J's Review of Revolution

So, one of the shows I was looking forward to the most this season was Revolution. I watched the premiere the other night and was, to say the least, underwhelmed (that word always makes me think of 10 Things - can you just be whelmed?). 

The premise sounded awesome and J.J. Abrams always comes up with fun stuff. Revolution had these Lost moments (down to the music) and that may have been its downfall - it was trying to hard to attract the Lost crowd. It wanted to impress me too much. Like Lost, I was left with questions - is Nate good or bad, why did Sebastian turn bad, why DID the power go out, and why in the world can't they get it back on? I'm glad I have questions, but I certainly hope, unlike Lost, some of this can be answered soon. I'm also not sure how long they can draw this out - I think we'll all get tired of this "we have no power" thing pretty soon.

I felt like they didn't set up the world very well, but that doesn't surprise me. This is obviously one of those shows where we'll find out the information piece by piece. Seeing as how Revolution is set in areas that Americans will obviously know, I wish they had spent some time on how the power down really affected everyone - what is the world like? I don't just want to know Charlie's perspective - I want to know what happened everywhere. Hopefully, they'll get there.

The other problem with the show was Charlie. For the main character, she was not that developed. She obviously has parental issues, but she is not very interesting. I would much rather watch the story from someone else's perspective. She seems like a very weak Katniss character. And the whole reason anyone likes Katniss is her strength. A weak Katniss - boring. I hate that she bores me because the boys (Miles and her brother) are much more interesting. She could be awesome, but so far, I don't like her. 

Anyway, that's my review of Revolution - I think I'll try another episode or two, in the hopes that it gets better. At least tomorrow, TV will be awesome. New Parks and Rec!! Awesome sauce. 

DFTBA!

Jana

Vampire Diaries- To Watch or Not to Watch?

Vampire Diaries
Seasons 1-3  now available on Netflix

So, today in my world of Fandom I am considering whether or not I'm going to be watching Vampire Diaries this season.   The last season just became available on Netflix, so it's time to make a decision.  I am a season behind, and I have acted with my usual spoiler caution when it comes to this show.  While I may have become aware of a few unavoidable plot points, I've avoided scenes, video recaps, Youtube clips, or detailed episode summaries.  This indicates I'm not ready to give it up.


Why I'm Behind
I got behind because I didn't watch all of Season 2 last year, and I was behind when Season 3 began.  I couldn't catch up easily on Netflix, and the CW had taken the latest new stuff off the web before I caught up on the old stuff.  It was a no win.  I didn't watch any of Season 3, because I hate seeing bits and pieces ahead of time if I'm going to watch it later.  Now we're about to begin Season 4, and yay Netflix, you've placed the last season online in time for me to catch up!  It may happen...


When I Saw the Cast on Their Mall Tour
I saw the cast at a panel during their mall tour a couple of years back.  I hadn't really been to any celebrity panel-like events before, so I had no frame of reference at the time.  I waited for hours with friends, and ended up directly front and center, surrounded by 15-18 year old girls.  When the cast came out, they looked exactly like they do on television. They were gorgeous, and seemed to have had their clothes, hair, and make-up done by the series stylists.  The problem that occurred was that I spent the entire time wishing we were talking to someone more important on the show- the producer, the script writers, or the author of the books.  The questions asked of the actors were simplistic and the actors catered to them, seeming to almost be in character while they answered questions about what it was like to act with one another and did they like Atlanta.  Of course  "Who would you pick, Stefan or Damon?" seemed to be the repeating question to the point of annoyance. They looked great and were respectably entertaining, but I wasn't impressed.  It's probable that they were catering the teenage crowd- you certainly felt like you were talking to the characters most of the time.

Thoughts on the DragonCon Vampire Diaries Panel?
I'd love to hear them!

The Cast at Dragon*Con 2012
The cast was at Dragon*Con while I was there recently, and I had people ask me if they were worth seeing.  I told them that despite being unimpressed in the past, I wasn't sure.  Were they just catering to the younger audience when I saw them?  I'd like to think they would be more relaxed and more themselves at a convention populated with people mostly their own age.  Also, I hope the questions would be of higher quality.  Anyway, I would love to hear someone's opinion who has seen a different kind of panel from this cast.  What did you think? 



The premiere is scheduled for Thurs. October 11th at 8:00 on the CW.

Stay Shiny!
Kristin

Have I Mentioned my Thing for Archers?

Today in Fandom (Wednesday's Theme),  I am looking at upcoming television premieres and determining what I’m going to watch.  At this exact moment, I’m trying to decide if I should skip ahead in Supernatural.  I could always go back, right?  I just really want to catch up.  I enjoy reading reviews and watching along with the world, and I am never going to catch up to the current episodes!   I’m only a couple of episodes into Season 3 and they’re beginning Season 8.  (Imagine my wistful sigh here.)  I’m getting into paper grading season, and that does let me run through a season in a couple of nights, but I want to be excited about the premiere now!   I also considered skipping ahead in Fringe, but I feel like that might ruin the enjoyment of the skipped episodes when (not if) I went back.  Plus, Fringe makes no sense if you miss pivotal stuff.  Supernatural I feel like I could read some summaries and be fine, and enjoy all the past episodes when I had time.  I know this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I am committed to watching things in order.  Ask people who know me. (CW, Oct. 3rd, 9:00)

Justin Hartley

Stephen Amell

There are so many other exciting premieres out there for a fangirl! There is absolutely no one more excited than I am for Arrow, the CW’s replacement for Smallville.  I came to adore Ollie on that show.  I struggle rewatching earlier seasons because I just miss him.  I know Arrow is aiming for less of a slightly cheesy classic DC hero, and more towards a modern, Batman-like character.  Regardless, Ollie began my obsession with archers (not Katniss, not Hawkeye, not Brave's Princess Merida- Oliver Queen), and I am determined to love him no matter his form.  Hopefully I can love his show as much as I love his character. (CW, Oct. 10th, 8:00)

So Jana, what going on today in your world?

Stay Shiny!

Kristin