TV.com

show: Black Lagoon

The Bottom Line: "Great"

Despite that this is a review, I’m obligated to warn you that this contains spoilers.
Black Lagoon is mainly two things: funny and very violent! Both things I really like.
The story about a man who gets away from his super boring life is quite interesting – and I guess an idea and hope most people have. However the career that man gets after pulling out is rather unusual. His new nickname Rock is never really explained and it somehow doesn’t fit. The team he joins is as unique as he is. The computer geek Benny who could be a criminal on his computer any place in the world. Dutch the soldier, the war dropout – he seems to be the only one who can handle his main partner Revy. She’s the super girl. She’s 100% messed up. Apparently she had a real bad childhood, but mostly the worst youth in general. She’s so messed up, she’s the real underworld dirt. She’s the heart of the entire crew – the four men crew of the Black Lagoon. She’s the one commenting everything, trying to kill and threaten everything. I just love her, but I also feel sorry for her.

The strange city they live in is controlled mainly by the Russian mafia and the Chinese Triad. However the Russians are the ones in control – and they are a freaky breed. The woman in charge (I like the fact that a woman is the top shot boss), Balalaika – as a super Special Force soldier who took along all her Special Force friends from the Soviet soldiers. These guys are the real deal. They just don’t mess around, they take what they want and they kill what they don’t like. To see them in action is almost more fun than to see Revy in action.
The first season hasn’t much character development and so, but still shows us a great deal about the Black Lagoon and their surrounding.

The second season starts off really sick! Three episodes with these completely messed up kids. They are so broken, even Revy is normal compared to these two! These three episodes really are just too sick and I barely was able to watch these episodes.

However when the show moves to Japan and focuses on Revy and Rock, it gets interesting. We see character development and everything. While Balalaika shows how good she and her men are killing all their enemies, Revy has to hold back. She’s like the fish out of the water, but she handles herself quite well. We even see that she might dream of a normal life, but she knows that she can never have one. She’s too broken for it.

Meanwhile Rock really becomes a criminal. He starts to become a leader, but he doesn’t get his hands dirty. However in the end, I guess we are at the point where he is finally broken too and at the point where he might become one of Revy’s and Dutch’s kind. The entire development he makes is really well made and I like it.

What I liked most in here are all the nasty and violent jokes along with the action, especially Revy’s action. I like the strong women in here. The very end with Revy shooting Eda, the show comes to its beginning again. With Rock finally broken and becoming one of the city’s people, they get rid of the outsiders – and Eda was an outsider. Rock got in and became the real deal; Eda wasn’t – so she pays the price.

The show also had its bad moments, with episode 8 and the unbelievably violent and sick episodes 13 till 15. Otherwise this is a really good show, but it’s clearly for adults only. I would give it an MA rating, especially episodes 13 till 15.

show: Ally McBeal

The Bottom Line: "Great"

Ally McBeal is a really silly, but funny show. In the end it is a guilty pleasure worth watching.
I just watched the entire series in about one month. I never saw it when it aired originally in TV, but I always knew it existed. So I might be a bit out of the time context, still I enjoyed this show. I mean time hasn’t changed that much – despite five year have passed since this series ended.
The show about a young woman wanting to make career is good. That she is crazy is funny as well. The super cheap special effects make the show even funnier to all the silly situations and the good jokes. A law firm with crazy people – you can’t love that. That combined with an excellent soundtrack and many, many music guest superstars. It’s just a show that makes a good mood, even when all hearts are broken in the show.

The first three seasons are some kind of one unity where the show works on its original concept. Three really good seasons! The love triangle with Ally, Billy and Georgia works excellently. In addition the money and sex addicted boss Richard and the completely crazy, strange what so ever John Cage. The mixture of ignorance and interaction is just brilliant and the cast is just excellent – as is the casting.
When the original concept is almost over, the show succeeds to bring in new cast with Ling and Nelle. Both are excellent character – strong female characters. You just have to love them. With the fourth season the shows starts to fall apart. But that isn’t something bad (yet). The show manages to make up with great guests like Taye Diggs and the biggest relationship in the series: Ally and Larry: a really good couple, with a rather surprising end.
After season four there’s some huge rift, with many story holes that just don’t work out. Suddenly where’s Renee? Georgia has basically left before, but it somehow adds to Renee. I mean how can a best friend and roommate disappear out of a storyline? And then come back to say goodbye? It doesn’t work out!
What also doesn’t work out is the “kids”. Jenny and Glenn just do not fit the story and basically the first half of season five is wasted on them. Who also doesn’t work out is Raymond, but he isn’t that annoying and fits in along with Corretta – both get lost in the background. When did she even join Cage & Fish? I never got that one either.
The second half of season five is getting better again with Maddie. I think the idea of a 10 year old daughter, suddenly showing up to her mother is – well I don’t have any words for that. However the silly idea turns out to be good for the story.

So season one is nice, but a bit slow. The show takes on speed with season two and manages to keep that up till season four. Ling as constant magnet for action is excellent and the Nelle – John relationship is just brilliant.
Season four has a bit that outstanding look at things what makes everything so hilarious. Mounted in the episode 4x13 with Jackson Duper almost going crazy. Brilliant.
Season five fails to do something with the great Nelle character. It’ obvious that she sits around lonely (hoping for John to return?) and something might happen, but nothing happens. Basically it’s a waste of her character. A sad thing. Things stay unclosed for John and Nelle at the end of the show, clearly a failure of a good script during that season.
And Richard getting married is a good thing, but I still don’t get how his company could loose money – remember the only thing that really matters to him is money. Christina Ricci is brilliant in her role. A nice addition to the show, while the character of Claire Otoms doesn’t work anymore after just a few episodes and time is wasted on her instead of the old main cast (Nelle, John).
The end of the show, the finale is good, but it appears to be more a cast reunion than a proper show closing. Everyone comes to say goodbye to five years (expect of Lucy Liu who showed up a bit earlier). I was surprised that Georgia and Renee suddenly were back since that raised the question about them even more.
The last couple of episodes with the new Ally (post John Bon Jovi – excellent match for Ally) is a really interesting idea, sadly no time to explore that new character.

In the end, I can say I enjoyed the first season, loved two till four and the last couple of episodes, but really was disappointed by the first half of season five. These episodes are a pure waste and almost a crime against this show.

A show that fits in the time along with shows like Sex and the City, the new millennium – in the end a really good time. Today in 2007 where are the shows about the strong women? Most have ended now or will end now. Left is maybe Close to Home, but that’s not a comedy series. Where are the single mid-twenty, mid-thirty women comedy shows? It looks like their time has passed. It feels good to look back – at a great show and a great time. A peak in its time. And still good years later.

show: Roswell

The Bottom Line: "Superb"

Roswell is a show I always new it existed, but never watched for a really long time. 9 years after it aired I watched it. So as you can guess, I will discuss some plot in here, so be warned.

Let’s start with the first season. Season one is the ‘innocent’ one. Innocent love and everything, you know. Everything starts of with a lot of action: Liz gets shot. All characters are introduced quick, but on a complex level. I think that was brilliantly done. Not many shows can present so many deep characters in their first episode. So we start out with the alien trio and the two girls.
Like during the entire show, there are some things I don’t understand and/or do not make sense to me. Well and of course there are things I don’t understand.
I will get to that later, so let’s go on with the seasons.
Season two got more complex with the fourth alien. Everything gets more mature now: sex, moving on, getting away from the first love. It is also a pretty tough season with the dead people and so.
Then the third season: I know it was on a different network and everything, but I have my trouble with it. The first half of the season, suddenly involves all the parents, or at least some of them. That was a big change. We only knew Maria’s mother – well she was in the plot, but now we suddenly have so many parents involved – it is almost disturbing. Then the season changes pretty abrupt and builds up the show down. In the pretty short season things are a bit rushed in the second half and leave many open questions.

So let’s get on to the discussion of the series.
The first season was really focused on Liz and Max: that kind of intense but still innocent relationship. Shiri Appleby is so sweet in that season, brilliantly played as well. The highlight of that relationship is clearly the cleverly plotted episode Sexual Healing. I know many people don’t like that episode, but I feel sorry for these. People who despite sex and have no understanding of erotic.

The second season is more complex with Max ending up more alone every day, but always can rely on his mate Tess. Surprisingly she is the stable factor, even though nobody really likes her. Well then she even ends up pregnant. A very nice storyline.
Her leaving was really a shock for me.

Well the third season is really difficult in my eyes. The first half, our heroes are constantly bothered by some adults – their own parents. Then suddenly the season changes into something completely different. Suddenly all are on the run. That second half looks a bit rushed and not complete and especially not completely thought through.
What I really liked though, how the parents storyline picked up the pregnancy thing. That was a brilliant turn.

So let’s get to the persons again. Max the always tortured soul is played nice, but I often missed that last bit of royalty he should have had. Sometimes he’s more like a dog to Liz than anything else – but hey, when you could be the dog of such a marvellous women, why not?!

Michael a character I never really understood. Tortured in a very own way. I don’t understand why he didn’t have the strongest powers at the beginning. I mean we the New York kids learned them faster, because they needed them to survive – he too, so I don’t understand. Under pressure you find them faster.

Isabelle the smartest of them all and a pure control freak. She really had the hardest time ever. I mean she was never asked, but she had the brains to answer everything. She was in the middle of the impulsive Michael and the always demanding Max. She was always alone. Well till Jesse came along. She needed something to break out and so she did. Why she left him behind is still a mystery to me. He has proven not to be a liability, so I don’t understand why she left him behind. The only guess I have is – she needed to torture herself – especially for her own past and to make up her weak position in the group.

Kyle the good guy – he never got the girl. Maybe he’ll get Isabelle in the future. I hope for him. The Buddhist thing and his sarcastic comments were just brilliant – and his protection of Tess. When she returned home and asked for milk for the baby, he did my favourite quote of the entire series: Don’t you breast feed (to Tess). Hilarious!

Liz, the main character – basically. She’s super hot and super sweet. You just have to fall in love with her. She sure is the dream girl, especially since she is so smart as well.

Maria was the character I really hated. She always got on my nerves. Always!

The old Valenti – he’s maybe the only real good guy in the story. The question I asked myself: what will he do, when he starts changing? He lost everything and he will be all alone when he has changed. He’s the person I really feel sorry for.

Alex was the person I think the show didn’t really need. Well he was only good for one thing: I believe he was the absolute only love for Isabelle. Jesse was just an excuse.

Jesse was another character I didn’t really like – but since he turned out to be a good guy I was sad, to see him rejected just like that.

Tess – well what about her. That’s actually a really good question. On one hand, she gave Max everything he ever could wish for – on the other hand, she betrayed everyone. Everyone. On the other hand again, she went into death for all the others. She did good and she did really bad. A good character though.

So now let’s get to things I had my problems with.
In season one Katherine Heigl just looks way to adult compared to all the others. She somehow doesn’t fit in.

In the last episodes the secret unit is back. The problem is: they are not really organised anymore – but their business is information. But that something you can’t get decentralised. You can do a guerrilla fight separated, but a precise military organisation is somehow not possible. When you go after something static, it might work, but not with a dynamic enemy. Why they were suddenly so strong – I don’t understand and think it couldn’t be right.

Then things I really enjoyed:
Liz fighting Tess.
The Bewitched alike episode.
Liz’ love for Max.
Liz’ wedding dress.

Unanswered questions for me:
What happened to the Tess girl from New York? The other two somehow got destroyed or so, but what happened to her?
Then the entire storyline about Max and Isabelle’s parents at the end was way to short. So I get the impression that their mother was really freaked out by everything. But what exactly did they know in the end?

Also why are the kids so well protected and hidden in the desert, when their UFO crashed and basically got destroyed? It somehow doesn’t really make sense to me.

All in all a show I really enjoyed and love. Another show I missed on its original airing – but I got lucky and was able to watch it. I really enjoyed that show.

show: Adventure Inc

The Bottom Line: "Good"

Adventure Inc. is obviously a low budget show. Three main characters, that’s all. No other regulars. Some of the special effects are really bad. I mean especially when they show an airplane. Then it just looks awful.
However this show had its positive sides as well. They actually filmed a lot of the scenes on location. I mean that you simply can see. The European countries are so individual you just can see if they are there or not. You see some scenes, often the harbour scenes that they are in North America or in a studio there, but not on location. However most scenes in Greece, Italy, France and England appear to be filmed on location – something that did surprise me, since outdoor filming is usually known as expensive. What was even a bigger surprise to me was that when they are around in Europe, the names and locations are named correctly – something I don’t see that often in US series. Expect once even the number plates on the cars are correct. Why they were filming in the Ukraine instead of Russia makes sense, but they could have their story written for the Ukraine as well.

Well enough of that. Most stories they fallow are just stupid. Well all of them are based on real myths and that stuff, still so much simply doesn’t fit together.
But that all doesn’t matter! I mean the cheap special effects and the often stupid storylines and stereotype enemies. The show is guilty pleasure anyways. I mean there’s always a lot of action – fistfights and shootings. Something that is always nice to see, even though everyone misses out on 10 yards distance with an automatic weapon. The fistfights however are often way more fun out of one reason only: Karen Cliche! But more about her later.

The three main characters are pretty simple. It almost looks like all functions were put in a pot and they pulled out lot to every character. It’s not bad though.
For example:
Judson: He’s the older leader, but he can take every beating. Knows everything about history – or almost anything.
Mackenzie: The super hot girl. Ex-soldier, ex-CIA, the fearless fight machine.
Gabriel: The good looking guy. Rich parents and the geek.

Well what doesn’t really match the picture? Gabriel being the geek and the good looking guy. Sorry, but it doesn’t fit all the other stereo types in the show. And he’s so smart, why doesn’t he know everything about history as well? It doesn’t make much sense. Well for this show it doesn’t really matter. This show doesn’t want to be brain food. It is simple made guilty pleasure.

Honestly why would you want to watch it? If you are a girl, you might like the beautiful locations in Europe and maybe (what I doubt, one of the guys). If you’re a big boy, you watch it for the fights and for the girl. Yes that girl. She really looks hot. I don’t know, but I’m surprised she isn’t a bigger star. She has an almost perfect body. I admit it, I’m a guy and I can’t take my eyes off her.

Even though we have 22 episodes, we don’t really know much about our characters. Of course Judson is the famous explorer who knows people all over the world and has his heart in the right place.
Gabriel the son of a US Senator and his father is known almost all over the world.
Mackenzie is the character we know most about. We know almost her entire career.
Do you recognise something? Besides some exceptions, nothing is known about families, siblings and all other life. Not that I care so much about it, but even other cheap shows have something there.

Also interesting in my eyes is the locations they picked all over Europe. I mean they had to travel all the time, but once they are there, they know exactly where to film, so people would recognise it. When they are in Marseille, you see the only tram they had at that time. This is just one example.

Another surprise for me was that there wasn’t much sex in this show. Usually these cheap shows use it when they have no plot and then it is extensive. Here we only know of some adventures of the team members and they only once it is on longer than someone leaving a bed. Well when looking at the girl that’s almost sad.

Another detail I liked: Almost never the money was the central theme of the show.

Something I didn’t like: Tiny details that don’t make sense. For example when Mackenzie is almost freezing to death, why wouldn’t see close her overall? That’s just one example – there are so many others.

Well why the team suddenly had another ship is still a mystery to me. I guess the bigger one got to expensive. Maybe they switched it, because they went over to Europe. Who knows…

In the end this show reminds me a bit on two other shows: The A-Team and La Femme Nikita.
Why so?
The A-Team was a pretty cheap production as well. They did fight a lot too and everyone had the heart in the right place. Even the team has its similarities.
La Femme Nikita, because of the European locations and all the underground business.

After all I enjoyed this show. I can recommend it to everyone with spare time. If you’re searching for something more demanding, it’s the wrong thing for you. The show has its positive sides you can’t forget that.