Why it took me so long to watch Teen Wolf...

* Spoilers up to the Season 3 Finale*


My hesitance to watch the show was primarily because of its name: Teen Wolf. I couldn't justify watching anything with the word teen, despite my little cousin's insistence that it was really good and not teenybopper-ish at all. Even though the show seemed to be right up my alley (werewolves!!!) I was adamant not to get ensnared by a high school drama. So I steered clear of Teen Wolf, which was kinda hard because Sterek (I'll get to this later) is all over the internet. It's true, boredom can make a person do many things, and it just so happens that I got sick this Thanksgiving break. No school + being sick = many, many hours of watching TV, but unfortunately...all my shows were on a mini hiatus = ME: NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! The lure of the werewolves got to be too much and I gave in...

So I guess that's how I started watching Teen Wolf, and you know what, it ain't half bad. Actually I quite like it :) Goodness, I sound as if I've been brainwashed, which I guess is possible since I've watched three seasons in the past five days. I actually feel a little crazed and erratic also...probably due to all the radioactive wavelengths or something. Actually, I have no clue what I'm talking about. I could seriously do a PSA about the dangers of binge-watching TV shows. Dark circles under your eyes? Disoriented? Can't discern reality from fiction? Turn off that TV and call 1-800-NOMORETV (this is not a real number).

Okay, enough about my mental state. The show itself starts out predictably enough: nerdy boy gets bit by a werewolf, nerdy boy likes the new hot girl, nerdy boy makes the team because of his werewolf powers, in this case the lacrosse team (I really do not get the point of lacrosse), nerdy boy is not so nerdy anymore (he is werewolf boy now), werewolf boy goes out with hot new girl, werewolf boy has werewolf-related problems that he has to figure out by the end of the season. Teen Wolf is a nice mixture of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the dark humor, the sarcasm, the usage of reoccurring secondary characters, such as the parents, the Coach, etc.) and The Vampire Diaries (the epic, forbidden love, the whole "I can't control my blood lust").

More than the main character Scott, I actually like Stiles, the sarcastic best friend.

I like the whole werewolf mythology the show has laid out. A couple of things are different: silver is useless against werewolves, the real kryptonite is wolfsbane, and a werewolf can turn whenever, no full moon necessary (though the urge to turn is the strongest during the full moon). I'm loving the abundance of bromances on the show; literally every guy is in at least one (This is where Sterek comes in). Lydia and Allison's friendship progresses in the later seasons as well. The only bad part I can think of is that the cast keeps changing, and some of the new additions aren't quite as good as the original cast (I still miss Jackson and I'm gonna miss Isaac because apparently he's not coming back after the third season.) 

The second half of the third season was probably my least favorite story arc. That's probably because the focus was on kitsunes and nogitsunes instead of werewolves. Though it wasn't all bad, it was through season 3b that I realized that Dylan O'Brien (Stiles) is a freaking awesome actor! The Big Bad of the season, the Nogitsune, possesses Stiles and proceeds to do some very evil bad guy stuff. O'Brien totally pulls off the splintered double personality. Evil!Stiles is completely sinister and almost maniacal. It is heartbreaking to see Good!Stiles trying to hold on to himself. I'm kinda disappointed to see Evil!Stiles go, but at the same time I'm glad the kitsune and nogitsune story line is wrapped up. 

Yeah, so this post was all over the place but you get the gist: I like Teen Wolf. 

Where's the Sisterly Love?

This is gonna be a rant-ish type of post...

You know what annoys me? That there is no cool female equivalent of the word "bromance". Yeah, I've heard of "galmance", but I really do not like that term. Who calls their female friends gals? (No offense to those who do). But seriously it's like someone did a half-assed synonym search for the word woman and just stuck "-mance" at the end.

I took my dilemma to the internet. Urban Dictionary supplied me with "womance" which I thought was kinda cute. I also saw "sismance" pop up a couple of times. Despite a couple of terms signifying sisterly love are floating around on the internet, there is no unifying word like "bromance". This brings me to my next point...

Every movie or TV show you watch you'll see an abundance of male bonding or in other words "bromancing". Females most of the time just show up to be the love interest (Even when she is the main character: Elena Gilbert, Bella Swan, etc.) If the female character does have another female character around, well most of the time she's just there to either give the main female character a hard time or serve as sounding-off board. So I guess the real problem is that not enough girl bonding or sisterhood is portrayed in popular culture to warrant a real unified term describing such a relationship.

Now don't get me wrong. I absolutely love a good bromance, but I think I would love a good...sismance also. Nope, don't like that word either. Off the top of my head the only sis-love (bleh, moving on) I can only think of are: Katniss and Prim Everdeen from The Hunger Games, Buffy and Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serena and Blair from Gossip Girl, Leslie and Anne from Parks and Recreation, and Abbie and Jenny Mills from Sleepy Hollow. Now that is just sad. Why is the portrayal of female friendships the weakest in TV shows and movies? For example, some of the most boring parts of The Vampire Diaries is when Elena is bonding with Bonnie and Caroline. Do the writers not know how female friends interact? Their conversations are always so sappy and trite. The only real friendship I see in that show is between Stefan and Caroline (well up until this season). It's like writers don't know how to write female characters without the support of male characters.

On the other hand, I can go on and on listing all the "bromantic" relationships I've come across:

Sam and Dean (Supernatural)
Dean and Castiel (Supernatural)
Sam and Castiel (Supernatural)
Prince Arthur and Merlin (Merlin)
Will and Carlton (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air)
Jack and John Locke (Lost)
Jack and Sawyer (Lost)
Hurley and Charlie (Lost)
Jack Sparrow and Will Turner (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon (The Walking Dead)
Will Graham and Hannibal (Hannibal) yeah...probably not
Walter White and Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad) okay, like in the beginning, right?
The Salvatores (The Vampire Diaries)
Wesley and Gunn (Angel)
Steve Rodgers and Bucky Barnes (Captain America)
The whole Avengers movie...
Basically every guy in Teen Wolf is in at least one... (EDIT: But to be fair, I do like Lydia and Allison's friendship in the later seasons)
I could go on and on, but I'll end with etc.

Sigh...so where are all the compelling female friendships? Maybe my scope is too limited, but I don't think so, 'cuz I really do watch a lot of TV/movies. I guess it's up to us creative people to create more compelling female friendship or sisterly bonds in fiction, and you know come up with a kick-ass term for it. I kinda like sistah-love...

North & South: A BBC Miniseries

*Spoilers*

Mr. Darcy, Who?

Oh my goodness! I loved this miniseries so much! I wish it was a full-length show. The only other BBC miniseries I've seen is Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth, and while I enjoyed that one a lot, this one was my favorite out of the two. But to be fair, I have a capricious relationship with Pride and Prejudice; I just don't see the big fuss over it. I know a lot people think North & South is very similar to Pride and Prejudice, I did not think so. North & South dealt with so many other themes: moving to a new place, feelings of alienation and isolation, loss and death, the gaping social divide (I know, I know Pride and Prejudice also dealt with differences in social status, but trust me in North & South the difference is a lot starker), etc. 

The setting and tone of the show was a lot darker and grittier than what I was expecting for a period piece set in the Victorian Era, but I liked it. Bring on the grit! The story was set in a cotton mill town where it was the working class versus the "Masters" of the cotton mill. The depiction of poverty was truly grim and heartbreaking. The show maintained a perfect balance between the interpersonal problem: the love/hate story between Margaret and Thornton and the larger societal problem: the social class war between the laborers and the Masters of the cotton mills.

The show opens with Margaret and her family leaving behind their southern home in Helstone to move to Milton in the North. In her search to buy a house, Margaret comes across Mr. Thornton, a cotton-mill owner, beating up an employee for smoking. Margaret is appalled and indignant; Thornton is angry and annoyed, and so begins their love/hate relationship. I just loved the interactions between these two; and the awesome soundtrack just made it even more perfect!

Another thing I liked about this miniseries was that it didn't neglect its side characters. Case in point, I loved Nicholas and Bessy Higgins, a father-daughter duo that worked in the cotton mills. Nicholas was such a dynamic character; I'm so glad that he wasn't made into a one-dimensional bitter, old mill worker. One of my absolute favorite character interactions was between Nicholas and Thornton as they slowly overcame their prejudices of each other and started respecting each other.

There are many reasons to watch this miniseries; the amazing acting, the beautiful soundtrack, the gritty reality of the cotton mills, the lovely romance and the awesome characters. I know that was just a bunch of adjectives, but it really is all that! I leave you with this:

Falling Kingdoms

*Spoilers*

A High-Fantasy Novel? What's not to love?

Title: Falling Kingdoms

Series: Falling Kingdoms

Author: Morgan Rhodes

Release Date: December 11, 2012

Verdict: Can't wait to read the sequel!

Yes! This is just the type of book I was looking for: fast-paced, intriguing plot with many devious and sinister characters lurking in every corner. The four main characters are: Cleo the Princess of Uranos, Magnus and Lucia the Prince and Princess (respectively) of Limeros and finally Jonas a civilian of Paelsia. War is sparked between the three kingdoms when Jonas' brother is killed by a lord of the Uranos Court. 

The large character list in the beginning had me worried that I was going to get characters mixed up, but that was not so. This was a great high-fantasy novel with plenty of political intrigue, royal drama with a good dose of romance. One thing I thought the book was lacking was magic. Aside from Lucia gaining some magic, the majority of magic discussed was in the prologue or through another character's anecdote. I wanted to know more about the Watchers. I wasn't exactly sure what their role was in all of the event as they remained in the background throughout the book. Maybe the second installment will offer more insight into the Watchers.

Also while some characters were fleshed out others seemed like they were just placeholder characters, especially Theon. When exactly did he fall in love with Cleo and why? His death also just kinda happened without the readers really getting to know him. All we knew was that he was guard that loved Cleo for some reason. On the other hand, I found the relationship between Cleo and her older sister Emilia to be believable and utterly tragic. I thought this was one of the better relationships in the book. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book and read it in one sitting. Since Falling Kingdoms ends with the evil King Gaius of Limeros taking over all three kingdoms and capturing the new Queen of Uranos, Cleo, I have a feeling the four main characters might possibly be teaming up?                          

The Fiery Heart: A Bloodlines Novel

*Spoilers*

It's not you, It's me...maybe

Title: The Fiery Heart

Series: Bloodlines

Author: Richelle Mead

Verdict: Why did I read this?

             

 

This is my first book review on this blog YAY! Anyway this is the fourth book in the Bloodlines series chronicling the adventures and romance of Sydney Sage (an Alchemist) and Adrian Ivashkov (a Moroi). More Adrian? Sounds pretty awesome right? Except I was forcing myself to turn the next page (Well not really "turn" it was more like "clicking" since it was an ebook. Have I mentioned how much I prefer actual paper-books, but whatever that rant is for another day.) I don't know why this series has been so hard for me to get interested in because I devoured the Vampire Academy books like there was no tomorrow. I've factored a couple of things into why this just isn't the book series for me. 

1. I'm too old. This is a young adult novel so it's pretty much targeting the 14 to 18 year old crowd. Most YA fiction is universal and can be read by all ages, this one just isn't (at least for me). Since I'm no longer in that demographic it makes sense as to why I loved Vampire Academy and not Bloodlines. (Oh My God, I'm old...*shove aside mental breakdown for a later date*) All of the characters just seemed so juvenile and annoying. One especially unnecessary plot point that irked me to no point was when both Jill and Angeline pretended to like the new dhampir guy for some stupid reason that I can't even recall right now. C'mon teenagers do not act like that, do they?

2. Sydney Sage is no Rose Hathaway. While Rose annoyed the heck out of me at times and especially in the end where she cheats on Adrian. I actually hated her character then, but at least she never bored me. I don't know why I find Sydney so boring. Maybe it's because she feels like a one-dimensional studious, brown-nosed character. Even her flaws are boring (a caffeine addiction). *yawn* I'm just saying that you can have a intelligent character that is interesting and quirky. But to be honest, I did start reading this book primarily because of Adrian. You know who I thought was pretty interesting enough to have her own spin-off, Mia, Rose's kick-ass former nemesis. 

3. My final point is that... Adrian Ivashkov seems completely watered down. I understand that Sydney is a good influence on him, but I think this is one of those moments where too much of a good thing becomes kinda bad. Adrian was a helluva lot more intriguing to read about when he was all mysterious, dark and destructive.

Well that's about it :) I don't know if I'm going to read the next book at this point, but hey you never know!

Hannibal is My New Favorite Show

*Delicious Spoilers Ahead*

So...I'm a Fannibal

I knew this was going to happen and I tried to resist it. When the promos for Hannibal first started airing I was like "Yessss this looks good!" I started watching it, but for some reason when I got to the episode (1x06) where Abel Gideon is first introduced I got super squeamish. I guess it was the fact that Abel Gideon  blinds a woman by pressing his thumbs into her eyes. *Still Shuddering* So there was this long period where I put off watching the show. I mean loved everything else: the characters, the acting, the writing, and yeah I could just keep going. 

Anyways, a couple of weeks back I started getting spoiled on the internet and by my brother and there are only a few things I hate more than being spoiled, so I re-started Hannibal, gory scenes and all. Though I will admit that I had to turn away from the screen in that episode (2x02) where the guy rips himself out of the dead human mural and then jumps to his death, and I almost threw up when Will remembers Hannibal stuffing Abigail Hobbs' ear down his throat. Yeah, the show is totally gruesome and not for the weak-stomached. I find the character interactions more interesting than the disturbing crime scenes anyway.

                         

I think my favorite aspect of this show is Hannibal's role as both a friend to Will and a kind of consultant to the FBI. I like the whole killer-right-under-our-noses feeling and Hannibal is absolutely sinister in that role as he toys with everyone around him. But poor Will Graham, our main protagonist is the one who gets the brunt of Hannibal's mind games, ending up in jail at the end of season 1 for Hannibal's crimes. Hannibal's creepiness is accentuated by the fact that his motivation is just idle curiosity and as he later claims he was just "curious what would happen". Though right up till Will's incarceration, Hannibal tries his darndest to be Will's BFF, which would be pretty adorable if you can ignore the fact that Hannibal is a cannibal who is framing his supposed friend (Will) to take the fall for his own crimes. Despite that, I still love Will and Hannibal's scenes! Whether the two are friends, or at odds or creepily enough killing buddies their scenes together are always captivating. I was a little worried that the writers were going to make Will irreparably dark.

I still can't get over the Season 2 finale. Even though I had been spoiled I was still surprised to see how everything went down! Will sets everything into motion by calling Hannibal and saying "They know" (Just like Hannibal called Garrett Jacob Hobbs in the pilot episode!!!). Hannibal basically dispatches all of the main characters in the last 10 minutes of the episode: Jack, Alanna, Will and even Abigail Hobbs who returns from the dead. This is one of those finale where the spoiler: "Everyone Dies" rings true. Who lives? Who dies? I'll have to wait several painful months to find out! AGHGHHHHHH! One thing about the episode though: why did it take so long for the police and ambulance to get to the scene? Jack and Hannibal's fight scene is fast-paced and brutal. Alanna is pushed out the window by a confused and scared Abigail. I thought Hannibal's treatment of Will was especially tragic. He guts Will and then proceeds to kill Abigail right in front of him as punishment for betraying him. Hannibal walks off leaving his home filled with people in various stages of dying all at his hand. A super dismal finale, but totally fitting as the show is about a cannibalistic psychiatrist.
                   

Falling Skies

*Spoilers up til the end of the season 2*

All About Alien Invasions = Right Up My Alley

I'd been told numerous times by my sister that this show was for me. Ever since I finished Merlin, I'd been experiencing some withdrawals and was pretty reluctant to starting a new show. Finally, my sister's insistence wore me out and I conceded.

I began watching the show and liked it well enough despite the just-okay acting and sometimes-dragging plot. How could I not like it? Its about an alien invasion! There's also alien-robots called Mechs, skitter-y aliens called Skitters and the boss aliens called FishHeads. Yeah, the show likes its little nicknames. Anyway, the second season of the show ends with revealing another alien type that we have never see before!!! What is it? Is it with the rebel skitters? Or with the Overlords (FishHeads)? I don't know! I'm going to go watch some more right after I write this.

Let's talk about the characters: the main character is Tom Mason along with his three sons (Hal, Ben and Matt). Tom is Captain Weaver's second in command of the 2nd Massachusetts. In the first season, none of the characters really stood out to me, so I couldn't say that I had a favorite character. In the second season I realized I had two favorite characters, Ben and Pope. Ben is super suspicious and kinda weird, but I couldn't help rooting for him. I wanted him to end up on the right side if it ever came down to him choosing the humans or the skitters. Pope, is the most morally ambiguous character on show; he's the guy that would save you and then turn around and shoot you in the back if it serves him better. Again, you can't help but hope that he'll end up with the good guys.

The second season also ended with Hal being possessed by a tiny alien bug. Can't wait to see that play out. Oh a side note, Karen has to be the creepiest of all the Harnessed-Kids, Rick (RIP) comes in second. I think I'm ready for the 2nd Mass. to move out from Charleston. The second season really picked up the speed plot-wise let's hope the third season can maintain that speed.

Merlin Season 5 Episode 12/13: The Diamond of the Day

*Spoilers*

This is Why I Hate Finales

Okay, so I finally finished Merlin after starting it more than a year ago. The reason it took me so long to finish Merlin wasn't that I couldn't get into, but rather I wanted to prolong the inevitable. As soon as I started watching Merlin I fell in love with the show, the characters, the magical premise and the amazing acting; I was totally infatuated with the show that I forgot about one key aspect: the ending. Despite having read many Arthurian legend re-tellings it wasn't until after the fourth season that I was struck with the realization that all the re-tellings have one thing in common: King Arthur's tragic end. I halted my viewing process immediately, yeah I know it seems a little silly, but I hate finales, especially sad finales. So began my long avoidance/denial stage. Finally, this summer I forced myself to sit down and finish the series. One episode away from the end, I was about to close the TV, but it was 2:30 in the morning and I was way too caught up in the action, and the nerve-wracking need to know how everything was going to go down, so I watched on. The lack of sleep and the heightened emotions (I'm not going to clarify whether I'm talking about the character's heightened emotions or my own) were making me a little crazy, which is probably the only reason I continued watching. 

I'm having watcher's remorse right now (If there's no such thing as that, there should be). The first part deals with Morgana sending a creature after Merlin to take away his magic now that Mordred has told her about Merlin being Emrys. Morgana succeeds, Merlin is magic-less and totally help-less. When Arthur declares he is going to Camlann (where he is prophesied to die) to meet Morgana's army, Merlin makes up an excuse of needing to gather medical supplies for Gaius. Arthur disappointed, turns away and prepares to head out, meanwhile Merlin enlists Gwaine's help to travel to The Crystal Cave in an attempt to regain his magic. Fast-forward: Merlin gets his magic back after talking to his father's ghost while Morgana is planning an ambush on Arthur's camp at Camlann. Merlin uses his regained magic skills to communicate telepathically to Arthur and warn him of Morgana. Arthur heeds Merlin's warning. He readies his men with a inspiring speech and the battle begins.

The second part, shows Merlin in the guise of the old sorcerer joining in the battle. With impressive lightening bolts, Merlin takes out Morgana's army, but not before Mordred stabs Arthur with his very own dragon's-breath-forged sword. Arthur quickly retaliates by delivering a fatal blow with Excalibur before collapsing. Merlin comes upon the injured Arthur and takes him away from the battlefield to heal him. When Arthur comes to, Merlin, in his own form reveals that "I am a sorcerer, I have magic". The rest of the episode deals with Merlin and Arthur traveling to the Lake of Avalon to cure Arthur, while Arthur deals with Merlin's reveal. Gwaine and Percival on the other hand are trying to kill Morgana and Leon steps up to be Gwen's right-hand man. I love the realizations Arthur experiences when he witnesses Merlin's magic in action; Arthur finally understands just how many times Merlin has saved his life without him ever knowing. Gwaine and Percival's plan backfires on them as Morgana uses a Nathair on Gwaine to find out Arthur's location. Gwaine is left to die in Percival's arms as Morgana sets out to kill Arthur. I hated Gwaine's death so much. It was so unnecessary, like this episode wasn't sad enough already, but no they just had to kill the most sunny-dispositioned knight, just because. Morgana catches up with Merlin and Arthur, but is dispatched quickly when Merlin runs her through with Excalibur. Arthur is fading away quickly when he tells Merlin to stop. He utters "thank you" before slipping away. Okay, this next part is so annoying, Merlin finally calls on the dragon to transport them to the Lake of Avalon. WHY THE HELL DOES HE WAIT SO LONG TO CALL THE DRAGON? Okay, that's out of my system ( I'm still feeling a little bit of the crazy symptoms). They get to Avalon, but it's too late. Merlin sets Arthur adrift on a boat on the Lake of Avalon with the dragon claiming that Arthur will rise again when Albion needs him. The series ends with Gwen being crowned ruling queen and old-Merlin walking the streets of modern-day England, waiting for Arthur to return one day.

The end was just as sad as I thought it would be: Arthur dies and Merlin spends the rest of his life waiting for him to come back. *Sigh* I thought since the creators of the show mixed things up from the original legend the ending might also be changed, but no such luck. I mean, Gwaine was supposed to be Arthur's nephew, Uther was supposed to die when Arthur was a baby, Lancelot doesn't die...I could go on. Anyway, I thought this was a tragic but fitting end to an amazing story about friendship and loyalty. Merlin and Arthur are definitely among my top bromances. 

The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 22: Home

*Extreme Spoilers Ahead*

And They Did it Again...

In the season 5 finale of The Vampire Diaries the two Salvatore Brothers swap places, with Stefan well and alive and Damon not. The last scene is of Bonnie and Damon holding hands as they are engulfed in a blinding white light. The two's last scene is touching and sad.

Again, I think there is no way these two characters are staying dead even though Julie Plec did say there were going to be three "permanent deaths". I mean if Alaric can come back after being dead for like two seasons, Bonnie and Damon can totally come back. If anything, this is the start of Bamon, which I've been waiting for since the first season! And also what was Bonnie's Grams saying about looking after Bonnie? I think she has some kind of fail-safe in place to protect Bonnie. I just don't think the show can go into its sixth season without one of its Three Main Characters. Maybe next season will be about the place where the dead are snatched away to? 

Other Things Worth Noting:

*Markos was really easy to defeat, guess the Travelers were lame after all.

*Enzo is back!

*So is Alaric!

*But not Lexi :(
*I liked seeing Silas one last time.

*Bonnie and Damon are definitely coming back! I hope...

*Oh and who was the third death? Was it Sheriff Forbes? That was never clear.

*EDIT* Another thing, why weren't Jeremy and Matt affected by being in "magic-stripped" Mystic Falls? They both have been brought back to life numerous times through their magical rings. 

The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 21: The Promised Land

*Extreme Spoilers Ahead

Oh No They Didn't...

Unfortunately yes, they did. In the penultimate episode of season 5 of The Vampire Diaries, The Promised Land, the unthinkable happened: a Salvatore brother was killed off. Stefan Salvatore met his end in the form of a pissed off hybrid/traveler while trying to save Caroline Forbes' life.

I had to watch that scene about 5 times just to let it sink in. I couldn't believe that some random Traveler got the best of Stefan Salvatore. Seriously? After the shock subsided I frantically raced over to watch the promo for the season finale which was surprisingly cavalier and light. So then I got to thinking. Even though we saw Stefan pass through Bonnie aka The Anchor when he died, I think there is going to be a way for Stefan to return to the land of the living.

My Evidence:

*The promo shows Elena and Damon driving into The Grill with the plan of destroying all of Mystic Falls, including themselves. Now, not everyone can die since the show is coming back for another season. So I think somehow everyone is going to "die", go to the other side and then by some totally wild spell/plan come back. This makes me happy because it means that Enzo will get to come back also!

*Secondly, if you go all the way back to the pilot episode, you can see that it starts out with a voice-over of Stefan that goes something like this:

"For over a century, I have lived in secret, hiding in the shadows, alone in the world, until now. I am a vampire and this is my story."

Now that above statement seems a lot like someone who is reminiscing or telling their "story". A storyteller can't die mid-way their own story. Or can they? I guess the writers could have forgotten or hoped that the viewers would forget that little detail.

Other points worth mentioning:

*Markos is a pretty good villain. The Travelers, who seemed pretty lame in the beginning, became  formidable foes in this episode.
* What is the population of Mystic Falls at this point? -78?
*I like Enzo.
*I really hope Stefan comes back.