I’m juggling a lot of TV shows and a lot of come to a close recently, so let’s do some Quick Hits.
NHL Playoffs- Rangers v Penguins! The Pens tied the series last night 1-1, so the prediction of Rangers winning 5-1 is very much alive. Pens proved he aren’t going to take this lying down and after last night it’s up to the coaching staff to come up with some new attacks to diversify the Rangers winning formula. Rangers go soft, they will pay for it. It’d be a catastrophe after the amazing season, so it better not happen.
Face Off- Season 8 is over and it was fantastic. Final 3 was probably the first or second finals ever in the shows history. Darla, Emily and Logan deserved to be on top and I completely agree with Darla winning despite the really incredible work by Emily and Logan. Her “The Spirits of Eden” had that extra bit of camera ready polish that pushed her work to the top (I really loved Logan’s “The Fortress” team as a whole, the armadillo and skunk in particular were super creative and well done). Season 9 starts at the end of July!
Bloodline- A Netflix Original that I really liked. It’s about a family in Florida who’s lives get turned upside down when the oldest son (and black sheep), Danny comes home. Really great actors, but I question some of the editing decisions. Early on and throughout the season, there are flash forwards that show what’s going to happen. While they keep the details locked down until the end, it does rob the story of some impact. It’s also 13 episodes at about 50 minutes each. I think it could have been cut down a bit as the editing pressure of strict time slots with commercials isn’t there so they can over indulge without much worry. I think they could have made this a much tighter 50 minute, 12 episode run. It’s getting a second season, which I’m all in for.
Unbreakable Kimmy Shmidt- I can’t remember if I talked about this Netflix Original before, so I’ll be real quick on this one. Absolutely hilarious. If you liked 30 Rock, this is a much watch.
Daredevil- Debuted last week on Netflix and it’s a massive hit. I just started it last night and I like what I’ve seen. Outstanding fight choreography and direction make it a real stand out in the TV comic book field.
Better Call Saul- Hell of a follow up to Breaking Bad. Bob Odenkirk finally gets to really strut his stuff and carry a show. Great writing and acting, perfect nods to Breaking Bad that don’t rely on the view having watched that show, but greatly appreciated by its fans. 8 episodes perfectly executed.
Mad Men- Down to the last 6 episodes, which feels rather sad! The show is into the 70’s now and it’s still a puzzle as to how this show is going to end. Lots of wacky theories floating around there, but Don’s self destruction seems inescapable. One of the best supporting casts out there (Roger, Ken and Peter in particular), really looking forward to each episode.
Silicon Valley- Season 2 is off to a good start. We join Pied Piper as they are going for a round of investment seed money. A big cast member died so his character has been replaced with a female doppelganger which has worked out well. It’s a funny and intriguing look at tech start ups, I think they’ll be able to keep running with the great momentum from last season while stretching out the scope of the show some more.
Game of Thrones- Still awesome, but it’s slowed down. It’s very politics heavy right now as a lot needs to be built up again. Last season leveled quite a few characters and the repercussions are being sorted out now.
Helix- My guilty pleasure show. Second season was pretty good, the location change kept it fresh and interesting. Even with the weird music cues, it reminds me a lot of how Resident Evil started (and should have continued as). The epidemic continues into season 3!