Wayward Pines Seasons 1 & 2 (Spoiler Free)

Living with someone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be sometimes. Sure, the bills are halved, there’s someone to help tidy up the mess (isn’t there just twice the amount of mess though?) but you know what sucks? Having to watch your favourite TV Shows at the same pace as them. (I’m kidding, love you - by the way it’s your turn to wash up). It’s taken my husband and I months to work through a few small comedy shows, and we haven’t seen any dramas since Dexter. Anything I suggested I could watch alone was suddenly something he was interested in too, so I needed something fairly short and gripping, so we could watch it at a good pace. I needed my TV fix!

We’d burnt through Parks & Rec, The IT Crowd and 30 Rock, and we aren’t horror fans, so it was going to have to be a gripping drama for us. After a few recommendations, Wayward Pines sounded like the winner, so a couple of weeks ago we gave the first episode a try. Let me tell you now, this is a mysterious show indeed, and so I promise I’m going to keep in spoiler free, in case you’re interested in giving this show a go.

There are just 2 seasons out so far, and we managed to burn through them in 3 weeks. That’s pretty good going for us, I promise! There’s 10 episodes per season, and they’re your usual 45 minutes without adverts kind of length. I’m told in the opening credits that the show is based on a trilogy of novels by Blake Crouch. I’m so tempted to read these but I love the mystery of the show! I’m curious to see if they follow the same sort of format as the show. Does anyone know if each season is based on each book? I’m too scared to google anything…

You see, each of the two seasons has a completely different feel to it. Season 1 is a mystery for sure. The main character, Ethan (Matt Dillon) is an FBI Agent who wakes up in the town of Wayward Pines on a mission to find two missing agents. He soon realises there is something completely off about this town. Everyone is acting strange, and he seemingly can’t escape. I spent half an hour after each episode explaining my new theory on just what on earth Wayward Pines even is! 

Season 2 introduces a new host of characters, and at this point we as the audience know the truth about the town. Newcomer Doctor Yedlin (Jason Patric) quickly rises in power to become one of the most important members of the town, as a threat rapidly becomes more and more urgent with each episode. This season is much more thriller, and as much as I missed some of the mystery, there are still plenty of twists that had me quite literally gasping aloud.

On Twitter I think I summed it up pretty easily. Season 1 is ‘what the ****?’ and Season 2 is ‘they’re all ****ed’.

It’s not one of those shows you should research to see if you’d like it. Don’t even look it up on IMDB because you’ll see the cast list, and that tells you straight off how many episodes each character is in. Just take my advice. If you’re the slightest bit curious about Wayward Pines, give the first episode a try. If you’re not hooked after the first episode’s ending, this perhaps isn’t the show for you.

Oh, and screw this carousel, man. Wayward Pines isn't even a horror show but this carousel gives me the creeps and should probably get second billing in most episodes.

Have any of you seen the show? Or read the book? I’d really love to know your thoughts.

25 Thoughts I Had Watching Fargo's Season 2 Premiere

It’s finally that beautiful time of the year when my favourite TV Shows start up again. Nothing has disappointed me so far, but the one show I was most anxious to see was Fargo. After reading all the hype before it’s Season 1 premiere and realising Martin Freeman was the lead, and well into a Sherlock withdrawal, I decided it was about time I found out what Fargo even was. I started with the movie, which I loved, and so once the show aired, I was a terribly knitted sweater away from being a super fan. Here's my thoughts on Season 1.

I looked up absolutely nothing beforehand so that I could go into Season 2 blind. I made myself a cuppa, cuddled up on the sofa with my cat Loki (the one who got lost, remember?) and got started! My mind can’t quite put together any kind of formal review, but here are my scattered thoughts, and beware of cryptic spoilers!

This is the best opening to anything, ever.

Every movie and show should start like this.

I forgot how snowy Minnesota is.

It’s been 5 whole minutes without an ‘oh yah?’, I don’t know how to feel about that.

What kind of children’s book is this?!

He doesn’t even know!

Ejaculate is a funny word though. Hahaha.

I’m sure there was a hint of a ‘yah’ there.

That posh fancy lady has a giant milkshake. I’m glad adults are still allowed to like milkshakes.

*some sort of joke about bringing boys to the yard*

This isn’t going to end well. 

Nope.

Watch that knife. Ugh. Please don’t pull it. Ugh!

Run, lady, run! I don’t know where, but run!

Oh...nevermind.

What! This woman be crazy! How can she drive away like that?! Can can she see?

Oh duh. You’re cars have the driver on the other side of the car. But still!

Hold on a minute. RON SWANSON?! Nobody warned me Ron f*cking Swanson was in this! Fargo just got 1,000,000 times better.

Your wife is hiding something from you. She’s shady.

Don’t go in there.

Deer my ass!

Oh lordy. That’s messed up.

RAYMOND’S BROTHER!

The episode’s already over?! NooOOooooOooooo!

I never even heard an ‘oh yah’. Sadface!

Currently Watching: Modern Family

Having finished up Supernatural, Rookie Blue, Entourage, Chicago Fire, Nashville and 200 other series I was watching, I was desperate for something to fill the gap.  My friend recommended Modern Family to me, I had seen bits of it on the TV but it never really appealed but as I had nothing else I thought I would give it a go.

The term 'never judge a book by it's cover' couldn't be more relevant here, I didn't like the look of this but after starting to watch it I managed to watch 5 full seasons in 4 weeks!!  It is hilarious.

Modern Family is basically a fake 'docu-drama' based on three related families.  Mitchell and Cam a gay couple making arrangements to adopt a child from Vietnam.  Mitchell's sister Claire, her husband Phil and their three crazy children Haley, Alex and Luke and finally Mitchell and Claire's father Jay, his second (younger) wife Gloria and her son Manny.  They are not your average families and there everyday lives end in hilarious consequences.

Phil is by far the funniest character (any Friends fans out there, I get a bit of a Ross vibe from him) but his Dad jokes have me in stitches and when he talks to the camera, I laugh until I cry.  Phil may be my favourite but I love all the characters and they just get better and better as the seasons go on.  Generally, its all comedy and laughs but every now and then it has a sentimental moment that makes me feel all fuzzy, usually to do with Claire and/or Mitchell expecting to be disappointed by their Dad and him stepping up.  Gloria's language barrier is a great source of comedy and she is not at all irritating (which is what I got from the odd episodes I caught on TV).

I'm not going to say anymore because you have to see this for yourself to love it but to give you a teaser - some of Phil Dunphy's best Dad jokes:

Just before answering the phone:
“Quick, what’s my favourite hospital food? Jellooo”
“Quick, what does love start with? L-O.”

"If you love something set it free....... unless its a tiger"
"You only get one chance at a first impression.  I suggest Julia Child, because it's easy to do 'Save the giblets!'"

AMAZING!!

Currently Watching: Orange is the New Black

Anyone who isn't watching Orange is the New Black, should be.  It's unique, original and utterly addictive.  I binge watched the whole first season and then waiting until the entire second season was on Netflix so I would never have to wait for the next episode.  I managed the whole lot in one weekend! I think it's a Netflix only show? What happens when Season 3 comes out - do they whack the whole season on in one go? I've never followed a Netflix show until now!

I love that although this is the main story of Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) I love that you find out the history of the other characters as well, they are so entertaining (if not a bit gross in some places). 

Also, has anyone else noticed how unpredictable it is, I am certain one thing is going to happen and then the complete opposite does.  So then when I think I've got to grips with the unpredictability and assume something crazy is going to happen, they go and do what I would have thought they had in the first place.  It fuddles with my brain - but in a good way.  The best episode I think I have seen so far, or at least one of the most memorable was the one with the mock job fair, it was probably the first time watching this that I laughed out loud. That one is definitely my favourite episode too!

I would struggle to name a weak character, actor or storyline in this, having such a broad range of stories happening and characters connecting throughout staves off any boredom.  The little details of what life is like in prison are really interesting to watch, as I have never actually been in prison, I'm not sure how true to life the series is but its interesting nonetheless and I am well and truly addicted oooh and I love Crazy Eyes, she absolutely steals the show when she is on screen.

Crazy Eyes was my favourite character by far in Season 1 but I ended up hating her in Season 2! Red is/was my favourite now, I just love her take no crap attitude.

Seeing these two not playing High School girls took a while to get used to but it just showcases their talents.

I am gutted I finished the second season so quickly, I'm itching for another season but I think I may have a while to wait, my own fault for binge watching an entire season in a weekend. pfft! I just looked and it's coming out in June! Yay!

Currently Watching: 30 Rock

My fiance and I have been burning through a lot of TV dramas at dinner time in recent months, so we’ve been on the hunt for something a little lighter. The IT Crowd took us two weeks, we loved it that much. Oops. Community took us a little longer, but we thoroughly enjoyed that too. The new season has just started as well, huzzah!

He suggested 30 Rock, and my response was something along the lines of ‘Ugh, that really old show with the Trinity Killer in?! No thanks!’. Which earned me an odd look. I then find out that 3rd Rock from the Sun and 30 Rock are two very different shows, and that 30 Rock was modern, and set in the Rockefeller Center of all places, where we got engaged. Double oops!

I’d like to think that there’s someone out there like me who thought the same, but I highly doubt that. Moving swiftly on…

30 Rock is a sitcom revolving around Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), her boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) and the rest of her colleagues at NBC Studios. It took me about 5 episodes to really get into it, the first few episodes were pretty slow and uneventful, but it really ramped up out of nowhere and now I’m completely in love with it.

There isn’t a single weak character in this show, everyone has their moment to shine, but I find Liz Lemon such an amazingly relatable character. Never have I shouted ‘that’s me!’ so much whilst watching TV. Just a few examples:

We’d been trying to steam through as many episodes as we could while our Amazon Prime account was still active, but the other day we found the entire box set at HMV for £20, so snatched it and ran to the till.

Has anyone else watched 30 Rock? Does it stay just as good throughout? We’ve just started Season 3!

Currently Watching: Supernatural

I’ve been really getting into TV Shows just lately. They’re just so good at the moment! After finishing Dexter last year, I needed something serious in my life to contrast all the New Girl and Community I’ve also been watching. One of my friends is a huge Supernatural fan and kept recommending it to me, and since I started my job I found 2 more huge fans, and before I knew it, I was lent the DVDs. FINALLY - although the huge fan to which Allie is referring is not actually me, however I have been bugging her to watch it for ages, so applaud this friend!

Horror is a genre I just can’t stand, but I’ve had in interest in all things supernatural (har-har) since high school sleepovers watching Most Haunted. Plus, now I work closer to home I have just enough time to watch an episode of something with my breakfast before heading off to work. I’d worked out though that at the rate I can watch it...it’ll take me approximately 10 months to fully catch up with Supernatural, and then I realised that it’s actually still going...sigh!

Is there anyone that doesn’t know what Supernatural is about? I’m only 2 Seasons in so this a very limited summary, but each episode follows two brothers, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) as they hunt down all sorts of demons, spirits and creatures. They learnt their skills from their Dad who started hunting when his Wife, the brothers’ Mother, was murdered by a demon/spirit/thing.

So far, each episode has focused on a new hunt, with a larger, overarching storyline for each season, which I love. Each episode almost feels like a mini-film and so they’ll be great to re-watch over the years, but the bigger story has enough of a presence to keep you wanting to carry on through the Season. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but for me its something completely different, and that’s why I like it so much. There are tons of nods to classic rock music, and plenty of humour without it being too cheesy, and the banter between the two brothers certainly hasn’t gotten old yet.

Everyone has to have a team, right? That’s how these things work. I thought I would be Team Dean all the way, but actually, the more I watch, the more I’m drawn to Sam. I’m a sucker for a cute, socially awkward hunk I guess! I might change my mind though… Team Dean for me....

Spoilers ahead for the Season 2 finale...you've been warned!

Wow, wow, wow! I had doubts for this Season finale, I'll be honest. The last 3 or 4 episodes of Season 1 were definitely leading up to something big, but I came to the penultimate episode this time round and there were no clues whatsoever to how the finale would pan out. However, the last episode is double-length in two parts, and that worked really well. Knowing that two brothers are still in the seasons yet to come ruined the death of Sam scene for me a little as I knew he would come back somehow (FYI - this will happen ALOT!), but the emotions still hit me the same. I can't wait to start Season 3 now!

Currently Watching: The IT Crowd

In my mind, when we first started these ‘Currently Watching...’ posts, the idea was to put a post together about our first impressions and what we were thinking about the TV Show at the time. Sounds sensible, right? So when I started watching The IT Crowd, I was starting to think about the post I would put together. But then I kind of binge watched every episode in less than 2 weeks. Oops. Let’s just pretend that I’m mid-series, humour me, if you will.

Back in 2006 when the series was first advertised, I knew this would be the comedy for me. I’m a bit of a geek and family, friends and colleagues turn to me for all sorts of IT advice, and I get irrationally irritated when the IT team at work would tell me ‘have you tried turning it off and on again?’. No, I haven’t, because the printer needs a new toner!

I don’t remember what episode I watched, but I didn’t take to it at all and never bothered with it, until last year when the final episode aired when I just so happened to have my friends over. They loved the show and demanded that we watch it, and I found the episode hilarious. It was my mission since then to actually get round to giving it a second chance.

If you've never heard of it before, The IT Crowd is a typical British comedy, full of moments that make you cringe. Roy (Chris O'Dowd) provides the worst IT support you've ever seen, and answers the phone with the greeting 'Have you tried turning it off and on again?' every time. Moss (Richard Ayoade) is a highly intelligent geek who doesn't quite understand how humans actually process. Jen (Katherine Parkinson) is their manager who knows nothing about IT, not even what it stands for! All in all, a great trio for a comedy set in an IT Department.

I've never had so much fun watching a bit of TV early in the morning before work! I don't normally laugh out loud when watching comedies alone, but this had me howling in places. My absolute favourite episode is the one where the three end up watching Gay, a gay musical, and Roy has to pretend that he's disabled. This escalates throughout the whole episode to the point where he ends up in a wheelchair on a disabled bus on his way to Manchester!

As much as I love it, I don't think The IT Crowd is for everyone. There are moments in another favourite show of mine, The Office, that make me cringe just a little too much to find funny, and anyone who isn't a fan of that would struggle with some episodes I think. For me though, this is the perfect balance of cringe and comedy. It's now a TV show that I'll put on in the background whilst doing something else, and actually find myself stopping what I'm doing to watch it. It's just that good!

I have to agree with everything you've said, including the wheelchair episode, that is by far my favourite.  I have never seen the UK or the US office so I can't compare but I might give it a chance if it's similar to this!

I've got to post this little montage of Roy for you all, he is by far my favourite character and these moments are just great:

Currently Watching...Six Feet Under

WHY WHY WHY did it take me so long to watch this.  I was staying at my Aunts, where as there is no TV in the room I sleep in I watch something on my iPad.  Unfortunately, this time the Internet hadn't connected and I couldn't be bothered to go downstairs so I had to watch whatever had already been downloaded.  This happened to be Six Feet Under. 

Now knowing how much love (although have yet to finish!) Dexter, I have no idea why this wasn't on my radar sooner.  So one episode in and I am completely and utterly addicted...

The series follows David Fisher (Michael C Hall) who after his Father dies is left to run the Family Funeral Home that he has worked at all his life.  His brother Nate (Peter Krause) returns home for the funeral to be told he has been left half of the business in his fathers will.  This means they have to run the business together while dealing with their meddling mother, Ruth (Frances Conroy) and wannabe badass sister, Claire (Lauren Ambrose) and trying to live their own lives.

I have watched a total of three episodes of this and its so well put together, it's unapologetic dark humour had me laughing hysterically and the acting is superb.  The characters fell very real, like they are people you might meet, they talk like normal people (and swear like normal people!)  Who'd have thought a series about a funeral home could be so entertaining, but the addition of their family dramas, personal dramas and conversations with the dead keeps you coming back for more.

I can not wait to watch the rest of this season and the four after that!!  Sleep is over-rated anyway!!

Why must you introduce me to another new TV Show when I'm already so far behind on so many others?! I'm still recovering from Dexter and this might be what the Michael C Hall shaped hole in my life needs!

Currently Watching...3rd Rock from the Sun

It's not possible to buy this on DVD in the UK yet (I think this is a travesty!) so imagine how excited I was when I woke up the morning after getting back off holiday and finding two episodes playing back to back on Channel 4. 

Sorry, totally butting in here but is that the Trinity Killer?!

I couldn't resist checking and yes, there is was, every day 2 whole episodes... this was my face...

So what is so special about 3rd Rock from the Sun?  I never watched it properly when it was first on, I was a bit too young I think and not yet fully addicted to TV series as I am now!  But what's not to love... John Lithgow, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and this guy....

This show is so ridiculous it's brilliant, the jokes (that I probably didn't get as a kid) have me in stitches and as it's on first thing in the morning I have destroyed my make on numerous occasions laughing and crying.

The characters are bats**t crazy but that makes you love them even more.  Each episode has it's own storyline which means you can watch them in any order or if they just happen to be on TV (as with Friends) but it's worth watching the Pilot to know who the characters are and why they are on the 3rd rock.

The downside is, that because I'm watching them on the TV, I miss episodes and they are not necessarily in the right order (i.e. Joseph Gordon-Levitt aged about 6 years overnight last night!) this is why it needs to be released on Region 2 DVD NOW!!

If you've not seen this, you need to give it a go and if you hear any rumours of Region 2 DVD's let me know ;-)

Up until recently I thought 3rd Rock from the Sun and 30 Rock were the same show. Funnily enough I've just started watching 30 Rock so I may have to try this now! Like Jenna, I remember this show from when I was younger but had little interest in it back then.

Currently Watching...Game of Thrones (Allie)

As a Brit, I'm currently trying to stay away from any and all forms of social media so that I don't see any Game of Thrones spoilers. Of course, by the time you read this, I'll have seen it, but I need to keep myself occupied! I've already read the books too but the producers have been getting a tad creative recently so I couldn't even guess at what will happen tonight (Last night, for you readers).

I'll keep this spoiler free for the Season 4 finale, but please be warned that I'll mention other previous events.

 

I really try not to be one of those fans who criticises everything that isn't 100% true to the books, but a little whinge is definitely needed. Seasons 1 and 2 followed the books perfectly, and I was really impressed. Season 3 continued to do the same, right up until the finale. What even was that finale? A whole heap of nothing! The Purple Wedding should have been the Season3 finale in my opinion.

For a few months I sulked for a while, and then figured, well if it wasn't the finale, they'll do it as the Season 4 opening! Nope. That was an episode full of nothing too. Err, great, thanks.

However! Every episode since has been really good. A few little irritating moments, but a massive improvement on Season 3 for sure. Now, please correct me if I'm just making things up here, it's been 4 years since I finished reading the books and I can't remember everything. But was there really ever a romance line with Grey Worm and Missandei?

 

There are plenty of love interests in the books, there's no need to create new ones. I thought the whole point the Unsullied were so feared was that they had no feelings at all?

Anyway, there's a major character death coming up soon, and I'm hoping it happens tonight. I'm signing out now but I'll update you all tonight...

Oh wow, okay! Can I just take all of my whinges back? Episode 10, you totally made up for it all with last night's episode! It literally had everything that I was hoping for, and more!

Tyrion, you badass! Jon Snow, you tell 'em! I wanted to cry for Daenerys and the Hound though...Bran's scene was a little 'wtf' but I don't even remember his chapters in the book, to be honest his character just bores me a little.

Last night ended with a bang, and it's the perfect set-up for next year. Now I have a huge Game of Thrones shaped hole in my heart, and I need a new TV Show to fill my Monday nights with!

Currently Watching....Once Upon a Time (Jenna)

Men at Work finished and left me with a great big comedy shaped hole in my life.  After searching to find something to live up to it in the comedy stakes, I gave up and headed for something that might live up to it in the entertainment stakes.  Boy did I pick a winner.  I love this show, it took a bit of getting into but after the first 3 episodes I was hooked (pun intended!).

The storylines throughout this are surprisingly unique and new (considering it's all based around fairy tales) but the familiarity of the characters keeps to wanted to watch.  Finding out someone you instinctively thought was good is bad and vice versa keeps it interesting and regularly throws you a curve ball that you're not expecting (hence my love for Captain Hook, not what I was expected after a childhood of watching Peter Pan and Hook!)

There is romance, treachery, long lost loves, sword fights and secrets and every episode is action packed.  It comes across a bit cheesy at times but sometimes that's what I love about it because it still has the underlying feel of a fairy tale where spells can be broken with true loves kiss and magic beans can help you travel between realms.  However, there are also serious issues broached throughout from adoption to heartbreak and loss (I won't go into details, don't want to drop any spoilers). 

There are so many characters throughout the show at any one time, you always have someone to root for and someone hate in every episode and it's always different.  One of the characters that provides a huge range of opinions is Mr Gold AKA Rumpelstiltskin played by Robert Carlyle astonishingly well, particularly in the scenes in the past where he is Rumpelstiltskin by look as well as heart.  He makes you love him and hate him at the same time - quite a feat for one actor playing two roles, both of which have a good and a bad, complex to say the least! Here's a taste of it (with a bit of Hook for good measure):

If you haven't seen this yet, give it a try and decide for yourself.

Pretty soon I'm going to have a large TV Show shaped hole in my life; two shows I watch each week have had their season finales and a third will have theirs in the next couple of weeks, so I'm seriously thinking about giving this a shot!

Currently Watching...Arrow (Allie)

As a DC Comics fan, I felt it my duty to watch Arrow when it first came out. I never really got into Smallville; I started watching it at around Season 7-8, at a time when I didn't know the characters well at all. By the time I knew who Green Arrow was and some of his stories, it didn't matter how cute Justin Hartley was, he wasn't badass enough! Cue Arrow...

 

 

Some of my friends instantly wrote this off in the first episode, saying that Oliver (Amell) showed no emotions and was wooden, but I didn't agree. The next few episodes that followed were awesome too and I loved the island flashbacks. However, from about episode 7-8, it all slowed down dramatically, or so I thought at least. This was at a time when I was getting the train to work, and so I carried on watching more to fill in the daily commute than anything else.

Thankfully, the last 4 episodes of Season 1 blew me away and the finale was one of the best I've seen in a TV Show. I was so glad I stuck it out! Major kudos goes to Manu Bennett, who plays Slade Wilson. By far my favourite character!

Fast forward to now and I've just finished Season 2. SPOILER ALERT for any UK readers who recorded it last night! I thought the finale was good, but it didn't have the shock factor that Season 1 had, in fact, I was more shocked at Episode 20, Seeing Red, when Slade made Oliver choose between his mother Moira and his sister Thea. If they could have incorporated that last scene into the finale itself, then this would have been one of the greatest episodes in TV history. That episode had me hiding in my hoodie, crying and shouting at the TV. I still don't think I've recovered from it yet, I never will!

Again, Slade Wilson just made this Season awesome, I'm really going to miss him and I hope the show continues to be great without him. Who can forget this moment?

I'm also a shameless fan of Olicity, and I'm seriously hoping/thinking/convinced that the whole 'I love you' thing wasn't just a game. I've been wishing and wishing for them to get together since Season 1 and so I'll be eagerly waiting for Season 3!

Bonus!

 

I also can't wait for The Flash to start soon!

Currently Watching...Men at Work (Jenna)

So, since finding out that Raising Hope had been cancelled after 4 seasons and now being fully up to date with Mom, therefore having to wait a whole week for each new episode, I needed a new comedy series to keep me entertained.  This did not disappoint.  The comedic timing, the nature of most of the jokes (i.e. directed at each other within the group of friends) and the similarities to me and most of my friends makes this such an easy but hilarious watch.

 

The series follows four guys who work at a magazine called full steam, Gibbs (the cool one), Tyler (the pretty one), Neal (the geek) and Milo (the other guy).  Funnily enough, they never appear to actually get any work done, unless its specific to the storyline, however I can live with the huge plot holes and sometimes massively set up jokes because the writing is most cases is genius and suspiciously like my life, for example Gibbs debating which Ryan is better, Gosling or Reynolds and immediately realising 'nah they're both beautiful men!' (I'm paraphrasing as I can't remember the exact quote!)

Plus, the latest episode I watched saw Milo accidently take ecstasy with what I considered laugh out loud, you have to watch it to understand.

I have read so many reviews of people saying how this has been done before and it's not at all funny.  These people must be crazy, yes it has a similar vibe to Friends or How I Met Your Mother but I love those shows so why wouldn't I love this!?

I am now running out of episodes to watch so hopefully it will be renewed for another season, otherwise I will be needing some recommendations for new comedies to watch.  Suggestions??

All in all, it's light hearted and enjoyable.  Don't think about it too much, just watch and laugh!

Currently Watching...Fargo (Allie)

For weeks I followed the hyper surrounding this new TV Show, and to be honest, Martin Freeman was a big selling point for me. I think he's an amazing actor. There was another pull too, it's based on a 1996 film of the same name, which just so happens to be on the IMDB Top 250 List. You can see where this is going, can't you?

 

You can see our review of the original Fargo film here. Despite my misgivings, I was still really looking forward to seeing the TV Show. I was wondering to myself whether the plot would follow the film closely or not, because I could picture William H. Macy's character as Martin Freeman clearly.

 

I think I found myself pleased that the TV Show, at least so far, doesn't follow the film's plot. It's got that 'Fargo feel' without a doubt though. I'm only two episodes in so far so I can't really give a justified opinion, but I'm really enjoying it so far, it's different to anything else I'm currently watching.

 

Billy Bob Thornton is an actor that I really don't know well at all, but he plays the psychotic character Lorne Malvo really well. I love all the dark humour that ties in with his character.

 

What I really can't get over is Martin Freeman's accent. If you've seen the film you'll be familiar with the 'yah?' that gets said at least once every minute or so, but I was so taken aback by Martin's accent that I literally stopped listening to anything that he said. I'm not saying it was a bad accent! In fact it's amazing! But it's so different to his usual voice that if you close your eyes, you wouldn't even guess it was him.  I heard his accent on the advert and it scared the bejeezus out of me, I'm not sure I can watch it now!!

 

Here's a trailer if you haven't seen or heard of the show yet:

 

 

In conclusion then, it's too early to judge but I'm loving this show so far.

 

My conclusion, think I'll give it a miss for now, but will keep it on the list.

 

EDIT: Since first drafting this post, I've watched another 2 episodes so I'm 4 in now. SPOILER ALERT - I'm super happy that the TV Show now has a link with the 90's Film, and even happier that I knew the reference! I'm loving this show more and more with each episode!

Currently Watching...Dexter (Allie)

Somewhere in between work, kittens and film watching, I also have several TV shows on the go! There are a few that I'm totally up to date with like Arrow and White Collar, but others that I'm playing catch up on and binge watching whenever I get the chance. Right now, me and my other half are working our way through Dexter.

My parents got us a year's subscription to Netflix for Christmas last year, so we've been trying to make the most of it, and Dexter was a show recommended to us by friends. We just watched the Season 4 finale, and I'm not going to be spoiler free here, so if you're behind me then I would suggest closing your browser now!

This show is seriously amazing. I haven't been hooked on anything this badly since Sherlock, honestly! It's just the perfect combination of thriller, mystery, and humour. Dexter is a serial killer, you should hate him, but he's just so loveable and you sympathise with him over everything! 

For me, Season 3 was quite slow to begin with, still enjoyable but not as gripping. Although, it did contain my all time favourite moment, and I'm going to try and find you a clip of it without seeing spoilers myself...

Huzzah! The comments said this was Season 4 but I could have sworn it was Season 3...

One of my favourite characters in this show is Debra Morgan. She steals every scene that she's in and I can relate to her in so many ways! I read somewhere that she swears just under 1,000 times across all 8 Seasons, that's crazy! Here's just an example...

Love her! Love this show! Spoiler warning ahead...we just finished the finale of Season 4. Holy freaking moly. I really didn't see that coming. I'm seriously so gutted that Rita got killed off. What is Dexter going to do with the kids? I want to start on Season 5 right now!

Does anyone have any other TV Show suggestions for me once I've finished with Dexter? It's not going to take me long at this rate...