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trekkergy
Reviews
Glamorous (2023)
A sad attempt to cash in on genderqueer and drag fans...
I wasn't expecting high Art from this show, but some basic competency and realistic characters and dialogue would be nice. NO ONE in this series gets to say or portray anything relatable or humorous. The only really interesting/relatable characters that you actually want to learn more about are Marco's mom and Madolyn's chauffeur. Even Kim Cattrall can't sell this sad dreck.
We're supposed to believe that in NEW-F'ING-YORK CITY this androgynous dime-a-dozen twink kid is such a captivating influencer, gets hired to an executive assistant gig because of his abundant attitude and skills with eyeliner, while being pursued by cute geek designers and hot buff finance bros alike? Meanwhile ZANE PHILLIPS' character just stands around looking incredibly hot, with nothing to do but chase after his mom's approval? WTAF?!?!
It's nice to see Michael Hsu Rosen again, after the unceremonious cancellation of "Tiny Pretty Things"... Cute and talented guy, who can definitely dance. Sorry that he and Cattrall are so wasted in this silly show. It makes "Ugly Betty" and "Glee" look like Shakespeare.
The only reasons to even give this show 4 stars are the designer fashions that Kim Cattrall wears, and the spectacular face and body of Zane Phillips being featured in various states of undress from time to time.
9-1-1: Lone Star: This Is Not a Drill (2023)
An engaging episode, except....
This is a good one, though without as much Tarlos as one might like.
The most UNbelievable part of this storyline is the idea that there are gangs of right wingnut cranks in TEXAS that are so radical that they would want to blow up the MAGA Republican legislature in Austin. I guess because the Texas GOP is so VERY liberal and solicitous of that state's Democrats and more left-leaning residents? A nice resolution to the plot line though. Once again Grace saves the day with her uncanny knowledge of a random subject that no 911 call center operator is likely to know regarding the chemistry of explosives.
Locke & Key: Echoes (2020)
Ellie is too stupid to live...
Really... Having made it through NINE TORTUROUS EPISODES of this schlock, that's the only conclusion one can reach. The sheer stupidity of the writing in this series makes the "Archie" comics of yore seem like high literature. To make it to this point in the story and find out that all, ALL of the pain, heartbreak, violence, fear and DEATH that's plagued the Locke family and their friends could have been avoided if only Ellie wasn't such a pathetically gormless excuse for a human being. So hung up on a high school boyfriend that even 25 YEARS after his death she'd do something so stupid is just beyond comprehension, even for the hormonal teenagers who seem to be the target audience of this show.
Superman & Lois: Lies That Bind (2022)
Another stupid pathetic excuse for a CW plot...
You'd think that somewhere in Los Angeles The CW could find writers capable of writing grown adult characters who act at least as perceptive and mature as their teenage children. But it seems not.
Titans: Nightwing (2019)
What the HELL was that??!?
Is it really so difficult for DC to hire show writers that actually know and care about these characters and their backstories? The only reason I gave this even 2 stars was because of some better moments earlier in the season. But whose brilliant idea was it to do a big season-long build-up of Deathstroke, have him kill Aqualad (by mistake yet!), severely wound and nearly kill WONDER GIRL (the Amazon powerhouse who could easily pick up Deathstroke with one hand and throw him through a wall... WTF?!!) setting up a big grudge match between them, and then have him killed in the first 15 mins. Of the episode by his whiny-ass teenage daughter?!? Didn't ANYONE writing this show even think, "Hey, we've had him kill Wonder Girl's new lover; she's probably pretty pissed off... maybe we should see them fight it out?"
And then to kill off Donna Troy in the MOST ridiculous way possible?! She was just trading blows with SUPERBOY?!? You really think she couldn't take a little electricity?! Whose brilliant plot idea was that? Perhaps the same folks who figured, "Let's dress up Hawk, Dove & Starfire, then have them just stand around for the entire finale of the show, doing absolutely nothing to help restrain Connor OR Gar!"
And we all know that Raven is super-dark and mysteriously powerful in some unknown way... but a few seconds of her wrapping up Superboy and Beast Boy in those swirling black razorblades somehow managed to erase/deprogram all the mind-control crap that Cadmus and Mercy Graves put into their heads? And Mercy, the highly trained/skilled security expert for Lex Luthor gets taken out by a single sucker punch from the mostly-powerless-at-that-point Starfire? And don't even get me started on the lame-ass attempt to set-up Blackfire for the next season.
The ongoing saga of DC: one wasted storyline/character after another.
P. S. Another pet peeve of mine: TV shows that drop in chunks of classical music into the show's score without even crediting the actual composer/performers. If you happen to have subtitles turned on as the Titans return to the tower with the dead(?) body of Wonder Girl you will see something pop up to the effect of "Sad operatic singing". What you're actually hearing is not opera at all, but an excerpt from Henryk Gorecki's Third Symphony (sometimes called the "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"), sung by soprano Dawn Upshaw... Hey DC, how about a little credit to the creators of the music you're ripping off?
Titans: Jericho (2019)
A step up...
One of the better episodes so far. Esai Morales is excellent as Deathstroke. Good dialogue and pacing... I enjoyed seeing the team wrestle with the dilemma of abusing Jericho's trust. It was strange that we didn't see Rose at all in this episode... not even mentioned by her parents. A different mother? (Though I didn't really miss her... she's a particularly annoying/whiny character, and not very well played in this series.) I also have to agree with the commenters who noted that Donna Troy was bested and nearly killed by Deathstroke WAY too easily. Wonder Girl is a real powerhouse... she could literally pick up Slade with one hand and throw him through a wall. She's also MUCH faster. There's no way Wilson could defeat her and wound her so severely. I'd like to know why the writers are making this version of Deathstroke so ridiculously overpowered. The experimental serum he was given makes him metahuman ... not superhuman like Wonder Girl.
The Flash: Enemy at the Gates (2021)
Who writes this crap?
The supporting characters get dumber with every episode. The Godspeed clones are about to batter down our defensive shield, break in and kill us all... but let's take some time to yammer about how my wife MIGHT be pregnant, and why we know it's going to be a girl, but don't tell anyone yet! The untrained scientist-not-a-surgeon-lady is operating on my cousin... so I should hover close by exuding nerves and constantly interrupting with stupid questions. Ransom defense lawyers will wander into police crime labs to interrupt forensic scientists at their work for a lunch date.
And this has been renewed for another season?! WTF?!?
Debris (2021)
A decent premise, ruined by dumb writing...
An initially good story idea (alien ship breaks up in the solar system, raining pieces down on Earth) is completely wrecked by crappy dialogue, mediocre acting with no chemistry between the leads, and a RIDICULOUSLY convoluted plot that makes absolutely no sense. You can sit through the entire season and have no more information about what the Debris is, why it fell to earth, how & why it does the things it does, or what it all means. Once again, a network spends about 3 billion dollars on SFX and about 20 bucks on hiring good writers. A complete waste of time.
Stargirl: Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two (2020)
A decent finale...
Kind of a "bubblegum" series, requiring a LOT of willing suspension of disbelief, especially with the character of Courtney. The action sequences and the big final battle with the ISA are mostly fine and entertaining. Some of the ISA were sadly underutilized over the season (especially The Gambler and The Fiddler). Brainwave and Icicle were definitely the best fully developed characters amongst the villains.
It was nice to finally see Solomon Grundy, albeit in less-than-cutting-edge CGI. One disappointment for fans of the original comics will be how Rick Tyler ends up taking on Grundy and beating him into submission. Hourman is strong and a good fighter, but his strength is more on the scale of meta-human, rather than superhuman. There is simply no way that Hourman could go toe-to-toe with Solomon Grundy and live to tell about it, much less beat him. Grundy is a SERIOUSLY powerful villain... it would take power on the order of Wonder Woman or Superman to actually hurt him.
Nancy Drew (2019)
Who writes this crap?!
This show keeps getting dumber and dumber. I'm fine with "updating" the characters from the novels, but can't the CW make ANY of them interesting and relatable as human beings? Nancy is boring and whiney. George is a crank. Bess is a complete space cadet and loon. None of these people talk or act like human beings. Is it too much to ask that one of the premiere iconic detective characters for young women actually do some detecting and solves CRIMES, rather than chasing stupid ghosts and sea demons? I give up. Scratch one more viewer.