Reviews of television shows
In which Stan tries to save a restaurant… As originally conceived, American Dad! was animated All in the Family with Family Guy sensibilities. That is to say, an arch-Conservative father butting heads with his liberal hippy daughter. The show has … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 6 “American Dad Graffito”
In which Stan tries to hold on to his memories… Stan is a person defined by his traumatic childhood. He has a father who abandoned him, and a mother who needed the attention after her husband left. So Stan often … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 5 “Epic Powder Dump”
In which Steve and Snot try to hold it together… The Steve and Snot friendship is always one that seems to be teetering on the brink of disaster. From “Jenny Fromdablock” to “Steve’s Franken Out” there always seems to be … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 4 “A Roger Story”
In which Stan can’t chop it… Stan Smith is a man out of place in the world, whether it was the original conception of the show where he was a Conservative butting up against a liberal world, or just a … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 3 “The Book of Fischer”
In which Stan gets a new look… The immutable nature of episodic television means that the characters can almost never change from episode to episode (both metaphorically personally and literally physically whether it be clothes or body). We’ve seen AD! … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 2 “Dressed Down”
In which Francine and Roger are reality TV stars… Like the progenitors of American Dad! (The Simpsons and Family Guy specifically) the long running nature of the show and the malleability of some of its characters means that in order … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 1 “Langley Dollar Listings”
The Doctor, Yaz and Dan are back! This time as per New Year tradition those Dastardly Daleks are up to their old tricks again! Can The Doctor and Fam save the day again? Tune in to find out! [Review Here … Continue reading Doctor Who New Year’s Day Special: Eve Of The Daleks!
In which Steve tries to keep a friendship alive… While not as sacred as Treehouse of Horror, nor as critically well received as AD!s own Christmas episodes, American Dad! actually does have a history of horror tinged episodes (“Best Little … Continue reading American Dad! Season 18, Ep. 22 “Steve’s Franken Out”
“I am in control of me!” There’s a simplicity to “Die Me, Dichotomy” that I find incredibly satisfying. Like “Family Ties” before it, it’s a season-ender that’s significantly smaller than the multi-part episode that preceded it. The stakes are very … Continue reading The Wonders I’ve Seen: 2×22, “Die Me, Dichotomy”
“We’re gonna rob a bank?!” “Liars, Guns, and Money” is just so full. The basic story of the episodes, as a friend once pointed out to me, is summed up in the subtitles: “A Not So Simple Plan,” “With Friends … Continue reading The Wonders I’ve Seen: 2×19-2×21, “Liars, Guns, and Money”
This review was like pulling teeth and I’ve got to conserve my energy for next week’s three-parter, so fuck it, we’re doing this one Five Things style. Five Things About Farscape 2×18, “A Clockwork Nebari” This episode is really the … Continue reading The Wonders I’ve Seen: 2×18, “A Clockwork Nebari”
The journey to Foundation. What They Say:The Foundation makes the long journey to Terminus as Gaal and Raych grow closer. The Empire faces a difficult decision. The Review:Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)With an … Continue reading Foundation Season 1 Episode 2: Preparing To Live Review
A novel series that was the foundation for my exploration of science fiction surpasses the wildest dreams I could have imagined. What They Say:Gaal Dornick leaves her life at Synnax behind when the galaxy’s greatest mathematician, Hari Seldon, invites her … Continue reading Foundation Season 1 Episode 1: The Emperor’s Peace Review
“Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.” “The Ugly Truth” is fun because any half-decent Rashomon episode is going to be fun. Rashomon is a fun concept, and even more fun when applied to characters … Continue reading The Wonders I’ve Seen: 2×17, “The Ugly Truth”
“Take a look inside. You’ll see his image. The only love of my life.” In my decade-plus of talking to Farscape fans of all kinds, I’ve found “The Locket” to be one of the show’s most polarizing episodes. People who … Continue reading The Wonders I’ve Seen: 2×16, “The Locket”
“You’ve changed.” “People change to survive.” Redoing a concept that your show has done before is risky. Redoing the concept of one of the best episodes your show has ever done is perhaps bordering on self-sabotage. There’s so much potential … Continue reading The Wonders I’ve Seen: 2×15, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
Hierarchy, Gender Roles, Bryan Cranston – why this episode of Malcolm in the Middle is the best one. Continue reading Krelboyne Girl: The Best Episode of Malcolm in the Middle
It’s another quick and dirty review this week. We should be back to regular reviews next week. The biggest problem with “My Three Crichtons” isn’t that it’s stupid, although it is pretty stupid. The episode’s biggest problem is that it’s … Continue reading The Wonders I’ve Seen: 2×10, “My Three Crichtons”
Okay guys, it’s been a solid month since I watched this episode and frankly I’m not any less busy now than I was last week, but it’s time to bring Farscape reviews BACK, so we’re doing this one quick and … Continue reading The Wonders I’ve Seen: 2×09, “Out of Their Minds”
In which Stan is forced to spend time with Jeff, again For a lot of episodic sitcoms with no serialized narrative “status quo is god,” meaning essentially everything goes back to the way it was before the episode started. That … Continue reading American Dad! Season 18 Episode 12 “Lumberjerk”
“In which Stan’s ‘Imaginary Friend’ comes to collect a debt” When Stan selfishly runs out alone again, Francine is left alone in the house until a mysterious stranger, Hank Henderson, barges his way in, demanding to speak to Jack Smith. … Continue reading American Dad Season 18 Ep. 10 “Henderson”
