***Possible Spoilers Ahead***
Returning Series I'm Watching
Once Upon a Time: Oh, where do I start? This show is not so much a favorite of mine anymore. I became disillusioned with the direction of the show last season (particularly when Greg and Tamara showed up), and I'm not sold on this Neverland setting yet or on the depiction of the Neverland characters. For me, the show has jumped the shark. Or should I say "jumped the mermaid"?
I feel like the writers are just creating their own characters and giving them names of fairy tale characters or names of well-known characters in books in the public domain, just to fit into the story they want to tell. The characters in the show don't resemble the characters they are based on at all. I'm all for deconstructing fairy tales. These stories have already been changed throughout the centuries, they've been told and retold, and many stories have been based on them. But I don't like it as much when they take characters created by authors we have heard of, and are loved by millions. James Barrie created a well-loved character named Peter Pan, and he has specific qualities that make him well-loved. Once Upon a Time has twisted that character into someone who isn't Peter Pan to me. He just has that name. Sure, the writers can do what they want and write him they way they want. I just don't have to like it. And I don't.
And don't get me started about the cliche's they keep repeating over and over. "Magic comes with a price." "I will always find you." "Believe in magic." "Believe in who you are." Please, come up with some new themes.
I'm also bored with the fact that these first episodes of the new season are just everyone looking for someone. The journey in this case is not what matters. It's just annoying watching the main characters searching through the woods of Neverland trying to find Henry, they come close to finding him, and then they're thwarted. If that's all we get this season, I'm definitely done with it.
I may continue to watch this show, but mostly out of curiosity, not because I love it.
Drop Dead Diva: I really like this show, and I like the characters. However, I'm more interested in the new cases they get every week than in what is happening to the characters in their personal lives. I'm not sure I like the Owen/Stacy relationship, and I just want Jane and Grayson to get together, and I don't want it to happen in the last episode. I want to see them happy together for a few episodes before the series finale. However, they may surprise us all and not have them get together. I will be disappointed if they don't, but we'll have to see.
Beauty and the Beast: This series started with a twist, and I like it. As long as it doesn't make Vincent's "amnesia" like Juliette's amnesia in Grimm and drag it out through most of the season, I'll be happy (it's good to learn from the mistakes others have made). When this series first aired last fall, I didn't like it very much. I was comparing too much with the Beauty and the Beast series from the 80's that I loved, and it was nothing like that series. So I was a bit disappointed. But then I stopped comparing it to that show, and began to enjoy it for what it was - not a remake, but a reworking of its original premise. I even like Kristen Kreuk as Catherine now.
Castle: I was talking to a friend about the first few episodes of this series, and we both agreed that the plot line of having Beckett get a job in Washington D.C. and then losing it after only a few episodes was just superfluous. Other than that though, I am really enjoying this season so far. Nathan Fillion's Rick Castle is such a great character, and he never ceases to entertain. The episodes so far have been entertaining as usual.
Arrow: I've really been looking forward to the new season of Arrow. It ended with a bang (literally) last Spring, but I think it's started back with a bit of a whimper. I'm ready for it to pick up again and get really exciting.
Nashville: This is one of those shows that has things I love about it (the music, Deacon, Juliette, the Stella sisters), and things I dislike (the Teddy and Peggy plot line). It's a typical soap opera, with some really good country music. I'm excited to look forward to Tuesdays again to see if there are songs from the next episode I want to buy.
Big Bang Theory: I still love this show. Last week's episode was actually one of my favorite episodes ever of this show. I loved the scavenger hunt and how they broke out into teams, and didn't have the couples together. The dynamics with each team were so funny. I love this show when it isn't vulgar (which it can often be, unfortunately).
Grimm: Still waiting for the season premiere. I'm so excited for this one!
New Series I'm Watching
Sleepy Hollow: I already posted about this show when it premiered. I still really like it. It's darker than I thought it would be, the demons are freakier than Buffy ever had (unless you consider the episode Hush, and no demon could be freakier than that), and the mythology is not only doing a National Treasure-type look into American history, it's also doing a bit of its own interpretation of the bible.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: I really want to like this show because I love three of Joss Whedon's former series (Buffy, Angel and Firefly). I also like The Avengers film. I enjoyed last week's episode (episode 3), but the rest have been underwhelming for me. I like Agent Coulsen, but I haven't grown attached to any of the other characters. There are some good "Whedonesque" lines, but sometimes the humorous dialogue seems forced. I will continue to watch and hope that it grows on me, but this may be one I drop from my list.
The Tomorrow People: So far I like this show. I like the premise, and I think it can lend itself to some good episodes. I like Stephen (Robbie Amell), the main character.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: My biggest issue with this show is that we know what Alice is looking for, and she probably won't find him until the end of the season. I hate that. I can't stand shows where there is no resolution for 24 episodes. There's such a unsatisfactory feeling at the end of every episode. Other than that, I kind of liked the first episode, mainly because of the Knave of Hearts. He kind of reminds me of Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Doctor (on Doctor Who). He's a Northern Englander, he wears a cool leather jacket, and he has a similar demeanor as Eccleston's Doctor. I just don't know if it's worth watching for him only.
It's strange to have Jafar from Agrabah in Wonderland (but this is Once Upon Time after all, and ABC belongs to Disney), and the acting of the Red Queen drives me up the wall. Her overacting (or "schmacting") reminds me of Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Huntsman. The CGI is not good, and that is annoying also.
I'll give the show a chance, but if it keeps on with no resolution to anything, and if it's like Lost or Once Upon a Time where it brings up questions that are never answered, I don't know if I'll continue to watch it - no matter how much I like the Knave of Hearts.
Reign: Mary Queen of Scots is a historical figure that I've always held a fascination for. Basing a series on the early life of the Scottish Queen, it looks like the CW wanted to create its own "network" version of the The Tudors. The show is fully of pretty girls and handsome men - typical for the CW (and really most TV series as well), and the time period gives it the opportunity for a lush look. The costumes are pretty, but definitely not accurate to the period. In fact pretty much everything, other than the subject matter, the setting, and modes of transportation, is modern. We'll see how historically accurate the show will be. Since we don't know details of each day in the life of Mary and those around her between 1558 and 1560, I think it will be more a matter of filling in the blanks with fictional plot points than being blatantly historically inaccurate.
Being that this series is on the CW, it's not surprising that there's a bit of the supernatural in the show. I don't mind it too much since there was a lot of superstition in the 16th century. However, if anyone turns out to be a vampire, I'll be dropping the show faster than you can say, "Nostradamus."
It's funny that everyone speaks with an English accent (even the actors who aren't English), even though everyone is French except for Mary, who is Scottish. Although, since Mary had been in France since she was nine, she wouldn't have had a Scottish accent anyway.
It's exciting to see Megan Fellows as the Queen of France. Many are familiar with her from the Canadian miniseries, Anne of Green Gables. It looks like she will be one of the "villains" of the show, since she is against Mary. I love her line, "We're overrun, by Scots."
The pilot set up a bunch of romantics plots, the question about how Mary will cause the death of Francis (he actually died two years after he and Mary married), and politically intrigue. We'll see if any of these plots get interesting.
So, what shows are you glad to have back, and what new shows do you like? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
