Weekly Geek Outs - 05/27/16

Greetings!

I've been busy this week but was able to catch the season finales of some of my favorite shows on the air right now (still need to catch up on SHIELD...) so I wanted to share my (spoiler-free) thoughts on those episodes and their respective seasons here:

• Arrow

I've ordered these bullet points generally in order of my least to most favorite season finales. Arrow has been struggling for a little while now, with weak flashback stories and frustrating plot points. It's a shame since it was the genesis of the DC TV Universe, but the show hasn't really figured out a good path forward. With major characters being killed off or quitting being heroes, lackluster villains, and character moments being rushed or poorly done, Arrow has some structural flaws to address going forward. I would hate to see this show go on life support in terms of quality, but it seems to be trending that way. I have faith it can shape up, but I could also see it becoming a show that gets too comfy and gets lazy. I'll be watching season 5 but might let go of the show if it doesn't keep me engaged since there is plenty of other great TV on right now.

• Legends of Tomorrow

On a more positive note, LoT grew in a positive way over the course of its first year. Struggling with similar flaws like Arrow with its villain, LoT eventually got to a good place by investing better in the great cast of characters they have and keeping the tension at a decent place. Strange that time travel adventures could feel a tad boring at times, but nevertheless, LoT looks to be heading in the right direction with season 2, especially with the teaser that happened at the end of their satisfying season finale.

• The Flash

The Flash is still easily my favorite show of this bunch. It fully embraced its comic book roots early on, has kept a good pace (for the most part), and Barry Allan and the crew are just great fun to watch. While season 2 got a little darker, it was still great TV, and wasn't afraid of going down some different dramatic and intriguing turns, especially with the finale. I loved the inclusion of time travel within this show (for the most part) as well as the acknowledgement of alternate Earths. There still seems to be so much they can explore with all of that, so I'm more optimistic for The Flash than some of its sibling shows.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 02/26/16

Greetings!

Here's what I'm geeking out about this week:

• Love on Netflix

My partner Jenn and I blew through this show over this past weekend, and we loved it (pun intended)! An atypical romantic comedy series from Judd Apatow, Jenn and I really connected with the main characters. The whole show is very unique, engaging, and funny. Sharing a similar space to its Netflix sibling show, Master of None, Love is a very real look at modern relationships and how we make decisions about who to be with. I highly recommend this show! We'll get season two next year and I can't wait!

• Vixen on Arrow

We were treated to the live action debut of Vixen, who was originally featured in the CW Seed web series set in the DC TV Universe. She brings a fun attitude, an awesome female character, and cool mystical powers. I'm glad they got the same actress who voiced Vixen in the animated web series to depict the character in live action. Just provides some nice consistency and the actress nails it. I hope we can look forward to more Vixen on Arrow and Flash in the future!

• Legends of Tomorrow

This week's episode takes us to the Star City of 2046, a dystopic wasteland with an older, grizzled (and one-armed!) Oliver Queen who has become a recluse in the wake of the tragedies that have befallen his city. This glimpse was a tease of a potential future that would be really neat to explore more as a sort of what if scenario. This week's episode of LoT struggled a bit with a weird romantic subplot, but otherwise it was a cool episode and I'm always eager to see where the team ends up next!

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 12/04/15

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Thanksgiving Break

I enjoyed the holiday break last week by taking some time away from the blog (why there was no new post last Friday) and having a wonderful dinner with my mom and my partner. I also was able to just sleep in and take care of my life by getting all my dishes and laundry done. It's funny how such simple things can make a positive impact on our lives by helping us not feel so overwhelmed. I also always feel better with an empty sink and my favorite clothes ready to wear, but that's just me.

• Jessica Jones, A Retrospective

I finished watching all of season one of this spectacular Netflix show with my partner this past week. I was excited for it before watching and it lived up (or even exceeded) my expectations. On several different levels, I so glad this show exists. It explores themes of trauma, heroism, recovery, and so much more. It had a compelling story and great characters that I'm excited to continue to explore, like Luke Cage especially. I highly recommend it to anyone to check out. The fact that this exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but also just as a stellar comic book property. It continues the long positive trajectory of all the recent adaptations and I feel like it is an engaging and entertainment property for any viewer, comic book lover or not.

• Arrow/Flash Crossover

It has been a big week or so for comic book movie/TV geekery. In addition to my previous geek out, there was the first big Captain America: Civil War trailer, the newest Batman VS Superman trailer, and we had this awesome DC TV crossover event this week too! My heart has been happy with all this good stuff coming out. The trailers both look great and the two episodes of Arrow and Flash this week were a lot of fun. We got introductions to Hawkgirl, Hawkman, and Vandal Savage in this event. There was a lot of legwork for both shows to do on top of the plethora that has been done already to set up the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow. Nevertheless, this was an entertaining team up with all the comic book fun we've come to expect from these two shows, especially Flash (which is more of my favorite).

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 10/16/15

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Fear the Walking Dead

Over my long weekend break back in NJ (the reason for no posts on this past Monday or Friday), I sat with my partner and watched the entire first season (only six episodes) of Fear the Walking Dead (FTWD), the new companion series to hit show, The Walking Dead (TWD). My partner and I are big fans of TWD so we wanted to check out FTWD to see how it holds up. The answer is that FTWD is both similar and different to it's counterpart, in good ways and bad (I'm a very relative person). It's slower moving and smaller scale but also leads nicely to a different focus than our badass survivors in TWD. These people are still figuring everything out and aren't as hardened yet but are becoming acquainted with their new normal in terms of what kind of things they'll have to do to get by. I'm intrigued to see where the show goes, and I hope it doesn't just become The Walking Dead: Los Angeles since they have an opportunity here to tell a very different kind of story with FTWD.

• Arrow

After what many deemed (myself included) to be a rocky third season, this new season of Arrow is hopefully going to right the ship a bit. I like the bit of a lighter tone the show has been taking, as well as getting deeper into the relationship Oliver has with his team. I'm still a big fan of this show and have been for a while since I think it has some of the best action sequences on TV and builds up in its own way to the expanded, shared universe with The Flash. I look forward to it helping to expand the universe even further as it works to set up the new mid-season series, Legends of Tomorrow.

• The Flash

The first two episodes of season 2 have aired so far and this show is keeping the positive momentum going from their debut season. They're still going all in on pulling from their awesome comic book lore, introducing the multi-verse, the original Flash Jay Garrick, and continuing to maintain the expanded, shared universe of the show. I can't wait to see threads from season 1 picked back up as well as fun uses of the multiverse such as seeing different versions of our core cast in Earth 2 for example. If you haven't watched this show yet, get on Netflix and watch the whole first season, you'll be glad you did!

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 08/14/15

Greetings!

Here's what was going on in my world this week:

• Constantine on Arrow

Constantine was a short lived but beloved show focusing on the famed demon hunter of the same name. It was really given much of a chance to succeed from what I could tell, and in an act of respect (as far as I can tell), the character of Constantine depicted in the show (portrayed by Matt Ryan) will be making his way to Arrow this upcoming season. I'm really excited to see Oliver Queen and Constantine interact, as it continues to build out the amazing TV DC universe that is being created (more on that in the next bit). While admittedly I did not watch the show Constantine, I know this is an awesome thing to exist in the first place, and maybe it will inspire to check out the episodes of the show that are out there.

• Jay Garrick on Flash

On the topic of the ever expanding DC TV universe, The Flash has introduced time travel and alternate realities, which has me geeking out over how this show is just going all in on cool comic book connections. One that has been confirmed is the inclusion of the original Flash from the comics, Jay Garrick. We'll have some double Flash action in an episode (or episodes?) of the upcoming season of the show, so get ready! (The article linked above does a great job of explaining the history and setting up the TV show depiction of Jay Garrick)

• Secret Warriors on Agents of SHIELD

While this isn't super new information, I'm keeping with the pattern of stuff in comic book TV shows. Which SHIELD has felt more like a companion series to the Marvel Cinematic Universe than a driver of it's own destiny like the DC TV universe, Season 3 of SHIELD should be pretty awesome, and will build up nicely to Captain America: Civil War, our next Marvel movie tent-pole. Season 3 will be including more superpowered folks in the aftermath of the events of Season 2, with Skye/Daisy Johnson taking a larger role as she accepts her mantle of Quake from the comics and seeks out her powered brethren for this special team of "Secret Warriors". With the introduction of Inhumans, the Kree, and now this, we're building up a far richer sandbox for the TV show to play in on it's own that is still beholden to the rest of the MCU, but it also feels like the stakes are higher now since more is happening on a bigger scale.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 12/12/14

Here's some geeky stuff I'm into this week!

• Mid-Season Finales!

All my favorite major shows on the air right now have taken their winter hiatus (Arrow, The Flash, Agents of SHIELD) and I have caught up all the way with them. All these shows have been on point recently, with Arrow continuing it's strong stride it has had since the series premiere, The Flash coming strong out of the gate, and SHIELD finally figuring out a good flow and setting up some shock waves for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). I recommend all of these shows and I feel like I talk about them often, so that should give you an idea of how much I enjoy them all. I'm glad there are so many great options for geeky, superhero based television right now. I can't wait for another good option to be premiering soon...

• Agent Carter

The hype has been building for this show recently, as it will be a filler during the hiatus of Agents of SHIELD. It will premiere with a two-hour event on January 6 and then continue on until SHIELD comes back on March 3. I'm looking forward to more Peggy Carter (never a bad thing) and to see more of the MCU and the origins of SHIELD. I am a fan of everything Marvel has churned out lately so I don't expect this to be any different. Peggy deserves her moment in the spotlight so I'm glad she's finally getting it.

• Reflection

I enjoy reflecting back on things that happen in my life. While it is important to be present in our lives, appreciating all that we've accomplished is important too. It often amazes me all that can happen in a year even when it feels like it flies by. This year was a big one for me, which I've detailed in several blog posts (here, here, and here). I'll be posting a year in review episode as the finale for the first season of The Student Affairs Spectacular podcast (check above or here) on Tuesday which will focus on looking back at that aspect of my life. 2014 was a landmark year for me, and I'm excited for 2015 and to live my life as a working professional, out of school and doing the things I love.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 10/10/14

Welcome to my weekly geeklies!

(^ Shout to Alice from Twitter for the inspiration for this one! ^)

TV is on my brain a lot lately and I just wanted to get some long form thoughts out about some shows that are coming back now and will be back soon! What're you watching?

• Arrow, Season 3

This connects with the next item on the list (which just adds to each ones awesomeness). The new season of Arrow premiered this past week and continued the steady positive streak for the show. Coming off a great second season, the third season premiere promises another engaging season, with the inclusion of Ra's al Ghul as the big bad. Looking forward to what's in store!

• The Flash Series Premiere

I've been looking forward to this show since Barry Allen showed on up on Arrow last season and the series was originally teased. The premiere met my high expectations and realized all my anticipation. Grant Gustin does well as The Flash and the show is unique enough while also being familiar within the DC TV universe with its sibling show, Arrow. I look forward to all the crossovers and the new stuff coming from this show. The premiere definitely did not disappoint! Check it out!

• Parks & Recreation

I was talking about this show at lunch the other day and reminiscing about how great it is. All the great side characters, the classic gags, and quotable moments. The show has been very consistently enjoyable over its six seasons, and I'm almost glad it is ending this next season (which premieres in the spring). Its inspiration or spiritual predecessor, The Office, went on for far too long and had skippable seasons, which is a tough thing to admit about one of my favorite sitcoms of all time. Parks & Recreation is looking like it is going out on top and I'm eagerly awaiting its return!

 Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 09/26/14

Welcome!

Another week has gone by so that means we're here for another spotlight on what's been going on in my world lately. This edition is television centric in honor of the fall seasons of shows starting up. Enjoy!

• Nathan for You

I just started watching all the episodes of this show (also available on Hulu) and I've been loving it. It's dry, absurd, and very smart. It's premise is parodying the shows like Kitchen Nightmare or Bar Rescue where someone comes in with ideas to save a small business. Nathan Fielder comes in with ridiculous ideas but sells them with an aloof confidence. Watching the scenarios play out is hilarious and I highly recommend this show for anyone who loves to skewer reality television (like myself).

• Agents of SHIELD

I've been a fan of AoS since the premiere of season one, and while it has been sort of rocky getting this point, I'm excited for what season 2 has in store. The new season just started this past Tuesday and set up a cool new premise for the show with the SHIELD folks being made into fugitives and having to work in the shadows with no backup or most of their fun tools. The show is evolving with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and I'm eager to see how it develops on its own as well as along with the movies. Check it out if you haven't and especially so if you enjoy the Marvel movies of late!

• Gotham

This show also just premiered recently and is set in the city of Gotham where Batman (eventually) calls home. This is an origin series, much like Arrow, and has a very similar look and feel. We follow Jim Gordon when he's just starting as a detective for the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) and most of the rogue's gallery of Batman villains have yet to manifest. I'm curious to see what the pace of this show is going to be and what it works toward. Arrow has thrived as its been able to do flashbacks to Oliver's training and journey to be the Green Arrow while moving at a brisk pace in the present timeline to get his team together and evolve the storyline. I hope Gotham doesn't move too slow and gets to the sort of moments like Arrow has been able to achieve and do so well.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 05/16/14

Howdy y'all! Welcome to a television centric iteration of what I'm geeking out about. With all of our favorite shows wrapping up for the season, I wanted to highlight some gems I enjoyed this week.

• Agents of SHIELD Season 1

This show has been much debated in the nerd circles since it had a lot to live up to. I feel like it has finally found its footing late in its first season, and is in a good place moving forward. The characters are being developed a bit more, the action is always on point, and the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe is being pulled in more. I would personally like to see more super-powered antics on the show, but as long as they keep with solid character stuff, I'll be satisfied. Looking forward to what the second season has to offer!

• Arrow Season 2

With a solid season under its belt already, Arrow has definitely found its way even more this past year. While no show is perfect, and Arrow has its faults, it is consistently awesome, which is more than I can say for other shows lately (ahem, New Girl). I feel as though this show would have been amazing with a shorter episode order to keep the story concise, but even so, I'm very engaged with this show every week and appreciate the universe they're building within their own show, and even to spinoffs. Which reminds me...

• The Flash

...The Flash just dropped an extended trailer (click above). It looks really good and I am convinced Grant Gustin will make a great Barry Allen. It looks like this show will bring in more of the super-powers Arrow has been lacking, as well as all of the same great stuff that makes Arrow awesome. I also appreciate the sort of mentoring going on between Arrow and The Flash eluded to in the trailer. I can't wait for some team up, crossover episodes in the future! Also, we need these two in the darn Justice League movie!

That is all for this week. Thanks for stopping by everyone and enjoy your weekend!