dj-15383 Reviews

Being Human (2011–2014)

Have NOT seen the UK version.

[6/10 · 14 July 2021]

I thought this show was ok. I liked it enough I have watched it all the way through a couple of times; but I did have some issues.

First, I have not seen the UK version, so I do not know how much this show copies from that one; however I did think it copied a LOT from Angel/Buffy the vampire slayer. Vampires turning to dust when getting staked, a 200 year old something vampire fighting for redemption for all the evil he did, etc. Sound familiar to anyone who has watched BTVS/Angel? Not to mention Aidan getting trapped underground is basically a copy of then ending of Angel season 3 with him getting trapped underwater.

Second, I thought they spent way too much time having each of the main characters off having their own separate storylines; to only have them cross paths in the house for like two minutes to discuss what current issues they are each having. Should have condensed it down and had the main characters interact more.

Finally, I was kind of down on how the last season went. For one, they just kind of seemed throw the Sally/Aidan romance together at the very end. Aidan had three separate love interests in the final season in only 13 episodes; eliminate one of those and build up the Sally/Aidan romance more instead. And two, the whole alternate universe story arc late in the season which basically had Aidan turn back into the monster he had been. It just kind of makes you think he should be punished for all the people he murdered, so then just a couple of episodes later he gets his redemption after only being human for a couple of days; just kind of took some of the believably out of it for me. All things considered, I just think they tried to cram in way too much in the last season and as a result everything is seems rushed.

Frasier (1993–2004)

One of the best ever.

[9/10 · 27 May 2021]

In my opinion one of the best and funniest tv shows ever aired. It might even be better than the show it spun off from - Cheers (both are good but I think Fraiser holds up a little better long term). All the main cast were hilarious and had great chemistry together; and I don't really think there are any bad seasons in all 11 years.

Fuller House (2016–2020)

Enjoyable

[7/10 · 27 May 2021]

I might be one of the few that like this series without being a fan of the original Full House. I know I had to have watched some Full House at some point because I knew the names of all the main characters but I couldn't really tell you the plot of a single episode (other than the pilot and only because they showed parts of that in Fuller House).

This show gets a lot of hate but I really enjoyed it. Of course it seems like anything that's not dark/depressing gets bad reviews from the critics anymore. No it's not the most realistic or a real thought provoking show; but it's not supposed to be. It's just supposed to be a fun show for laughs (and fan service to fans of Full House). Yeah some of the stuff is overly corny but it's still enjoyable. I think this is one of those shows that are more for people who like to watch tv to escape from the grind of real life and be happy when their done watching (which works for me since I am one of those types). Here are my season rankings:

#1: Season three: Probably my favorite season top to bottom. It's tied as the longest season (at 18 episodes) and had the most episodes I liked.

#2: Season four: This is a good close second but the season is a lot shorter (only 13 episodes).

#3 Season five: Also really liked this season and it's the other longest, 18 episode season. A couple of negatives though. I didn't like what they did with DJ's character in the game show episode - they took her hyper-competitiveness to the point you almost wanted Steve to run for his life and don't look back. Also the ending of the finale - the way it was set up - didn't make sense. But both are just minor negatives.

#4: Season two: This season is fine too. There's just not really any major events that occur like in some of the other seasons and like season 4 it's only 13 episodes.

#5 Season one: This is probably the only season I would say was kind of weak. When it first came out (and was the only season out) I did enjoy it; however once the rest of the seasons came out, this one does kind of stand out a little. This season was obviously filmed not knowing if it would be picked back up for any more seasons or not, as it does have an "ending". Also it has kind of a different tone. Most of the complaints people have written about it not being family-friendly enough, I'd wager they only watched season one. While it doesn't have a lot of profanity, the little that you do hear is almost all in season one (I only recall one profanity in the entire last four seasons). It kind of seems like seasons 1 is one series, and seasons 2-5 are a sequel. Going back and watching later, I tend to skip over a lot of season one, or even start at season two.

Overall: the only real overall negative I would add (and I'm nit picking) is with the Jimmy Gibbler character. Occasionally (mainly when he was being serious) he seemed really smart; but the rest of the time he just seemed completely dumb (not eccentric like Kimmie - just dumb) and a bit too much.

Arrow (2012–2020)

Awesome beginning, good ending, and horrible middle.

[5/10 · 10 May 2021]

I'm not really the biggest fan of the superhero genre in general. I haven't watched a single Marvel movie since the first Avengers (the ones I do watch I tend to prefer DC over Marvel) and; other than the crossovers and the very first Legend of Tomorrow episode, I haven't watched a single full episode of any other Arrowverse series other than Arrow.

I don't even remember now how I stumbled across the first season of Arrow. However once I did, like a lot of people, the first season was awesome enough to get you hooked enough to watch it all the way through. However the quality of this show GREATLY diminishes in the middle seasons, though it does recover somewhat near the end. Obviously, even in the worst seasons, there are certain parts or individual episodes that are still good; however I'm talking overall.

My season rankings are:

1. Season one: The one that started it all, and the season that got everyone hooked on arrow. Watching Oliver begin his crusade, being a one man wrecking machine, watching his team come together, Malcolm Merlyn, even the flashbacks. Pure awesomeness.

2. Season two: This season is a close to if not tied with season one. I only rank it second because season one is hard to match. Slade Wilson is one of the standouts of this show. The flashbacks were also great.

3. Season three: This season is kind of a mixed bag. The League of Assassins story arc is actually my favorite part of the entire show. Plus adding Roy to the team and Malcolm as a regular this season. Also, I thought the Hong Kong flashbacks were good. However it is offset by the Oliver-Felicity drama. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I never even saw so much as a HINT of romantic connection from them in the first two season (always seemed more like a big brother-little sister vibe to me) until the last episode of season 2 (which they clearly showed was a fakeout to fool Slade); however here they are suddenly in love. Then it was too much will they-won't they.

4. Season eight: After several bad seasons in the middle; they do end pretty strong. Season 8 being shorter and kind of being of a throwback to previous seasons really helped. Not a big fan of the flashforwards though. Also the finale - while I thought it was good; I wouldn't call it great. Yes in the end Oliver fixed everything; however with everyone the brought back from the dead in the finale (and didn't bring back); they basically erased most of everything that happened up until that point - so you really don't know what did and didn't happen anymore. Also, I'm still upset Earth 1 Laruel didn't get resurrected with everyone else. I'm fine with keeping Earth 2 Laurel, but Earth 1 Laurel should have been brought back too - it was only one episode so they could have made it work with a body double and camera angels.

5: Season seven: This season was the first decent one after three bad ones in a row. The prison story arc, Oliver working without a mask/hood was a bit of a changeup and kind of cool, the documentary episode, plus they finally got rid of all the team infighting/relationship drama bs. The ninth circle/Emiko stuff though I thought as a bit repetitive (I mean how many secret groups or revenge on Oliver/his family stories can you have before it does get repetitive). Same answer as for season 7 with the flashforwards.

6: Season five: The return of Slade was great and the ending of the finale was pretty cool. However other than that I thought the Adrian Chase story arc was just a too much. He was a good villain, however they took the "knowing your opponents every move" idea WAY too far. Chase would have literally had to been able to read minds to be that many steps ahead. Also the Russia flashbacks I thought were a bit weak (though I did enjoy seeing Dolph Lundgren).

7: Season four: This is the season that turned a lot of people against the show and for good reason. Way too much Oliver-Felicity toxic relationship drama. And the absolute worst sin - killing of Laurel. This decision got so much backlash they had to bring in another Earth Laurel to try to fix it (though they stubbornly refused to bring back the original Laurel which they should have done instead - or never killed her off to begin with). The flashbacks this season I thought were probably the weakest of the first five seasons, and also I thought it was stupid to bring Oliver back to Lian Yu before having him leave again - to have to come back AGAIN before being rescued (him coming back o the island should have been saved for season five). The Constantine episode was good however; and Damien Darhk was a great villain which saves this season from being last.

8: Season six: I HATED most of this season. Ricardo Diaz is easily the weakest main villain of the series; plus they made the same mistake as with Chase in season five in that they push it way past the point of believability (with the government/police infiltration in Diaz's case). Then all of the team in-fighting, splitting up, etc. Was just horrible. They have pretty much everyone get mad at Oliver for things they either did themselves or things he was justified in doing. Diggle suddenly having to need to be the Green Arrow enough to leave the team over it; then suddenly not wanting it anymore when offered. Also the ending of Oliver going to prison was just stupid. While I did like the prison arc in season seven; he never should have been there in the first place. Not only does he go to prison to protect a bunch of people who betrayed him; he also apparently did so without trial (or re-trial) for a crime he was already acquitted for (also they seemed to forget about the crossover episode from season five with the president recognizing him - surely he could have used that to get a pardon). Really the only good parts were the throwback to season one in the episode where Oliver was drugged, they at least finally got rid of the Oliver and Felicity will they won't they drama, and maybe the crossover episode.

Overall: First off, I was not a fan of the Oliver-Felicity pairing. I still am adamant he should have been with Laurel. I would have rather seen him stay with Sarah, Helena, or even Susan Williams; or even end up with someone else like Tatsu, Nyssa, or Talia more than with Felicity. That being said however, I didn't hate it either; at least when they finally got rid of all the toxic relationship drama (mid season 6-8) that almost ruined the show in the middle seasons. Also I believe a lot of what made this show popular in the first season was that it was more on the realistic side - it was about the action and there were no superpowers. While they started to go away from that in season two (super soldiers), they had a serum as the reason - it was a scientific (even if unrealistic reason). Once they added superpowers, meta humans, magic, etc. I thought the show went downhill.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)

7 out of 10

[7/10 · 1 February 2021]

When I was younger I probably would have rated BTVS a 9 out of 10, but it is obviously geared towards a younger audience (other than season 6) than compared to it's spin off show Angel (which is definitely more adult themed). So as I've got older, I now think Angel is the better show, though BTVS is still good. My season rankings, best to worst, are:

1. Season 4: It's not the highest rated season by most, and the main villain isn't the best; but it's my favorite. I think season 4 has, by far the most good "standalone" episodes (The Harsh Light of Day, Fear Itself, Beer Bad, Pangs, Something Blue, Hush, Who Are You, and Superstar are all among my favorite episodes; and the season finale - Restless, is my number one top favorite episode of the entire series. Also I think season 4 is easily the funniest season.

2. Season 3: Good main villain, introduction of Faith, several good standalone episodes (Band Candy, The Wish, Helpless, Dopplegangland). To me this is a very close second, but there were a few episodes (Beauty and the Beasts, Gingerbread, The Zeppo) that I didn't like as good; which brings this season down to my number 2.

3. Season 2: Another good season - Angelus, Spike, Drusilla - all great villains. Plus several good episodes (Halloween, Surprise, Phases, Passion, Becoming). Though, looking back, I think the whole "perfect happiness" thing was just stupid (which is why I rate it lower than season 3). No one in their right mind would make a curse with a loophole like that in it that could even accidentally be broken. If they wanted to take Angel's soul, they could have just maybe had another villain (like Drusilla) find a way to just forcibly take it (like the mayor attempted to do in season 3).

4. Season 1: This is where they start to get a bit blah - there's nothing really wrong with this season, but you can definitely tell this season had a much lower budget than all the subsequent seasons. Plus a lot of the episodes do now seem a bit cheesy/dated.

5. Season 6: This season was mostly just too dark/depressing for me. I know I said I preferred Angel for being the more adult themed show overall; but I don't think it ever got too dark - this season of BTVS did. The whole Buffy/Spike relationship this season was just toxic, Buffy's depression that lasted the ENTIRE season, Willow's magic addiction, and killing off Tara - all happening at the same time. It's like four seasons of dark storylines all crammed into one season. Also the Trio as villains was kind of dumb. However, season 6 does have two episodes I really like - Once More with Feeling and Tabula Rasa are two of my favorites; so they alone save this season from being ranked lower.

6. Season 5: It's not that season 5 is bad, but I didn't think it was good either. Intervention and The Gift are really the only episodes out of the entire season that I liked. Everything else just seemed meh. Also Dawn was way too annoying/immature through most of this season (and season 6 until the end).

7. Season 7: Same answer as for season 5. It's not bad, jut meh. Touched might be the only episode out of the entire season I would rate as good. The finale is fine, but I don't think it's anything special either (the 5th season finale, which was originally the series finale, was better). Also, Andrew just seemed like a waste of screen time for almost the entire season. The only real plus for me this season is that they finally made Dawn a lot more mature and actually helping out with the group (which should have been done in late season 5 or early season 6).

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Restless (2000) Season 4, Episode 22

My number one favorite Buffy episode and in my opinion the turning point of the entire series.

[10/10 · 10 January 2021]

This is my favorite episode out of all seven seasons. First off, it's extremely well done and very unique. Second, it is full of references to not only the entire series up to that point; but to the remaining seasons.

Also, one could make the argument that this show has two different "eras" - the first era being everything that happened before this episode (the coming of age - high school/college years), and the second era being everything that happened after (the adult years); with this episode being the turning point.

Angel (1999–2004)

Better show than Buffy

[9/10 · 9 January 2021]

Just recently decided to re-watch both Angel and Buffy after several years. While I used to like Buffy better, now years later I think Angel has aged much better. While Buffy was definitely more adolescent geared; Angel is more geared to adults (probably why I like it more now that I am older).

**Spoiler Alert***

My seasons ranking (though I do think all five seasons of Angel were great):

#1: Season 2: Start to finish this season was awesome. The first half they went dark but without going too dark (Buffy season 6), Angel Darla storyline, W&H, the Pylea arc at the end - all great.

#2: Season 1: Establishes the show and has lots of great standalone episodes.

#3: Season 5: Great change-up in the show and several good episodes. Only bring down for killing off Fred and the ending.

#4: Season 4: If this season just included the Angelus/early season portions; this would probably be #1; however, the Jasmine arc is probably the worst big bad in any season of either Angel or Buffy. Also the Connor character is quite annoying, not to mention the what happened to Cordelia.

#5: Season 3: This season is fine as well, but just a bit more meh compared to the rest. The Wesley stuff is great; and so is the Darla pregnancy arc. I think the Holtz character was a bit weak however - the storyline of his constant need to get vengeance on Angel but conveniently without even actually trying to kill him got a bit repetitive.

Overall I give it a 9/10 - I only take the point off for killing Fred in season five who was one of my favorite characters on the show (though the actress did do a great job playing Illyria), and for the ending of the last episode (Not Fade Away). I understand the explanation for why they ended it the way they did; and I don't even hate it....just a little disappointed. The whole show pushed towards Angel getting his redemption, which for him was the Shanshu (reward of becoming human), and you never get to see it. That being said, it's still an awesome show I would recommend to anyone.