or worse than bats?
• Yeah... Tony's an ass.
• Alexis, the uninteresting weird chick.
• Uninteresting fancy party...
• So my question is: What's so special about Henry? He seems rather boring.
• Yup, seriously uninteresting fancy party.
• Wasn't that door not there? Like, bricked over not there?
• Oh, don't open it, Jane...
• I really don't like Tony.
• That's a lot of birds.
• Oh, Brian, stop being a creeper. That girl is trouble... and she's at your door.
• Or not.
• Seriously, stop looking, you ass.
• Gavin is seriously giving me the creeps.
• Klepto-girl and a psychic. Nice.
• So who's the informant? That is the question.
• And now the exterminator's gonna get mauled to death by birds...
• Or hit by a cab. That works, too.
• Watching this would be much better without commercials.
• Oh yay, creepy shower scene...
• Okay, now's the part where you shove her out, Brian. Except you're stupid, so you won't.
• Awkward personal conversation...
• Well that was a random, unconvincing sex scene.
• Danielle is obviously a crazy, clingy person. Oh joy.
• And she's been trapped in the apartments since 1956... and murdering people over and over.
• Gavin is a very much less interesting Rumple/Crowley person.
• I honestly don't care about Danielle. There's no connection to anyone in this scene. None.
• A hero saving people from what?
• Brain! Stop staring at the bitch.
• And of course you would go into the creepy room behind the door and get locked in randomly.

Housekeeping

So, I haven't decided when exactly I'm going to be getting reviews for these episode up yet. They will be coming, though, so keep your eyes peeled. Tomorrow will be my Alphas initial reactions, at least.

Don't forget to share your thoughts with me in the comments or on Twitter. Links below and in the sidebar.

Love ya, Jessie.

The Magic Three Hours

As promised, today you're getting my reviews for the season opener of Once Upon a Time and the last episode of Grimm. However, you'll also be receiving a review of the very first episode of 666 Park Avenue that I watched last night while waiting for my clothes to dry. If you don't want spoilers for any of these episodes, I would leave this blog post now because SPOILERS are about to start.

Once Upon a Time - "Broken"

     Yay, season opener! First question, who the fuck was that guy in the beginning? Balefire? And who's sending him messages? When I popped this up on OnDemand to watch the first ten minutes that I'd missed, I thought I was watching the wrong show... thanks strange guy. You suck. But who the hell are you?

     I really loved the opening scene, picking up where we left off and getting Snow's merry band back together. Everyone was happy, confused, and friggin' brilliant in their limited roles. Cut to Dr. Whale and the ever present question of who the hell is he supposed to be... which we still don't know. And hey, magic's not working like everyone thought it would. Regina is essentially powerless, everyone is still confused and angry with her. Speaking of Regina, I'm really not sure I like Henry's sudden turn around on her. Sure, it's manipulative when she comes into play, but pulling that card on Snow and the others... Weren't you all anti-Regina-as-mom last season? What happened there, Henry?

     Into Fairytale Land now and we get the introduction of Aurora, Mulan, and Prince Phillip. Loved all of them. Kind of sad Phillip had to die, but I like how neither Aurora nor Mulan are helpless maidens. I connected with the pair of them pretty quickly and I'm anxious to see how their relationship develops. Might ship them later, I dunno.

     Now, let's talk a little about magic. We see in this episode that magic works differently -- and we're told as much -- but we don't get so much of the how. It seems Emma was able to jump-start Regina's powers so she could use the hat and those weird wall-vines. Rumpelstiltskin (henceforth referred to as Gold because I can't spell that all the time) and Belle were able to kiss without him losing power... so far as we can tell anyway. But Gold was able to summon the Wraith no problem so... what's different exactly and how's that going to play into the series?

     Anyway, I loved this episode and can't wait till Sunday for "We Are Both."

Grimm - "The Good Shepherd"

     First off, I'm pissed we had to wait so long for this episode. NBC needs to stop screwing with their time slots and leave shows where they put them. Geez.

     Anyway... I enjoyed this episode. The dynamic of the sheep people and the Blutbad in a church setting was interesting. I loved Hank's reactions to Munroe... and well, all the Wessen. The fight with the Nuckelavee was interesting. Even more interesting that he turned up dead. I didn't think Nick beat him that badly. I'm really looking forward to seeing further re-development of Nick and Juliette's relationship. He's gonna have to either leave her or fess up. Hopefully no one ends up dead.

     Yeah... pretty basic episode, by all accounts. The main thing didn't seem to be all that important and the side bits were... side bits.

666 Park Avenue - "Pilot"

     Mostly watched this because I had nothing else to do while waiting for my laundry to dry and I was surprised by how much I actually liked it. It has kind of a Supernatural vibe to it... with more weirdness. The parts I thought were going to give me a bit of a nightmare, didn't. I'm not really into the writer character and his... issues. It seemed a bit tacked on to the rest of the story. The guy with his dead wife made sense but... what was up with the wall-thing? Alternate universe? Death? Entrapment?

     The main character, Jane, was sort of interesting. She seems to be a bit of a sensitive or something. Gavin, the building owner, is creepy as fuck. I don't buy how his character shifts back and forth on things, though. It's unnatural in a bad way. Took me out of the show a couple times. He is awesome when he's being creepy, though.

     Well, I enjoyed the pilot enough to watch next week and see where this goes.

Personal

I found out this week that I'm going to have a nephew. I'm excited about it. That's pretty much it on that front, though. For tomorrow's post... not sure. Might be a rant on life-drama because that seems to be going around. But for now, that's it from me.

Love ya, Jessie.