Looking Back and Looking Ahead

The holiday break has ended and shows begin returning this week. I still have twelve hours of unseen programming on my DVR, my hopes of getting through it this past week/end was thwarted by my inability to concentrate or care.

I toyed around with blogging about what I have dropped, but really it is not that lengthy of a list. The only show that I was watching that I dropped was Revenge. I didn’t see the first season, but heard rave reviews. I caught one of those special catch-up episodes and began season two. It just didn’t feel that great to me. Then I started reading reviews and it seems that a lot of people think season two definitely filled out the sophomore slump role. I ditched it right around the Thanksgiving episode. I am not a fan of flashbacks! Well with the exception of Revolution. Take note Scandal. Take note.

I caught up on Private Practice which all seemed to be out of sequence. I think it happened right around Super Storm Sandy and just never quite got back on track. I know why I stopped watching this. I really don’t like Kate Walsh (never mind that she always sounds like she has a sinus problem). And the other characters lack life. I’m about 97% certain that I won’t watch the last few episodes, maybe catch the very last one. This show should have been gone a few years ago.

I am caught up on Castle and am finding it enjoyable again. I kind of got off track last season, late last season, but am back on board.

Nashville is definitely a bubble show for me. I just feel like they threw too much into season one. I think that the campaign should have been put off until at least the second season. They should have rounded out those characters a bit more, let us really get to know them before throwing that storyline at us. Some of it seems to move so fast and some of it moves so slow. I really would not be surprised to see this not get a pick up.

I am still trying to catch up on Flashpoint, Elementary and CSI.

I finally watched the fall finale of Revolution. I don’t know why it took me so long. I think in part it was delaying it, having something to look forward to. It was a good episode. I forgot how much I missed Billy Burke! I just adore his character.

I am also caught up on Arrow. There is something about that show that I just can’t quite turn off. I am thinking that it might turn into one of those shows that is like The Vampire Diaries. I didn’t much care for the first season, but held on and it paid off. I am hoping Arrow is the same way. I still cannot watch an episode of Beauty and the Beast. Ugh.

There are some shows coming up in mid-season premiers that I plan on tuning into.

First up, the Kevin Bacon thriller, The Following on Fox. I have been looking forward to this for a while now. I really love Kevin Bacon and this looks very intense.

I am anxious to see what changes Body of Proof has made. I didn’t watch most of the second season, but plan on tuning in because it is going to be practically a whole new cast. Waiting to see if there is more drama and grit.

1600 Penn is on my list. I watched the pilot and was so so on it. I think parts of it were funny, but there were some parts that was very much “really?”. I’ll give it a few episodes.

Deception premiers tonight. It doesn’t look that good really, just from the first few clips. I get that feeling that it won’t last. They might air all they have filmed, but not much beyond that. Again, that is just my gut feeling from the first few clips. I will have a better view point after the pilot.

The Carrie Diaries. I am so torn. Part of me wants to watch, but part of me is not on board with that. I think they did a huge disservice to the Sex and the City franchise when they made the second movie, which was a huge disappointment and total head scratcher. I didn’t read the book by Candace Bushnell so I really don’t know how she wrote young Carrie. It doesn’t look like it follows what was said/done in the HBO series. Yeah, just really can’t figure out if I want to tune in. Another reason is I am getting a little tired of all the teen set that The CW is all about. I get they are a younger network, but they need to try and stretch their demo a little.

And that is pretty much what is on my plate, along with my regular viewing preferences.

Things will be changing big time in my viewing hours with the recent announcement of the end of the NHL Lockout. Well maybe. It all depends on how much the cable company offers Center Ice for. I am not paying full price for half a season. That is not acceptable at all. I imagine that will be coming out in the next couple of weeks. I feel like the NHL should offer it for free. That would never happen, but it would be nice. Or at least deeply deeply discount it. More than half off is acceptable, anything more and it will require a lot of thought and analysis.

So what are you looking forward to in the second half of the prime-time season? Hit the comments and let me know.

Arrow Answers My Questions

It would figure that I would post questions I had about Arrow and they would answer them that very night.

Here’s a rundown of what happened last night.

• Oliver gets arrested, but he PLANNED on that.
• He magically entices Laurel to be his lawyer, then…
• Submits to a polygraph to convince Detective Dad that he is innocent and admits to being tortured.
• Apparently he learned how to be a polygraph while on the island.
• Seems he got quite the education while stranded. Including a session from Death Stroke (at least I think it was Death Stroke (I’m still lost on all these characters. Must read up on them)).
• He also laughs off his arrest and plans a party (since he is on house arrest, he has it poolside at Queen Manor)
• Where he shows his scars to Laurel & they share a tender moment.
• Diggle has signed on to be a part of Oliver’s Righting the Wrongs movement.
• Which helps Oliver’s case when Diggle wears the Arrow hood and thwarts a gun deal all while Oliver is at his prison party
• Thus allowing the charges against Oliver to be dropped.
• But not before someone tries to murder him
• Good thing Detective Dad was invited to the party to shoot the bad guy dead.
• Then he suits up and saves the day by doing bad/good to the gun dealers.

Also happening

• Walter, after finding the Queen’s Gambit, consults with the head of security for Queen Industries and asks him to move the wreck to a secure location. Only before Chief Security can, he is killed in a convenient accident. Thus prompting Walter to confront Moira, who tells him she is protecting him. He then decides to check up on operations in Australia.
• Little sis Thea is onto Oliver’s secret identity, thanks to the arrow head he gave her, which he totally tried to pass off as a souvenir picked up in the airport.

Did you enjoy this week’s episodes? Do you like the random bits of flashback? Or are you like me and would like to have an episode dedicated to island life? Hit the comments and let me know.

An Arrow Pondering

I spent part of last night catching up on General Hospital (which was sort of a dud) and last week’s Arrow.

I have been pondering something all day about Arrow. The way it ended. You would think that as seemingly bright as Oliver Queen is and with all his fancy pants computer set up, he would have thought about cameras and would have disabled them. But nope, there he is plain as day pulling his hood and gear out of the garbage can. Seems like a pretty rookie mistake for someone who has had nothing but time to plan out his actions.

I must say that I am happy to know that someone else knows about Arrow and is actually going to work with him and not against him. I know next to nothing about the comic series or all of these villain/foes that he is confronting (something I had hoped to learn by watching the show).

After Arrow, I switched over to Covet Affairs, but only made it through fifteen minutes before I gave up and tuned into election coverage. Something like a train wreck, the way it draws you in. I was also on twitter and kept missing all these golden Diane Sawyer moments.

Did you watch the returns come in? Which station did you watch? Or did you just fire up the DVR? Hit the comments and let me know.

Friday Four: November 2, 2012

Four shows I am looking forward to catching up on this weekend.

1. Nashville – I am still not 100% sold on this show, but I do have a little crush on Deacon, so I am going to watch the last two episodes and then make a decision.
   
   
2. Elementary – I find this show intriguing, yet sometimes difficult to watch. I think part of it is the newness of the relationship between Watson & Holmes. And also because I am not a big fan of Lucy Liu.
   
   
3. Arrow – I think this week’s episode might be interesting now that Diggle knows about Oliver’s “secret” identity.
   
   
4. Vampire Diaries – I missed last night’s episode and can’t wait to see it. Looks like more Damon than Stefan and that is always a good thing.
   
   

Are you catching up on viewing this weekend? What’s on your DVR? Leave me a comment and let me know.