Shackles, The Poisoned - 1.01

I have to admit, for all the anticipation others built up waiting for this show, I built up none. When the pilot first came out, things didn’t really catch me enough to even finish reading it. What a mistake that was! I finally sat down to see what the hype was all about, and what I came to find out was the Shackles was the kind of story just waiting to be told at MZP. The mixing of this slightly supernatural drama, with a deeply troubled family angle is perfect.

Shackles is filled with large visuals that really stimulate all your senses, not just the visual. We have the clanking shackles, the painfully bleeding nails, the plants dying before our eyes. It’s all too much, but I love it. It is probably one of my favorite aspects of the premier.

The main character, Duncan, is an odd one. We learn very little about him in the premier, so I don’t really know what to think of him yet. He seems like this big lovable guy, but the fact that he has done something really horrible to put him in prison all those years is just a bit confusing. There are too many questions left open for Duncan at the end of this episode. I know this is a very serialized show, but I feel like the premier should have been a bit self contained, and this was not the case. I think that might have been the weakest point of the pilot. A way to remedy this, I think, would have been to make this more about Duncan’s immediate transition. He is pushed into this mission with little explanation, and the one he was given was a load of bull, in my honest opinion. I’m sure we will learn more later on, but for a pilot I would have just like to see a bit of a ‘full story’.

For that reason I think the better part of this episode was the first half. Everything was moving at a good pace, setting up a great story, and then what I thought would lead to some sort of closing just brought on more set up.

All that said, I did thoroughly enjoy Matilda. Brilliant character that you’d like to think is more than meets the eye. The character of Epoch is also really well written. He is young when we go into his past, but he seems wise, kind, and oddly alluring.

The ‘Team’ you’ve set up is well put together. You have much of the family working together, which will make balancing the storylines of Duncan’s two different mission a bit easier, but messier. Good drama, if you ask me.

Overall, great start to the series. It left a lot of questions open, but I’m sure all of this will be handled later on. I’ve already read the next two episodes so I more or less know the answer to that. Look out for those reviews later.

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Bring on the Snaz!

So the red on black got old quick. It was kind of dull. Hopefully this bright new layout will inspire me to read, review, and post more around here. I was pretty much gone form the 'scene' the entire semester. I've been back for a while but have only managed to read about two or three scripts, none of which I gave an 'official' VS Hotel review, but just tidbits. I just finished reading the Shackles opener, so hopefully I can write a nice little review and post it here to make this place seem a little more alive.

One thing that I will be aiming on is focusing on the newer series. I think it's a bit daunting for me to go into a series, like DSR, and see that there is so much to read ahead of me. It's a great show, but that puts me off a bit. I think I get more enthused when I know that I am caught up, or almost, which is why I was able to follow G&C this past season. So for the newer shows, I'm gonna try and follow Shackles, as the opener was goooo00od, and Daredevil, because, well, it's Daredevil. Hopefully I also get of my lazy ass and read a bit of DSR or theCompany.

Also, I want to widen this blog to more than just VS happenings. Just for the heck of it I guess.

...and my counter isn't working. Damn thing!

Spider-Man: Gifts & Curses, Lockdown - 1.13

This is my second review for this episode. I lost the first one if the black hole that is my laptop’s hard drive. Still, I really wanted to put one out, seeing as the episode was pure brilliance. I have to admit that that reading this was more than reading a season finale. It’s the first show I’ve followed on MZP, and the first show I finish a complete season of. So tear-inducing I know! Okay, on to the review…

What an intense episode. After the action-less episode that was 1.11, which I proudly wrote, by the way, this episode lived up to my own personal hype for it. It managed to move things into a new direction, for what will surely be a superior second season. There were so many storylines opened up for the second season, where to begin?

Gwen. Gwen, oh, cute and sassy Gwen, what have you done? I never expected things to go down like they did. At first, it looks like she was going to run to Eddie’s arms, but no. Jay wouldn’t make it that easy would it. Not in a season finale. The fact that Gwen running off with her mother has MISTAKE written all over it, really tells of Gwen’s own destructive personality. I think we’ve learned a lot about her true character this season, and the fact that she’s the wild one in the gang doesn’t even begin to explain it. I feel so horrible for Eddie. I sense either a big depression, or a big façade of it not fazing him come next season. Speaking from a fan’s perspective, it makes me really angry that she would do that to the people who really care about her. The Marshalls are pretty damn perfect, after all. Jay, you definitely blew it out of the park with how all of this plot’s scenes were written. It might have been my favorite part of the episode, until the ending, of course.

The ending was OMG!?!?!WTF?!?!SQUEEL! Not only does *SPOILER* Mary Jane find out who Peter is, but she is – presumably – shot in the head. Of course, it is Mary Jane, and I refuse to believe this is as far as the character will go, but it was still such a shocking moment. It was the perfect ending to the season. The rest of this plot, however, wasn’t all that eventful. I would have liked a few more twists and turns until they found Mary Jane. That bit seemed a bit too easy. I am excited to see what goes down with Fisk and Osborn next season. Which, btw, what happened to Fisk? He ran, I presume.

The only real problem I found, and it really isn’t a problem, is that I would have liked to have seen some scenes where Peter really doubts his abilities for losing MJ and not being able to find her. I felt that, being a season finale, there should have been some minor plot about Peter/Spider-Man reaching a new level of self understanding or something like that. I don’t know, maybe I’m babbling. – Side Note – I loved when Peter’s mask was removed and Pete jumped into action. It really showed how Spider-Man and Pete really are two characters.

In all, it was a very satisfying season finale which really amps up excitement for the show’s return in September. It opens up some already juicy details to be explained next season, which will give the series plenty of fuel to continue.

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The Company, Connect - 1.01

People warned me of getting addicted. I tried to hold out as much as a could, but yesterday, I finally took the plunge. Many people say that the premier of The Company is one of the best pilots ever featured on MZP. Did it live up to all of the hype? Aside from one minor detail, I would say it did.

The first thing I feel I must comment is the extremely witty dialogue. I’m not the type of reader who sits down and takes an episode in on one sitting. I am more of a read, break, read type of guy. Very few series have done it for me. This pilot was one of them. The dialogue was what absolutely kept everything going. There is a perfect balance of action and dialogue, and even in mundane or normal situations, the dialogue was always just witty enough to keep things moving at a steady pace without being overly fake. It’s a hard combination.

I knew Vi was going to die. I’ve heard enough about this show to know that it happens, but I was so immersed in the first two acts that when it finally came, I was actually surprised. Mad props for having the fall, then the shooting. It was brilliant for those who, like me, knew her death was imminent.

There characters were also brilliant. There is not one I can find any gripes in. Vi, is absolutely perfect, with her mix of insecurity, knowing inferiority, quirkiness, and the tad dash of heroism. She really is a unique character. Her father being crazy was also pretty amazing to see. “New job?” “He went crazy.” I have to go back to the dialogue, because it was just that great. Which brings me to the awesome lines of Andrew. He really made what would have been a rather confusing and dark situation at The Company, such a memorable and hilarious time. He has to be my favorite so far.

The character dynamics are also pretty top grade. The Morgan family, with Penny being this heartless bitch, reminds me of an actual family I know. Bianca vs. Vi + Shane was also great to see develop. It reminded me a bit of Cordelia reaching out for Buffy at first. Then you have Andrew and Jenna, and their very different view of their jobs. All of this gives you plenty of further character development and relationship struggles. It’s genius.

I think the only place it fell a tad bit short was in the explanation of The Company. I got the gist of what it’s about, but I feel like the scenes after Vi’s death were all a bit rushed. Maybe it was intended, as Vi signed without fully understanding, so it seems fitting that the same happens to the readers, but I feel the same feeling of rushed anxiety and glooming doom, not so much the latter, could have been achieved and still had The Company explained more. It The Company is essential what the series will revolve around, or rather Vi’s involvement with it, then more explanation of what was to come should have been presented. Or maybe it was and I am too much of an idiot to really get it.

Overall, the last bit can be overlook by what was some of the best character presentation, dialogue, and fast paced writing I have seen. It seems like, me, like the rest, has been hooked with just one episode in the bag. Mad, MAD, props.

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Spider-Man: Gifts & Curses, 1.11 - Memories

This show will be the first show which I’ve followed since the beginning, so to watch the season come to a close is a little bitter sweet, especially since I already know what happens in the next episode – I wrote it. That said, this was one of the simpler episode. Although it wasn’t really shorter than any other, it did feel quick. It’s one of those episodes that would seriously have me tuning in five minutes before the next one started, just to prepare myself.

The entire ordeal with Fisk definitely shined in this episode, with everything else being calm. Not dull, but calm. I think it was a wise move, as it allowed us to really focus on what happened with Robbie and Craig. And you just know it’s going to be what build up to what will surely be an awesome finale. One thing that did bug me a bit was how Fisk didn’t find the ear piece. I mean, he ripped off Craig’s shirt to look for a wire, yet he didn’t check for a wireless receiver in the ear? But I can let it pass, because them getting away with the information was needed, and they got caught anyway.

One thing that I especially found entertaining was how real the dialogue felt. Maybe it’s because I just came out of writing for this show, and being the novice writer that I am, I have difficulty with dialogue. I don’t know, but I loved the scenes with MJ, Gwen, and Eddie. It all felt extremely real.

Now, the Peter interview. This is one of those things that is going to be a hit or miss in VS. On television, I can say that without a doubt, I would have loved this episode entirely for the interview and flashbacks, but on a virtual series, I think you have to be a lot more careful on what scenes you pick. They have to be bright, vivid scenes that a person can really picture because you do not have the camera and the actor relaying the feel. They were good scenes, and I thought Peter’s characterization was spot-on, but the scenes themselves fell a little flat. Still, I did enjoy them.

One last thing. I really hope that Strange makes a second, third, 4564^th appearance. From what I’ve read of him in comics and what I saw of him on the Spider-Man cartoon, he is one hell of a character. This episode did a great job of introducing him, given he didn't have a big part. Jay is to too great of a showrunner to let a character like this go, so I am sure he will be back.

So overall, the may not have been the best in the season, but it was still extremely enjoyable, as has been the entire season. The next episode, just skip over, as it’s my first one and will probably be horrible, but then tune in to the finale which will surely be great. And if you’ve yet to read this series, I can already tell you you’re missing out on a lot.

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