Sofa Spuds

                   WHAT I LIKED

That Regeneration Scene.  SO MANY FEELS. That scene was incredibly moving and quite a surprise considering the rest of the episode.  Karen Gillan's cameo was beautiful and reminiscent of when Ten went back in time to visit Rose, the first face Ten's face saw.  Moments like those are why I love television and Doctor Who in particular.  The audience develops a relationship with a character.  They come to know and love characters.  They come into their homes once a week and become a part of them.  Watching them leave can be painful, but change is necessary to progress.  Also, I can't wait to see what Peter Capaldi does in the role. 

Handles.  I don't know how Handles came along but I loved him.  One of the Doctor's greatest enemies became one of his greatest companions in an hour and a half.  Strange but lovely.  

Clara Getting Left Behind.  Don't get me wrong.  I don't hate Clara.  But I enjoyed being reminded that the Doctor doesn't always keep his promises, being reminded of Rule #1: The Doctor Lies.  I also felt that that portion of the episode really illustrated an aspect of the relationships between the Doctor and his companions.  The relationship typically runs deep, but the Doctor isn't afraid to hurt his companions emotionally if it means saving their lives. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

Clara's Family.  I loved Clara's Grandmother but I felt like the rest of the interactions with Clara and her family were just kind of filler.  I had no connection to them as I hadn't seen them in previous episodes.  I would have liked to see the two children Clara babysat to return possibly.

Lack of Plot/Monster Mashup.  Personally, I didn't enjoy the use of nearly every popular monster there was during Eleven's run.  It seemed as if the writers were just throwing everything at the episode to see what would stick.  

                                How am I so late to this amazing show? Since I am a huge binge watcher, I finished the first season in about 14 hours on Amazon Instant.  Sorry eyes.  Truly, this show has so many things going for it.

Tatiana Maslany. This woman is so incredibly talented.  She plays 6 different characters in the first season that are identical in appearances but couldn't be more different from one another.  Maslany creates crisp distinctions between each character she plays that establish each character as an independent, separate, and complex identity which I think is incredibly important in getting watchers to care about more than the central protagonist. 

Strong Woman Character that Isn't a Strong Woman Character.  The central protagonist and POV character, Sarah Manning, is strong without having to be supernaturally enhanced or having some sort of superpower (as far as the audience is aware of now).  She fights for what she needs and isn't afraid to stand up for herself.  At the same time, Sarah and the other characters Maslany plays aren't afraid to be vulnerable.  Sometimes, we see that they are afraid of being alone or dying and how they reach out for friendship and comfort without being afraid or ashamed. 

Moral Ambiguity.  I love a show with some good moral ambiguity.  Who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys? Are the bad guys as bad as I think they are? Who should I root for?  We never really know.  I don't think I want to either.  

Twists and Turns.  Orphan Black will keep you on your toes.  I'm never quite sure where one episode will end or how a character might change or react.  Even better, the surprises never seem too farfetched for me.  

Jake Ballard, Scandal

In other words:

Let's talk about sex.  

Masters of Sex has been on lists in several publications as one of the new shows to watch this fall.  Episode 4 airs tonight and I can't wait.  

Background. The show follows the real life story of Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson who formed a sexuality research team in 1957 in order to reveal the mystery behind human sexual response.  It is based on the Thomas Maier's biography Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson.  

Some Other Thoughts.

The Sex. Yes, there's a lot of sex in this show.  And trust me.  If you tell people that haven't heard of this show that you are watching it, they will think that you are up late at night exploring your fetishes.  

One of the scenes does come off as a bit overdone/over the top.  But overall, they are necessary to the plot and are well done and sexy.  For science. 

Mad Men.  When I first saw the trailers for this, I thought someone was just cashing in on the genre Mad Men popularized.  There's more to it than that.  Having never seen Mad Men, I can't compare the two.  But I would say that Masters of Sex is perfectly capable of standing up on its own.  

The Actors.  Where else are you going to get a Volturi leader and Janis Ian together?  Sheen and Caplan are great together.  The rest of the cast is great as well.  

The Characters.  My favorite so far is Lizzy Caplan's character, Virginia.  She's not perfect but she's trying.  For her time, she's very progressive.  She knows what she wants and isn't afraid to say it or do whatever it takes to get it.  This makes all her relationships in the show quite interesting.  Michael Sheen's portrayal of Dr. Masters is striking as well.  A man consumed with learning about human sexual response, he has a surprisingly hard time relating to his wife sexually.  I'm excited to see where that goes and how he got to where he is currently.  

Blake Shelton: The Champion

Adam Levine: The Flirt

Christina Aguilera: The Princess

Cee Lo Green: The Kermit

Winchesters as Peverells

Agents of Shield draws us back into the Marvel universe after the events of the Avengers movie.  Created by Joss Whedon, the Marvel universe has come to the smaller screen.

Me sitting down to watch the pilot:

PROS

Dialogue.  Typical punny Whedon.  Sass is flying everywhere.

Melinda May Badass.  Please adopt me.  Sorry mom.

CONS

Romantic Setup. Skye and Agent Ward are being pushed together too forcefully in my opinion.  Their UST doesn't seem sincere.  

Character Types.  I felt as if some of the characters were too stereotypical.  Awkward British nerds.  Silent wounded types.  Underground tech savvies.  

Coulson.  Sadly, Coulson just doesn't work as a leading man.  In the other Marvel movies, he served as the foil to the funny, crazy, egoistic characters.  He was the straight man they played off of.  As the leading man, he falls flat.  I know his return to life is being set up as some great mystery, but I felt like I already said goodbye to him in The Avengers.  Agents of Shield needs a stronger anchor.  

FINAL OPINION

Honestly, Agents seems like the worst part of the Marvel universe so far.  It asks us to sympathize with the characters we really didn't care that much about and takes away the coolest characters--the superheroes.  Whatever, I'll watch the third episode.  

For those of you who have never watched this beloved show, Castle is a crime drama in which the main character, Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), is a mystery writer who shadows NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) for inspiration.  ***Here come the spoilers***

Initially Beckett was annoyed by Castle, who is obnoxious, charming, immature, witty, the list goes on and on.  But Beckett warmed up to him with his incessant flirting, and after four seasons of delicious sexual tension, they finally (and inevitably) got together in the season 4 finale.  

Season 5 was a whole new ballgame, and although fans were worried that Caskett in love wouldn't be as exciting as Caskett almost in love, the show surpassed my expectations.  And then in the season 5 finale, Castle proposed to Beckett, which left us with a wonderful, adorable, nerve-wracking cliffhanger, since Beckett's response didn't come until season 6.  You would think her answer would be an easy, resounding "YES," but she was moving to DC to take her dream job at the Attorney General's office, so she wasn't sure if this was a good idea.

So naturally, in the season 6 premiere when Beckett agreed to marry him, Castle fans everywhere heaved a sigh of relief.  I was excited to see how long-distance would work, and how Castle and Beckett would continue solve crimes together in a whole new setting.  In the first episode, Castle surprised Beckett in DC, and when he accidentally saw part of her confidential case, he of course worked on it behind her back, until he inhaled a deadly toxin.  The season premiere ended with the proclamation that Castle would be dead within 24 hours, and that's where the second episode picked up.  Since Castle was going to die, he was allowed to help Beckett solve the case, find the antidote, and save his own life (phew).  I realize the show is named after him and all, but I still get worried every time he's in a life-threatening situation.

Then in the third episode, Castle, bored in New York without Beckett, tried to help with a case at the NYPD when Beckett showed up, announcing that the case was now a federal investigation, and they worked together to solve the crime again.  Just as that third episode was wrapping up, I was commending the show for coming up with new and creative ways to keep Castle and Beckett together, when another bombshell dropped: Beckett was fired for sending an anonymous tip to the news to help the lover of a murder victim.

To quote the villain from one of my favorite movies, "Fired??  Wha-what do you mean fired??" –Yzma, The Emperor's New Groove.

I just finished watching the fourth episode of season 6, which aired an hour ago, and Castle and Beckett solved a case with the NYPD while Beckett was unemployed.  At the end of the episode, Beckett was reinstated as an NYPD Detective again, and the show is now back to where it was mid-season 5, except now Caskett is engaged.  What was the point of the whole DC plot if they only ran it for three episodes??  I honestly thought it was going well – did the ratings go down or did they run out of ideas?  If they only added the DC complication to elevate the stakes for Castle's proposal, I'm extremely disappointed.  And frustrated – that was a whole lot of stress for us fans!

However, at the end of the day, Castle and Beckett at the NYPD has been the setting for the show since Day 1, and six seasons later, I'd say it's a successful one, so I guess they didn't want to stray from it for long.  Although the DC plot was exciting, I'm not one to complain about classic Castle, and I'm certainly ecstatic that Caskett is engaged now (so much love).  

And maybe next week there'll be another dramatic plot shift if Beckett gets rehired at the AG's or something...

Cory Monteith

1982 – 2013

What are you going to do with your line?

Gleecest Roadmap

Red line = Love     Blue line = Dated / Hooked-up     Dashed line = Unrequited

So you might not have noticed this.  But, curly fries are basically God's gift to humanity.  

Look how they shine, how they glisten.  They're flaking just for you.  You know they don't bend that way for just anyone.  You're special.  When you eat them, it's just the two of you, enveloped in the warmth of their spices.  

Wait.  You might feel that way about someone else.  You may have noticed they have a lot in common-the color, the curl pattern, that warm, tingly anticipation you get when you know you're about see them again.  You know who I'm talking about: BBC's Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch.

Poem Time!

Oh, how your curls lie so perfectly.  

The twist and diffuse is working wonderfully.

I really like your hair as it is naturally.

And especially, doop dee doop dee dee

I can't wait for Sherlock Series 3. 

Watching a new television show is like meeting a family or a friend group for the first time: the first impression sticks.  People judge pretty immediately whether or not they like someone or something, and a TV show is no different.  That’s why the pilot episode is so important, and why it’s easy to decide whether or not you like a show after a few minutes of watching. 

But sometimes first impressions are misleading or downright wrong, and I believe in second chances.  I think that in order to give a show a fair shot, you have to watch two episodes.  And not just any random two – the pilot and the second episode.  Sometimes a good show needs a bit of a running start, or it might take some time to get to know the characters.  Or it’s just bad, but you have to be sure before you chuck it.  So every time I try out a new TV show, I give it the old one-two.  And if I don’t like it after that, I’m sorry, it’s just not for me, but at least I gave it a real chance.

If you’ve got any TV show recommendations for us to give the old one-two, feel free to submit it in our suggestions page, and we’ll give it a shot.