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July-August TV Reviews
Aug. 18th, 2020 04:31 pmLegends of Tomorrow (Netflix, Season 5) - This show has become my favorite of the CW DC shows because it’s all just feel-good, goofy cheese. Even when rogue Greek gods are conquering the world and turning it into a 1984 pastiche, the team is busily starring in parody TV shows and snogging in broom closets. The new intro sequence is totally appropriate, too. I found it interesting that they managed to do an entire “Greek life on college campuses” episode without involving sexuality in any way. The semi-crossover with Supernatural (they used the sets but none of the characters) was also in the realm of “ridiculous things only this show could get away with.” And while a bunch of the plots are getting a bit retread-ish (the overarching plot was basically the same as season 2; Mr. Parker was the new Beebo; etc) everyone’s having a good time and I don’t mind. Given that Ray, Nora and Charlie are clearly gone and Mona likely is too for S6, it’ll be interesting to see who become the new regulars (presumably they’ll keep Behrad and New Zari; then there’s the question of Astra and/or Rory’s daughter becoming permanent fixtures). Oh, and Sarah got kidnapped by aliens, but whatever.
I Am Not Okay With This (Netflix, Season 1) - The diary of a girl who develops superpowers…and it goes badly. (It’s clear from the beginning that this ends with a Carrie incident.) It features free-roaming, rural teenagers who drink, smoke pot and have casual sex, all in a matter-of-fact sort of way. I call this “season 1” because it’s very clearly the first part of a supervillain origin story, and it leaves on a cliffhanger with a bunch of hanging threads.
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix, Season 2) - Like many shows, they were clearly trying to be responsive to fan complaints about the first season, as they had more interactions with various family members, gave Vanya a lesbian love interest, made better use of Ben, etc. I also really appreciate that the showrunners kept many of the “broad strokes” of the comic, but dropped a lot of the side-note batshittery in favor of the world at large being much more normal. (Gerard Way capitalized on Grant Morrison’s success, but not always for the better.) They wrap all of the 1960s plot points and make it clear that the next season will be back in the present but with a brand-new mess of time-travel-caused shenanigans. That said, I’m kinda hoping the 3-season Netflix curse takes hold, because I suspect they will either run their premise into the ground or start needing characters to be really stupid if they go longer.
The Flash (Netflix, Season 6) - I think the supporting cast has gotten too large (despite them wiping a bunch of them out of reality in the Crisis) and they don’t have enough to do with most of them. But also, without him being a whiny dumbass, they don’t have enough to do with Barry. And boy, did they stretch out the back half of the season—Barry was “losing his speed” for way too long, Iris was in the mirror world for forever, and I hit episode 16 wondering how the hell they were going to fill three episodes when they clearly had planned for 5-6 more before COVID-19 cut them short. (Mostly with one-off side plots, apparently.) The leave on a massive cliffhanger: Iris is being absorbed into the mirror dimension; Barry still doesn’t have a speed force, Eva is still on the loose, Sue is on the hook for Carver’s murder. (Oh, and something terrible will happen to Ralph, since his actor is being fired.) Of course, we won’t find out what happened until at least next January.
I Am Not Okay With This (Netflix, Season 1) - The diary of a girl who develops superpowers…and it goes badly. (It’s clear from the beginning that this ends with a Carrie incident.) It features free-roaming, rural teenagers who drink, smoke pot and have casual sex, all in a matter-of-fact sort of way. I call this “season 1” because it’s very clearly the first part of a supervillain origin story, and it leaves on a cliffhanger with a bunch of hanging threads.
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix, Season 2) - Like many shows, they were clearly trying to be responsive to fan complaints about the first season, as they had more interactions with various family members, gave Vanya a lesbian love interest, made better use of Ben, etc. I also really appreciate that the showrunners kept many of the “broad strokes” of the comic, but dropped a lot of the side-note batshittery in favor of the world at large being much more normal. (Gerard Way capitalized on Grant Morrison’s success, but not always for the better.) They wrap all of the 1960s plot points and make it clear that the next season will be back in the present but with a brand-new mess of time-travel-caused shenanigans. That said, I’m kinda hoping the 3-season Netflix curse takes hold, because I suspect they will either run their premise into the ground or start needing characters to be really stupid if they go longer.
The Flash (Netflix, Season 6) - I think the supporting cast has gotten too large (despite them wiping a bunch of them out of reality in the Crisis) and they don’t have enough to do with most of them. But also, without him being a whiny dumbass, they don’t have enough to do with Barry. And boy, did they stretch out the back half of the season—Barry was “losing his speed” for way too long, Iris was in the mirror world for forever, and I hit episode 16 wondering how the hell they were going to fill three episodes when they clearly had planned for 5-6 more before COVID-19 cut them short. (Mostly with one-off side plots, apparently.) The leave on a massive cliffhanger: Iris is being absorbed into the mirror dimension; Barry still doesn’t have a speed force, Eva is still on the loose, Sue is on the hook for Carver’s murder. (Oh, and something terrible will happen to Ralph, since his actor is being fired.) Of course, we won’t find out what happened until at least next January.
