Jeremy McLean's Blog, page 6

August 10, 2014

Crossbones Episode 9 (Final Episode) Review

I will miss this series. Though the start was too slow, and oftentimes bad, it really did a good job on the last few episodes, and, had it continued, would have taken an interesting turn.

This episode culminated in a climactic battle with Tom Lowe, Blackbeard, and William Jagger in the middle.

Because of Blackbeard's actions in the last episode, the people of the island seek to depose him, by force if necessary, but don't get the chance as William Jagger finds the island. This creates a rallying of the villagers as they fight marines to save the island. Quite a few people die in the fight, and it makes for some decent action, which has been sparse over the course of the series.

Some oddities occur during the fight however. William Jagger goes off somewhere with a side character, Blackbeard's former insane wife, and first makes her yell for Blackbeard. I found it especially odd as they're in the middle of the woods on the island, and it seemed like they were nowhere near the battle. How is her voice supposed to carry? Magic? No idea, but I felt the whole thing was stupid. Then, later in the episode, William Jagger comes back, because apparently he was just running around doing nothing, and then tells the crazy woman where Blackbeard's current wife is, which he should have no knowledge of as he's never been to the island and never saw the woman in the episode.

Then, on Tom Lowe's side, he ends up fighting a group of marines until he's backed into a corner and using a rifle with bayonet as a club and spear. However, all the marines have guns, and, unless they spent them all backing Lowe into the corner, no one fires a shot at him. It was one of those odd moments where the writers clearly couldn't have them shot Lowe, but didn't provide a good enough reason for them not to. After a moment, someone comes and saves Lowe from certain death, but it was certainly enough time for a marine to reload, or at least look like they were.

Blackbeard and William Jagger eventually collide and have their fight, and something happened in it which I've never seen before in this type of period action piece: they start and end the fight with their pistols, taking several shots. They fire on each other from a distance, duel style, both hit, then they reload to try again. In most tv or movies, you would see them skip over this and go straight for swords, but they stick with the pistols and show the full reload, which I liked. What I didn't like was the cliche talk before the second shot routine. If you wanted to talk and say last words to each other, then why did you try to kill him first?

Blackbeard prevails against Jagger, in a satisfying way overall, and it was a nice conclusion to their revenge story.

After the fighting, many have died, including some main characters, and Lowe takes an action which I didn't think would happen: he goes after Blackbeard. Not to kill him, per se, but to take over his position.

Blackbeard doesn't take his offer to stand down without a fight, and a decent one on one battle takes place, with another oddity from Lowe. Lowe, in trying to convince Blackbeard not to fight, puts down his weapon, which I felt was out of character because Lowe isn't that stupid.

After the fight, Lowe rallys the villagers, and we're left to believe Blackbeard is dead and he took over the village. Six weeks later, Lowe gives a severed head, possibly Blackbeards, to an British official, and tells them to leave the island alone (though, I don't know why as no one should know about the island. So many flaws in this episode, but still minor nontheless)

The final scene is Blackbeard with a pack slung over his shoulder, walking along the beach to a ship, presumably to start pirating all over again, or maybe live a peaceful live elsewhere. Who knows.

And that scene is why I will miss the series now that it ended. It can serve as a decent one-off mini-series this way, but had it continued the possibilities of where it could have gone were endless. It could have joined Blackbeard in his further pirating adventures under another name, and who knows, with the star power of John Malkovich  it might have gone in this direction to retain viewers. It also could have focused on the pirate island and Tom Lowe as the leader, and him turning pirate. It could have done both, flipping between Blackbeard's exploits and the village's troubles. We'll never know now.

Overall it was a decent series that failed at the beginning. If it was a bit more focused, a bit more action oriented, it may have faired better that it did. Sad to see it go, but there's season 2 of Black Sails to look forward to at least.

And, of course, Book 2 of my series is upcoming, for satisfying all your Blackbeard cravings ;p
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Published on August 10, 2014 20:21

August 2, 2014

Crossbones Episode 8 Review

The good episodes just keep rolling in.

This episode once again took a look at minor things that happened in the past episodes, and built upon them to deliver a meaningful and twisty story.

This episode sees Blackbeard taking his pirate crew after a Spanish treasure fleet, only to be intercepted by William Jagger. As I said earlier, it builds on the things that happened in earlier episodes which didn't make sense at first, and as such made it seem like the writers knew what they were building to.

During this side of the story you really get to see the resurgence of the Blackbeard from legend. I won't say what happens, as that would spoil it, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The other half of the episode dealt more with Tom Lowe and Kate, with a meaningful exploration of the consequences of their relationship. Again, I won't say exactly what happens, but the actions the characters take are not out of character and do an excellent job of building upon the past.

I feel like with this and the last episode we're finally starting to have the series come out of it's shell and become what it was meant to be.

A minor complaint I have is again with the editing side of things. I feel that conversations are cut away to other events happening too often, and several times it felt disjointed.

The big issue I have is this is episode 8, and this should have, or at least could have, been happening in episode 4. The time spent going through the "meaningless" episodes could have been condensed and not padded with filler.

If they had of cut down on the filler, and rearranged a few things, it could have been a more natural and quick paced progression. I'm not sure how the ratings are, but I can't help but think that in this time a lot of people have dropped the show because they waited too long for meaningful payoff.

If this series continues the trend from these past two episodes, I sincerely hope that didn't happen, as I would like this to continue.
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Published on August 02, 2014 20:32

July 27, 2014

Crossbones Episode 7 Review

Finally the episode I've been waiting for.

This episode had some decent drama and palpable emotion between the characters.

While Blackbeard recovers we finally see the end, or the beginning maybe, of the thief side story as it took centre stage.

Nenna, the thief, took actions in the last episode threaten to expose her and risk her plans from coming to fruition. Tom Lowe finds out and tries to bargain with her to save those who found out about what she did, but she doesn't listen, which forces the two players hands. Each of them try to outstage the other in scheming.

Nenna: "I don't play chess."
Tom: "I can teach you."
Nenna: "I I didn't say I can't, I said I don't."

Tom Lowe seeks to plant incriminating evidence of Nenna's most recent crime at her home, but Nenna works with another of the islands inhabitants, James Belfour, the crippled husband of Kate, to make it look like Tom killed Nenna.

This, and the growing unrest against Tom make it seem obvious what happens next. After a time of trying to prove his innocence and not being listened to, the townspeople sentence Tom to death.

There are some great scenes with Tim, Tom Lowes apprentice, who I forgot the name to as he was unimportant until now. They said his name several times, he made himself useful, showed a hint of intelligence at knowing what was going on between Tom and Kate, and also it was revealed that he is a studying surgeon.

There are also some great scenes with James and Kate, with much needed character development on James' part. He reveals how he knew about the affair, but didn't care as he thought it made Kate happy. The reason why he sided with Nenna was because he recently found out that Tom was a spy who, in a previous rebellion James was part of, had James captured and tortured causing him to be crippled.

James eventually decides to come clean and saves Tom at the last second, but in doing so he is sentenced to 40 lashes for lying and letting Nenna, a criminal, escape the island.

Due to James' condition this could cause him to die from the pain, and Tom offers himself to take the lashes instead, clearing the debt to James for prior wrongdoings.

During the lashes, the townspeople cringe and call for a stop before all 40 are given, which seems to insinuate that the townspeople are also fine with Tom again.

No real complaints this episode. Good acting and good drama made this an enjoyable episode. If this keeps up it may become a series I endorse.
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Published on July 27, 2014 22:20

July 26, 2014

Crossbones Episode 6 Review

A little late on this one. I'll make up for it with another episode review tomorrow.

This episode sees the biggest advancement in the plot so far, with finding out Blackbeards intentions on a plan he's been hatching. It's exciting to think about what they could do with what they've hinted at, and I hope the writers follow through on the promise.

Mainly I want to see a big ship battle. There was only one that I recall and that was in the first episode.

The other good point to the episode is we see more of Tom Lowe and just how much he's been scheming and manipulating things to get what he wants. It builds up his character's likeability for me.

Blackbeards still acting kind of dumb though. Too trusting. There was a good action scene with him in it, and it was exponentially more well done than past actions scenes involving Blackbeard. He actually looked like he could hold his own in a fight.

There were two things I didn't like in this episode. There was an odd editing issue, but one that has happened before. The take a scene, then cut in other scenes, then go back to the first scene. And it's not a short sequence either, so when viewed it looks like time has passed between going back to the first scene when it shouldn't.

It feels like they storyboarded the initial scene as a whole, then moved on in a natural order, but then when they watched it they didn't like it and swapped it around chronologically, making it seem odd.

The scene is that Tom Lowe is explaining something to Backbeard and being questioned by Blackbeards second in command. He's first explaining what he did on a trip to Jamaica amidst procuring a medical instrument to perform surgery on Blackbeard. Afterwards, it switches to other scenes, then to one where Blackbeard and his second in command are talking privately about the surgery and whether Lowe can be trusted. After that it goes back to Lowe, Blackbeard, and the second in command in the first room, and Lowe is explaining the procedure and what he will be doing. Then Lowe is dismissed and goes to talk with another person on the island.

Taken as is, it feels like there is time in between Lowe explaining what he did in Jamaica, and when he explains the procedure, but there shouldn't be. It feels disjointed and odd.

The other part I disliked was more of the side characters story arc, which still has no place in the overall narrative going on. I have no idea where it's going, and at this point I don't think the writers do either.

This was a decent episode overall. I enjoyed it.
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Published on July 26, 2014 21:54

July 13, 2014

Crossbones Episode 5 Review

This episode seemed to be a turning point for Tom Lowe, but I don't believe it was for the better.

Tom Lowe finds out about Blackbeard's plans for destruction of several British military stations, and decides he must get to Jamaica to warn his superior officer William Jagger. He reaches Jamaica under the guise of getting a rare medical instrument to assist Blackbeard with a medical problem he's been having that's threatening his life.

In between this there's more between Kate and her husband and their attempt at rekindling their relationship. One in Blackbeard's crew seem to know of her sexual exploits, and allude to others whom she's seduced. He wanted her to test Tom Lowe to find out what his true intentions were in Jamaica, and whether he would return to the island they are hiding in.

Tom tells Kate essentially that he loves her and wouldn't betray the island, and Kate in turn vouches for Tom, putting the nail in the coffin for what I thought should happen with their relationship. It's a "love at first sight" story through and through. If only that darn husband weren't around, shucks guys.

Seemingly going against this, Tom almost does give the location of the island away, but wants Jagger to spare Kate. Jagger off-handedly says that all the villagers will be killed, innocent or not, but agrees to spare Kate. Or at least he tells Tom as such.

At this point is when I really feel it was a step back for Tom, as he has a choice between two evils, and sides with Blackbeard seemingly swayed by the way things are run on Blackbeard's island, and Kate. Even as he betrays Jagger, thus turning the British against him forever, he tells Jagger that he'll kill Blackbeard on his own.

The whole thing feels contrived, as Tom's character is too smart not to realise that Blackbeard's plan will go though with or without him. If there was more time on showing Jagger's cruelty to Tom, as well as Blackbeard's mercy, it would have been more believable for him to do this, and in a more permanent way.

It also doesn't help that in the next episode preview it shows that he performs surgery on Blackbeard, giving ample time to kill him, which the citizens think he's done, but we all know that's not going to happen. When is Tom going to mysteriously kill Blackbeard? Will he or won't he? These are intriguing questions, but annoying ones as well, as they've been ongoing for the series so far. I want it to move forward, this thread is tiresome.

One other part of the episode shows the thief in Blackbeard's crew trying to buy a plantation while with Tom in Jamaica, seemingly to get away from Blackabeard's island, but it doesn't show any followthrough with this. Tom has to make a hasty retreat from Jamaica due to betraying Blackbeard, and then we're left to assume the thief got back on the boat at some point.

Still getting better, but overall I thought this episode was sloppy, and turned the series in a bad direction.
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Published on July 13, 2014 22:13

July 1, 2014

Crossbones Episode 4 Review

Not much to say with this episode, overall it was good, but not overly memorable. They are starting to flesh out some of the side characters, which is nice.

There were scenes with the "bad guy" William Jagger, which I liked. He outsmarted Blackbeard, and though it was in a predictable way it still showed the characters intelligence and forethought.

There was an item from the first episode brought back which seemed to be of importance to the story, yet seemed to take a back seat in episode 2 & 3. William Jagger wanted it stolen by Blackbeard, and Tom Lowe to be captured at the same time.

I won't say details on how it's being used now to influence the plot, but I'm enjoying it. I hope that what Blackbeard has done will affect future events, and events in the background.

There were also scenes with Tom Lowe's apprentice, which is good because I thought he was just a prop meant to make Lowe look smarter. I hope he has a bigger role, because right now I don't like him and he serves no purpose.

Blackbeard's crew also had screen time, but they're trying a slow build with a particular character who is a thief. She's stealing for some reason, possibly involving the Spanish, and that's all that's been told so far. I want this portion of the story to progress more, as it's just been a few short scenes, probably less than 3 minutes per episode devoted to it.

On the Lowe, Blackbeard, Kate front. Lowe decided to not pursue intimacy with Kate to not cause her husband any more pain. Lowe is also trying to help her husband off of opium to do physiotherapy, but Blackbeard wants him on the opium to keep his hands steady when working on the plot item mentioned earlier.

There's an interesting Devil/Angel aspect going on between Lowe and Blackbeard, with Kate and her husband caught in the middle.

So, to reiterate what I said earlier: Not a bad episode, but nothing overly memorable. The tide seems to be turning. I'd sure love to see some ship battles though.
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Published on July 01, 2014 21:05

June 23, 2014

Crossbones Episode 3 Review

Here is my review/impressions of episode 2 of Crossbones, originally posted on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VOQARSeries

Crossbones Episode 3 Review

This series is getting better with each episode, but as with each one, there are things at fault that could have been easily avoided.

There's been an advance in the storyline of the main character and a married woman who lives on Blackbeard's island, and it may be dealing with it in a nuanced way. Maybe

The main character, Tom Lowe, and the married woman, Kate Balfour, have consummated their affair that's been not so subtly hinted would happen.

I honestly don't know what Tom Lowe's intentions are with the affair, and I hope it's because the writers are purposefully leaving it open to interpretation. He could genuinely be in love, or lust, but I don't want that to be the case, as it would make for good drama. I hope that, being the cunning "always has a plan" character that they've been making him out to be, is just using her to advance his plans.

On the other end of the spectrum, I hope that Kate is using Tom, as that would bring in that nuanced character that I hope they're trying to build. It would also be nice if Blackbeard had the foresight to enlist her help with the scheming Tom Lowe and have her in his trust. She genuinely seems to love her husband, so it feels odd that she would cheat on him if it wasn't for such a reason.

To lend credence to this theory, the husband, James Belfour, from his manner, seems to know about his wife's infidelity, yet says nothing. However, this could just be his way of having his wife sexually satisfied, as he's crippled and cannot perform. I dearly hope that it's the former.

It would be nice if this type of cat and mouse action was taking place in the background of Tom and Kate's relationship, otherwise I'll be disappointed with the writers more than ever before.

One part I disliked was a disjointed story involving some of Blackbeard's crew. One woman was accused of stealing, and seems to be hiding treasure on the island for some unknown reason. After she was accused the characters sort of made up, and then it went on to other things, and never came back to why the character was hiding it.

It may be that they will come back to this thread later, but the exchange was too brief and felt shoehorned in, as it had nothing to do with the normal plot of what was happening in the rest of the episode.

Later in the show, when the island was being evacuated because of a threat of British possibly finding the island, Blackbeard gets one of his men to stay behind at his house with another crewmate to hold the fort for and inexplicable reason.

It turns out that the other crewmate never leaves the house due to having a phobia of the outdoors and crowds, which was never shown or even hinted at before this episode.

She ends up stabbing the first crewmate because he felt it was foolish that Blackbeard would make the two stay in the house.

The whole section of dialogue felt forced and didn't make sense. Generally there's foreshadowing leading up to an event like this, but, as far as I can recall, there was none.

Not a bad episode overall, and I'm excited to see what happens with the Lowe, Belfour, Blackbeard storyline for future episodes. Maybe this series will be worth it soon.
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Published on June 23, 2014 19:22

June 22, 2014

Crossbones Episode 2 Review

Here is my review/impressions of episode 2 of Crossbones, originally posted on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VOQARSeries

Alright, another episode of Crossbones is out. I think I'll do my impressions of the episodes more regularly rather than my first impression and subsequent season 1 review like Black Sails.

I'm still not convinced with Blackbeard. The Blackbeard I know from historical accounts, and the one I'm slowly creating, is a six foot four living demon.

Regardless of whether the stories of his ruthlessness were exaggerated and he treated those who he captured reasonably, none contest his fearsome aspect. In Crossbones, I don't fear Blackbeard, I don't see him as ruthless, he just feels like an old man trying to keep up with the younger generation.

At the end of the episode, there is a slight redemption, but not much in my opinion. I'm waiting for the greatness that is Blackbeard to arrive.

As well, I have no idea where the story is going. The plot that began in the trailer and first episode seems to be resolved already.
All that remains of that thread is the main character Thomas Lowe, and his goal is currently in question. At first, his character seemed to have a singular purpose revealed within the first ten minutes of the first episode, and that's to kill Blackbeard, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside.

I like Thomas Lowe, and I'm interested to see how his character will change. It seems that he might fight for the pirates or Blackbeard eventually, and without the threat of death which is currently present, if the right circumstances happen.

This episode was a smidgen better than the last, but as you can see I still have my doubts. The ship that is this series has started on rocky shores, but it may be able to navigate it's way out.
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Published on June 22, 2014 16:15

June 21, 2014

Crossbones Episode 1 Review

Recently, on my facebook page, I started reviewing episodes of a new series called Crossbones. It's a pirate show involving Blackbeard, starring John Malkovich as Blackbeard, and Richard Coyle as Tom Lowe, a man sent by the British Navy to kill Blackbeard.

Here's the trailer: http://youtu.be/gJdrrHm3HhY

I've decided to post the reviews on my blog, because why not. I have the first three episodes reviewed already, so I'll post them one after the other here to catch up. First episode today, second tomorrow, and third the next day.

Without further adieu, here is my review/impressions of episode 1:

First impressions of Crossbones. It was alright.

Where there's not an overflowing amount of pirate shows on tv, only two I'm aware of that are live action anyway, it's certainly the lesser of the two.
Black Sails had some good action in it's first episode, and it showcased the characters well, giving a varied look at the main character that the trailer only briefly touched on.
Whereas my opinion on Crossbones' Blackbeard didn't change from the trailer to the show. I thought he looked odd, and I got exactly that. An odd, old, not really intimidating Blackbeard. John Malkovich did a good job, but his accent felt off on some words, and he wasn't very loud, making me think he was straining to talk, but it could just be the character, as there is something briefly mentioned about trouble speaking late in the episode.

The main character is also not Blackbeard, which I felt was a step in the wrong direction from the beginning, especially given that he's featured so prominently in the trailer.

The episode was intriguing, but it only hinted as potential greatness. I was bored during most of it, I don't care for the plot device driving everything forward, and the only good thing going is the main character, but even he's dull at the moment.

I'll keep watching the show, but when comparing Black Sails' first episode and Crossbones' first episode, Black Sails wins hands down. Plus, you can't beat the opening of Black Sails. The tune and the imagery from it totally sets the mood.

Check it out and let me know what you think.
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Published on June 21, 2014 17:45

March 15, 2014

Shows I've Been Watching

I watch a lot of TV. Probably too much. I would get a lot more done if I didn't watch TV, but I keep watching. TV, in all it's flaws, can be a source of inspiration. Just as how reading books or watching movies or playing games can be.

Here are some of the shows I've been watching recently with my impressions of each.

Hannibal

Currently in Season 2, this is like watching a chess game where the pieces eat each other in the most gruesome way possible after being taken. Brutal, intelligent, and not for the squeamish, this show is perfect for those who like thrillers with a little more class and a lot more gore.

At it's core, Hannibal is a CSI type show, but what sets it apart is, of course, the characters and the type of murders they are investigating. As it's based on the book Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, it has familiar characters to those who've seen Silence of the Lambs, or read the books of the same name. And, for those who don't know, they are investigating murders where the people killed also had body parts removed for consumption.

Hannibal is one of the main characters, but it moreso deals with Will Graham, a brilliant psychological profiler who can empathize and get into the head of a killer like no other. This ability presents problems with his mental state as the series progresses, and so Will takes on Hannibal as his psychiatrist, Hannibal knowing full well that Will is investigating some murders that he committed.

It's a compelling watch and I highly recommend it.

Rating: 10/10

Black Sails

Black Sails is a pirate adventure set twenty years prior to the events of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Unlike the novel, it's a more adult oriented story. Mature subject matter, blood, and nudity, is present throughout.

I enjoy everything related to pirates, in case it wasn't apparent, and this is no exception. It's an interesting story where it's main character, Captain Flint, is on the edge of madness and glory and content to kill any and all who may get in his way, including his own crew.

The one problem I have with the show is that the action is sparse. Every episode has conflict, but I expected more visceral fighting when dealing with people like pirates. There needs to be more ship battles, and I can certainly see more coming, but when each episode is almost an hour, I expect more.

Rating: 7/10

The Newsroom

The Newsroom is on HBO, which, for me, has a proven track record for drama and intelligent story. The Newsroom is generally set well in the past, necessary for a story of this type. It stars Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy a news anchor on a fictional network and shows the general trials and tribulations that a news station may have dealt with during certain critical stories over the past years.

The show begins with Will McAvoy's very public "breakdown" where he tells off a college student for what he considers a stupid question. I saw that portion of the show on Youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zqOYB..., and I was hooked immediately. The show itself continues from there and how Will comes back from the breakdown and the changes that are made when the love of his life becomes his Executive Producer.

The show just finished it's second season, and has been renewed for it's third and final season. I love it's take on news and stories that have taken place over the past while. It's intelligent, witty, and eye opening. I like the characters and how it shows their flaws just as well as it shows their strengths.

The only problem that I have with the show is that sometimes the characters can be too perfect in their execution of the news. As it's dealing with news stories that have already happened, the writer of the show knows what happened, the audience generally would know what happened, and somehow the team doing the news has the forethought not to jump the gun on false positives to show how smart they are. It all feels like wish fulfillment to me sometimes, especially when sometimes it contradicts what they've done in earlier shows.

Rating: 9/10

I'll end it here, but these are only a small sample of the shows I'm actively watching or have been watching recently. I may make another post with another batch later on. King of the Nerds, True Detective, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Masterchef, these are just a sample of what I might talk about next time.

Until then, stay entertained.
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Published on March 15, 2014 05:43