the cw |

The Flash Season Two (Part One)

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Courtney

The Flash is one of my favorite shows. Last season it WAS my favorite show. And while it continues to entertain, it seems to have lost the magic that made season one so exciting to watch. Let me start out by saying I’m a huge Flash fan, but this season has been missing the magic that made Season One so great. Hopefully when the show returns from it’s winter hiatus it will return with the spark that’s been missing. Let’s start with the not so good parts of the first half of Season One:

The Bad:

What’s Up With Barry?:

The first season was incredibly fun television that I really felt had been missing from shows for a long time. The writers balanced the drama with comedy and developed the characters so the audience cared about each and every one of them. Now while this season is entertaining (at times), it’s missing the spark it used to have. Barry is no longer the fun loving superhero. Instead he’s crabby. All the time. Yes he’s been through a lot, but they need to bring back a little fun considering it’s what made him so endearing in the first place. A little comedy now and then won’t hurt.

BFF’s:

One of my favorite parts of season one was Barry and Iris’s relationship. And I don’t mean Barry’s pining for Iris. I’m talking about their friendship. I understand they want the audience to buy the Barry/Patty relationship for a while, but it feels like they’re sacrificing the WestAllen (Barry & Iris) friendship in return. The lack of scenes between the two is glaringly obvious and leaves a hole in almost every episode.

Patty:

Where do I start? She’s so obviously a filler it hurts. She’s a carbon copy of Barry, but not in a good way. I really tried to like her, but there is nothing I find endearing about her character. Once she shot Harry (Wells from Earth 2) I was out completely. To be honest I’m just counting down the episodes until she’s gone. I’m hoping that her lack of character development is a sign that she won’t be around too much longer.

The Good:

Zoom:

Zoom was only the main focus of one episode, and appeared briefly in the winter finale, yet he’s managed to leave his mark. He is the most ruthless villain the Flash has ever had, and might possibly be the greatest villain they ever will have. As soon as he drug Barry around Central City, showing off his conquest, I was sold.

Wally:

Yes he was only in the very end of the winter finale, but my excitement for Wally is already here. There are so many places they can go from here with his character and it appears they will finally explore the West family like they promised before the season started. Here’s hoping Wally’s the jolt of electricity that this show needs.

ParkWest (WestPark?):

Linda and Iris’s friendship was only showcased in two episodes (heavily in one), but it’s been one of the best highlights this season. Since Iris seems to be a prop in Star Labs, it was nice to see her bond with someone other than Barry. This show could use more female friendships, something that is glaringly lacking. Since Wally is now in the picture, maybe Linda could stick around for a while?

Cisco:

I mean. What do I really need to say? Cisco is the only humor in the show right now and has saved even the blandest of episodes in my eyes. His sass towards Harry (Harrison 2.0) is so well done I hope Harry sticks around for good. He’s also slowly becoming a superhero with hopefully more to come. More Cisco is always a good decision.

Oh CW, How I Love Thee

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Courtney

I’ll admit, I love anything aimed at teens. The show that started my love affair with all things entertainment was none other than One Tree Hill. It seems lately though, the network aimed at teens has branched out. It’s turned into shows like the charming Jane the Virgin, and the medieval drama Reign. The leading network for all things teen is introducing a wide variety of shows into their programming.

The CW has been building its brand, starting out as a teen focused channel, but they have expanded to so much more. With diverse and progressive programming, they are not only evolving as a network, but challenging the larger networks to do the same. While their largest demographic has always been younger women, they have started to gain male viewers with the comic book series Arrow and the Flash. They’re no longer doing what’s expected and instead diversifying their lineup.

It’s not just the amount of viewers that’s changing, it’s the quality too. I had always heard that the CW hired actors based on their head shots. And while the actors continue to be the hottest on television (don’t fight me on this) that doesn’t diminish their acting abilities. They are producing quality television and even though a lot of people don’t want to admit it, mostly because of their “teen” reputation, it’s happening. Instead of telling everyone they had evolved, they decided to show them with their programming. Just recently, they started to get more critical praise with Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez winning the Golden Globe, a much deserved win and the start of the career of a full-blown star.

I’ve always had the opinion that there is nothing wrong with a story made for teens. We were all that age once and it’s a time that is emotional and crazy and one where you are experiencing new things all the time. Everyone watches television for a dose of drama. The CW is finding a way to incorporate the elements of a teen program into adult series.

It’s a channel with everything from the comic series Arrow, to the Vampire Diaries. While their policy They will continue to grow and evolve the programming they produce. Give one of (or all maybe) their shows a chance and you just might be pleasantly surprised.

We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together (Just Kidding)

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Courtney

I have an obsessive personality. I will literally consume myself with a television show as soon as I fall in love with it. And while most shows keep this kind of attention from me for a while, there are other’s that I seem to have an on and off again relationship with. One of these shows is Grey’s Anatomy. It’s currently in its eleventh season so it’s easy to see how I have gone from watching it every week as it airs, to not watching at all and back again. I have seen all the episodes I missed in between, but it’s a fact that long-running shows hit a period (sometimes a long period) of time where they might completely lose your interest. Does this mean you don’t like the show anymore? No. Shows like The Vampire Diaries amaze me because they will have my full attention and enthusiasm for the most part, but there will be a six or seven episode stretch where I purposely avoid watching. I’ve had this problem with One Tree Hill (nine season run) and Supernatural (ten season run and counting). Can you name any long-running shows, I’m talking eight seasons or more, that kept your complete attention and enthusiasm throughout their run? I can’t.

All About Felicity

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Courtney

Arrow Review // 3×05

Okay so tonight’s Arrow was pretty much Felicity-centric so I felt the need to write about it. Let’s face it she’s the best character on the show and is quickly turning into one of my all-time favorite television characters.

We start the episode with her attempt at a workout (four sit ups, you go girl) and fairly quickly we’re introduced to her mother. Felicity looks shell-shocked, her mother insisting she told her she was coming, “To send a text you actually have to press send.” This is a lesson we’ve all had to teach our parents at one point right? Right off the bat we can tell Felicity in her mom have little in common besides their hair color, her mom humiliating Felicity at every moment a man is in the room.

Our first flashback introduces us to college felicity. Turns out she was a goth back in the day with her squad of computer-wiz friends, including a super hot nerdy boyfriend, Cooper. It’s made pretty clear that her boyfriend has a tendency to push the envelope though and not in a good way.

We get our first glimpse of Thea, buying an apartment that’s nicer than anything I’ll ever step foot in, with Malcolm Merlin’s money which does not please Oliver (but really what does?).

Sorry I have to make a note in here about Diggle with his baby because it was TOO CUTE FOR WORDS. Okay I’m done.

The power goes out and it’s clear someone has implanted a virus into the whole city, stating “we are in control now.”

Mama Smoak meets Oliver and boy is she impressed with her daughter, “Ho many billionaires do you know?” Everyone loves Felicity, that’s the answer.

Another flashback to college Felicity shows many PDA-filled moments with Cooper, but that’s cut short when the FBI arrest him, such a mood killer.

It’s then that Felicity realizes it’s the virus she created and has no idea how to stop it. Talk about something coming back to haunt you. She tells the team about her “hacktivists” group in college leading Oliver to question “Why didn’t you tell me anything about this?” Because apparently they’re supposed to just spill their guts to each other. I’m sorry Oliver but you blew your chance with her, she doesn’t owe you anything.

Anyways. We get a quick scene of Laurel and her father, it’s clear she’s struggling keeping Sara’s death a secret (who wouldn’t?). It’s interesting that the only person Laurel mentions Sara’s death to outside of the team is her trainer, that will definitely become an issue or at least come back into play later on.

Mama Smoak and Felicity share a sweet scene in which they decide they will always be different, but they have each other. Too bad it’s interrupted by two men kidnapping them after Felicity figures out that her mom was tricked into her visit by the offer of a free plane ticket. Let’s be honest though who wouldn’t take the free ticket?

To no one’s surprise, the hacker is in fact her ex-boyfriend Cooper who thinks felicity “became a corporate lap dog.” Oh you don’t know the half of it dude. Action sequences ensue and Oliver and the team swoop in to the rescue.

Now it’s this last scene that’s the most important. After being virtually absent the entire episode, we see a flashback or dream to Sara’s death where Roy is the one shooting the arrows at her. Roy wakes up in a sweat so we are left to wonder, is it a memory or a dream? That’s an ending.

What did you think of tonight’s episode? Is Felicity your favorite? (The answer is yes).