Melissa’s Weekly Review – Zombies, Spies and Monsters

Movies/TV

Several of my favorite shows returned this past week and quite a few of them are spooky because it’s October and that is when the spooky things are on TV, I’m told. I cuddled under the covers and watched just for you.

I wish I had a weekly talk show like this guy to geek out publicly about my favorite shows. At least I can do it here. Thanks, Fizzies.

THE WALKING DEAD

I was so excited for this show to come back because I love this story in the book series. I couldn’t wait to see how they brought the prison to life, and even more importantly, how they portrayed the group dynamic. I was not disappointed. The prison was super creepy and the last segment was magnificently directed. The group had evolved from completely broken to a team that worked so well, they could take down a prison yard of zombies without speaking. But most of all – love the change with Laurie and Carl. Carl, in the books and the show, has never been my favorite character. But at least he is not “Stay in The House Carl” anymore. As for Laurie, I think we can all agree we hate her, yes? Because she is awful. And I like the turn around in her relationship with Rick. Her reaction to the Shane killing was kinda wretched, and the way it’s shifted in the months since we’ve left the group was a great surprise. Rick is no nonsense and it was high time he acted that way with Laurie too. Love watching it.

I know a lot of people were upset there was very little Andrea and Michonne, and that did suck. But the ratio of people really called for so much more time to be spent with the big gang. And there will be plenty of Andrea & Michonne coming soon. What I really want more of: Daryl and Carol. Hearts! (Yes, I can turn a zombie apocalypse show into a RomCom. It’s a gift.) And, the best part of any episode- The Talking Dead afterwards with host Chris Hardwick. Nerds loving nerds. It’s the best.

ALPHAS

This show is one of several that I have been enjoying immensely over on SyFy (worst channel name) but I don’t want to get into the increasingly complicated mythology and why I love it right now. I just want to share my favorite line, aimed at the actress above, recurring guest star, Summer Glau. She noticed she had a chip implanted in her wrist via an X-Ray and her daughter said, “Are you a Terminator?” Heeeee. I still miss The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

COVERT AFFAIRS

The first two seasons of this USA Network spy drama, centered around a former Coyote Ugly bartender, were… good. I wouldn’t say they were very good, but they were entertaining, if not a bit repetitive at times. And then suddenly Season 3 started this summer and it was like they took the writing staff and sent them to some sort of Spy Drama Writers Bootcamp, because suddenly it was a whole new show. The stakes were raised (a series regular was killed before the opening credits of the premiere!), Annie took her spying to a new level (aka sexy time with bad guys) and new shady characters were introduced (Nina, I mean Lena, played by 24’s Sarah Clarke).

Annie got a new love interest, Simon (Richard Coyle) – a “bad” spy. And when he was murdered by Lena towards the end of last season, I wondered if the newly great writing would die along with him. Alas, when the second half of Season 3 started this week, it was still as strong as ever. In no small part due to the return of my favorite recurring “I’m here to flirt with Annie” character, Mossad Agent, Eyal Lavine (insanely charming, Oded Fehr). Eyal will be in every episode of this six ep block of Covert Affairs, and I, for one, am very grateful. He is often the smack in the face our heroine needs. The one issue: Simon put a huge wrench in the “Annie and Auggie are end game” that the producers seem to be aiming for. With him gone, I thought they would try to go back there, but now that Eyal is back… who knows. I’m okay if it takes longer to get there though. They need time to figure out where they stand with their broken hearts before that.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM

Alright… here we go again with this crazypants Ryan Murphy horrorfest. While The Walking Dead is a show I can watch alone in a dark house when my husband is out of town, I can barely watch this in the middle of the day with all the lights on and my husband home. It creeps me the eff out. I mean, just having Jessica Lange staring at me in the above picture as I type this up is starting to give me the heebie jeebies. Stop it, Jess. You are effing scary. It’s like she can see right through me. But if horror and gore is what you like, I’m sure you enjoyed this hour of madness.

Here’s my basic take away – everyone who is returning from season 1 (Lange, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, James Cromwell, Sarah Paulson) all easily embodied their new characters perfectly. So much so that it took me a minute to realize the show I recognized Lily Rabe from was THIS SHOW last season. Sigh. The story that was set up was good, but at the same time I’m thankful in knowing it will only last a short FX-length season. That said, I think I still have a headache from the insanity that is the Ryan Murphy hour of television. I almost forgot that his basic method for AHS is OH MY GOD EVERYTHING ON THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW NO SHOT CAN LAST MORE THAN FIVE SECONDS THROW EVERYTHING UP ON SCREEN AT ONCE!!!! It’s frenetic at best and seizure inducing at worst. And, like last season, it is cuckoo for cocoa puffs crazy. But that’s kind of the fun, isn’t it?

LAST RESORT

My caption for this picture–

Scott Speedman: Look at these pictures of me. I’m handsome, aren’t I?

Andre Braugher: Yes, you really are.

Fun fact… this is not the first time these two worked together. They were also both in one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies, Duets. Although they only had like one scene together, and it wasn’t really together – Andre was on stage singing while Scott was at a table in the bar. Anywho, here they are on this pretty good Shawn Ryan series. He brought you the one and done amazing series, Terriers and The Chicago Code (oh and some series called The Shield). They were perfect shows. I loved them. Netflix them right now. (When you are done reading this.) So far I like the show. I’m nervous about where it is going because I feel it’s current main through line is a limited run kind of story. But I trust Ryan to have a purpose beyond it.

The cast is amazing, basically a dream cast for me, and they are all great in their given roles. I just want to point out my one huge problem with the show. I have smaller issues, but for whatever reason, this one sticks out as a huge problem. The romance between Scott Speedman and Jessy Schram is supposed to be some sort of epic love story. They are together despite the odds and all they want is to be together again. The problem isn’t that I don’t feel it in their flashback scenes. The problem is I feel that same thing every time Speedman is on screen with someone who has breasts. And sometimes, even with someone who doesn’t. Part of the problem is just him and the faces he pulls – I wanted him to make out with everyone on Felicity too. But I feel like the stories written shouldn’t make me want to have him make out with every chic as well. It’s an issue I hope is resolved, or at least made clear soon.

NIKITA

Yay! More girl spies. But let’s be real – Nikita would beat the crap out of Covert Affairs’ Annie. Based on the ratings it seems that my journalist/blogger friends and I are the only ones who watched the Season 3 premiere of this series. You should all hang your heads in shame. Go ahead. Do it. I’ll wait. This show is immensely clever, well-acted, and just plain good old fashioned action fun. Maggie Q is the perfect Nikita – tough as nails exterior with an ooey gooey center, just happy to have her makeshift band of misfits family surrounding her on the regular now. And that group is full of an increasingly large number of amazing guys. And that one girl who is learning about How Her Father Met Her Mother on CBS for the 2875 years, Lyndsy Fonesca.

Last season this show really became about how Nikita is not a rogue agent on her own. It was about finding family and friends and supporting each other. It was a truly lovely back half of a season that led into what I hope is going to be a great season 3. And so far so good. The premiere was a lot of fun and had just the right amount of “Oh, I love these people together” moments. The addition of Noah Bean and my long time crush, Devon Sawa, make me very happy. Oh and within the first 5 minutes Shane West says “gentle penetration” (not meaning what you think he means, probably – you have dirty minds, I can tell). What’s not to love!? WATCH IT! For me.

Next week – More scary stuff, probably. Oh Halloween, I love you. Stop giving me nightmare via the television.

Follow me on Twitter @serrae and find my articles over on Small Screen Scoop. 

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