LeVar Presents: The Very 1st TV Walrus REVEAL

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 7th with 8 points is

Irish Aris

Death Note

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0877057/

IMDB wrote:

An intelligent high school student goes on a secret crusade to eliminate criminals from the world after discovering a notebook capable of killing anyone whose name is written into it.

Have I Seen It Before: Yes
Episode 1 Rating: 8.8
Episode 2 Rating: 9.4
Episode 3 Rating: 9.9
Aggregated Approval Rating: 93.6%

Episode 1: "Shinsei"
Death Note has such an amazing concept, that I'm instantly invested in the show. As an opening episode, this is all about setting things up and establishing the most important rules of the Death Note and it does a good job at that. I like the style of the animation, it's neither too busy nor too basic and captures the tone of the story well. Both Light and Ryuk's motivations are clearly laid out and they're intriguing leads, that I'm interested in following. The ground work is laid, I'm hooked on the premise after only twenty minutes, and looking forward to the next installment.

Episode 2: "Confrontation"
An early twist in the story indicates exactly what direction the show will be going in with the introduction of L, subverting the idea that the entire premise would be focusing on Light using the Death Note to rid the world of evil, and instead being a big game of cat and mouse between Light and L. There's quite a bit more set up here as the way is paved to bring L in, but the last few minutes of the episode are very exciting as L reveals he baited a trap and Light falls for it hook, line, and sinker. When anime is done right and keeps thing relatively simple, it's very very enjoyable, and despite having a fantastical and seemingly complicated premise, the execution of the show is quite simple and down to Earth, and its very addictive.

Episode 3: "Dealings"
I think the best way to describe Death Note at this point is that it's essentially one big game of chess between Light and L, and the viewer isn't even sure who it is they're supposed to root for, because everything is so nuanced. Three episode in and there has already been so many twists and turns in the tale that you can't let your attention slip for a second or you could miss something that shifts the show in an entirely new direction.

Final Thoughts:
I had watched maybe half of the entire series of Death Note a year or two ago, but I think I got sidetracked by something else, the series disappeared from Netflix, and I just forgot to go back to it, and by the time I had thought about it again, I had forgotten a lot of what happened, so I'd been meaning to go back and watch it from the beginning again for awhile. I had previously watched the dubbed version, but decided for these three episode to go with the subtitles just for something different, and I although the dub is generally good on anime's, I think for a series like Death Note with so many twists in the tale, the subtitles work better because you're more likely to keep things you read straight in your head than things you simply hear. Hundred per-cent will be continuing with this after this game is over.

SineadSpears

Oh I seen Death Note movie though. Didn't know there was an aminated show

Also Starring LeVar Burton

SineadSpears wrote: »

Oh I seen Death Note movie though. Didn't know there was an aminated show

I actually haven't watched the movie because I hadn't finished the show, but it's supposed to be terrible. The show is class.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 9th with 6 points is

cee_jay

Jessica Jones

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2357547/

IMDB wrote:

Following the tragic end of her brief superhero career, Jessica Jones tries to rebuild her life as a private investigator, dealing with cases involving people with remarkable abilities in New York City.

Have I Seen It Before: Yes
Episode 1 Rating: 8.2
Episode 2 Rating: 9.2
Episode 3 Rating: 9.5
Aggregated Approval Rating: 89.6%

Episode 1: "AKA Ladies Night"
I'm a fan of Marvel, I'm a fan of Krysten Ritter, and I'm a fan of the Noir genre, so this all worked for me and I really enjoyed it. It's a slow burn and drip feeds information which results in a lot of intrigue, which is what you want from a show like this. I did feel the pacing was a bit disjointed, and got sidelined in the middle so that the Luke Cage scenes could be shoehorned in. There's a good chance he needed to be introduced here because they had to tee up a pre-existing connection going in to episode two, but if that's the case they should've made better use of those scenes to reveal more about Jessica and/or Luke as characters. And if they could've left his introduction until another episode they should've, because it only served as a distraction from the meat and bones of what was happening, and reeked a bit of fan service. Would've been nice to just give Jessica space to breathe for an episode or two in her own show before bringing in someone else who's going to have a show of their own down the line. That aspect just didn't fit right for me, and took me out of it a bit.

Episode 2: "AKA Crush Syndrome"
Liked this one a fair bit more overall than the first, even though I still feel like Luke's scenes weren't exactly necessary and disjointed from the rest of the episode ; it almost feels as if the first two episodes were written, Netflix told the writers that Luke Cage needed to be in it and they just wrote in a side-story for him so that he has something to do here. He's only in a handful of scenes in this episode and two of those scenes was really cool, so it's not a big thing and didn't affect my enjoyment, just something I observed, and hopefully going by where they leave things with him at the end of this episode he'll become more ingrained in the main plot in the next episode (I have seen it before, but I genuinely don't remember how involved he becomes in the main story arc). The scenes with Jessica and Trish stood out and I really enjoyed them, as did the scenes with the upstairs neighbours. At the end we also get the first proper taste of Kilgrave, and I am a David Tennant fan so that was great, and the series seems to be really gaining momentum now.

Episode 3: "AKA It's Called Whiskey"
I'm gonna sound like a broken record here and people are gonna think I hate Luke Cage (I don't, I like him on his own show), but his scenes here again are the weakest parts of the show ; and I really don't care about Jessica and Luke's sexcapades. However, they do give a satisfactory explanation as to why Jessica is so invested in Luke (later on, in some far better scenes which he's not in, for the record), so I can forgive his continued presence a bit more now, and again he was only in a handful of scenes. Everything else was really great, no complaints on the rest at all, thought it was a really good episode.

Final Thoughts:
I had watched the first season of Jessica Jones when it came out, but by the time the second season came around I was super busy with work and it got lost in the big TV shuffle, and because I can't really remember most of the first season, I'm going to continue watching this and then move on to seasons two and three. I think of all the Netflix Marvel shows (DareDevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist being the other three ; don't think I watched beyond the first season of any of those either), this was the one that I found the most enjoyable at the time, so feels only right to finally revisit it.

Sawduck

Death note has been on my to watch list for about 5 years now, i'll get around to it one of these days, sounds great

SineadSpears

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

I actually haven't watched the movie because I hadn't finished the show, but it's supposed to be terrible. The show is class.

The kid beside me is just after correcting when I asked him about 'the movie'. He said the correct term is 'live action' :rolleyes:

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Sawduck wrote: »

Death note has been on my to watch list for about 5 years now, i'll get around to it one of these days, sounds great

Worth watching, and whether you watch the English Dub or Sub, both are pretty good.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 6th with 9 points is

the purple tin

Castle Rock

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6548228/

IMDB wrote:

Based on the stories of Stephen King, the series intertwines characters and themes from the fictional town of Castle Rock.

Have I Seen It Before: No
Episode 1 Rating: 9.6
Episode 2 Rating: 9.5
Episode 3 Rating: 9.7
Aggregated Approval Rating: 96%

Episode 1: "Severance"
TV Shows and Films based on the works of Stephen King can be very hit or miss, but based on this first episode this could be the best screen adaptation of anything with his name on it. I had meant to watch this when it first came out, but think I wanted to wait until all the episodes had aired, and by the time that came around the series had just slipped my mind. As an introductory episode this had everything you could want from such a show ; there's mystery, intrigue, creepiness, and horror, and although we don't get to know any of them very well, all of the characters seem interesting and I wanted to spend more time with them. I genuinely didn't want this episode to end and it didn't feel like it was almost an hour long. Can't fault it, I'm already invested in this world and want more now.

Episode 2: "Habeas Corpus"
Almost on a par with the first episode, once again I didn't want it to end, and was fully invested in the story. Bill Skarsgård is by far the creepiest human being on the planet, and is more unsettling in his role here than he was in his other Stephen King role as IT. The entire cast are great and all so watchable, that even if there wasn't plenty of mystery and intrigue, I'd gladly just watch a show about these characters going about their mundane daily routines and having conversations with each other.

Episode 3: "Local Color"
The right casting can separate the good shows from the great shows, and Castle Rock gets it casting right on the money. I've already mentioned Bill Skarsgård and his creepy demeanour, but I think André Holland, Melanie Lynskey, Jane Levy, Noel Fisher, and Ann Cusack all also deserve a shout out as Henry, Molly, Jackie, Dennis, and the Warden respectively, all of whom have some great scenes in this episode, as do Caleel Harris and Cassidy McClincy playing the younger versions of Henry and Molly. I was so invested that 48 minutes had passed before I even knew it.

Final Thoughts:
I will definitely be continuing with this show and I'm eager to find out what happens next. If it keeps up the same standard as these first three episodes it'll be a near perfect series.

Necro

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

TV Shows and Films based on the works of Stephen King can be very hit or miss

Don't I know it




Castle Rock is very good. Haven't seen all of it either, not sure why I didn't continue watching it but I enjoyed what I saw

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 10th with 5 points is

aaronjennings

Limitless

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4422836/

IMDB wrote:

An average twenty-eight-year-old man who gains the ability to use the full extent of his brain's capabilities is hired by the F.B.I. as a consultant.

Have I Seen It Before: No
Episode 1 Rating: 9.4
Episode 2 Rating: 8.9
Episode 3 Rating: 6.8
Aggregated Approval Rating: 83.6%

Episode 1: "Pilot"
I remember seeing the Limitless film when it came out and thought it was only fine, so never really had much of a desire to watch the series based on the film, and didn't even realise it was a novel before that. This pilot was a lot of fun though and the main reason I like it a lot more than I did the film is the leading actor ; I've never been enamoured by Bradley Cooper and there's a smug vibe about him that I find off-putting (he may not be smug at all and is probably a lovely person, but it's just how I've always seen him), whereas Jake McDorman is someone I've always found affable and likeable, and he's an actor I always enjoy seeing appear in things. I also find Jennifer Carpenter more likeable than Anna Friel, so on the actor front the TV casting surpasses that of the film. Smugley Cooper does make a cameo in this, but seeing as its just the one scene and is effectively a passing of the torch type moment, it gets a pass for that. Mostly this was just a fun, action packed, forty minutes of television, and I wanna see what the remaining two episodes have to offer.

Episode 2: "Badge! Gun!"
In a lot of ways this second episode reminded me of both Chuck and Person Of Interest, two shows I very much enjoy, so not a bad connection to make. This definitely leans more on the comedy side of things which I like from a procedural, and McDorman does comedy well. Not much to say on this, other than it's a lot of fun, its well executed, and I really enjoyed it, although not as strong as the pilot episode.

Episode 3: "The Legend of Marcos Ramos"
The case of the week here didn't really interest me, and I wasn't particularly invested in the stuff with Brian and his ex-girlfriend either, so overall it was a massive step down from the first two. There was still enough humour there to keep me entertained and McDorman's likeability factor goes a long way as well, but couldn't help being disappointed after liking the first two episodes as much as I did. The stuff with Brian and "Mike" was the best part of this episode, and if there had been more of that dynamic I would have rated it a bit higher. There was also a bit of intrigue towards the end regarding the larger arc of the series which I thought was good and introduces actor Colin Salmon (who I liked in Arrow) into the series, but a little too little too late as the saying goes.

Final Thoughts:
In a show like this, there will be episodes like The Legend of Marcos Ramos that I'm not going to like as much, that just goes with the territory on a procedural show, but there's enough good will from the first two episodes and an intrigue involving the overall arc that I'm definitely going to watch the rest of the show, especially as its only one season too.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 5th with 10 points is

Alfred Borden

And Then There Were None

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3581932/

IMDB wrote:

Ten strangers are invited to an island by a mysterious host, and start to get killed one by one. Could one of them be the killer?

Have I Seen It Before: No
Episode 1 Rating: 9.7
Episode 2 Rating: 9.7
Episode 3 Rating: 9.6
Aggregated Approval Rating: 96.6%

Episode 1: "Episode 1"
I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I've never read nor watched an adaptation of Agatha Christie before (although I've seen a few homages), but I may have to rectify that after seeing this. I love a good mystery and I enjoy period pieces, so this had me hooked from the get go. Interestingly, this is only a three episode adaptation, so I will see And Then There Were None in its entirety, which makes it a unique and clever choice for this game. This episode had a lot of setting up to do and was still excellent, so if that's any indication of what's to come, I'm in for a treat. Some excellent actors in this too, three of whom I'm a fan of from some of their other work ; Charles Dance for Game of Thrones, Burn Gorman for Torchwood, and Aidan Turner for Being Human. Looking forward to seeing how the second, and penultimate, episode pans out.

Episode 2: "Episode 2"
Maintains the quality from the first episode, and just as enjoyable. The acting here is superb, and it's great watching all the characters slowly come undone. I still have no idea whodunnit either, so the mystery of it all still has me on my toes and I hope they stick the landing, and it isn't a big let down in the final episode. Nothing more to say on this one, really loved it.

Episode 3: "Episode 3"
For a few minutes I didn't think the show was going to stick the landing, and I thought I had things figured out, but it had me fooled and I was guessing all the way to the final reveal. Think the quality was pretty steady throughout all three episodes, it was very enjoyable, and well acted, and there were no big deviations in quality. It's hard to talk about this one without giving the entire game away and I'm not one for spoilers, so let's just say it exceeded my expectations and leave it at that.

Final Thoughts:
Submitting a three episode mini-series for a game where each show is judged on three episodes was both an inspired move and a big gamble, because if I didn't like the ending there wasn't even the excuse of it only being a portion of the story, but the gamble paid off, so well played. Want to have a look at a couple of Agatha Christie's novels now after watching that.

aaronjennings

Jessica Jones Season 1 is excellent alright, David Tennant plays psychopath incredibly well

Castle Rock is one of those shows that's on my list of things to see, I just haven't gotten around to it yet

If I'd known you weren't a fan of the Limitless movie, I might have submitted something else, I was hoping for a "holy sh*t, it's Bradley Cooper" reaction in ep 1

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Not all Stephen King shows are created equal

In 11th with 4 points is

Necro

11.22.63

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2879552/

IMDB wrote:

A high school teacher travels back in time to prevent John F. Kennedy's assassination.

Have I Seen It Before: Yes
Episode 1 Rating: 6.8
Episode 2 Rating: 9.3
Episode 3 Rating: 6.7
Aggregated Approval Rating: 76%

Episode 1: "The Rabbit Hole"
On paper Stephen King plus Time Travel is a winning formula. I was a big fan of the book, and while I think they do a decent-ish job with this first episode, there are a few big issues I have with it that stop me from rating it any higher. It all feels a bit rushed and they should've given it more time to breathe, because it ends up getting bogged down in exposition in the first thirty minutes and then rushing through Jake's first interactions in 1963, whereas if they'd spread a lot of this stuff over two episodes rather than cramming it all in to one, they could've spread that exposition out a bit more. The other thing I'm not crazy about is James Franco in the lead role. I usually like him when he's part of a big ensemble, but resting an entire series on his shoulders feels like a miscasting, and between Franco, the writers, and directors, Jake doesn't feel like a particularly interesting main character here. The overall premise is intriguing enough to keep me invested, but given the pacing and the lead's casting it doesn't pop enough to stand out from the pack (not in the right direction anyway).

Episode 2: "The Kill Floor"
This was a lot better, and pretty much works as a great standalone episode of television, as Jake embarks on a sidequest from his main mission of stopping the JFK assassination. The only thing you really need to know going in to this episode is that Jake is from the future, and you can just enjoy the episode for what it is without feeling the need to watch the rest of the series. The pacing is great here and Josh Duhamel steals every scene he's in. Still not loving James Franco as the lead, but for this episode he works just fine and is buoyed by the performances around him, mostly Duhamel, but also George MacKay who gets drafted into the larger arc, so at least the whole show won't be resting entirely on Franco's shoulders going forward either.

Episode 3: "Other Voices, Other Rooms"
After such a strong second episode this was very disappointing. Had a lot of the same issues with it as the first episode, everything was just rushed along and things happen because they clearly need certain things set up for later, but none of the character moments are really earned and it was more than a bit frustrating. There's still some really good ideas and a handful of really great scenes that elevate it a bit, but the pacing was just all over the shop. I didn't think it was bad, there was enough there to keep me entertained, but just not on a par with the previous episode at all.

Final Thoughts:
So as I mentioned, I had read the book years ago, and watched the TV show when it came out, but from what I remember it never comes close to being as compelling as the book and I thought at the time it felt like a half-assed adaptation. My opinion hasn't really changed from that, I don't think it ever reaches the heights of the second episode and if anything I think it went downhill fast in the final few episodes, so unlikely I'll be continuing on with a full re-watch, but look its better than a hell of a lot of other Stephen King adaptations, and The Kill Floor was an amazing episode of television, so I give it kudos for that.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

aaronjennings wrote: »

If I'd known you weren't a fan of the Limitless movie, I might have submitted something else, I was hoping for a "holy sh*t, it's Bradley Cooper" reaction in ep 1

It was more like, ah, "ah sh*t, this f**ker" reaction...

It was a great show, the Top 10 all had above 80% approval rating from me, which was great.

SineadSpears

ATTWN looks good. I like shows set in that time period. Also the actor on the right in the black, can't think of his name but I like him too

Necro

Not bottom 3, I'll take it :P

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 4th with 11 points is

JohnGreenFan

Game of Thrones

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/

IMDB wrote:

Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.

Have I Seen It Before: Yes
Episode 1 Rating: 9.6
Episode 2 Rating: 9.7
Episode 3 Rating: 9.8
Aggregated Approval Rating: 97%

Episode 1: "Winter Is Coming"
It's impressive how much they manage to squeeze into an hour here and how effectively they use that time. Not only are we being introduced to a whole world with its own rules and laws, but we're also having over twenty characters thrust at us, all of whom feel fully formed and each with their own personalities and eccentricities, and even though you may not remember all of the names by the end of the episode if you're a first time viewer who hasn't read the books, it's made very clear who people are in relation to one another. The cinematography and set pieces are fantastic and help greatly with the world building. The ominous threat of winter and the white walkers are teased in the beginning, but it's the politics already at the play, the rich history alluded to, and conspiracies hinted at that are the real draw here. Everything is set up perfectly, but without ever feeling like things are simply being set up for later, as all the characters are well written and every scene has a richness to it. Throw in a brutal cliffhanger ending, and its hard not to love this introduction to the world of Westeros and beyond.

Episode 2: "The Kingsroad"
I enjoyed this one slightly more than the first because the episode has a bit more room to breathe. Winter Is Coming does a lot in establishing who all of the characters are and gives a quick overview of the world in which they live, while The Kingsroad leaves a lot of room for more conversations between the characters, and every single line feels important to the point you don't want to miss a word of what's going on. I'm a fan of tv shows and films set fantasy worlds full of knights and royal hierarchies in general, as they usually demand your attention as a viewer in ways that many other shows don't, as the dialogue tends to be rich, generally dripping with subtext and foreshadowing, so it's easy to get lost in that world, which is exactly the case with Game of Thrones.

Episode 3: "Lord Snow"
Builds on the second episode, with lots of wonderful conversations, plenty of politics, plus several more characters introduced. Even if the show never had any big action heavy episodes, as it does later in its run, I'd be perfectly happy just watching episodes like this, full of rich dialogue and building bonds between the characters. Nothing more to say than what I've said already, top quality stuff from start to finish.

Final Thoughts:
I had been planning to do a big re-watch of Game of Thrones at some point in the not too distant future, but after watching the first few episode here, I actually want to go back and re-read the books first, because I remember reading them all back to back for the first time about the time the series began and it was probably the most joy I had had reading since I was a kid, and have gotten me back into reading in a big way over the past decade (read about 40-50 books a year) because of the Song of Ice and Fire series. Who knows the sixth book might even be near publication (I won't hold my breath) by the time I re-read the first five.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Which mean the Top 3 and Bottom 3 are...

In Alphabetical Order...

Electric Nitwit
Davis Wrong Tweed
JP Liz V1
Kolido
ShaneU
SineadSpears

Will give them a few minutes to build up a sweat, before revealing those...

aaronjennings

I never read the book, but like you said, as a TV show 11.22.63 feels like a good concept that wasn't very well pulled off. I did watch it from start to finish for completionism, but I barely remember anything about it outside the first episode, which is never a good sign

Speaking of first episodes... I didn't even finish the first episode of GoT before giving up on it. Just not a show for me

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 12th with 3 points is

SineadSpears

Outlander

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3006802/

IMDB wrote:

An English combat nurse from 1945 is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743.

Have I Seen It Before: Yes
Episode 1 Rating: 8.8
Episode 2 Rating: 4.2
Episode 3 Rating: 9.4
Aggregated Approval Rating: 74.6%

Episode 1: "Sassenach"
What I really appreciated about this first episode is that it doesn't rush into the time travel and over half of the episode is given to just introducing Claire as a character and hinting at information or visiting locations that will become relevant later without rushing into it. It does mean that things are not as action packed as a lot of shows like this would be until the latter half of the episode, but Caitríona Balfe is enjoyable enough as the lead that I was happy enough to simply enjoy the slow pacing early on. Another thing I really like about this is the fact that they don't subtitle the Scots because Claire doesn't understand it and we're only supposed to know what she knows. Scots isn't a million miles away from Gaeilge though, so I caught the gist of most of it anyway, but I just thought it was a cool little detail that they chose not to translate it. Everything gets set up nicely here in a way that they can really hit the ground running in episode two, but as a way of establishing the premise and introducing the characters this episode executes all that set-up very well.

Episode 2: "Castle Leoch"
While I liked the slow pace in the first episode, it felt like it was at least serving a purpose and building towards something, but it just annoyed me here. The episode just plods along and nothing of and real consequence happens, until the final three minutes of a fifty-five minute run. Caitríona Balfe, Graham McTavish, and Annette Badland, as well of a fair few of the other cast members save it a bit with good performances, but I'm not crazy about Sam Heughan who plays Jamie, the co-lead, and gets a lot more screen-time here, and Gary Lewis as Colum, the main protagonist (in this episode at least), I'm not too sure about either. The biggest problem is that there's supposed to be chemistry between Claire and Jamie and I'm not seeing it nor caring about it, which is a problem as I believe that's a huge plotline of the show. A couple of enjoyable scenes, but not a patch on the first episode, and it was all a bit dull and boring.

Episode 3: "The Way Out"
I wasn't sure about Colum in the last episode, but liked him a lot here. Warmed to Jamie a bit more too ; Sam Heughan is probably the weak link in the cast for me still, and still far from shipping Jamie and Claire, but I don't mind him, and given time I he'll probably grow on me a bit more. Jamie was a bit less prominent in this episode than he was in the last two which helped a bit. Really enjoyed the story here and the interactions Claire had with various characters, and using her medical knowledge from two-hundred-years in the future to win allies and gain favour, and a promising ending too.

Final Thoughts:
I had watched this before, but don't think I made it further than the second episode, and given how I felt about that one, I'm not surprised I threw in the towel so soon, but the third episode drew me back in and I feel like giving the series another go ; hopefully the second episode is the worst of the lot, and it's nothing but net for the rest of the run.

SineadSpears

Eh where was my nom? I don't think I seen mine..


Eh tech issue. It wasn't there when I first logged in..

SineadSpears

I love that show so much :pac:

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 3rd with 12 points is

JP Liz V1

The Haunting of Hill House

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6763664/

IMDB wrote:

Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it.

Have I Seen It Before: Yes
Episode 1 Rating: 9.6
Episode 2 Rating: 9.6
Episode 3 Rating: 10
Aggregated Approval Rating: 97.3%

Episode 1: "Steven Sees a Ghost"
I'm a big fan of haunted houses and ghost stories, but they can be very hit or miss when made for film or television. The first episode is a strong start and indicates that this one will be a hit for me. I think it's paced very well, it sets and eerie and ominous tone, and I love the framing of jumping back and forth between 2018 and 1992 following the Crain kids as both adults and children. I'm as invested in the family dynamics as I am in the mysteries and goings on of Hill House. The episode serves as a great introduction to everyone before ending on the cliffhanger that's going to serve as the real driving force for the Crains. It takes its time, but its well acted and shot beautifully so I enjoy even the slower moments of the episode, and the actual scares in the episode are used sparingly and effectively.

Episode 2: "Open Casket"
More or less on a par with the last episode, slowly pulling back the curtain and giving us a look at the bigger picture. The character development is really good, even after only two episodes, you get a sense of who these people are even though there are still pieces of their family puzzle to be filled, and even though all of them have their flaws, it's very easy to root for them. Steve was the main focus in the first episode, and here we follow Shirley mostly ; both of them are kind of infuriating, but also incredibly relatable, so I'm invested in them even when they're annoying. More time is spent in 1992 here too, and they're still just peppering in the suspense and keeping the scares to a minimum, but the overall sense of dread and foreboding is increasing.

Episode 3: "Touch"
So, I had seen the show before, and couldn't remember if the Theo centric episode was in the first three episodes, but was really hoping it was, because she's not only my favourite character in this show, but just one of my favourite TV characters of the last few years in general. The character herself is just really interesting, but I also think Kate Siegel (2018 Theo) and McKenna Grace (1992 Theo) are the two best actors in the series. Everything about this episode just works seamlessly for me, not only is it a great character piece, but it kicks everything up a few gears, and also has some fantastic scares in it, which terrified me the first time I saw them, and still gave me chills on this viewing. I also love the scene where Steve and Nellie find out that Theo is gay, and she's really non-chalant and all "yeah whatever no big deal" about it, and they're both immediately cool with it, and I really like seeing shows doing those sort of scenes well, and in general just having well written LGBTQ+ characters.

Final Thoughts:
It wasn't all that long ago where I watched all of this, but I think I will just watch it again because it's so much better than The Haunting of Bly Manor which I was a bit disappointed by and almost forget how amazing Hill House is on account of Bly Manor.

aaronjennings

Fun fact about Outlander (well, fun to me anyway ): the character of Jamie Fraser was named by the original author after Doctor Who character Jamie McCrimmon, and the actor who portrayed him, Frazer Hines

SineadSpears

I liked both Hill and Bly. Surprised myself that I made it through them. I'm a big scardy cat lol

Also Starring LeVar Burton

aaronjennings wrote: »

Fun fact about Outlander (well, fun to me anyway ): the character of Jamie Fraser was named by the original author after Doctor Who character Jamie McCrimmon, and the actor who portrayed him, Frazer Hines

I knew it seemed familiar. One of my favourite companions from the classic Doctor Who run.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 13th with 2 points is

Kolido

The Walking Dead

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520211/

IMDB wrote:

Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to learn the world is in ruins and must lead a group of survivors to stay alive.

Have I Seen It Before: Yes
Episode 1 Rating: 7.9
Episode 2 Rating: 5.4
Episode 3 Rating: 8.7
Aggregated Approval Rating: 73.3%

Episode 1: "Days Gone Bye"
A fairly solid opening episode, in the sense I really enjoyed the framing of the story and the pacing of the episode and think it does a great job at setting the tone of the series. What I'm less keen on is the characters. I found them all very one-dimensional, and when I say all, we really only spend any significant time here with Rick, Morgan, Duane, and to a lesser extent Shane, with only a brief glimpse at some of the other characters. None of them have any character traits, aside from the fact that they're very "Southern" if that can count as a personality trait, and I really don't have any investment in any of them. We follow Rick and he's the main character, so I guess we're supposed to care about him, but I would've been fine if he died towards the episode, and we pan away from his body to reveal a new main character who oozes charisma, Rick having served his purpose of quickly introducing us to this world. Its not that I need to love the characters from the very start, but I want to see some potential there or at the very least want to root for them, but the four I've mentioned are personality vacuums, which is a shame because Andrew Lincoln, Lennie James, and Jon Bernthal are usually all very charming and likeable actors. There was enough to like about the episode to forgive all that to a certain degree, I've already mentioned the pacing and the special effects and walker make-up is superb, but I'm someone who likes well written and enjoyable characters, so hoping we get a few in the next episode.

Episode 2: "Guts"
There was the guts (as always, pun intended) of a good episode here, it started well, and it had the potential to be a lot of fun, but aside from a stand-out performance from the always wonderful Michael Rooker, it was a bit of a mess. After the last episode I was hoping for the introduction of some likeable characters with a bit of personality, and while several characters were introduced, most of them were duller than Rick. Steven Yeun brings a bit of colour to Glenn before quickly having the personality dragged out of him by doing too many scenes with Rick and the sh*t character brigade. Not only are they incredibly dull, some of them are just terrible actors, Irone Singleton being the worst offenders as T-Dog , and it was actually a struggle to watch at times because he was so painfully bad ; as much as I don't care for Rick, Morgan, and Shane as characters, at least the quality of acting in the first episode was high. Don't even get me started on the whole Lori and Shane affair by the way, I love a bit of that sort of drama usually, but it's done so badly, I just want them both to die right now so I don't have to watch anymore ; and I like Sarah Wayne Callies and Jon Bernthal as actors, the characters just suck. Michael Rooker though, plays a great antagonist in Merle, and single-handedly stops me from absolutely slating this episode. I've actually watched 8 or 9 seasons of this show, and honestly I'm just amazed I ever stuck with it beyond this episode.

Episode 3: "Tell It To The Frogs"
Huge improvement after the absolute disaster that was the last episode. Everyone was a lot more bearable, and most of the characters had moments I really liked, started warming to most of them, even Shane and Laurie. There was a great moral dilemna in the episode, the characters had a lot more time to breathe and develop some personality, the first appearance of Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon (I think he's overrated in terms of the later seasons, but he's definitely a stand-out here), and the bad acting from Irone Singleton was, well I won't say good, but far less bad here. The big family reunion scene early managed to work for me, even though it came far too early in the season, and probably doesn't deserve the credit, but it tugged at my cold dead heartstrings all the same. This episode reminded me why I stuck with the show as long as I did when I first watched it.

Final Thoughts:
I was a big fan of The Walking Dead graphic novels, and despite its problems, I was a big fan of the show too, up until a certain point, and I honestly never intended to re-visit either, but after that third episode I really want to go back and re-read the graphic novels and then sit down and watch the show again from this point, and see it through past the point I stopped at previously, and watch all the way through to the end, because I think watching it as more of a binge than on a week-to-week basis will spur me through the rough patches.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In 2nd with 13 points is

Electric Nitwit

Neverwhere

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115288/

IMDB wrote:

Richard Mayhew leads an ordinary life in London when one day a girl named Door falls, injured, across his path. The next thing he knows, his life is gone and he's pulled into the fantastical world of London Below. Pursued by the murderous Messrs, Croup and Vandemar, Door and Richard with the help of Hunter and the Marquis de Carabas, attempt to find the Angel Islington, who knows the secret behind the murder of Door's family, and possibly a way for Richard to go home.

Have I Seen It Before: No
Episode 1 Rating: 9.9
Episode 2 Rating: 9.9
Episode 3 Rating: 9.5
Aggregated Approval Rating: 97.6%

Episode 1: "Door"
So, I've had a copy of Neverwhere sitting unread on my bookshelf for a few years now, and it has become one of my "Break Glass In Case of Emergency Books" aka. a book that I'll probably only ever get around to reading when I run out of other books, but I buy so many books that I'll never actually get around to reading it. I'm not sure why it became a Break Glass book, because I like the other Neil Gaiman stuff I've read (American Gods and a lot of his short stories), but for some reason everytime I read the synopsis for Neverwhere it never grabs me, despite having heard its very good. Having now seen the first episode of the adaptation, I'm promoting it from a Break Glass book and putting it up high on the reading list. There's something to be said for keeping things simple, and showing that things can be done on a small budget, that you don't need a big flashy HBO or Netflix production deal to make compelling television, which is exactly how I feel about this episode. It clearly was thrown some pocketmoney from the BBC in the mid-nineties to fill a half-hour spot on the BBC TWO schedule for six weeks, and yet it has mystery and intrigue, a bit of comedy, a decent (but largely unknown I imagine, although I do recognise a couple of them) cast, including a Paul McCartney look-a-like in the lead, and a fun story to tell, with a cliffhanger ending. Gets in, gets the job done, and I loved it.

Episode 2: "Knightsbridge"
I forgot to mention the score in the last episode write-up, but it really does a great job at setting the tone and is quite subtly unsubtle, even though that's a massive contradiction and an absurd thing to say, but Neverwhere is pretty absurd, so the statement is apt. There's also a great familiarity I feel towards this, even though I've never seen it, because it kind of feels like an emalgimation of Tom Baker-era Doctor Who, The Demon Headmaster, Spaced, and the late '80s BBC adaptation of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe ; all of which I have a real fondness for. Speaking of Doctor Who, who's introduced at the very end here but only Peter "Shut Up, Just Shut Up, Shut Up, Shut Up, Shuttity Up Up Up " Capaldi and as if I wasn't already absolutely loving this, bring on the next one!!!

Episode 3: "Earl's Court To Islington"
Not quite as strong as the first two, but still extremely enjoyable, and the late Freddie Jones appears in this episode, and was great to see him in something again. Unfortunately the Capaldi appearance at the end of the last episode was merely a tease, and he only briefly appears again at the end of this one, which is a shame because it seems the next episode is going to feature him a lot, and it would've been nice to see his performance as part of the three episodes up for review, but its only a minor disappointment as the unexpected Freddie Jones role was just as exciting for me.

Final Thoughts:
Glad that something has finally given me the kick up the arse to go read the book, and then once I've done that, I'm going to circle back and watch all six episodes of this in its entirety. For a category full of flashy shows with big budgets, something like this doing so well, proves that the most important thing is to tell a good and engaging story with likeable characters and you don't need to spend millions to produce something like that.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Which means either ShaneU will be winning back-to-back categories here or Hello 2D The Person Below will be saying Hello down to all of the other contenders, as one of them will be in first and one of them in last...

Who will be the victor?

Also Starring LeVar Burton

In last place with 1 point is

ShaneU

Boardwalk Empire

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0979432/

IMDB wrote:

An Atlantic City politician plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.

Have I Seen It Before: Yes
Episode 1 Rating: 2.7
Episode 2 Rating: 8.1
Episode 3 Rating: 9.5
Aggregated Approval Rating: 67.6%

Episode 1: "Boardwalk Empire"
Instead of me just ranting for this one, its instead time to whimsy things up with another Pitch Meeting…

• Terence Winter: So I want to make a prohibition era drama following the criminals in and around Atlantic City
• HBO Executive: Oh, that sounds exciting
• Terence Winter: It won't be
• HBO Executive: Sorry, what?
• Terence Winter: I want to make it really really boring
• HBO Executive: Why would you do that?
• Terence Winter: Well, I recently watched the pilot episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 and it was really bad and incredibly dull, and they went on to make nearly 300 episodes, so I figured if we aim to do the same, we could also go on for many years.
• HBO Executive: Well, I guess that makes sense. It'll still be pretty decent though right?
• Terence Winter: Arguably.
• HBO Executive: Arguably? What do you mean arguably?
• Terence Winter: Well, we'll use very talented actors that people really enjoy like Steve Buscemi and Michael Shannon, but we're going to dull them down to the point that people who previously liked them, will start to question if they ever did in fact like them.
• HBO Executive: Hmmm, well you're not really selling it.
• Terence Winter: Did I mention Scorsese is on board to direct the pilot?
• HBO Executive: Oh, well, Scorsese, that changes things, everyone like Scorsese right?
• Terence Winter: Yeah pretty much, there's probably someone on an internet forum somewhere in Ireland who thinks Scorsese's overrated, but that's probably nothing to worry about.
• HBO Excecutive: Not for us anyway. It may come back to bite some other poor sod in the ass at some point though.
• Terence Winter: Yeah it would suck to be that guy. Hey, lets go spend some of our millions of dollars on hookers and cocaine, and not worry about it.
• HBO Executive: You don't have to ask me twice.

Episode 2: "The Ivory Tower"
A thousand times better than the premiere episode, because Tim Van Patten is far better suited to this sort of work than Snoresese is (let him stick to his films, and leave the TV world to the TV experts). I realise a lot of people don't think it matters who the director is on a television show and might not even notice much of a difference from one episode to the next, but I've worked with directors of varying styles and temperments before, and it can affect absolutely everything when filming, a lot of directors can bring out the best in everyone simply by being a little more relaxed on set and there's less tension in the air ; its hard not to imagine a certaine amount of stress on set with Scorsese simply because he's such a big name in the film world (regardless of how overrated I may think he is), that's always going to make people nervous. The pacing was much better here, the characters actually had a good bit of personality to them this time around and felt more relaxed in their roles, I prefer Van Patten's style in general, and the overall tone was infinitely more enjoyable. It wasn't perfect, but definitely getting there, and most importantly I liked it and am actually looking forward to the next episode rather than dreading it. My biggest problem now is trying to acclimatise to Kelly MacDonald's woeful Irish accent which is almost as bad as nails on a chalkboard.

Episode 3: "Broadway Limited"
Now we're suckin' diesel. This was top quality stuff, a great episode, and really enjoyed it, didn't even mind Kelly MacDonald's mangy hybrid of an accent didn't even bother to me here, so I've either acclimatised to it or I've just zoned her out (she actually doesn't speak much in this one). Buscemi is firing on all cylinders now, and finally the great Michael Kenneth Williams get something to do as Chalky White, after only briefly appearing for a couple of seconds in the first episode. Already there's fantastic chemistry between Buscemi and Williams and I'm here for it.

Final Thoughts:
It's a shame I hated the first episode so much, because the following two were really good and I am now invested in the show. I had only seen the premiere episode before and it's probably no surprise to anyone after my thoughts on that one, that I threw in the towel after that, so even though this couldn't scrape it's way off the bottom of the heap as it was such a strong round in general, I am going to continue on with Boardwalk Empire, because it's just starting to get really good by episode three and I'm really enjoying all of the characters now.