Joyful sigh.
“Over the Garden Wall.”
I love animation. The way it bends and threatens to transform into different shapes. The distinct art styles and unique interpretations of reality. It allows us to see things reality won’t let us, either because it’s difficult to see or impossible. I love it all.
It’s the spooky season, and what better way to start it off than by watching a spooky little animated series? A friend o’ mine told me about “Over the Garden Wall” back in 2019. But here in Australia, it wasn’t available on any streaming services at the time. Well, it’s available now, and I’m pleased to say I loved it.
Although it’s not Autumn here in Australia, this show gives you its fair share. Forests, bluebirds, pumpkins. All the strange characters our heroes meet on their journey are as zany as they are weird. It’s a peculiar show, but it feels familiar somehow.
The art style evokes old-timey animation; the 20s. The music, with soothing strings and Gregory’s catchy tunes, just sends me back in time. The eyes and some of the character designs remind me of Cuphead.
If you can watch the series, I highly recommend it. It’s only 10 episodes, and each episode is around 12 minutes long. It plays well episodically (at first, I watched one each day), but it also plays well while bingeing. I know my score doesn’t show it, but I wouldn’t change anything about this series. I adore it.
I have been watching the big bang Theory ever since it first aired. Being an IT student at the time, the uncomfortable social situations and nerdy jokes spoke to me. However, much has changed throughout the seasons, more about that later.
We start out with our four nerdy main characters. There is the recognizable fact of the three people with higher degrees (PHD holding Sheldon, Leonard and Raj) who make fun and feel themselves better than "simple" engineer Howard. There is the desperate search for love coming from both Howard and Raj, and the differentiation between the confident yet single Howard and the timid, uncertain just-as-single Raj. Sheldon is the one who has no sense of what's going on around him, and is only interested in his own world. Leonard is the humble cute guy who manages to get a date from time to time, an inspiration to Howard and Raj, although his on/off fling with Leslie gives us the impression that he isn't really that successful after all.
Then we have the obvious babe, Penny, the complete opposite of our four nerds. She makes something stir in all three of them, but follows the cliché of going out with the "wrong" men, being dumb, and ignoring their advances.
Even though these are all cliche’s, the inside jokes and the disarming clumsiness of the four guys made the first seasons well worth watching. Gradually however, as the show became more popular, the writers started to abandon what once made it so.
With the introduction of Bernadette and Amy the female characters are drastically expanded, but they don't add any real value to the show. Bernadette is the caricature of Howards mother, where as Amy is an attempt to make Sheldon look more human. At the same time, we go from a show with it's own flair to a one-in-a-dozen sitcom. The laughing tape went from being an accessory to being the main engine of the show. The characters became aware they were going to make a pun and started smiling like idiots before they said it, and laughing like people high on weed after someone made it. The longer this series continues, the more painful it becomes to watch. The lines that are supposed to be jokes are simply not funny. The acting and stereotyping are more bearable in a highschool play. And, as stated in another review made before this one, the show changes from laughing with the characters to laughing at the characters. From a nerdy show to a show about nerds.
Conclusion: if you're looking for some nerdy fun, watch the first three or four seasons. After that, it gets the same illness so many American shows suffer from, namely that it becomes a cash cow for the producers and starts a long, painfully slow, continuously prolonged process of dying a silent dead.They never seem to know when to end something great instead of going on to make it something mediocre.
Series Review
I'm tired.
Maybe I'm too critical, or perhaps I should give up on the MCU? The MCU fatigue is real this time, and it's getting old. No, this series isn't bad, and neither was WandaVision. But with each new MCU release, the more I'm pushed to the brink. I used to love this franchise, can you believe it? I loved all the movies, and I gave my money to the box office as reluctantly as any other MCU stan. Now, I'm tired. I'm tired of the same old stories, with their important messages, but poor storytelling.
Falcon begins by giving up the shield to the Smithsonian (museum), unknowingly handing the Captain America mantle to Walker. After Walker snaps, he reconsiders his decision. So, he talks to Isaiah Bradley (a black Super Soldier who the government rejected as Captain America), who tells him he won't make it, and becomes Captain America soon after. Was there any revelation here? What did Sam learn? He just went through a training montage, and then he was ready. What a relatable challenge that he went through that I can apply to real life! I just gotta ignore the haters, ya'll!
In some of these movies, the "character arcs" go like this: I want to do this, I face opposition, the opposition turns out to be wrong because..., I'm right, and I win. No one learns anything; all it says is that you're always right, and people who tell you otherwise are wrong. That's an empowering message, but has Marvel's writers stopped to consider that their audience might be the villains instead of the heroes; what if they're the opposition, and they're just wrong, instead of the heroes who are always right?
But this show does a lot I admire; a darker, grittier tone, better action (than some recent stuff), important themes and attempts at character arcs/development. Whew, I'm still tired, though.
As Cosmonaut Marcus writes,
"It was whatever." — Cosmonaut Marcus (https://twitter.com/CosmonautMarcus/status/1385534378239987712)
SCORE: 6/10
I know most people don't respond well if you say something negative about their favorite show but I can't help it. If you like it I'm glad for you (really) but please allow me my opinion.
I am one of those who doesn't think that this is THE best show ever. It's not even the best sitcom in my opinion. It had its moments but not many. Maybe it isn't fair to judge it 25 years after the fact because that is a long time in TV land and things change. But most of the stuff I dislike has nothing to do with timeframe.
First, why this is called Friends is beyond me. Those are the most dishonest, selfish, egoistic and sometimes even mean group of people I've seen on TV. They constantly try to withhold stuff and most of the comedic situations spawn from that. I don't see where it is funny to go behind your friends backs. There are those moments where there behave like friends should, but those come usually after they screwed up.
Than there is the characters. I've written in some episode's comment that Ross is the most obnoxious character I've ever seen on TV. And I've seen my share. And there is WAY too much of him and Rachel who I also disliked deeply. They pull down every episode they're in which is pretty much every episode. That constant back and forth, the bickering and their pretensious behaviour is so annoying. Joey was funny at first but that wears out fast once you get past 50 episodes. Very one-dimensional. I don't even know what to say about Chandler because he is that bland. Monica went from "I don't care" through "I kinda like her" but ultimately annoying. Phoebe I liked until she, too, got the I-need-to-marry virus. Until that she was honest in that she didn't care what others thought about her and just made her thing. Alltogether there was little character developement in any of them. I couldn't connect with them and was more interested in what guest stars might turn up next.
And what it is anyway with all the girls need to find guys to marry and get babies and the guys needing to score? It is a good thing there wasn't any social media available because with all those gay and trans jokes there would have probably been a lot of heat.
That laughing track is way over the top. It accompanied literally every sentence. It even ruined jokes by starting to early. And what is wrong with building up an emotional moment and going through with it instead of ruining it with a bad joke ?
So, why did I watch, and even complete, it ? It's simple. And I mean that in the true sense of the word. You don't have to pay close attention to the plot, f.e. you don't have to stop it if the phone rings, you can even skip an episode completely. It's like having a radio playing in the background. Sometimes reading the synopsis was as interesting as the actual episode. Let's be honest: continuity, logic and depth of story were not the trademarks of Friends. It is full of holes and errors. But it fitted my daily schedule. I could drop in a couple of episodes here and there. And I punished myself a little bit because I went out and bought the whole series at once. Had I watched the first season first I would stopped there and then.
This is the longest review I've written in a while which shows I thought about this show a lot. I like versitality, it would be boring if every show was the same. That doesn't stop me though from speaking my mind. This is a love or hate kind of show. I don't hate it as such. But there were only just one or two episodes a season I think were more than average. It became better towards the end (either that or I caved) but it was an effort to get through and I am glad I'm done with.
Well, I just finished the series. What do I think?
WandaVision began with a solid start. The whole sitcom format was always engaging, as it paid homage to a genre and era of television I haven't experienced. With these first few episodes, the mystery that follows each strange happening was interesting and had me excited to see the next episode. I wanted to see Wanda deal with her grief and come to terms with her reality.
Darcy Lewis, Jimmy Woo, and Monica Rambeau appeared, and I have to say the show lost some of my interest. Seeing Monica reappear in a post-snap world was exciting, and Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis were entertaining as hell! I was still curious about what was going to happen next, but I was a little weary.
Then the last few episodes rolled around. Monica Rambeau suddenly gets powers (for no reason?), Agatha pretends she's all-knowing by spewing exposition, and the show drops Quick Silver, Rambeau, Woo and Darcy to give Wanda and her family more screen time.
Finally, the last episode disappoints. I was so bored watching CGI fights that have no substance underneath them. Vision talking to the other Vision was cool and probably the best thing in the last three episodes. But then we go back to Wanda. She figures out that she's torturing people and finally lets go of her fake reality. But not because she's learnt to deal with her grief but because... uh... I don't know.
She lets go of her fake reality, and this happens,
Monica Rambeau: "They'll never know what you sacrificed for them."
Wanda Maximoff: "I wouldn't change how they see me."
But she sacrificed nothing; she was holding these people hostage, torturing them; she gave up a fantasy for them. Way to go, Wanda! Afterwards, she runs off to a cabin and doesn't have to face any consequences for her villainous actions. Yay!
So I guess the show is about how we're all destined to do terrible things and get away with it?
Overall, WandaVision is a fun time. Although the sitcom stuff had me weary, I preferred it to the answers we got in the last few episodes. Sometimes, the mystery is better than the answer.
TECHNICAL SCORE: 6/10
ENJOYMENT SCORE: 5.5/10
This show is absolutely phenomenal. Rise of the TMNT is similar in tone and execution to the DuckTales 2017 reboot. This takes characters that were relatively flat (don't get me wrong, I loved the 80s run back in the day) but injects so much more life and personality and depth into all of these characters. Their relationship is much more believable that they are all brothers, with Splinter as more of a comical dad figure. The bold creativity reflects in their new different designs: Raphael is a giant snapping turtle, Mikey an ornate box turtle, Donnie is a soft-shelled turtle (which gives him the excuse to create interchangeable tactical shells), while Leo gets the best character overhaul, a red-eared snapper turtle who isn't just the notoriously boring leader and is arguably the funniest character (what!?). In fact, Leonardo isn't even the leader in this, and Rise of the TMNT is could also be considered the rise of Leonardo as a leader. The animation itself is beautifully stylized and has some GREAT action scenes (the best of all TMNT series) they don't rely on trotting out the same villains beyond Shredder and The Foot. It's a creative and lovingly-crafted interpretation of the Ninja Turtles that honors its past but forges ahead on its own path. Oh, and it's actually FUNNY.
How this has become a discussion about two very different shows, I can't possibly understand. (Seriously, TRUE BLOOD and THE VAMPIRE DIARIES? It's like comparing HOUSE, MD and GREY'S ANATOMY.)
I started watching this show when I was most definitely a part of the target audience, and despite my initial fear of this show being a TWILIGHT rip-off (despite the fact that the books had been written before, which yes, would make it a "Follow the leader"; mainly because Book!verse differs vastly from TV!verse), its flaws are entirely different.
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES has a protagonist-centered morality, that, when it comes down to it, isn't caused by Elena Gilbert's gentle or loveable personality (of which's existence, by now, only the Salvatores seem to be entirely certain), but the fact that she's got the special kind of boobs. Her magic hooha is infamous among fans of PNR and UF, the hypocrisy of the characters one of the most fandom-intern-critizised points of the entire show.
Despite that, we still watch it, and once you've come to the point where you hate a show with a passion, yet can't wait for the next episode, you do wonder why that is. (Or at least I do.) The heteronormativity, the lack of POCs, the annoying protagonist and love-triangle, the melodrama, the patheticly obvious loop-holes and inconsistencies. Even the beautiful and rather talented actors and actresses (and amazing music (and yes, to be fair, the few very well-written and often well-directed episodes) shouldn't be able to make up for it, right?
But in the end, the show is what the HOUSE OF NIGHT series is in the PNR bookworld. It might suck, it might be immature, sex-negative, and downright awful at times, but it's also compelling. I can't help but react to the insanities that ensue, and even though it probably isn't what the writers and creatores intended, my hatred for certain characters and the misery I feel everytime they mess an magnificent concept up beyond repair, are what keeps me coming back.
In other words, if you are looking for a well-written, sex-positive, 21st century TV-show whose writers you can trust, look somewhere else. If you want a guilty pleasure "Jesus, why do they all look so good, and wth, how is this his voice?"-experience, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES should definitely do. (Then again, shows like LOST GIRL, TEEN WOLF, and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER are, at this point, easier to recommend with a clean conscience.)
(That isn't to say the show isn't enjoyable. Especially if you are less involved, are able to be entertained by shows despite their influence on particular people, or don't question the characters' and writers' decisions, it should be a show you might come to like.)
Just done with this. Although I can't say I love it as a whole series or among my favorite comedies, this is surprisingly sturdy the whole way through. Even its worst season (in its late run) has at least one great episode and a few very good ones sprinkled throughout. Above all though, this has to be among the most perfect comedy ensemble castings ever? Not a weak link here, which carries it some way through even at its worst writing. I've seen comment here and there that often singles out Kudrow at the only "real" actor of the cast, which must be career retrospective bias or otherwise it's insane, since all work so well individually and together from the start, and honing their skills over time as the series progresses and even as their characters become more caricatures. Ross as a character, for example, regresses bad around the time of his second marriage crumple in Season 5, but that conversely frees Schwimmer up for some of the best physical bits ever in the show.
Not ranking the cast (genuinely can't do it at the moment), but (alphabetic) praise for each:
Aniston - best dramatic acting
Cox - best (barely suppressed) manic energy
Kudrow - best throwaway airiness/non-sequiturs
LeBlanc - best facial expression/reaction
Perry - best line delivery
Schwimmer - best physical comedy
