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A Murder at the End of the World: Chapter 7: Retreat (2023)
Of course he is...
So, of course the rich white guy is the baddie. The 'ghost in the machine' is the AI, motivated by the fears and opinions of its creator. So, of course it's solved by the Gen Z female hacker with pink hair.
So, Andy was the one who attacked her in her room and threatened her, was the one who lured her to the exercise room, etc.
Disappointing summation. At least Agatha Christie's stories had actual people with actual motivation when crimes were committed. At the end, we're left with murders by proxy because the genius neglected to install a version of the three laws of robotics established by Asimov.
A Murder at the End of the World (2023)
Agatha Christie meets Greta Thunberg
Agatha Christie's 'Ten little indians', not 'Murder on the Orient Express', as others have mentioned, comes to mind watching this program. One by one the guests are dying off at the hand of one of the other guests, and the pool of suspects is shrinking. In the background is the story of the history of the relationship two of the guests, one of whom is the first victim of the killer. The alternate story is the global warming scenario, which is the weakest leg of the story. The 'tech' in the story is both a detriment and a bonus to the story. There are elements of it that are probable and others which are, if initiated, intrusive and not exceptional.
Black Snow: Predators (2023)
Interesting mystery ruined by politics
Okay, it's the story of a teen girl murdered by someone 25 years ago, whose murder is still unsolved. A cold case detective with his own personal problems has become fixated on it and is determined to solve it, though opening scabs over old wounds has resurrected old ghosts. We see our main characters as they were and as they are now (though looking way too young for their supposed age (18 + 25 = 43) in the present), and whether they achieved anything they strove for in their 'letters to their future selves'.
The family of the victim, shown in present day, is still reeling under the affects of the murder, but the cramming in of the 'BLM' politics spoils it, having seen that they (BLM) are (a) a hate group (chanting 'pigs in a blanket' way back in 2016) and a (b) political scam (the founder using the collected funds to buy several high priced mansions and pay off family members as 'employees').
Leave the egregious politics out of it and 'keep it local'.
Fear the Walking Dead: King County (2023)
Forgot this show was still on, sadly.
Having been a fan since day one, season one, episode one, seeing the events in this episode reminds me of why I stopped caring a season or two ago, about the time 'A world beyond' premiered. The characters there told us the Mississippi bridges were destroyed during the outbreak, yet Morgan walked to Texas. Now, he's back in Georgia, followed all the way back from Texas, by Grace, in a truck, and Deight and Sheri on horseback, as well as half of PADRE. Hundreds of miles, across 5 states, across the Big Muddy. Oh, and the hand-held radio transmits and receives across the distance? Let's not even discuss treating the bites with radiation.
The Lazarus Project (2022)
Subtle Matriarchy
So, we meet the super-secret group who 'saves the world' unbeknownst to 99.99% of the rest of us. Paying attention, we notice the major players in the leadership positions are all women, from the head of the project to Archie (kick-ass field agent) and Janet (the genius designer). The men, with the exception of one character are the weak links, either playing catch-up or 'setting the world on fire', and even the male side characters, such as Sarah's co-worker, is a jerk. Shiv, the one decent male character, is fast approaching burn-out; George, our 'lead', does something he's warned against, for personal gain, and Rebrov is the worst of them. Again, 'women good, men not so good'.
Small reprieve for the men with 'Reggie', but even he has 'masculinity issues', and the lead character from 'the other side has built one too' is, you guessed it, a kickass woman.
Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet (2014)
More filler lately?
It seems some of the new episodes have a lot of 'filler'. There was a whole episode spent on the passing of their pug. Now, granted, we all love our pets, but this pug had been in declining health for awhile, and, all the work done seemed to be for the family's sake and not the dog's. We're happy to see the 'clinic runs' when they go to remote settlements and help out with the inhabitants, and some of the folks with farms and ranches really have their work cut out for them in AL.
The episode with the 'C. V. quarantine' (May, 2023) seemed like a set-up for the daughters, as Dr. O said she was quarantining, but then we see her on her ATV/Snowmobile out in the yard during the video chat.
More power to Sierra for pursuing a career as a Veterinarian, wonder if a camera crew will be dispatched to follow her? After all, there had a been a program focusing on students in Veterinarian college a few years back.
Deadliest Catch: Call of a New Generation (2023)
Going for 'representation'?
Best thing about this new season is the return of Jon Hilstrand to the Time Bandit. The worst part? The influx of the 'new faces' that make it look like the producers are going for 'representation'. IN a clip, we see the new guy on Keith's boat wearing a body cam? Has any other crew member, much less a green horn, ever worn a body cam? I have no issue with Linda, she's a proven ship's captain, but who's idea was it for her to join Wild Bill? Certainly didn't seem like it was theirs. I always felt the show had very little 'fake drama' (heck there's enough real drama with engine fires, pump failures, crane hydraulics spewing everywhere!) but it seems to be creeping in this year. I hope it doesn't stray from what's worked so far.
The Ark: Hoping for Forever (2023)
Let's go to a planet we can't use...
Okay, so, you build 5, at first, then 15, hyper-expensive space ships to go to a place you can't live on without major re-engineering and expect it to be the new 'cradle of civilization', especially when you don't bring the one person expected to 'fix' the planet.
The first ship was supposed to take years to arrive, and the later ones were equipped with FTL, meaning they would arrive years before the one with the guy who was the genius expected to make the planet habitable. To quote Tony Stark, not a good plan. And then to waste all the materials on the multiple ships left dead in space because of your weapon. Worse plan.
Bodyguard (2018)
All the women are in charge?
First episode, the Incident commander is female, the sniper is female, the EOD officer is female, the train conductor was female, thecop's boss is female. The cabinet minister is female. If the male cop hadn't been there, I would have thought every person in charge was a woman. It seems the men are just fillers. It seems the country which brought us James Bond now has no use for strong male characters. We need more John Steeds, not more Emma Peels, much as we loved her. We need more Jeremy Clarksons, not more Kiera Knightleys. It's about time for the pendulum to swing back towards sanity and away from b.s.
Zombie House Flipping (2016)
So, now in 2023...
We can longer say 'Master Bedroom'. Just when you thought there were some places where 'woke culture' wouldn't rear its ugly head.
We watched this simply for entertainment value, knowing it's more 'Tool Time' than 'This Old House'. We're sticking with the Orlando crew, they're a little older and don't seem like simply 'on-screen talent' as much as other teams seem to be on their episodes. Season 5's Orlando team has gone through another reiteration, with the return of Duke and the addition of Allyn.
Just wondering how much longer they can afford to buy and renovate in the current economic situation and rising interest rates.
The Ark (2023)
Mankind is doomed
This is supposed to be a ship full of the best and brightest, who turn out to be the least competent or mature. The story contrivances are the standard tropes used at the end of a season as cliffhangers, used episode after episode. The characters are annoying; incompetent if they're male, insufferable if they're female. At the rate they are going, there won't be anyone left by the time they reach their destination. Too many references to 'current day' things like 'safe spaces'.
The best part of this show is the choice of the undergarments of the female characters which add to the few scenic perks which aren't CGI.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Fragments (2018)
Poor Resolution
The Marine LT. Has a crisis of conscience, and sends his wife his audio tape regarding his decision. The audio tape never gets delivered, and another Marine is sentenced to life in prison for 'fragging his C. O.' 50 years later the audio tape is delivered, found behind a wall-mounted shelf in an old post office undergoing remodeling. The audio tape reveals a bombshell in the case of the imprisoned Marine.
The story was good, up until the last 10 minutes. The resolution, the boogey-man of 'the white guy was a racist', was disappointing. If the resolution had been, 'we lied about the situation for the benefit of the LT's wife', it would have been a better ending. But, by this time, NCIS had tipped toward the more liberal side in their scripts.
Treason (2022)
Too many girl bosses.
Adam is the main character but the majority of the cast are 'strong women'; the CIA lead, the FSR agent, the wife, the candidate for PM, the cop leading the search for the missing daughter. The main character is just a puppet being led by the nose and run from pillar to post.
Yes, as mentioned in previous reviews, the original setup was weak, and the wife being upset over the husband's relationship from 15 years previous, before she knew him, is annoying. And, of course, the 'American team' for the CIA covers all of its bases by having a black female, a Chinese guy, etc. Charlie Cox, having seen him in 'Daredevil', still has that peculiar stare.
Outer Range (2022)
Fighting for their land but not working it.
So, the premise is that the Abbott family is fighting for their land, but so far all we've seen is the two sons working on a fence post. No farming, no cattle, beef or dairy, nothing. They claim to be struggling with bills, etc., Get no one seems to be working at anything except the younger son, and he's a semi-successful bull rider. The fight over the property line is something which should have been settled decades ago. It's only eight episodes, but it's taken that many months to get through it. No word on a second season, and not sure we'll be back if there is one. Oh, and how does a hole that big go completely unnoticed in the days of air travel, Google Earth mapping, LandSat, etc.
The Walking Dead: Family (2022)
Evolved walkers too late
It's been over 10 years in this universe and the walkers are deteriorating, but suddenly they are 'getting abilities'? Frank Darabont included it in S1, which made more sense, but to bring it back this far down the road is breaking the 'logic' of the universe. To bring up a critique mentioned by another writer, the 'armor' worn by the guards provides no protection from the walkers as we have seen over several episodes, including tonight's. The troopers from the CRM were obviously better trained in handling the walkers, and not bringing them into this series after the departure of Rick was a missed opportunity.
Resident Alien (2021)
Want to like it, but just going along with it.
SO, I was really interested when this show was announced because of the lead actor, having seen him in 'Firefly', etc. However, he portrays a killer that we're supposed to like, but hey, the guy he killed killed someone else, so, that's supposed to make it okay. Recognized one of the other actors in the show from Longmire, but that was about it for the cast. The character of the sheriff is buffoonish, the mayor is spineless, the bartender/former Olympic athlete is an alcoholic, etc. I go into each episode hoping for a good story, etc., but there's always something that undercuts it. The inclusion of Linda Hamilton hasn't raised my hopes. Seeing Terry O'Quinn did, but he didn't stick around long.
Not going to comment on how the alien baby, which is the size of a volleyball, can suddenly become the size of a 12 y/o boy, why the planet is wrecked in 60 years, what alien Harry lived on for 500 years (possible future Harry), etc.
Tales of the Walking Dead: Davon (2022)
Memories of 'The Lottery'
I tried concentrating on this episode, but had a hard time caring about the characters. I started getting 'The Lottery' vibes about ten minutes into the episode; the cloistered village, the stranger questioning their ways, maybe it was just me.
I was hoping for more from the 'anthology', but an episode of bad decisions (1), a 'Groundhog day' episode which had no correlation to any episode in TWD, a retcon episode (Alpha), an episode about a scientist making questionable decisions (and what was powering the Ranger station?) have left me wanting. But, hey, they were better than 'The World Beyond' which caused plot holes for 'FTWD' (if all the bridges over the Mississippi were blown, how did Morgan get to Texas and the truckers make their supply runs?).
Tales of the Walking Dead: Amy/Dr. Everett (2022)
Science over Nature
So, a documentary maker and researcher has been studying the dead for seven years, working alone for the most part, and 'just observing'. Interesting premise. His work is interrupted by a lone woman who claims to be separated from her community and simply trying to find a safe location for a settlement. There's a third factor, 'skull hunters', who behead the dead.
Interesting premise, but the set-up is a little far-fetched. Why would a trench be built to set aside land for the dead when the world was falling apart? How did the community get across the trench without a bridge? All-in-all, my favorite episode so far, despite the questions.
Tales of the Walking Dead: Blair/Gina (2022)
Not buddies, not a comedy.
This episode was NOT 'The Walking Dead universe', this was 'Groundhog Day meets George Romero'. Never before have we had such an off the wall episode. From S1 E1 of TWD we were taken into a world where, though we had to believe 'the dead can walk', everything else was believable. This takes us into the world of make-believe, as in 'Groundhog Day'. They talk about 2 years elapsing during the time loop, which means they're operating 'outside of time' from everyone else we've come to know.
When the anthology was announced I was looking forward to 'six new shows' but so far I've not been excited.
Tales of the Walking Dead: Evie/Joe (2022)
Not too bad until...
So, we meet 'Joe', who has quite an underground shelter (which still has me wondering about the logistics that went into building it, if it had been real) in which he dwells now that the world has turned upside down. His one companion is his dog, Gilligan. Joe is living alone, with his pup, but traveling above ground for Gilligan to relieve himself, which leads to the inevitable situation which drives Joe to seek out another prepper he's had contact with, a woman on her own. A several hundred mile trip to an unknown location, giving up everything he's work on to survive? Hmm. So, off he goes, only to stumble across 'Evie', a neo-hippie survivor, who happens to be 'going his way' (how convenient). Off they go, bonding along the way. The story gets spoiled when Joe gets to his destination and we go through the usual trope of the mentally unstable survivor. It went south for me after that.
Fear the Walking Dead: Amina (2022)
Going in circles
The sub, the tower, the APC. The floating radiation zones...I have watched every episode of every iteration but it's getting harder and harder to care about the characters who are, in truth, locusts. Every time they go somewhere, they destroy it. The hotel, the farm, the ranch, the dam, the tower. And the girl in the mask? I needed closed captions just to understand what she was saying. Like the commercial from the 1980s, this show has fallen and it can't get up.
The Walking Dead: Warlords (2022)
Finally...
The Walking Dead of old is back in this episode. The show has stumbled a bit of late, looking for a direction, a bit unequal with the storyline, introducing too many characters to give good arcs. Unfortunately they've brought in some possibly interesting characters just as the show is wrapping up and folding the tents.
The First 48: Chain of Death (2020)
Hand it to the Detectives
I hate to say it, but this is my favorite episode. The 'mastermind' took the lives of four people, between homicide and prison, and thought he had planned it to a 't' and yet, with tenacity and technology, the dots were connected by the detectives and justice was reached for the two ladies and even the man who was his accomplice.
Absentia: Tenebris (2020)
Well that took a turn...
We went from FBI to Emily being a female John Wick, taking out all the guards in the hallway with their own guns. The torture scene was brutal. At least they cleared Cal Isaac.
Absentia: Liberavit (2020)
Started out well, but...
Too many 'Lady Bosses'. Gunnerson, Rowena, Emily, and then the BPD LT. Emily isn't Wonder Woman, but she is definitely pushing the bounds of human endurance.