Rewatch: ER

So I took on a major rewatch project. I decided to rewatch all 15 seasons of ER. It was quite the undertaking. I hadn't watched the show since it aired, and had seen every episode only once previously; the night it actually aired. I stuck through the rough seasons of the show, and remained a loyal fan from beginning to end. And so I felt it was due justice that I give it another go and see if it held up after all this time.

First off the first half of the series is clearly set in the 90's, and it's fun. The first few seasons had no internet and no cell phones. Well unless you were rich, then you had the giant brick phone. Relationships occurred by actually talking to people in person, and some of the medicine and techniques are fun to see as antiquated now. Not everything can hold the test of time, but honestly it doesn't come off that outdated overall.

The first five seasons are interesting, and I was surprised to find out how much I actually remembered. I mean it has been 22 years since the show debuted.

Season 1 was definitely ground breaking TV. There hadn't been, and I can say there still isn't anything like this show. They did such a great job making you feel like you're actually there with them in the hospital performing those life-saving procedures. They had an outstanding original cast that to this day can never be matched. It was kind of cool to see a baby Carter on his first day as a med student being thrown into the trenches and reacting just how you would expect a med student to react. And Benton wasn't shy about getting Carter in there and learning. Greene was the mentor everyone wanted, and Ross was the childish handsome doctor you secretly want to work on you. Season 1 was everything they did right to build a fantastic series. For not having seen this season in 22 years, it was nice to see what I actually remembered, like Hathaway attempting suicide, Benton's mother dying, and Greene's baby delivery mistake and the legal consequences. I feel like it says a lot for the writing if I can remember as much as I did.

Season 2 brought us the one and only Dr. Weaver, I remember distinctly hating her from the very moment I saw her. And Doug nor Susan were too happy about her coming to the ER either. This time around because I knew she grew as a character later on in the series, I wasn't as bothered with her. This season had it's first big "event" episode with Doug saving a kid from a water culvert and becoming a local celebrity. I totally remembered this episode almost exactly how it played out. I was impressed with myself. We also saw Greene's marriage dissipate and him struggle with custody of his daughter. Susan also had to deal with losing little Susie to her sister Chloe. Honestly I was glad to see Chloe go away. I never did like that story line in the first place, and it wasn't any better the second time around unfortunately. Aside from that, Season 2 was just as good as Season 1 in my opinion.

In Season 3 Carter finally becomes a doctor, in the form of an intern, and things start to get real for him. Maggie joins the cast, but only as a part-time character, but she's their first gay character, which was pretty forward for the mid 90's, and then we lose Susan the first time after Mark pours his heart out to her. I felt so bad for him, but knew better things were ahead for him in the love department, but as a rebound first he dates Chuny which I found hilarious and so not working. It lasted a few weeks thank god. But then he goes and gets assaulted in a bathroom, and I remember that episode distinctly. I could even tell that it was coming, just by one scene alone. My memory is weird. Poor Mark then struggles with having been assaulted and not knowing who it was. Which would be hard, but he does come around in the next season thankfully.

Season 4 starts off with a live episode, and I remember the advertising for this was all over the place. I also remember that in the 90's it became a short-lived thing to do a live episode. This episode also happened to be where we meet Dr. Corday for the first time. I wonder how that was for Alex Kingston to join a show and the first one you do happens to be a "live" event? I wish I had realized that before the last Con I went to, I would have asked her that question. Maybe she's answered it somewhere in the past. I'll have to look. Season 4 was also when we got the pleasure of Dr. Romano, easily the most hated character at the time. I was also reminded that Dr. Corday was with Dr. Benton before Dr. Greene, and Mariska Hargitay was a desk clerk who dated Greene throughout a good chunk of Season 4. I didn't remember that one at all! We also learned in this season that Benton's son Reese may be deaf. Which I thought was a good thing for Benton. Having a kid softened him already, but a deaf child definitely changed his perspective, as we saw further in the next season.

Season 5 brought us Lucy, and I immediately got sad because I knew her fate. It was also interesting to watch Carter without money trying to make things work, and ending up being the babysitter of a bunch of med students at a dorm, and then when that ended he lives with Weaver for a while, and I found that super entertaining. We got to see a different side of Weaver, and it was a nice change. Doug and Carol were hot and heavy, and then Doug up and leaves, not knowing Carol is pregnant. And Greene and Corday begin their relationship, which in my opinion is my favorite pairing of the series.

The next five seasons were just as interesting to watch. I didn't remember that we actually had Lucy for nearly two seasons before she and Carter were attacked and we lost Lucy. It was just as sad as I remember though.

In Season 6 alone we gained Kovac, Abby, Malucci, Cleo, Deb (Jing Mei) returned, and then Romano was made a regular. I remember them all, but not all at once! Before Season 6, we had maybe one or two new regular characters per season. This was also the same season where we lost Lucy (RIP), Jeannie, Maggie, Anna, and the first full season without Doug Ross, which made me sad, but I knew it was coming. I do have to say that Season 6 nearly killed me. That was easily the most emotional season they'd done so far. Between Carol deciding to leave and join Doug in Seattle and then Carter and Lucy being attacked, the season was full of feels.

And then I got to Season 7 and remembered, nope that's the most emotional season so far. Season 7 wrecked me all over again. Dealing with Dr. Greene's brain tumor, and Corday's pregnancy, their engagement and then their super stressful wedding. I'd forgot just how seriously emotional and hard Season 7 was just for that story line alone. And then to add Kovac's family history, and Carrie's coming to terms with her sexuality, and Carter's drug addiction recovery it was a hard season!

And then came the last half of Season 8. It nearly put me into a deep depression. I remember the death of Dr. Greene being hard, but not that hard. Up until this rewatch, if someone were to ask me what the hardest TV death was, I had always said Nate from Six Feet Under. I can now officially say, nope I was wrong, it's Dr. Greene. I ugly cried so hard! And it left me with a very sad feeling all day. As ridiculous as that sounds, because I do realize it's just a show, but that episode was the best written, acted, and most emotional episode of the series hands down. The episodes leading up to it were hard as well, and the episode right before where the hospital learns of his death had me bawling too, but to watch him actually die ruined me all over again. I thought I was prepared, I mean I had seen it before, but I don't think you can really prepare yourself for that kind of emotion.

I also think it's safe to say that once we lost Dr. Greene, the show just wasn't the same. He carried that show for 8 seasons, and it left a void that just couldn't quite be filled. Don't get me wrong, the show still had some gems:

Like in Season 9 when it started off with Dr. Romano getting his arm sliced off by a helicopter, or watching the downward spiral of Kovac. It spent a lot of time with Carter in Africa, which I actually enjoyed, but can see how it took away from the show's formula. Don't get me wrong, the season is good, there's just something missing (ahem Dr. Greene).

Season 10 started off with killing Romano by none other than a helicopter just a few episodes in. I recall when I first watched, I thought this was their "jumping the shark" moment; watching again, I'm not entirely sure I was wrong. The magic that once was, started to really dwindle at this point with the show. And if I can be honest, this time around Romano grew on me. I remember hating him, but after watching again, I can actually say I enjoyed his character. The season also brought Carter back to Chicago with a pregnant girlfriend in tow, only to be still-born. Carrie lost her wife in a fire accident, and we ended the season with her losing her child to her in-laws.

The final five seasons appeared to me that they tried really hard. Too hard sometimes:

Season 11 for instance, felt like they had one too many "special" episodes. Even having two in a row. Someone was aiming for an award, that's for sure. The season also saw the aftermath of the birth of Carter's still-born son, Carrie almost losing her child in a custody battle, and Carrie meeting her birth mom, only to not be accepted because of her lifestyle. Dr. Corday left after performing an illegal, but justifiable surgery, and then ultimately we saw Carter leave the show at the end of the season.

Season 12 felt odd because for the first time there was no Carter, and then Susan left abruptly as well with no goodbye. That felt a bit cheap. And with Romano dead, and Carrie barely to be found, they had to try and shake things up with a few "strong" guest characters, so they brought on nurse Eve, and Doctor Clemente. I hardly cared for either character. They both brought nothing to show in my opinion, and were basically filler. We also saw Abby and Kovac get back together and pregnant. Carrie had hip surgery and lost the crutch, and Pratt headed off to Africa to join Carter as commanded by Kovac. I honestly forgot how heavy the Africa story line really was in the later half of the series. I think the best part of Season 12 for me though was when Morris found out he was a father to four kids because he donated sperm in his college days. He took to being a "daddy" like it was nothing, and I found it hilarious. I also enjoyed the couple episodes we got with Carter. It felt like he never left.

Season 13 brought about a few changes, like the opening credits. No more theme song. And that saddened me greatly. No more Clemente, which made me very happy, and Kovac and Abby get to be parents. John Stamos joins the cast officially, which of course is good because it's Stamos. Carrie gains a new lover, we learn Pratt is a bigot, and Kovac has PTSD from losing his first family, and projects it onto his new family. We also lose Carrie after she got demoted, Ray after he got hit by a truck and lost his legs, and Kovac after he and Abby got married. I remembered Ray losing his legs from the first time around, but totally didn't remember that Kovac and Abby actually tied the knot. For some reason I thought they didn't go through with it and that was why he left. Instead it was because he went back to Croatia to care for his father.

Season 14 picks up from when Kovac left and it's kind of played that he's still in Croatia. I miss him. And I forgot how Abby spirals without him there, and freaking cheats on him. I got kind of angry with her for that. Basically the entire season revolved around Abby and Kovac's marriage. And basically I was pissed all over again. I actually remembered more than I thought, and then to do a cliffhanger where we don't know if Abby got hurt in the explosion is so uncool after they just barely reconciled. Not cool at all. 

But turns out in Season 15 they begin with picking up at the explosion and we lose Pratt. Now I'll say he was never a favorite of mine but he grew on me and I must have blocked his death out, because I didn't remember that happening, and I bawled like a baby. Honestly it was the first good cry since losing Dr. Greene if that tells you anything. And then Abby leaves to go with Kovac to Boston and I cry all over again, because I'm a hopeless romantic and they worked it out. You can tell it's the last season for sure. It's like they brought all the feels that had been missing since Season 8 and lumped them all into this season. We got an episode with Dr. Greene in the form of flashbacks and I bawled again because of course it has to take place in the season he dies, so all those memories come rushing back. They even brought Weaver and Romano back for the episode and I actually really missed Romano! The last half of the season basically served as a plot to parade old cast through the ER. Corday interviewed Neela for a position at Duke, Carter came back only to need a kidney which brought us Doug, Carol and Benton and that was awesome. Neela said goodbye and we were led to believe she and Ray finally got together which made me very happy.

The Finale. Well first off I didn't cry as much as I thought I would. I mean there were tears, but far less than expected. Second, it was just how I remembered. Basically ending like it began, with patients coming into the hospital. Granted we did get a nice little bit with some of the original cast for the opening of Carter's medical center, and that was nice. The original cast will always be the best cast for sure. But when all was said and done, they really did end the show the way it needed to end, by moving on. People come and go, but the work is never done. And for that it was a satisfying finale to an amazing show.

So after watching 15 seasons of ER here's what I learned:

1. The first 8 seasons of the show were the best. The last 7 felt like a different show. And had far less emotion than the first 8. Except for Season 15 where they kind of brought their A-game. 

2. My favorite couples in order are: Greene & Corday, Doug & Carol, and Kovac & Abby. 

3. My favorite character of the series is Dr. Greene (duh).

4. My favorite character of the last half of the series is Morris.
5. For having seen the series only once before as it originally aired, I found that I remembered the first half of the series way better than the last half, which is surprising. But shows how much more impactful it was. 

The one thing I learned most of all is that I still love this show and maybe even more than I did when it was on air. This is one rewatch I'm really glad I undertook. It was well worth it.

Oh and in case you're wondering, I managed to complete this rewatch in a month and a half. That's how little of a social life I have. 

The Best and Worst of the TV Revivals

So TV revivals are a thing now, and it's kind of awesome. That being said, we do only get a limited amount of episodes, and not all of the episodes can be winners. And sometimes, the entire season ends up stinking. And maybe, just maybe, someone will do a revival properly and perfectly, and it'll be amazing.

I thought it would be fun to dive into the revivals that have occurred thus far, and the ones that are soon to come. In no particular worst or best order, here are first the ones that have aired:

24:

In the summer of 2014 I thought we were blessed with the revival of 24. I remember the excitement at the fact that Jack Bauer was returning to kick some ass, and I hoped it was going to be everything the last season of 24 was not. I mean it got a flashy title of "24: Live Another Day"! Well I was disappointed. I feel like it started out alright, but then just went downhill from there. A shoddy and hole ridden plot line that once again placed Muslims in the villainous role of which we've become all too familiar. Along with poor execution of maintaining what was left of the characters we'd grown to love, we were left with Chloe who was now sporting some stereotypical punk look, and living the life as a hacker. And Jack who had been in exile for years, forced to come out of hiding and then immediately hunted himself. That is until they realized he was actually needed to solve our Muslim "problem". I had such high hopes, and they were mostly shattered. And I totally get a studio taking a gamble on a revival for one, and not wanting to give it a full season order; but I did find it odd that a show named 24 (because there are 24 hours in a day), with the seasons named "Day 1", "Day 2,", and the concept of the show being that every episode was an hour in that day, that they would only give it 12 episodes, and still have the same concept of one episode equal one hour. I really would like to know what would have happened had Jack had a full day, instead of half a day. But to top it all off, Fox is now in talks of giving 24 a complete second chance in whole, and it won't include Jack Bauer. Yeah Fox, that's not the way to go. Maybe just let 24 rest.


Heroes:

Here's another revival that got a flashy title: "Heroes: Reborn", and yet another revival that just didn't live up to the expectations. Much like season 3 and 4 of Heroes. I will give this revival some credit in that it started out strong. And it had Zachary Levi in it (be still my heart). But that just wasn't enough to keep the momentum of what could have been a really cool revival. Instead it turned into a lackluster mesh of messiness. With lame plot lines, story lines, characters, and they turned Matt evil! Why would you do that? I was saddened to actually be glad when he met his demise. The whole idea that the world was coming to an end so it was necessary to time jump the "chosen" ones to the future to save the world was preposterous. And if you were an Evo you were just out of luck. Or that was the idea, that failed miserably, along with the entire revival. Because in order to have a future, they needed the Evos to get them there. You can't have it both ways. And as happy as I was to have HRG back, and Hiro, and a few others, it just felt as if they tried too hard in some places, and just not enough in others. Clearly NBC saw that they'd made a huge mistake too, because they promptly canceled the chance of a second season as soon as the finale aired.


The X-Files:

This revival was one I was super excited about. I mean it's Mulder and Scully! And for the most part the six episode revival didn't disappoint. I enjoyed all of the episodes, except one. That's not bad considering the episodes weren't one big arc, but rather separate stories intertwining here and there for the most part. I adored the werewolf episode, cried when we lost Scully's mom, forgot and then was reminded just how much I love Mulder and his deadpan monotone demeanor, and just really enjoyed the return of The X-Files. Aside from the one episode that I thoroughly hated and some will say "well that's because it was lost on you", which isn't true, I feel like they did a pretty darn good job for a show that hadn't been on the air since the early 2000's. And with the way they ended what Fox is calling a season, we are left with hope that there will be more X-Files to come. I just hope that Mulder and Scully return as well, and that this wasn't a reboot for new characters, because let's be honest, the new characters weren't that great.


Full(er) House:

I had been looking forward to this revival since the day it was announced, I even took the day off to binge watch the season when it was released. Well needless to say that didn't go as planned, and I have only watched the first six episodes, and I'm not sure when I will finish. Long story. But I can report on the ones that I've seen and say that I am very pleased! Going in you know it's going to be full of cheese, the original show was, so why would this be anything different? You also know that it's going to be a family oriented show that you can watch with your kids. Granted there is some adult humor, but it's tame. And even through all the cheese, I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit. Watching the show was kind of surreal, this is a show I grew up with. Literally. It first aired when I was six (1987) and I watched until I was 14 (1995). I had grown up with the Tanners, and so to see them all back, was honestly surreal. I do plan to finish the season eventually, and hopefully my opinion doesn't change with the remaining episodes. And I'm quite happy that it was given a second season. From what I've watched, it deserves it. The show is not out to win awards, it's out to bring a smile to your face, and they succeeded.


And now onto the ones that will air very soon:


Gilmore Girls:

I could not be more excited for this revival. We've been needing to know things! And I hope they bring the answers. It will be bittersweet though as Edward Herrmann aka Richard Gilmore did pass away, and he will be greatly missed. I hope they give him a nice homage. And then we won't have Sookie there either. And I feel this is a big missed opportunity for Melissa McCarthy. Sure she's doing movies now, but even a little cameo would have been nice. Who knows, maybe it'll still happen? And as for the burning questions! Will Lorelei be with Luke? To be honest I was always partial to Christopher. I heard Rory will be single, so what are all the boys in her life doing back?? Will there be a "This is your Life" theme somewhere in an episode? I can't wait to see Miss Patty's and Doose's Market and Kirk! And Jess...mmm... Oh how I've missed Stars Hollow, and I feel quite strongly that this revival won't let me down. Please don't let me down!


Twin Peaks:

Ok so this is a show that you either love or you hate. I haven't found an in between. And I'm one who loved it, regardless of the fact that the majority of the time I had no clue what was happening. Seriously, this show was so far out there for its time, and even for now. Ninety percent of the show makes zero sense, yet it was still gripping and intriguing enough to keep my attention and realize that it's a masterpiece in its own right. Now with this being said, I haven't actually finished the series. I know, I know, but I feel that I've watched what I need to in order to enjoy the revival, but I also plan to eventually finish the series. Again long story. I at least finished season one which from everything I hear is the most important, and I'm about a third of the way through season two. I'll be honest, I see why it got canceled, season two just isn't as great even if it does have David Duchovny in drag. Either way though, I'm still looking forward to the revival I believe is due out next year, and I expect it to be crazy, nonsensical, and just plain amazing. And hopefully include David Duchovny, if his character is still alive...I guess I'd better finish the series to find out.


Prison Break:

I don't really have much to say on this revival, as I didn't watch the show originally. But what I can say is that I know a lot of fans that are pretty excited about it. And I feel like we've already kind of had a small Prison Break revival in the way of The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow if you know what I mean. Either way I know people are looking forward to this one, and I hope that it is everything they want and hope for.


If I have missed any other revivals that have happened or are going to happen please let me know! I'd hate to neglect a show...

Rewatch: The Dead Zone

I'd just finished The X-Files and needed something else to watch. I've kind of decided to do a rewatch of a show and then also watch a new-to-me show in my down time. And by down time I mean while I'm not watching currently airing shows. Did I mention I'm lacking in a life? So again it was a "hey I wanna watch the pilot" moment that turned into watching the entire series. When I was into the third season I realized I had yet to purchase the final season, so I promptly rectified that situation so I wouldn't have to halt my watching.

I do have to mention I feel like I may have some kind of super power here. So far a good amount of the shows I've chosen to rewatch have resulted in having a cast member from that show attend the Salt Lake Comic Con or FanX Experience. Two years ago I did a rewatch of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (I didn't do a post because I rewatch this one a lot) and Dean Cain attended the first SLCC, then last year I rewatched Smallville and Michael Rosenbaum attended SLCC. And then I rewatched The X-Files and Laurie Holden attended this year's FanX (and as a bonus there very well may be a reboot coming), as well as Anthony Michael Hall, of which I'm convinced is because I rewatched The Dead Zone. I tell you, it's a super power. So let me know if I should rewatch a show for someone that you would like to have attend if you're in the area.

Now onto the main event, my rewatch feels for The Dead Zone:

This show is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. There also happens to be a 1980's movie starring Christopher Walken based on the novel as well. For me when the show first aired, I got a bit excited. I love Stephen King, and the movie wasn't half bad. Also this isn't like a lot of Stephen King novels to me, so that interested me as well to see where a TV series could take the story. And let me tell you, we got six great seasons before USA abruptly canceled the show leaving us without a true ending that wrapped up the six season long arc. I feel that was a bit of a dickish move on USA's part, but the show did it's best to wrap up what they could with the short notice they had, and even though I have a lot of questions, I'm still ok with the ending for the most part.

I would like to know what happens to Stillson, because that was kind of left up in the air in the final episode. I mean up until that point, Johnny was still seeing Armageddon when he touched him, and so was JJ! And what happened to Johnny's father? We just found out he was alive, and then it looked like he was poisoned, but nothing was really said on whether he actually died or not. The only thing I would like to think had a clear answer was if Johnny and Sara end up together again finally. And I think the answer is a definitive yes.

With the rewatch I was reminded of how they changed the actor playing JJ three times. The first time was understandable, the kid just wasn't the right fit. The second kid was on the show for the majority of the series, and then in the final season they change the kid up again. Now my thought on this is because it took nearly two years for the final season to air, and I think the actor was either not available any longer, or just no longer interested. The kid they replaced him with I do have to admit was the best actor out of the three. It's just like with any show that replaces a character, you wonder if they think the audience is dumb or unobservant.

Also in the final episode I noticed how not great Sean Patrick Flanery looked. I don't know what he did in that two year break, but man. He looked better when he starred on Dexter a few years later, but not much. I think a little too much on the botox or something there. He just looks puffier and it could totally be me, but I don't think so.

And it's always bothered me that Dana Bright was kind of just phased out of the show without much explanation. I get that she needed to not be an obstacle for Johnny anymore so they could move forward with the Johnny/Sara thing, but I would have liked to see her say goodbye or something. It's just me wanting more closure.

And then in the final season Bruce left us. And that made me really sad because I love Bruce. He was Johnny's wing-man for everything and Bruce not being in the final season left a bit of a hole. It didn't hurt that he was good to look at either, and I missed that too.

Overall, I enjoyed my rewatch. I have to admit I've seen the first few seasons several times, it used to be a favorite of mine to watch over and over, but the later seasons I'd only seen once so that was nice to rewatch those and see how the story flowed.

The icing on the cake was having the chance to see Anthony Michael Hall this past January and getting to ask him a question related to the show. And to have him look at me directly the entire time he answered my question. That's some class from a very classy guy. And if you're curious as to what my questions was... I asked him "With all of these past shows returning, do you see The Dead Zone coming back and wrapping up the story line?", to which he answered, "I'm not sure, I know a lot of fans were upset at the cancellation and we did our best to tie up loose ends the best we could, but if given the chance it would be nice to finish the story." So with that I feel like AMH would be on board should the opportunity come, but don't quote me on that. I'll share one here, but check out my upcoming Salt Lake Comic Con Fan X post for some pics of AMH and all the other fun I had.

Rewatch: The X-Files

So on a whim while looking for something to watch on Netflix, I decided I would watch the pilot of The X-Files. I hadn't seen it since it originally aired, and thought it would be fun. Well if you know me, I can never just watch the pilot of a series, so of course it turned into a rewatch of the entire series. I may have not realized at the time that the show went for nine seasons and two movies, and didn't want to look until about season four how far I still had to go. It took me a little over four months to watch the entire series, which if you think about it, is a lifetime for me! Remember back when I watched all ten seasons of Smallville in a month? Yeah I did that twice. So taking four months to watch this series was unheard of for me.

While watching I realized a few things:

The show is so very 90's. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but man the shoulder pads, winged hairstyle, and pant suits were a plenty. And it was amazing.

The story lines gradually grew better, and then didn't. The first couple seasons were a little shaky for me. I think it was mainly the cinematography and directing of the episodes, but also the acting was only ok. By the third season they had developed a solid story line and the acting was better. Even with monotone Duchovny.

Sorry no picture for this one. Just my boring words.

I didn't much care for the final two seasons of the series, mainly because it lacked Mulder. The X-Files just isn't The X-Files without Mulder. And you could tell even the show makers knew that. The stories just weren't as good. Although the Spender shocker did throw me. I will give them that.

I kind of wish that at the end of Season Five they could have thrown in a little warning saying "hey! watch the first movie now, then start Season Six".  It's all good though, luckily Season Six starts with "previously on The X-Files" so I was able to stop and watch the movie and then continue.

I think anyone who has watched The X-Files vividly remembers the inbred family episode. I was pretty excited to see that one again and see if it was as crazy as I remember. It pretty much was. I was just as disturbed, if not more this second time around.

And can we talk about the episode that was in black and white and totally weird. Like really really weird. But gave us one sweet moment at the end with Mulder and Scully. We also got a fake Cher singing Walking in Memphis.

Or the Brady Bunch house episode with Bud from Married with Children? 

The more they played the "will they, won't they" with Mulder and Scully, the more I really wanted it to happen. And then once it did, it was awkward. I don't know why, but I just felt like it took so long for it to happen that when it finally did, I was over it. I mean they make an attractive couple, but I don't know if it's the writing, or their characters, but something just didn't seem to click for me. Which is funny because it took just as long for Brennan and Booth on Bones to get together and that wasn't weird. And it's taken as long for Lisbon and Jane to get together on The Mentalist, and it's a little weird. Maybe some just work better in theory.

So there you have it. Rewatching the series really was fun, and made me see just how odd the show really was, but innovative at the same time. And guys. We got Vince Gilligan out of it. I'm also convinced that it's how we got most of the Breaking Bad cast too.

Rewatch: Smallville



It was unplanned, and done on a whim. I got this sudden urge one night to watch the pilot of Smallville. I really don't know what brought it on, but I had to please the desire. Well we all know what happens when you watch a pilot right? You have to watch more. At least that's the case for me. Next thing I know I'm watching every episode, and not only watching, but binge watching. It's what I do best. It's very apparent I don't have much of a life if I can watch an entire 10 seasons in a month. I may have fallen severely behind on my summer shows, but they could wait. This was important. So here I am a month later after my pilot watching whim, and I'm feeling that typical emptiness I call TSAS. I've seen the show before, I watched it as it aired. Hell I even rewatched the entire series after it ended because I was so enthralled with the series finale. And even then I managed to watch all 10 seasons in a month as well. It really is a sickness. And one I'm actually perfectly fine with.

Anyway, it had been three years since I'd watched an episode, and I'd only seen the later seasons twice. Once on TV as it aired, and then again in my first rewatch. So it was refreshing to watch it again from start to finish, and I had forgotten a lot of what happened. It was a blast to be reminded of all the tributes paid to the original movies (Christopher Reeve and Margo Kidder guest starred and the musical score was used), and even to Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher guest starred) which we all know is one of my all-time favorite shows. I didn't realize how much emotion I would feel watching the show over again. From the death of Jonathan Kent (not really a spoiler if you know the Superman story), to the major feels I got in the final last two seasons between Lois and Clark. I'm a hopeless romantic man.

I was also reminded of just how much of a badass James Marsters really is. Gotta love me some Spike wherever you can get it. The Luthor saga was always one of my favorite things. Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) made bald super sexy, and John Glover (Lionel Luthor) was perfect. And the eventual friend to frenemy to enemy dynamic between Clark and Lex is always intriguing to watch. Of course there were characters I didn't much care for, and as much as I shipped the Lana/Clark relationship at the time, it will always be Lois and Clark in my heart.

The one thing I learned from this newest rewatch is that the 10th season is probably my favorite. And there are a lot of seasons to choose from, but this one gave me the most feels, and had the most developmental progress I think. And for that I enjoyed it the best. And honestly the series finale was done so well. It was nice to be reminded that a finale can actually be done correctly and give a satisfying ending. Although of course no matter what I will always want more. Thus my TSAS.




Circa 2001 (Season1)

Circa 2004 (Season 4)

Circa 2008 (Season 8)



Circa 2010 (Season 10)

Season and Series Finale Depression 2014 Part 2 (Possible Spoilers)

Well the season finales have happened. Some earlier than usual which I didn't much care for. So with that let's dive right in:

Mom:

In it's freshman season, this series managed to make me laugh or cry in nearly every episode. Allison Janney is genius and perfectly cast. Ana Faris has her moments, but honestly I watch for Allison. In the finale we have Christy's daughter Violet give birth to her child of which she is giving up for adoption. And with that came a slew of emotions as she couldn't decide whether to keep the baby which would then devastate the adoptive parents, or give the child up for a chance at a better life. After a few back and forth moments, she finally decided on the adoption, and it couldn't have been a more tender moment to watch her say goodbye to her baby. In the meantime, Christy's long lost father who isn't so lost anymore has had a heart attack and has his own room in the same hospital. This is where we learn that Bonnie still has a thing for her ex, which I think will bring some pretty good comedy come next season. Overall I give this finale an A-.


Parenthood:

I love this show so much. There isn't an episode that doesn't make me cry. The writing is so well done, and so is the acting. And even though it's one of the best shows on TV, NBC still doesn't have the faith it should in the show. Every season it's on the cusp of being canceled, and every season so far we are pleasantly relieved to see that it's been renewed. And we just learned that it will be back, but for a 13 episode final season. This show should honestly run for a long time, and should not get the treatment it does from NBC. But then again we really can't be surprised, because NBC doesn't treat any of their shows with much respect unless your show name starts with Law & Order.

Anyway enough of the tangent, and on to the review. This season's finale unfortunately had all of the climax stolen from it by the previews. Meaning that the previews for this episode gave everything exciting and shocking away, so when it came down to watching the actual episode it left little to get excited about because you knew what was coming. It kind of bothered me, because there wasn't any real necessity to show as much as they did in a preview a week prior to airing the finale. I guess this is another example of NBC not treating their shows right, or respecting their viewers. With this said, the episode still brought tears to my eyes. Haddie has a girlfriend (about time we get a gay character), Amber is dealing with the aftermath of Ryan's injuries and subsequent move back to Wyoming with his mother, Zeke and Camille have sold the house, and there may be some hope yet for Joel and Julia. I feel there is a lot left to resolve, so please NBC don't cancel Parenthood, it's one of the best shows you've got. I kind of need to know how Adam is going to handle finding out about Haddie. Christina did surprisingly well. I'm also intrigued to see Zeke and Camille's new home. And Joel and Julia need to reconcile! Overall I give this finale an A-.


Resurrection:

If I were a real critic, I would call this the break out show of the season. There was everything intriguing about this show. People come back from the dead. From the dead. Ok I'm being dramatic, but seriously, how weird would that be were it to really happen? You think population is bad now, just imagine when you've got all the dead coming back. And then are they intelligent zombies? Ghosts? With this show we don't entirely know that answer yet. All we know is that their bodies are still in the ground, yet they're not. Basically they're duplicating. We have one girl who's died twice, so now there are two dead bodies and one alive. What is happening?? So with the finale, we are left where now the resurrected are being treated as second class citizens out of fear. They are being held in a facility like prisoners. But that's not going to be tolerated by everyone in the town, and so a diversion is created, and a good half escape. Agent Bellamy has stuck around town to help solve the mystery, and is left to save little Jacob (the first to return) who's being hunted, because his scared uncle thinks he's a threat. He's a kid dude. So Bellamy is trying to go on the run with the kid, but at the very end gets halted by the government. And what do we find out? That he's possibly a resurrected too! His parents were slaves we found out and had lost track of their little boy. And Bellamy is that little boy! There's no way he's 30 like he looks, so he's got to be a resurrected too, and isn't aware. So now I need to know things! Overall I give this finale an A.


Once Upon a Time:

Snow White and Prince Charming had another baby! And after defeating the Wicked Witch of the West, they get to keep their baby, and hopefully raise it this time. Poor Emma. But everyone can't rest easy just yet, because by Rumple killing the Wicked Witch, it still managed to open the time portal. And it's not going to close until it sucks someone in. Unfortunately Emma and Hook don't get the message to stay away until it's too late and they are sucked in and taken back in time and to the Enchanted Forest to boot. When they get there, they realize they've landed at the exact moment when Snow and Charming first meet, but something happens, and everything goes wrong. So now Emma and Hook have to fix what's gone wrong so that her parents still meet and she continues to exist. After some serious struggles, they manage to make it happen, and also find their way back to Storybrooke, where they find out that not too much has changed due to their interference. They did happen to bring someone back with them, because she was supposed to have died by the hand of the Evil Queen, but Emma couldn't let it happen. And it turns out that this person she saved is Mary, the wife of Robin Hood who happened to be courting Regina. So now Emma is on Regina's bad side again. Of course. We will find out next season just how badly this affects Regina and if all her hard work to be good will go to waste. I feel that we might be having a repeat of history with Regina next season. Snow betraying her trust and ultimately getting the love of her life killed is what sent Regina over to the evil side, and now Emma taking away her true love by bringing his wife back, could very well take her right back. Oh and then this whole jumping on the Frozen bandwagon kind of irritates me. For one it's too soon and two I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who cringed when they saw Elsa and thought "for real?".  Overall I give this finale an A-.

Arrow:

Gah this show! Every episode is better than the last. It's my favorite show to watch right now (when Doctor Who isn't airing). And if you're not watching this, you should be. So this season we've had a lot happen. Tommy's death affected everyone, we thought Malcolm Merlyn was dead too, but were wrong. Thea is Malcom's biological daughter, Moira is imprisoned for helping Malcolm with the undertaking, we find out Slade is super pissed at Oliver and wants to kill him. We find out why, and then Slade kills Moira in revenge, and Sarah's alive. That's just the big stuff! I may want to mention that Slade is pumped full of Mira Kuru which either kills the person when they're injected with it, or makes them have super human strength and rage, but they don't turn green. So we found out on the island that Oliver had a tough task of choosing between Sarah and Shadow on who should live. At the last minute he chose Sarah by instinct and Shadow was killed. Slade finds this out and vows revenge for Shadow's death. Slade kinda loved her. So Slade decides to take everything away from Oliver that is important to him. His family, friends, money and even the city. Slade builds a Mira Kuru army, and the finale takes us to the big fight. A cure has been made and now Oliver and crew are tasked with taking out the army by shooting them with "cure arrows". It starts working, and Slade even gets an arrow full of the cure. He's caught and put in a prison deep underground on the island where it all began. Thea upset with everyone in her life lying to her, is convinced to go with Malcolm in the end. So we shall see what comes of that. I feel like she's very impressionable, and Malcolm will turn her into his little evil machine. Oh and Oliver and Felicity need to happen. The teasing moment we had there was just mean. Overall I give this finale an A+.


Vampire Diaries:

This show literally almost killed me with it's finale. Ok not literally, but emotionally for sure. The series has had its good moments and bad moments. And this season is not to be left out. I feel like it's been all over the place, with dopplegangers on top of dopplegangers (please let's be done with this). And then the introduction of traveler's which are kind of like witches. We found out Damon was imprisoned and experimented on in his past and he made a friend whom he thought had died when they escaped. And then he actually died, and we got this whole "other side" storyline which honestly confused me a lot of the time. But when it came down to wrapping it all up, we end up having just about everyone die to stop the traveler's from taking over the town, and then they all come back from the other side, except for Damon and Bonnie, who are then sucked into oblivion. I don't much care about Bonnie, honestly her character has bored me for a couple years now, but Damon being gone? That messed with me big time. Not because he can't be with Elena (I'm pro Stefan and Elena), but because he can't be gone! Alaric's back, and he needs his bestie, not to mention where are we going to get the sassy bad boy we need every episode? Frankly Enzo just isn't going to cut it for me. After the episode ended, and I stopped crying, I went and immediately found an interview with the creators of the show and found out that Alaric and Enzo will be regulars now (yay for Alaric!) and that Damon and Bonnie aren't gone from the show, but that they will be around, we just don't know how. So that helped a little, but I'm dying for a resolution already! Just on the emotions alone and not the storyline, I will give this finale an A-.

Big Bang Theory:

Penny and Leonard are engaged!! Ok now with that out of the way, this episode didn't disappoint on bringing the funny. Actually the entire season brought the funny. I think this season has been one of the best. I have laughed so hard at every episode, and that's something I wish could happen all the time with all comedies. So with Penny & Leonard getting engaged, this brings on some changes that are bound to happen, and Sheldon doesn't like it. This means that Sheldon will either have to move out, or find a new roommate. Either scenario is not ok with Sheldon. And on top of things, Sheldon isn't allowed to change fields of study at work, which upsets him even more. So Sheldon decides he's going away for a while. We don't know where, and it took some convincing from Penny to get Leonard on board. So we shall see if this is a good thing for Sheldon to be on his own and also find out where he goes. Meanwhile Howard's mom is still laid up from being injured, and they are struggling to find a caretaker that will last more than a few hours. That is until Stewart's comic book store burns down leaving him homeless and jobless. Howard offers Stewart the job and magically it works out! Stewart doesn't have very high standards. Which is sad, but good for Howard. Oh and Raj had sex with his girlfriend. So there's that too. Overall I give this finale an A.

Greys Anatomy:

We had to say goodbye to Christina, and I do have to say is was a good send off. A few episodes earlier we got to see Burke! And he made Christina an offer she couldn't refuse. So with that she made the rounds of goodbyes, but not before stalling for a week or so. Meredith basically had to kick her out the door, but she made it off and took Ross with her (woot! Not a Ross fan). Meanwhile back at the hospital, Callie and Arizona silently decided by discussing it with their eyes that they are going to go the surrogate route to have another baby. Meredith decided that she isn't going to go to D.C with Derek, so I have no idea where that leaves them. They need something to shake them up, they've been the happy boring married couple for too long now. Jackson and April are finally happy at the same time about their new bun in the oven. And the Chief has a love child with Meredith's mom! Yeah I'd like to know how that's going to go down. Especially since she's replacing Christina at the hospital. Should be interesting! Overall I give this finale an A for the farewell.

Grimm:

We had a wedding, which almost got ruined because Adalind is a psycho. Albeit you can't really blame her for wanting her child back and going to all lengths to do it, but to mess with Nick's relationship and strip him of being a Grimm? That's low. I'm happy for the newlyweds though even if they won't get to celebrate right away. And Trubel didn't help the situation, but you can't blame her either since she was just trying to save Nick. And the Captain being shot was a surprise I didn't see coming. So now to find out if he will live or not. I hope he does. Even if I have mixed feelings about him, I do want him to stick around. This show is another I get excited for every week, so I will be waiting with baited breath to find out how they will get Nick back to being a Grimm. It has to happen. And I hope Monroe can celebrate his honeymoon with his bride sooner than later. Overall I give this finale an A.

The Mentalist:

I think I may have been one of the last people on board for the Lisbon/Jane thing. Mainly because I just didn't catch on to the implications until I think last season. I don't know why, I'm usually so good at these things. Anyway, the past few episodes Lisbon has been dating a fellow FBI agent, who has been promoted and has to relocate to D.C. He has invited Lisbon to join him, and then proposes to her. Lisbon has been hesitant about saying not only yes to moving, but yes to the proposal. She's been concerned about how Jane would take it, but after speaking with him, she decides to move. No yes on the proposal yet though. Jane decides that he doesn't want her to go, but can't come right out and say that. Well not seriously enough. So he devises a plan that includes opening an old murder case and gets Lisbon to join him before she leaves for good. Lisbon soon learns that it was all a rouse, and gets upset and leaves for the airport. She calls her boyfriend and says she will marry him. Jane goes after her, gets himself onto the plane (illegally) before it takes off and professes his love to her. She isn't very receptive and he leaves in handcuffs. While waiting for Abbott to show up and release him from custody, Lisbon shows up and tells Jane she loves him too and they kiss. They kiss! I didn't know I was shipping this thing until they kissed. And now I'm fully on board! I can't wait to see where this goes next season. Thank goodness there's another season! Overall I give this finale an A+. It was a really entertaining episode aside from the kiss.

Bones:

Ok so this episode had me freaking out from the beginning, all I could think is "if you bloody kill off Booth, so help me..." And what I mean by this is that the episode begins with Booth being rushed into the hospital with multiple gun shots and it's looking like he may not make it. Then we flash back to a few days before and play out what happened up to that point. A lot of shows are doing this now, where they give you the almost end result first and then take you back to how it happens. Can we stop doing that now? I would rather have what happens be a surprise. So anyway, there was this small arc this season where Booth finally kills Pelant, but right before, Pelant tells Bones that there's another serial killer out there. The elusive "Ghost Killer". The only thing is that no one really believes it other than her. Well eventually it plays out to be true, and in this episode we learn that the Ghost Killer (now dead) is part of a bigger picture, and conspiracies against their own government begin to boil. Booth gets too close, and his career is basically killed, and then he is almost killed to shut him up. We end the episode with Booth living, but has been taken into custody, and Bones gets arrested too. So now we have to wait and find out what it's all about. What did they get too close to, and how are they going to get out of it, and will Booth be given his job back? The episode was super intense at the end and felt very theatrical with the shootout in their house. The only thing I could think of though is damn, they just finished that house not too long ago. That's me for ya! Overall I give this finale an A.

Modern Family:

Cam and Mitchell got married, and it was adorable. Fourth time was a charm too. Their final walk down the aisle had me in tears, and everything that led up to that did too. Just a different kind of tears. Poor Cam and Mitch tried so hard to have the wedding of their dreams. And the first try had a forest fire keeeping them from having the fairytale moment, and the second try they stole a venue from another couple and had to leave. The third try they attempted it at their own house with everyone crammed in, but decided they just couldn't do it that way. The fourth try was perfect. Jay finally came around and made up for his pig headedness by providing the perfect venue for their wedding. And with that, Jay and Gloria walked Mitchell down the aisle which made me cry, and Cam's parents walked him down the aisle which made me cry more. This show has it's moments where I'm not sure if it still has the charm it had in the first season, and then episodes like this happen and I'm reminded why I still watch. Overall I give this finale an A.



And now on to the forced series finales otherwise known as the canceled shows:

Gone too soon. RIP.

The Neighbors:

It's no secret that the critics don't really love this show, nor does their own network really. This season brought The Neighbors from Wednesday nights to Friday nights, and the writers of the show didn't miss a beat making sure the network knew how they felt about that change. Everybody knows that Friday night is the place to kill a show. And to add insult to injury, up until the airing of the finale, they didn't know if the show would be back next season. And so with that unknown, the writers again didn't miss a beat to let the network know how they felt about that. Which is fine, this show is one of the few allowed to "break the fourth wall" in essence.

Now to talk about the actual episode. The Zabvronians are preparing to move back to their home planet and leave Earth. Larry Byrd's brother DJ Jazzy Jeff has come to Earth to help the group back home, due to Larry's father thinking him incompetent and unable to complete the mission given to him. We later find out the real reason Larry has willingly decided to go back home is because he's pregnant, and how would they explain the back bump? As weird as it sounds, I love the fact that they pull no punches when it comes to this show. Every episode is basically ridiculous, but so fun to watch. And this one was no different. The final decision for the Byrd-Kersee's to stay on Earth and raise their little one, while the rest of the Zabvronians go home, poses for a really intriguing season next year. And the DJ & Steve (Full House) cameo was the icing on the cake to a pretty good and entertaining finale. Unfortunately the show has since been canceled and it makes me really sad because now I don't get to know what a baby Zabvronian looks like, or how the birth happens. Priorities. Overall I give this finale an A.

Warehouse 13:

I was a late bloomer to this show, but man it fell into my heart fast. And when I heard that it was ending for good this spring, my heart sank. I had just found it a year before and now I already have to say goodbye. With that being said, the finale was very well done, and so damned emotional. By the end I was bawling like a baby. The season only consisted of I believe six episodes which I feel cheated over. Syfy just isn't what it used to be, and cancels their really good shows too soon (Eureka).

Moving on to the episode; the warehouse has been set to be closed, and Warehouse 14 will soon take over. So the gang gathers to watch their most defining moment during their time at the warehouse. Pete is really upset at the idea of the warehouse closing and having to move on, but everyone else seems to accept the fate for the most part. During Myka's defining moment, it was made clear to her that she's in love with Pete (Pete had figured out a couple episodes previous that he loved her), and so she decides the present is no better time to express her feelings to Pete with a kiss(!). Pete responds back saying he loves her too, and it's beautiful. Claudia is hesitant about giving her life to the warehouse and becoming the new caretaker, but at the very end we shoot forward in the future, and Claudia has taken on the roll and is performing it as magically as ever. Oh and we found out that Artie has a kid! It really was a great final episode full of big revelations. I wish we could have gone at least one more season and watch Myka and Pete's relationship grow. But alas, we can't, and I will deal with that eventually. Overall I give this finale an A+.

A few other notable Gone-Too-Soon's that I will mention, but not go into detail for sake of not making you have to read any more of my rantings than you already have:

Suburgatory
Trophy Wife
Almost Human
The Carrie Diaries
The Crazy Ones
Friends With Better Lives
Growing Up Fisher

You will all be greatly missed.