Alphas Go To Downton Abbey

I think I need to stop making up random titles based on what I'm talking about, they just keep getting more ridiculous. But anyway... if you haven't seen last night's episode of Alphas ("Need To Know"), there will be spoilers. I'm going to attempt to review the first season of Downton Abbey without spoilers, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen. So... just be aware that there may be spoilers.

Alphas - "Need To Know" - Review

     I suppose it was inevitable that I would grow to absolutely despise Dr. Lee Rosen. It seems the leaders of the "good guys" tend to fall down the rabbit hole of the Dark Side rather than stay on the side of good. I was really, really disappointed that Lee, Nina, and Hicks would resort to torture. And yes, I know Rachel was participating, but I'm not really counting her because she begged off when Rosen dropped down the rabbit hole. I understand that there wasn't a lot of time to get the information they needed, but torture should never be an option. The information it yields is unreliable and possibly twisted.

     I quite liked the parts with Skylar and Zoe/Digit. The way Parish's people were keeping them under control was not what I expected. Or rather, it wasn't as simple as I thought it was. I'm glad Gary found them and I'm glad they're back with the good guys.

     I'm excited to see what happens next week. Parish's plan looks interesting and I wonder how many people will be turned into Alphas or outed as Alphas when the plan comes to fruition... if it does, of course.

Downton Abbey - Season 1 - Review

     While not exactly my normal TV-watching fare, I was turned on to Downton Abbey by "The Three Who Rule" over at Radio Free Skaro. As they generally have good taste in TV, I thought I'd give it a go and I'm so very glad I did.

     Downton Abbey follows the lives of the Crawley/Grantham family and their servants. The season was seven episodes of brilliance set initially in 1912 and ending in 1914. Each of the characters was brilliantly fleshed out and I found myself attached to the ones you're supposed to be attached to and hating the ones causing trouble. All of the actors are brilliant, bringing their characters to life with apparent ease.

     For those who've followed the Harry Potter series, Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall) plays Dowager Countess Violet Grantham. For those who've watched Doctor Who, Penelope Wilton (Harriet Jones) plays Mrs. Isobel Crawley.

     I originally thought the story itself was going to bore me, as it swirls around an inheritance and therefore politics, but I was pleasantly surprised to be sucked into it all. Downton Abbey is truly a wonderful period drama. The first season is available on Netflix (where I watched it) and I assume on DVD as well.

Housekeeping

Uhm... not really much to say in this section. I've started back up watching Merlin... which I'm not sure is going to keep my attention... and I should, barring any unforeseen happenings, have initial reactions for Arrow up tomorrow after it airs.

Love ya, Jessie.