Welcome to the end of 2014 TV Breakdown! This will be just like any other update, initially, and then I will talk about my favorites and not so favorites from the entire year. A lot of shows have wrapped in the last week, and are in hibernation until the spring. But, there is a lot of stuff popping up in January. Overall, I found a number of these finales to be very satisfying when you think about the story these shows wanted to tell for the first half. There has been a trend in the last few years to essentially do two half seasons, that connect with a larger arc. Personally, I enjoy this trend. You get less filler this way, as each half of a season still aims to tell a story. Sure, this doesnt work or even apply to everything on this list. Just something I have noticed. So, shall we get to it? As always, my remarks and the comments are going to include spoiler-filled discussions. All feedback will be welcome (within reason), but don’t harp on someone for spoiling something. If that is your concern, stop reading after the list. Last breakdown: https://facebook/pagemasterjim/posts/10152474416681918 Currently Airing Shows: 1.) The Flash (mid-season break) 2.) Homeland 3.) SHIELD (mid-season break) 4.) Arrow (mid-season break) 5.) Constantine 6.) The Librarians 7.) Sleep Hollow (mid-season break) 8.) The Walking Dead (mid-season break) Failed: American Horror Story: Freak Show Side Project: Avatar: The Last Air Bender Coming Soon: Galavant (January 4) Agent Carter (January 6) Helix (January 16) 12 Monkeys (January 16) End of Year Remarks to round it out. Currently Airing Show Remarks: The Flash has easily been the breakout star this season. This is a show that is COMPLETELY embracing its ridiculous comic origins, and still finding ways to make it work on TV (mostly). I hear a lot of people comment on the CW-ness of the show at times, and I won’t disagree. With few exceptions, that actually plays in favor of this show. The supporting cast is still weak at times, but the main three leads are rocking their roles. With every stinger, the show essentially sets up the hook that baits you into the bigger picture. This most recent stinger that reveals the Reverse Flash was a great moment. However, I remain unconvinced, and still think there may be some misdirection. Either way, this show has every right to continue down the path it is headed. Homeland had a bit of a jump here, but not too large. Homeland is telling quite the dark and serious tale right now. It really needed this reset to get the show back where it belongs. The parallels of Benghazi are far from subtle, mind you. It helps to create a very grounded in reality fiction narrative. Mandy Patinkin has really shined this season, and I am sad to not see him nominated for his work. Claire Danes, however, was nominated, and I consider that to be on point. This show has gone through a lot of bumps and changes in its tenure. I hope the show remains to be the challenging show it wants to be. Agents of SHIELD has finally revealed their hand as it pertains to Skye. People had been guessing (correctly) for months. Once Marvel revealed The Inhumans movie, everyone felt their guesses to be accurate. And they were. Skye is Daisy Johnson, and she is an Inhuman. Her father has been confirmed to be Mr. Hyde, as well. Very bold move of the show to be setting this up, especially since these are not “household” names in the universe. I was a bit sad to see Whitehall go down like he did, so I really hope we have not seen the last of him. The show is lined up to end this season just before Ultron, and they have confirmed there will be some elements that tie them further together. With the slate of films in the coming years, I would hate to see this show be the cameo parade. It needs to maintain the strength they have had this season, and continue to march ahead into universe. Arrow has not been exceptionally strong this season. It has had some very great moments, but the entire season has stemmed on the mystery of who killed Black Canary. Well, that was formally answered, and there was some pay off to many threads in its finale. We know for a fact that Roy wants to be ATOM, so I am excited to see how that plays out on screen. Where this show is been weak as of late has been the flashbacks. Every week, Ollie and the gang come up against something tough. And every week Ollie remembers something from his time in Hong Kong that helps them resolve it. The issue is the linear progression of both stories. As a viewer, I want Ollie to remember what happens AFTER whatever the trick of the week is, and then start being ready for whatever happens next. It is becoming a little too formulaic, but it still works. For now. This season has not been the bull’s eye of the past, but it still hits its mark fairly close. Oh, and seriously, that cliffhanger. They went for it, literally. Constantine is a troubled show. The fatigue of the genre grows, but the show itself is getting better. They need to get to the bigger picture, and soon. I do not think the show will be cancelled. Because for all the good that DC has on TV right now (even though I hate Gotham, it did get a second season, after all) I doubt NBC wants to be the one to have a failed DC show. I hate that I consider that a point in favor of this show. But it is watchable, and downright fun at times. I just wish that the show took itself a little more seriously, and was willing to get its hands dirty. We all knew a water-down version of Hellblazer would have problems. And we were right. The Librarians only just started, with its two hour pilot (double episode). You hear a lot of comparisons between this and Warehouse 13. They arent wrong. But The Librarians did come first. Where Constantine invokes Supernatural which in turn invoked Hellblazer, leading to aforementioned fatigue, The Librarians is still tapping into a genre that hasnt quite worn down its welcome. Sure, you had WH13 and a smattering of similar shows. The comparison here is that those shows didnt last very long. They didnt have time to wear down the genre. That is not to say The Librarians arent the ones to do that. But for now, it still feels fun, and day-old bread on the freshness scale. It is not the show you leave your brain on to enjoy, so it reduces the TV stress of trying to guess this or that. Take it at face value. That is what the show has to offer. And what it offers is fun. Sleep Hollow’s second season so far has been terrible. There is no way to sugar coat that. It is just bad. Not the worst, mind you, but when you compare it to what it did in the first season, it flopped. Dear writers, STOP TRYING TO HUMANIZE YOUR VILLAINS AND ATTEMPTING TO CREATE SYMPATHY! Seriously, sometimes a villain is just that. Making the Headless Horseman a talking character really reduced any threat he had before when he was an ominous force. The cast is wasted on the plodding writing of this season. I am not going to quit the show. I saw what it could be in season one. But the back half of season two needs to step it up. Big time. The Walking Dead failed this season for me. It started off very strong. The way they handled Terminus and utilized The Hunters story from the comics, was honestly brilliant. But once the Beth story line came back, the season completely lost its focus. We know this show can handle a cast divided. Look at last season, because that season was solid from top to bottom. There was just nothing that made sense in the whole hospital bit. Which led to a death of a very beloved character. In turn, that just doesnt add up, even when one tries to consider her head space at the time. Much like Sleepy Hollow, we know this show can be good. However, since it has had longer to do so, it gets far less forgiveness. Failed Remarks: American Horror Story: Freak Show is officially off my list. It was the week after my last post, actually. It was becoming too formulaic (for AHS). Every season hit the same notes, to the point the show just wore thin. This is the same reason I quit Supernatural, and why I give shows that do this less time now. I gave Supernatural 9 seasons. Every season after 5 hit a formula, and wore thin. AHS is on par with that. The hardcore fans will still enjoy this show, but for now, I glance at recaps and those confirm everything I suspected to be happening. Because the show has been the same show every season, just with a new coat of paint. I miss the Murder House season. The paint was fresh, then. Side Project Remarks: Avatar: The Last Airbender enters its third season for me this week. This is the one topic where I will not tolerate spoilers. I have made it this far, please allow me the chance to take it as it is presented. This show really picks up during the halfway point of season two. You happen to meet Toff at the same time, so it is no surprise how impactful she is on EVERYONE I talk to about the show. Seriously, great character. But the show really grasped onto what it was doing at the same time. This is not a show I would have expected to see on the Nickelodeon of my youth. I am beyond thankful for that. End of the Year Remarks: Let’s quickly go over some highlight for the year, as it has been a great year for television. These are the shows that I still talk about, for better or worse. These are in no particular order, mind you. I just have them divided up on a general feeling for the show. Wins: The Quest, Hannibal, Orphan Black, The Leftovers, The Last Ship, Helix, The Flash, Homeland, Agents of SHIELD Not-So-Wins: Game of Thrones, Dominion, Gotham, Doctor Who, Defiance, Arrow, Constantine, The Walking Dead Failures: The Strain, Sleepy Hollow When it comes to the Wins listed above, these shows went beyond expectations. They arent necessarily the best show out there, though many could be. These are the shows that had me wanting to watch every single week. Hannibal’s presentation is unrivaled. The Quest was the most ridiculous reality show ever, and I loved it. Homeland rose back to being a leader among its kind. Science fiction with Orphan Black, Helix, and The Last Ship were very prominent, for all their zany antics and high stakes. And of course comic shows are the norm now. They also happen to be really good (when they are good, that is). The Not-So-Wins arent bad. Well, mostly. Shows like Gotham and Dominion just werent for me. But they did get second seasons. I do not foresee them going anywhere right now, so that is why they are here. The other shows, I felt, “met expectations” on a graded scale. All of these shows can be better than they were this season, and I hope that they are going into the following year. Failures: Originally, this was just The Strain. I wanted to love this show so much. Alas, it was just bad. Maybe my hopes were too high. I am still very impressed with the production values (mostly) and the commitment from the network. But that writing is just atrocious. And as discussed, Sleepy Hollow is in a dangerous spot right now. I am confident it can right itself, but this season was a serious step back. Time will tell. There you have it! My full breakdown! I have received a lot of feedback and praise on these posts, so thank you for reading them. I know they are not fast reads, but the conversations that come out of them have always been enjoyable. I worry they get repetitive and formulaic, but I suppose that is the nature of breakdowns like these. What is excellent is the overall quality and creativity we see on television these days. 2014 was a helluva year. 2015 better watch itself.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 17:51:07 +0000
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