Jason

VIP

5

Season Scores:
1 - 7.5 / 2 - 7.6 / 3 - 8 / 4 - 7.8 / 5 - 7.9 / 6 - 6 / 7 - 8.2 / 8 - 6.6 / 9 - 7.6 / 10 - 8.7

Average Total: 7.59

The one that's not for everyone. In pop culture, there is the saying you are either a Elvis fan or a Beatles fan. That statement was adapted in the late 90's to, you're either a Friends fan or a Seinfeld fan. Now I don't personally buy into neither ethos, I understand the logic behind it. There is a frame-of-mind compatibility when it comes to Friends. If you are looking for simple turn off your brain humor it'll work perfectly, whereas comedy with complexity and nuisance is what you're looking for, look elsewhere. in my opinion, is it the best show in the world? No. Is it even the best sitcom ever? No. But it's fun as hell and I do enjoy it very much.

Season Scores:
1 -8 / 2 -7.7 / 3 -7.4 / 4 -7.8 / 5 -7.3 / 6 -7.6 / 7 -6.7 / 8 -5.3
Average Total: 7.23

That great teen sitcom. Despite itself this show is a great watch. I do believe this show should have ended at season 6, with graduation ending season 5 leading into a 'season of self discovery' with the each member of the group discovering what they wanna do with the rest of there lives and have one final hoorah before going their separate ways as high school friends often do after graduation. Regardless, they seemingly were pot-committed run the show until it could literally no longer be 'That '70s Show'. The show did suffer a bit for that, especially the final season, but overall it's a fun time.

Season Scores:
1 -3.3 / 2 -3.4 / 3 -2.1
Average Total: 2.93

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. If I skipped and ignored, extra time would be my reward. I watched this in hopes of something close to Max Fleischer's Superman and what I got was disappointment. It wasn't necessarily unexpected, quantity over quality was often a motto in television, especially animated television. If you want to peek into this show I highly recommend dabble not dawdle. I've left some recommended episodes in the season comments, but honestly stay away from Season 3. This show ended in a whimper of a whisper. But hey, at least we got a catchy theme song and a meme out of it, soooo yeah there's that.

Season Scores:
1 -7.2 / 2 -6.7 / 3 -7/4-6.1/5-8
Average Total: 7

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Radioactive Spider-Man. The first great adaptation of Spidey off the pages of the comic books came in the form of a Saturday Morning Cartoon on Fox Kids. This along with its X-Men companion show offered something not common in animation, long-form storytelling.

Theme- 7/10
Rewatchibility- 2/10
Acting- 6/10
Kinematography- 7/10
Time- 3/10
Total - 25/5 = 5

Holy episode surplus, Batman. The series continues on, packed with nearly twice the amount of episodes as season one, and boy can you feel it. I get shows before streaming weren't made for binge-watching and reruns for that matter so this is a present-day problem but someone had to look at villains like; the Archer, the Minstrel, and Chandell and say 'Hey Bill, tone it back would you.' The actual characters themselves should not be something that is created within the same tone as the performances, not every original idea can be a King Tut. That aside, returning characters were always a fun watch, when they were reprised by the same actor... I'm looking at you, Gomez Addams. Alan Napier and Julie Newmar continue to be my favorite people to watch when they're given something to do.

"Top" 3 Episodes
1. That Darn Catwoman
2. Scat! Darn Catwoman
3. Batman's Satisfaction

Theme- 6/10
Rewatchibility- 0.5/10
Acting- 3.5/10
Kinematography- 5.5/10
Time- 1/10
Total - 16.5/5 = 3.3

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can. Spins a web any size, catches thieves in a repetitive style. Look out, here comes Budget-Man. Boy howdy is it evident from every aspect of this show how small the budget was for this show. The animation quality fits somewhere between Filmation and Hanna-Barbera, as does the sound effects and voiceover. Episodes are formulaic, to say the least. Jameson and Betty Brandt aren't particularly noteworthy. Aunt May has only one appearance, which was well done all things considered. They did nail down the quick-witted Spidey from the comics, which I will say is the shining star from all of this outside the theme song despite Spidey sounding like Jean Sheppard narrating A Christmas Story while doing an Adam West impression. The villains usually were the only variable episode to episode and when they used comic book villains, it usually worked well enough but they did persist in making up their own for some unknown reason.

Top 3 Episodes:
1. To Catch a Spider
2. The Golden Rhino
3. The Spider and the Fly

Theme- 7/10
Rewatchibility- 7.5/10
Acting- 6/10
Kinematography- 7/10
Time- 3/10
Total - 30.5/5 = 6.1

Holy Parody, Batman! Watching just a few episodes makes it abundantly clear they knew exactly what they were doing. Especially when the big villain players were involved as those actors got it. Overact, overexplain, and oversimplify are just a few common and intended words that come to mind. The two-part formula works primarily with comic-based villains. I don't envy Adam West's position of portraying the straight man to everyone else hamming it up. Aunt Harriet, with no disrespect to Madge Blake intended, is an awful character 95% of the time and, unfortunately, she was given more to do than Alfred who is a joy.

"Top" 3 Episodes
1. The Purr-Fect Crime
2. Better Luck Next Time
3. When the Rat's Away the Mice Will Play

Theme- 7.5/10
Rewatchibility- 6/10
Acting- 8.5/10
Kinematography- 6/10
Time- 5.5/10
Total - 33.5/5 = 6.7

Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. If you are new to Star Trek this may not be a great starting point for you. However, for myself, I found comfort in the 60's allure from my TV Land nostalgia. There is some unique appeal to its overacting, "cheap" set design, and antiquated vfx. It could push those lines too hard though even for me. The early episodes had some kinks to work out continuity-wise for sure. The length of the episodes is a problem though, one hour is too long for most of the stories and 29 episodes is a lot for a single season when that is an issue.

"Top" 3 Episodes
1. Court Martial
2. Dagger of the Mind
3. The Menagerie Part 1&2 (Yeah I cheated, sue me.)

Theme- 9.5/10
Rewatchibility- 5.5/10
Acting- 8/10
Kinematography- 9/10
Time- 7/10
Total - 39/5 = 7.8

That musical though. We're at the halfway point of the show and the vital signs are not only stable but are pretty strong. All the story progressing stories in this season rest mostly under the shadow of the musical. Despite being the least popular and favorite episode of the season and the entire show, I be damned if I don't love it.

Top 3 Episodes:
1. That '70s Musical
2. Eric's Hot Cousin
3. Prank Day

Theme- 7.5/10
Rewatchibility- 3.5/10
Acting- 5.5/10
Kinematography- 7/10
Time- 4/10
Total - 27.5/5 = 5.5

Its five-year mission, to explore strange new worlds. Some consider season 2 to be the best and I suppose there is an argument to have to that point. As a whole the production was definitely better, characters were fleshed out more, and some of the O.S.'s best episodes reside here. The problem is when episodes weren't great, they were usually quite bad, not many middle-of-the-road episodes. While not having many "filler" episodes in a season is good, having strong fluctuations of good to bad is not a great sign of things to come.

"Top" 3 Episodes
1. Journey to Babel
2. The Trouble With Tribbles
3. Mirror, Mirror

Theme- 9.5/10
Rewatchibility- 5/10
Acting- 7.5/10
Kinematography- 9/10
Time- 7.5/10
Total - 38.5/5 = 7.7

That teenage sex-driven drama. This season is the first to prove that despite the generational discrepancy, teenage problems are universally relatable and across all six teens, you are likely to relate to at least one of their experiences and knew someone similar to the others. The show also is continuing to do a great job at progressing both the adults stories and kids stories independently from each other while also having a second-hand effect in each others very effectively.

Top 3 Episodes:
1. Garage Sale
2. Moon Over Point Place
3. Hunting

Theme- 6/10
Rewatchibility- 0.5/10
Acting- 4/10
Kinematography- 6/10
Time- 2/10
Total - 18.5/5 = 3.7

Holy overhaul, Batgirl. That's right enter Yvonne Craig's Batgirl. If nothing else this show is responsible for creating one of the most essential characters in DC comics. Dozier tried to recover the show from falling ratings by changing things up a bit. No more Aunt Harriet, no more cliffhangers, no more Julie Newmar, these omissions weren't necessarily out of choice but are glaring omissions nonetheless. Eartha Kitt comes in as Catwoman without any explanation which is on par for this show and Kitt was fine but there is no replacing Newmar. Alfred has an increased role this season which is always appreciated and many of the returning villains do a fine enough job. However, you can just feel the wind suck out of the sails of this show at this point. There are a couple of good episodes in here but you can sum up the season based solely upon the reaction of the final episode starring Zsa Zsa Gabor.... sigh.

"Top" 3 Episodes
1. Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin
2. The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra
3. I'll Be a Mummy's Uncle

Theme- 8.5/10
Rewatchibility- 5/10
Acting- 8/10
Kinematography- 9/10
Time- 7.5/10
Total - 38/5 = 7.6

That damn Foreman. Man, I gotta say the regression of the Eric Foreman in the final episodes really piss me off. I was really liking this season and then the main character regresses 4 seasons because of freakin' Luke Wilson!? Yeah, that makes sense.:unamused: Anyway, my contempt for that poor choice for character undevelopment looks to contradict my score. But truth be told, I enjoyed 80% of this season very much. The return of Seth Green from last season and the guest appearances of the late James Avery were very enjoyable. Unfortunately, that finale is the sign of things to come.

Top 3 Episodes:
1. Squeeze Box
2. Young Man Blues
3. A Legal Matter

Theme- 9/10
Rewatchibility- 5/10
Acting- 7/10
Kinematography- 9.5/10
Time- 6/10
Total - 36.5/5 = 7.3

That should have been it. On one side of the coin I can understand the endgame to That '70s Show being January 1st, 1980 which is what ultimately happen for better or worse. But on the other hand, having high school graduation be the series finale or the penultimate season feels more fitting for a teenage sitcom. Regardless, this season was my least favorite to date but only marginally so. No need to complain.

Top 3 Episodes:
1. Black Dog
2. Immigrant Song
3. Celebration

Theme- 9/10
Rewatchibility- 5/10
Acting- 7/10
Kinematography- 9/10
Time- 7/10
Total - 37/5 = 7.4

That consistency. This show continues to give consistently good episodes and character progression. No every episode is going to work for everybody but there is a good enough batch to enjoy, rewatch, and enjoy again.

Top 3 Episodes:
1. Reefer Madness
2. Dine & Dash
3. Red Sees Red

Theme- 9.5/10
Rewatchibility- 5.5/10
Acting- 8/10
Kinematography- 9/10
Time- 8/10
Total - 40/5 = 8

That great start. I will say it's one of the strongest starts to a sitcom I have ever seen. My early observation to the show is that it is "teenage 'Friends' a few decades prior". Every character is unique and fun to watch. This is especially impressive given the collective inexperience of the young cast.

Top 3 Episodes:
1. The Keg
2. Water Tower
3. Career Day

Theme- 6.5/10
Rewatchibility- 4/10
Acting- 5.5/10
Kinematography- 8.5/10
Time- 5.5/10
Total - 30/5 = 6

The one that didn't need to happen. I don't really know what happened here but it seemed like all the writers except the one writing the Monica & Chandler stuff took the season off. Look, this season is fine but it's one the weakest and the weakest by far for me. It's was even a bit a challenge to find my top three but alas, I managed.

Top 3 episodes:
1. The One with the Proposal, Part 2
2. The One Where Ross Got High
3. The One with Unagi

Theme- 8/10
Rewatchibility- 3.5/10
Acting- 7/10
Kinematography- 7.5/10
Time- 6/10
Total - 32/5 = 6.4

And so it begins. The Next Generation I would say starts with a season that for my tastes is nearly as good as the best season of the original series. Nothing that particularly stands out but is mostly consistent in its performance. Wesley is a little challenging to like, though I would say most of the characters challenged me in the likability department. I do find the use of the holodeck in place of 'We've found a planet like Earth' cliche a vast improvement and I see potential in what is to come from this series. I hope it to make a Trekkie of me before I'm done.

"Top" 3 Episodes:
1. Home Soil
2. Coming of Age
3. Conspiracy

Theme- 7.5/10
Rewatchibility- 7/10
Acting- 9/10
Kinematography- 8/10
Time- 9/10
Total - 40.5/5 = 8.1

A lot of memorable episodes this season. Keeping the momentum going. This is also the first season for me that contained more top-tier episodes than mid-tier ones.

Theme- 7/10
Rewatchibility- 5.5/10
Acting- 8/10
Kinematography- 9.5/10
Time- 8/10
Total - 38/5 = 7.6

The one where the end is near. You know I've discovered something while writing these comments. My favorite seasons are the ones that felt the most balanced across all the friends. We are also heading to a natural conclusion to the characters as well; Monica & Chandler well into marriage looking to start a family, Phoebe in a committed relationship, Joey maturing from as a person who can have more than short term flings, Ross & Rachel trying to have a separate lives while also and not allowing that to effect their child. Also I love that Paul Rudd, such endearing person.

Top 3 Episodes:
1. The One in Barbados, Part 2
2. The One with the Lottery
3. The One Where Emma Cries

Theme- 7/10
Rewatchibility- 6/10
Acting- 8.5/10
Kinematography- 9.5/10
Time- 8.5/10
Total - 39.5/5 = 7.9

The one with the consistency. While not the best season, in my opinion, it is episode to episode consistently good and that does stick out when I look back at the episodes. I will say that while given the fallout of Season 5's wedding, I understand the ramifications that came from it. However, a major problem I had with all of it is I simply never cared for Emily, not even a little bit. Happy to walk away from all of that going into the next season.

Top 3 episodes:
1. The One Where Everybody Finds Out
2. The One with All the Thanksgivings
3. The One with All the Resolutions

Theme- 8.5/10
Rewatchibility- 5.5/10
Acting- 7.5/10
Kinematography- 9/10
Time- 7.5/10
Total - 38/5 = 7.6

The One where Friends is finding it's groove. While still not their best season if you are in it and enjoying up to now you'll like the whole show as a whole. Apart from the Ross & Rachel saga, this season actually provides less memorable moments than the first season. But overall, it is ever so slightly better than it's predecessor.

Top 3 episodes:
1. The One with the Prom Video
2. The One Where Ross & Rachel... You Know
3. The One Where Heckles Dies

Theme- 9.5/10
Rewatchibility- 6.5/10
Acting- 9/10
Kinematography- 9/10
Time- 5.5/10
Total - 39.5/5 = 7.9

The one with the good start to a good show. They were still finding their footing as most sitcoms do in their first season. Advice for anyone on the fence about the show, if you watch season 1 and don't like it, don't bother with the rest as it only gets marginally better over time. The show gets finetuned rather than improved into further seasons and that's prevalent in the writing even as early as episode two. It quickly becomes apparent why this is one of the most 'played in the background' shows of all time.

"Top" 5 Episodes:
1. The One with the Blackout
2. The One Where Rachel Finds Out
3. The One with the East German Laundry Detergent
4. The One with the Boobies
5. The One with All the Poker

Theme- 7.5/10
Rewatchibility- 2/10
Acting- 5.5/10
Kinematography- 7.5/10
Time- 3/10
Total - 25.5/5 = 5.1

To seek out new life and new civilizations. Pulling the plug on the show was the right call after this season despite two more being pre-programmed in the intro's monologue. It wasn't all bad but this season did provide the worst episodes of the series as well as a lot of repeated episode formulas with thinly-veiled stories. Also, my anger with Kirk in 'Requiem for Methuselah', a fairly good episode, made me realize my biggest qualm with O.S. Kirk does not behave, learn, nor adapt from the experiences of past episodes, as is the woe of episodic non-linear television.

"Top" 3 Episodes
1. The Enterprise Incident
2. The Empath
3. Is There in Truth No Beauty?

Theme- 7.5/10
Rewatchibility- 6.5/10
Acting- 9/10
Kinematography- 9.5/10
Time- 8.5/10
Total - 41/5 = 8.2

The one where they return to form. I shared my thoughts that I felt that last season like Ross, the writers were on a break and the show thought differently. This felt like a strong return to the show where it shared an equal about of story progression and inconsequential plots that were all, by in large, equally entertaining. It is starting to become apparent in the show at this point that it is in the twilight of it's life.

Top 3 Episodes:
1. The One with the Truth About London
2. The One with All the Cheesecakes
3. The One with the Holiday Armadillo

Theme- 9/10
Rewatchibility- 5.5/10
Acting- 7.5/10
Kinematography- 9.5/10
Time- 7.5/10
Total - 39/5 = 7.8

The one where the good times roll. Prime Friends continuing in Season 4 although this has my least episode of the whole series in it. The cringe of Ross calling Emily, Rachel, at the altar has made wince every time I've seen it and I simply can't watch that episode which is fine. There is so much good stuff here, leaves you wanting more. Sidenote, I really enjoyed the character of Kathy wish she stayed on longer. Paget Brewster felt like she fit in with the group, ah well.

Top 3 Episodes:
1. The One with the Embryos
2. The One with the Jellyfish
3. The One with the Dirty Girl

Theme- 7.5/10
Rewatchibility- 6/10
Acting- 9/10
Kinematography- 8/10
Time- 9/10
Total - 39.5/5 = 7.9

The humor is becoming more consistent for me. I can tell I am entering what fans deem the true prime of the series.

Theme- 8/10
Rewatchibility- 3.5/10
Acting- 6.5/10
Kinematography- 9/10
Time- 6/10
Total - 33/5 = 6.6

The one with the not so subtle pregnancy. Did you know Rachel's having a baby, you will. Plenty of sitcoms have had pregnancy-focused seasons and storylines that I don't mind, hell even Phoebe was seasons ago. But for whatever reason, this one really bugs me most of the time. Whether it is the presentation of the supposed gravitas Rachel being pregnant is supposed to be or Aniston's performance during this time, it is some of the easiest set of episodes for me to pass on. Not bad, just meh.

Top 3 Episodes:
1. The One with the Rumor
2. The One with the Secret Closet
3. The One with the Videotape

Theme- 8/10
Rewatchibility- 6/10
Acting- 10/10
Kinematography- 7/10
Time- 6/10
Total - 37/5 = 7.4

"Let your warm hands break right through." The momentum of Smallville continues here with season 2. They are beginning to walk away from the weekly meteor-affected villains to more unique minor stories with a stronger season-long focus on Clark's origins. Lionel becoming a series regular is exactly what this show needed. John Glover is spectacular every time he graces us with his presence. Christopher Reeve's participation also adds so much to the show's legitimacy. While I did prefer the format of season 1, I can't argue with the expansion of the Superman mythos that we are beginning to get.

"Top" 3 Episodes:
1. Ryan
2. Rosetta
3. Vortex