Fall TV Madness

I must start off by saying that I don't have cable at home. Not even the basic variety with those three Canadian channels and the fuzzy-static porn one late at night. (Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. We were all thirteen once)

So I kinda have a valid reason for posting so late about the new TV season. I don't watch as many shows as before (I do have somewhat of a social life) but the ones I do have time to watch are kick fucking ass. Like Hilary Swank said recently: TV is where the good writing is at these days. Don't believe me? Take a look:


GOTHAM

What it's about: Gotham is not exactly a superhero show but it's not exactly a procedural either. And somehow, it's also not confused. It borrows from both world without being greedy and places one foot ahead of the next very carefully. However, it is very much an origin story and follows the rules very tediously. Bruce Wayne is still a child as is Selena Kyle and Ivy Pepper (based on Poison Ivy); Penguin still holds on to a bit of sanity while Edward Nigma (The Riddler) is slowly losing his; the mafia is slowly finding it's footing and James Gordon is just starting to realize just how corrupt Gotham really is.
Production: The man behind Gotham is Bruno Heller, who also created Rome and The Mentalist. He also wrote two of my favourite episodes so far: "Selena Kyle" and "Penguin's Umbrella". The show started with a 13 episode run, but thankfully that got bumped up to 22 episodes.
Starring: Ben Mackenzie, Donal Logue, Robin Lord Taylor, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Why it's hot: Because it's an origin story. Because it is full of nods to the Tim Burton era. Because you can literally picture some scenes as comic panes. Because Jada Pinkett Smith. Because the writing is superior than most movies. Because!!


AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAKSHOW

What it's about: A new season of AHS signifies a new storyline, a new American tale to be told in a macabre fashion. Freakshow tells the story of a bunch of - wait for it - freaks, who must learn to love themselves in a world where everyone fears them. There are multiple storylines but true to AHS, they will slowly and surely blend together. And what a show it will be!
Production: Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk are TV Gods. Together they made Nip/Tuck one of TV's hottest dramas and managed to recreate some of that TV magic with AHS. This magic, however, would be impossible to manipulate if not for production designer Mark Worthington's skillful knowledge of the different eras. His eye was made for details! PS: Neil Patrick Harris is slated to appear in a cameo role!
Starring: Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Emma Roberts, Frances Conroy, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Michael Chiklis, Denis O'Hare, Finn Wittrock, and Gabourey Sidibe.
Why it's hot: Because did you read that casting list? Ok, enough said.


THE 100 (season 2)

What it's about: Earth has been destroyed because of the greed of men. The elite managed to escape in time and find shelter in space. Now a century later, the Sky People go back down to Earth to evaluate it's sustainability. What they do not know is that not all mankind was wiped out. And now an epic war for territory and power threatens to claim all of their lives.
Production: Considering the scope of the show and the overall epicness of it's storyline, the production team is relatively small. A few producers, a handful of writers, and a small crew of producers. That's it. I was expecting a sh*tload of useless heads with dollar signs for eyes, but nope. And Canadian bonus: the show is shot on location in Vancouver! (as if we couldn't tell by the panoramic shots of our beautiful motherland!)
Starring: Eliza Taylor, Paige Turco, Bob Morley, Marie Avgeropoulos, Ricky Whittle, Isaiah Washington, Henry Ian Cusick.
Why it's hot: Because it is clearly correcting the mistakes that LOST did with it's broad storyline of "we are all others." Because Ricky Fucking Whittle. Because of the cinematography. Because of the mystery and the "a-ha!" moments. Because Paige Turco AKA April O'Neal is in it. Because Ricky Fucking Whittle.


THE WALKING DEAD (season 5)

What it's about: Are you living under a rock? Do I have to explain? Ok ok. It's about humanity and how fucking greedy and selfish we are. It's about the dark side of man, that side we only show when there's one fry left in our plate and we see someone who is hungry but eat the fry anyway. Except with zombies and shit.
Production: The show was developed by Frank Darabont but unfortunately, he walked out after one season and has since been replaced by different showrunners with none as excellent as Scott M. Gimple. He took the reigns as of Season 4 and managed to make the show exiting again, after a slow and disappointing season 3. Viewership went up as did the action and the character development. Gimple really managed to breathe new life into...well...the dead.
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Seven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Chandler Riggs, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Emily Kinney.
Why it's hot: Because season 5 sees more of Carol and Beth. Because we finally meet The Hunters. Because it's gore as fuck. Because we see less of Rick. Because Carl finally has a purpose. Because we see Abraham and Rosita getting it on.


And that pretty much sums it up for my Fall viewing habits. If you haven't started any of these shows and you're not some super busy human being with priorities and stuff, you have no excuse not to start these. Why are you still reading this? Get on it! Go, watch TV, warp your mind!

Candles are out,
Eleven's Ink

American Horror Story - Asylum: A Premiere Review

So the second season of American Horror Story premiered last Sunday but I didn't know about it until yesterday. I'm so not up-to-date on TV this year! But regardless, I got to watch the premiere and what a premiere it was!

I was a little bit skeptical of the second season, since the first one was fucking awesome! When they announced a cast switch-up after the season finale of season one, the fans were often dragged back and forth concerning the casting. Earlier reports stated the return of certain cast members and then they said the cast would return playing other characters, and finally only some of the cast came back in different roles.

The premiere was flawless. Although it was a bit tricky to follow the storylines at first, the slow reveal of certain mysteries helped to clarify any doubts I had early on. AHS has that talent of dragging you alongbrutally with your consent.
There are multiple storylines, once again, all unfolding in one location: a mental asylum.

We have the story of two twisted lovers (Jenna Dewan and Adam Levine) exploring the asylum in modern times. Teresa (Dewan) explains certain facts about the abandonned hospital and helps us establish the past of the asylum. She has a fetish for practising sexual activities in dark, horrifying places. Her boyfriend, Leo (Levine), follows her into the hospice and both get a taste of darkness.

Sometime in the 60's, shortly after JFK's inauguration, we follow the story of Sister Jude and Dr. Arthur Arden (Jessica Lange and James Cromwell) who both run the asylum although they do not seem to get along. Sister Jude (Lange) is a nun with a pious heart. She runs the asylum with an iron fist based on zealous religious beliefs. She's shown to be ruthless when she holds a journalist (Sarah Paulson) against her will when Sister Jude finds Lana (Paulson) wandering around the asylum.

 

And finally we have the story of Kit Walker (Evan Peters) who is also known as Bloody Face, since he was allegedly seen leaving the crime scene wearing a mask made of bloodied skin. He is brought to Briarcliff Asylum to be taken care of by Sister Jude until he goes to trial. He swears he did not kill his wife, Alma (Britne Oldford), and that he is not crazy. He believes (and we are shown) that in actuality, his homestead was attacked by an unseen creature that may or may not be aliens. Inside the asylum, he befriends a woman named Grace (Lizzie Brocheré), who is also accused of murdering people she loved and equally claims to be sane.

Behind all of these stories lies Monsignor Timothy Howard (Joseph Fiennes), the man whose vision inspired Sister Jude to turn the asylum into a pastry factory and who brought Dr. Arden (Cromwell) to the hospital so he can find a cure for tuberculosis. We see him briefly discussing with Sister Jude, who fantasizes of giving herself to him, and reassuring her that the mysterious and sometimes spooky Dr. Arden is not to be worried about.

 

The main plotlines all revolve around religion and mental illness, and how the ignorance of our past harms us more then we know. There is alot of sex/sexual references in this series and the creepy, edgy factor of season one was not lost in the change. I love that they inserted the music from the original Carrie into the season premiere - it really gave it that extra fear factor.

Here's a teaser for you to watch!

 

 

 

You can catch the show on FX, wednesdays at 10PM or do like me an watch it here. Hope you're not afraid of the dark!

Candles are out,
Eleven's Ink