*SQUEALS* OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!

http://strawberrypatty.tumblr.com/post/77261986911/mildly-nerdy-ramblings-of-a-loveable-freak-loveable

EMCEE FOUND MY REVIEW OF "THE FULL HOUSE"! (The link also has a link to the review) I just! I can't! This is awesome!

…Now I wonder who else from stuff I reviewed has seen my reviews?

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.

Look What The Cat Dragged In!

 Hey, I'm back! I've been busy this year, but I'm gonna try and remedy that! I have some reviews/plans.

• A little thing about why I like Hannibal, and why the show is such a good one.
• I am going to finish my Supernatural Recap/Retrospective/Review Things
• I want to do a whole thing of the Top 9(?) Worst Things About Season 9 of Supernatural...
• ...And a list of some of the  admittedly good things.
• I'll review season 3 of Sherlock
• I might possibly get around to reviewing X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (properly!), and X-Men: First Class
• Heck, I might even review each episode of Hannibal, season 1! (It's about 12 or 13 episodes, I can manage it).

 That's the plan. Best get on it.

Why Do I Love Crowley? (Especially In Season 9?)

*Warning: Mild Spoilers*

 Well, I've been pondering something as I've been watching season 9 of Supernatural. (It's improved slightly, but it still has a LOT of problems…) I've noticed that I've become increasingly fond of Crowley, of all characters.

 So, why? Why, in a cast of likable (though sometimes infuriating) good guys, do I go for the morally ambiguous King of Hell? Well, I've done some looking into it, and here are some of the reasons I go for mister Crowley…

 

 He's Interesting

  I find that Crowley is an interesting character. For starters, we don't know much of his backstory. All we ostensibly know about him is:

-As a human, he was a Scottish tailor named Fergus McLeod from the 1600s

-He had a son that he hated (and hated him back)

-He sold his soul to "hit double digits" bellow the belt (which still amuses me…)

-His mother was a witch

  It may all be true, it may not. But I really want them to explore his backstory one of these days. I want to know how he became The King of Hell we know and love.

 Also, the storyline's he's involved in this season is the one I'm most invested in. I could care less about the power struggle with the angels at this point, I just want them to kill Gadreel and Metatron already, they wasted a lot of the Human!Castiel plot's potential, and I just want the boys to get over it and make up like we KNOW they will.

 Crowley, on the other hand, is involved with interesting plots right now. I'm actually invested in the "Who Will Rule Hell: Adaddon or Crowley?" arc. I'm admittedly intrigued in the "Mark of Cain" plot (if only for its story potential and that it might have Dean in peril rather than Sam as usual…). And then there's the whole "How The Third Trial Affected Crowley"/"Crowley's Blood Addiction" thing. Sweet merciful Chuck, am I hyped for  "Blade Runners" for apparently finally delving into it!

His Personality and Character

 

 The writers could have easily made Crowley a generic, card-carrying villian (though, admittedly, it wasn't his purpose in season 5. But they could have easily screwed him up!). But he's not. Yes, he does terrible things, season 8 being the pinnacle of puppy-kicking for him, I'm not going to ignore that.
 

 And he still has some degree of positive traits. The big one is that he has some sense of honor to him. If you make a deal/contract with him, he's probably the least likely to screw you over.

  He sees his deals with The Winchesters through to the end. And he freaking punishes a Crossroads Demon for killing people he had contracts with early. 

 But the best example of Crowley being redeemable comes back in season 5. He makes a deal with Bobby in order to help defeat Lucifer. He could have easily just left it at that. But, without having to be asked, he throws in healing Bobby's legs and getting him out of the wheelchair. He didn't have to, but he did.

 He's also really clever. He's, by his own admission, the one person who tries not to underestimate Sam and Dean. And he does what's in his best interest. He's able to play people and the boys. But he's not infallible, either. He can still BE defeated, but he still manages to pick himself up again and brush it off.

 Then of course, there's his wit and sass. I swear, the writers give him some of the best dialogue. He's a very quotable character.

 

I apologize for the language with this one...

  Plus, who doesn't love someone who flirts with the boys?

 

 And then there was that intriguing bit from the season eight finale, where he gives this little speech when he becomes mostly human:

 It kind of hints that maybe there is a lot more going on with everyone's favorite demon (again, another thing to look at).

 What I'm saying is, is that he's three-dimensional...

 He's Well-Acted

 Yeah, I've kinda become a Mark Sheppard fangirl thanks to Crowley. He plays the character really well, delivering the lines brilliantly. And, again, just look at that "I deserve to be loved" clip! Holy crap, Mark. Somebody get this man an award!

He's The One Thing That Consistently Makes Season 9 Entertaining

  Throughout Season 9, I've always looked forward to the Crowley episodes. Every episode he's in, he steals the show in some way or another. "Slumber Party", "Heaven Can't Wait" He's shined in the episodes he's starred in, like "Devil May Care", "Road Trip", and "First Born". Whenever Crowley's gone, I wish he'd show up again. He's the Ensemble Darkhorse of the season. He makes things fun for me. And, giving how depressing/soul-crushing/rainbow-killing this season is, more power to him.

***

 So that's why Crowley's my new favorite character on Supernatural. And I swear to Chuck, writers, if you touch on hair on his head or in his beard, I will hunt you down.

 Anyway, I look forward to seeing more of him. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to contemplate continuing to sit through the reboot of Battlestar Galactica. The first episode's so meh so far, but it's going to have Mark Sheppard pop up at some point... *sigh*

Editorial Freak: Are Movies And TV Series' Overusing Fake Out Death?

 

Warning! This Contains Spoilers For: Sherlock (Seasons 2 and 3's finales, specifically), Supernatural (mainly season 9), The Avengers (and to an extent Agents of SHIELD), Thor: The Dark World, Game of Thrones, and Doctor Who)

 

You know, I kinda did...

 So, the last episode of Sherlock season 3 has aired in America, and revealed the next cliffhanger: Moriarty (or as I've started calling him here: "Scottiarty") is alive as well. I kinda suspected it (Moffat kept insisting he was dead a little too much for me). So, I figured this was a perfect time to discuss something of a trend/trope that seems to be cropping up in the movies and TV shows I like: The Fake Out Death.

 Yes, it seems that a lot of shows are using this. They pretend to kill a character (or in some cases, legitimately kill) a character, only to bring them back. And to be honest, it's gotten kind of old.

 I started feeling this when I saw Thor: The Dark World for the first time. As many who saw that know, somewhere around the third act, Loki is apparently impaled through the chest and killed by Skurge. It's sad (legend says you could hear Tumblr collectively go comatose with shock), but then at the end it's revealed Loki has survived being mortally wounded, and has in fact taken Odin's place (literally).

 Now, besides me wanting more explanation as to how Loki survived, I felt a little bored with this sort of thing. It seemed to me like it came up too much in the last two years.

 Two big offenders of this are Doctor Who and Supernatural.

 I read a very interesting post (that I highly recommend), that brings up how Steven Moffat doesn't really "kill" many characters off in Doctor Who, when you think about it. Heck, the most notable example is Rory. Every time he got killed, he seems to come back. When he finally did bite it, it was that he just died years after being time-displaced (long story). Not being killed (presumably).

It's Rory, Amy. It's 33.3% of his shtick.

  Heck, Moffat's undone THE ENTIRE FRIGGIN' GENOCIDE OF THE GALLFREYANS AND THE DALEKS!

 There was also the recent Christmas Special where The Doctor regenerates, but the whole episode The Doctor goes on and on about Eleven being his last regeneration, and that if he dies at the time of the special, it's forever, yadda yadda. Yeeeah, we already knew about Capaldi being the next Doctor. But that's more an issue of false/failed drama than anything else.

 Supernatural does it worse, though. While the show has an infamously high death toll (at this point, it's easier to count the living characters), there has also been quite a bit of characters un-dying. Especially in season nine, where we not only have Cas briefly die in one episode, but the next bloody episode Charlie freaking dies for a few minutes. While it's nice when a beloved character comes back (especially with the dwindling number of reoccurring characters), I think this is also a flaw with the show. It starts getting harder to accept the legitimate deaths when they arise. Seriously, let Death do his job, writers!

Maybe, Death. Maybe...

 I think this is one of the things I like about Game of Thrones: that when they kill a character, they stick with it. There's not even that "I'm a main character/regular" immunity. Nope, sorry, Ned! Being on the poster won't save you now! And don't get me started on the Red Wedding (there's one way to wrap up a subplot). Heck, the one time they had a "revival" it went bad and ultimately led to that character having to die for good. Death is death.

 Now, am I completely against bringing characters back from the dead? No. I can accept some of them.

What? It's not too soon, anymore!

 Let's take one of the most famous "recent" examples: Sherlock's faked suicide at the end of season 2. We knew he was alive at the end of the episode (heck, anyone who'd read "The Final Problem" knew he'd live...) Besides the inevitability of this, I was fine with it because it had weight to it. There was the aftermath for everyone, the suspense of how everyone would react to seeing him again, the mystery of how he did it... It worked to the story's advantage and had repercussions. (Heck, I'm actually looking forward to seeing what they do with Moriarty's return in season 4. The story opportunities...)

 There's also The Avengers, where Coulson "died"...

XD I love this bit from the gag reel...

 That also had weight. It helped motivate the team to get their crap together. But it also had ambiguity. We couldn't be sure that Coulson was coming back. All we had was confirmation that Fury lied about Coulson's trading cards being on his person when Loki impaled him through the chest (yeah, I'm starting to believe people in the MCU can't be killed by impalement...). It also provides an early mystery in his spin-off, Agents of SHIELD. Heck, even when it's revealed how he's alive, there's the ramifications of Fury playing God and Coulson dealing with this reveal.

 My problem with Loki's "death" in Thor: The Dark World was there was little weight, I felt. He died and it was just: "Welp! On to the next thing!" (The same could be said of Frigga's death, but that's another thing). It doesn't leave much impact.

 I guess what I'm saying is: writers, if you're going to kill a character and bring them back, at least let there be ramifications or some degree of weight to it. Or, if not, at least use Fake Out Deaths sparingly. And please, just cool it on them for a while, okay? Okay. We're good.

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...

Loveable Freak Comments On The Mid-Season Promo For Season 9 ofSupernatural

 *Mild Spoilers For Season 9 of Supernatural*

 ... When I wanted them to actually kill someone, I didn't want them to kill Kevin! *sigh* I know it's hypocritical, saying I wanted people to die then turning around and saying "bring Kevin back", but come on!

 *deep breath* It's Supernatural. Anybody can come back. Anybody can come back. Anybody can back... *repeats mantra*

  Ahem... Anyway...

  So, next week Supernatural returns! And oh boy, am I looking forward to the next one. Why? Because my favorite character, Crowley, gets to torture Gadreel (AKA "The Angel Formerly Known As Ezekiel") to make him leave Sam!

  Crowley has been best pony my favorite character this season. It's going to be cathartic to see him beat Gadreel out of Sam. I really dislike him, for multiple reasons (killing Kevin now added to the list).


 So, if I may say it in advance: Crowley....

 *ahem* Sorry...

  Anyway, let's check out the big mid-season promo:

 Let's see:


Oh hai, Mark... (Also, yes, I am experimenting with screenshots...)

   Yay, Crowley! I wanna give Mark Sheppard heaps of nice things for playing him!

Crowley: "Is... Is she pointing a gun at us, Squirrel?
This is the last time I accompany you on an adventure..." 

 ...Dean and Crowley apparently on a hunt or something? Is Crowley gonna stick around? Is he gonna make a heel face turn/have a redemption arc? Is he gonna join Team Free Will? Is he gonna flirt with Sam more? Hopefully!

DOUBLE TAP! DOUBLE TAP!

  IS THE COATOAN VIRUS BACK!? (I realize that I forgot to mention that in my season 2 recap... Oh well, it comes up in season 5, I'll explain it in that recap...)

ERMERGERD, ERV BERN GERNKERD!

  I think I see another wacky episode coming up... Or this is unintentional... (hopefully something to do with Gabriel?)

I'm going to pretend he's in the hospital for an incident involving playing with adorable puppies...

GARTH! :D Writers, don't you DARE touch a hair on his head! You took away my Kevin and my Charlie, already! Let me at least have this! (And the aforementioned Crowley thing...)

  Ech! Metatron... I blame you for this season (in-story)...

Go step on a angel blade LEGO doused in holy fire, you prophet-killing,
grace-stealing, angel-casting-out cowardly weasel! 

  Yay! Abaddon! I like her as a villain. Please don't kill her, either, writers. We have so little reoccurring female characters, now. With Meg gone, there's an opening for a female demon. And with Charlie gone, we have an opening for a redhead. Plus, if Crowley does go through a redemption, there's an opening for a main reoccurring villain/demonic monarch...

Hail to the queen...

  Abaddon vs. Crowley: The Rematch. I will like this.

I love Crowley's face, here. So much sass conveyed without a word...

  ...I have no analysis, this was just a hilarious side effect of pausing...



In this moment, Crowley regretted all his life choices...

  We have definitely got a deal, Crowley... Let the questionable methods begin!

Enjoy, you plague on the season! Crowley, kindly avoid the teeth and nose. It IS still Sam's body...

   I think it's Gadreel talking at this part. Can't entirely be sure. I... I just want him to go away... He's dead to me. I know Jared Padalecki likes getting to do this duel role this season, but I hate this character...





Shoo! We want our old Moose back...

  I love Castiel's face, here, though. He looks 100% done.

"Getting real tired of your crap, Gadreel..."

  Overall, I am excited about this. Hopefully this will fix some of the problems I've had with the season thus far. Plus, more Mark Sheppard as Crowley!

  That's always awesome!

  Yes you do, sir. Yes. You. Do.