What Makes Hannibal So Great?

 Hey, long time no write! Sorry, had a lot of distractions.

 You know, with the second season of Hannibal going on, I've been reminded how much I love this show. It's on-par with Sherlock, if not better.

 I already sort of reviewed the show (after seeing two episodes) last year, but I want to talk about all the things this show does right. What makes this show so... erm... delicious!

 Oh, and their might be:

PRODUCTION & ATMOSPHERE

 This show has to have some of the most high-quality cinematography I've seen on network TV. It rivals Sherlock in terms of how it's shot. The people behind the show clearly put a lot of effort into making this show come to life. The show is loaded with symbolism, and it has lots of trippy imagery that really makes the show stand out from its competition.

 One notable trait of this show is the "death tableaus". Most of the time, when a murder's discovered, the body is always presented in a macabre sort of display. From totem poles made of bodies, to human cellos, to a body arranged into a saber-toothed tiger. They're are gruesome, but as you continue to watch, much like Will Graham, it gets easier to look. Plus, there's almost a twisted, dark beauty to the arrangements. They get away with a lot on the show. Really pushing the boundaries of network TV.

 That's another thing: the atmosphere. The show has this really fitting atmosphere. It's kind of this unsettling feeling, but it's not alienating. The world is dangerous, but inviting. A bit like the title character.

Oh, that reminds me:

ACTING AND CHARACTERS

 The show has a bunch of really good actors. The main focus here has to go to the two lead actors: Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelson.

 Dancy plays the tortured but gifted FBI consultant Will Graham. Will, as I mentioned in my brief review, is gifted with empathy. But as the show goes on, we learn how unstable he is. The first season is devoted to his downward spiral, due both to a medical condition and Hannibal's manipulations (which are further exposed through flashbacks in season 2). And Hugh Dancy plays it well. When he portrayed Will breaking down sobbing, begging Hannibal not to be lying, it honestly broke my heart. There's a reason one of the fandom's catchphrases is "somebody help Will Graham."

 And in season two, he does an equally good job playing the dark side of Will. You can believe he's been pushed to do the questionable things he does (manipulate, murder, lie) in order to expose Hannibal.

 Speaking of America's Favorite Psycho Psychiatrist, Mads Mikkelson plays him well, too. He makes the iconic role his own, and lives up to his well-known predecessor, Anthony Hopkins. He is able to be a despicable, intimidating human being, but at the same time cool, collected, and likeable. His Hannibal is like a Venus Flytrap: you're drawn in (like the characters), but he's deadly, and doesn't hesitate to remind us. But with how he portrays him, the audience is still able to come back to him, if that makes sense. Heck, the first time I think the fandom turned on him was after Will's aforementioned breakdown, and even then the fans eventually sort of got over it and accepted his being a terrible person.

  Some notable notable actors and their roles on the show include: Gillian Anderson as Hannibal's mysterious psychiatrist, Bedelia DuMaurier. Raul Esparza as Dr. Frederick Chilton (who plays him as both an absolute scumbag in season one, but also enjoyably pathetic in season two). Lara Jean Chorostecki as Freddie Lounds, the online reporter I personally love to hate. Laurence Fishburne as Jack Crawford. Hettienne Park as the beloved Beverly Katz, as well as the other two forensics guys Jimmy Price and Brian Zeller (played by Scott Thompson and Aarom Abrams. And finally, Michael Pitt as Mason Verger. Dear God, Michael Pitt as Mason Verger.

WRITING

 Finally, there's the writing. Bryan Fuller, the man in charge. Has a clear vision of what he wants to do (having planned 7 seasons of the show). The writing is superb. I can not think of a single episode that didn't entertain me in some way. The story flows at a good pace, not dragging on, but not rushing either. And there never seems to be a useless episode either. Some people have mentioned the story takes some deviations from the books (which I have never read at the time of this editorial thing), but I'm fine with it. From what I do know, he does pay several homages to the original, as well. And I don't see anything wrong with his own interpretation. They are very clear on that. It's not like he's taking the story as is and butchering it, like several adaptions tend to do.

 But the best part is that the show is very unpredictable. Just when you think you understand where it's going: BAM! Something happens that changes everything. A character you thought was safe gets killed, one you thought you could trust turns out to not be so trustworthy, and one you thought was dead was alive all along. And you can never be certain what's going on, who's manipulating who. The only certainty is that Hannibal is a cannibal and The Chesapeake Ripper. And I love it.

 The show has also drawn actual reaction from me, too. From pleading for a character to turn around and leave before they get caught, to gasping at a character getting suddenly shot. The show gets more of a direct reaction out of me than "I liked this/didn't like this/was outraged by the writers doing this" than most of the shows I watch.

 Plus, the show knows how to leave off on a cliffhanger better than other longer-running shows I watch. The first season ends with Will locked up in BSHCI after Hannibal frames him, and the second... GAH! I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL IT UNTIL I REVIEW SEASON 2! It's so good! It leave you begging for another helping just to figure out what's going to happen. I remember reading a joke saying that the reason they renew the show is that the higher-ups watch the finales and want to know what happens, too.

---

 So that's my two cents on why Hannibal is such a good show. It's one of my favorite shows on TV right now. I highly recommend it, though the squeamish should tread carefully. It's truly a modern masterpiece, deserving of all the awards.

Loveable Freak Reviews Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

  So, I've finally read this book I've been dying to read: Good Omens. And IT. IS. FANTASTIC!

 I'm going to avoid putting big spoilers for this 14 year old book...

 Anyway, the book is about the prophesized end of the world. However, as Heaven and Hell gather their forces, there's been a mistake as to who the Anti-Christ is. Meanwhile, a demon named Crowley (...I know...) and an angel named Aziraphale are opposed to this, as they have been on Earth since the beginning and have learned to love mankind and the world in general. So they are fighting to circumvent the end...

 ...And it's a comedy!

 Seriously, this book is hilarious! The tone of the narrator is so snarky. And it has hilarious footnotes (at least in my 'Murican copy). You may wonder how freaking ARMAGEDDON could be funny, well, this is how. I'd compare the writing style to that of the late Douglas Adam's A Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (another book that's worth reading). And all the characters are quirky and memorable.

 The two big ones I should mention are our essential leads: Crowley and Aziraphale, two unlikely friends.

 Crowley is a fast-talking demon that thinks outside the box when it comes to demonic work. He also sees tempting and condemning souls as more of a job that needs to be done (like tax collection), and is not that terrible a pers-erm, demon. Plus, he drives a freaking classic black Bentley, gardens, and listens to Queen! How can I not love him? Great, now two demons named Crowley are my favorite characters. Starting to sense a pattern... Or a type with me...

 Aziraphale is also loveable. He runs a bookstore, but refuses to sell his books because he's attached to them, and is hilariously fussy and adorkable (he does stage magician tricks without using angel magic, for pete's sake!). And, like Crowley, he's not exactly a goody-two shoes of an angel (but not to the degree of, say, 98% of the angels of Supernatural...)

 I feel I should also mention The Four Horsemen Horsepeople. There are some pretty unique concepts with them. War is a beautiful woman, for example. Famine writes diet books and makes food that purposely starve people. Instead of Pestilence, there's Pollution. And Death TALKS IN ALL CAPS WITH NO QUOTATION MARKS.

 The book is incredibly well-written. It's very easy to picture the scenes. Some of them would be great in a movie, such as when the Four Horsepeople meet up. It's co-written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Gaiman is a writer who at this point can do no wrong in my eyes no matter what he writes, and I wanna be like one day. As for Pratchett, I've yet to read his books, but I seriously want to try them now.

Final Thoughts:

• Too many favorite scenes and lines to list.
• I think Eric Kripke and at least some of the writers on Supernatural are fans of the book. Seriously! A demon named Crowley that's innovative, Anti-Apocalypse, and every so often isn't that bad of a guy (especially in light of the episode "Road Trip")? An episode with what can only be described as the reality-warping Anti-Antichrist? I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
• True story: when reading the scene where Crowley's racing to Tadfield as The Bentley bursts into flames, my iPod started playing the song "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen. It worked so well. If they make a movie or something of this book, I swear, THAT SONG NEEDS TO PLAY DURING THAT SCENE.
• Speaking of movies: I might do a post sometime with a hypothetical casting for an adaptation...

 Overall, I really love this book and highly recommend it. Seriously. Read it. It... You won't regret it...

...

...Go read the thing...

Supernatural Season 3 Recap- Bela Talbot Must Die

 Hoo boy, I have mixed feelings about season 9 so far. But it's not the first time I haven't been pleased with a season. I believe the show has a curse similar to the the so called curse of the classic Star Trek movies (or what I claimed that Elementary seemed to have going on early in season 1) as far as quality. Only, instead of it being "every even is good/odd is bad" it's more like "every season divisible by three has something very wrong with it that drags the season down". So let's start from the season that started the curse: season three.

I'm going to start adding the seasonal title cards...

  This is mostly from memory (with Wikipedia as a refresher), so if I forget something, I apologize. And also, there will be:

THE OVERALL STORY:

  So, when we last left The Winchester Boys, they defeated the Yellow Eyes (who this season, I believe, we learn his name was Azazel...), Dean had a year to live, and the boys and friends had hundreds of demons to send back to Hell. This would soon be a typical weekday for them. The first group they face? The personifications of The Seven Deadly Sins. Yep. In this fight, Sam meets a woman named Ruby, who kills three of the demons with just a magic knife. As for dying Dean, he tries to get out of his contract, but his Crossroads Demon tells him if he gets a refund on his soul, Sammy's gonna die and it sucks to be him.

 Anyway, Dean goes and visits an old flame of his, Lisa, and her son, Ben. I bring this up only for future seasons. And because Dean with Ben is adorable and writers please make the character a father! No taksies-backsies this time.  We learn that Ruby is a demon, but she wants to help Sam, and she even helps fix The Colt so they have bullets for it again.

 Now, we get to my big problem of the season. In this pretty hilarious episode (despite having one of the most cringe-inducing deaths ever), "Bad Day at Black Rock", the boys reclaim a lucky rabbit's foot that was in a curse box stolen from their Dad's storage unit. Since Sam touched it, he's now lucky beyond belief. However, Bobby informs them that they have to burn it and Sam can't loose it, because if he does, he'll get the worst luck ever and be dead within a week. Guess what happens? A thief called Bela Talbot steals the rabbit's foot. She specializes in stealing the occult and selling it to wealthy buyers. The boys get the foot back and dispatch of it after forcing her to catch/touch it, but not before she steals the scratch tickets Dean had Sam scratch off.

  I'm just going to state it here: I despised the character of Bela. Admittedly, I was fine with her character when I first saw her in "Black Rock". I thought she was a decent one-off. But then she kept coming back. And coming back. AND COMING BACK. I groaned every time the stock clip of her appeared in the "THEN" recap segments. I was so sick of her by her last appearance. Anyway, my biggest problem was that she always had to screw over The Winchesters with little comeuppance, even in the instances where the boys were trying to help her. I read somewhere that the higher ups wanted them to add two new female characters, which I'm fine with, I admit the show can do with some more female reoccurring characters, or at least to use them more. However, while they did okay with Ruby, they could've done so much better with how they handled Bela. I'll get more into this later, but, let's continue the recap.

  Along the way, the boys run into Gordon the hunter a couple times (who this season has a hunter buddy who is uber-religious), and he (Gordon) eventually gets turned into a vampire. He kills his hunter buddy and he's eventually killed by Sam. Sam also kills Dean's Crossroads Demon when she won't tell him who holds Dean's contract. The brothers also go back and forth about Dean dying. Plus, we learn that demons come from souls who've had their humanity stripped away in Hell. Ruby claims she remembers humanity, and tells Dean that he will most likely become a demon when he's dragged into the pit.

  There's also a Christmas special (thus far the only one). The boys go against Pagan Gods (yes, really), and they have a Christmas together, since it's more than likely Dean's last. We also see flashbacks to the Christmas Sam learned about the supernatural, and it's both heartwarming and heartbreaking as is the custom for these flashbacks. We see Dean really took care of Sam most of the time. So much so that Sam gave him the present he would've given their father, the amulet Dean's always worn (lovingly christened "The Samulet" by the fandom). And that Dean was "the loyal son", defending their dad and putting him on a pedestal.

  Anyway, at one point, Bobby is in a coma, so the boys decide to go into his dreams and save him by acquiring an African Dream Root. So who do the boys turn to? Any old, reliable acquaintances they may have in the hunter world? The demon lady that's helped them out so far? Of course not! They turned to FREAKING. BELA. Anyway, they go and save Bobby from the nightmare he's having about his deceased wife (who he had to kill when she got possessed by a demon). Dean later encounters his nightmare self, who pokes at Dean's insecurities and self-loathing, and brings up how Dean's terrified of dying and becoming a demon. And Sam defeats the antagonist of the week.

  And what does Bela do? She STEALS THE FREAKING COLT FROM THE BOYS WHILE THEY'RE OUT! Seriously! Why did they even trust her? Why didn't they keep the valuable magic kill gun McGuffin somewhere safer? Yes, it's later revealed she had reasons for this, but it's still frustrating! Once again she just had to screw them over!

  Also, it's revealed Sam had a thing for Bela in a dream... It's never really brought up before or again and felt kind of pointless. *sigh* I thought Sam had standards...

  The boys are now racing to save Dean's life and get Bela back for stealing The Colt. In another notable episode, "Mystery Spot", Sam gets stuck in an infinite time loop where he experiences the same Tuesday, like Groundhog Day. In that Tuesday, Dean dies repeatedly, in increasingly darkly funny ways. Turns out The Trickster's back, and he wants Sam to accept Dean's going to die. Even when he lets Sam out, he kills Dean the next day to prove his point. This is where the episode gets darker and sadder than the last Trickster episode, where Sam goes on a manhunt from The Trickster and becomes almost robotic in his hunting. Trickster fixes everything, and the boys go on.

 Last notable episode before the finale episodes is "Jus In Bello" (the namesake of a Supernatural convention, BTW). Once AGAIN, Bela screws the boys over and they get caught by the Javert to their Valjean, Henriksen, and are stuck in jail. However, demons are afoot, and the boys have to team up with Henrikson and the few remaining staff at the station. Henrikson eventually realizes what the boys do, and decides they aren't bad people. Aww! ^_^ Ruby also pops up, and tells them the demons are under the orders of a demon named Lilith, who wants Sam dead. She says they can use a spell to send away the demons if they sacrifice the virgin secretary. The boys refuse, and pull off the greatest thing ever.

 They let the demons in, and blast an exorcism over the PA system, effectively exorcising nearly ALL the demons.

  I. Freaking. Love this show.

  But, alas, long after Henrickson lets them go, saying they'll claim they died in an earlier helicopter crash, Lilith shows up and kills everyone. Aww... :(

  Anyway, when we get to the finale, the boys find out there's a man who has eternal life. Sam wants to use his studies to save Dean. But Dean decides to go talk to a hunter named Rufus and find Bela. The man who lives forever turns out to not work out, obviously. As for Bela, Dean discovers that Bela made a deal of her own as a little girl, to have her parents killed. It turns out that her father was abusive (its implied it was sexual). And her time was almost up. We later learn Lilith had struck another deal with her (since Lilith holds all the deals): if Bela stole The Colt for her and later killed Sam, she would free her from the deal. However, the boys FINALLY get the better of her, and skip town before she can off Sam. They call her, and she reveals Lilith holds Dean's deal, too. In theory, if the boys kill Lilith, Dean will live. So they leave her to her fate of being devoured by hellhounds. I'll discuss these character realizations later.

  So, with Dean having mere hours to live, the boys go to find Lilith. Ruby informs Sam where the demon is, and the boys steal her demon knife. (This will become their new demon-killing toy in later seasons). Lilith is currently possessing a little girl and terrorizing her family. The boys manage to sneak into the house, Ruby appearing and getting roped into helping. However, it turns out Lilith is no longer in the little girl. She's instead thrown Ruby out of her vessel and possessed it. Dean's time runs out, and the hellhounds tear him apart.

NOOOOOO!

 Lilith also tries to kill Sam, but her powers don't work on him. She flees, and Sam is left with his brother's corpse, and Dean is trapped in Hell to be tortured. Good times!

 ----

  Overall, I wasn't as fond of this season. First of all, there was Bela. Like I said, I didn't like how the boys always grabbed the Idiot Ball every other time she showed up. I'll admit, her backstory was sad. But, to quote another Internet reviewer, Linkara:

 "There's a difference between having a sympathetic backstory and actually being sympathetic."

  That's the way I feel about Bela. If they had shared her backstory earlier, (or at least alluded to it more), or maybe given her more moments of being a decent person, I might've liked her better. The only time I can think of from experience where something like this (revealing a character's tragic backstory at the end around the time they die to garner sympathy from the audience) was handled better (at least to me) was in Harry Potter, with Snape. It just didn't do it for me. Though I will admit: it would be cool if, in a later season, Bela returned as a demon. Just to see how the boys would react to seeing someone they knew as a human in such a state. One they sort of had a hand in creating (I'll elaborate a bit more when I get to season 4's recap).

  Besides Bela, the season just seemed to not be as good as the season before (another problem with the curse). Part of this could be because it was shorter (most seasons clock in at about 20+ episodes. This was 16.) This could largely be in part due to the Writer's Strike happening during this season. (Huh, maybe a writer on strike is responsible for the 3rd Seasons Curse...) They had to move a few things to season four. Which we'll finally get to next time, where we meet a character much beloved to everyone...


  Also, FINALLY! I FINISHED THIS THING!

You have no idea, Nine...

 Oh, and Happy (Belated) New Year, Readers...

Loveable Freak (Sort Of) Reviews (And Sort Of Analyzes) BBC Sherlock: "Many Happy Returns" Minisode

 

    SCREAMING! It's here! The minisode is here early!

 

 

 

  *ahem* Sorry. So, I'm going to do my best to review this beautiful little thing. You know the drill (thought the video is towards the end for those who haven't see it yet):

 

Oh, you don't know how good this feels to write a Sherlock review again...

 

  So, when we last left everyone, Sherlock was supposedly dead. This takes place an unspecified time after "The Reichenbach Fall" (we can assume it's before John grew Harold his magnificent moustache). Everyone seems to be trying to move on from Sherlock. Except, surprisingly, Anderson, who insists to Lestrade ol' Sherly's alive, solving crimes around the globe and working his way back to England. Lestrade tells the now ex-forensics specialist to let it go, and goes to deliver some things of Sherlock's he had to John. Including a DVD with an uncut birthday message for John. Feels, brilliance, and sheer amounts of excitement in the fandom ensue.

 

  Alright, let's start with the big thing here: ANDERSON STILL BELIEVES IN SHERLOCK. ANDERSON. "SYLVIA" (according to Gatiss) "SHERLOCK AND THE FANDOM'S PUNCHING BAG" ANDERSON STILL BELIEVES IN SHERLOCK HOLMES. Needless to say, at least on Twitter (yes I have a Twitter, no I won't tell you who I am), everyone's opinion has done a 180. It's sweet that, despite how cruel he and Sherlock were to each other, he still believes that he's out there. And it's impressive he's the one clever enough to notice the pattern. I kind of liked Anderson in a "lovingly make fun of him" way, but now I like him even more. Plus, we get a taste of Anderson and Lestrade's relationship. Lestrade seems genuinely concerned about Anderson's obsession with Sherlock (that cost Adnerson his job), and tells him about how they all want him back. And Anderson gets a few jabs at Lestrade.

 

  What's next? Will Donavan be portrayed as a decent person this season? Is Sherlock and Anderson's relationship going to change? Will this season be to the fandom with him what season 2 was for me with Lestrade? GAH! Excited.

 

  Also, everything to do with the DVD was pretty touching. And it was fantastic to see Martin Freeman's John and Cumberlock again. Oh, Cumberlock, I missed you. There was light humor with recording!Sherlock asking about what to do in the video, refusing to go to the birthday dinner because there's people, and insisting all John's friends hate him.

 

  Then comes the awesome part when John rhetorically tells the recording's Sherlock to come back. To which the recording says "Okay!" and says how he'll be back. Meanwhile Lestrade passes a well-dressed bystander with a newpaper, an article reading "The Game Is Back On", and smiles. This, two, rasises questions, in a good way. Is the bystander Sherlock? Or Mycroft? Is Lestrade in on the faked death now? Is it sort of like my favorite fanfic, "The Full House", in that case? GAH! I am so excited!

 

Okay, final thoughts:

• Now that we're all attached to Anderson, I'm afraid Moffat and Gatiss are going to kill him. I hope not, but if it happens, I called it...
• This is notably written by both Moffat AND Gatiss. *insert joke about it taking two writers to write a 7-minute short but one to write a 90-minute episode*
• I missed everything about this show...
• I can't pick a favorite thing, since this was only 7 minutes and it was brilliant throughout. So just watch it. In fact: here it is on YouTube:

 

                              

 

  Overall, it was a brilliant short/minisode. I loved this and it only fuels my excitement for the next season even more. I can't wait until the show officially returns on January 14th for the States (and January 1st for England...) Though I will hold off on reviewing the season until I get the DVD or Blu-Ray. I just prefer to review when I can pause it to jot down notes. That's something I disliked reviewing season 1 of Elementary the way I did 98% of the way. But I digress.

 

  Merry Christmas Eve and Merry Christmas, readers and Sherlockians. And I wish you all many happy returns...

Couldn't find a gif of the minisode wink, so here's the original Cumberlock wink...

 

Loveable Freak Reviews Welcome To Night Vale

  The written word is up to interpretation. Art is subjective. Welcome to my Night Vale review...


  Hey, readers. I figured I'd review something a little different then my usual fare of TV shows the Internet has a fixation on and various movies, usually involving explosions. I decided to review a podcast that is gaining some well-deserved notability. It's titled Welcome To Night Vale, and I feel like maybe I should review it. Though, be warned, it is going to contain...

 Welcome To Night Vale is done in the format of a local radio show. The main character, Cecil, informs the listener about the goings-on in the strange desert town of Night Vale. From the dog park, where no living being is ever allowed to enter, the small subterranean kingdom found beneath lane five of the bowling alley, to the librarians (here horrible abominations) capturing children in the summer reading program. He also talks about the colorful characters who inhabit the town: a white man in a plastic feather headdress who claims to be an Apache tracker, who Cecil always reminds us is racist; Old Woman Josie, who is accompanied by angels (whom City Council insists do not exist); a man in a tan jacket and a suitcase of flies, who's face no one can remember; and of course, Carlos: the scientist newcomer to the community, whom Cecil falls for immediately.

 The podcast is quite surreal, to say the least. The humor comes from the strange eccentricness of the town, and the bizzare goings-on that to them, seem almost normal. But it is enjoyably so, and it does develop plots, both the ones in the latest installment and ongoing ones. It is so much fun to hear follow-ups to stories you may have forgotten about. It's even better as we hear it through our host, who of course delivers it in professional news radio fashion... Most of the time (for example, taking time to lament over Carlos getting a haircut, berating the local barber for betraying the community.). It is rather formulaic, given the format, but it is not a bad thing. You get used to it and enjoy when parts come up. Such as the strange words from the "sponsors", that rarely have anything to do with the company; the weather, which is just a random song by a different undiscovered artist each episode, and the proverbs after the credits.

 And now, one of the biggest elements...

 The best thing in this podcast has to be the relationship between Cecil and Carlos. As the show goes on, Cecil and Carlos get together. And they are adorable. I swear, they are the happiest, most stable couple in fiction right now, possibly ever. Cecil realizes the Carlos he's pined over isn't perfect, but he accepts that and still loves him regardless. They don't have any drama whatsoever, and that is perfectly fine. The writers let them be happy. We're so used to shows and movies adding drama for the sake of drama. Tearing couples apart or tossing in cheap "will they or won't they?" elements. It's nice to see writers allowing characters to have a little bliss for a change. I know a lot of shows that could learn from that. The best part has to be that they are a gay, presumably interracial (we're never told exactly if Cecil is white or not (a source of debate in the fandom), but we're all sure Carlos is latino), couple, and they are both adorable and more stable then most straight fictional couples. I'm just saying... The writers are doing something different from the norm, and I appreciate it. If only all writers can suck it up and "take risks".

 Overall, it is a fun podcast to listen to on a bi-monthly basis (they release new episodes on the first and fifteenth of every month). It's all free to download on iTunes, and I suggest if you like it to check out their website here, and possibly donate and support the show if you can. In fact, here's the first episode, uploaded by someone to YouTube (with fanart and pictures added). Consider it this review's "weather":

 Readers, there's not much more I can say about this podcast. It balances its elements well. The characters are memorable and likeable. The main relationship is one of the best I've ever encountered. and deserves the attention it's gotten, and if you haven't discovered this little gem, you should try it. I swear, when you listen, you, like Cecil, will fall in love instantly.

  Good night, Internet, good night.

***

Well, if I've been somewhat mimicking the show's style, I might as well end with today's proverb: we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Seriously, have you seen fear itself? It's terrifying and it's why I won't be able to sleep at night...

Supernatural Season 2 Recap- The D-Men

 Okay, time to recap season 2! (I know this is late, season nine has already started (and is pretty good, so far.) But I want to finish these. So...

 

(Again, this is from memory like last time. If I get something wrong/forget stuff, forgive me...)

THE OVERALL STORY:

 So, when we last left The Winchester Clan, they all got hit by a truck... We pick up in the hospital. Sam is fine, and John is fine. Dean, however, is in a coma. Dean tries to stay in the realm of the living, despite a Reaper, Tessa, trying to convince him that death is fine. However, Papa Winchester has other plans. He summons Yellow Eyes, and trades both The Colt and his soul for Dean's life. He dies while Sam gets coffee, resulting in the most perfect cup drop ever. (it never tipped over!) So the boys are on their own again.

  Soon, the boys find The Roadhouse, a bar for Hunters. It's run by Ellen Harville and her daughter, Jo.  Jo wants to be a hunter like her father, and eventually takes off. They also meet Ash, a crazy awesome hunter/hacker. The boys continue hunting Yellow Eyes, facing whatever comes their way and dealing with their dad being gone. Along the way, they get in a lot more trouble with the law (leading to them getting their own sort of Javert to their Valjean, Agent Henricksen.) and face off with another, more psychotic hunter named Gordon. Sam has a brief romance with a girl named Madison, but ends in tradegy since she is a werewolf. Long story short, it ends a paranormal romance version of Old Yeller. I repeat: Every woman Sam loves dies. 

 Also, in one episode, we meet a Trickster in what is one of the funniest episodes. Sure, it's in what's essentially a breather episode for the audience, but he does prove to have more purpose as the show progresses...

  Eventually, the boys do look into and meet some more "Special Children". First there's Andy, who can make people do whatever he wants (and had a twin named Ansem, who was evil (though any Kingdom Hearts fans in my audience are not surprised)). There's also another clairvoyant named Ava, who mysteriously dissapears. At the end of the season, Sam is taken, along with the other Special Children, to a mysterious place. They're basically tossed into a Hunger Games/Battle Royale-type situation: kill each other to survive. Ava, it turns out, had been part of multiple rounds, and kills Andy. (which was a shame, seeing as I liked Ava up until then and Andy was my favorite non-Sam Special Child.) Then she's killed by Jake, a super-strong Special Child.

  Bobby and Dean track Sam down (and learn that The Roadhouse was burned down, killing numerous hunters. Especially Ash. *sniff*). But he gets killed by Jake, and ends up dying in Dean's arms.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

 Dean, being co-dependent and putting his brother first, decides to defy the laws of mortality. He summons a Crossroad Demon and begs her to bring Sam back in exchange for his soul. She accepts, but instead of the standard "10 years until we sic the hellhounds on you", she only gives Dean a year. With Sammy alive again and Ellen turning out to be alive, The Winchesters and Co. discover that Yellow Eyes needed a Special Child to get into a Devil's Trap made of railroads, and use The Colt to unlock a gate to Hell and release more demons. They get there, but are too late to stop the Gate from opening.

  Sam kills Jake rather cold-bloodedly, and Dean gets The Colt to kill Yellow Eyes. Their dad even comes out of Hell to hold him still for Dean to shoot him. Yellow Eyes dies, the boys get a quiet moment with their dad, and their dad ascends to Heaven. Aww...

  But there ain't no rest for The Winchesters. There's still the matter of a hundred new demons flooding America, and Dean only having a year to live. So they head for their next adventure. The show almost could've stopped there (they thought it almost would), but luckily the show kept going. Unluckily, the third season wasn't quite so good. It had a big problem.

  I really liked this season. It did quite a bit of world-building, which I like. The world of the show just fascinates me. And the story was rather good. The show really improved from season one.

  Next time, I'll recap season 3. And Bela. Eeugh...
 

Supernatural Season 1 Recap- Two Boys And An Impala

Uh Okay, so I've got an idea: you know how last year I reviewed every episode of season one of Elementary? And how I swore I wouldn't do the same for the second? Well, I got an idea for something to do instead. If/when I finish season 8 in time, I might review a show I know I actually like: I'm hoping to review season 9 of Supernatural!

  Of course, this'll be different than reviewing Elementary, especially since I wouldn't start reviewing from the beginning of show, but rather late in the game. So, I've decided I would kinda recap the seasons leading up to season 9. That way, people who follow the blog who might be interested in the reviews but not so much the show can understand. (And if all else fails, I can always review Agents of SHIELD...)

  Okay, so, season one! Needless to say:

 

If you want to watch it, be warned... (also, this whole thing's from memory, if I get something wrong/forget stuff, forgive me)

 

THE ONGOING STORY:
 

 Alright, I touched a bit on the backstory in my last Supernatural review thing. So I'll try to make this bit quick. When Sam was a baby and Dean was four, their mother was killed by a yellow-eyed demon and burnt on the ceiling, effectively burning the house, too. This sets their father, John Winchester, on his quest for vengeance. He becomes a demon hunter, and along the way raises the boys  to be hunters as well. But we're told Sam didn't want to be a hunter, so when he's of college age, he leaves his family and goes to school. When we see Sam again, things are pretty good for him. He's got an interview for a good law school and he's got a girlfriend he plans to marry: Jessica. So, of course, that all gets screwed up. Dean comes back into Sam's life, telling him he has to work a job but that their dad is gone. Sam reluctantly goes to help, so long as he's back in time for the interview. The boys defeat the monster of the week and Sam goes home. But of course, his beloved Jessica is killed the same way his mother was killed (thus proving early on that every woman Sam loves dies). So Sam goes along with Dean to find their dad and what killed their mom and Jessica.

 

  Most of season one is pretty much the boys hunting the monster of the week while trying to find their daddy. It's pretty simple and episodic compared to some of the later seasons. Along the way, it's revealed that Sam has been having psychic visions (including one he had before of Jessica's death), mostly to do with the yellow-eyed demon. Also, there are other people like Sam: a telekinetic young man that eventually kills himself and a baby girl who seems to read minds (that we NEVER hear about again, as far as I know). Also, we meet one of the longest reoccurring female characters(and probably the longest non-Winchester reoccurring character), Meg. She's the demon daughter of Yellow Eyes.

 

  Anyway, eventually the boys find Papa Winchester (again... Yeah, they found him once when they first found out Meg was a demon, but they had to split up). And they find the biggest (and one of the coolest) MacGuffins in the series: The Colt! The Colt, in a nutshell, can kill anything. (Yes, it is awesome...) Papa Winchester intends to use one of the four remaining bullets on Yellow Eyes. However, they split up: John to offer a fake Colt to Meg to stop her and the other demons from killing his acquaintances. Meanwhile, the boys try to stop Yellow Eyes from potentially killing the psychic baby's parents after Sam has a vision. Sam misses when he shoots and Papa Winchester gets captured when they call his bluff.

  So the boys go to an old family friend (who quickly becomes a regularly reoccurring character) named Bobby. They catch Meg in a Devil's Trap, get their father's location out of him, and exorcise the demon out of her host body (killing the real Meg, who was only being kept alive by the demon at that point). After they get Papa Winchester back (Dean blowing another bullet to save Sam from Yellow Eyes's son), it turns out Yellow Eyes has possessed their father. He tries to kill Dean, and Sam is conflicted to use The Colt (despite their dad's pleadings when he takes control a moment). If he shoots Yellow Eyes!Papa Winchester, he also kills their dad. So, Sam shoots Yellow Eyes in the leg, sending the demon out, but not killing him. As Sam rushes his family to the hospital, Papa Winchester is mad that there's one bullet left and Yellow Eyes is still out there.

  Then a truck driven by a demon hits the car. And that's how season one ends. Gee...

I

wonder

if

the boys

will

make

it...

  :/ The joys of starting late...

  Some Notable Episodes (To Me, in no particular order):

• "Pilot" - First episode, enough said...
• "Skin" - This one kind of kicks off a subplot of The Winchesters not being seen so keenly in the eyes of the law, thanks to a shapeshifter who takes Dean's form. Also, there's a scene where Shifter!Dean rips his own skin off to change form, and it's disgusting...
• "Home" -Establishes Sam's psychicness, and has two very creepy scenes for me: One where a guy's hands puréed by the garbage disposal, and another where a small child gets shut in the fridge. I'm not a mother, but it sparks my maternal/big sister instincts. I find myself BEGGING the mom to turn around look in the freaking fridge. (Also, we meet Missouri Mosely. She never appears again, and it's kinda a shame...)
• "Bugs"- It has no use in the plot, or anything story-wise. It's just plain awful... First of all, I found the reason for the deaths being "Sacred Indian Ground?" Seriously? In the 21st century? Cliché. And THEN there's the time blunder of the sun rising SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT! No time cut, the sun just mysteriously rises. I can tell you from experience the sun does NOT rise that early in Oklahoma. I've been there. Again, this is one of those episodes I hold as a bad standard for TV writing...
• "Nightmare"- Meet another special child. Makes be flitch at the gore every time.
• "Scarecrow" -Meet Meg, also the episode with the record for shortest "split up" of the Winchesters.
• "Something Wicked"- Baby Winchester flashbacks. That is all...
• "Dead Man's Blood"/"Salvation"/Devil's Trap" - The Colt's established and the "two-part" finale...

    Overall, it's a pretty decent start for the show. It's not the greatest season, but it sets up everything and is pretty uncomplicated and straightforward. Season Two's where stuff gets interesting, though...

Loveable Freak Reviews A Fanfic- The Full House By Emcee (of Archive Of Our Own)

Alright, I KNOW I said I was gonna do an MST-style review of a less-than-stellar fic. I say a lot of things. It is coming up, but the thing is, I've just read a GOOD fanfic, and I want to review that now! I need to share my thoughts on it! Ladies and gents, the Sherlock fanfic, "The Full House".



 Here's the story: after The Fall, Sherlock goes to stay with Molly while he tries to dismantle Moriarty's Criminal Network. He even employs a familiar face to help. But plenty of complications arise, especially our favorite consulting detective's feelings towards a certain pathologist. Relationship upgrades, sinister plots, and really good writing ensue.



  As you no doubt guessed, this is a Sherlolly fic. I'll admit, as much as I'm cool with and like Sherlock not being romantically involved with people, I'm a sucker for Sherlolly. And this is very well-written, and in-character for Sherlock on his side: he views the relationship as an experiment, but his feelings do grow. And he does worry for his ability when he thinks his feelings grow too much. And it continues on the character's in-show development: Molly growing more of a backbone with Sherlock, and Sherlock becoming a real boy and dealing with his emotions (which I am admittedly a complete and total sucker sucker for).

*ahem* When done RIGHT! >:(

Plus, John's reactions to Sherlock and Molly are gold.


  And it's not just the romance. There is adventure in this, too. There's the ongoing plot of taking on the still-alive Moriarty, taking down Moran, and Moriarty's Network. Plus, the author, Emcee, throws in a very interesting twist on one of my favorite Canon stories: "The Copper Beeches". There's more to the fic than just, "Sherlock and Molly become an item. That's it. Nothing else."



The pacing is also good. The romance doesn't happen all at once, the adventure doesn't just completely disappear, it's still brought up. It's pretty well-balanced. Even when there's a "brief break-up", it's handled for a good amount of time, in-character, and it's not just forgotten when they inevitably get back together.

 

I also have to praise the fanfic for something. She(?) (I'm guessing the author's a she) ACTUALLY made me like Irene Adler here. As I've said, the characters are in-character. Irene's no different. But, with how she handled the character, here, I actually enjoyed when she popped up. Yes, a FANFIC WRITER did a better job with the Sherlock version of Irene than Moffat! I guess it goes to show one of my philosophies is true: it doesn't matter if an idea is good or bad, it often depends on how you handle them.

 

Also, it's hilarious and made me feel emotions! Emcee writes some pretty hilarious scenes and exchanges between the characters, especially between Sherlock and John. And I did feel stuff as I read. There was the obligatory squeeing and "aw"-ing over my kinda irrational, fueled only by emotions/cuteness/sympathy OTP, of course (What can I say? Fic!Sherlock (Ficlock (?) ) could be so adorkable here! I'M A SUCKER FOR ADORKABLE!). And I admit to getting a bit mad at Ficlock during the "brief break-up" thing. I understood why he did it, but I still got mad! Brava(o), author. Brava(o)...

 

One more thing to sweeten the pot about this fic. The author CLEARLY knows the original Canon. There are so many Canon references I caught. When someone works in nods to the whole "James/John Name Continuity Error" and Irene's surname at the end of "A Scandal In Bohemia", you KNOW they read the Canon. That also makes it worth the read.

 

Final Thoughts:


-Too many favorite parts in this fic to list...


-So, in this fic, Anthea's a lesbian. That... Makes sense, actually. It works. HEADCANON ACCEPTED!


-I should also note the author worked in a scene where Sally Donavan was not treated as a terrible person. THANK YOU, EMCEE! Can... Can we have her write for the show? She can take Thompson's job! :P


- Ooh! Another gush! "The Full House" features artwork from one of my favorite fan artists, lexiken! Her deviantArt can be found here. 
 

  Overall, I love the fic. It's well-written, and is possibly it IS my new favorite fanfic. I highly recommend it. If you ship/like Sherlolly, you'll love it. And even if you don't, I'm sure you'll enjoy it for the writing, in-characterness, and the canon references. I will warn you, it IS 50 chapters long, so it will take a while to read. But it is worth it. The fanfic can be found here. 

  There is a sequel (and a couple side stories). I'm only now starting to read the sequel, "The Party of Four" (which I think will be as good as the first). The side-stories are optional to read. I don't recommend the "aphrodisiac" one, though. It's events are referenced in the original, and I was cool with it just referenced in the main story... The others are fine! ^_^


Okay, I swear I'll finish the MST thing (it's proving problematic. I'm getting so nitpicky), but I have two kinda "editorials" I want to do first...

200th Post Special! Loveable Freak Reviews Sherlock: The Unaired Pilot

  Oh hey, I've gotten to 200 posts! And so soon after the 2nd Anniversary of the blog! *squee* If only I could've had both the same day...

  Anyway, I wanted to do something special. Last year, I did my first MST of a Sherlock Holmes Trollfic. I thought that maybe this time, I could do a review of something. But it would have to be something special...

  ..I'm going to review the unaired pilot version of "A Study In Pink"!

  Yes, back in the distant year of 2009, when David Tennant was The Doctor and every celebrity ever was dying, Moffat and Co. shot the pilot episode for his an Gatiss's fanboy brainchild, Sherlock. The original pilot, while still the same story, is different than the finished product, a big difference being it's 60 minutes as opposed to 90 (BBC requested they change the format. And bless them for it!). So, how does it compare to the final product we know and love? Come along, readers!

  Just in case... Erm...

 
  Like I said, the story is pretty much the same. Ex-Soldier meets Man. Ex-Soldier finds out Man is a Consulting Detective. Consulting Detective drags Ex-Soldier along to solve a case of serial suicides. Ex-Soldier and Consulting Detective start World's Greatest Bromance. Pretty simple. The difference is the execution.

  Since it is 60 minutes long, there are notable things missing in the story. For example, we never see John's Afghanistan dreams, or flashbacks to the "suicides" of the victims (here it's 5 instead of 4. Yes, Moffat actually resisted killing an extra person... I'm shocked too, Wholockians...), and there's no fake drugs bust. But a big exception has to be that the entire Mycroft subplot and the mention of Moriarty are absent from the first episode. AND PILOTLOCK (as I'm calling it) HAS NO DEDUCTION SUBTITLES! D: THOSE ARE CUMBERLOCK'S THING! It's really weird.

  In fact, a lot of things in this pilot are really weird. It all feels so... off from what I'm used to. The actors are delivering the same lines, but they feel different. Mostly the delivery. For example, take the whole "What happened to the lipstick...Your mouth's too small now..."/"Okay." exchange between Sherlock and Molly became sadder with how Loo Brealey delivered it here. I mean, it was already kinda sad but a little funny in the original, since to me her tone kinda sounded like she was going to put the lipstick back on again. Here, she sounds just sad. And in need of a hug.

  Plus, on the technical side, the sets are different and feel weird too. The mortuary is so dark and feels so dreary and the flat feels so claustrophobic (and the paint is gaudy). The video quality is not as polished, too (though maybe that's just lighting... :/). Even the freaking soundtrack feels off! THE FREAKING SOUNDTRACK! I know it's just the pilot they used to get the show picked up, and they most likely didn't have the same budget they have the actual show, but it's almost into "uncanny valley" territory for me. Or at least, weird AU.

 Also, Donavan is played by a different actress (she must be a Time Lady!) and Anderson has a beard. He shaved it, but it doesn't matter. It'll still be there... waiting.

  But, there still are additions to this original version of "A Study In Pink" that aren't in the final product. For example, we actually see Lestrade at the crime scene of one of the murders (before the one Sherlock stepped in).Mrs. Hudson apparently was originally supposed to own Speedy's in this strange alternate world (the sign read "Mrs. Hudson's Snax and Sarnies" in Comic Sans. Bless her heart... (Also, before my fellow non-Brits Google it, a "Sarny" is just another word for "sandwich". See, this educational!) The way Sherlock runs into the serial killer and the most of the third act is different, too. Plus, Sherlock gets to be Batman! :D

 Also, there are some nice Easter Eggs in this scene where Sherlock sends emails. He sends one to Mycroft (with the famous "when you've eliminated the impossible" line, one to Gregson (yes, further confirmation he exists in this world), and one to a Jones (don't know which Jones, but hey! Another Canon inspector exists! *Insert character development joke at Elementary's expense here*). Another thing I caught while pausing was the article on Lestrade in the newspaper John was reading. From the visible snippet, you can kinda get some insight into Lestrade's situation from his perspective. Apparently he was facing "mounting pressure under the watchful eye of the new police commissioner and Mayor of London" to solve the case. My poor, sweet, silver-haired, probably-in-his-late-forties-when-they-shot-this baby. In fact, that whole thing makes me realize I'd love to see the whole series from Lestrade's perspective... I CALL FANFIC DIBS!

  And, as much as I complained about line delivery feeling off, some of the lines and scene changes I preferred here. Special mention goes to the way the "and I said "dangerous"" and "either way, you're wasted as a cabbie" are delivered.

 Anyway, let's get to Final Thoughts:

• Favorite parts are the new third act, "Drunk"!Sherlock, and when Sherlock has his Batman moment. (Honorable mention goes to the dinner conversation, which is somehow even more awkward...)
• Wait, so Sherlock had a man named "Davies" arrested? I see now how Moffat came to be in-charge of Doctor Who...
• So Cumberlock just splashes it into his face, Millerlock can't/won't drink... Is Downeylock the only one with no problems with alcohol?
• I swear, Benedict's voice sounds higher here... and that Cumberlock had an extra shot of sass in his coffee...
• Also, what was up with Stamford's accent here? Sounded different... I couldn't place it, it was throwing me off...
• "Halfway Decent Murders" is so my new band name... Or my Tumblr's name if I ever break down and get one...
• "We're searching for a psychopath?" "So we're having another psychopath help out?" Hey, it worked for Silence of the Lambs, Anderson! (Also, apparently Anderson is a doctor... This is news to me...)
• "Feed you up"? Is that what they called it in 2009? Either way, I'm using that euphemism now...
• John, do you go to nice restaurants with all your male companions... See, this is why the "Defensively Heterosexual John Watson" meme exists... (Sorry, I couldn't resist the joke...)

  ...So, that's my two cents on the pilot. Yeah, it's bizarre, seeing how the show is now, but it wasn't so bad. Still wouldn't trade the final "A Study in Pink" for this one, though. You can find the pilot either on the Season 1 DVD/Blu-Ray or on the Internet somewhere.

  Thanks for sticking around for the 200th post, here's to 200 more!

  Next post, I want to try that MST/Review thing I've been wanting to experiment with...

Loveable Freak Reviews Supernatural

 As I've made no secret, I am a huge fan of Sherlock and Doctor Who. And if there is one inevitability for "Wholockians", it's that they become fans of another show. And we're gonna talk about that show! Ladies and gents, Supernatural. 

  Supernatural is a show from here in The States. It revolves around two brothers: Sam and Dean Winchester. When the boys were kids, their mother was killed by a demon. That spurred their father to go out on the road and hunt demons (and other monsters, as well), raising the boys to do the same. 22 Years later, Sam (the younger brother, played by Jared Padalecki) has tried to leave the life of a hunter behind by going to college and considering marrying his girlfriend Jessica. But a hunter never truly retires, as Dean (played by Jensen Ackles) shows up, telling him that their father disappeared. Thus begins the brothers' journey. Ganking, Demonic Hijinks, and The Longest Road Trip In The Greatest Car EVER ensues...

  Anyway, I love the show. Each season has its own arc of sorts (each in varying degrees of goodness). They all kind of interconnect, and it's fun to see what pieces of continuity they drag back up. The show has been on for 8 seasons (season 9 starts in October) and for a show to stay on so long (let alone keep up decent quality, even after switching showrunners three times throughout) is a testament in and of itself. (Granted, I've only seen the first seven seasons in their entirety (eight isn't out on DVD or Netflix yet) but still...)

  The characters are incredibly likeable. Of course, there's the charmingly roguish Dean (who is kinda my favorite of the brothers (shh!)) and the symathetically tragic (and often adorable) Sam. But the supporting characters (the ones who come back) are great, too. There's Bobby (played by Jim Beaver), an older hunter and family friend to the Winchesters who's pretty much the boys' real father in a sense (as far as I'm concerned...). Castiel (played by Misha Collins) an angel of the lord and friend of Dean who's comedically serious (and adorable) and is always fun to see. And, of course, the show-stealing Crowley (played by Mark Sheppard), The King of the Crossroads Demons who is probably one of my favorite villains ever.

 Another great thing about this show is that they don't take themselves too seriously. Yes, they have dark, creepy, heavy, angsty episodes, but they balance it. They have goofy, fun episodes like: when they got sucked into TV shows, Dean becomes terrorfied of everything, and even one where they're teleported into OUR universe (albeit exaggerated) where their life is just a TV show... The writers are awesome. It really helps offset the show's creepier/sadder moments. And I don't mind the "filler", because it keeps the season's plots/arcs up enough.

  The show does have its share of gore (seriously, I can't count the number of times someone's bled from the mouth). And there have been some freaky/gag-inducing moments. But, like Hannibal, it works for the show and its tone. Sure, it's not artistic like Hannibal, but they're hunting demons; it ain't exactly a clean job. Also, be prepared for a LOT of characters dying, often more than once...

 One more thing I want to talk about is the use of music on this show. Not the background soundtrack stuff (which is good), but the use of OTHER music. They use a lot of classic rock (and other songs) and it is AWESOME! I DARE you not to want to belt out "Carry On My Wayward Son" during "The Road So Far" segments of the season finales. If they realeased a soundtrack of nothing but the classic rock songs on the show, I'd buy it in a heartbeat! It's fantastic.

 Final Thoughts:

-I can't list all my fave moments, and a list of my favorite episodes would be another post entirely...

-The gag reels for the show are awesome, 'nuff said.

-I'm convinced now, due to Jensen Ackles's pure charm, he might have been better/more acceptable option for The Wizard than James Franco in Oz: The Great and Powerful...

-Also, I've yet to find a role I haven't liked Mark Sheppard in yet (granted, I've only seen two...). I think he's officially one of my favorite actors, now...

-The best game to play watching marathons of this show is the "What's Wrong, Sammy/Dean?" "Nothing's Wrong, Dean/Sammy!" The object is to see how many episodes a brother goes before sharing his current angst...

-The two episodes the creator apologizes for ("Bugs" and "Red Sky at Morning") both had a woman killed in the shower by the paranormal force of the week. Let this be a lesson, writers: don't kill women with monsters in the showers, it makes whatever you're writting terrible...

-Why haven't they done a musical episode yet? I am disappointed...

  Overall, this show is a lot of fun, and I enjoy it. The first seven seasons are all on DVD and Netflix, season eight comes out on DVD in September (but can be found online), and season nine premires on The CW in October. I highly recommend it... 

Loveable Freak Reviews Portal

 Hello, and welcome to The Mildy Nerdy Ramblings Of A Loveable Freak Internet Reviewing Initiative. Test Subject: LOVEABLE FREAK has just completed Video Game: PORTAL for Entertainment, Reviewing, and Science. Her findings during the experiment have been compiled for HER peers as follows:

Test Subject: LOVEABLE FREAK 

Video Game: PORTAL 

 Hey, guys! Long time no write! So, I've finally played Portal! You see, there's this rental place in my town (yeah, those still exist! I know, I'm shocked, too!) and they finally had a copy of The Orange Box (AKA The only way I could play the game without downloading it on its own from Xbox Live...), so I grabbed it and played.

 And hoo boy, am I glad I did...

 Alright, in the game, you play as Chell, our silent protagonist. She is stuck in the facility of Aperture Science, doing tests for the AI known as GLaDOS, who promises cake if you succeed in these dangerous tests. But as you continue, you'll see things aren't right in Aperture... Puzzles, Lies, and Turrets ensue.

In the game, you have the portal gun, which shoots, you guessed it, ducks. No, it's portals (obviously). You use them on the right surface to get around. You also have to get objects to the right buttons, use freaking annoying energy ball-shooty thingies to power up devices, and try and take out turrets.

 The game is very fun, and the puzzles of each test chamber are fun and challenging. (It wasn't until the last chambers I had to break down and use walkthroughs... :/) It is relatively short, I'd gauge a little over the length of a game on the Internet, give or take. I'd say because it IS on a disc with 4 other games (Half-Life 2, 2 side games of that game, and Team Fortress 2). I beat it in a little over a day, two days tops (a personal best!). But it's enjoyable, nonetheless.

 The story is pretty good, too, though it doesn't really kick in until the later parts of the game. GLaDOS is one of the only speaking things (besides the turrets, who I'll get to later, and the personality cores) in the whole game, offering twistedly hilarious comments as you progress through the game. In fact, the game's often twisted, dark, Invader Zim-like humor is one of the highlights of the game! 

 Also, the game can be quite creepy at times. As you progress through the chambers, you'll start to find the scrawlings of someone who's been there before you, hidden in panels. There's the turrets, who, while having adorably childlike voices, WILL kill you with extreme prejudice (the blood... the blood... I didn't know so much could spray from the body while that body stays alive...). Heck, their cuteness almost makes them scarier... And there's the eerie atmosphere of the facility when you leave the chambers to... I've said too much, I don't want to spoil a 6 year old game... But it works for the game...

Test Subject: LOVEABLE FREAK left some extra notes as well: 

 -I freaking hate the energy ball things. They're hard to keep track of and kill you on contact. I'm glad they switched to lasers in the sequel... (yes, I've played the second one, too. I'll review that when I finish co-op with my brother...)

-I think I'd be here all day if I listed my favorite GLaDOS lines...

-Curiousity Core's my favorite core in this game...

-Alas, poor Companion Cube...

-I liked the part of the game where you have a whole large room of turrets, that you have to portal behind and drop. It's like something from a movie! ^_^)

-I tried not to make obvious cake jokes. I know those got old, Internet...

-... It's different, reviewing a game instead of some show or movie...

Test Subject: LOVEABLE FREAK left this final summation of her experience:

 Overall, I enjoyed this game. I can see why people like it so much. It's fun, and I highly recommend it. I think it's available on Steam, I don't know, don't quote me on that, and you can get it on Xbox 360 as either part of The Orange Box (if you don't mind 4 other games (I think if I get my own copy, I'll try the other games, too...)), or if you have Xbox Live, as a download. Well, GLaD I played it, and finally wrote something here again. And I'll try to write more and review the next one! ^_^ 

Review Status: Complete.

Loveable Freak Reviews Elementary- Epsiodes 23/24- "The Woman/Heroine"

  Well, after nearly eight months of watching every episode, the time has come at last to finally review the first season finale of Elementary! This is a day late because I sat at the computer for and hour and twenty-seven minutes watching both episodes, and quite frankly, I was done sitting at the computer after that. Plus, I had to... process... some things...

  But nonetheless, let's get into the last two episodes of Elementary! (I'm reviewing them together because I WANT TO GET THIS OVER WITH!)

Everybody now!

  When last left Sherlock...

I couldn't find a gif of this without editing... Apologies... You... you get the point...

 Yeah, shortly after I wrote the "Risk Management" review, I read Buddy2Blogger's review of the episode, and I realized how Millerlock's little breakdown is ridiculous, in a way. While Miller's sadness could work in another role, here's the thing: HE'S PLAYING SHERLOCK HOLMES! He wouldn't react this way! He's not really an "emotion person". It's actually quite rare in canon to see him get emotionally worked up (an example being when Watson gets shot (again) in canon). So, really, it's kind of unintentionally cheesy/narmy. I think Downeylock in A Game of Shadows and, in and even better example, Cumberlock in "The Hounds of Baskerville", showcase "I'm having an emotion" better for Holmes's character. Just sharing. Especially for later in this review.

  Anyway, yeah, Irene Adler was revealed to be Irene. In part one, Millerlock goes on a rollercoaster of emotions (sigh). He opts out of searching for Irene's kidnappers to take care of Irene (and because he's a little emotionally compromised right now), leaving it to Joan to find out. The rest of part one/"The Woman" alternates between Joan working the case of Irene's kidnappers mostly solo, Millerlock trying to care for his seemingly basket case of a... sigh... girlfriend, and DOING THE TIME WARP multiple times for flashbacks to Millerlock and "Dormdler"'s relationship.

   Okay, first of all, let's get it out of the way, Millerlock and Dormdler's "love story" was... kinda eyeroll-inducing. Mostly for it being so any romantic thing ever. Eh, I was not moved. And Irene seemed a bit dull. Though there may be a reason for that we'll get to a little later... And Millerlock continues to be so not Sherlock with his emotions and... activities... but also HE KNEW ASTRONOMY IN THIS EPISODE! SHERLOCK! DOESN'T! KNOW! ASTRONOMY! It was the WHOLE REASON he gave the "mind is like an attic" speech in A Study in Scarlet! D;<

  On the flipside, I liked seeing Joan work the case on her own. I keep thinking how awesome it would be, if they do some sort of "Final Problem" situation, if they had a miniseries of Joan taking over Sherlock's consulting job for him after his fake death. I'd watch the HECK out of that! Maybe Gregson and Bell would finally get better development. And it'd finally cut out the less than stellar Millerlock! I can dream...

Okay now the big thing before we get into part two, the reveal of Moriarty. It turns out Moriarty isn't a man at all. Moriarty is a spider a woman. Specifically, THE woman. Yup, Irene Adler was a lie. Moriarty was Irene. Yeah... I'll admit, it's an interesting idea, and it's cool to see another female version of a character, buuuut... I think it fell flat. I'll explain when we get to part two.

  Part Two, "Heroine", is Sherlock and Joan trying to stop the recently revealed Moriarty, with Joan worrying about Sherlock being past his breaking point and possibly relapsing.

  Okay, let's talk about "Dormiarty" a little bit... I didn't like her. I think she fell flat compared to other Moriartys. It was like she was trying to be like "Harriarty" (Jared Harris's Moriarty), with her trying to make a profit off of the animosity of two nations (gee, sound familiar?). But I think she tried too hard. Her plan, really, was a little convoluted. I mean, I still don't fully understand everything about it beyond 1. Get Grecian to shoot Macedonian, 2. Get the countries ticked off to avoid a name change and join in European Alliance thing, 3. Profit!

 And there were two other things. One, it was revealed that Dormiarty HAS REAL FEELINGS FOR MILLERLOCK!

 

 WHAT THE HECK!? That is... why!? WHY DOES GIRL MORIARTY HAVE TO HAVE FEELINGS FOR SHERLOCK!?  I mean, come on! This is what we were fearing with girl Watson WITH MORIARTY! I mean, I'll admit to joking about Scottiarty having a stalker crush on Cumberlock, in a tongue in cheek way, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I WANT MORLOCK/SHERIARTY/WHAT EVER YOU CALL IT FOR REAL! Heck, the whole thing almost feels like some strange fanfic!

 

 Also, in the end, this Moriarty gets arrested. And it seems like she's not going to work the system quite like Scottiarty did. Ahem. WORST! MORIARTY! EVER! I feel awful that I'm saying this about the first female Moriarty. I wanted to like her. Maybe someone else would do better with that idea. I should be used to disappointment from this show.

 

  But luckily, on the flipside, Joan was once again awesome. She's the one I feel ultimately caught Dormiarty. It was her plan and her seeing that Moriarty had... ugh... feelings for Millerlock. Yes, it's even more official, she's one of the best Watsons ever. How were both of these characters from the same show?

 

Okay, final thoughts:

• Favorite parts were pretty much every time Joan was awesome. She was the best thing in these episodes.
• Canon nod I caught: "Irene's" "captor" being called "Stapleton" (a character from The Hound of the Baskervilles).
• So, one of Moriarty's employees has the last name of "Proctor"? XD Okay, I need to make a joke few people will probably get: "I SAW ISSAC PROCTOR COMUNNING WITH MORIARTY!"
• So, the status on this show is Joan>Dormiarty>Millerlock? I'm completely cool with this...
• Was I the only one getting Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade vibes from Millerlock and "Irene's" date in the catacombs? Heck, it even had a blonde who turned out to be evil and be attracted to the hero!
• I kinda giggled when Millerlock said narwhals were "The Unicorns of the Sea", seeing as I was thinking of a certain song on the Internet (minor language)...
• Speaking of giggling at Millerlock, for some reason, I kept snickering at his face at odd times. Either my lack of seeing him as a credible Sherlock has reached a zenith, or this show has finally made me crazy...

  

  Overall, these were very "eh" episodes. For reals.Moriarty and Irene Adler turned out to not be so great, and while Joan was awesome, she couldn't save the overall episodes. But at least it's over. I want to give a separate post about what I feel about the show as a whole next week (though you probably get the idea, I just want to elaborate on it. Besides, I like to read myself type) but for now, it's all over...

  It's over...

 It... Is done... IT'S FINALLY DONE! MY UNBREAKABLE VOW WITH MYSELF IS FULFILLED! NO MORE ELEMENTARY! I SURVIVED 24 EPISODES! I'M FREE! I'M FREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

 
Gifs cannot express my joy... CUE HAPPY MUSIC OF YOUR CHOOSING!