Firefly: The Complete Series (2002)

09 Jul – €21.80 (£15.84) @ Amazon.co.uk

Serenity (2005)

09 Jul – €11.62 (£7.90) @ Amazon.co.uk

ER: Season 15 (2008 – 2009)

19 Jul – €18.37 (£12.86) @ Amazon.co.uk

Strike Back: Season 1 & 2 (2010 – 2011)

20 Jul – €21.36 (£15.27) @ Amazon.co.uk

Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, Purchase Diary 2012
Tags: ER · Firefly · Serenity · Strike Back
Comments: No comments

Deutsche Version | CW 13-16 | CW 18

Chuck 3×14 Chuck vs the Honeymooners
I’ve enjoyed this episode very much. It had the typical Chuck mixture of fun and action the early seasons had. Sarah’s Texan impersonation was also very funny and I don’t think I have to say anything about her habit of walking around in lingerie all the time.
But I also really enjoyed Jeffster’s (IMHO good) interpretation of Leaving on a Jet Plane.

Romantically Challenged 1×02 The Charade
Nope, nothing special about this show. Just your average multi-camera sitcom with laugh-track.

Happy Town 1×01 In This Home on Ice
I’m a bit confused. Is this pure mystery? Is there a supernatural element in the story? What’s up with Chloe?
The pilot felt a bit rushed because so many different characters had to be introduced (however briefly) but it certainly looks intriguing and I’ll continue to watch.

10 Things I Hate About You 1×15 The Winner Takes It All
If there’s one thing in TV Land that gives me the creeps, it’s public embarrassments in front of a big audience, especially if one sees it coming. I always cringe and even try to stall the inevitable moment by pausing(!) the video. And yet I will not skip over it.
In contrast, I have no problem with putting myself into a spotlight and do things I’m not talented enough to do – just for the fun of it.

Unfortunately, 10 Things won’t get a second season. While it’s not the best show out there, I certainly enjoyed it.

Bones 5×19 The Rocker in the Rinse Cycle
This is one of the episodes I have my problems with. Bones always dealt with magic when it came to solve their murders but the way they found the cause of death this time was once again too over the top. It was like the episode where the bones turned into foam and they still could determine the way the blade (bullet?) went through the rips. Wall Banger.
But I enjoyed the other parts: Booth getting loose, B&B singing, Hodgins & muslim guy talking Baseball, Angela invoking her father, …

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Categories: TV Season 2009/10 Diary
Tags: 10 Things I Hate About You · Bones · Chuck · Cougar Town · Doctor Who · Firefly · Gossip Girl · Happy Town · House M.D. · Justified · Leverage · Romantically Challenged · Smallville · Stargate Universe · Supernatural · The Good Wife · White Collar · X-Men
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Deutsche Version | CW 13 | CW 13-15

Doctor Who 5×01 The Eleventh Hour
Ironically the first thing I noticed about the new series was that the TARDIS doors opened outwards which I can’t remember the ever doing before. The plot seemed pretty straight-forward, I can’t say there were any surprises for me (e.g. that the Doctor isn’t the most punctual man has been proven time and time again [e.g. when he brought Rose home for the first time in Aliens of London; The Girl in the Fireplace]; that he challenges his enemies to look him up [e.g. Forest of the Dead]).
Even the threat that silence is descending isn’t a surprise – they need a plot for the season finale.
But I like both characters so far – i.e. I’m willing to give them a chance -, I’m just wondering if we will see any of the old characters ever again (With the exception of Professor River Song who was in the series preview).

Actually this was my first ever episode of Doctor Who that I watched “live”.

Chuck 3×13 Chuck vs. the Other Guy
While this was a very good episode it still felt a bit rushed. Shaw either knew this about his wife a while – which would explain his sometimes creepy looks throughout the season, but then it wouldn’t explain his outburst when he saw the footage; or he decided to switch sides after he saw it – which then would be very rushed.
Also some things were very sledge-hammer-y like the constant nods towards the security cam.
But everything considered I really liked how it played out and just hope that we can now return to Fun-Chuck & Ass-Kicking-Sarah for the rest of the season.

I also liked the Firefly class reunion of Badger and Jayne:

Castle 2×19 Wrapped Up in Death
I loved it how Beckett fooled Castle (it had to be her ) and how he tried to get rid of the curse of the mummy.
Otherwise I thought there was a bit too much “coincidence” in this episode. The mummy of “servant girl #6″ is the girl that was murdered and this is the mummy they choose to (illegally) sell into private hands? Talk about bad luck…

Bones 5×15 The Bones on a Blue Line
It actually explains a lot. I always wondered how Bones would manage to write a thrilling novel and include personality traits in her characters that are so obviously alien to her. I also loved the entire talk about “that thing he does on page 187″ and also how the actual persons are not the characters in the book.
But if all the personal stuff is from Angela that would mean she invented the scene where Amanda had sex with Agent Andy. Is there something we should know about?

Bones 5×16 The Parts in the Sum of the Whole
It certainly was an interesting episode but the end was a bit disappointing. They drag out the usual will they/won’t they plot but I can totally understand Booth’s POV that he won’t wait forever. He took a leap of faith and suddenly there was just air below his feet.

Even though it had a nice touch bringing Caroline Julian and Camille into this episode, it still is a plothole. When Caroline was introduced in 1×19 The Man in the Morgue, Booth introduces her to Bones. While Caroline may have forgotten Bones (she even says so in this episode), I doubt Brennan would have forgotten.
Also when Camille and Bones meet in 2×01 The Titan on the Track both explicitly state that they have never met before.
Both from the 1×19 and 2×01 point of view the events in 5×16 took place only about two years before.

Now I’m going to watch the pilot again…

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Categories: TV Season 2009/10 Diary
Tags: 10 Things I Hate About You · Bones · Castle · Chuck · Doctor Who · Firefly · FlashForward · Gossip Girl
Comments: No comments

Deutsche Version

Since everybody seems to be starting to count at zero instead of one the first decade of this century and millennium is now over. So it’s time to recap these past ten years and take a look at the TV Shows it has given us.

Let me give my résumé at the beginning: Of the four decades I know TV Shows from (70s – 00s) this was without question the best decade for us TV junkies. When you read my review you might say in the end “Hey what about <insert your favourite here>?” (e.g. The Sopranos, Dexter, The Wire, Six Feet Under, …) but that’s exactly my point. This decade has given us so many outstanding shows that it was impossible to watch them all. Also, everybody has a different set of favourite genres but I’d say that every genre got their fair share of excellent series in the last years.

But let’s face it: There’s rarely any series (if there’s one at all) that could keep up the quality and its appeal for its entire run. Some had a bad year in between, some fell short at the end. But even in these “bad years” they had more quality episodes in it than entire shows from previous decades. So all the shows I am going to name have of course aspects that can be criticized and I invite you to do so.

For me the most outstanding characteristic of this past decade’s shows is that they are more often than not more about the “journey” of the character(s) than the actual events. It’s not the character who shines a light upon the unfolding events but it’s the events that shine a light upon the character and his development. I have to say that shows (hereby excluding comedy shows that work with stereo- and archetypes) that don’t have a real character development don’t interest me at all. But if the character development is interesting I might even watch shows from genres that usually don’t interest me at all.

If the character development is interesting enough I might even set the fact aside that my second favourite characteristic is missing: A real story-arc. The first TV Show in my TV universe that had a real story-arc, was Babylon 5. Later Star Trek: DS9 did the same albeit not in that quality and complexity. But these shows were two of the rare exception in the 90s (another famous exception would be Twin Peaks, but I never watched it). It seemed that viewers weren’t interested in either developing characters or story-arcs.

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Categories: Short Review, Thought Storm
Tags: 24 · Alias · Angel · Babylon 5 · Battlestar Galactica · Being Human · Bones · Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Burn Notice · Chuck · Dexter · Doctor Who · Farscape · Firefly · Friends · Heroes · House M.D. · How I Met Your Mother · James Bond · Knight Rider · LOST · MacGyver · Six Feet Under · Smallville · Star Trek DS9 · Superman · Supernatural · The A-Team · The Big Bang Theory · The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy · The Sopranos · The Wire · Thursday Next · True Blood · Twin Peaks · Two and a Half Men · Veronica Mars
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Deutsche Version | CW 41 | CW 42-43

Bones 5×04 The Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
I really enjoyed this episode with all its entanglements in suburbia and especially the bantering between Bones/anthropology and Sweets/psychology regarding the life there.

Supernatural 5×05 Fallen Idols
Kripke warned the viewers not to judge to quickly about the appearance of Paris Hilton. And he was right, she was the perfect specimen to make the point the wood god wanted to make. And: “You got whaled on by Paris Hilton!”

Smallville 9×03 Rabid
I didn’t care much for the zombie story (despite Supernatural horror still isn’t my genre) but I really like the way they are pushing the triangle C-L-B forward without making it feel forced. I also hope that this wasn’t the last appearance of Green Arrow. I hope he finds his path again soon and will play a larger role this season.

The Big Bang Theory 3×04 The Pirate Solution
I’m surprised, Leonard’s and Penny’s relationship is actually lasting (at least for now ). And Raj and Sheldon work together in a “Eye of the Tiger” montage – awesome!

Two and a Half Men 7×04 Laxative Tester, Horse Inseminator
It was funny (it would fail if it weren’t) but again not extraordinary. Maybe I shouldn’t watch two sitcoms in a row.

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Categories: TV Season 2009/10 Diary
Tags: Ally McBeal · Babylon 5 · Bones · Boston Legal · Castle · Cougar Town · Dollhouse · Emergency Room · Firefly · FlashForward · Gossip Girl · Heroes · House M.D. · How I Met Your Mother · L.A. Law · Matlock · Pirates of the Caribbean · Smallville · Stargate Universe · Supernatural · The Big Bang Theory · The Good Wife · Twilight Zone · Two and a Half Men
Comments: 1 Comment

Richard Castle is a successful bestseller author who just killed his main character in the last book. But now he has a writer’s blockage and isn’t able to write anymore. But then a copycat killer shows up who kills his victims in the fashion people were killed in Castle’s books. The New York police asks him to assist in the case and he agrees. He works with Detective Beckett und he begins to taste blood. He wants to make her his role model for his next character. She is not amused – but he’s buddy with the mayor.

I am normally not into cop shows (anymore), especially if they are of the run-of-the-mill kind. But this feels like a modern day version of Murder She Wrote and I loved that show. And Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog) makes a great author and Stana Katic is good at being annoyed of him. Sometimes when she smiles he looks a bit like Sarah Clarke (Nina Meyers from 24) – not that this is a bad thing, just noticing. The premise also reminds me a bit of The Hard Way, but that isn’t bad either, since I liked that movie, too.

Categories: Short Review
Tags: 24 · Castle · Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog · Firefly · The Hard Way
Comments: No comments

Deutsche Version

It wasn’t planned as such, but in the last few weeks I have watched quite a number of Science-Fiction movies and a good part of them were “Doomsday” movies, so I might as well write a few words about them. Most of these movies are very, very US-patriotic but when you can accept that and when you can ignore the scientific “inaccuracies” you can have a lot of fun with them.

Independence Day

Will Smith   …    Captain Steven Hiller
Bill Pullman   …    President Thomas J. Whitmore
Jeff Goldblum   …    David Levinson
Mary McDonnell   …    First Lady Marilyn Whitmore
Judd Hirsch   …    Julius Levinson
Robert Loggia   …    General William Grey
Randy Quaid   …    Russell Casse
Margaret Colin   …    Constance Spano
Vivica A. Fox   …    Jasmine Dubrow
Adam Baldwin   …    Major Mitchell
Brent Spiner   …    Dr. Brackish Okun

Synopsis: July, 2nd. Some aliens come in a huge ship. They place their UFOs all over the world and blow everything apart. July, 3rd. We try to strike back and fail miserably. July, 4th. We give them a cold and blow them apart.

My Opinion: Great movie. Love it. It’s so cheesy that falls out of the bottom of the scale and comes back from the top of it. The characters are so overdrawn that you can’t take them seriously and that saves the movie. Imagine you would have to look at this movie with a serious eye. The president that fights in the final battle, the drunken pilot that saves the day, the scientist that writes a computer virus for an alien computer and Will Smith in the middle of it.
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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Mini Marathon
Tags: A Knight's Tale · Armageddon · Daylight · Deep Impact · Demolition Man · Firefly · Galaxy Quest · I Robot · Independence Day · Star Trek · Star Trek TOS · The Day After Tomorrow · The Island · War of the Worlds
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Deutsche Version | Season 1 | Season 3

Disc 1

The Homecoming

Synopsis: A new movement is growing on Bajor. They call themselves “The Circle” and they want “Bajor to the Bajorans”, i.e. all out-worlders should leave the bajoran system. Meanwhile Kira learns that Li Nalas – a hero of the resistance – is still alive and he’s being held prisoner on a cardassian planet. She and O’Brien disguise themselves as traders and try to rescue him.

My Opinion: I remembered this three-part season opener to be somewhat uninteresting but I really enjoyed it this time. It’s “funny” to see how something that happened almost only by accident can develop into a legend and how the protagonist becomes a hero. Although they are nothing alike the story of Li Nalas becoming a hero reminded me of the Firefly episode Jaynestown.

The Circle

Synopsis: Li Nalas has become the new liasion officer aboard DS9 and Kira has been recalled to Bajor. But there fights have broken out. The Circle has acquired a lot of weapons and is now openly moving against the provisional government. What they don’t know: The weapons were delivered by the Cardassians (although not directly) who are hoping that The Circle drives the Federation away and thus opening the system for another cardassian invasion.

My Opinion: That was an interesting turn of events with Frank Langella (Skeletor in Masters of the Universe) once again in the role of the bad guy. But I like him in these roles. Interesting thing – especially in comparison to later seasons and later shows – is that you only had to hear the distant rumbling of war to believe that there is one, without seeing it. I don’t condemn special effects scenes, I really like them, but if a movie or series relies to heavy on them the actual storytelling moves into the background or is forgotten at all. That’s the reason the Star Wars Episodes I – III didn’t work for me.

The Siege

Synopsis: All non-bajoran civilians have been evacuated with the help of the runabouts Ganges, Orinoco and Rio Grande. But Sisko and his Starfleet crew remains in the hope that he can delay the surrender of the station until Kira presents the evidence of the cardassian involvement in the Chamber of Ministers.

My Opinion: A good conclusion but I hated to see Vedek Winn squirm herself out again. As I said I like good bad characters. I’Ve always liked Gul Dukat or (later) Weyoun, but I never liked Winn (Louise Fletcher; Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). But at least life is going back to normal on the station – for now.

Invasive Procedures

Synopsis: During a plasma storm the station is running only with a skeleton crew when a nearby ship declares an emergency and has to be pulled in. But the mayday was a fake, the ship’s crew takes control over DS9. Why? To get the Dax symbiont and transplant it into the group’s leader who feels that he deserves to be blended with a Trill symbiont. But that will kill Jadzia and Sisko won’t let that happen.

My Opinion:I didn’t pay attention to the credits but when I saw Verad (Dax) I instantly knew I knew him. But it took me a while to figure it out. I assumed that – since he had not much of a mask – he usually wears one. But then it came to me. The beard and the long hair was missing: John Glover a.k.a. Lionel Luthor from Smallville.
I liked this episode because here we saw how a person can change when he/she is blending with a symbiont. This is one of the rare before/after moments since we’ve never known Jadzia without Dax.
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Categories: DS9 Marathon, DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon
Tags: Batman · Firefly · Masters of the Universe · Smallville · Star Trek · Star Trek DS9 · Star Trek TNG
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Deutsche Version | Season 9 | The Ark of Truth

I have bought the first nine seasons of Stargate SG-1 here in Germany. Each one had an average price of 80-90€. Back in the days that were simply the prices for season boxes, Star Trek boxes had cost a similar amount. But times change and I was no more willing to pay 77€ for the 10. season in Germany. Thus I bought the complete box in the US for 135€. And it does look nice. I will chip the first nine seasons on eBay.

Disc 1

Flesh and Blood

Synopsis: The defence of the Supergate ended in a slaughter of the defenders. The four Ori ships had no problems with breaking through. Aboard one of these ships Vala has just given birth to her daughter. But she is growing very fast and she is supposed to become the leader of all Ori troops in this galaxy.

My Opinion: The more often I encounter the story it the less interesting it gets: chosen childs. Offhand I can recall: Gabrielle’s daughter Hope (Xena: Warrior Princess), Xena’s daughter Eve/Livia (Xena: Warrior Princess) and of course Angel’s son Connor (Angel). If we add movies, we can also add Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Star Wars).
I was also a bit disappointed that Bra’tac has learned very few since he first encountered G_1 over eight years ago. Back then he also wanted to prepare for death after they had successfully sabotaged Apophis’s ship.

Morpheus

Synopsis: SG-1 visits one of the planets where they hope to find Merlin’s weapon. But there isn’t a single living being, not even animals. But the inhabitants of the village seem to have died peacefully in their beds.
In the meantime Vala has to undergo a psychiatric examination before she can join the Stargate program.

My Opinion: This episode was literally soporific.

The Pegasus Project

Synopsis: Daniel hopes to find more information about the location of the weapon in Atlantis. And Carter has developed a plan to render the Supergate useless with the help of a black hole in the Pegasus galaxy.

My Opinion: This episode I liked again. McKay was great and the way Daniel and Vala blew the cover of the Ancient “Morgan le Fay” was also good. While there are significant difference the Ancients and the Ori strongly reminded me of the Vorlons and the Shadows (Babylon 5) in this episode. All four are far superior to the normal Humans and within their universe they have a mutual exclusive point of view on how to interact with the Humans. Although the Ancients are the only ones of the four that don’t intervene at all (with the usual exceptions to that rule).
The “phone bill” of this episode could be interesting. Atlantis in the Pegasus galaxy calls the SGC who in turn call Teal’c at the Supergate and he relays the message through the open wormhole to the Odyssey in the Pegasus galaxy.

Insiders

Synopsis: The allegedly real Ba’al comes to Earth and offers his help to find the weapon. But for this, SG-1 would have to kill all his clones who have uprisen against him. But every clone insits on being the real Ba’al and soon the SGC is swarmed with Ba’als.

My Opinion: Oh Sam, come on! Have you learned nothing from the RepliCarter disaster? I am annoyed that this highly intelligent woman falls for such plans. Yes, granted, she was in a hostage situation but how many lives will it cost when Ba’al is successful?
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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, SG-1 Marathon
Tags: Angel · Babylon 5 · Back to the Future · Farscape · Firefly · Star Trek · Star Wars · Stargate Atlantis · Stargate SG-1 · Xena: Warrior Princess
Comments: No comments

Deutsche Version| Season 8| Season 10

Disc 1

Avalon

Synopsis: Lt. Colonel Mitchell has taken over the command of SG-1. The problem is: There is no SG-1 anymore. Teal’c is council member on Dakara, Sam has been reassigned to Area 51 and Daniel is about to leave to Atlantis.
But then Vala Mal Doran comes to Earth and brings an enrycpted tablet, written in Ancient. It points to a secret location on Earth that is supposed to contain treasures. Vala binds Daniel to herself with a special set of “hand cuffs” and they go off on the search for Avalon, the resting place of King Arthur.

My Opinion: In an early episode of the eight season Sam asked how people like her are ever going to have a family. If she would become pregnant could she simply take maternity leave? The absence of Sam in this and the following episodes is exactly for this reason: Amanda Tapping is on maternity leave.
But the chemistry between Daniel and Vala works very well again. The attempts of Mitchell (Ben Browder, John Crichton in Farscape) “to bring the band back together” are honourable but (so far) in vain.
O’Neill was promoted to Major General and has turned the command over to Major General Landry (Beau Bridges). This marks the end of Richard Dean Anderson as regular cast.

Avalon, Part 2

Synopsis: After they’ve successfully solved the puzzles in the cave, Daniel discovers a device of the Ancient’s that stands in relation to the stones Joe Spencer and Jack have been using for years. They suspect that it is a means of communication. Since Daniel and Vala are still “bound” to each other they try it together – and land in a remote place in foreign bodies. They don’t find the Ancients there but worshippers of the Ori.
In the meantime the situation in the newly found Jaffa council develops differently than Bra’tac and Teal’c had hoped.

My Opinion: I liked the fact that they’ve established a permanent doctor again (Lexa Doig, “Rommie” in Andromeda). They haven’t had one since the death of Dr. Frasier.
But I didn’t understand how the First Prime of a backwater Goa’uld could gather that many followers. A Jaffa (it hadn’t to be the First Prime) of a System Lord would have been more believable.

Origin

Synopsis: Daniel and Vala have been brought to the “City of the Gods” by the Prior. There he meets the leader of the Priors and he learns that the Ori are Ancients, too. But the Ori believe that the mortals should worship them. Anyone who doesn’t follow the “path of enlightenment” will be destroyed. Through the arrival of Daniel and Vala the Ori have learned of our galaxy and they have sent their first Priors.

My Opinion: As if by magic a new enemy emerges that is more powerful than Anubis or the Replicators. The fact that the Ori cannot come here themselves makes this war winnable. In terms of Dragonball, we have reached the Buu Saga.

The Ties That Bind

Synopsis: Although the “hand cuffs” have been removed, Daniel and Vala still cannot part without collapsing. They try to find out why that is and how to undo it. But for this they have to “retrieve” a few items.

My Opinion: The story and the looks of this episode felt like a mixture of Farscape and Firefly. This is no critizism, since Mitchell shouldn’t be a simple copy of Jack and Vala isn’t an ordinary SG team member. I liked it a lot.
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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, SG-1 Marathon
Tags: Babylon 5 · Farscape · Firefly · Highlander · Stargate SG-1
Comments: No comments