Transporter (Season One)

Zach Goodier

First off, Transporter doesn’t star our favorite transporter, and he isn’t driving a BMW (he likes Audis, now). So, is there any hope for this TV spin-off of the original action flick? We have Frank Martin taking on different jobs every episode, and he generally runs into complications along the way, which usually land an attractive girl in his lap, often literally. Then, cue exciting car chase with lots of engines roaring and tires squealing, and then he delivers the package, loses the girl so he can be ready for the one next episode, then go home until next episode.

The BMW phase is over, Frank has moved on to Audi now. 

That about sums up the entire premise of the show. Frank relies on his contact, Catarina, to organize and set up jobs for him, and she helps him navigate along the route and advises him when she picks on trouble from traffic, news, or police channels. All in all, this does feel like a realistic, intelligent setup that lends a bit more realism to the entire thing. Inspector Tarconi also returns, but usually not in a significant role.

At least you'll recognize one face here.

Other than Frank, there isn’t all the much going on for characters, aside from some side stuff with Catarina, and a group that is keeping tabs on Frank. But mostly, about everything going on is copied from the film. Car chases and fist fights are commonplace, and Frank is almost always working for shady characters with questionable intentions and often dangerous cargo.

Frank has some attractive support coming in from Carla

I’d say this show is great if you really couldn’t break away from the film, and love everything it did. However, it doesn’t really add anything to the formula, and it tries to stick to the formula likely out of fear of straying from it and upsetting fans, but it makes the entire series feel repetitive with a very slow lead-in to the actual threat Frank faces. This means you won’t see much that you haven’t seen before, just put on fast-forward to fit in an hour-long episode. Including Inspector Tarconi does lend some legitimacy to the series, but not having Jason Statham does make everything seem somewhat awkward at first, as they act like there is no change to speak of. After a while, though, you can just role with it, but this never really feels like anything more than an attempt to copy the original film.

Good:

-Fun car chases.

-Heart-pounding action.

-An original cast member came back to lend some legitimacy to the series, even if it’s a minor role.

Bad:

-Doesn’t add to the formula.

-Episodes feel rushed in terms of pacing to fit a 1 hour time slot.

-Conspicuous lack of Jason Statham in a very Jason Statham style feature.

Scully Rating: 6.0 out of 10

Aquarius

By: Robert Murphy

At the height of the peace movement from the 1960s to 1970s there would be one man whose name would go down in infamy and his name was Charles Manson (Gethin Anthony). He and his "family" would end up going on a spree of murders that would inspire an entire generation of fear for people. But before all this Manson would appear to be nothing but a small time peddler in a world with so much more going on. Black rights movements, protests against government sanctioned wars and police brutality swept over the nation and one man walked the line between good cop and bad cop like no other. Sam Hodiak (David Duchovny) is an LAPD officer with a troubled past and even more troubling future as he is set to the task of recovering one of Manson's latest runaways, the daughter of a prominent Los Angeles lawyer Emma Karn (Emma Dumont). Along the way you will see him bust a few heads and walk the very dangerous line of right and wrong in a time where the two were practically invisible, the key is to actually have a good moral compass underneath.

David Duchovny's return to television is one that I was eager to get behind, I was an avid follower of his exploits on Californication and in quite a few ways his role in Aquarius shares many of the same characteristics. Detective Hodiak is a former lush and somewhat of a womanizer that has tried to turn a new leaf in one form or another after seeing what kind of life he was living. This however doesn't stop him from bending a few rules to get confessions from criminals or even beating the crap out of potential informants. Police brutality being something that is deeply overlooked during this time as it was something that cops felt criminals deserved. After a few episodes though the layers start to peel away from Hodiak's bad boy persona and you start to see more of a free thinking type than you would have expected. This being a big deal for the supposedly straight edged look he has for most of the show and most would view him a suit or narc the instant he walked into a room. But, his character actually has a lot going for him and respect for all kind of individuals during a time where anyone who wasn't white seemed to be in the wrong or on the outside looking in on the American dream.

This is an aspect I felt that Aquarius gets into extremely well. Everyone knows about the Black Panther and civil rights movements that were brewing around this time and how people of color were being treated now that the walls were starting to break down and everyone was starting to coexist. Well, trying to coexist I should say since plenty of hate and superiority complexes were still brewing. It is especially tough on Hodiak's new partner Brian Shafe (Grey Damon) who is the departments free spirit hippie cop. An odd combo but one that I enjoyed since he had an interesting interpretation on both sides of law being someone who hates the police brutality and their abuse of power but still wanting to serve and protect. His character we find out isn't so popular on the home front as he's married to a black woman and they share child together in a community mostly surround by white neighbors. The abuse for his character runs deep but one of the most satisfying moments comes when Hodiak busts a few heads to find out who threw a rock through Brian's window.

There is also other issues that arise that I feel were presented fairly well but mostly fall under the same category. Issues with race and sexual orientation are laced throughout the story and in many cases make Hodiak a more compelling character each time they come up. In the episode entitled "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" Hodiak helps a fellow detective in trying to stop a local paper from revealing that he in fact from Cuba because it will ruin his career and his family. Such a tiny thing that you would never cause a huge problem now is a monumental disaster as the man never told his wife who he was and never told any other detective in the department for fear of being mocked and not given good cases. Landmines like this are layered throughout the story and it gets me wrap up into just what sort of era this was and all the hardships there were to have if you weren't the "right" color, race or even gender.

Now at this point you may be asking yourself why I haven't brought up the supposed star of the show Charles Manson and that is because he really doesn't ever come off as the shows center. Much of what the show does and does well is create a cop drama about Hodiak with scenes about Manson set about here and there to include him in the story. It's not that he is portrayed poorly or anything, far from it, as I felt that former Game of Thrones actor Gethin Anthony does a great job of playing the deeply deranged and yet intoxicating Manson. The issue is that his story just never pops and he becomes a background character that never does anything so sinister as his infamous name would suggest. He is frankly just a name in someone else's story during the entire first season of Aquarius which is a big deal considering how the show was marketed as a drama about the life of Manson leading up to what he has done. Mostly what his character does well is give the other characters in the show some drive and moment to move forward such as Hodiak and another character who is so intricate to the plot that I refuse to spoil in this review. 

What also doesn't help the case for Manson though is Emma. This innocent little runaway was probably just looking for a bit of fun when she runs away with Manson and his little following of females and that works out fine for the first few episodes. Emma Dumont does a good job of playing the china doll character whose spent most of her life trapped in a cage wishing her parents would stop fighting and pay more attention to her. However, once she starts to see Manson for the mad man that he is and all that he does she doesn't do anything about it and often her scene involve her blankly starring into the camera like "Oh my God, he really did that." Her actions make less and less sense throughout the series when she flips flops between going along with Manson and not going along with him. Two moments in particular were confusing for me such as the first time Manson has her have sex with someone to curry favor with them. She acts shocked but the next time we see her she's raiding the guys fridge and acting like it didn't matter. Her character was just plain confusing and made the Manson story pop even less.

What Aquarius really should have ended up being is a nice period piece about cops during this era. David Duchovny plays a great Detective Hodiak who does many things wrong but often it is for the right reasons and in many ways he is a cop that I feel is needed in this time for his forward thinking attitude. We also have the many topics that are broken into such a gender equality, civil rights and homosexuality. It isn't presented delicately and that is a good thing because this era wasn't delicate and people didn't tip toe around what they had to say. Where things fall apart however is with the shows supposed main focus Charles Manson whose stories never quite felt that relevant to the what was going on. I was happy to watch the show in it's entirety though and not have to wait each week for it to come out, if I had I feel like my opinion of it may have been different. Getting to see Hodiak's change as a character kept me wanting more, along with the key issues and period points presented throughout.

Good:

- David Duchovny as Sam Hodiak

- Issues of race, gender and color all were compelling parts of the story

- A great cop drama more than a series about Charles Manson

Bad:

- Charles Manson's storyline never pops out and shouldn't it? The shows about him

- Emma Karn is never the driving force for the story that she is meant to be

Scully Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Almost Human

By: Robert Murphy

This is a review I have been meaning to get to for awhile now as Almost Human was something that peeked my interests the moment I saw it advertised. The year is 2048 and the world is everything that you have imagined the future would be like in terms of how far humanity has come with technology. The story is set around a pair of cops who couldn't be more wrong for each other, go figure right? Detective John Kennex (Karl Urban) is a gruff and gritty man who doesn't too much care for androids which is unfortunate because cops in this time are partnered with them almost always. Enter the android, Dorian (Michael Ealy) who is part of a long decommissioned group of androids who were suppose to be more human-like and therefore better but things don't always go that way. The two are paired together and despite the cliche mismatched cop dynamic screaming in my head the show works. 

As I said earlier, the futuristic dystopia of a world that the characters are set in really has been done to death whether it be in films or in other television shows. All those 80's and 90's movies use to picture a world where we all would one day live in by this point and it often looked bleak and needed saving. This is where I find fault with a show like Almost Human for the simple fact that it's been done to death but the themes are what save it all frankly. Crime is always a problem it seems and it has gotten a lot more unique as technology has progressed so far, trafficking organs gets more ingenious when you can grow them in a jar rather than farm them from innocent victims. I somewhat felt like the show was what Robocop could have been if it was ever a television show as Kennex and Dorian take down criminals together.

What's also good is the relationship between Kennex and Dorian themselves, you can forget all the futuristic nonsense going on around them and the crime fighting when you see the two work so well together. Ealy's portrayal as Dorian is fantastic as he plays the friendly android that knows just how to push Urban's character Kennex in the right ways. Dorian often gets his kicks out of watching Kennex relationship with one of the other detectives, Valerie Stahl (Minka Kelly) after he points out how much Kennex really has something for her. Kennex himself was everything you expected him to be when you first see him as the rough around the edges kind of cop who was still great at his job as a cop though. Kennex does warm up though as you often see the grumpy character do in this sour and sweet cop situations, plus he's Karl Urban, you gotta love the guy. 

I do wish that there had been a better supporting cast of characters to the show alongside of Kennex and Dorian because as good of main characters they're, you can't rest it all on them with a show. The resident Captain Sandra Maldonado (Lili Taylor) was really just a flat character whose only relevance came up when she was handing out orders. Rudy Lom (Mackenzie Crook) was an interesting surprise to the show as the quirky lab tech but he just doesn't get out enough like another quirky lab tech Abby from NCIS. And of course there's other detectives who come on the screen but go away just as quickly, the only one making any impact would be Valerie Stahl for her estrange love interest to Detective Kennex and the joy it brings to Dorian. 

In conclusion, Almost Human is something that carries a spark of something like a movie that you know you shouldn't love but do for some reason, it's there and it makes you laugh and watch along. It probably comes from the great chemistry of Kennex and Dorian who make great partners in a very cliche situation. Other characters though don't stand out enough and settle in for the ride with the rest of us as our cop duo do there thing. The cases and the partnership are truly what save you from all the cliches and made Almost Human stay alive for me, shame it won't be getting another season, FOX strikes again. 

Good:

- Dorian and Kennex make a perfect team with great on screen chemistry

- The cases are very solid and enjoyable

- Something of a nostalgic feel to it for my childhood

Bad:

- It has many cliches to it that are hard not to see

- The done to death futuristic dystopia feel

- Side characters are less than that and really needed to be more 

Scully Rating: 6.0 out of 10 

Rick and Morty (Season 1)

By: Robert Murphy

Do you ever sit down and wish that you had a grandfather that was more like Emmett Brown from the Back to the Future movies, someone who is super intelligent but just a little bit hair brained. Well Rick and Morty tells the story of a young kid much like Marty McFly named Morty who has an extremely intelligent but rude, crude and alcoholic grandfather named Rick who gets themselves and their family into extraordinarily crazy and dangerous situations. These often dangerous sci-fi adventures the two go on often lead the planet or themselves to certain doom and simple minded but earnest Morty often brings Rick to his senses but the crazy ride up to that point is something you'll have to see to believe. 

The ridiculous nature of Rick and Morty isn't something new when you think about the other shows that have come alongside of it on Adult Swim, the late night and adult programming time slot for Cartoon Network where you see shows like Family Guy or Superjail. Morty in all honesty would rather go about his regular mundane existence like any other teenager, he wants to date the prettiest girl in school and just have things be not so crazy. Rick on the other hand has other plans for his grandson and wants him to take part in the crazy experiments and alternate dimension jumping "fun" he has in store. It's somewhat of the sad mad scientist story where Rick is a super genius but needs someone humble to balance him out for the story and it works. Even though almost 99% of the time it appears he is a selfish and self absorbed butt munch, you can tell that there is underline caring for Morty and their family even if it comes with a sarcastic and alcoholic burp of a response. 

The shows more darker comedy is what you will undoubtedly love about the show, every joke and theme about Rick and Morty is done for pure insane fun as it takes you along for the ride. Perhaps the most disturbing episode for me was entitled "Rick Potion #9" where an upcoming school dance leads Morty to ask Rick for a way to get the school's resident hotty Jessica to say yes to going with him. This leads to Rick creating a potion that causes everyone to fall in love with him at the dance, creepily so as they all end up chasing after him looking for his affection. This would be fine until Rick tries to fix it with another potion that contains preying mantis extract and turns everyone into half mantis/half human monsters trying to kill Morty. While Rick just kinda shrugs this off, Morty being a normal person is entirely freaked out and it was incredibly hilarious, the out of this world ideas that the show takes on makes it both and enjoyable and creative to think about all the way through.

In conclusion, I am excited that the show will be receiving a second season as it has been the best new animated cartoon to come out of Adult Swim in quite some time. Rick and Morty is exceedingly smart and clever with it's dark toned humor and will leave you with the question of "what the hell did I just watch?" ringing in your mind. But still you will love it all the same I hope as much as I have for all its little quirks and wit whether Rick and Morty are in another dimension full of other versions of themselves or inside the body of a homeless man they're trying to put a theme park into, it's just a riot. 

Good:

- Smart and funny

- Disturbing but all around hilarious episodes

- Best animated show I've watched in a long time

Bad:

- The humor may not be for everyone 

Scully Rating: 9.0 out of 10 

The Big Bang Theory (Season 7)

By: Robert Murphy

Spoilers! Spoilers everywhere!

If any of you are like me and have been following along The Big Bang Theory over these past couple of seasons, you’ll notice the same themes about each of the characters that are on screen. Sheldon is robot like fruit cake, Leonard cracks sarcastic one-liners at him, same old same old, and it’s been the formula this whole time. But when the show entered it’s season 7 it was clear that the theme was change and shake everything up a little with the characters we’ve been with all this time. Everybody this season will be either forced to deal with change or due some serious changing of their own and as we all know Sheldon isn’t the biggest fan of anything like this so it was definitely fun to watch.

Much of what ruins a series after so long is the fact that things get a little stale and characters settle into the grooves they’ve been placed into but thankfully things get stirred up for characters this season of The Big Bang Theory. Raj has always been a character that was looking for something to call his own and that usually involved finding a girlfriend of his own much like all his friends have. After last season he has finally overcome his inability to talk to woman without alcohol pumping through his veins. This opened Raj up much more for the writers of the show I think as he shows the most growth and use during this season. Sheldon though was the most surprising in his efforts to make changes in his life which is so very hard for him to do especially when it involves romance. Amy, who has long had to suffer with Sheldon’s tendencies, has finally started to crack the mold on him and even gets him to kiss her and even more surprisingly like it.

The show really belonged to those outside of Leonard and Penny this time around which was a very good thing, it wasn’t that they weren’t involved, it was just that the show was stronger when it didn’t focus on the two of them together. We all know where the road is heading for the two of them so let it happen but don’t make it what the show is all about anymore. Hilarious pairings of Sheldon and Penny and Sheldon and Howard and others are where we need to be focusing and that’s just what happened this time around. Sheldon and Howard’s relationship has always been a bumpy one and it’s no secret that they aren’t the best of friends and when they finally decide to air the room out on it, it becomes even more stressing, mainly for Howard. But the two find new respect for one another in an episode entitled “The Friendship Turbulence” and created two of my favorite episodes all season.

This most recent season also inspired some very excellent guest appearances which have started to appear more and more throughout the show, many of which from the nerdier side of the acting spectrum. Will Wheaton has been a welcomed addition to many episode throughout The Big Bang Theory’s span and even more so this season as he appears in four or five episodes. And alongside him we see a favorite actor of mine, Bob Newhart, who had appeared last season but was such an incredible part of this season that he truly deserves props. Perhaps the most heart warming episode is “The Proton Transmogrification” where we see his character pass away only to return as a Jedi like specter to Sheldon. He imparts very wise words to him and makes Sheldon realize how lucky is for those he has around him, prompting a tear jerking hug with Leonard later on in the episode.

What was great about season 7 for The Big Bang Theory is that it showed some very fresh faced ideas for all of the characters and really broke the mold getting them away from their comfort zones and mixing things up. Many of the same ideas still remain with the story and we do see the predictable happen with many of the characters but there’s was much growth in the writing that showed that there can be more done here. Seeing Sheldon’s personal growth and change is one of the best parts of this season and really hits you from time to time with it’s touching moments. It’s also good to see the writers finally give Raj a fighting chance and not make him the brunt of all the jokes anymore. I hope that things continue to trend upward for the next couple of seasons and we see even more come of the show that has shown it’s not ready to drift of slowly into the background of comedy shows.

Good:

- Major character growth that breaks the mold on many stale stories and ideas

- Guest stars were solid and excellently written into the story

- Some very solid episodes that I was happy to see and will pull at your heart strings

Bad:

- Still have some of the same stories happen here and there

- The predictable still happens with Penny and Leonard

Scully Rating: 8.0 out of 10 

Surviving Jack

By: Robert Murphy

We all know that many of us prefer the nurturing and sappy feelings we have for our mothers but Surviving Jack tells the story of just what happens when the mother is away and dear old dad takes the reins. Turns out quite a bit as former Law and Order: SVU star Christopher Meloni takes the role of Jack and plays the stay at home dad while his wife returns to school after 17 years of her being in charge of their two kids. Jack’s parenting skills are a little unpolished and appear to be a bit more like how a drill sergeants would raise a family. But this more or less applies to his son as the show is told from his perspective and narrative as he talks about his crazy dad’s parenting style that often was two parts inspiring and a bit insane.

Initially I had my reservations about Surviving Jack, it had a very interesting premise and I was very excited that Christopher Meloni was able to return to television once again with a bit of twist and a less serious role. To top it all off, he bats the role right out of the park with his role as the father for the show trying to beat common sense and wisdom into his children’s heads. The form of comedy that comes from him as a character is classic deadpan where no matter how ridiculous the situation Jack maintains the same emotional state without cracking a smile or blushing at the thought of what’s being said. One of the best moments had to of been during the episode “Something to Talk About” where the mother gets her tubes tied and Jack artfully demonstrates what that means by using the turkey and some green beans without missing a beat. It’s such an amazing transition from stoic Officer Stabler to the humor and wisdom that completely makes Surviving Jack the great show that it is. 

Now don't be discouraged by my last paragraph being all about Christopher Meloni because he isn't the only thing that carried the show along when you take a look at the role of our mother. Joanne (Rachael Harris) is a classic caring mother who loves her kids and is still a little worried about leaving them to go back to school and start a career. She perfectly counter balances Jack as a character and their marriage in the show is something to be admired as it's based on mutual respect for one another and it really shows how great they are for one another despite there differences. Jack though takes on the challenge left by her with a bit of a rough start as Frankie (Conner Buckley) and Rachel (Claudia Lee) prove to be more complex than he had thought but spending time with them proves to be good for all of them. Frankie sees that even though his dad may be crazy at times, he's a smart guy who knows what he's talking about and is really trying to prepare him for the world. 

The entire show is based in the 1990's, where people wore way too much hairspray and the C.H.I.A pet was the coolest thing since sliced bread. And I bring up the time frame because of how well it hits older audiences who went through this time, my mother for instance pointed out in the very first episode how her hair was like Rachel's and how she use to have a shirt that changed color when you touched it as well. But the show also grabbed my age group too even though I was still learning to walk and talk through the 90's, I still get many of the references and they were not lost on me and my friends.

For some horrible and unknown reason, Surviving Jack was only meant for a short 7 episodes and as of last Thursday the show has come to an end, it's unclear to me why the show was so short and it is really the only negative thing I have to say about it. Each episode is absolutely hilarious and Christopher Meloni's portrayal of Jack is just so spot on as he dictates his kids lives and puts them through whole new forms of punishment they couldn't imagine. The show portrays exactly what a comedy about a family is like where so many others have failed, Surviving Jack hits it right on the mark. 

Good: 

- Christopher Meloni is back on TV and makes you wonder why he didn't do something like this show sooner

- Shows just exactly what a family comedy should be

- Every episode is absolutely hilarious

Bad:

- Why? Just why is the show 7 episodes long? FOX did you do this?!?! STOP IT?! 

Scully Rating: 9.0 out of 10 

Ground Floor (Season 1)

By: Robert Murphy

(Spoilers, you know the drill)

In the insanely competitive world of investment banking there is absolutely no time to have any kind of social life let alone a relationship but Ground Floor tells the story of one guy daring enough to try and have the career and the girl. Brody (Sklyar Astin) is the top dog at his company and hopes to one day be just like his boss Remington Mansfield (John C. McGinley.) At least that was the case until the night he meets Jenny (Briga Heelan) who works with him at the same company but as a member of the building support staff. It’s the classic story of trying to get two worlds to collide and see if opposites really do attract, Dharma and Greg comes to mind when I think of what the show tries to do and then I add the comedy feel of Friends to it as well. This is know coincidence though as one of the main writers for the show, Greg Malins, worked on Friends for years and with a partner like Bill Lawrence who worked on shows like Scrubs and Spin City, you can’t go wrong.

Ground Floor returns one of my favorite actors to the screen with star John C. McGinley as he takes on another very Dr. Cox kind of role, leading with an iron fists but somehow being charmingly insane. Then we have Skylar Astin’s character Brody, now Skylar is known for his role in Pitch Perfect which doesn’t really get me hyped about him but he does play the pretty boy roll of Brody exceedingly well. Brody’s character is meant to be equal parts a guy’s club man and the affectionate type and Skylar Astin does this just right. The show is mainly about Brody and how he is torn between two worlds, his job relationship and his real one and often times Mansfield feels just like a second girlfriend who’s jealous of Brody’s new one. Then we move onto Jenny who leads a relaxing care free life on the bottom floor with the rest of her friends that work as support team members for the company. All of these characters are such great supporting additions to the show especially the character named Harvard (Rory Scovel) who has a little bit of an unhealthy obsession with Jenny. His constant jealous of Brody is constantly hilarious as he’ll do anything to impress Jenny, even going so far as to make a framed pictured of her with a million tiny photos of himself.

What’s great about the show for me was how the floors of the building almost became the seating chart of a high school cafeteria where people sit with their own people and they don’t ever mix. Jenny’s and Brody’s friends point this out right from the get go as Mansfield points out how Brody is on the road of potential and she’ll steer him right off of it. Even though later Mansfield will fall in love with her before even knowing her name and seeing that she’s not some mid-level incompetent but really quite an impressive girl. The constant issues that arise during Ground Floor prove to be a challenge for the two though with Jenny spending the night in one of the episodes and Brody complaining she shut off his alarm when it went of at 4:30 AM. Or in another instance Brody must choose between going to the same baseball game that his company and Jenny want to go to and who he chooses to sit with. All of it had me constantly laughing and waiting for the following episode each week.

I do have to point out my one flaw with the show and that’s the odd tendency to include a dance number or a musical tune into 90% of the episodes you will see. It’s not that they aren’t good but it is more or a less of a question, why? Why are you doing this exactly? What’s the point? The only explanation I can gather is that they were trying to put Skylar Astin’s musical background to some sort of use in the show but really it isn’t necessary and the shows just fine without it.

In conclusion, Ground Floor gave me quite a bit of nostalgia for the old 90’s sitcoms that I loved to watch growing up and love to watch to this day, it feels much the same way that it did when I started watching Cougar Town, another Bill Lawrence gem. There is a bit of testing that you can notice while the writers try and find things that work and don’t but it doesn’t need to with what is already a big consistent of the show. I personally hope to see it back once again for another season especially when it came right down to the big ending cliff hanger for this season.

Good:

- Gives such an old comedy feel to it that I loved

- Very funny and full of laughs

- John C. McGinley returns to television and is just the same as I remember in Scrubs

Bad:

- The tendency for musical numbers

- There’s a bit of testing here and there with the writing but the show remains solid in what it does best

Scully Rating: 9.0 out of 10 

The Following (Season 1)

By: Robert Murphy

(Watch out for spoilers)

Now I know I may be a little late to the party on this one but to be fair we here at Scully Nerd Reviews just started to write TV reviews so I’ve started to step up my game on some television shows and I thought a great one would be The Following. The show has seen many raved reviews and love from addicted fans since it first aired and I myself am now one of them. The story follows ex-FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) as he’s called back to help the agency when the last man he put away escapes from prison and needs to be tracked down. Our main baddie in the show is a character type we have seen before, cool, calm, charismatic madman with the pension to inspire worship for with his actions and motives, the characters name Joe Carrol (James Purefoy.) The show is shocking as it is suspenseful with many moments of mass murder and chaos that ensue with Joe masterminding it all and hopefully Ryan has what it takes to stop him.

Now I have deeply missed the performing role of Kevin Bacon throughout the years as it’s been awhile since I’ve seen him do anything and for me his return to the light of day as Ryan Hardy was a brilliant casting choice. Ryan is a depressed man who has suffered immensely in life even before the end of his career and the capture of Joe Carrol some odd years ago. Throughout the show though he will be put through an emotional ride that I wouldn’t ever wish upon anyone, Joe and his follows push a man to the edge who was already pretty close to it to begin with. All the more impressive is the acting done by James Purefoy who evokes the perfect charm and flaunt that Joe Carrol needed to have and his calm/relaxed demeanor felt truly genuine especially in moments where it broke and the monster inside Joe comes out in anger. What also made for added excitement was the author that Joe Carrol most emulated with his followers and his work as well and that was Edgar Allen Poe, his books and themes are constantly a part of this dark tale. Characters in the show all do an incredible job, no matter how minor or how long they last and this comes up quite frequently as Joe moves his followers along like pawns on a chess board and disposes of them just as quick.

An interesting story telling element the show takes on is the use of flashbacks to moments in the characters lives much like when someone in Lost had the spotlight it would flashback to a time in their life. This really leads for some of the more interesting points in the series in such episodes like “The Curse” where Ryan constantly recounts how people in his life are always dying around him. This one is crucial because it goes back to when Ryan’s father dies and what kind of man he has become because of it and all the death he’s surrounded by. It doesn’t work for every character though especially when it came to the love interest of the story Claire Matthews (Natalie Zea) who always seemed to fall for the same dumb things over and over. Moments where the Joe’s followers had something of hers and she turns herself over figuring it’ll all work out really bugged me because she seems so shocked by it, come on they’re serial killers what’d you expect? This could be my biggest complaint with the show is just some of the characters weren’t appealing, its not a big thing to pick at because lots of shows have a poorly done character but are still great and it was just with Claire and one other character Jacob who was a follow of Joe’s that you’ll see.

On a final note I will say that you need to realize the show is about Ryan mainly, he sees through all of Joe’s work and his sneaky little poetic metaphors so when the FBI or the police look weak its not their fault, they’re stuck in the shows formula. Ryan is usually the one to make the find when it comes to a clue long before his FBI friends do and it’s unfortunate when you see them work so hard. Cops and law enforcement always look bad when it comes to a horror or suspenseful show and it’s unfortunate but many of The Followings stronger characters are working with Ryan and prove themselves more often than not. Young FBI agent Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore) for instance is often right by Ryan’s side like a star truck puppy but proves his worth especially when he’s beaten to a near inch of his life at one point in the show.

The Following has just finished its second season as other watchers may be aware and I hope to catch myself up on things within the next week or so and I’m very excited to see how things turn out especially with an ending like the one we had in season one. The show was very open and wasn’t afraid to point out the fact that there still was many followers left out there and the beliefs of Joe Carrol can inspire even more carnage to be seen. I myself felt like I went through an emotional ride with the show as I loved Kevin Bacon’s character from the get go, strange since I normally like the bad guy but every time he was brought back down it got me right down with him. The Following really hits its stride as a creepy and suspenseful show where there are so many others out there to choose from, I’d pick this one.

Good:

- A truly gut wrenching ride of emotions all the way through

- Strong performances from many of the shows main cast

- Fairly intense and creative killing

Bad:

- Characters can be dumb and make the classic horror movie “bad move” decisions, mainly Claire Matthews

- Ryan Hardy is the hero and everyone else is meant to die around him and it can make everyone else look bad when you get down to it

Scully Rating: 9.0 out of 10 

Community (Season 5)

By: Robert Murphy

(Possible spoilers)

Now like many of you out there you may have rolled your eyes at the fact that Community took on another season after the group finished their two years at Greendale Community College but even so I was glad to see it back on the air anyways. Dan Harmon once again returns as well to direct the show after he was fired before Season 4 and I believe he brings with it just what the first episode is all about, a repilot. The study group had gone their separate ways with their degrees to set out in their future careers but things haven’t gone as well as they’d hoped and they all return to their school and start again.

The show returns on a very high note as the first couple of episodes make a solid stride towards the classic Community feel that I have enjoyed watching since the beginning of the show. Jeff (Joe McHale) sits in a slumped state as his new law career isn’t going so well, turns out helping people isn’t as profitable as being an evil snake of a lawyer like he use to be. Enter the man who got Jeff fired in the first place, he has a case for him that gets him back to Greendale and once the study group hears about this they all come running back, seems as things weren’t going well for them either. After this first episode the study group is reformed in a new way and the group returns to the halls for various reasons but unfortunately Pierce (Chevy Chase) doesn’t make an appearance anymore. We also say goodbye to another cast member Troy (Donald Glover) who’s only a part of the first five episodes of this final season but the show does a magnificent job of writing him out in true Community fashion.

Community’s first few episodes continued the great style of the show picking up pop culture references and making their own versions of it such as the episode entitled “App Development and Condiments” which pokes fun at The Hunger Games. I was a little disappointed to not see a paintball episode for the shows final season but the writers did manage to pull another episode “Geothermal Escapism” which completely destroyed the school with a game of hot lava which was new and a great change up for the paintball episode. But the best new addition by far to the show had to of been Buzz Hickey (Jonathan Banks) who takes on the role of Greendale’s Criminology professor and by far made for my favorite moments this season. The Breaking Bad star plays the gruff former cop who is stuck in the vortex of despair that is Greendale College and he joins the group and adds something that I just loved.

The show for me though did start to soar near the end, season 5 came to an early close at only 13 episodes and the shows final send off just didn’t do it justice. The finale is broken up into two parts and the group is left trying to save Greendale from being sold off. We get a little back story into Greendale’s past and find out that it use to be a computer college at the founder left money hidden on the grounds, a little cliché, but whats worse is they pulled the whole he’s still alive bit. There is a touching moment with Jeff however that will leave you with some hardcore feels but everything else just felt a little lack luster. Then we had the extremely strange G.I. Joe style episode as well, normally Abed (Danny Pudi) will go crazy and inspire a cartoony moment for the show but this time it just wasn’t as charming or as good. These being the last three episodes is what left me with a bad taste in my mouth but it wouldn’t make me hate the season as a whole.

Community’s final season did just what it set out to do in my mind and that is give itself an entire reboot back to its roots and what it was all about to start with. It was a great little throw back to have Jeff be a little evil once again in the first episode. It was a disappointment to see Donald Glover leave after the first few episodes but the gap was filled in quite nicely by Jonathan Banks and it also gave Danny Pudi room to grow a little as a character too. I do wish that the show had more time to keep hitting its high notes especially with Dan Harmon on board once again and taking control of what he started some years ago. We’ll see if time will tell on another season for the show but I do believe we’ve seen the last of Greendale for awhile.

Good:

- The show really gets back to its roots and the comedy I loved

- Harmon being back on board made me feel much safer about it all

- Jonathan Banks was such a magnificent addition to the cast

Bad:

- Unfortunately short

- The last few episodes left a bad taste in my mouth and weren’t great to leave the show to end with

Scully Rating: 8.5 out of 10