Tag Archives: television

Continuum – Season 2 (TVR00010) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
September 18 2020

Overview

At the end of Season 1, Keira found another time-traveller, one who has not fared so well. Everyone thinks he’s crazy, in fact. But most of Season 2 is about her trying to get home still, yet more on an advanced technological plan with Alec to find a way for him to power the device. She is also dealing with more of the separation from her family, including her husband.

Episodes That I Liked

Episode 8 (Second Listen) shows flashbacks to when she met the future Alec Sadler while in the company of Garza posing as a prostitute. Equally, the second last episode E12 (Second Last, yep) is pretty good as it basically looks like everything is coming together for Keira, just before it all goes to crap. Both EPs are outstanding, and I rated them both 5/5.

Another 9 episodes are solid 4s for me on the rating scale, and my rating of the season overall…E01 has Alec getting a message from the future; E02 is a prison break; E04 introduced another time-traveller, one of Keira’s partners from the future. Except she was sent WAY farther back in time and is now old and dying. E05 went in a different direction, with the suit and internal “implant” triggering a psych eval for Keira by hologram. Very Star Trek-like, actually, but quite cool. In E06, Keira finally decides to share some truths about her origins. Not that she is believed. E07 deals with some data nodes for info, E10 has Garza getting captured, and E11 has Lucas going a bit nutty. Liber8 is falling apart with a less-than-clear mission anymore.

And the final episode lays the groundwork for S3 and 4 — that there are other entities using time travel to either preserve time or profit from it.

Episodes That Were Watchable

E03 deals with free will and Keira, and whether drugs can be a temporary escape. But E09 asks questions about the original Theseus starting a revolution, and whether one should kill him in order to stop Liber8 from ever starting. The EPs weren’t exactly bad, but they never quite fit the rest of the storyline as well nor advanced the plot much.

Episodes That I Didn’t Like

Again, as with Season 1, there weren’t any episodes that I didn’t like. The series just continued to rock.

List of Episodes from Season 2

EP #EPISODEREVIEWRATING
S02E01Second ChancesMessage from the future shakes Alec🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S02E02Split SecondPrison break for Travis, Garza-style🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S02E03Second ThoughtsThere’s free will Keira and drugs🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S02E04Second SkinA second protector, a second suit🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S02E05Second OpinionWelcome to batcaves and pysch evals🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S02E06Second TruthsSo you’re a time traveler…riiighhht🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S02E07Second DegreeData nodes, ass kickers and court🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S02E08Second ListenDo you think I’m pretty?🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
S02E09SecondsWould you go back in time and kill Theseus?🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S02E10Second WaveGarza’s capture and new tactics🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S02E11Second GuessedLucas goes nutty & attacks the grid🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S02E12Second LastTravel options, then life goes to crap🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
S02E13Second TimeThe business of time is travel🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The Bottom Line

While Liber8 starts to fall apart, Keira starts to figure out options from other time travellers.

Continuum – Season 1 (TVR00009) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
September 18 2020

Overview

Continuum – Series

Keira Cameron is a police officer. It’s a pretty advanced time, the year is 2077. While she is overseeing the execution of 8 domestic terrorists, they activate a time travel device that sends them all back to the year 2013. She arrives with a bunch of her high-tech police tools — a special suit with lots of functions built into it, weapons that are keyed only to her DNA, and communications equipment to allow her to connect directly to her HQ. Except her HQ doesn’t exist in 2013. Nevertheless, she is a police officer and sworn to apprehend the 8 suspects aka Liber8, so she infiltrates the local police to work with them in combating whatever mayhem Liber8 is going to start as they try to change time and prevent a future ruled by corporations…which would also inconveniently wipe out all of their timelines, including Keira’s son and husband.

Episodes That I Liked

The first episode, A Stitch in Time, sets the show up almost perfectly. It shows Keira in her element in the future, struggling with some of the ways in which the world works but generally moving from a view that everything is black and white and she’s one of the white hats towards something a bit more complex or nuanced. When she arrives in 2013, someone contacts her over her headset — a kid named Alec Sadler (hey, just because he shares my last name isn’t the reason I love the show, but it was a perk) who goes on to become the Steve Jobs of the future, well beyond phones and music players. He has a prototype for a different kind of comms network, i.e., the one that eventually becomes the basis for the suit she’s wearing, and so they accidentally “meet” over the comms line. She eventually has to explain to him the situation — stuck out of time — and they start working together. Through subsequent flashbacks, you see how certain elements tie together through time. The show is basically TimeCop but with no redos, and no way to return home. I was in like Flynn.

The fifth episode, A Test of Time, is time travel at its most nerdiness. They want to test their paradox vulnerability — if someone kills their parents before they’re even conceived, will they disappear? There are multiple twists and turns to test the theory, with threats to multiple time travellers and even to those who aren’t skipping through time. The dialogue has some uber time travel theories built into it, and the twists and turns establish the basic rules for the show. One of the best time travel episodes of any show anywhere.

The season finale, episode 10, Endtimes, blew up the premise of the show big time. Some of the elements introduced kind of confuse things later, but at first, it’s amazing…up until this point, the assumption is that the Liber8 crew plus Keira are the only time travellers. But what if there are more? Including a crazy homeless guy who recognizes Keira as a futuristic cop. Mind blown, I couldn’t wait for the second season to come.

Episodes 2 (Fast Times), 3 (Wasting Time), 6 (Time’s Up), 8 (Playtime), and 9 (Family Time) were all episodes that I rated four stars as they dealt with an attempt to go back home, one of Liber8 wanting to play profiteer in the past, early signs of Liber8 taking on big companies who are doing bad things, the dangers of VR technology, and the origins of Alex Sadler, tech mogul.

Episodes That Were Watchable

There were only two episodes of the season that I rated at three stars, and it was more because they were setups for other episodes rather than full episodes on their own. Episode 4, A Matter of Time, has one of Liber8 arrive “late” to the party (time travel didn’t work as expected for him) and episode 7, Politics of Time, bogged itself down in union politics issues.

Episodes That I Didn’t Like

None, it was a great first season.

List of Episodes from Season 1

EP #EPISODEREVIEWRATING
S01E01A Stitch In TimeKeira has backup against Liber8🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
S01E02Fast TimesOnly EP2 and already plans to go home🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S01E03Wasting TimeKellogg plays both sides, Chen only 1🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S01E04A Matter of TimeKagame arrives to start a war🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S01E05A Test of TimeTesting paradox vulnerability🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
S01E06Time’s UpLiber8 targets an oil company exec🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S01E07Politics of TimeUnion politics are never pretty🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S01E08PlaytimeVR games and mind control don’t mix🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S01E09Family TimeVisit the farm, start a hostage crisis🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S01E10EndtimesOne time traveller? Or many?🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

The Bottom Line

Keira’s past looks surprisingly like our present

Castle – Season 8 (TVR00008) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
March 15 2020

Overview

There is an episode near the end (E19) that is one of the best of the series…it is funny, it is interesting, it is vintage Season 1 and 4 all together in a big bowl of mystery with comedy sprinkled on top. A complete palate cleanser from all the EPs filled with angst. Yet by the time I got there, the first half of the season was almost making me wonder if I would continue watching. Definitely near the bottom of the seasons.

Episodes That I Liked

There are some pretty good EPs in the second half of the season, with diplomats and spies (E11); an escape room (E12); ESL (E13); the Great Detective Society (E14); Esposito’s ex-girlfriend (E16); a lamp and a genie (E17); and Hayley’s past in Britain (E18). However, there are two EPs that are vintage Castle at its best — the return of Slaughter (E06) is funny throughout, but then E19 brings out the best lines of the series with a victim who won’t stay dead.

Episodes That Were Watchable

At the start of the season, it really looked like the renewal from Season 7 to Season 8 was a “gift”. The vast majority of the first half of the season are watchable, but not memorable, with Beckett disappearing (sound familiar? E01, E02); a prisoner and guard experiment (E03); pathological liars and hermit authors (E04); art theft and murder (E05); an a capella group (E09); Castle as witness in a case, with new information coming forward (E10); murder at the police academy (E15); murder while doing Shakespeare (E20); and avenging angels and murderous demons (E21).

However, the two most disappointing are a sting-style episode (E07), and the series finale (E22), both with promising plots that go nowhere.

Episodes That I Didn’t Like

Episode 8 is entitled Mr. and Mrs. Castle and the whole episode is about the two of them deciding if they want to be together or not. Lies, half-truths, omissions, angst, it was just torturous to watch. I DON’T CARE, just decide something. Anything. And go with it. It felt like a complete repeat of the previous year when Castle had amnesia and was running around not telling Beckett what was going on, except the shoe is on the other foot, and did I mention, I DON’T CARE. Arghhh. Not to mention, it doesn’t GO anywhere. No resolution, no big emotional movement, NOTHING leading to MORE NOTHING.

List of Episodes from Season 8

EP #EPISODEREVIEWRATING
S08E01XYBeckett pulls a disappearing act plot déjà vu🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S08E02XXHappily ever after is over-rated🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S08E03PhDeadUniversities and prisons can be deadly🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S08E04What Lies BeneathPathological liar? How first season🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S08E05NoseOh, no, the nose knows murder, deception, truth🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S08E06Cool BoysSlaughter’s back, needs help, and jazz hands🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
S08E07Last SeductionSting? It’s on! Or off, or whatever🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S08E08Mr. & Mrs. CastleOn, off, on, off, on…yawn🐸⚪⚪⚪⚪
S08E09Tone DeathA capella murder, no liner notes🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S08E10Witness for the ProsecutionDid Castle see what he saw?🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S08E11Dead RedDiplomats, spies, and step-mothers🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S08E12Blame GameSeparate rooms, same story🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S08E13And Justice For AllThe English language can be murder🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S08E14G.D.S.Great detectives solve multiple cases at once🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S08E15Fidelis Ad MortemMurder at the academy or spinoff?🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S08E16HeartbreakerEspo’s ex is a con? Heartbreaking🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S08E17Death WishMake a wish, and she appears🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S08E18BackstabberNever trust the Brits🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S08E19Dead AgainThe victim that won’t stay dead🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
S08E20Much Ado About MurderTo be or not to be murdered🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S08E21Hell to PayAvenging angels and murderous demons🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S08E22CrossfireLast season’s ending was better🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The Bottom Line

The victim in EP19 might not stay dead, but the series dies by the end

Castle – Season 7 (TVR00007) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
March 14 2020

Overview

As I watched the episodes, I frequently felt, “Okay, last season”. Quite a few EPs seem like repeats of story ideas they’ve used before or promising ones that go nowhere. I was initially skeptical of the “Castle as P.I.” plot device, but it isn’t completely batty in its execution, and it does work for the most part. Washington? Not so much.

Episodes That I Liked

The best episode of the season is near the end, with Alexis and Castle on a plane to London (E21) and trying to solve an Air Marshal’s murder. And there are some other good ones — Castle becomes a private investigator to let him keep working on cases (E11); an astronaut gets killed in a habitat simulator (E16); and some movement on 3XK (E14, E15). Ryan and Esposito get to lead on an episode each, with Ryan working as a night security guard leading to work with the Secret Service (E18) and Esposito dealing with a bomb on a subway car (E08).

But the other three are about Castle’s disappearance — his return with no answers (E01), the reason for his loss is revealed (E20), and the pseudo-series finale where we find out why Castle is into mysteries and thrillers with his origin story (E23).

Episodes That Were Watchable

There are eight more EPs that are blah again, and it drags the series down. Hence why I think it runs out of gas. E02 sends him on a bread-crumb to Montreal while the team looks at a dead toy CEO; someone killing internet celebrities (E05); a visit to a Western town (E07); another Romeo and Juliet episode, again with the mob (E10); murder of a telenovela star (E12) with a weak plot; Rear Window, again (E13); a Chinese super cop (E17); and a personal injury lawyer with a conscience (E19). Several of those are just retreads of earlier episodes, and the originals were better.

Episodes That I Didn’t Like

It is rare that I give an EP of a series I watch anything less than three stars. It’s an inherent bias to my reviews — if I like the show well enough to keep watching it every week, chances are that I’m going to at least rate the EPs as watchable, right? But this season I went so far as to give E03 a zero — dealing with a supposed invisible man. Um, okay. Heck even E06 dealing with an alternate universe was more believable. And those two are really in a class of crap all by themselves.

But even beyond those two REALLY bad ones, there are still three others that just aren’t worth watching — E04 which is kind of like Kindergarten Cop; E09 which rips off the Expendables movie series; and E22 looks at a SNL-like show, with skits and scenes that need a rewrite, apparently.

List of Episodes from Season 7

EP #EPISODEREVIEWRATING
S07E01DrivenCastle’s back with no answers🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S07E02MontrealCastle’s reward offer gives a breadcrumb🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S07E03Clear and Present DangerThe invisible man? Really? REALLY????⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪
S07E04Child’s PlayKindergarten Cop, Castle-primary school style🐸🐸⚪⚪⚪
S07E05Meme is MurderIf you’re internet-famous, someone might come killing🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S07E06Time of Our LivesAn alternate universe…wait, the invisible man wasn’t enough?🐸⚪⚪⚪⚪
S07E07Once Upon a Time in the WestQuick draw McCastle and Katie Oakley, and a treasure🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S07E08Kill SwitchGreat ep focusing on Esposito. And a bomb. And an obvious motive🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S07E09Last Action HeroOr how the Castle writers found an abandoned Expendables script🐸🐸⚪⚪⚪
S07E10Bad SantaRomeo and Juliet, badly disguised, but good Mr. Capulet🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S07E11Castle, P.I.Richard Castle, Pet Detective. Hey, it worked, didn’t it?🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S07E12Private Eye Caramba!I’m sure the victim’s purse won’t be relevant to her murder🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S07E13I, WitnessRear window, except front, but not everything is a movie or is it?🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S07E14Resurrection3XK is back, and the mysteries go deep🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S07E15Reckoning3XK started with twists, now it’s Castle’s turn🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S07E16Wrong StuffWomen are from Venus, murderers are on Mars🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S07E17Hong Kong HustleA Chinese super cop? Sounds like a Castle novel🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S07E18At Close RangeRyan’s night security dig turns into Secret Service failure🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S07E19Habeas CorpsePersonal injury lawyer with a conscience? Wait, saw it in Season 5?🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S07E20SleeperCastle’s gap is revealed, or is it just enough truth to hide the lies🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S07E21In Plane SightA mother-freakin’ case on a mother-freakin plane? Cool🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
S07E22Dead from New YorkLive! From New York! It’s a crappy episode!🐸🐸⚪⚪⚪
S07E23Hollander’s WoodsGood series wrap-up if the series hadn’t been renewed🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The Bottom Line

The show ran out of gas this season…who needed a fill-up?

Castle – Season 6 (TVR00006) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
March 14 2020

Overview

The season starts off with Beckett working in Washington, and the whole dynamic just doesn’t work. I like the 3XK stuff and a Carrie-like prank. I’ll even accept the wedding episode. But not a great season overall, one of the lower average scores so far.

Episodes That I Liked

They have some good plots for single episodes — Castle might be dying (E01), dead hackers and Daddy (E012), brawling models and wedding planning (E14), and skateboarders (E21). Beckett going undercover as a Russian is better, but not quite there overall (E17). 3XK comes back around with some clones (E09) and the truth is out there on Beckett’s mom’s murder (E22). But there are three EPs that shine…time travel (E05), a Carrie-like prank (E15), and wedding bells (E23).

Episodes That Were Watchable

Despite the ten episodes I like, there are nine that are merely okay…a repeat of D.O.A. (E02, second part of E01 that was better), monks and treasure hunters (E06), diamonds and gorillas (E08), baby whisperers (E10), and teen divas with decoys (E13). Esposito and Ryan get trapped in a burning building for a very special episode (E11), and it should be awesome, but instead is just okay. The boys also take on ninjas (E18) and the 70s (E20), and again, the premises are awesome, but the mysteries are pretty blah. More kitsch than story. And like most seasons, we need an episode for Alexis so we throw her an innocence project (E07). Yawn.

Episodes That I Didn’t Like

But the bigger issue is that there are four episodes that are just uber-blah. Spies (E03), a fan of Castle/Nikki Heat takes hostages (E04), false memories (E16), and a greedy Wall Street trader (E19) all fall well short of the mark.

List of Episodes from Season 6

EP #EPISODEREVIEWRATING
S06E01ValkyrieJust like Castle, making Beckett’s case all about him dying🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S06E02DreamworldD.O.A. redux, with Beckett leading the charge to save Castle🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S06E03Need to KnowScreech is a spy, but personal lives always rule outcomes🐸🐸⚪⚪⚪
S06E04Number One FanHostage-taker asks Castle to prove her innocence🐸🐸⚪⚪⚪
S06E05Time Will TellIf it was about time travel, I would have started with Tuvok🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
S06E06Get a ClueNever trust a monk or a treasure hunter with occult symbols🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S06E07Like Father, Like DaughterAlexis reluctantly needs Dad’s help with death row🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S06E08Murder is ForeverDiamonds are a gorilla-whisperer’s best friend and murderer🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S06E09DiscipleClones of Lacie and Esposito are more than a little suspiciously 3XKy🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S06E10The Good, the Bad and the BabyBaby whisperer cum murder investigator, no waiting🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S06E11Under FireTrapped in a burning building? And Castle isn’t the one trapped?🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S06E12Deep CoverA dead hacker and Castle has Daddy issues again🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S06E13LimelightTeen diva’s decoy gets quacked, but who was the target?🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S06E14Dressed to KillBrawling models, wedding planning, and backstory…nice🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S06E15Smells Like Teen SpiritA Carrie-prank gone wrong🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
S06E16Room 147Multiple confessions, a cult, false memories, and videos🐸🐸⚪⚪⚪
S06E17In the Belly of the BeastBeckett undercover as Russian🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S06E18Way of the NinjaThe boys go head to head with a ninja. Or is it two?🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S06E19Greater GoodA greedy Wall Street trader? With money as a motive? Shocking🐸🐸⚪⚪⚪
S06E20That ’70s ShowFlash back time and Ryan & Esposito pull off Starsky & Hutch🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪
S06E21Law & BoarderSkateboarders, flashbacks, and cam corders — awesome🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S06E22VeritasThe Truth is out there on Beckett’s mom’s murder, and rules be damned🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
S06E23For Better or WorseWedding bells? Quickie divorce 1st🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

The Bottom Line

Making time travel seem plausible, even to Beckett